scholarly journals Increasing adult students' learning opportunities with flexible learning pathways: Evidence from a technology and industrial management graduate course

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rogerio Duarte ◽  
Ana Luisa de Oliveira Pires ◽  
Angela Lacerda Nobre
Keyword(s):  
Adult Students ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Graduate Course ◽  
Flexible Learning ◽  
Industrial Management ◽  
Learning Pathways

scholarly journals Experiential Graduate Education: An Experiment in Transformative Learning

2013 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marilyn Laiken
Keyword(s):  
Transformative Learning ◽  
Adult Students ◽  
Adult Educators ◽  
Transformative Learning Theory ◽  
Graduate Course ◽  
Mature Adult ◽  
Constructive Learning ◽  
Personal Mastery ◽  
Transformative Impact

Five years of teaching a graduate course in organizational learning have convinced the author that the course has a transformative impact on her mature adult students. The article examines the nature of this form of experiential education in the light of transformative learning theory and learning organization concepts. Using the course as a case example, the author offers a number of specific approaches to: developing a constructive learning environment; enhancing team learning; surfacing and discussing assumptions; supporting systems thinking; and personal mastery. Finally, the author examines the role of the instructor as a facilitator of transformative learning. The objectives are to help adult educators reflect on one kind of environment that seems to have a transformative impact and to explore how to continue to successfully design such experiences for and with adult students.

scholarly journals The Eccoe Approach to Quality Reviewing Online Descriptions of Learning Opportunities

2020 ◽  
pp. 66-75
Author(s):  
Deborah Arnold ◽  
Alessandra Antonaci ◽  
Lisa Marie Blaschke ◽  
Gérard Casanova ◽  
Ada Giannatelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Criteria ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Actual Process ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Major Step ◽  
Flexible Learning ◽  
Learning Opportunity ◽  
Stakeholder Consultation ◽  
Future Work

As learners seek more flexible learning opportunities, and employers become gradually more open to accepting alternative forms of credentials, there is a need to improve the visibility and quality of the online information available about such opportunities. This information includes not only the descriptions of formal and non-formal learning opportunities, from full degree programmes to optional courses and MOOCs, but also the credentials learning opportunities can lead to and by whom these credentials are recognised. The new Europass initiative of the European Union is a major step forward in this respect, offering the possibility to search for both learning and employment opportunities via a platform that will support a variety of different credentials. Building on the Europass Learning Model, the Erasmus+ ECCOE project makes a significant contribution to this future platform, by defining specific quality criteria for evaluating both learning opportunities and their credentials. This paper describes the methodology applied for the quality review of online descriptions with the ultimate aim of developing a catalogue showcasing learning opportunities that meet the criteria defined by the project. This methodology concerns two levels: (a) the actual process designed and implemented transnationally for the first iteration of over 100 learning opportunity descriptions, and (b) the two PDCA (Plan, Do, Check, Act) quality improvement cycles applied to refining the process itself. The paper also presents the results of this first iteration and formulates recommendations relevant for learning opportunity providers. Future work involving stakeholder consultation is also presented, as are the synergistic interactions between this research and the overall ECCOE project outcomes within the wider context of European work on Digital Credentials and open, online and flexible learning.

Expanding Learning Opportunities for Graduate Students with HyFlex Course Design

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 19-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariam Mouse Matta Abdelmalak ◽  
Julia Lynn Parra
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Learning Styles ◽  
Adult Students ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Student Attendance ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Course Work ◽  
Class Meetings

The purpose of this study was to explore students' perspectives regarding HyFlex course design. The main feature of HyFlex is blending synchronous online student attendance and face-to-face student attendance (hybrid) in a single course and allowing students to choose when and how they attend (flexible). The course in this study implemented HyFlex principles to expand learning opportunities of adult graduate students in a higher education setting. The data collection sources included interviews of six graduate students, class observations, recordings of class meetings, students' course work, and relevant online course artifacts. Results indicated that participants perceived HyFlex to be a good way to accommodate student needs and their life circumstances, increase student access to course content and instruction, differentiate instruction to meet adult students' different learning styles and strategies, and give students a sense of control over their learning.

scholarly journals The Use of WhatsApp for Flexible Learning: Its Effectiveness in Supporting Teaching and Learning in Sierra Leone's Higher Education Institutions

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 35
Author(s):  
Emerson Abraham Jackson
Keyword(s):  
Sierra Leone ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Learning Experiences ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Government Support ◽  
Flexible Learning ◽  
Instructor Interaction ◽  
The Right ◽  
Effective Use ◽  
Made In

<p class="Body"><span>Despite its inherent limitations, Whatsapp messenger has proved beneficial in bridging the gap in technology provision for enhancing students' learning experiences in Sierra Leone. The need to make sure students dedicate time in using Whatsapp for the benefit of improving their learning experiences was emphasised; this as suggested can be done through participation in group collaboration, which involve peer-to-peer and peer-to-instructor interaction. Equally, to advance effective use of flexible learning opportunities, institutions must consider alternatives like Moodle / Blackboard, which already comes with the added capabilities of MIS synchronisation features of integration with students' record. In all of the aforementioned points, there is a need for government support in ensuring the right investment is made in bringing the country's HEIs integrated ICT learning provision to international standard. </span></p>

scholarly journals Key Factors Needed for Developing a Higher Education Cross-Campus Learning Environment in a Nordic Context

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaun Sydney Nykvist ◽  
Veruska De Caro-Barek ◽  
Robin Støckert ◽  
Dag Atle Lysne
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Learning Space ◽  
Flexible Learning ◽  
Postgraduate Students ◽  
Pedagogical Approaches

The use of digital technologies and online tools to support both students and educators has become synonymous with transforming learning within Higher Education, particularly within post graduate courses. It can be argued that the recent push for transforming Higher Education aligns itself with the notion that postgraduate students need more flexible learning opportunities while still retaining access to high quality, engaging and collaborative pedagogical approaches. This paper reports on an exploratory case study that focuses on cross campus/university collaboration and flexible learning opportunities for students studying a masters level degree in the area of Music, Communication and Technology (MCT) within a Nordic context. The research question guiding the study is “What factors do educators in a hybrid cross-campus learning environment identify as essential for providing a supportive learning experience for students?” A pedagogy, space and technology (PST) framework underpins the development of this program and forms the basis for its development. The findings from our research identify three themes that need to be considered when attempting to design and implement high quality learning opportunities for students studying a largely synchronous hybrid music, communications and technology program. These themes were flexibility, trust and the human element, and ownership. The findings also highlight the need for a renewed focus on pedagogical approaches that can be adapted and continually revised to meet the changing needs of students in a synchronous hybrid learning space.

Designing and Implementing Views on Competencies

2007 ◽  
pp. 221-233 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcel van der Klink ◽  
Kathleen Schlusmans ◽  
Jo Boon
Keyword(s):  
Learning Process ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Specific Function ◽  
Flexible Learning ◽  
Five Dimensions ◽  
Personal Learning ◽  
Fuzzy Concept ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Competency Based ◽  
Learning Plans

In education as well as in Human Resource Management the concept of competency is becoming more and more important. However competency is a fuzzy concept that lacks coherent terminology and is used in many different meanings. In the first part of this chapter competency is defined as a multi-dimensional construct with five dimensions: specificity, coherency, durability, activity and trainability. Then two approaches are presented to establish the competencies organisations or educational institutes should address :the function-based approach which focuses requirements for good performance in a specific function and the employee based approach which focuses on individual competencies for excellent performers. Finally it is argued that a competency based curriculum should move towards self-directed competency-based learning (SDCBL), using personal learning plans and adopting the flexible learning opportunities of e-learning. However SDCBL can only be successful when learners can be taught to be responsible managers and owners of their own learning process.

Asynchronous Content Design for Flexible Learning

2011 ◽  
pp. 116-125
Author(s):  
Gülsün Kurubacak ◽  
T. Volkan Yuzer
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic Change ◽  
Virtual Learning ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Flexible Learning ◽  
Online Programs ◽  
Long Period ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
Content Design ◽  
Educational Contents

Gradually, more institutions around the globe are becoming involved in dynamic change over a long period to provide time- and location-independent asynchronous e-learning opportunities. With the potential of network-based technologies, asynchronous e-learning has become a powerful, global, interactive, economic, and dynamic as well as democratic tool of virtual learning (Khan, 1997). Asynchronous e-learning provides an opportunity to build flexible online programs for sharing knowledge with virtual educational contents. To generate cogent asynchronous e-learning opportunities, however, it is important to analyze the principles, ethics, and pitfalls of sharing knowledge online between professionals and community. Therefore, asynchronous content must be designed carefully based on macro- and micro-level frameworks, which provide us with elaborating open, flexible, and distributed virtual learning milieus.

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