Using the WebQuest Approach to Elicit Student Engagement in a University Course

2016 ◽  
pp. 304-326
Author(s):  
Stephen Asunka
Keyword(s):  
Student Engagement ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Learning Processes ◽  
First Year ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Student Activities ◽  
Student Grades ◽  
University Course

Following a realization that first year undergraduate students at a private university in Ghana engaged very minimally in their learning processes, and consequently obtained very weak grades in their courses, this study adopted a qualitative research approach to investigate whether the integration of a WebQuest into the learning processes can help foster student engagement through interactivity, and thus improve learning outcomes. Five students and one instructor participated in the study, and over the course of one academic semester, teaching and learning processes were varied by introducing WebQuest-based learning. Data were gathered by observing student activities as they engaged in the learning processes, and also assessing student learning and satisfaction by looking at student grades and also administering a survey questionnaire to students. Findings indicate that educational technologies such as the WebQuest can potentially foster student engagement in learning and also help improve learning outcomes. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Using the WebQuest Approach to Elicit Student Engagement in a University Course

2018 ◽  
pp. 454-478
Author(s):  
Stephen Asunka
Keyword(s):  
Student Engagement ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Learning Processes ◽  
First Year ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Student Activities ◽  
Student Grades ◽  
University Course

Following a realization that first year undergraduate students at a private university in Ghana engaged very minimally in their learning processes, and consequently obtained very weak grades in their courses, this study adopted a qualitative research approach to investigate whether the integration of a WebQuest into the learning processes can help foster student engagement through interactivity, and thus improve learning outcomes. Five students and one instructor participated in the study, and over the course of one academic semester, teaching and learning processes were varied by introducing WebQuest-based learning. Data were gathered by observing student activities as they engaged in the learning processes, and also assessing student learning and satisfaction by looking at student grades and also administering a survey questionnaire to students. Findings indicate that educational technologies such as the WebQuest can potentially foster student engagement in learning and also help improve learning outcomes. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Enhancing Student Engagement Using a Blended Learning Approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 51-68
Author(s):  
M. Mahruf C. Shohel ◽  
Rosemary Cann ◽  
Stephen Atherton
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Student Engagement ◽  
Blended Learning ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Classroom Practice ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
First Year ◽  
Learning Approach ◽  
Action Research Project ◽  
Action Research Cycles

Student engagement is the core of the teaching and learning practice in higher education. This exploratory action research project was designed to enhance teaching and learning using a blended learning approach to increase student engagement prior, during, and after lecture and seminar sessions of a module run for first-year undergraduate students. Within an academic semester, three action research cycles were carried out to collect data and redesign the classroom practice. Different data collection techniques were used along with Microsoft OneNote Class Notebook. This article presents three case studies of individual students to demonstrate how the digital workspace helped to develop the practice of participatory teaching and learning during a first-year undergraduate module. This study indicates that listening to students' voices through a blended learning approach helped to increase student engagement, thus increasing student participation in shaping and redesigning teaching and learning to engage them within the classroom and beyond.

scholarly journals Democratisation of Teaching and Learning: a tool for the implementation of the Tuning Approach in Higher Education?

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 257
Author(s):  
Jane Iloanya
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Curriculum Design ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Lesson Planning ◽  
Learning Processes ◽  
Higher Learning ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Institutions Of Higher Learning

<p>Teaching and learning in Contemporary Higher Education is experiencing a change of paradigm in the approach used for curriculum design and instruction. This paper examines the application of democratisation of teaching and learning as a crucial tool for the implementation of the Tuning Approach in the teaching and learning processes in higher education. A qualitative research approach was used to collect information from two institutions of higher learning in Botswana. Findings from the study indicate, that, there are democratic elements in the teaching and learning processes as evidenced by the use of the learning –outcomes approach in lesson planning by the lecturers, and in the various ways students are engaged in teaching and learning processes. However, the study revealed that students are not fully involved in planning curriculum and workload.</p>

PENERAPAN STRATEGI CONTEXTUAL TEACHING AND LEARNING (CTL)UNTUK MENINGKATKAN HASIL BELAJAR IPS SISWA KELAS VSD NEGERI 010 SILIKUAN HULU KECAMATAN UKUI

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 320
Author(s):  
Siwi Enggar Makarti
Keyword(s):  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Analytical Techniques ◽  
Research Subjects ◽  
Student Activities ◽  
Student Activity ◽  
Average Value ◽  
Contextual Teaching

The background of this study is the low learning outcomes IPS. It is characterized by the acquisition of the average value of social studies students at 59.10 with the percentage of students learning completeness amounted to 50.00% from 20 students. This research is a classroom action research (PTK) which aims to improve student learning outcomes through the implementation of strategies IPS Contextual Teaching and Learning (CTL). This study was conducted in 010 primary schools Silikuan Ukui Hulu subdistrict, with research subjects fifth grade students with a number of 20 students. This study was conducted by two cycles. The data used in this study are the activities of teachers, student activities, and learning outcomes are collected using the observation technique teacher and student activities and written tests, while the analytical techniques used in this research is descriptive analysis. The study states that the acquisition of the activities of teachers and students and learning outcomes in each cycle has increased. This is supported by: (1) the percentage of activity the teachers in the first cycle of the first meeting by 45%, in the first cycle of meetings II percentage teacher activity by 52%, the percentage of teacher activity in the second cycle of the first meeting by 65%, the percentage of teacher activity in the second cycle meeting II by 75%; (2) the percentage of student activity in the first cycle of the first meeting by 49%, in the first cycle of meetings II percentage of student activity by 60%, the percentage of the activity of students in the second cycle the first meeting by 63%, the percentage of student activity on the second cycle of meeting II by 79% ; (3) learning outcomes in basic score of 59,10.Dan which reached KKM 65 only 10 students or (50%). The first cycle of the average value obtained by the students reached 63.6. Students who achieve KKM there are 13 students or 65 (65%). Cycle II average value obtained students achieve value above 67 means the KKM. Students who reached the last 16 students or (80%).

scholarly journals A virtual alternative to molecular model sets: a beginners’ guide to constructing and visualizing molecules in open-source molecular graphics software

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Siripreeya Phankingthongkum ◽  
Taweetham Limpanuparb
Keyword(s):  
General Chemistry ◽  
Open Source ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Molecular Model ◽  
Bond Line ◽  
First Year ◽  
Molecular Graphics ◽  
Model Sets ◽  
Graphics Software

Abstract Objective The application of molecular graphics software as a simple and free alternative to molecular model sets for introductory-level chemistry learners is presented. Results Based on either Avogadro or IQmol, we proposed four sets of tasks for students, building basic molecular geometries, visualizing orbitals and densities, predicting polarity of molecules and matching 3D structures with bond-line structures. These topics are typically covered in general chemistry for first-year undergraduate students. Detailed step-by-step procedures are provided for all tasks for both programs so that instructors and students can adopt one of the two programs in their teaching and learning as an alternative to molecular model sets.

scholarly journals Creative teaching design in STEM: Using graduate learning outcomes to distribute students' existing knowledge in first-year biology practical work groups

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 4-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Savage ◽  
◽  
Jillian Healy ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Inclusive Education ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Work Groups ◽  
Practical Work ◽  
First Year ◽  
Education Practice ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
New Learning ◽  
First Year University

In Australia, a significant number of students enrol in first-year university biology without the benefit of high school biology. In order to help students support each other, the authors of this paper (a central unit academic developer and a biology coordinator of first-year biology) created a classroom activity that facilitated the distribution of the more experienced students of biology throughout the practical work groups. An important feature of this creative design for forming groups, called the GLO Activity in this paper, was the embedding of two of the University’s key teaching and learning priorities within the activity. These were the University’s eight graduate learning outcomes (GLOs) and, inclusive education practice. We discuss creative pedagogies in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) and their link to supporting students in their first year of university study. We explain our scholarly thinking behind the GLO Activity and evaluate its impact. Finally, we reflect on how we, the educators, found satisfaction in thinking deeply to create a new learning structure for a biology practical class that solved one teaching challenge but also met a number of the University’s curriculum principles.

scholarly journals The Impact of Feedback on Students’ Autonomous ESP Learning Outcomes

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 323-339
Author(s):  
Natalia Yevheniivna Dmitrenko ◽  
Iuliia Oleksiivna Budas
Keyword(s):  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
First Year ◽  
Written Feedback ◽  
Peer Observation ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Self Regulated Learning ◽  
University Course ◽  
Learning Competence ◽  
The Impact

The present paper provides the results of the feedback influence on students’ autonomous ESP learning. It is aimed to study the impact of feedback on autonomous learning outcomes of first-year students, who are studying a two-year university course of “English for Specific Purposes (ESP)”, the significant part of which is dedicated to self-regulated learning. The aim of the course is to improve the students’ proficiency in professionally oriented English communication to the level of B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). The investigation has proved the importance of teachers’ support in students’ autonomous ESP learning. The outcomes of those students who received the feedback regularly signify that even being self-sufficient, students strive for teachers’ or peer observation and feedback in the educational process. In the article, the interdependence between the level of students’ autonomous ESP learning competence and students’ feedback literacy is presented. The results of the study suggest that students’ autonomous ESP learning outcomes are considerably influenced by supportive external written feedback if it is sought, and their feedback literacy level is at least moderate or higher. A higher level of students’ feedback literacy is observed among students with a more advanced level of autonomous ESP learning competence and who demonstrate better academic achievements in professionally oriented English communication. The coherence of the elaborated levels of Ukrainian students’ feedback literacy and the ways of its enhancing can be significant for educators in other countries.

scholarly journals Inquiry-based learning to improve student engagement in a large first year topic

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 65-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masha Smallhorn ◽  
Jeanne Young ◽  
Narelle Hunter ◽  
Karen Burke da Silva
Keyword(s):  
Student Engagement ◽  
Student Satisfaction ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Student Learning Outcomes ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
First Year ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Multiple Choice Exam ◽  
The Impact

Increasing the opportunity for students to be involved in inquiry-based activities can improve engagement with content and assist in the development of analysis and critical thinking skills. The science laboratory has traditionally been used as a platform to apply the content gained through the lecture series. These activities have exposed students to experiments which test the concepts taught but which often result in a predicted outcome. To improve the engagement and learning outcomes of our large first year biology cohort, the laboratories were redeveloped. Superlabs were run with 100 students attending weekly sessions increasing the amount of contact time from previous years. Laboratories were redeveloped into guided-inquiry and educators facilitated teams of students to design and carry out an experiment. To analyse the impact of the redevelopment on student satisfaction and learning outcomes, students were surveyed and multiple choice exam data was compared before and after the redevelopment. Results suggest high levels of student satisfaction and a significant improvement in student learning outcomes. All disciplines should consider including inquiry-based activities as a methodology to improve student engagement and learning outcome as it fosters the development of independent learners. 

scholarly journals Effective mathematics teaching in tertiary technological education: The case of ASPETE

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 158-168
Author(s):  
Katerina Kasimatis ◽  
Andreas Moutsios-Rentzos ◽  
Nikolaos Matzakos ◽  
Varvara Rozou ◽  
Dionisios Kouloumpis
Keyword(s):  
Mathematics Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Teaching Effectiveness ◽  
Learning System ◽  
First Year ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Technological Education ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Teaching And Learning Mathematics ◽  
Learning Mathematics

In this mixed methods study, we draw upon a systemic perspective to investigate the way that effective mathematics teaching is constructed in the ASPETE (School of Pedagogical and Technological Education) learning system. We focused on the perspectives of the first-year students (through questionnaires), of the lecturer who taught the course (through interviews), as well as of the research team (through observations). We considered both the pragmatic level (what they actually experienced) and the desired level (what they would prefer to experience). The results of the conducted analyses support the proposed research approach, revealing convergences and divergences in the mapped perspectives, which identify the mathematics teaching effectiveness of the subsystem of the mathematics class in ASPETE as an emergent, systemic phenomenon. The pedagogical implications are discussed, with respect to the planifications of teaching and learning mathematics in the ASPETE learning system.

Offline vs online problem-based learning: a case study of student engagement and learning outcomes

2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans Kristianto ◽  
Linda Gandajaya
Keyword(s):  
Student Engagement ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Problem Based Learning ◽  
Student Learning Outcomes ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Health Related

Purpose Furthermore, the purpose of this study is to compare the student engagement and the learning outcomes in offline and online PBL in the aforementioned course. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused disruption in various sectors, including education. Since it was first announced in mid-March 2020 in Indonesia, teaching and learning activities have been carried out online. In this study, a comparison of the offline (Spring 2019, prior to the pandemic) and online (Spring 2021, during the pandemic) problem-based learning (PBL) method in the sustainable chemical industry course is investigated. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative analysis was conducted by measuring the students’ engagement, course-learning outcomes (CLOs) and student learning outcomes (SLOs). Difference tests of engagement score, CLOs and SLOs were investigated by using the t-test or Mann–Whitney U-test. Furthermore, the perceived students’ stressors were measured. Findings It is found that the students’ engagement in offline and online PBL gives similar scores with no significant difference. This is possible because of the PBL structure that demands students to be actively engaged in gaining knowledge, collaboratively working in teams and interacting with other students and lecturers. Although similarly engaged, the CLOs and SLOs of online PBL are significantly lower than offline PBL, except for SLO related to oral and written communication skills and affective aspect. The decrease in CLOs and SLOs could be influenced by students’ academic, psychological and health-related stressors during the COVID-19 pandemic time. Originality/value This study provides a recommendation to apply online PBL during the COVID-19 pandemic time and beyond, although some efforts to improve CLOs and SLOs are needed.

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