Undergraduate Students Engagement in Formal and Informal Learning: Applying the Community of Inquiry Framework

The purpose of this qualitative case study is to examine the evidence of formal and informal learning of students in an undergraduate educational technology course for preservice teachers. The research question was, “How do undergraduate students in an educational technology course bridge formal and informal learning using Twitter?” The framework for this study was the Community of Inquiry. Directed content analysis was used on data extracted from Twitter. Key findings included, (1) evidence of cognitive, social, and teaching presence for students completing course activities using Twitter, that is, for their formal learning; and that (2) students developed competencies during formal course activities using Twitter that supported cognitive and social presence beyond the course requirements, that is, for their informal learning.

Hackathons and Libraries

Libraries foster a thriving campus culture and function as “third space,” not directly tied to a discipline.[i] Libraries support both formal and informal learning, have multipurpose spaces, and serve as a connection point for their communities. For these reasons, they are an ideal location for events, such as hackathons, that align with library priorities of outreach, data and information literacy, and engagement focused on social good. Hackathon planners could find likely partners in either academic or public libraries as their physical spaces accommodate public outreach events and many are already providing similar services, such as makerspaces. Libraries can act solely as a host for events or they can embed in the planning process by building community partnerships, developing themes for the event, or harnessing the expertise already present in the library staff. This article, focusing on years from 2014 to 2020, will highlight the history and evolution of hackathons in libraries as outreach events and as a focus for using library materials, data, workflows, and content. [i] James K. Elmborg, “Libraries as the Spaces Between Us: Recognizing and Valuing the Third Space,” Reference and User Services Quarterly 50, no. 4 (2011): 338–50.

VALIDATION IN ART TEACHER AND PROFESSIONAL TEACHER EDUCATION CURRICULA IN FINLAND

<p>Intention and opportunity for validation of competences acquired in different contexts are considered influential to meet the incremental changes in the world of work. Positioned in the universities of applied sciences delivering art and professional teacher education in Finland, we study emergence of validation of prior learning in the intended, or planned, curricula. The Nordic Quality Model for Validation was employed as the empirical frame of reference. Data were collected from the institutions’ open websites. The critical discourse analysis revealed differences in curricular discourses between and across the institutions. Texts with more indicators of validation were found within larger providers of professional teacher education, whereas those were more scarce in texts from smaller institutions. Validation texts are shorter in length and more fragmented in art teacher curricula. Despite its centrality in educational policy, validation remains in the margins of art and professional teacher education curricula. It is unlikely that the intended curricula facilitate teacher trainers’ efforts to form a shared repertoire of a community of practice in validation of non-formal and informal learning. We suggest further study on the enacted and experienced curricula to examine the role of validation in art teacher and professional teacher education.</p><p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0893/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

FORMAL, NONFORMAL AND INFORMAL TEACHING FOREIGN LANGUAGES

The article considers the content of formal, non-formal, and informal learning of foreign languages. It is noted that formal education is education that is institutionalized, intentional, and planned through public organizations and recognized private institutions and together they create a system of state formal education. Non-formal education is education that is institutionalized, intentional, and planned by the subject of educational activity. Informal education is a form of education that is intentional or conscious, but not institutionalized. The author analyzes the main differences between formal, non-formal, and informal learning. It has been emphasized that learning, whether formal or informal, is intentional and partly accidental, but informal learning is purely accidental. It has been outlined that in the short term it makes more sense and, of course, more accessible to involve volunteers in the organization of social activities that promote non-formal and informal language learning, instead of immediately organizing official language courses. If such measures are properly designed and effectively implemented, they can motivate and encourage students to participate in formal language courses at a later stage. It has been noted that formal education characterizes education on the negative side due to certain limitations, namely the curriculum is based on norms and laws approved by the government/institution, while the students’ needs and interests are not taken into account. When the students’ needs and interests are taken into account, the students will be more interested and more willing to participate in various activities. On the other hand, non-formal education manages to transform the interests and needs of students into a flexible and adapted form of learning.

The Conceptual Foundations of Lifelong Learning in Kazakhstan: Process Modeling

Considering the increased interest in ensuring the well-being of a person, lifelong learning takes a leading place in society. The purpose of this study is to build the concept of the LLL system for the Republic of Kazakhstan based on the methodology of education and international best practices, as well as global trends in the development of education. The key idea of the study is to justify the LLL system, which provides coverage of the country's population with formal, non-formal and informal learning to increase its competitiveness and basic competencies to the level of the OECD countries. To do this, we propose mechanisms that allow us to fully recognize the learning outcomes of formal, non-formal and informal education. These ideas were proposed by the authors to the Kazakhstan’s Government on the development of the Concept of Lifelong Learning.

THE RELATIONSHIPS OF PSYCHOLINGUISTICS IN ACQUISITION AND LANGUAGE LEARNING

Through psychology we can learn about how students ' attitudes and behaviors in acquiring and learning languages while through linguistics we can learn about language concepts and structures. At the stage of language acquisition, there are four phases of language acquisition in the child (1) the level of the (starting from age 0 sampai1 years), (2) period of holophrase (starting at the age of 1 to 2 years), (3) The two-word greeting period (starting at 2 to 2 years 6 months) (4) The starting period of grammar (starting at 2 years 6 months – up to 3 years and above). And the four advanced stages are; 1. Sensorimotor stage (birth up to age 2 – 3 years), (2) Pre-operational stage (3 to 6 or 7 years old) (3) concrete operational stage (aged 6/7 years to 11 or 12 years), (4) Formal operational stage (12 years old to adulthood). While language learning is done formally in formal settings, For example language learning in the classroom. It is not important to learn anywhere while not in the classroom as long as the process of learning is directed at the mastery of the rules of the language consciously by educators as well as learners, the process is called learning. During the formal and informal learning process, the psycholinguistic process works to acquire language knowledge through a study. So this interdisciplinary can lead educators to understand the process that happens in every student who is faced with when they are trying to understand and identify the material understanding in language learning presented in the classroom.

A hybrid approach to sustainable development competencies: the role of formal, informal and non-formal learning experiences

Purpose This paper aims to explore whether formal, non-formal, and informal learning experiences contribute to developing sustainable development competencies (SDCs) among students in a Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME) signatory business school. Design/methodology/approach An online survey based on the students’ learning experiences and a questionnaire on sustainability competencies already validated in the literature were given to a sample of 274 bachelor students at a PRME signatory business school. Nominal variables representing students’ categories were created to test a set of hypotheses developed according to the literature. Because the data was not normally distributed, non-parametric independent-samples Mann–Whitney U test was conducted, and descriptive statistics was used to help the analysis. Findings The results suggest that a hybrid format with a combination of formal, non-formal and informal learning experiences is essential to maximising the development of SDCs and raising students’ sustainability literacy. Research limitations/implications This study is one of the first attempts to understand the importance of a hybrid approach in developing sustainable competencies (SDCs). Future studies could adopt longitudinal analysis to check the development of these competencies over time, assess students from different PRME signatory schools or comparing students to those in non-signatory business schools. Practical implications This study provides insight into how business schools could address challenges in developing sustainable competencies through redirecting their educational systems by balancing formal, informal and non-formal learning approaches to educate future responsible leaders. Originality/value This research provides evidence on how a hybrid learning approach could maximise the development of sustainable development competencies and, therefore, generating insights for educational policies.