Interdisciplinary Problem-Based Learning Practices in Higher Education

2014 ◽  
pp. 243-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Despo Ktoridou
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Problem Based Learning ◽  
Subject Area ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Software Applications ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Student Focus ◽  
Innovation And Technology ◽  
The University ◽  
Solution Focused

More and more students in higher education are enrolling on interdisciplinary programs. This phenomenon occurs since universities are breaking the boarders of a single subject area. At the university of Nicosia, the lecturer of two interdependent courses: MGT-372 Management of Innovation and Technology and MIS-151 Business Software Applications attempted to bring together students from different disciplines to explore the two topics. More specifically, through Interdisciplinary Problem-Based Learning (IPBL), the lecturer (author) aimed to eliminate the fragmentation and the learning of isolated skills and investigate students' motivation for learning and their level of active engagement through the use of technology (Google Apps). To address the above, the study employed a case study approach, collecting qualitative data through student focus groups, online/in-class observations, and lecturers' comments. The study showed that students seemed intrigued and satisfied working on interdisciplinary tasks, shared prior and newly researched knowledge, as well as acquired an integrated viewpoint and solution-focused strategies deriving from those disciplines.

From Digital Distraction to Digital Motivation

2022 ◽  
pp. 205-222
Author(s):  
María A. Pérez-Juárez ◽  
Javier M. Aguiar-Pérez ◽  
Javier Del-Pozo-Velázquez ◽  
Miguel Alonso-Felipe ◽  
Saúl Rozada-Raneros ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
College Campuses ◽  
Smart Phones ◽  
University Professors ◽  
Academic Activity ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
The University ◽  
University Classrooms ◽  
Student Instructor

The presence of technology on college campuses has increased rapidly in recent years. Students come to the classroom with a variety of technological devices including smart phones, tablets, or laptops and use them during academic activity. For this reason, there are many researchers who, in recent times, have been interested in the problems derived from digital distraction in higher education. In many cases, researchers have conducted studies and surveys to obtain first-hand information from the protagonists, that is, from university professors and students. Despite the efforts, there are many questions that still remain unanswered. The authors are aware of the enormous challenge that the use of technology poses in the university classrooms and want to delve into the causes and consequences of student digital distraction and the strategies that can be used by instructors to curb student digital distraction without deteriorating student-instructor rapport in the context of higher education.

scholarly journals University of Wollongong in Dubai: creating a private university in the public interest

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rob Whelan ◽  
Daniel Kratochvil
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Public Interest ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Private University ◽  
Subject Area ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Complex Organization ◽  
The University

TitleUniversity of Wollongong in Dubai: creating a private university in the public interest.Subject areaHigher education leadership and planning.Study level/applicabilityPostgraduate/higher education.Case overviewProfessor Rob Whelan was appointed President of the University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD) from the University of Wollongong in Australia (UOW). Professor Whelan brought to the job in Dubai the perspective that public‐good benefits flow from a comprehensive institution engaged with the larger community and these are led by academic staff members who produce research that serves the national interest. To apply this model to UOWD meant a thorough analysis of the organization in terms of both its culture and its broader environment. This case explores the various processes through which a new leader takes stock of an existing institution, identifies the potential for development in a particular direction, draws upon a range of stakeholders to refine the vision and develop it into a strategic plan, gains support for the plan, and then implements change through close collaboration with the institution's constituents.Expected learning outcomesThis case can be used to explore a number of issues in leadership and management including: identifying the various internal and external stakeholders in a complex organization; analysing strategies for mobilization for change, including the assessment of inclusive versus exclusive approaches; reviewing the opportunity costs of change; and assessing types of leadership.Supplementary materialsTeaching notes.

scholarly journals The Application of Eportfolio in Higher Education: implications for Student Learning

2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 99
Author(s):  
Andrea Ximena Castaño Sánchez
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Student Learning ◽  
Teaching Practices ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Important Challenge ◽  
Effective Use ◽  
The University ◽  
Assessment Strategies

Nowadays universities are introducing educational changes in their teaching practices and their assessment strategies. These changes are involving many areas in the university. One of the places where most of the changes are initiated is from the classroom settings. To support them, eportfolios in general are being used as a form to align the principles stated from the Bolonia Process towards a teaching more centred on the student supporting other aspects like mobility and recognition. Therefore, developing effective use of technology applied to education for teaching and learning has become an important challenge. In this regard, the main goal of this thesis was to identify learning environment characteristics when applying eportfolios for teaching and learning and students’ characteristics that could influence a meaningful learning.

Should we Take Disintermediation in Higher Education Seriously?

2012 ◽  
pp. 72-92
Author(s):  
Carlos A. Scolari ◽  
Cristóbal Cobo Romaní ◽  
Hugo Pardo Kuklinski
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Social Software ◽  
New Agents ◽  
Software Applications ◽  
New Models ◽  
Production And Distribution ◽  
The University

Disintermediation based on digital technology has transformed different environments, including banking, commerce, media, education, and knowledge management. The spread of social software applications and digital media in general has given rise to new models of knowledge production and distribution in higher education. This chapter redefines higher education institutions and academic experts based on these changes. The chapter discusses the diffusion of disintermediation practices in higher education and proposes new categories, such as knowledge brokering, knowledge networking, and knowledge translation, to map a new environment that promotes disintermediation, innovation, and openness. Beyond the prophecies announcing the “death of the university,” the authors suggest new agents, actions, and transactions that are useful for envisaging the higher education institutions of the new century.

1. Becoming a student

Criminology ◽  
2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steve Case ◽  
Phil Johnson ◽  
David Manlow ◽  
Roger Smith ◽  
Kate Williams
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
International Students ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Subject Area ◽  
Academic Needs ◽  
The University

This chapter describes the skills required to become an effective, engaged, and employable — or E3 — student of criminology in the university, higher education context. More specifically, it introduces a series of learning tips, tricks, and tools that are intended to make the E3 student a successful, capable, and committed individual who is attractive to employers. The chapter presents the criminology student's route to effectiveness, engagement, and employability as a reflective journey that he/she can embark upon in an informed, active, and critical way. Central to this journey is the identification and utilisation of the ‘travel partners’ located at the university and in the student's department, subject area, programme of study, and classroom. This chapter also considers a range of services, facilities, and people that can help students, including international students and those with disability, to meet their health, well-being, domestic, social, and academic needs.

scholarly journals Determinants of the Digital Divide among French Higher Education Teachers

2021 ◽  
pp. 10-28
Author(s):  
Mounir Dahmani
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
Multinomial Logistic Regression ◽  
University Environment ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Digital Divides ◽  
Determining Factors ◽  
The University ◽  
First Time

The widespread use of technology in daily life, and particularly in education in higher education institutions has devoted growing attention to the nature of ICT usages by Higher Education Teachers which has seen as an increasingly important factor for the successful integration of these technologies. This study aims to analyze the determining factors of the various uses of ICT by teachers in the university environment and to characterize their variety and intensity. For this end, we conducted a survey of a sample of 2,079 teachers from public universities in France. Our approach consisted in measuring the intensity of use of ICT in academia in order to appreciate the resulting digital divides between different groups of teachers. Multinomial logistic regression shows that the differences in the use of ICT are linked to the differences in initial digital skills between teachers. Furthermore, the training in ICT, age, gender and social context appear to have a manifold influence on ICT use. Our results clearly confirm the existence of digital  divides, it prompts us to analyze more precisely the role of innovative users and that   of first-time adopters when they appear to be actors involved in the diffusion of ICT within universities.

scholarly journals Lean Thinking in a UK University Law Clinic: A Reflective Case Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 171-203
Author(s):  
Alex Nicholson ◽  
Alireza Pakgohar
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Law School ◽  
Education Sector ◽  
Lean Management ◽  
Lean Thinking ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Complex Processes ◽  
Resource Intensity ◽  
The University

A law clinic typically involves staff and students in a range of complex processes that are highly resource-intensive and which have the potential to detract from core value-adding activities. This paper aims to highlight the challenges associated with resourcing a university law clinic, and evaluate the extent to which lean management is able to provide solutions. It is submitted that proactive and deliberate application of lean management philosophies to law clinic process design has the potential to both reduce resource intensity and enhance value. A literature review was conducted in order to identify lean management principles and methodologies that might be applicable. A case study approach was then used to evaluate key resourcing challenges faced by a UK university law clinic and to explore the extent to which lean thinking might help to overcome them. There is very little literature which discusses the application of lean thinking in the higher education sector, and none which considers the university law clinic context specifically. This paper will provide law school leaders with a resource that will enable them to evaluate and design their clinic processes more effectively, improving the wellbeing of clinic staff and enhancing the pedagogical value of clinic work for students. It will also contribute to the emerging body of literature which highlights the benefits of lean thinking within the higher education sector.

Access and Skill in Using ICT in an Open and Distance Learning Context—Students’ ICT Sophistication

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanlie Liebenberg ◽  
Dion Hendrik Van Zyl
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Information And Communications Technology ◽  
Learning Context ◽  
Student Body ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Open And Distance Learning ◽  
Nuanced Understanding ◽  
The University

A long-standing focus of research in higher education has been on monitoring the degree of student access to information and communications technology (ICT). Recent debates have moved towards a more nuanced understanding of students’ technological experiences and behaviour. As the world changes, so does higher education and expectations regarding the role of technology within this environment. Universities, which continuously strive to improve teaching and learning, need to accommodate students’ increased use of technology and enhance their proficiency and fluency in accessing and using ICT as these skills are required to succeed in education and in life after graduation. This paper proposes that access to ICT constitutes only one dimension of a more complex and elaborate construct, namely that of ICT sophistication, which concerns students’ level of ICT use, and their experience of and engagement and fluency in ICT. As a basis to evaluate the ICT sophistication of students at the University of South Africa, the researchers drew on the findings of the said university’s surveys conducted in 2011 and 2014. This evaluation also served as a method for segmenting the student body to inform interventions. The results obtained supported findings in the literature that “access” could not be fully understood by drawing a one-dimensional distinction between access and non-access.

scholarly journals Toward the Implementation of Contemplative Practices in Higher Education

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 3-13
Author(s):  
Valerie Bonnardel ◽  
Terry Biddington ◽  
Brandon May ◽  
Rhiannon Jones ◽  
Simon Roffey
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Mobile Technologies ◽  
Initial Report ◽  
Contemplative Practices ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Contemplative Pedagogy ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
The Mind ◽  
The University ◽  
Short Time

Endorsing the role of Universities as caregiving organisations and following an initial report on contemplative practices (CP) in Higher Education by the Institute of Theological Partnerships (2016) and the Mindful Nation UK (2015), a Contemplative Pedagogy Working Group (CPWG) was convened to explore the possibilities to implement contemplative pedagogy and practices at the University. CP such as Buddhist meditation have direct bearings in developing and cultivating compassion. With the intention to foster a culture of gentleness within the University, a survey was administered to 301 students to: 1- probe their attitudes toward the introduction of CP at the University and 2- to collect information on their use of technology. Results indicate that 79% of students will be favourable to the introduction of CP at the University on a voluntary basis and 58% will be keen to engage with the practice. However, if short time practices were to be introduced in classes, 44% will be self-conscious and admit it will affect their practice. Seventy percent admit difficulty with their attention during lectures and exam revisions and 58% are distracted by mobile technologies used in classes, report of distractibility is more marked among the youngest. The survey’s result highlights student’s tendency to consider learning about CP in relation to the mind and emotions should be part of their education. This awareness is indicative of a change in students’ expectation and support the CPWG initiatives in offering regular Zen meditation practices and building up a Cosmic Garden within the University premises. Challenges in fostering a compassionate learning and teaching environment and concerns related to the pervasive use of technology in classes, in particular the correlation between the variety of online multitasking and the worry of feeling self-conscious during CP will be discussed.

scholarly journals Technological Interventions and their Impact on Students’ Usage of Technology in Higher Education in Pakistan

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 96-108
Author(s):  
Sumera Irum ◽  
Zohra Khatoon ◽  
Sakina Jumani
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Teacher Education ◽  
Discussion Groups ◽  
Current Status ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Technological Interventions ◽  
Computer Knowledge ◽  
University Level ◽  
The University

This study was focusing on the present state of technology used by the students at the university level. The prime objectives of this research were to access the current status of technological use by students for devices used mostly, software used frequently, and reason to use technology. The participants of the study were 211 students of B. Ed. (Hons)-Elementary 4-year program randomly selected from Teacher Education departments of four public sector universities. The study was quantitative and a close-ended questionnaire was used for data collection. The questionnaire was self-developed with the help of literature. The reliability of the questionnaire was determined through the Cronbach Alpha technique and that was 0.8. The data was analyzed through frequencies and percentages. The main findings of the study were; students rated themselves that they had fair computer knowledge and access to the internet; most of them were using smartphones and laptops, they were frequently using software such as Google, MS. Word, and MS. PowerPoint and the least used software were such as MS. Excel and LMS. They utilized technology for the learning process, entertainment, and communication, but the use of technology for discussion groups like WhatsApp, Facebook, etc was not found. The study recommended that students should be provided with facilities to use technology efficiently. And rewards and incentives for the successful use of technology for learning purposes can motivate them to usetechnology effectively.

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