Shared Spaces and ‘Secret Gardens'

2010 ◽  
pp. 341-363 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Orsini-Jones
Keyword(s):  
Active Learning ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Software Tools ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Active Engagement ◽  
Curricular Intervention ◽  
Shared Spaces ◽  
Second Year

This chapter illustrates a curricular intervention carried out at Coventry University (UK) with undergraduate students reading English. It explores how the students maximised their use of the tools available within the ePortfolio software PebblePad. It discusses how the software tools were used to enhance and personalise the students’ learning experience and engage in the discourse of ‘becoming researchers’ in the second year module Dissertation Methods and Approaches. It proposes that the use of some ePortfolio tools helped many students to become critical and to actively engage in their ontological journey of transition to becoming independent thinkers. However it also reports that some problematic issues surfaced following the implementation of the curricular action: some students find active learning and active engagement in the scholarship of research ‘troublesome’. Finally this chapter gives consideration to how to integrate the lessons learned from this experience into the curriculum for the next cohort of students.

Wikipedia as a Tool for Active Learning. Experience Gained within the Framework of the Wikifabricación Project

2013 ◽  
Vol 759 ◽  
pp. 73-82
Author(s):  
J.V. Abellán-Nebot ◽  
G.M. Bruscas ◽  
J. Serrano ◽  
F. Romero
Keyword(s):  
Active Learning ◽  
Technical Writing ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Educational Innovation ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Learning Approach ◽  
Undergraduate Engineering ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
Innovation Project ◽  
Second Year

Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, is one of the most visited websites on the Internet and it is a tool which students often use in their assignments, although they do not usually understand the basics underlying it. To overcome this limitation and promote the active learning approach in our courses, last year an educational innovation project was carried out that was aimed mainly at improving students skills in technical writing as well as their ability to review the technical contents of the Wikipedias. Additionally, it sought to explore new opportunities that these tools can offer both teachers and students. This paper describes the experiment carried out in a second-year undergraduate engineering course, the results of which show that introducing activities such as edition and revision within Wikipedia is an interesting way to enhance transversal competencies as well as others related to the main contents of the course.

Reflection on peer reviewing as a pedagogical tool in higher education

2022 ◽  
pp. 146978742110730
Author(s):  
Karin Väyrynen ◽  
Sonja Lutovac ◽  
Raimo Kaasila
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Active Learning ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Peer Feedback ◽  
Learning Activity ◽  
Active Engagement ◽  
Pedagogical Tool ◽  
Peer Reviewing ◽  
University Lecturers

Previous research has emphasized both the importance of giving and receiving peer feedback for the purpose of active learning, as well as of university students’ engagement in reflection to improve learning outcomes. However, requiring students to explicitly reflect on peer reviewing is an understudied learning activity in higher education that may contribute to the utilization of peer-feedback and promote further learning. In this study, we suggest reflection on peer reviewing as one approach to providing a platform for students to engage in reflective practices and for stimulating active learning in higher education, and to make that learning visible to the educator. We examine 26 undergraduate students’ reflections on peer-review to identify categories of reflection and what students have learnt from the peer reviewing process. Our findings reveal six different categories of reflection suggesting students’ active engagement in learning and pointing to the ways educators can direct and instruct students how to reflect. We discuss how these findings can inform university lecturers in the use of reflection upon peer reviewing as a pedagogical tool in higher education.

scholarly journals Answering Huxley: “now” students take a “then” exam

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 397-400
Author(s):  
P. K. Rangachari
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Average Score ◽  
Anatomy And Physiology ◽  
University Of Toronto ◽  
Thomas Henry Huxley ◽  
History Of ◽  
Second Year ◽  
The University ◽  
Insight Into

Twenty-eight undergraduate students in a health sciences program volunteered for an exercise in the history of examinations. They had completed a second-year course in anatomy and physiology in which they studied modern texts and took standard contemporary exams. For this historical “experiment,” students studied selected chapters from two 19th century physiology texts (by Foster M. A Textbook of Physiology, 1895; and Broussais FJV. A Treatise on Physiology Applied to Pathology, 1828). They then took a 1-h-long exam in which they answered two essay-type questions set by Thomas Henry Huxley for second-year medical students at the University of London in 1853 and 1857. These were selected from a question bank provided by Dr. P. Mazumdar (University of Toronto). A questionnaire probed their contrasting experiences. Many wrote thoughtful, reflective comments on the exercise, which not only gave them an insight into the difficulties faced by students in the past, but also proved to be a valuable learning experience (average score: 8.6 ± 1.6 SD).

scholarly journals Learning Is Fun! Wait...STEM Learning?

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ioulia Rytikova ◽  
Mihai Boicu
Keyword(s):  
Active Learning ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Complex Problem ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Teaching Methodology ◽  
Technology Enhanced Learning ◽  
Stem Learning ◽  
Innovative Teaching ◽  
Problem Solving Skills

Active learning is generally defined as an instructional method that engages students in the learning process and could be an effective instructional approach in STEM education. IT 214: Database Fundamentals was the first course in the Volgenau School of Engineering offered in the Active Learning with Technology Classroom. IT 214 is an undergraduate course that introduces challenging database and programming concepts and assists students in developing critical thinking and complex problem solving skills, demonstrating how rigorous academic content can be applied in a real-world environment. The course organization integrates a technology-enhanced learning environment with an innovative teaching methodology, developed by the presenters, that provides an active learning experience and creates a personalized course completion for each student in class. It utilizes a wide variety of learning resources and tools that includes but is not limited to participation in collaboration projects and discussions, peer review, assigned reading of textual online materials, review of videos, analysis of internet resources selected by the instructor, participation in surveys, etc. It provides students with an opportunity to create not only an active but also an effective learning environment that works best for their individual learning needs. These strategies will be demonstrated and lessons learned will be discussed.

scholarly journals Recruiting and Preparing Undergraduate Students for a Collegiate Debate: An HBCU Case Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
LaShawn Wordlaw ◽  
Kevin J. Harrell ◽  
LaHoma Smith Romocki
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Active Learning ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Conceptual Model ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Pedagogical Tool

The benefits of debate as an effective pedagogical tool in higher education are well-published. It fosters students’ development of critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and communication skills. This paper describes a conceptual model of debate categories: in-class debate, co-curricular debate, and tournament debate. It proposes six levels of debate for faculty to employ to create engaged active learning experiences. It is a case study written from the perspective of faculty who served as debate coaches over a four-year period. It shares lessons learned and best practices for recruiting and preparing undergraduate students for a co-curricular debate competition, a subject that is missing in the literature.

scholarly journals SHORT DESIGN PROJECTS FOR AN INTRODUCTORY THERMOFLUIDS ENGINEERING COURSE

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michele Hastie ◽  
Jan Haelssig
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Students ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Theoretical Work ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Team Work ◽  
Engineering Programs ◽  
Design Project ◽  
Introductory Course ◽  
Design Projects ◽  
Second Year

The Faculty of Engineering at Dalhousie University offers a common introductory course that covers the basic principles of thermodynamics and fluid mechanics in a unified manner. This introductory course is a mandatory part of the curriculum for all engineering programs offered at Dalhousie. In this course, students are required to perform six laboratory experiments, and since 2012 students have also completed short, four-week design projects.The short design project helps students to acquire more of the graduate attributes defined by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB), including design, communication, and team work skills. They also provide students with a well-deserved break from purely theoretical work in lectures and tutorials, and a chance to develop some hands-on abilities.This paper describes the lessons learned from the last three design projects, which were focused on modifications to a Ranque-Hilsch vortex tube, design of a pop-pop boat, and design of a double pipe heat exchanger. The primary challenges have been the limited engineering design experience possessed by students in their third semester of studies, the heavy workload that second-year engineering students already have, and the relatively large class size. Even though there are clear challenges related to integrating a design project into a large second-year class, the results seem to indicate that these design projects provide a positive learning experience for the students.

scholarly journals 'Distance travelled versus the 'distance' travelled': Enhancing the student learning experience using a creative and innovative approach to tutorial organisation

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Peter Brownhill
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Active Engagement ◽  
International Level ◽  
National Audit ◽  
Learning Space ◽  
Student Progression ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Original Approach

In an effort to remain both competitive and attractive to prospective and established students Higher Education institutions, both at a national and international level, are actively seeking innovative ways 'of improving the student experience and student progression/retention' (National Audit Office, 2002 in Stevenson, 2009, p. 117). This paper reports on an original approach to tutorial organisation to enhance the learning experience of undergraduate students on a practice based foundation degree at a UK university. Students' perceptions of tutorials prior to and post their active engagement with a Tutorial Stations system (TSS) within the classroom learning space will be shared and discussed. Whilst there is student calling to sustain usage of the system as part of other taught modules on the programme further research is needed to evaluate the impact of the system on improving student attainment.

scholarly journals Contrasting Cases: Students’ Experiences in an Active-Learning Biology Classroom

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. ar33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa B. Wiltbank ◽  
Kurt R. Williams ◽  
Lauren Marciniak ◽  
Jennifer L. Momsen
Keyword(s):  
Active Learning ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Introductory Biology ◽  
Contrasting Cases ◽  
Time Points ◽  
Biology Class ◽  
Learning Tasks ◽  
Regular Time

In this qualitative study, we examined the process of active learning from the perspective of undergraduate students in a high-enrollment introductory biology class. Eight students participated in a series of five interviews throughout the semester that examined their experiences during and after class. Grades were collected for each student at regular time points throughout the semester. Here, we present in-depth case studies of four students who described profoundly different responses to the same in-class learning tasks. We particularly highlight variation in students’ self-reported engagement, as engagement is thought to be a key element of successful active learning. Finally, we map each student’s self-reported engagement and the grades that he or she received. In each case, we found that grades failed to capture some aspects of the active-learning experience that students found important.

TEACHING INNOVATION AND THE USE OF SOCIAL NETWORKS IN ARCHITECTURE: LEARNING BUILDING SERVICES DESIGN FOR SMART AND ENERGY EFFICIENT BUILDINGS

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 367
Author(s):  
Samuel Domínguez-Amarillo ◽  
Jesica Fernandez-Aguera ◽  
Patricia Fernandez-Aguera
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Participatory Design ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Smart Cities ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Professional Community ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
Teaching Innovation ◽  
Energy Efficient Buildings

Today’s buildings are evolving from structures comprising unchanging, static elements scantly able to interact with their surroundings, towards complex systemic compounds with an impact on the environs that entails more than mere anthropic alteration. In pursuit of energy efficiency and true sustainability, buildings must acquire the ability to interact as well as to generate synergies. The most prominent features of this approach are energy management and information flows which, intelligently designed, not only enhance buildings’ capabilities, but also introduce a significant change in their relationship with the surrounds (‘smart cities’) and its inhabitants. This new paradigm calls for revisiting undergraduate architectural instruction, adopting a more complex overview of energy use and management in the design process, regarding buildings as dynamic rather than static entities. The methodology focuses on creating learning environments that favour students’ participation in problem solving and assessment, encouraging teamwork based on case studies and stressing the connection between this new architecture, ICTs included, and social networks as participatory design tools. These ideas were implemented in a pilot learning experience conducted at the University of Seville for undergraduate students. The use of ICTs and the collaboration of non-academic experts were observed to further student promotion and projection beyond the academic environment and introduce them to the professional community.

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