scholarly journals Evidence-Based Course Design for Active Learning: Evaluation of a Blended Learning Approach to Enable Academic Faculty Development

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Olugbenga King
Keyword(s):  
Active Learning ◽  
Faculty Development ◽  
Blended Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Research University ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Academic Development ◽  
Systematic Evaluation ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Learning Technology

This article describes two blended learning (technology-rich) professional development workshops on course design for active learning to enable faculty development at a research university in the Southeastern United States. Specifically, the workshops were designed to address gaps in the international academic development literature, and so this article highlights one way to address related requirements, such as the need for systematic evaluation, provision of thick descriptions of academic development practices, and evaluation of the effect of different learning environments (physical classroom spaces) on teaching and learning outcomes. Hence, the workshops model evidence-based approaches for designing faculty development, including the systematic alignment of the workshops’ goals with qualitative and quantitative evaluations of the workshops’ effectiveness.

scholarly journals Creating blended learning experiences requires more than digital skills

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 35
Author(s):  
Bettina Kathrin Schwenger
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Active Learning ◽  
Blended Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Research Review ◽  
Learning Design ◽  
Digital Literacies ◽  
Tertiary Institutions

With growing diversity and larger numbers of enrolled students in classes, online learning can open up new possibilities in New Zealand’s tertiary institutions to improve teaching and enhance students’ learning. Tertiary institutions have reacted with changed expectations about pedagogical approaches and practices, by, for example, integrating more online learning technologies, and by reconsidering the course design and learning environment (Conole, 2016; Johnson, Adams Becker, Estrada & Freeman, 2015). Consequently, teachers increasingly teach online as part of a course and need to engage large number of students with a broad range of skills and knowledge, including many who are first in their family to learn formally at tertiary level.   Teachers may work with certain areas of online technologies and digital literacies, for example deposit information online for students to read, but they often do not feel confident to facilitate active learning (Ako & Synapsys, 2018; Boelens, de Wever & Voet, 2017) and to offer tasks that aim to engage students collaboratively online. Kirkwood (2014) points out that teachers question how an online tool can be used but may consider less the rationale for the use of a certain pedagogical strategy for which a tool could be used. Digital literacies are more than gaining isolated technological skills (Johnson et al., 2015) as this presentation will share, based on the findings of a collaboration with two teachers in a first-year undergraduate course in Education. In the presentation, we will discuss recommendations for sustainable teacher development that enable blended learning design with opportunities for students to actively create instead of consuming information and that is likely to enhance their experiences of blended learning. The recommendations include underpinning skills and areas such as supporting learning for Māori and non-Māori students by using online affordances for pedagogical practices to, for example, integrate formative feedback, self-assessment, foster active learning online and independent learning.   References   Ako Aotearoa & Synapsys (2018). Technology in learning: Benchmarking and developing sector capability. Wellington, New Zealand: Ako Aotearoa Boelens, R., De Wever, B., & Voet, M. (2017). Four key challenges to the design of blended learning: A systematic literature review. Educational Research Review, 22, 1–18. doi:10.1016/j.edurev.2017.06.001 Conole, G. (2016). Theoretical underpinnings of learning design. In J. Dalziel (Ed.), Learning design: Conceptualizing a framework for teaching and learning online (pp. 42–62). New York, NY: Routledge. Johnson, L., Adams Becker, S., Estrada, V., & Freeman, A. (2015). NMC Horizon report: 2015 Higher education edition. Austin, TX: The New Media Consortium. Retrieved from https://www.nmc.org/publication/nmc-horizon-report-2015-higher-education-edition/ Kirkwood, A. (2014). Teaching and learning with technology in higher education: Blended and distance education needs ‘joined-up thinking’ rather than technological determinism. Open Learning, 29(3), 206–221.

Using Active Student-Centered Learning-Based Instructional Design to Develop Faculty and Improve Course Design, Delivery, and Evaluation

2007 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Lavoie ◽  
Andrew J. Rosman
Keyword(s):  
Instructional Design ◽  
Active Learning ◽  
Faculty Development ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Online Environment ◽  
Student Centered ◽  
Student Centered Learning ◽  
Master Of Science

This paper describes how the Resource-Enriched Learning Model (RELM), an active student-centered approach to faculty development and course design, delivery, and evaluation (Lavoie 2001), has been applied to develop an online Master of Science in Accounting Program. With its focus on the processes underlying quality teaching and learning, RELM provides faculty with a skill set learned in the same environment that they ultimately will create for their students. Having experienced active learning firsthand in the online environment, faculty are better prepared to create a similar learning environment for their students.

Promoting student-centred blended learning in higher education: A model

2021 ◽  
pp. 204275302110277
Author(s):  
Md. Kabirul Islam ◽  
Md. Fouad Hossain Sarker ◽  
M. Saiful Islam
Keyword(s):  
Blended Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Peer Group ◽  
Asynchronous Mode ◽  
Learning Stage ◽  
Synchronous Mode ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Stage 1

This empirical study is conducted in a blended learning setting of a technology-focused private university in Bangladesh to offer a model that could help attain a comprehensive goal of blended learning. The main objectives of this study are to examine course design in a blended learning setting, strategies adopted by the course teachers to maximize students’ online interactions in a collaborative manner and how well these strategies had an impact on quality of blended teaching and learning in tertiary education. Drawing upon a quasi-experimental approach, qualitative data were collected by observing the teaching and learning activities of a course named ‘Bangladesh Studies’ over a four-month semester. Findings of this study suggest a model that would allow better student–teacher interaction in both synchronous and asynchronous modes of teaching and learning based on three sequential stages such as referring to and discussing online peer-group comments in the regular face-to-face classes in asynchronous mode (stage 1), off-campus synchronous mode of interactions to utilize students’ personal study hours (stage 2) and off-campus asynchronous mode of interactions to offer flexibility for collaborative learning (stage 3). It is argued that the model that has been offered could be useful in promoting innovative and contextual pedagogy which will essentially involve students in sharing, interacting and collaborating discussions for knowledge construction and hereby enable overall cognitive development of students in a blended learning environment.

scholarly journals Participant perceptions of the faculty development Educational Research Series

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 221-245
Author(s):  
Nancy Dalgarno ◽  
Corinne Laverty ◽  
Rylan Egan ◽  
Kendall Garton ◽  
Eleftherios Soleas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Faculty Development ◽  
Educational Research ◽  
Mixed Method ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Adult Learning Theory ◽  
Academic Development ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Faculty Development Program ◽  
Scholarship Of Teaching ◽  
Individual Support

Interest in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) is driven in part by the need to provide systematic academic development for faculty anchored in evidence-based practice such as the introduction of quality assurance frameworks. This article reports on a mixed-method evaluation of one institution’s grassroots multidisciplinary faculty development program, called the Educational Research Series, to determine if it met the needs of its faculty, graduate student, and staff participants. Conducted at one mid-sized university in southern Ontario and framed, as was the program design and implementation, by both adult learning theory and constructivism, the evaluation collected data from session exit surveys, attendee interviews, and facilitator focus groups. The data analysis revealed that reasons for participating included increasing levels of understanding, receiving individual support, and learning about colleagues’ research interests. The major strengths of the program included individual learning, resources, facilitator expertise, interactive sessions, and the multidisciplinary focus. The main challenges centered on depth versus breadth of the sessions, time, and educational language and theory. Participants recommended additional resources, communication among facilitators, institutional recognition, and increased depth of content. As a result of this evaluation, an Advanced Educational Research Series is being offered at the institution. This article will inform other institutions wishing to build SoTL as a field within their institutions.

scholarly journals The effect of an online active learning-based course on approaches to teaching

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mansurbek Kushnazarov ◽  
Crystal Jing Luo ◽  
Nicole Kwan Yee Lai
Keyword(s):  
Active Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Teaching Quality ◽  
Technology Enhanced Learning ◽  
Learning Approaches ◽  
Teaching Approaches ◽  
Approaches To Teaching ◽  
Case Based Learning

The quality of teacher training research postgraduate (RPg) students receive is highly likely to determine the quality of teaching and learning they will provide when they are given teaching duties. Designing and developing such a teaching development course is considerably challenging, particularly if it is fully online. Owing to its focus on student learning, we integrated group learning, case-based learning and technology-enhanced learning approaches of active learning into an online Professional Development (PD) course at a university in Hong Kong. The course intended to enhance RPg students’ student-focused teaching approaches which, in turn, would help their students demonstrate high academic performance and achieve learning objectives. We relied on the concept of teaching approaches to build the theoretical foundation of this study and used Approaches to Teaching Inventory (ATI) to test the effectiveness of the PD course in improving the RPg students’ teaching quality. The quantitative analysis of the survey conducted showed that there was a significant increase in both Conceptual Change/Student Focused (CCSF) and Information Transmission/Teacher Focused approaches to teaching among the RPg students. The results provided opportunities to make informed decisions for further enhancement of the course design and start a new potential dialogue in studies of teaching approaches.

Impact Of Instructional Technology Inclusions In Course Delivery For Engineering And Business Education

2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 443-448
Author(s):  
Rizwan Muhammad ◽  
Nisa Fakharun ◽  
Adeel Muhammad ◽  
Ramzan Muhammad ◽  
Lal Mohan Baral
Keyword(s):  
Instructional Technology ◽  
Blended Learning ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Strategic Decision ◽  
Learning Technology ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Improved Learning

AbstractAs new technologies are emerging, new trends are also emerging in teaching and learning. Technology inclusion in teaching provides alternative ways to deliver education in pursuit of promoting learning. One of the innovative methods is Blended Learning (BL). This method incorporates both, the traditional Face-to-Face (F2F) instruction and Web-based distance learning method and it imparts an improved learning experience for the students. In this case study, BL models were adopted involving the teaching of two courses—business management and industrial manufacturing at University of Management and Technology (UMT) Lahore. In the models, students’ performance in terms of their liking threshold, were used as the output. The results revealed that instructional technology inclusion caused greater successes in terms of course acceptability by students. This showed an average improvement of 64% in the student performance. ICT or Information and Communication Technology have gained popularity in education sector. In the recent years the term “e-learning” has emerged as a result of the integration of ICT in the education field, but some pitfalls have been identified and this have led to the “Blended learning” phenomenon. The paper can provide directions for the future blended learning environment that may be opted by all the three main stakeholder student, tutors and institution to make strategic decision about the learning and teaching initiatives. The paper concludes that blended learning offers the most flexible and result oriented learning. This paper provides case studies of two of the BL courses including the mode of offering, content with assessment strategies for students to meet the learning outcomes of the courses in detail.

scholarly journals Factors Influencing Faculty Satisfaction with Asynchronous Teaching and Learning in the SUNY Learning Network

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Fredericksen ◽  
Alexandra Pickett ◽  
Peter Shea ◽  
William Pelz ◽  
Karen Swan
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Faculty Development ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Course Design ◽  
New York State ◽  
Faculty Satisfaction ◽  
Instructional Program ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Learning Network

The State University of New York (SUNY) Learning Network (SLN) is the online instructional program created for the 64 colleges and nearly 400,000 students of SUNY. The foundation of the program is freedom from schedule and location constraints for our faculty and students. The primary goals of the SLN are to bring SUNY's diverse and high-quality instructional programs within the reach of learners everywhere, and to be the best provider of asynchronous instruction for learners in New York State and beyond. We believe that these goals cannot be achieved unless faculty receives appropriate support.This paper will examine factors that have contributed to the high level of faculty satisfaction we have achieved in the SLN. The analysis will be done on several levels. This first section will look at the SLN at a program-wide level and will provide information regarding the systemic implementation of our asynchronous learning environment.The second section examines issues that contribute to on-line teaching satisfaction from a faculty-development and course-design perspective. This section will present the evolution of the four-stage faculty development process and a seven-step course design process that was developed by SLN and comment on lessons learned.The third section presents results from the SLN Faculty Satisfaction Survey conducted in spring 1999. This section examines factors from a quantitative analysis that significantly contributes to faculty satisfaction with online teaching and offers recommendations for course and program design based on these factors.The fourth section examines faculty satisfaction at the level of individual institutions with examples from specific courses. This section will introduce the reader to local implementation of SLN courses at two college programs in the SUNY system: the Department of Educational Theory and Practice at the University at Albany (UA), and the Internet Academy (IA) of Herkimer County Community College (HCCC). These case studies present and examine important evidence of faculty satisfaction from a single-institution and individual-faculty perspective.

scholarly journals Engaging science academics with evidence based practices: Use of concept inventories in chemistry and physics across eight universities

2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen Georgiou ◽  
Manjula Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Active Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Individual Student ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Evidence Based Practices ◽  
Ongoing Research ◽  
Stem Disciplines ◽  
Concept Inventories ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
Australian Universities

There is ongoing research on how to improve student engagement and attainment in STEM in higher education, with active learning recognised as a feasible approach for several decades now. However, the uptake of active learning, and other evidence-based approaches, is inconsistent. This paper reports on one aspect of an Australian Government funded Fellowship; the specific scholarly practice of the use of concept inventories, widely associated with active learning, to engage academics in evidence-based practices in STEM disciplines. The ultimate aim was to equip lecturers with the tools to measure student attainment. In close collaboration with academics, pre- and post-tests were administered to students in a total of 12 different courses, constituting over 3000 individual student questionnaires collected across eight Australian Universities. We report on the implementation focusing on; engaging staff, the types of concept survey results made visible to staff not generally accustomed to seeing such results, and tentatively offer the possibility of national data on learning gains. Results show that the majority of lecturers engaged and continued the use of concept inventories. Our study demonstrates that concerted use of concept inventories might lead to increased uptake of evidence-based approaches with potential for improved teaching and learning in STEM disciplines.

scholarly journals Educational Technology for Active Connections in Blended Learning Environments

2019 ◽  
pp. 183-190
Author(s):  
Philip Uys
Keyword(s):  
Educational Technology ◽  
Active Learning ◽  
Blended Learning ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Learner Engagement ◽  
Effective Learning ◽  
Learning Framework ◽  
Effective Learning Environments ◽  
Stable Learning

This conference focuses on employing educational technology for connections. It assumes that these connections will be active, and not latent – otherwise these will be meaningless and ineffective. The emphasis is thus on creating effective learning environments. Such learning environments are not just online or digital, but can also be physical learning spaces in which educational technology can play a key role.A key strategy to ensure that educational technology connections are indeed active is to employ educational technology within an active learning framework for both online and on-campus learning i.e. blended learning. Educational technology on its own does not lead to active learning – only when it is used within well-founded learning designs – of which constructive alignment is highlighted below. I am thus agreeing with Veletsianos and Moe (2017) that educational technology by itself is not “education’s silver bullet” but should be located within “the essentials of teaching and learning: theory, pedagogy and emergent trends in the research.” Such active learning will lead to learner engagement, leading to effective learning and learner success. The vision for instance for educational technologies at Charles Sturt University is to “support educational practices focussed on student success by providing cutting edge, stable learning environments”.

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