scholarly journals Online journalism education in Rwanda: students find value in the Experiential Learning Approach

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 84
Author(s):  
Joseph Njuguna ◽  
Margaret Jjuuko
Keyword(s):  
Experiential Learning ◽  
New Media ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Learning Approach ◽  
Journalism Education ◽  
Learning Approaches ◽  
Online Journalism ◽  
Multimedia Journalism

The digital age is reshaping media industries locally and globally, forcing media firms and media producers to master new media tools in order to remain competitive and employable. This technological revolution has had a marked impact on the structures and economic viability of media, necessitating media training institutions to rethink how they prepare future media professionals for work in the twenty-first century. In order to keep pace with these rapid technological changes, educational institutions have had to adjust journalism curricula to integrate online or multimedia journalism courses that build online competencies and the technological skills needed for graduates to flourish in digital media domains. Despite these efforts, industry players still decry the apparent unpreparedness of graduates, largely attributing this to the learning approach taken by universities.Quality skills training has been argued to ensure that learners can relate with real work life. However, in countries like Rwanda, little is known about whether these new strategies are fostering the knowledge, skills and professional dispositions needed to work in a country that is undergoing rapid technological and economic change. Drawing from experiential learning theory, this study uses five focus-group discussions from five Rwandan journalism schools to glean the views of final-year students on how trainers employ practical pedagogy to cultivate students’ online skills in readiness for employment. Findings reveal that students consider the experiential learning approaches to be essential to their perceived online readiness. These enhanced skills were achieved using digital scenarios relating to students’ future work environment. However, the perceived quality of this experience varied from trainer to trainer, based on a range of factors including their how students perceived the trainers’ attitudes towards new media, their perceived ability to teach the digital skills and the learners’ own digital experience and competence.   How to cite this article:  NJUGUNA, Joseph; JJUUKO, Margaret. Online journalism education in Rwanda: students find value in the Experiential Learning Approach. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in the South. v. 3, n. 2, p. 84-101, Sept. 2019. Available at: https://sotl-south-journal.net/?journal=sotls&page=article&op=view&path%5B%5D=91&path%5B%5D=48   This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

scholarly journals Mechatronics: Experiential Learning and the Stimulation of Thinking Skills

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 46
Author(s):  
Maki K. Habib ◽  
Fusaomi Nagata ◽  
Keigo Watanabe
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Experiential Learning ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Project Based Learning ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Learning Approach ◽  
Learning Approaches ◽  
Experimental Systems

The development of experiential learning methodologies is gaining attention, due to its contributions to enhancing education quality. It focuses on developing competencies, and build-up added values, such as creative and critical thinking skills, with the aim of improving the quality of learning. The interdisciplinary mechatronics field accommodates a coherent interactive concurrent design process that facilitates innovation and develops the desired skills by adopting experiential learning approaches. This educational learning process is motivated by implementation, assessment, and reflections. This requires synergizing cognition, perception, and behavior with experience sharing and evaluation. Furthermore, it is supported by knowledge accumulation. The learning process with active student’s engagement (participation and investigation) is integrated with experimental systems that are developed to facilitate experiential learning supported by properly designed lectures, laboratory experiments, and integrated with course projects. This paper aims to enhance education, learning quality, and contribute to the learning process, while stimulating creative and critical thinking skills. The paper has adopted a student-centered learning approach and focuses on developing training tools to improve the hands-on experience and integrate it with project-based learning. The developed experimental systems have their learning indicators where students acquire knowledge and learn the target skills through involvement in the process. This is inspired by collaborative knowledge sharing, brainstorming, and interactive discussions. The learning outcomes from lectures and laboratory experiments are synergized with the project-based learning approach to yield the desired promising results and exhibit the value of learning. The effectiveness of the developed experimental systems along with the adopted project-based learning approach is demonstrated and evaluated during laboratory sessions supporting different courses at Sanyo-Onoda City University, Yamaguchi, Japan, and at the American University in Cairo.

Using DAWs as modelling tools for learning design sound-based applications in education

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 305-322 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hussein Boon
Keyword(s):  
Experiential Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Innovative Approach ◽  
Learning Approach ◽  
Learning Design ◽  
Educational Settings ◽  
Music Production ◽  
Learning Challenges ◽  
Interesting Solution

This article discusses a proposed design and sound tool teaching and learning approach, with interesting solution-based challenges not immediately associated with traditional DAW instruction. By stepping outside of the usual boundaries of DAW use, music production teaching is presented with a number of novel learning challenges. There is potential for DAWs, especially in educational settings, to be used to enhance the discipline, encourage experimentation and stimulate design-based ideas that promote DAW use beyond the mixing and engineering type contexts. By shifting DAWs into areas of sound-based music, as proposed by Landy, this innovative approach, facilitates deeper, experiential learning where sound is treated as the basic musical unit, therefore allowing for a potentially greater range of designed outputs.

scholarly journals Design and evaluation of two blended learning approaches: Lessons learned

2011 ◽  
Vol 27 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wing Sum Cheung ◽  
Khe Foon Hew
Keyword(s):  
Blended Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Theoretical Foundation ◽  
Graduate Programs ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
University Teaching ◽  
Learning Approach ◽  
Learning Approaches ◽  
Communication Tool ◽  
Face To Face

<span>In this paper, we share two blended learning approaches used at the National Institute of Education in Singapore. We have been using these two approaches in the last twelve years in many courses ranging from the diploma to graduate programs. For the first blended learning approach, we integrated one asynchronous communication tool with face to face tutorials, classroom discussions, and a reflection session. For the second blended learning approach, we integrated two asynchronous tools with face to face tutorials in a course. We discuss the theoretical foundation of the two blended learning approaches. In addition, we share insights from these two blended learning approaches, based on the students' data (online postings, questionnaires, reflection logs, and interviews), as well as our own reflections. Finally, we describe and discuss several important lessons learned that could inform the design of future instructional strategies in implementing blended learning in university teaching and learning settings.</span>

scholarly journals Training Public Health Professionals to Tackle Women, Children, and Families Health Issues: A “Skill-Based Qualitative Learning Approach”

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cecilia Obeng
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Learning Approach ◽  
Learning Approaches ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Children And Families ◽  
Arduous Task ◽  
The One ◽  
Future Work

Purpose: There are several teaching and learning approaches but finding the one that is appropriate for a particular field or training program is an arduous task. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the “Skill Based Qualitative Learning Approach” (SBQLA) in training health professionals.Description: The SBQLA is a pedagogical approach via which learners are trained in developing qualitative questionnaires and interview skills to learn from experts in the Public Health (PH) field. This teaching approach arms students with interview skills that help them identify and address PH roadblocks and get them authentic information from experts. It also equips them with techniques on how to do formalized presentations and come up with projects and interventions that help mitigate and eliminate drivers of health problems among women, children and families.Assessment: Learners' field experiences are shared in a professional presentation style in a class to help trainees benefit from each other's information and to get formalized feedback on their presentation. Assessment in this learning approach is based on a synthesis and an analysis of data collected from professionals.Conclusion: Findings from this learning approach enables experts to shed light on true stories shared by real and authentic individuals whose faces can be associated with their shared experiences. This learning approach makes it possible for trainees to also initiate projects that help them tackle existing and emerging public health issues in their future work.

Applying Blended Learning in an Industrial Context

2009 ◽  
pp. 213-232
Author(s):  
Christian Bunse ◽  
Christian Peper ◽  
Ines Grützner ◽  
Silke Steinbach-Nordmann
Keyword(s):  
Blended Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Learning Approach ◽  
Learning Approaches ◽  
Enabling Factors ◽  
Industrial Case Study ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Classroom Education

With the rapid rate of innovation in software engineering, teaching and learning of new technologies have become challenging issues. The provision of appropriate education is a key prerequisite for benefiting from new technologies. Experience shows that typical classroom education is not as effective and efficient as it could be. E-learning approaches seem to be a promising solution but e-learning holds problems such as a lack of social communication or loose control on learning progress. This chapter describes a blended learning approach that mixes traditional classroom education with e-learning and that makes use of tightly integrated coaching activities. The concrete effects and enabling factors of this approach are discussed by means of an industrial case study. The results of the study indicate that following a blended learning approach has a positive impact on learning time, effectiveness and sustainability.

In Search of Greater Understanding: The Impact of Mastery Learning on Social Science Education

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 107-119
Author(s):  
Patrick R. Cundiff ◽  
Olivia McLaughlin ◽  
Katherine Brown ◽  
Keiondra Grace
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Student Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Mastery Learning ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Learning Approach ◽  
Learning Approaches ◽  
Social Science Education ◽  
Level Of Understanding ◽  
The Impact

Mastery learning approaches were designed to improve student learning and elevate the level of understanding across a broader swath of students. These approaches operate under the belief that all students are capable of learning if given enough time. Little research has examined the utility or applicability of a mastery learning approach for social sciences outside of research methods courses. This study provides a review of the relevant literature on mastery learning, a discussion of the applicability of this approach to the teaching and learning of social sciences, and a review of the process and results of the conversion of more traditionally organized and taught courses to a mastery learning approach. Overall, our evaluation provides evidence that a mastery learning approach can make a significant impact on student learning.

Active Teaching and Learning: The State of the Literature

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey S. Lantis ◽  
Kent J. Kille ◽  
Matthew Krain
Keyword(s):  
Experiential Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Role Playing ◽  
Knowledge Retention ◽  
International Studies ◽  
Student Interest ◽  
Learning Approaches ◽  
Learning Program ◽  
Educational Objectives ◽  
Active Teaching

The literature on active teaching and learning in international studies has developed significantly in recent decades. The philosophy behind active teaching approaches focuses on the goal of empowering students and promoting knowledge retention through engagement and experiential learning. Teacher-scholars in many different disciplines have contributed to a wide and increasingly deep literature on teaching with purpose. They identify best practices, including the importance of designing exercises that have clear educational objectives, exploring examples and alternative ways of engaging students, detailing clear procedures, and implementing assessment protocols. Examples of popular and successful active teaching and learning approaches include teaching with case studies and problem-based learning in international studies, where students confront the complexities of an issue or puzzle, and reason through potential solutions. Other instructors employ structured debates in the classroom, where students are assigned common reading materials and then develop arguments on one side or another of the debate in order to critically examine issues. More teachers are engaging students through use of alternative texts like literature and films, where reading historical narratives, memoirs, or even graphic novels may help capture student interest and promote critical thinking and reflection. In addition, simulations and games remain very popular—from simple in-class game theory exercises to semester-long role-playing simulations of international diplomacy. Studies show that all of these approaches, when implemented with clear educational objectives and intentionality, can promote student learning, interest, and retention of knowledge and perspectives. Finally, teacher-scholars have begun to embrace the importance of assessment and thoughtful reflection on the effectiveness of active teaching and learning techniques for the international studies classroom. Evidence regarding the achievement of learning outcomes, or potential limitations, can help inform improvements in experiential learning program design for future iterations.

scholarly journals Introducing ERP Concepts to IT Students Using an Experiential Learning Approach with an Emphasis on Reflection

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (18) ◽  
pp. 4992
Author(s):  
Tina Beranič ◽  
Marjan Heričko
Keyword(s):  
Experiential Learning ◽  
Enterprise Resource Planning ◽  
Resource Planning ◽  
Simulation Game ◽  
Learning Approach ◽  
Learning Approaches ◽  
Business Simulation ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
System Usability Scale ◽  
Perceived Usability

The introduction of enterprise resource planning (ERP) concepts to IT students entails many challenges. Due to the system’s complexity, newcomers need an extensive amount of time to be able to use it independently. Additionally, the learning preferences and characteristics of digital natives differ significantly from previous generations. Therefore, the use of alternative learning approaches is desirable. To achieve the best possible learning outcomes, it is advisable to implement learning approaches that require students’ active participation, for example, an experiential learning approach. A variation is an ERPsim business simulation game, which we used within the ERP systems course. The game is implemented in sequential rounds, whereby each round ends with a review of the collected experiences. The simulation game was used at the beginning of the course to ease the introduction of ERP concepts for IT-related students. This paper is the result of three years of research into the perceived usability of SAP ERP introduced with the business simulation game, combined with the results of a study evaluating students’ opinions, knowledge, and skills. Perceived usability was measured using a System Usability Scale (SUS), while the students’ experiences were gathered using a self-evaluation questionnaire. The study revealed the positive impact of the experiential learning approach that was used. Students evaluated the usability of SAP ERP as OK, and empirical analysis confirmed that the use of the simulation game for introducing the ERP concepts resulted in anticipated knowledge and skills, while increasing the students’ intent for future engagement.

scholarly journals LEARNING APPROACH OF READING THE KADAZANDUSUN LANGUAGE THROUGH SONGS AND COMPUTER-BASED MUSIC FOR STANDARD ONE STUDENT

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinuin Bin Jainis ◽  
Norjietta Julita Binti Taisi
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Cognitive Theory ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Qualitative Approach ◽  
Learning Approach ◽  
Learning Approaches ◽  
Primary School Students ◽  
School Students ◽  
Computer Based ◽  
Effective Teaching And Learning

The problem of mastering reading lessons among Primary School students is still emerging in our country and abroad. Cognitive theory has shown that students have their own skills during Year One if they are exposed to more effective teaching and learning processes. Based on previous studies, the reading-based learning approach through songs and computer-based music in teaching and learning was found to have a positive impact on students. Hence, researchers want to study the approach in learning Kadazandusun language through song and computer-based music. This study is using qualitative approach to obtain data based on the research objective which has been determined by the researcher. This study found that reading-based learning approaches using computer-based songs and music were able to influence the achievement of reading for year one students.

scholarly journals Flipping the class – University chemistry students’ experiences from a new teaching and learning approach

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Karolina Broman ◽  
Dan Johnels
Keyword(s):  
Organic Chemistry ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Conventional Approach ◽  
Course Development ◽  
Learning Approach ◽  
Traditional Teaching ◽  
Learning Approaches ◽  
Flipped Learning ◽  
Chemistry Students ◽  
Long Time

AbstractUniversity chemistry courses have for a long time had a similar conventional approach to teaching, with chemistry professors lecturing in a traditional manner. Today, flipped learning approaches have found their ways into higher education with positive results. In particular, US innovations in this area have made positive impressions on Swedish university chemistry educators, resulting in an interest and curiosity in integrating a flipped model into the course curricula. The rationale behind flipped learning is to incorporate an active learning approach into lecture, thereby increasing both student engagement and learning outcomes. In this paper, an implementation project where an organic chemistry course has changed focus from traditional teaching to flipped learning, will be presented. The focus in this mixed-methods study will be on students’ cognitive and affective responses when meeting a new teaching and learning approach. Through following a project where a conventional approach to an organic chemistry course is changed into a more student-active focus, we elaborate on implications for course development of chemistry curricula.

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