scholarly journals GAMIFICATION AND BLENDED LEARNING IN VOCATIONAL TRAINING AND COACHING IN SHORT COURSES

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 317-321
Author(s):  
Renata Petrevska Nechkoska ◽  
Mimoza Bogdanovska Jovanovska
Keyword(s):  
Instructional Design ◽  
Blended Learning ◽  
Vocational Training ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Personal Contact ◽  
Western Balkans ◽  
Immediate Feedback ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Learning Platform ◽  
Short Courses

Vocational training and coaching delivered through short courses and workshops, needs to be as effective as possible due to several reasons: learners (and their employers) invest their time and energy, they expect direct usefulness of the course content and roadmap on how to implement the knowledge into real-life problems, there is certain extent of professional maturity that expects proper balance of theoretical and practical aspects and the outcomes are evident in short time for the benefit of all, or for the worse. These reasons motivated the trainers to use a specific instructional design that embodies gamification, blended learning and coaching for vocational training in short courses for group of participants from Western Balkans countries, with diverse backgrounds, languages, professions, education, personal and collective goals on the topic of preparing successful project proposals for funding, supported by the Western Balkans Alumni Association projects. The specifics in this instructional design have been multifold, compared to traditional training and coaching. One of the novel aspects is the combination of trainers related to the course content of projects funding from various aspects - National Agency expertise, academic, governmental and non-governmental experience, project evaluation and business practitioners. This setting of training facilitated by representative of almost every stakeholder in the higher educational ecosystem and articulated through the curricula of the trainers is aimed to enable overall knowledge apprehension, networking and immediate feedback loops. The incorporation of virtual activities before, during and after the in-person course utilises blended learning mashup of various tools such as e-learning platform for asynchronous communication, social networks for synchronous communication, webinar tool for virtual presence, video tutorials for future reference and expanded dissemination and personal contact for coaching. Another novelty in this approach is in the gamification aspect - introducing scout-game in the forest, using broad range of symbolic matrices - of compasses, maps, planned activities and unplanned events, training of skills and situational awareness, progress mechanics, challenges to achieve teamwork towards outputs and outcomes. And last but not least, the balance of theoretical and practical aspects is achieved by inviting each participant to have own working example and apply the concepts while receiving immediate feedback, or working on collective example - for all of which, follow up coaching is provided. The ‘magic’ of effective project proposals is complemented with appropriate change management and tactical management. The cognitive and knowledge dimension categories and components have been addressed in their entirety through the extended Bloom taxonomy and the evaluation has been made in formative and summative manner. The learning experience with our instructional design in this pilot instance happens for each participant - on the side of the learners and on the side of the trainers and other HEI stakeholders, including the WBAA - with specific goal to enable emergent effects of networked learners that can put their knowledge, skills and competences in right direction and produce primary and secondary effects for the Western Balkans region and EU.

scholarly journals STUDENTS EXPERIENCES ON THE USE OF GOOGLE CLASSROOM: CASE STUDY OF A UNIVERSITY IN RWANDA

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayodele Ogegbo ◽  
◽  
Oyebimpe Adegoke ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Web 2.0 ◽  
Stem Education ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
User Friendliness ◽  
Immediate Feedback ◽  
Web 2.0 Tools ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Learning Platform ◽  
Quantitative Descriptive

Google is a popular Web 2.0 tools with many interesting facilities and applications. Like many other Web 2.0 tools, Google classroom has potential for teaching and learning due to its unique built-in functions that offer pedagogical, social and technological affordances. With this in mind, Google classroom as an open-source learning platform created in 2015 to simplify and enhance user collaboration, was considered a prominent technology tool used to enhance teaching and learning at a particular University in Rwanda. This study adopts a quantitative descriptive design to investigate university students' Google classroom experiences in Rwanda after participating in an online STEM education course. Data were collected using questionnaires sent to students via a Google form link. The collected data were analyzed using frequency and descriptive analysis. The study has generally confirmed that students have a positive cognitive, affective, and behavioural attitude towards Google classroom use. The study also revealed immediate feedback, accessibility, user-friendliness, collaboration, effective and efficient communication as positive experiences recognized by students using Google classroom in their online STEM education course. Nevertheless, students faced problems such as poor internet connection, lack of technology to access the classroom, insufficient time to submit tasks, lecturers inadequate and untimely response to students’ questions, isolated learning, poor knowledge about the user interface, inadequate skills on how to use the classroom. To further encourage the use of google classroom particularly as a learning management system in Rwandan universities and other universities across Africa, findings from this study recommends that education institutions provide students and lecturers with adequate training and platform on how to use the google classroom interface, improve ICT infrastructures, lecturers’ use of video chat or asynchronous mode to provide adequate and timely feedback to students within stipulated virtual office hours, ensure quality course content.

scholarly journals Student engagement in blended learning instructional design: an analytical study

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Siraj K.K. ◽  
Azzah Al Maskari
Keyword(s):  
Instructional Design ◽  
Student Engagement ◽  
Blended Learning ◽  
Business Strategy ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Sultanate Of Oman ◽  
Online Instructional Design ◽  
Instructional Mode ◽  
The Impact

The main purpose of this study was to evaluate students’ perception of blended learning instructional design in a Higher Education Institution (HEI) in the Sultanate of Oman. A course in a bachelor degree was offered using blended learning instructional mode, and students’ feedback was obtained on the impact of blended learning. The study was conducted in Ibra College of Technology, one of the seven colleges under the Ministry of Manpower in the Sultanate of Oman. A course in Business Strategy and HR Management was offered during Summer 2016 using a combination of traditional and online instructional design. A structured questionnaire was administered at the end of the semester to solicit feedback from students. The results of the study highlighted a positive attitude among students towards blended learning courses. The research stressed the requirements for proper infrastructure, training and development initiatives for staff and students, shift to a more focused practical assessment methods to measure the graduate attributes. Student engagement, learner autonomy, connection of learning to real life environments and flexibility all appeared to benefit from the blended learning course.

scholarly journals Past, present, and future of smart learning: a topic-based bibliometric analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xieling Chen ◽  
Di Zou ◽  
Haoran Xie ◽  
Fu Lee Wang
Keyword(s):  
Cloud Computing ◽  
Blended Learning ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Content Management ◽  
Research Field ◽  
Smart Devices ◽  
Major Research ◽  
Research Issues ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Smart Learning

AbstractInnovative information and communication technologies have reformed higher education from the traditional way to smart learning. Smart learning applies technological and social developments and facilitates effective personalized learning with innovative technologies, especially smart devices and online technologies. Smart learning has attracted increasing research interest from the academia. This study aims to comprehensively review the research field of smart learning by conducting a topic modeling analysis of 555 smart learning publications collected from the Scopus database. In particular, it seeks answers to (1) what the major research topics concerning smart learning were, and (2) how these topics evolved. Results demonstrate several major research issues, for example, Interactive and multimedia learning, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education, Attendance and attention recognition, Blended learning for smart learning, and Affective and biometric computing. Furthermore, several emerging topics were identified, for example, Smart learning analytics, Software engineering for e-learning systems, IoT (Internet of things) and cloud computing, and STEM education. Additionally, potential inter-topic directions were highlighted, for instance, Attendance and attention recognition and IoT and cloud computing, Semantics and ontology and Mobile learning, Feedback and assessment and MOOCs (massive open online courses) and course content management, as well as Blended learning for smart learning and Ecosystem and ambient intelligence.

An evaluation of public policy student placements: outcomes of a Malta-based study

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Marie Thake
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Academic Disciplines ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Mandatory Requirement ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to evaluate short-term, unpaid placements offered to students reading for a degree in public policy. They provide added value to their tertiary education experience. Elective placements were offered in 2012 and became a mandatory requirement for students reading for a three-year bachelor of commerce degree in public policy in 2018. To date, no research has been carried out on these placements and this may serve as a model for a post-evaluation assessment.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from students who undertook placements, embedded in the public policy undergraduate programme. A document analysis of selected student and placement provider's reports was carried out to complement the students' responses to an online questionnaire.FindingsPlacements are of value to students as they served as an introduction to the working world. They enable students to establish connections with the course content and carry out research. They were exposed to real-life situations, developing their knowledge, acquiring soft skills and learning new tools, sought after by employers. These placements were valued as a route to graduate employment tailor-made to the degree's requirements. Students were able to embark on a soul-searching, introspective discovery and journey which made them mature and shed light in the direction of future work prospects.Research limitations/implicationsPlacements give students the opportunity to gain insights into real-work environments and are able to link theories learnt in the class-room with real-life situations. Placements have positive implications on students adjusting to their work life easily after graduation. The limitations are that the sample size was small and that the reflective reports which were randomly selected may not have necessarily been representative of the full complement.Practical implicationsThe practical implications are that the placements system and process can easily be implemented and replicated in other academic disciplines and universities as a compulsory component of their studies.Social implicationsPlacements gave students the opportunity to reflect on their learning, develop non-technical skills and enhance their confidence levels. They were also able to network and communicate with different employees.Originality/valuePlacements provided exposure to relevant organisations and personal enrichment in terms of acquiring skills, autonomy and independence. Students with placement experience are also more likely to secure future employment, relevant to their undergraduate degree.

The Effect of User Experience on Designing Interactive Tool: A Case Study of Learning Images Compression

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 1312-1320
Keyword(s):  
User Experience ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Mathematical Concept ◽  
Design Principles ◽  
Mathematical Explanation ◽  
Mathematical Concepts ◽  
Learning Platform ◽  
Learning Mathematics ◽  
The Common ◽  
Value Decomposition

Technology has significantly emerged in various fields, including healthcare, government, and education. In the education field, students of all ages and backgrounds turn to modern technologies for learning instead of traditional methods, especially under challenging courses such as mathematics. However, students face many problems in understanding mathematical concepts and understanding how to benefit from them in real-life. Therefore, it can be challenging to design scientific materials suitable for learning mathematics and clarifying their applications in life that meet the students’ preferences. To solve this issue, we designed and developed an interactive platform based on user experience to learn an advanced concept in the idea of linear algebra called Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) and its applicability in image compression. The proposed platform considered the common design principles to map between the provider in terms of clear mathematical explanation and the receiver in terms of matching good user experience. Twenty participants between the ages of 16 and 30 tested the proposed platform. The results showed that learning using it gives better results than learning traditionally in terms of the number of correct and incorrect actions, effectiveness, efficiency, and safety factors. Consequently, we can say that designing an interactive learning platform to explain an advanced mathematical concept and clarify its applications in real-life is preferable by considering and following the common design principles.

The Role of Simulation in the Learning of Surgical Skills

2013 ◽  
Vol 95 (9) ◽  
pp. 292-295 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Brown
Keyword(s):  
Life Events ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Surgical Skills ◽  
Immediate Feedback

Many authors have published theories regarding the learning of practical (surgical) skills. Table 1 contains a useful summary of these theories. Simulation has been defined by Allery et al as 'a structured activity designed to reflect reality, real life and real situations',1 and good simulation has been defined by Gorman et al as 'represent [ing] simplified reality, free from the need to include every possible detail'.2 when discussing simulation in education, issenberg, et al stated: 'Simulations are not identical to real-life events. Instead simulations place trainees into lifelike situations that provide immediate feedback about questions, decisions and actions.'3

scholarly journals Mobile Blended Learning with eSquirrel

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (4Β) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Maurer
Keyword(s):  
Blended Learning ◽  
Mobile Learning ◽  
Recent Progress ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
The State ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Classroom Teaching ◽  
Learning Platform ◽  
Start Up ◽  
Innovative Solution

This article outlines the state of the art of mobile blended learning apps. It describes recent progress in this area, and explains the potential of mobile blended learning for schools and educational institutions. Furthermore, it presents an innovative solution, eSquirrel, which is developed by an Austrian inter-disciplinary start-up. eSquirrel is a blended learning platform that combines mobile learning with gamification. It blends the concepts of classroom teaching, eLearning and learning from books into a native Android and iOS course app, and enables teachers to learn their students’ progress.

scholarly journals Students' Perception on Blended Learning in English Listening and Speaking Class

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Magdalena Kartikasari Tandy Rerung
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Blended Learning ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language And Culture ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Learning Platform ◽  
Face To Face Learning ◽  
Communicative Teaching ◽  
Listening And Speaking

<p>Nowadays, the communicative teaching has been influenced by the development of technology. Becoming interactive teacher would not be enough if it is not supported by technology usage. Online learning in this case has been a powerful tool to help language learners during their learning progress.  It is said that that online instruction raised the good and average student’s reading performance and the performance of the lowest-performing as well. In listening and speaking, online learning can help students improve their pronunciaton as well the comprehension skill. Therefore, the following study is designed to find out the students’ perceptions towards the use of both online and face-to-face learning in listening and speaking classroom. There are 30 students from the 1<sup>st</sup> and 3<sup>rd</sup> semester of English Language and Culture Departement and they joined the class for 1 semester. Online learning platform used was taken from Cambridge Learning Management System integrated with Unlock 2 and Unlock 4 books as the source of learning. The result shows that most of the students see online learning as an alternative tool to help them during their learning process.<strong></strong></p><strong>Keywords: </strong>blended learning, online learning, face-to-face learning, language learning

scholarly journals MYENGLISHLAB AS ONE OF THE GROUNDBREAKING BLENDED LEARNING TOOLS

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (2 (24)) ◽  
pp. 85-91
Author(s):  
Marianna Ohanyan
Keyword(s):  
Learning Styles ◽  
Blended Learning ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Educational Activity ◽  
English Language Learning ◽  
Learning Tools ◽  
Course Content ◽  
European Languages ◽  
Grammatical Skills

Online learning is one of the most rapidly growing trends in educational use of digital technologies. The article touches upon the importance of MyEnglishLab as one of the newest tools for blended English language learning. Due to the pandemics of the 2020 many learners began to implement different tools of digital technology to an increasing extent. An effective and appropriate tool for learning English aimed at developing communication skills allows to increase individualization of educational activity, to optimize mastering language structures and grammatical rules, and also to overcome some obstacles of both oral and written competences of the students. An interactive platform is one of the newest blended learning tools that combines different English language learning activities in a variety of formats. It is a web-based system providing learners 24 hours a day, 7 days a week online access to the teacher-managed course content, supports different learning styles, provides students with a large number of supervised practices. The platform MyEnglishLab contains lexical and grammatical tasks, audio materials listening and reading as well as watching videos. Tasks are performed in three stages: the formation of lexical and grammatical skills; improvement of language skills and using those phrases and sentences that were consolidated in the first stage in the dialogue with a computer; development of skills to use lexical and grammatical knowledge acquired during the previous two stages. The platform has options for choosing the number of attempts to perform both test exercises and training. In this article we present a research carried out among the freshmen of Yerevan State University Faculty of European Languages and Communication.

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