Informal Learning in Academic Student Organizations: An Exploratory Examination of Student-Faculty Interactions and the Relationship to Leadership

2013 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peggy Holzweiss ◽  
Kelli Peck Parrot ◽  
Bryan Cole
2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 1095-1109
Author(s):  
Stephanie Santos-Díaz ◽  
Marcy H. Towns

Previous work on chemistry outreach has mainly focused on designing and implementing demonstrations for outreach. Recent studies indicate student organizations are at the forefront of chemistry outreach and described their outreach practices and conceptual understanding of demonstrations. However, more research is needed regarding the experiences of facilitators leading outreach events to understand their motivation, what they are gaining from participating, how they are contributing to the community, etc. By providing this information, we can give more structure to outreach initiatives as an informal learning environment. This work is part of a larger study that explores the relationship between leadership in student organizations and chemistry outreach events. Here, we present how diversity plays a role in chemistry outreach, as informed by interviews involving nine graduate students who actively participated in outreach. Communities of practice (CoP) has been used as a framework to describe learning environments and student organizations participating in outreach can be thought of as a CoP. The findings suggest diversity and inclusion influence boundary processes of the student organization as a CoP. Specifically, students’ prior experiences related to gender, race/ethnicity, education and other outreach events play a role in their purpose for doing chemistry outreach, how they contribute to planning of events and how they interact with the audience of outreach events.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Morteza Taheri ◽  
Sharareh Motealleh ◽  
Jalil Younesi

Purpose Past research shows that workplace fun has a positive effect on informal learning, however, the role of individual and organizational mediating variables in this relation has not been studied much. This study aims to examine the role of management support, motivation to learn and learning opportunity in the relationship between workplace fun and informal learning. Design/methodology/approach In this multivariate correlation study, data were collected through questionnaires. In total, 200 employees of the petrochemical industry participated. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. Findings The main finding suggests that motivation to learn contributes to informal learning. Fun in the workplace has a positive and significant indirect effect on informal learning by providing a variety of opportunities to learn; the management support in the final model also mediates the relationship between workplace fun and opportunities to learn. Practical implications The results indicate the benefits of creating and maintaining fun in the workplace to improve informal learning. The authors will be better able to advise by providing abundant resources for formal training such as time, learning climate and financial resources, workplace fun can be used as a practical strategy to promote informal learning where the workplace is fun, innovation, creativity and performance improvement occur. Managers should make arrangements to spontaneously motivate employees to learn informally and provide fun and varied opportunities for informal learning. Originality/value In this study, the multiple correlations and the effect of motivation variables, learning opportunity and management support in the relationship between workplace fun and informal learning were studied. Examining how these relationships are and identifying the moderator of this relationship because of individual and environmental differences requires further studies.


2019 ◽  
Vol 39 ◽  
pp. 52-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chun Lai

AbstractThis article discusses some of the current research on technology in relation to learner autonomy, outlining major findings on the relationship between technology and learner autonomy in formal and informal learning contexts. Extant literature has discussed both teacher-initiated technology-enhanced formal learning environments and learner-constructed self-directed learning experience in informal learning contexts. Although valuable in the insights it provides into how technology aids learner autonomy, the two bodies of literature have largely been independent from each other, which may constrain our understanding.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominik Emanuel Froehlich ◽  
Simon Beausaert ◽  
Mien Segers ◽  
Maike Gerken

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of chronological age and formaland informal learning activities on employability. Furthermore, indirect effects of age on employabilityvia learning activities were tested.Design/methodology/approach – The authors conducted quantitative, cross-sectional surveyresearch (n¼780) in three Dutch and Austrian organizations to study the relationship betweenchronological age, formal and informal learning activities, and employability using structural equationmodeling.Findings – The authors find that both formal and informal learning increase employees’ employability.However, each type of learning contributes to different components of employability. Additionally, theauthors find indirect effects of chronological age on employability via formal learning.Research limitations/implications – The results question the focus on chronological age inorganizational and political decision making and contribute new insights for the management of anincreasingly older workforce.Practical implications – The findings question the predominant use of chronological age asdecisive criterion in organizational and national policies and call for closer examination of stereotypesagainst older employees. Employees should be supported in pursuing learning activities – irrespectiveof their chronological age. The implications of limiting employees’ access to formal learning activitiesmay limit their future employability. Individual employees, however, are in control of their informallearning activities, and this is a very important lever to maintain and develop employability.Social implications – Given the increasing dependency of social welfare systems on older people’sactive participation in the labor market, this study stresses that it is not chronological age per se thataffects people’s employability. This diverges from the way of how chronological age is used in policymaking.Originality/value – This study contributes further evidence for the relationships of age and formaland informal learning on employability. Additionally, it extends previous literature by examiningdifferent effects on different facets of employability, criticizing the prevalent use of chronological age,and investigating potential mediation effects.


Author(s):  
Adella Adiningtyas ◽  
Aida Vitayala S Hubeis ◽  
Dwi Retno Hapsari

Non-profit organizations engaged in environmental issues has been increasingly recognized by many people. The success of non-profit organizations that pursued by increasing the positive image obtained from media relations. This study aimed to analyze the strategy of Public Relations (PR) WWF-Indonesia in improving the image of the organization. This study was conducted with a quantitative approach and qualitative approach. The method used is survay on two student organizations Bogor Agricultural University who worked with WWF-Indonesia, they are from Fisheries Diving Club (FDC) and the Association of Student Interest in Sciences of Communication and Community Development (HIMASIERA). Data analysis included Spearman Rank test and Chi Square used to look at the relationship between PR strategy with the image of a non-profit organization. The results of the study, namely: 1) there is a relationship between individual characteristics with the image of a company that is formed; 2) there is a relationship between the public relation activities undertaken by the company's image.Keywords: environmental issue, media relation, student organizations ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ABSTRAKOrganisasi nirlaba yang bergerak di isu-isu lingkungan telah semakin diakui oleh banyak orang. Keberhasilan organisasi nirlaba yang dikejar dengan meningkatkan citra positif yang diperoleh dari hubungan media. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis strategi hubungan masyarakat WWF-Indonesia dalam meningkatkan citra organisasi. Penelitian ini dilakukan dengan pendekatan kuantitatif dan pendekatan kualitatif. Metode yang digunakan adalah survai pada dua organisasi mahasiswa Institut Pertanian Bogor yang bekerja dengan WWF-Indonesia yang berasal dari Fisheries Diving Club (FDC) dan Asosiasi Mahasiswa Peminat Ilmu Komunikasi dan Pengembangan Masyarakat (HIMASIERA). Analisis data termasuk uji Rank Spearman dan Chi Square, digunakan untuk melihat hubungan antara strategi PR dengan citra sebuah organisasi nirlaba. Hasil studi, yaitu: 1) terdapat hubungan antara karakteristik individu dengan citra perusahaan yang terbentuk; 2) ada hubungan antara kegiatan hubungan masyarakat yang dilakukan oleh citra perusahaan.Kata kunci: isu lingkungan, hubungan media, organisasi mahasiswa


2020 ◽  
pp. 1323-1343
Author(s):  
Theresa Neimann ◽  
Victor C. X. Wang

Informal learning is a universal current phenomenon of learning via participation, experience, or learning via student-centered knowledge creation. It stands in stark contrast with the traditional view of didactic teacher-centered learning. Online education can be regarded as a positive and self-directed form of informal learning. Whether or not deep learning takes place for the online learner is a controversial topic for many educators. This chapter will discuss the benefits and challenges of the relationship between informal online learning leading to deeper learning. But, what isn't controversial is that in this century more education has been delivered in digital platforms than in any other time in history. For most providers of education to remain highly competitive, they must engage in electronic education of some form by moving beyond the brick and mortar of the traditional classroom. Informal learning has become the impetus resulting in the extensive and intensive application of electronic education.


2013 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 18-34
Author(s):  
Peggy C. Holzweiss ◽  
Kelli Peck Parrott ◽  
Bryan R. Cole

Cognicia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 53-63
Author(s):  
Andi Hakiki ◽  
Muhammad Fath Mashuri

The performance of student organizations is a crucial variable in maintaining their existence and achieving their organizational goals. One of the important factors that influence this is the degree of sense of community of the members of the organization. Sexism as a gender prejudice is considered to have the potential to influence aspects of the sense of community and organizational performance. This study aims to examine sexism as a moderator on the relationship between sense of community and organizational performance. This study uses a quantitative method and determines the subject using a random sampling technique to the members of student organizations with a total of 223 subjects. The measuring instrument used is Sense of Community version 2, The Ambivalent of Sexism Inventory, and an Organizational Performance Scale. Data analysis used the method of moderated regression analysis. The results showed that there was a significant relationship between sense of community and organizational performance, and sexism as a moderator variable had an insignificant value on the relationship between sense of community and organizational performance.   Keywords: Organizational performance, sense of community, sexism, university student


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