The EVAL framework: Developing impact evaluation scholars

The complexities of food, agriculture, natural resources, and human sciences (FANH) programs and projects require faculty to write and secure funding in addition to mastering skills such as evaluation competencies that integrate abilities in quantitative and qualitative research methods and evaluation theory and practice. The EVAL Framework was developed to advance skill development among FANH graduates to include these competencies and increase the pipeline of students who have the essential skills needed to advance FANH initiatives and priorities. The EVAL Framework includes four primary constructs: (a) Evaluation, (b) Value, (c) Active and Experiential Learning, and (d) Leadership. The purpose of EVAL is to build relationships with untapped FANH fields to develop a pipeline for graduates to become evaluation leaders for advancing food and agricultural sciences. This experiential learning and development model focuses on foundational and enrichment experiences, through formal coursework, project-based learning, and contextually rich environments. Mentoring, individualized development plans, scholarly learning communities, collaboration, transferable skills, and career planning and guidance activities are integrated into the EVAL framework to enhance skill development among EVAL scholars.

Download Full-text

BENEFITS OF EXPERIENTIAL BASED LEARNING: A CASE OF STUDENTS PARTICIPATION IN THE PROJECT “VILLAGES ON MOVE BALTIC”

Visuomenės sveikata ◽

10.5200/sm-hs.2018.064 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 28 (6) ◽

pp. 5-15

Author(s):

Viktorija Piščalkienė ◽

Hans Ingemann Lottrup

Keyword(s):

Service Learning ◽

Experiential Learning ◽

Project Based Learning ◽

Theory And Practice ◽

School Level ◽

Student Survey ◽

High School Level ◽

Professional Perspective ◽

The Baltic ◽

Student Reflections

From solid, hands on experience with the challenges of intercultural differences to a significantly changed personal mindset and a new perception of their individual education programmes, a student survey provides new evidence of the advantages of experiential learning. Experiential learning encompasses a variety of out-of-classroom-activities including project based learning, internships, service learning, participation in the research and other student creative work experiences. Kolb’s experiential learning theory (KELT) is comprised of concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation. The aim - to reveal benefits of experiential learning based on student participation in the project “Villages on Move Baltic” (VOMB) tour. Material and methods. Experiential learning and experience reflection hold a significant role as an educational methodology, and it is a shared value to prepare students for the challenges in a changing world by developing professionals who can think critically and reflectively. As mandatory assignment during the tour, the student collective formulated seven questions, and an analysis of the students’ individual replies to and reflections on these questions forms the basis of this article. Qualitative research – more specifically a content analysis – was used in this study, that was conducted based upon the replies from participating students from Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Denmark (N=17). Except for three from high school level, students represented BA-programmes within health care, physiotherapy, social work, community pedagogy, and innovation &amp;amp; entrepreneurship. Results. Students expressed their positive attitude on the participation in the Baltic Tour. Students‘ reflections highlighted various scenarios of future life and career. The learning potential of the Baltic Tour can be described in three areas. Students, regardless of nationality, expressed a) cohesion of the theory and practice; b) knowledge application in a professional perspective; c) intercultural and international experience. Student reflections revealed that participation in the Baltic Tour influenced personal growth, social competencies development and improvement of cognitive skills. Student reflections on the Baltic Tour itself included appointing more attention to informal communication during the tour and more information and involvement before. In addition, more activities in cross-nation groups and the use of creative team building tools were recommended. Students’ view to criteria for the quality of VOMB-ideas mentioned “Large number of participants“, “Attractive types of physical activities”, “Involving people from all social groups“ and “Ecological approach and security during events“. Conclusions. Students’ survey based on the project “Villages on Move Baltic” tour highlighted the benefits of participation to personal abilities, key competencies and professional skills improvement.

Download Full-text

TOOLS FROM OUR APPLIED GERONTOLOGY TOOLBOX: FLIPPING MINDSETS AND PROPELLING INNOVATION

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igz038.899 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S240-S240

Author(s):

Roger A Anunsen ◽

Roger Anunsen ◽

Jan Abushakrah

Keyword(s):

Experiential Learning ◽

Associate Degree ◽

Career Planning ◽

Skill Development ◽

Degree Program ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Theoretical Base ◽

Pathway Model ◽

Career Pathway ◽

Applied Approach

Abstract PCC’s associate degree program has long embraced an applied approach to gerontology education through its career pathway model. This model incorporates a rock-solid theoretical base, experiential learning, and skill-development, all grounded in the foundational, interactional and contextual AGHE Gerontology Competencies. The Competencies infuse all our courses, our five certificates and our degree to effectively prepare graduates for their next step, whether a transfer a specialized career. Our toolbox includes robust, wrap-around supports that include empowering advising and career planning, intentional internships, mentoring, networking opportunities, and our newest tool, The Flipping Mindsets Project. We will demonstrate how these evidence-based approaches provide students the knowledge, skills and confidence propelled by a positive mindset, to go boldly into any field of aging as innovators within existing jobs and programs or as ground-breaking entrepreneurs.

Download Full-text

Experiential Learning in Graduate Archival Education at the University of Botswana

Mousaion ◽

10.25159/2663-659x/5993 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 37 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Olefhile Mosweu

Keyword(s):

Experiential Learning ◽

Work Experience ◽

Real Life ◽

Opportunity To Learn ◽

Theory And Practice ◽

Records Management ◽

Archival Theory ◽

Snowball Sampling ◽

The Real ◽

The University

Most curriculum components of archival graduate programmes consist of contextual knowledge, archival knowledge, complementary knowledge, practicum, and scholarly research. The practicum, now commonly known as experiential learning in the global hub, is now widely accepted in library and information studies (LIS) education as necessary and important. It is through experiential learning that, over and above the theoretical aspects of a profession, students are provided with the opportunity to learn by doing in a workplace environment. The University of Botswana’s Master’s in Archives and Records Management (MARM) programme has a six weeks experiential learning programme whose purpose is to expose prospective archivists and/or records managers to the real archival world in terms of practice as informed by archival theory. The main objective of the study was to determine the extent to which the University of Botswana’s experiential learning component exposes students to real-life archival work to put into practice theoretical aspects learnt in the classroom as intended by the university guidelines. This study adopted a qualitative research design and collected data through interviews from participants selected through purposive and snowball sampling strategies. Documentary review supplemented the interviews. The data collected were analysed thematically in line with research objectives. The study determined that experiential learning does indeed expose students to the real world of work. It thus helps to bridge the gap between archival theory and practice for students without archives and records management work experience. For those with prior archival experience, experiential learning does not add value. This study recommends that students with prior archives and records management experience should rather, as an alternative to experiential learning, undertake supervised research, and write a research essay in a chosen thematic area in archives and records management.

Download Full-text

Mechatronics: Experiential Learning and the Stimulation of Thinking Skills

Education Sciences ◽

10.3390/educsci11020046 ◽

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.

Download Full-text

Using Interprofessional Simulation to Enhance Student Knowledge and Promote Collaborative Practice in Disaster Management

Pedagogy in Health Promotion ◽

10.1177/2373379920987576 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 237337992098757

Author(s):

Matthew Fifolt ◽

Michelle Brown ◽

Elena Kidd ◽

Meena Nabavi ◽

Heather Lee ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Experiential Learning ◽

Student Learning ◽

Disaster Management ◽

Interprofessional Education ◽

Collaborative Practice ◽

Theory And Practice ◽

Knowledge Gain ◽

Student Knowledge ◽

Complex Situation ◽

Incident Command

Introduction. Experiential learning activities, such as simulations, strengthen student learning by allowing students to apply didactic knowledge to real-world settings. Moreover, simulation-based interprofessional education supports teamwork and skill development as outlined in accreditation standards for many health and health-related academic programs. The purpose of this article is to describe the role of interprofessional simulation in enhancing student knowledge and promoting collaborative practice for disaster management. Method. Multiple data sources were used to assess a simulated EF-5 tornado disaster event including an observational protocol, a disaster simulation survey, and a survey from the Office of Interprofessional Simulation for Innovative Clinical Practice. Results. Students reported increased satisfaction and knowledge with applying skills associated with interprofessional practice, including communication, teamwork, and collaboration. Additionally, students identified skills that could be broadly applied to a range of work settings on graduation such as seeking role clarity, utilizing job action sheets, and responding to a complex situation. Notably, students reported increased levels of knowledge gain of the incident command structure after applying knowledge from didactic sessions to the simulation. Conclusion. Simulation is an innovative strategy for integrating theory and practice to best prepare graduates for the dynamic world in which they live and work. Experiential learning opportunities appeal to the assumptions of adult learning, promote the skills that employers value, and bridge the competencies of multiple academic disciplines that frequently operate in silos. Institutional leaders should view experiential learning as a critical component of student learning and an investment in workforce development.

Download Full-text

Brokering reflective spaces: Experiential learning in a summer opera program

Arts and Humanities in Higher Education ◽

10.1177/14740222211007403 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 147402222110074

Author(s):

Kelly Bylica ◽

Sophie Louise Roland ◽

Laura Benjamins

Keyword(s):

Experiential Learning ◽

Critical Reflection ◽

Music Performance ◽

Theory And Practice ◽

Learning Program ◽

Musical Skills ◽

Musical Engagement ◽

High Level ◽

Practice Framework ◽

The Impact

Formal music performance studies within university settings strive to prepare the next generation of performers and pedagogues for musical engagement beyond university. Yet literature suggests that these spaces of study do not always lead to a sense of readiness for potential professional worlds, due in part to a lack of opportunities for guided, in-depth, critical reflection that helps students connect theory and practice. This article articulates findings from a study that sought to consider the impact of deliberate opportunities for reflection in The Accademia Europea dell’Opera (AEDO), a university-affiliated summer opera intensive experiential learning program. Utilizing a communities of musical practice framework, researchers worked collaboratively to help participants engage in guided critical reflection as they developed high-level musical skills through rehearsals and performances. This article specifically considers the ways in which a ‘broker’ helped participants develop practices of reflection and personal agency both within and beyond this context.

Download Full-text

Community Studies as Formative Evaluations for Citizens

Practicing Anthropology ◽

10.17730/praa.11.2.k4271p5t4472m2w4 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 14-16

Author(s):

Marion Dobbert

Keyword(s):

Rural Community ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Theory And Practice ◽

Community Studies ◽

Evaluation Theory ◽

Road Signs ◽

Ghost Towns ◽

General Store ◽

Rural Depopulation

Evaluation has been defined by Blaine Worthen and J. R. Sanders (1973, Educational Evaluation: Theory and Practice. Worthington, Ohio: C.A. Jones Publishing Company, p. 19) as making a "determination of the worth of a thing." The thought of evaluating a community is one that, at first hearing, is likely to give any anthropologist a cold chill. But actually, communities are evaluated all the time; the evolutionary socioeconomic processes of a region continually, although impersonally, evaluate communities. In the process, some are selected to live and others to die and become ghost towns (or future archaeological discoveries). My region, Minnesota, Wisconsin and the Dakotas, is filled with towns that have been evaluated by this process. While they are not ghost towns, they have been reduced to two road signs announcing their names, a tavern, and a deserted general store. This type of evaluation is occurring through the rural areas of the world. It results in rural depopulation and the demise of rural community forms which have been highly valued historically. We might call this process a summative evaluation of a community—a very final one with little chance of successful appeal.

Download Full-text

Mechanical engineering, computer science and art in interdisciplinary project-based learning projects

International Journal of Mechanical Engineering Education ◽

10.1177/0306419017715427 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 46 (1) ◽

pp. 83-94 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Carla MC e Cavalcante Koike ◽

Dianne M Viana ◽

Flavio B Vidal

Keyword(s):

Implementation Process ◽

Project Based Learning ◽

Skills Acquisition ◽

Transferable Skills ◽

Science And Art ◽

Interdisciplinary Project ◽

Undergraduate Programs ◽

The University ◽

Learning Projects

This article describes the approach to promote project-based learning and interdisciplinarity within established engineering undergraduate programs at the University of Brasilia. The implementation process and some representative projects developed are presented, as well, as a discussion about the role of interdisciplinarity in transferable skills acquisition and their many benefits for all students from undergraduate courses involved.

Download Full-text

Improving academic performance: Strengthening the relation between theory and practice through prompted reflection

Active Learning in Higher Education ◽

10.1177/14697874211014411 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 146978742110144

Author(s):

Slaviša Radović ◽

Olga Firssova ◽

Hans GK Hummel ◽

Marjan Vermeulen

Keyword(s):

Academic Performance ◽

Experiential Learning ◽

Learning Process ◽

Theory And Practice ◽

Positive Relationships ◽

Collaborative Reflection ◽

Different Levels

The importance of reflection during learning process is widely recognized. Drawing on the literature, this article presents a study where students were stimulated to reflect during experiential learning, in order to both re- and de- contextualize their knowledge. We describe how different levels of prompted reflection can be related to academic performance and perceptions of the learning process. We found positive relationships between prompting reflection and the academic performance. It is therefore argued that prompting reflection leads to higher levels of reflection and better performance in writing. The results also show that higher levels of reflection do not have to diminish students’ motivation, perception of usefulness, interest and enjoyment during learning. Finally, the results reveal needs for encouraging more collaborative reflection during learning.

Download Full-text