scholarly journals Learning activities in the University of Rwanda’s distance teacher education materials: Some lessons for designers

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Distance Education ◽  
Learning By Doing ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
Learning Approaches ◽  
Surface Approach ◽  
Approach To Learning ◽  
Teacher Professional ◽  
Surface Approach To Learning ◽  
The University

Learning activities constitute a very important component of distance education materials. They are associated with active learning and learning by doing, which are widely accepted as effective learning approaches. Learning by doing is particularly significant in distance education because distance learners have to teach themselves or learn on their own through doing and reflecting. This article reports and reflects on research which focused on the distance education materials designed by the University of Rwanda’s College of Education to provide professional development opportunities for high school teachers of English in Rwanda. Findings from a textual analysis of the materials and from interviews with a sample of teachers who had used these materials indicate that most of the activities were designed solely for ‘assessment of learning’ purposes and encourage a surface approach to learning. It is argued that activities which encourage a surface approach to learning limit learners’ engagement with, and understanding of, the content in the materials and improvement in quality teaching, a key goal of teacher professional development.

scholarly journals STUDENT'S CONCEPTS OF AND APPROACHES TO LEARNING AND THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THEM

2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 620-632
Author(s):  
Mohammad Ahmad Alkhateeb ◽  
Osamah Abdel Qader Bani Milhem
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Approaches To Learning ◽  
Learning Approaches ◽  
Deep Approach ◽  
Conceptions Of Learning ◽  
Surface Approach ◽  
Approach To Learning ◽  
Deep Approach To Learning ◽  
Study Population ◽  
Surface Approach To Learning

The study attempted to characterize students’ conceptions of learning and approaches to learning and revealing the correlation between the students’ concepts and approaches to learning. The researchers used qualitative content analysis and a descriptive approach. The study population comprised 90 male and female students of the Faculty of Educational Science in the HU University, Jordan, during the 2019/2020 academic year. The quantitative concepts were dominating among students (87.77%), especially the concept of learning as a knowledge increase (33.33%). On the other hand, the qualitative concepts of learning were low (12.22%), especially on the person change (2.22%). In addition, there was an emergence of a new concept of learning outside the traditional concepts, namely learning as exam preparation. The results showed that the deep approach to learning was low, and the surface approach to learning was high. The results further showed a correlation between the quantitative concepts of learning and the surface approach to learning, as well as a correlation between the qualitative concepts of learning the deep approach to learning. Hence, the general conclusion implies that if teachers are to place learners at the heart of the learning process, they must be aware of the concepts of learning and learning approaches of the students.

scholarly journals Assessment for Learning in the Chinese Context: Prospective EFL Teachers’ Perceptions and Their Relations to Learning Approach

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 1126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhengdong Gan ◽  
Fulan Liu ◽  
Chi Cheung Ruby Yang
Keyword(s):  
Assessment For Learning ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Learning Approach ◽  
Learning Approaches ◽  
Surface Approach ◽  
Approach To Learning ◽  
Chinese Context ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
Surface Approach To Learning

This study examines how prospective EFL teachers conceive of assessment for learning (AfL) practices and how these perceptions relate to their learning approaches. The study evaluated, in three teacher training universities’ in China, 692 prospective EFL teachers’ responses to a self-report instrument regarding assessment for learning practices and students’ learning approach. Results indicate a significant positive correlation between their perceived AfL experience and their tendency to adopt an achieving or deep approach to learning. Results also reveal that a surface approach to learning was negatively correlated to AfL experience, suggesting that in the Chinese university environment, the more AfL features incorporated into the classroom teaching and assessment processes, the less likely students adopt a surface approach to learning. This study also provides evidence of the potential differences in students’ responses to AfL as a result of different institutional environments. Implications of the results for addressing potential barriers to implementation of AfL in the Chinese context are also discussed.

scholarly journals Teachers’ perceptions about their practices and needs for improvement: A qualitative research project at the University of Padova

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debora Aquario ◽  
Renata Clerici ◽  
Lorenza Da Re ◽  
Ettore Felisatti ◽  
Cristina Mazzucco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Educational Innovation ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Need For Support ◽  
Teacher Professional ◽  
Points Of View ◽  
The One ◽  
The University

The aim of the paper is to present the results deriving from the qualitative analysis of open-ended questions included in the Prodid Project Questionnaire. Prodid (Teacher professional development and  academic educational innovation) is a research project conducted in 2014-2015 at the University of Padova, which aimed at developing strategies to support academic teachers to enhance their teaching competences. The questions were formulated in order to collect teachers’  points of view on excellence and innovation, perceived critical aspects in their teaching practice and the need for support to improve teaching. The analysis was conducted through the use of software Atlas.ti 7 in order to highlight, on the one hand, the strengths and weaknesses of current teaching practices, and on the other hand, the need of support to improve teaching skills and enhance teachers’ professionalism. Findings are presented by illustrating the distributions based on the different Schools in the universities as well as the thematic issues that emerged from teachers’ answers. These results informed the professional development activities organized at the University for junior and senior staff in 2015.

scholarly journals Calculus Self-Efficacy Inventory: Its Development and Relationship with Approaches to learning

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yusuf F. Zakariya ◽  
Simon Goodchild ◽  
Kirsten Bjørkestøl ◽  
Hans K. Nilsen
Keyword(s):  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Approaches To Learning ◽  
Deep Approach ◽  
Surface Approach ◽  
Approach To Learning ◽  
Economics Students ◽  
Exploratory Factor Analyses ◽  
Deep Approach To Learning ◽  
Surface Approach To Learning

This study was framed within a quantitative research methodology to develop a concise measure of calculus self-efficacy with high psychometric properties. A survey research design was adopted in which 234 engineering and economics students rated their confidence in solving year-one calculus tasks on a 15-item inventory. The results of a series of exploratory factor analyses using minimum rank factor analysis for factor extraction, oblique promin rotation, and parallel analysis for retaining extracted factors revealed a one-factor solution of the model. The final 13-item inventory was unidimensional with all eigenvalues greater than 0.42, an average communality of 0.74, and a 62.55% variance of the items being accounted for by the latent factor, i.e., calculus self-efficacy. The inventory was found to be reliable with an ordinal coefficient alpha of 0.90. Using Spearman’ rank coefficient, a significant positive correlation ρ ( 95 ) =   0.27 ,   p <   0.05 (2-tailed) was found between the deep approach to learning and calculus self-efficacy, and a negative correlation ρ ( 95 ) =   − 0.26 ,   p <   0.05 (2-tailed) was found between the surface approach to learning and calculus self-efficacy. These suggest that students who adopt the deep approach to learning are confident in dealing with calculus exam problems while those who adopt the surface approach to learning are less confident in solving calculus exam problems.

Perspectives on Blended Open Distance Education Learning and Teaching in a South African Context

2010 ◽  
pp. 20-49
Author(s):  
Shawren Singh ◽  
Hsuan Lorraine Liang
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Distance Education ◽  
Blended Learning ◽  
South African ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Learning Approaches ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
African Context ◽  
The University

In this chapter, we will discuss the blended learning approach that has been adopted by the University of South Africa (an open and distance learning tertiary education institute). We will discuss our perspectives on using these blended learning approaches and tools in order to facilitate our teaching. We will then provide a comparison on the advantages and disadvantages of some of the blended approaches we have used. We will also discuss the future trends of the use of blended approaches in the context of open distance education and learning. Lastly, we will conclude this chapter by providing our perspectives on the blended learning and teaching approaches adopted by the University of South Africa.

scholarly journals Problem-Based Learning for Responsive and Transformative Teacher Professional Development

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-25
Author(s):  
Tom J. McConnell ◽  
Joyce M. Parker ◽  
Jan Eberhardt
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Professional Learning Communities ◽  
Content Knowledge ◽  
Teacher Professional Development ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Problem Based Learning ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
Pedagogical Practice ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Teacher Professional

Educational reform should include teacher professional development (PD) to help educators learn how to implement new programs. This article shares a research-tested model of PD that uses the analytic framework of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) to support professional learning. Evidence suggests that PBL is effective in changing content knowledge and pedagogical practice. To teach content, facilitators engage teachers in learning activities designed using common PBL structures. Stories about authentic phenomena present problems associated with specific concepts. Learners work in groups to analyze problems, seek additional information, and construct plausible solutions. This same approach can support Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) to help teachers examine and revise their own teaching. In this model, teachers collaborate to identify “problems of teaching.” The group uses PBL to analyze information and solutions. Teachers research teaching strategies, test a proposed strategy, and analyze evidence to build new understandings of teaching.

scholarly journals EXPLORING PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS’ PERCEPTION TOWARDS TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 49
Author(s):  
Raisa Fadilla
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
Classroom Management ◽  
Teacher Professional Development ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
Teacher Preparation Program ◽  
Preparation Program ◽  
Subject Field ◽  
Teacher Professional

Considering the role of teachers which is uneasy, it is necessary to develop an effective means of supporting and retaining teachers to provide good quality learning environment for students and a supportive work environment for teachers. Based on the urgency of professional development for teachers, pre-service teachers’ perception towards teacher professional development (TPD) becomes prominent to explore. The survey reflects the pre-service teachers’ perception with regard to professional development.  The perception covers the most needed topics in TPD and the most needed learning activities which may give high impacts to their knowledge for teaching. This study involves pre-service teachers from English Department Batch 2016 who were taking internship program as English teachers in public or private schools in Banjarmasin.Regarding the pre-service teachers’ perception related to the needed topics, classroom management and knowledge of instructional practices in their subject field are the greatest area of development need followed by knowledge of their main subject and also ICT skills. On the concern of pre-service teachers’ perception related to most needed learning activities of TPD, courses or workshops is recognized as the most beneficial learning activities to improve teachers’ competences.The results of this study are expected to provide the basic thought for the implication for teacher preparation program in the future. Furthermore, the targeted implementation of the findings will give insights on the most needed professional development topics and most preferred learning activities which can be considered by the related institution when conducting teacher preparation program.

scholarly journals A degree of studying? Approaches to learning and academic performance among student ‘consumers’

2019 ◽  
pp. 146978741986020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louise Bunce ◽  
Melanie Bennett
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Academic Performance ◽  
Approaches To Learning ◽  
Deep Approach ◽  
Surface Approach ◽  
Approach To Learning ◽  
Consumer Identity ◽  
Strategic Approach ◽  
Deep Approach To Learning ◽  
Surface Approach To Learning

The marketization of higher education and focus on graduate employability and earnings data has raised questions about how students perceive their roles and responsibilities while studying for their degree. Of particular concern is the extent to which students identify themselves as consumers of their higher education, for example, whether they view their degree as a purchasable commodity to improve future earnings. This is because research has found that a stronger consumer identity is related to lower academic performance. This study examined whether this relation could be explained by the impact of a consumer identity on the extent to which students adopt deep, surface or strategic approaches to learning. The hypotheses were that the relation between consumer identity and academic performance would be mediated by approaches to learning, whereby a consumer identity would be related to adopting a more surface approach, a less deep approach and less strategic approach. Undergraduates completed an online questionnaire that assessed the extent to which they identified as a consumer, their approaches to learning and academic performance. The analysis partly supported the hypotheses: a stronger consumer identity was related to a more surface approach to learning. However, a surface approach to learning did not mediate the relation between consumer identity and academic performance. Conversely, a deep approach to learning mediated the relation between consumer identity and academic performance, whereby a stronger consumer identity was related to lower academic performance through its negative impact on a deep approach to learning. There was no relation between consumer identity and strategic approach to learning. Implications of students identifying themselves as consumers of their higher education are discussed.

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