Optional Learning Activities for Personalising University Courses

Author(s):  
Brenda Cecilia Padilla Rodriguez

This chapter focuses on a specific, simple strategy to foster active blended learning, a pedagogical approach that values flexibility. The author discusses the use of optional learning activities (OLAs) in graduate courses as a strategy to enable the customisation of the learning pathway and the effective incorporation of formative assessment. A sample of 68 former Master's and doctoral students, who engaged with OLAs, answered an online survey. Their views were predominantly positive. Participants agreed that OLAs promote active, personalised learning, and considered them motivating. Moreover, the number of OLAs completed positively and significantly correlated with final grades. OLAs represent a simple, low-investment way to create engaging, personalised courses. These activities empower students to explore their own interests in a structured, meaningful way. Recommendations for practice are described.

Author(s):  
Phu Vu ◽  
Marissa A. Fye

Even though game-based learning is trending both in research and in practice, there is still a limited understanding about the relationships between teachers' and students' perceptions of academic achievement, levels of learning engagement, and challenges implementing this pedagogical approach in a PK-12 setting. Data used for this research project were extracted from responses to an annual online survey administered to teachers and students at middle schools and high schools in a Midwest state in America. The authors' results indicate that teachers and students agree that students were more engaged in class learning activities if they were managed like games, and GBL helped improve student academic performances. Finally, “Insufficient time” was the most common barrier to the teachers' effort of implementing GBL in their classrooms.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (6) ◽  
pp. 1552-1563
Author(s):  
Denise A. Tucker ◽  
Mary V. Compton ◽  
Sarah J. Allen ◽  
Robert Mayo ◽  
Celia Hooper ◽  
...  

Purpose The intended purpose of this research note is to share the findings of a needs assessment online survey of speech and hearing professionals practicing in North Carolina to explore their interest in pursuing a research-focused PhD in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) and to document their perceptions of barriers to pursing a PhD in CSD. In view of the well-documented shortage of doctor of philosophy (PhD) faculty to attract, retain, and mentor doctoral students to advance research and to prepare future speech and hearing professionals, CSD faculty must assess the needs, perceptions, and barriers prospective students encounter when considering pursuing a doctoral research degree in CSD. Method The article describes the results of a survey of 242 speech and hearing professionals to investigate their interest in obtaining an academic research-focused PhD in CSD and to solicit their perceived barriers to pursuing a research doctoral degree in CSD. Results Two thirds of the respondents (63.6%) reported that they had considered pursuing a PhD in CSD. Desire for knowledge, desire to teach, and work advancement were the top reasons given for pursuing a PhD in CSD. Eighty-two percent of respondents had no interest in traditional full-time study. Forty-two percent of respondents indicated that they would be interested in part-time and distance doctoral study. The barriers of time, distance, and money emerged as those most frequently identified barriers by respondents. Conclusion The implications inform higher education faculty on how they can best address the needs of an untapped pool of prospective doctoral students in CSD.


CCIT Journal ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 335-354
Author(s):  
Untung Rahardja ◽  
Muhamad Yusup ◽  
Ana Nurmaliana

The accuracy and reliability is the quality of the information. The more accurate and reliable, the more information it’s good quality. Similarly, a survey, the better the survey, the more accurate the information provided. Implementation of student satisfaction measurement to the process of teaching and learning activities on the quality of the implementation of important lectures in order to get feedback on the assessed variables and for future repair. Likewise in Higher Education Prog has undertaken the process of measuring student satisfaction through a distributed questioner finally disemester each class lecture. However, the deployment process questioner is identified there are 7 (seven) problems. However, the problem can be resolved by the 3 (three) ways of solving problems one of which is a system of iLearning Survey (Isur), that is by providing an online survey to students that can be accessed anywhere and anytime. In the implementation shown a prototype of Isur itself. It can be concluded that the contribution Isur system can maximize the decision taken by the Higher Education Prog. By using this Isur system with questions and evaluation forms are submitted and given to the students and the other colleges. To assess the extent to which the campus has grown and how faculty performance in teaching students class, and can be used as a media Isur valid information for an assessment of activities throughout college.


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 100493
Author(s):  
Andrew A. Bennett ◽  
Kevin D. Lo ◽  
Adam Pervez ◽  
Terry A. Nelson ◽  
Kenneth Mullane ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Naglaa Megahed ◽  
Asmaa Hassan

PurposeThe present work reviews the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on architecture education (AE), with the aim of discussing the interaction and integration of technology-based models.Design/methodology/approachDifferent research methods were used to achieve the research purposes including an online survey, semistructured interviews, observations and reviewing recent literature. The study proposes a theoretical framework to investigate blended learning (BL) approaches in AE, based on the blended teaching–learning continuum, the growth of online delivery mode and technology integration and the gradual responsibility adopted for the current Covid-19 pandemic.FindingsThe study proposes a vision to reimagine post-Covid-19 education and the required BL strategy to provide a theoretical framework that integrates the instructional models required to be investigated by instructors.Research limitations/implicationsThe research findings are based on a theoretical approach not tested practically. A further detailed investigation is required. Thus, the road to reimagining the post-Covid-19 AE is still evolving.Social implicationsAs faculty members, one should take steps toward preparing BL strategies. These strategies present other alternatives to continue teaching and learning while keeping safe in any other emergency in education. In this work, an overview of BL approaches, continuum and related technological and instructional models has been shaped to propose a new vision to post-Covid-19 AE.Originality/valueThis paper responds directly to the initiated call on the pandemic's effect on traditional education by taking a pedagogical perspective. The study presents a holistic BL strategy and proposes a new theoretical and instructional model to design a suitable and balanced BL environment in AE.


F1000Research ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 722 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan L. Vanderford ◽  
Teresa M. Evans ◽  
L. Todd Weiss ◽  
Lindsay Bira ◽  
Jazmin Beltran-Gastelum

Background: The Individual Development Plan (IDP) was introduced as a tool to aid in career planning for doctoral trainees. Despite the National Institutes of Health and academic institutions creating policies that mandate the use of IDPs, little information exists regarding the use and effectiveness of the career planning tool. Methods: We conducted a multi-institutional, online survey to measure IDP use and effectiveness. The survey was distributed to potential respondents via social media and direct email. IDP survey questions were formatted using a five-point Likert scale (strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree and strongly disagree). For data analysis purposes, responses were grouped into two categories (agree versus does not agree/disagree). The data were summarized as one-way frequencies and the Pearson chi-square test was used to determine the statistical significance of univariate associations between the survey variables and an outcome measure of the effectiveness of the IDP. Results: Among all respondents, fifty-three percent reported that they are required to complete an IDP while thirty-three percent reported that the tool is helpful to their career development. Further, our data suggests that the IDP is most effective when doctoral students complete the tool with faculty mentors with whom they have a positive relationship. Respondents who are confident about their career plans and who take advantage of career development resources at their institution are also more likely to perceive that the IDP is useful for their career development. Conclusion: Given the nuanced use and effectiveness of the IDP, we call for additional research to characterize the overall use and effectiveness of the IDP and to determine whether there are unintended negative consequences created through the use of the tool. Furthermore, we recommend an enhancement of career development infrastructure that would include mentorship training for faculty in order to provide substantially more career planning support to trainees.


2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Didik Dwi Prasetya ◽  
Aji Prasetya Wibawa ◽  
Tsukasa Hirashima ◽  
Yusuke Hayashi

Blended learning is a hybrid of traditional face‑to‑face and different types of online learning services. Blended learning offers synchronous and asynchronous learning experiences that combine the conveniences of online courses while maintaining in‑person contact. Blended learning addresses the needs of students who are unable to attend classes entirely, but who nonetheless demand opportunities for personal interaction. The appropriate instructional content design becomes one of the crucial components to support the success of blended learning activities. This study proposed the development and practical use of document‑based rich and interactive content in EPUB3 to provide an exciting instructional content model. EPUB3 is a digital publishing standard with prosperous features and flexible implementation that is widely accepted in academic and industry. The EPUB3 digital book content was integrated into a Moodle learning management system to support synchronous and asynchronous blended learning environments. A questionnaire was applied to find out the learners' responses and involved 155 undergraduate students at The State University of Malang, Indonesia. The questionnaire results showed the developed content model was feasible and suitable to be implemented in a blended learning environment. Students seem interested and enthusiastic about being involved in various learning activities that add new experiences.


10.28945/2347 ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 015-034 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meghan J. Pifer ◽  
Vicki L. Baker

Studies of doctoral education have included an interest not only in processes, structures, and outcomes, but also in students’ experiences. There are often useful recommendations for practice within individual examinations of the doctoral experience, yet there remains a need to strengthen the application of lessons from research to the behaviors of students and others engaged in the doctoral process. This paper is the first to synthesize research about doctoral education with the particular aim of informing practical strategies for multiple stakeholders. In this article, we summarize findings from a literature review of the scholarship about doctoral education from the past 15 years in a stage-based overview of the challenges of doctoral education. Our aim is to apply theory to practice through the systematic consideration of how research about doctoral education can best inform students and those who support them in the doctoral journey. We first present an overview of the major stages of doctoral education and related challenges identified in the research. We then consider key findings of that research to offer recommendations for doctoral students, faculty members, and administrators within and across stages.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 504
Author(s):  
Zaitun Zaitun ◽  
Muhammad Sofian Hadi ◽  
Diah Rahmawati Lestari

English teachers deliver their teaching materials using various platforms. One of those is the BookWidgets platform which is used to create interactive learning activities and involves students in engaging teaching material. This platform provides teachers and students with dynamic widgets such as iPad, Android tablets, Chromebooks, and iBooks with interactive content. These are designed to interact with students’ interest in acquiring English smoothly. Therefore, this study is aimed at finding out students’ interest in learning English and attract their interest using Bookwidgets. The method used in this study was a quantitative descriptive method, which used a survey to collect the data. The population in this study was taken from junior high school students in MTs Al-Falah using a questionnaire or online survey. In analyzing the data, the writer used a Likert statistical analysis. The results of this showed that students’ interest in English learning using media increased up to 48,1% after they were being introduced to Bookwidgets.


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