Motives and activities for continuing professional development: An exploration of their relationships by integrating literature and interview data.

PubMed

Pool, Inge A; Poell, Rob F; Berings, Marjolein G M C; Ten Cate, Olle

2016-03-01

To effectively enhance professional development, it is important to understand the motivational factors behind nurses' engagement in particular types of learning activities. Nurses have various motives for professional development and utilise different learning activities. Not much is known about how these relate. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between nurses' motives and activities for continuing professional development, by examining in which types of learning activities nurses engage, with which motives, and whether certain motives are associated with certain learning activities. A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews. Twenty-one nurses in academic and general Dutch hospitals participated. Interview data on nurses' learning biographies were analysed using a literature-based framework on motives and learning activities for continuing professional development. As recent classifications of nurses' motives for professional development were absent, the literature was reviewed for motives, using three databases. The interview transcripts were analysed for motives, learning activities and their relationships. Nine motives and four categories of learning activities for continuing professional development were delineated. Increasing competence was the primary motive that stimulated nurses to engage in self-directed learning during work, and in formal learning activities. To comply with requirements, they engaged in mandatory courses. To deepen knowledge, they registered for conferences. To develop their careers, they enrolled in postgraduate education. Five other motives were not mentioned as frequently. Specific motives were found to be related to engagement in particular learning activities. Nurses could use these findings to increase their awareness of why and how they develop professionally, and managers and human resource development professionals could develop approaches that would better suit nurses' needs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Out of Class--Out of Mind? The Use of a Virtual Learning Environment to Encourage Student Engagement in Out of Class Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leese, Maggie

2009-01-01

With increasing student numbers and a diverse student body, it is crucial to consider a range of methods to engage students in learning and teaching activities. This project was used to encourage 1st-year undergraduate students to engage in out of class activities between taught sessions. The project used a virtual learning environment (VLE) known…

Using Expectancy Value Theory as a Framework to Reduce Student Resistance to Active Learning: A Proof of Concept.

PubMed

Cooper, Katelyn M; Ashley, Michael; Brownell, Sara E

2017-01-01

There has been a national movement to transition college science courses from passive lectures to active learning environments. Active learning has been shown to be a more effective way for students to learn, yet there is concern that some students are resistant to active learning approaches. Although there is much discussion about student resistance to active learning, few studies have explored this topic. Furthermore, a limited number of studies have applied theoretical frameworks to student engagement in active learning. We propose using a theoretical lens of expectancy value theory to understand student resistance to active learning. In this study, we examined student perceptions of active learning after participating in 40 hours of active learning. We used the principal components of expectancy value theory to probe student experience in active learning: student perceived self-efficacy in active learning, value of active learning, and potential cost of participating in active learning. We found that students showed positive changes in the components of expectancy value theory and reported high levels of engagement in active learning, which provide proof of concept that expectancy value theory can be used to boost student perceptions of active learning and their engagement in active learning classrooms. From these findings, we have built a theoretical framework of expectancy value theory applied to active learning.

Using Expectancy Value Theory as a Framework to Reduce Student Resistance to Active Learning: A Proof of Concept

PubMed Central

Cooper, Katelyn M.; Ashley, Michael; Brownell, Sara E.

2017-01-01

There has been a national movement to transition college science courses from passive lectures to active learning environments. Active learning has been shown to be a more effective way for students to learn, yet there is concern that some students are resistant to active learning approaches. Although there is much discussion about student resistance to active learning, few studies have explored this topic. Furthermore, a limited number of studies have applied theoretical frameworks to student engagement in active learning. We propose using a theoretical lens of expectancy value theory to understand student resistance to active learning. In this study, we examined student perceptions of active learning after participating in 40 hours of active learning. We used the principal components of expectancy value theory to probe student experience in active learning: student perceived self-efficacy in active learning, value of active learning, and potential cost of participating in active learning. We found that students showed positive changes in the components of expectancy value theory and reported high levels of engagement in active learning, which provide proof of concept that expectancy value theory can be used to boost student perceptions of active learning and their engagement in active learning classrooms. From these findings, we have built a theoretical framework of expectancy value theory applied to active learning. PMID:28861130

Measuring and Visualizing Students' Behavioral Engagement in Writing Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Ming; Calvo, Rafael A.; Pardo, Abelardo; Martin, Andrew

2015-01-01

Engagement is critical to the success of learning activities such as writing, and can be promoted with appropriate feedback. Current engagement measures rely mostly on data collected by observers or self-reported by the participants. In this paper, we describe a learning analytic system called Tracer, which derives behavioral engagement measures…

'Not Hard to Sway': A Case Study of Student Engagement in Two Large Engineering Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shekhar, Prateek; Borrego, Maura

2018-01-01

Although engineering education research has empirically validated the effectiveness of active learning in improving student learning over traditional lecture-based methods, the adoption of active learning in classrooms has been slow. One of the greatest reported barriers is student resistance towards engagement in active learning exercises. This…

Improving Student Engagement in a Lower-Division Botany Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldberg, Nisse A.; Ingram, Kathleen W.

2011-01-01

Active-learning techniques have been advocated as a means to promote student engagement in lower-division biology courses. In this case study, mini-lectures in combination with active-learning activities were evaluated as strategies to promote a culture of learning and participation in a required botany course. These activities were designed to…

Measuring Student Engagement in a Flipped Athletic Training Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thompson, Gayle A.; Ayers, Suzan F.

2015-01-01

Context: "Active learning" describes any instructional approach that fosters student engagement in the content and is believed to promote critical thinking more fully than do traditional lecture formats. Objective: Investigate student engagement, specifically professional relevance and peer interaction, with active learning techniques…

Student Engagement and Blended Learning: Making the Assessment Connection

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vaughan, Norman

2014-01-01

There is an increased focus on student engagement and blended approaches to learning in higher education. This article demonstrates how collaborative learning applications and a blended approach to learning can be used to design and support assessment activities that increase levels of student engagement with course concepts, their peers, faculty…

Gameplay Engagement and Learning in Game-Based Learning: A Systematic Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abdul Jabbar, Azita Iliya; Felicia, Patrick

2015-01-01

In this review, we investigated game design features that promote engagement and learning in game-based learning (GBL) settings. The aim was to address the lack of empirical evidence on the impact of game design on learning outcomes, identify how the design of game-based activities may affect learning and engagement, and develop a set of general…

Transforming a School Learning Exercise into a Public Engagement Event: "The Good, the Bad and the Algae"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Redfern, James; Burdass, Dariel; Verran, Joanna

2013-01-01

School science laboratory classes and hands-on public engagement activities share many common aims and objectives in terms of science learning and literacy. This article describes the development and evaluation of a microbiology public engagement activity, "The Good, the Bad and the Algae", from a school laboratory activity. The school…

Facilitative Learning and Students' Engagement in Electrical Technology for Developing Critical Reasoning and Lifelong Learning Skills in the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Emmanuel, Caleb; Ekpo, Aloysuis

2016-01-01

Research has found that active student engagement in classroom activities can enhance academic achievement, promote retention and application of knowledge. This study investigated the relationship between students' engagement and facilitation in a student-centred learning environment. The study was conducted at the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom…

Assessing Student Behaviors and Motivation for Actively Learning Biology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, Michael Edward

Vision and Change states that one of the major changes in the way we design biology courses should be a switch in approach from teacher-centered learning to student-centered learning and identifies active learning as a recommended methods. Studies show performance benefits for students taking courses that use active learning. What is unknown is why active learning is such an effective instructional tool and the limits of this instructional method’s ability to influence performance. This dissertation builds a case in three steps for why active learning is an effective instructional tool. In step one, I assessed the influence of different types of active learning (clickers, group activities, and whole class discussions) on student engagement behavior in one semester of two different introductory biology courses and found that active learning positively influenced student engagement behavior significantly more than lecture. For step two, I examined over four semesters whether student engagement behavior was a predictor of performance and found participation (engagement behavior) in the online (video watching) and in-class course activities (clicker participation) that I measure were significant predictors of performance. In the third, I assessed whether certain active learning satisfied the psychological needs that lead to students’ intrinsic motivation to participate in those activities when compared over two semesters and across two different institutions of higher learning. Findings from this last step show us that student’s perceptions of autonomy, competency, and relatedness in doing various types of active learning are significantly higher than lecture and consistent across two institutions of higher learning. Lastly, I tie everything together, discuss implications of the research, and address future directions for research on biology student motivation and behavior.

Active Bodies/Active Brains: The Relationship between Physical Engagement and Children's Brain Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stevens-Smith, Deborah A.

2016-01-01

Educators often struggle daily with the issue of how to engage students for learning. Many instructional strategies are devoted to the concept of engagement to keep students interested and on task to enhance learning, but defining the term is difficult. Engagement may involve a combination of terms that relates to the effort of students when they…

Professional Development as a Catalyst for Change in the Community College Science Classroom: How Active Learning Pedagogy Impacts Teaching Practices as Well as Faculty and Student Perceptions of Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harmon, Melissa Cameron

2017-01-01

Active learning, an engaging, student-centered, evidence-based pedagogy, has been shown to improve student satisfaction, engagement, and achievement in college classrooms. There have been numerous calls to reform teaching practices, especially in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM); however, the utilization of active learning is…

Improving Student Engagement in Learning Activities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adams, Nancy; And Others

Engaging students seriously in their own academic learning is a persistent difficulty for teachers. The goal of this action research project was to actively involve elementary school students in their learning. The program was implemented at three elementary schools in northern Illinois serving multicultural populations; special education…

Your teaching strategy matters: how engagement impacts application in health information literacy instruction.

PubMed

Johnson, Heather A; Barrett, Laura

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to compare two pedagogical methods, active learning and passive instruction, to determine which is more useful in helping students to achieve the learning outcomes in a one-hour research skills instructional session. Two groups of high school students attended an instructional session to learn about consumer health resources and strategies to enhance their searching skills. The first group received passive instruction, and the second engaged in active learning. We assessed both groups' learning using 2 methods with differing complexity. A total of 59 students attended the instructional sessions (passive instruction, n=28; active learning, n=31). We found that the active learning group scored more favorably in four assessment categories. Active learning may help students engage with and develop a meaningful understanding of several resources in a single session. Moreover, when using a complex teaching strategy, librarians should be mindful to gauge learning using an equally complex assessment method.

Your teaching strategy matters: how engagement impacts application in health information literacy instruction *

PubMed Central

Johnson, Heather A.; Barrett, Laura

2017-01-01

Objective The purpose of this study was to compare two pedagogical methods, active learning and passive instruction, to determine which is more useful in helping students to achieve the learning outcomes in a one-hour research skills instructional session. Methods Two groups of high school students attended an instructional session to learn about consumer health resources and strategies to enhance their searching skills. The first group received passive instruction, and the second engaged in active learning. We assessed both groups’ learning using 2 methods with differing complexity. A total of 59 students attended the instructional sessions (passive instruction, n=28; active learning, n=31). Results We found that the active learning group scored more favorably in four assessment categories. Conclusions Active learning may help students engage with and develop a meaningful understanding of several resources in a single session. Moreover, when using a complex teaching strategy, librarians should be mindful to gauge learning using an equally complex assessment method. PMID:28096745

Active Learning: Engaging Students to Maximize Learning in an Online Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Khan, Arshia; Egbue, Ona; Palkie, Brooke; Madden, Janna

2017-01-01

Student engagement is key to successful teaching and learning, irrespective of the content and format of the content delivery mechanism. However, engaging students presents a particular challenge in online learning environments. Unlike face-to-face courses, online courses present a unique challenge as the only social presence between the faculty…

Variation in behavioral engagement during an active learning activity leads to differential knowledge gains in college students.

PubMed

LaDage, Lara D; Tornello, Samantha L; Vallejera, Jennilyn M; Baker, Emily E; Yan, Yue; Chowdhury, Anik

2018-03-01

There are many pedagogical techniques used by educators in higher education; however, some techniques and activities have been shown to be more beneficial to student learning than others. Research has demonstrated that active learning and learning in which students cognitively engage with the material in a multitude of ways result in better understanding and retention. The aim of the present study was to determine which of three pedagogical techniques led to improvement in learning and retention in undergraduate college students. Subjects partook in one of three different types of pedagogical engagement: hands-on learning with a model, observing someone else manipulate the model, and traditional lecture-based presentation. Students were then asked to take an online quiz that tested their knowledge of the new material, both immediately after learning the material and 2 wk later. Students who engaged in direct manipulation of the model scored higher on the assessment immediately after learning the material compared with the other two groups. However, there were no differences among the three groups when assessed after a 2-wk retention interval. Thus active learning techniques that involve direct interaction with the material can lead to learning benefits; however, how these techniques benefit long-term retention of the information is equivocal.

Gamification for Engaging Computer Science Students in Learning Activities: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ibáñez, Maria-Blanca; Di-Serio, Ángela; Delgado-Kloos, Carlos

2014-01-01

Gamification is the use of game design elements in non-game settings to engage participants and encourage desired behaviors. It has been identified as a promising technique to improve students' engagement which could have a positive impact on learning. This study evaluated the learning effectiveness and engagement appeal of a gamified learning…

Science Teaching and Learning Activities and Students' Engagement in Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hampden-Thompson, Gillian; Bennett, Judith

2013-01-01

The purpose of this analysis is to describe the variation in students' reports of engagement in science across science teaching and learning activities. In addition, this study examines student and school characteristics that may be associated with students' levels of engagement in science. Data are drawn from the Programme for International…

Using a kinesthetic learning strategy to engage nursing student thinking, enhance retention, and improve critical thinking.

PubMed

Wagner, Elissa A

2014-06-01

This article reports the outcomes of a kinesthetic learning strategy used during a cardiac lecture to engage students and to improve the use of classroom-acquired knowledge in today's challenging clinical settings. Nurse educators are constantly faced with finding new ways to engage students, stimulate critical thinking, and improve clinical application in a rapidly changing and complex health care system. Educators who deviate from the traditional pedagogy of didactic, content-driven teaching to a concept-based, student-centered approach using active and kinesthetic learning activities can enhance engagement and improve clinical problem solving, communication skills, and critical thinking to provide graduates with the tools necessary to be successful. The goals of this learning activity were to decrease the well-known classroom-clinical gap by enhancing engagement, providing deeper understanding of cardiac function and disorders, enhancing critical thinking, and improving clinical application. Copyright 2014, SLACK Incorporated.

Animal-Centered Learning Activities in Pharmacy Education

PubMed Central

Lust, Elaine

2006-01-01

Objectives To assess the contribution of animal-centered activities to students achieving learning outcomes in a veterinary therapeutics course. Design Qualitative methods were used to assess the outcome of using “hands-on” animal interactions as tools of engagement in the course. Reflective commentary on animal-centered activities was collected and analyzed. Assessment Animal-centered learning activities are effective tools for engaging students and facilitating their understanding and application of veterinary therapeutic knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Analysis of qualitative data revealed themes of professional caring and caring behaviors as a direct result of animal-centered activities. Elements of empathy, caring, compassion, and self-awareness were strong undercurrents in student's comments. Conclusions Animal-centered learning activities provide an innovative learning environment for the application of veterinary pharmacy knowledge, skills, and attitudes directly to animal patients. The use of animals in the course is a successful active-learning technique to engage pharmacy students and assist them in developing caring attitudes and behaviors beneficial to future health care providers. PMID:17149415

Participatory Multimedia Learning: Engaging Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kiili, Kristian

2005-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to present a participatory multimedia learning model for use in designing multimedia learning environments that support an active learning process, creative participation, and learner engagement. Participatory multimedia learning can be defined as learning with systems that enable learners to produce part of the…

Engaging Student Learning in Physical Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Andy

2002-01-01

Explores the significance of engagement as a stance toward teaching and learning, noting how engagement can affect the way teachers and students interact in physical education settings and surrounding environments and presenting activities to encourage engagement (develop performance routines, say and switch, roundtable brainstorm, bubble gum…

Pitching Environmental Science to Business Majors: Engaging Students in Renewable Energy Choices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rodgers, Vikki L.

2014-01-01

This article describes an active learning strategy for engaging undergraduate business students, a group often ignored in scientific pedagogy, in learning about renewable energy technology and associated trade-offs. I designed a small-group activity to appeal to and engage business students, but the exercise could easily be used for a variety of…

Student Buy-In to Active Learning in a College Science Course.

PubMed

Cavanagh, Andrew J; Aragón, Oriana R; Chen, Xinnian; Couch, Brian; Durham, Mary; Bobrownicki, Aiyana; Hanauer, David I; Graham, Mark J

2016-01-01

The benefits of introducing active learning in college science courses are well established, yet more needs to be understood about student buy-in to active learning and how that process of buy-in might relate to student outcomes. We test the exposure-persuasion-identification-commitment (EPIC) process model of buy-in, here applied to student (n = 245) engagement in an undergraduate science course featuring active learning. Student buy-in to active learning was positively associated with engagement in self-regulated learning and students' course performance. The positive associations among buy-in, self-regulated learning, and course performance suggest buy-in as a potentially important factor leading to student engagement and other student outcomes. These findings are particularly salient in course contexts featuring active learning, which encourage active student participation in the learning process. © 2016 A. J. Cavanagh et al. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2016 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

Teaching for Engagement: Part 2: Technology in the Service of Active Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hunter, William J.

2015-01-01

In the first piece in this series ("Teaching for Engagement: Part 1: Constructivist Principles, Case-Based Teaching, and Active Learning"), William Hunter sought to make the case that a wide range of teaching methods (e.g., case-based teaching, problem-based learning, anchored instruction) that share an intellectual grounding in…

Multiple Perspectives on Student Learning, Engagement, and Motivation in High School Biology Labs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shumow, Lee; Schmidt, Jennifer A.; Zaleski, Diana J.

2013-01-01

We present three studies pertaining to learning, engagement and motivation during laboratory lessons in three high school biology classrooms. In the first, quantitative methods are used to compare students' in-the-moment reports of learning, engagement, and motivation during laboratory with other classroom activities. Data were collected with the…

The Power of Movement: Body-Engaging Activities for Teaching Economics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roncolato, Leanne; Koh, Cairynne

2017-01-01

Existing research points to the critical connection between student engagement and deep learning. This paper explores body engagement as one type of student centered learning. While other disciplines are making progress in developing body-engaging pedagogical methods as a complement to traditional lectures, the use of such innovations in…

Running to Achieve: Engaging Students in Literacy and Physical Activity through an After-School Learning Community

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vanzandt, Christina

2011-01-01

The purpose of this participant-observation study is to describe rural, southern, 3rd-5th grade children's engagement in running and writing in an after-school learning community called "Running to Achieve." This study provides insights into links between physical activity and writing by using one to engage students in the other. Three…

Embedding Engaged Learning in High Enrollment Lecture-Based Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lund Dean, Kathy; Wright, Sarah

2017-01-01

Engaged learning opportunities have become powerful foundations upon which students build lifelong skills and organizational capacities. Research has empirically validated the long-term positive learning impacts of active and experiential learning opportunities for students. As such, institutional administrators and external stakeholders have…

Celebrating Service and Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Emeagwali, Susan; Berkey, Lisa; Guempel, Martha

2010-01-01

This month's "Techniques" magazine celebrates service-learning and the contributions that it makes to students' learning by fostering civic engagement while students learn in hands-on, real-world contexts. For close to half a century, service-learning has spread throughout schools in the United States as students engage in activities as diverse as…

Exhibiting the Field for Learning: Telling New York's Stories

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saunders, Angharad

2011-01-01

This paper explores the challenges of engaging and assessing students in residential field learning. Fieldwork presents students with complex learning environments, wherein they are asked to participate in a variety of learning activities. Difficulties arise, however, over how to sustain engagement in field learning while simultaneously capturing…

Factors that Influence Informal Learning in the Workplace

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berg, Shelley A.; Chyung, Seung Youn

2008-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to investigate factors that influence informal learning in the workplace and the types of informal learning activities people engage in at work. More specifically, the research examined: the relationship between informal learning engagement and the presence of learning organization characteristics; and…

"FAILING GIRLS": Understanding Connections among Identity Negotiation, Personal Relevance, and Engagement in Science Learning from Underachieving Girls

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thompson, Jessica J.; Windschitl, Mark

Contemporary critiques of science education have noted that girls often fail to engage in science learning because the activities lack relevance for them, and they cannot "see themselves" in the work of science. Despite the empirical support for these claims, theory around the important connections between relevance, emerging self-identity, and engagement for girls remains underdeveloped. This qualitative, exploratory investigation examines engagement in science learning among five underachieving high school girls. Data sources include in-depth interviews, classroom observations, and teacher surveys. The girls were asked to describe engagement within three learning contexts: science class, a favorite class, and an extracurricular activity. From the girls' voices emerge three themes reflecting the centrality of self: "who I am," "who I am becoming," and "the importance of relationships." It is important that these themes of self and of identity negotiation are integrated with the ways these girls find learning personally relevant. One pattern of extracurricular engagement and two patterns of science engagement (integrated and situational) are described. This study attempts to expand the dialogue around the relationships between identity, relevance, and engagement among underachieving girls and suggests ways in which curriculum can be grounded in students' lives and developing identities.

ASPECT: A Survey to Assess Student Perspective of Engagement in an Active-Learning Classroom.

PubMed

Wiggins, Benjamin L; Eddy, Sarah L; Wener-Fligner, Leah; Freisem, Karen; Grunspan, Daniel Z; Theobald, Elli J; Timbrook, Jerry; Crowe, Alison J

2017-01-01

The primary measure used to determine relative effectiveness of in-class activities has been student performance on pre/posttests. However, in today's active-learning classrooms, learning is a social activity, requiring students to interact and learn from their peers. To develop effective active-learning exercises that engage students, it is important to gain a more holistic view of the student experience in an active-learning classroom. We have taken a mixed-methods approach to iteratively develop and validate a 16-item survey to measure multiple facets of the student experience during active-learning exercises. The instrument, which we call A ssessing S tudent P erspective of E ngagement in C lass T ool (ASPECT), was administered to a large introductory biology class, and student responses were subjected to exploratory factor analysis. The 16 items loaded onto three factors that cumulatively explained 52% of the variation in student response: 1) value of activity, 2) personal effort, and 3) instructor contribution. ASPECT provides a rapid, easily administered means to measure student perception of engagement in an active-learning classroom. Gaining a better understanding of students' level of engagement will help inform instructor best practices and provide an additional measure for comprehensively assessing the impact of different active-learning strategies. © 2017 B. L. Wiggins, S. L. Eddy, et al. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2017 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

Engaging students as partners in developing online learning and feedback activities for first-year fluid mechanics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, Alan

2018-01-01

Much learning takes place outside of formal class settings, yet students starting in higher education are not always well equipped with independent learning skills, appropriate self-knowledge or the required levels of intrinsic motivation This project used students as partners to develop resources that could be used by first-year undergraduates in fluid mechanics, using activities and receiving feedback through the virtual learning environment (VLE), in order to build these three attributes of independent learners. While there were significant benefits to the students who developed the resources, the target students saw much lower benefits as a result of poorer than expected engagement. The challenge this research presents is to develop activities that maximise engagement in large classes, as well as develop appropriate independent learning skills.

The Role of Subjective Task Value in Service-Learning Engagement among Chinese College Students.

PubMed

Li, Yulan; Guo, Fangfang; Yao, Meilin; Wang, Cong; Yan, Wenfan

2016-01-01

Most service-learning studies in higher education focused on its effects on students' development. The dynamic processes and mechanisms of students' development during service-learning, however, have not been explored thoroughly. Student engagement in service-learning may affect service-learning outcomes and be affected by subjective task value at the same time. The present study aimed to explore the effect of subjective task value on Chinese college student engagement during service-learning. Fifty-four Chinese college students participated in a 9-weeks service-learning program of interacting with children with special needs. Students' engagement and subjective task value were assessed via self-report questionnaires and 433 weekly reflective journals. The results indicated that the cognitive, emotional and behavioral engagement of Chinese college students demonstrated different developmental trends during service-learning process. Subjective task value played an essential role in student engagement in service-learning activities. However, the role of subjective task value varied with different stages. Finally, the implications for implementing service-learning in Chinese education were discussed.

Relation between Academic Performance and Students' Engagement in Digital Learning Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bertheussen, Bernt Arne; Myrland, Øystein

2016-01-01

This study reports on the effect of student engagement in digital learning activities on academic performance for 120 students enrolled in an undergraduate finance course. Interactive practice and exam problem files were available to each student, and individual download activity was automatically recorded during the first 50 days of the course.…

Adult Learning for Social Change in Museums: An Exploration of Sociocultural Learning Approaches to Community Engagement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Junghwan; You, Jieun; Yeon Park, Soo

2016-01-01

This integrative literature review critically examined how scholars were articulating the work of museums to make a space for "adult learning for social change through community engagement". We applied sociocultural adult learning theories (situated learning and cultural-historical activity theory), to 25 theoretical and empirical…

Tweeting the Night Away: Using Twitter to Enhance Social Presence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dunlap, Joanna C.; Lowenthal, Patrick R.

2009-01-01

To be truly effective, online learning must facilitate the social process of learning. This involves providing space and opportunities for students and faculty to engage in social activities. Although learning management systems offer several tools that support social learning and student engagement, the scope, structure, and functionality of…

An Exploratory Study Comparing the Effectiveness of Lecturing versus Team-Based Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huggins, Christopher M.; Stamatel, Janet P.

2015-01-01

Lecturing has been criticized for fostering a passive learning environment, emphasizing a one-way flow of information, and not adequately engaging students. In contrast, active-learning approaches, such as team-based learning (TBL), prioritize student interaction and engagement and create multidirectional flows of information. This paper presents…

Finite Element Learning Modules as Active Learning Tools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Ashland O.; Jensen, Daniel; Rencis, Joseph; Wood, Kristin; Wood, John; White, Christina; Raaberg, Kristen Kaufman; Coffman, Josh

2012-01-01

The purpose of active learning is to solicit participation by students beyond the passive mode of traditional classroom lectures. Reading, writing, participating in discussions, hands-on activities, engaging in active problem solving, and collaborative learning can all be involved. The skills acquired during active learning tend to go above and…

Engagement and learning: an exploratory study of situated practice in multi-disciplinary stroke rehabilitation.

PubMed

Horton, Simon; Howell, Alison; Humby, Kate; Ross, Alexandra

2011-01-01

Active participation is considered to be a key factor in stroke rehabilitation. Patient engagement in learning is an important part of this process. This study sets out to explore how active participation and engagement are 'produced' in the course of day-to-day multi-disciplinary stroke rehabilitation. Ethnographic observation, analytic concepts drawn from discourse analysis (DA) and the perspective and methods of conversation analysis (CA) were applied to videotaped data from three sessions of rehabilitation therapy each for two patients with communication impairments (dysarthria, aphasia). Engagement was facilitated (and hindered) through the interactional work of patients and healthcare professionals. An institutional ethos of 'right practice' was evidenced in the working practices of therapists and aligned with or resisted by patients; therapeutic activity type (impairment, activity or functional focus) impacted on the ways in which patient engagement was developed and sustained. This exploration of multi-disciplinary rehabilitation practice adds a new dimension to our understanding of the barriers and facilitators to patient engagement in the learning process and provides scope for further research. Harmonising the rehabilitation process across disciplines through more focused attention to ways in which patient participation is enhanced may help improve the consistency and quality of patient engagement.

Using Kahoot! In the Classroom to Create Engagement and Active Learning: A Game-Based Technology Solution for eLearning Novices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Plump, Carolyn M.; LaRosa, Julia

2017-01-01

Instructional games are gaining acceptance in the classroom as the eLearning merits of student engagement and immediate feedback are recognized. Within higher education, the use of these tools is often limited due to lack of time, insufficient experience, or doubts regarding the scholarly merits of such activities. Kahoot! is a popular eLearning…

The ICAP Framework: Linking Cognitive Engagement to Active Learning Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chi, Michelene T. H.; Wylie, Ruth

2014-01-01

This article describes the ICAP framework that defines cognitive engagement activities on the basis of students' overt behaviors and proposes that engagement behaviors can be categorized and differentiated into one of four modes: "Interactive," "Constructive," "Active," and "Passive." The ICAP hypothesis…

Factors Influencing Teachers' Engagement in Informal Learning Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lohman, Margaret C.

2006-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine factors influencing the engagement of public school teachers in informal learning activities. Design/methodology/approach: This study used a survey research design. Findings: Analysis of the data found that teachers rely to a greater degree on interactive than on independent informal learning…

Creating Student Engagement: The Kickstarter Active Learning Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manzon, Elliott

2017-01-01

Students can become disengaged from marketing material if they cannot see the direct application. Marketing material needs to be applied to a meaningful business task to engage and motivate students. This article introduces the Kickstarter Active Learning Project--an innovative semester-long project in which students create a Kickstarter…

Interactive Engagement in the Large Lecture Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dubson, Michael

Watching a great physics lecture is like watching a great piano performance. It is can be inspiring, and it can give you insights, but it doesn't teach you to play piano. Students don't learn physics by watching expert professors perform at the board; they can only learn by practicing it themselves. Learning physics involves high-level thinking like formulating problem-solving strategies or explaining concepts to other humans. Learning is always messy, involving struggle, trial-and-error, and paradigm shifts. That learning struggle cannot be overcome with a more eloquent lecture; it can only be surmounted with prolonged, determined, active engagement by the student. I will demonstrate some techniques of active engagement, including clicker questions and in-class activities, which are designed to activate the student's higher-level thinking, get them actively involved in their learning, and start them on the path of productive struggle. These techniques are scalable; they work in classrooms with 30 or 300 students. This talk about audience participation will involve audience participation, so please put down your phone and be ready for a challenge.

Presence Relates to Distinct Outcomes in Two Virtual Environments Employing Different Learning Modalities

PubMed Central

Persky, Susan; Kaphingst, Kimberly A.; McCall, Cade; Lachance, Christina; Beall, Andrew C.; Blascovich, Jim

2009-01-01

Presence in virtual learning environments (VLEs) has been associated with a number of outcome factors related to a user’s ability and motivation to learn. The extant but relatively small body of research suggests that a high level of presence is related to better performance on learning outcomes in VLEs. Different configurations of form and content variables such as those associated with active (self-driven, interactive activities) versus didactic (reading or lecture) learning may, however, influence how presence operates and on what content it operates. We compared the influence of presence between two types of immersive VLEs (i.e., active versus didactic techniques) on comprehension and engagement-related outcomes. The findings revealed that the active VLE promoted greater presence. Although we found no relationship between presence and learning comprehension outcomes for either virtual environment, presence was related to information engagement variables in the didactic immersive VLE but not the active environment. Results demonstrate that presence is not uniformly elicited or effective across immersive VLEs. Educational delivery mode and environment complexity may influence the impact of presence on engagement. PMID:19366319

Presence relates to distinct outcomes in two virtual environments employing different learning modalities.

PubMed

Persky, Susan; Kaphingst, Kimberly A; McCall, Cade; Lachance, Christina; Beall, Andrew C; Blascovich, Jim

2009-06-01

Presence in virtual learning environments (VLEs) has been associated with a number of outcome factors related to a user's ability and motivation to learn. The extant but relatively small body of research suggests that a high level of presence is related to better performance on learning outcomes in VLEs. Different configurations of form and content variables such as those associated with active (self-driven, interactive activities) versus didactic (reading or lecture) learning may, however, influence how presence operates and on what content it operates. We compared the influence of presence between two types of immersive VLEs (i.e., active versus didactic techniques) on comprehension and engagement-related outcomes. The findings revealed that the active VLE promoted greater presence. Although we found no relationship between presence and learning comprehension outcomes for either virtual environment, presence was related to information engagement variables in the didactic immersive VLE but not the active environment. Results demonstrate that presence is not uniformly elicited or effective across immersive VLEs. Educational delivery mode and environment complexity may influence the impact of presence on engagement.

Musical Peddy-Paper: A Collaborative Learning Activity Suported by Augmented Reality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gomes, José Duarte Cardoso; Figueiredo, Mauro Jorge Guerreiro; Amante, Lúcia da Graça Cruz Domingues; Gomes, Cristina Maria Cardoso

2014-01-01

Gaming activities are an integral part of the human learning process, in particular for children. Game-based learning focuses on motivation and children's engagement towards learning. Educational game-based activities are becoming effective strategies to enhance the learning process. This paper presents an educational activity focusing to merge…

The Role of Subjective Task Value in Service-Learning Engagement among Chinese College Students

PubMed Central

Li, Yulan; Guo, Fangfang; Yao, Meilin; Wang, Cong; Yan, Wenfan

2016-01-01

Most service-learning studies in higher education focused on its effects on students’ development. The dynamic processes and mechanisms of students’ development during service-learning, however, have not been explored thoroughly. Student engagement in service-learning may affect service-learning outcomes and be affected by subjective task value at the same time. The present study aimed to explore the effect of subjective task value on Chinese college student engagement during service-learning. Fifty-four Chinese college students participated in a 9-weeks service-learning program of interacting with children with special needs. Students’ engagement and subjective task value were assessed via self-report questionnaires and 433 weekly reflective journals. The results indicated that the cognitive, emotional and behavioral engagement of Chinese college students demonstrated different developmental trends during service-learning process. Subjective task value played an essential role in student engagement in service-learning activities. However, the role of subjective task value varied with different stages. Finally, the implications for implementing service-learning in Chinese education were discussed. PMID:27445919

Communication Idol: Using Popular Culture to Catalyse Active Learning by Engaging Students in the Development of Entertaining Teaching and Learning Resources

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dune, Tinashe; Bidewell, John; Firdaus, Rubab; Kirwan, Morwenna

2016-01-01

Bringing popular culture to tertiary education can potentially increase student engagement with learning tasks and content, especially when the learning task has students producing the content. Using a single-group intervention plus post-test design, this study implemented and evaluated a purposely developed learning and teaching innovation…

Effects of digital game-based learning on student engagement and academic achievement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Little, Timothy W.

This experimental study was designed to determine the effect of digital game-based learning on student engagement and academic achievement. The sample was comprised of 34 students enrolled in a secondary Biology class in a rural public school. The study utilized an experimental pretest-posttest design with switching replications. After random assignment, students participated in one of two supplemental learning activities: playing a digital game designed to review science concepts or participating in a lab to review the same concepts. Students subsequently switched activities. Student achievement data were collected on mastery of science concepts, and student engagement data were collected utilizing self- and teacher-reported measures. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) with repeated measures. Results demonstrated that the digital game was as effective as the lab activity at increasing teacher-reported student engagement and academic achievement. These findings may be of interest to school administrators or directors of teacher preparation programs on the potential effectiveness of digital games as a learning tool.

Problem-Based Learning and Civic Engagement in Undergraduate Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keegan, Louise C.; Losardo, Angela; McCullough, Kim C.

2017-01-01

Problem-based learning and civic engagement are complementary constructivist andragogical approaches that emphasize active learning by guiding students to develop their own understanding and knowledge of a topic through experience and reflection. By providing examples of clinical cases and community-based experiences, these approaches can enhance…

A Novel Group Engagement Score for Virtual Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Castellanos, Jorge; Haya, Pablo A.; Urquiza-Fuentes, Jaime

2017-01-01

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education is currently receiving much attention from governments and educational institutions. Our work is based on active learning and video-based learning approaches to support STEM education. Here, we aimed to increase students' engagement through reflective processes that embrace video…

PLATE: Powerful Learning and Teaching Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Housand, Angela

2009-01-01

The environment has a profound effect on the ability of students to regulate their behavior or disposition and effectively engage in the learning processes. Active engagement is important because it increases performance. Certain types of environmental structures actually increase students' ability to be agents of their own learning. These…

Engaging Students in Active Learning: The Case for Personalized Multimedia Messages.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moreno, Roxana; Mayer, Richard E.

2000-01-01

Tests the hypothesis that personalized messages in a multimedia science lesson can promote deep learning by actively engaging students in the elaboration of the materials and reducing processing load. Instructional messages were presented in either a personalized style or a neutral style. Results reveal that personalized messages produced better…

From Seatwork to Feetwork: Engaging Students in Their Own Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nash, Ron

2011-01-01

How do you teach students to communicate, collaborate, and solve problems? In his engaging style, Ron Nash shows teachers how to create a student-centered environment that transforms learners from passive attendees into active participants and leaders in the classroom. Building on the foundation of his prior works on active learning, he combines…

Student-Produced Videos Can Enhance Engagement and Learning in the Online Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stanley, Denise; Zhang, Yi

2018-01-01

Student engagement in online learning remains a challenge for the design of effective coursework. Additionally, few analyses have focused on student-produced activities in the online mode or upon how such class activity affects student subgroups differently. We conducted a randomized design experiment with student video production at a large…

The Particular Aspects of Science Museum Exhibits That Encourage Students' Engagement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shaby, Neta; Assaraf, Orit Ben-Zvi; Tal, Tali

2017-06-01

This research explores learning in science museums through the most common activity in a science museum—interaction with exhibits. The goal of this study was to characterize the learning behaviors exhibited by students as they engage with interactive exhibits in order to draw insight regarding the design of the exhibits. In order to do so, we used a qualitative method of observation as well as the Visitor Engagement Framework (VEF) model, a visitor-based framework for assessing visitors' learning experiences with exhibits in a science center setting. The combined method produced a framework of nine learning behaviors exhibited during the visitors' interaction with the exhibits, grouped into three categories that reflect increasing levels of engagement and depth of the learning experience. Our research participants consisted of a total 1800 students aged 10-12 (4th, 5th, and 6th graders) who came to the museum with their class for a day visit. We observed nine exhibits, each visited by 200 students. Our observations revealed several design elements that contribute to engagement with exhibits in science museums. For example, exhibits that have familiar activation encourage visitors' interaction, exhibits that facilitate social interaction are more likely to increase engagement, and the highest levels of engagement can be found in exhibits that support large groups.

Exploring the Effects of Active Learning on High School Students' Outcomes and Teachers' Perceptions of Biotechnology and Genetics Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mueller, Ashley L.; Knobloch, Neil A.; Orvis, Kathryn S.

2015-01-01

Active learning can engage high school students to learn science, yet there is limited understanding if active learning can help students learn challenging science concepts such as genetics and biotechnology. This quasi-experimental study explored the effects of active learning compared to passive learning regarding high school students'…

Student Use of Self-Data for Out-of-Class Graphing Activities Increases Student Engagement and Learning Outcomes†

PubMed Central

DeBoy, Cynthia A.

2017-01-01

Two out-of-class graphing activities related to hormonal regulation of the reproductive cycle and stress responses are used to determine whether student use of self-data vs. provided data increases engagement, learning outcomes, and attitude changes. Comparisons of quizzes and surveys for students using self- vs. provided data suggest that while both activities increase learning outcomes, use of self-data compared with provided data has a greater impact on increasing learning outcomes, promotes recognition that hormones are relevant, and enhances confidence in graphing skills and graphing efficacy. PMID:29854057

Creating Experiential Learning in the Graduate Classroom through Community Engagement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Katryna

2013-01-01

Educators can provide opportunities for active learning for the students by engaging them in client-based projects with the community, which enhances application of theory and provides students with the relevance demanded from the business community. Experiential learning opportunities through client-based projects provide for such an experience.…

Engaging Students in Learning: An Application with Quantitative Psychology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harlow, Lisa L.; Burkholder, Gary J.; Morrow, Jennifer A.

2006-01-01

In response to calls for more engaging and interactive pedagogy, we simultaneously implemented 4 rousing learning activities: peer-mentored learning, student reports of what was clear (or not) from a previous lecture, consult corners where student groups provided course-informed solutions to problem-based scenarios, and applied projects presented…

Something to Say: Children Learning through Story

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Quintero, Elizabeth P.

2010-01-01

Research Findings: All children from all backgrounds and histories learn through their stories while engaging in play and other daily activities. They experience development in multiple domains and engage in multidimensional learning when given the opportunity and encouragement. Practice or Policy: This article documents a segment of a larger…

Characterizing Interactive Engagement Activities in a Flipped Introductory Physics Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wood, Anna K.; Galloway, Ross K.; Donnelly, Robyn; Hardy, Judy

2016-01-01

Interactive engagement activities are increasingly common in undergraduate physics teaching. As research efforts move beyond simply showing that interactive engagement pedagogies work towards developing an understanding of "how" they lead to improved learning outcomes, a detailed analysis of the way in which these activities are used in…

Students' Satisfaction on Their Learning Process in Active Learning and Traditional Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hyun, Jung; Ediger, Ruth; Lee, Donghun

2017-01-01

Studies have shown Active Learning Classrooms [ALCs] help increase student engagement and improve student performance. However, remodeling all traditional classrooms to ALCs entails substantial financial burdens. Thus, an imperative question for institutions of higher education is whether active learning pedagogies can improve learning outcomes…

How Technology and Collaboration Promote Formative Feedback: A Role for CSCL Research in Active Learning Interventions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wu, Sally P. W.; Rau, Martina A.

2017-01-01

Recent evidence for the effectiveness of active learning interventions has led educators to advocate for widespread adoption of active learning in undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics courses. Active learning interventions implement technology and collaboration to engage students actively with the content. Yet, it is…

Evaluation of a faculty development program aimed at increasing residents' active learning in lectures.

PubMed

Desselle, Bonnie C; English, Robin; Hescock, George; Hauser, Andrea; Roy, Melissa; Yang, Tong; Chauvin, Sheila W

2012-12-01

Active engagement in the learning process is important to enhance learners' knowledge acquisition and retention and the development of their thinking skills. This study evaluated whether a 1-hour faculty development workshop increased the use of active teaching strategies and enhanced residents' active learning and thinking. Faculty teaching in a pediatrics residency participated in a 1-hour workshop (intervention) approximately 1 month before a scheduled lecture. Participants' responses to a preworkshop/postworkshop questionnaire targeted self-efficacy (confidence) for facilitating active learning and thinking and providing feedback about workshop quality. Trained observers assessed each lecture (3-month baseline phase and 3-month intervention phase) using an 8-item scale for use of active learning strategies and a 7-item scale for residents' engagement in active learning. Observers also assessed lecturer-resident interactions and the extent to which residents were asked to justify their answers. Responses to the workshop questionnaire (n  =  32/34; 94%) demonstrated effectiveness and increased confidence. Faculty in the intervention phase demonstrated increased use of interactive teaching strategies for 6 items, with 5 reaching statistical significance (P ≤ .01). Residents' active learning behaviors in lectures were higher in the intervention arm for all 7 items, with 5 reaching statistical significance. Faculty in the intervention group demonstrated increased use of higher-order questioning (P  =  .02) and solicited justifications for answers (P  =  .01). A 1-hour faculty development program increased faculty use of active learning strategies and residents' engagement in active learning during resident core curriculum lectures.

Examining youth and program predictors of engagement in out-of-school time programs.

PubMed

Greene, Kaylin M; Lee, Bora; Constance, Nicole; Hynes, Kathryn

2013-10-01

Prior research suggests that youths' engagement in out-of-school time programs may be a crucial factor linking program participation to positive outcomes during adolescence. Guided by the theoretical concept of flow and by stage-environment fit theory, the present study explored correlates of engagement in youth programs. Engagement was conceptualized as the extent to which youth found the program activities enjoyable, interesting, and challenging. The current study examined how program content, monetary incentives, and youth demographic characteristics were linked to youth engagement among a sample of primarily low-income middle and high school youth attending 30 out-of-school programs (n = 435, 51 % female). Results from multilevel models suggested that program content and staff quality were strongly associated with youth engagement. Youth who reported learning new skills, learning about college, and learning about jobs through activities in the program were more engaged, as were youth who found the staff caring and competent. Results demonstrated that the link between learning content for the future and engagement was stronger for older youth than younger youth. In addition, there was a trend suggesting that providing a monetary incentive was associated negatively with youth engagement. Taken as a whole, these findings have important implications for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers interested in understanding the characteristics of out-of-school time programs that engage older youth.

Active Learning: Qualitative Inquiries into Vocabulary Instruction in Chinese L2 Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shen, Helen H.; Xu, Wenjing

2015-01-01

Active learning emerged as a new approach to learning in the 1980s. The core concept of active learning involves engaging students not only in actively exploring knowledge but also in reflecting on their own learning process in order to become more effective learners. Because the nonalphabetic nature of the Chinese writing system makes learning to…

The Effects of Systematic Changes to a Business Course over a Three Year Period

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cobian, William J.; Newberry, C. Robert

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study is to examine the measurable impacts of shortening lectures and increasing engaged learning activities in an undergraduate marketing course. Class pedagogy is progressively changed over six semesters from a lecture-based format to a hybrid of lecture and engaged learning activities. The researchers ask whether these…

Productive Group Engagement in Cognitive Activity and Metacognitive Regulation during Collaborative Learning: Can It Explain Differences in Students' Conceptual Understanding?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Khosa, Deep K.; Volet, Simone E.

2014-01-01

This paper addresses the nature and significance of productive engagement in cognitive activity and metacognitive regulation in collaborative learning tasks that involve complex scientific knowledge. A situative framework, combining the constructs of social regulation and content processing, provided the theoretical basis for the development of a…

Civic, Social and Political Education: Active Learning, Participation and Engagement?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nugent, Richard

2006-01-01

This study examines the degree of active learning, participation and engagement of civic, social and political education (CSPE) pupils through an analysis of interview and focus group data, supplemented with key findings from a survey undertaken with CSPE pupils. The study focuses on pupils' views of the status of CSPE, their experience of active…

Deliberate Practice in Medicine: The Motivation to Engage in Work-Related Learning and Its Contribution to Expertise

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van de Wiel, Margje W. J.; Van den Bossche, Piet

2013-01-01

This study examined physicians' motivation to engage in work-related learning and its contribution to expertise development beyond work experience. Based on deliberate practice theory, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 residents and 28 experienced physicians in internal medicine, focusing on the activities they engaged in during…

A Low-Technology Strategy for Increasing Engagement of Students with Autism and Significant Learning Needs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carnahan, Christi; Basham, James; Musti-Rao, Shobana

2009-01-01

Active engagement is critical to promote learning for students with autism. Although evidence-based strategies exist for promoting engagement for individual students with autism, there are few strategies designed for use with small groups. This study used an ABCAC design to assess the effects of a low-technology use strategy, namely interactive…

Offering Community Engagement Activities to Increase Chemistry Knowledge and Confidence for Teachers and Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sewry, Joyce D.; Glover, Sarah R.; Harrison, Timothy G.; Shallcross, Dudley E.; Ngcoza, Kenneth M.

2014-01-01

Given the emphasis on community engagement in higher education, academic departments need to become more involved in the community. This paper discusses a number of outreach activities undertaken by the chemistry department at Rhodes University, South Africa. The activities range from service learning to community engagement with teachers and…

Engaging Teachers as Learners: Modeling Professional Development for Adult Literacy Providers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hanna, Mary Barbara; Salzman, James A.; Reynolds, Sharon L.; Fergus, Katherine B.

2010-01-01

As professional developers for the Adult Basic Literacy Education (ABLE) system in Ohio, the authors have focused their efforts over the last several years on more actively engaging adult basic education teachers as learners in the professional development they offer. By creating activities that engage teachers in active learning with their adult…

The Engagement Tree: Arts-Based Pedagogies for Environmental Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Susan

2018-01-01

This case study reports on an arts-based project called "Tree-Mappa," one that sought to engage primary-school children in learning about their local environment through significant trees. Pedagogical approaches featured the use of arts-based strategies as the means for activating cognitive and affective responses and learning. The frame…

Student Motivations as Predictors of High-Level Cognitions in Project-Based Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stolk, Jonathan; Harari, Janie

2014-01-01

It is well established that active learning helps students engage in high-level thinking strategies and develop improved cognitive skills. Motivation and self-regulated learning research, however, illustrates that cognitive engagement is an effortful process that is related to students' valuing of the learning tasks, adoption of internalized goal…

The Development of Gamified Learning Activities to Increase Student Engagement in Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Poondej, Chanut; Lerdpornkulrat, Thanita

2016-01-01

In the literature, the potential efficacy of the gamification of education has been demonstrated. The aim of this study was to explore the influence of applying gamification techniques to increase student engagement in learning. The quasi-experimental nonequivalent-control group design was used with 577 undergraduate students from six classes. The…

Effects of Learning Design Patterns in Service Learning Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gerholz, Karl-Heinz; Liszt, Verena; Klingsieck, Katrin B.

2018-01-01

Students participate during service learning courses in a service project, which fits to a community need and has a link to curricular content. Students have a chance while engaged in the service project to apply curricular content in community practice, where they gain insights into civic engagement activities. Empirical studies revealed the…

Selected Screen for Engaging Students in Projectile Motion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dramae, A.; Toedtanya, K.; Wuttiprom, S.

2017-09-01

Connecting physics concepts to activities that are interesting to students or what they encounter in everyday life will help students build a strong foundation. When there is an interesting activity for the student, it will result in the student responding, engaging, and enthusiasm in learning. Learning activities that are based on what students are interested in and regularly experience will enable students to understand the long and memorable experience. Both of these will enhance the student’s learning experience. One of the activities that can be described in this research used the learning activity through movies, which is the application of the basic motion projectile for students to understand the characteristics of such movement. It also aims to further develop critical thinking skills of learners.

Perceptions of Active Learning between Faculty and Undergraduates: Differing Views among Departments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Patrick, Lorelei E.; Howell, Leigh Anne; Wischusen, William

2016-01-01

There have been numerous calls recently to increase the use of active learning in university science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) classrooms to more actively engage students and enhance student learning. However, few studies have investigated faculty and student perceptions regarding the effectiveness of active learning or the…

An Integrative Review of In-Class Activities That Enable Active Learning in College Science Classroom Settings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arthurs, Leilani A.; Kreager, Bailey Zo

2017-01-01

Engaging students in active learning is linked to positive learning outcomes. This study aims to synthesise the peer-reviewed literature about "active learning" in college science classroom settings. Using the methodology of an integrative literature review, 337 articles archived in the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) are…

Student Perceptions of Teaching Transparency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Alecia D.; Hunt, Andrea N.; Powell, Rachel E.; Dollar, Cindy Brooks

2013-01-01

The authors discuss the relationship between teaching transparency and active learning through the perspectives of their students. Active learning directly engages students in the learning process while transparency involves the instructor's divulgence of logic regarding course organization and activity choices. After utilizing these teaching…

An active-learning strategies primer for achieving ability-based educational outcomes.

PubMed

Gleason, Brenda L; Peeters, Michael J; Resman-Targoff, Beth H; Karr, Samantha; McBane, Sarah; Kelley, Kristi; Thomas, Tyan; Denetclaw, Tina H

2011-11-10

Active learning is an important component of pharmacy education. By engaging students in the learning process, they are better able to apply the knowledge they gain. This paper describes evidence supporting the use of active-learning strategies in pharmacy education and also offers strategies for implementing active learning in pharmacy curricula in the classroom and during pharmacy practice experiences.

The Relationship between Student Motivation and Class Engagement Levels

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nayir, Funda

2017-01-01

Purpose: Student engagement and interest in class are important conditions for active learning. For this they must be highly motivated. In other words, students who have high motivation make an effort to be engaged in class. Thus, knowing students' motivation level is important for active engagement in class. The aim of the present study is to…

Enhancing Student Engagement and Active Learning through Just-in-Time Teaching and the Use of Powerpoint

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wanner, Thomas

2015-01-01

This instructional article is about an innovative teaching approach for enhancing student engagement and active learning in higher education through a combination of just-in-time teaching and the use of PowerPoint technology. The central component of this approach was students' pre-lecture preparation of a short PowerPoint presentation in which…

College Students' Perceived Learning Environment and Their Social Media Engagement in Activities Unrelated to Class Work

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alt, Dorit

2017-01-01

The aim of this study was to assess the connection between students' perceived constructivist learning environment and their involvement in activities unrelated to class work via social media engagement (SME), while considering the moderating role of their openness to diversity and challenge (ODC) in explaining both variables. Another aim was to…

Promoting Student Engagement. Volume 1: Programs, Techniques and Opportunities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Richard L., Ed.; Amsel, Eric, Ed.; Kowalewski, Brenda Marsteller, Ed.; Beins, Bernard C., Ed.; Keith, Kenneth D., Ed.; Peden, Blaine F., Ed.

2011-01-01

To promote student engagement, professors must actively seek to create the conditions that foster engagement. Chickering and Gamson (1987) suggest that good practices in undergraduate education are ones that: encourage student-faculty contact, develop reciprocity and cooperation among students, encourage active learning, provide students with…

A Person-in-Context Approach to Student Engagement in Science: Examining Learning Activities and Choice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schmidt, Jennifer A.; Rosenberg, Joshua M.; Beymer, Patrick N.

2018-01-01

Science education reform efforts in the Unites States call for a dramatic shift in the way students are expected to engage with scientific concepts, core ideas, and practices in the classroom. This new vision of science learning demands a more complex conceptual understanding of student engagement and research models that capture both the…

The Challenge of a Community Park: Engaging Young Children in Powerful Lessons In Democracy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cole, Bronwyn; McGuire, Margit

2011-01-01

For young children to engage and learn in school, they need to feel safe in the classroom and on the playground right from the first day. They also need learning experiences that are active and meaningful--that engage them cognitively, affectively, and operatively. Feeling safe requires knowledge about places, rules, codes of behavior, and the…

Flipping the Classroom: A Pedagogical Approach to Applying Clinical Judgment by Engaging, Interacting, and Collaborating with Nursing Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peisachovich, Eva Hava; Murtha, Susan; Phillips, Andria; Messinger, Gal

2016-01-01

The flipped-classroom format offers students opportunities for engagement and ownership of learning by enabling them to make sense of their views and perspectives and connect their personal and professional experiences. Student engagement and the infusion of active learning are core concepts of the educational process; given the present generation…

Pre-Service Teachers' Modelling Processes through Engagement with Model Eliciting Activities with a Technological Tool

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daher, Wajeeh M.; Shahbari, Juhaina Awawdeh

2015-01-01

Engaging mathematics students with modelling activities helps them learn mathematics meaningfully. This engagement, in the case of model eliciting activities, helps the students elicit mathematical models by interpreting real-world situation in mathematical ways. This is especially true when the students utilize technology to build the models.…

Faculty Ownership of the Assurance of Learning Process: Determinants of Faculty Engagement and Continuing Challenges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garrison, Michael J.; Rexeisen, Richard J.

2014-01-01

Although this article provides further evidence of serious impediments to faculty ownership of assurance of learning, including inadequate and misaligned resources, the results indicate that faculty can be energized to become actively engaged in the assurance of learning (AOL) process, particularly when they believe that AOL results are useful and…

Square Pegs, Round Holes: An Exploration of Teaching Methods and Learning Styles of Millennial College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bailey, Regina M.

2012-01-01

In an information-saturated world, today's college students desire to be engaged both in and out of their college classrooms. This mixed-methods study sought to explore how replacing traditional teaching methods with engaged learning activities affects millennial college student attitudes and perceptions about learning. The sub-questions…

Beyond Engagement Analytics: Which Online Mixed-Data Factors Predict Student Learning Outcomes?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Strang, Kenneth David

2017-01-01

This mixed-method study focuses on online learning analytics, a research area of importance. Several important student attributes and their online activities are examined to identify what seems to work best to predict higher grades. The purpose is to explore the relationships between student grade and key learning engagement factors using a large…

Turn Off the Radio and Sing for Your Lives! Women, Singing, and Experiential Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Joyce, Moon

Experiential educators are encouraged to include singing in their curriculum. Singing offers a dynamic form of creative engagement and can assist learners in taking risks in their learning and in active experimentation. As a holistic learning tool, singing engages the six capabilities that humans have for learning: physical, emotional, cognitive,…

The New NGSS Classroom: A Curriculum Framework for Project-Based Science Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holthuis, Nicole; Deutscher, Rebecca; Schultz, Susan E.; Jamshidi, Arash

2018-01-01

As schools work to implement the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), a team at Stanford University found that project-based learning is an effective framework for engaging students. The team used project-based learning, group activities, and performance-based assessments to design an effective, engaging curriculum. Over a three-year period,…

Lessons in Higher Education: Five Pedagogical Practices that Promote Active Learning for Faculty and Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cook-Sather, Alison

2011-01-01

Active learning by faculty members complements and promotes active learning for students. Through The Andrew W. Mellon Teaching and Learning Institute at Bryn Mawr College, faculty members actively engage with one another and with undergraduate students positioned as pedagogical consultants to explore and to practice a wide range of pedagogies. In…

Active Learning: The Importance of Developing a Comprehensive Measure

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carr, Rodney; Palmer, Stuart; Hagel, Pauline

2015-01-01

This article reports on an investigation into the validity of a widely used scale for measuring the extent to which higher education students employ active learning strategies. The scale is the active learning scale in the Australasian Survey of Student Engagement. This scale is based on the Active and Collaborative Learning scale of the National…

Students take the lead for learning in practice: A process for building self-efficacy into undergraduate nursing education.

PubMed

Henderson, Amanda; Harrison, Penny; Rowe, Jennifer; Edwards, Sam; Barnes, Margaret; Henderson, Simon; Henderson, Amanda

2018-04-10

To prepare graduate nurses for practice, the curriculum and pedagogy need to facilitate student engagement, active learning and the development of self-efficacy. This pilot project describes and explores an initiative, the Check-in and Check-out process, that aims to engage students as active partners in their learning and teaching in their clinical preparation for practice. Three interdependent elements make up the process: a check-in (briefing) part; a clinical practice part, which supports students as they engage in their learning and practise clinical skills; and a check-out (debriefing) part. A student evaluation of this initiative confirmed the value of the process, which has subsequently been embedded in the preparation for practice and work-integrated learning courses in the undergraduate nursing programs at the participating university. The introduction of a singular learning process provides consistency in the learning approach used across clinical learning spaces, irrespective of their location or focus. A consistent learning process-including a common language that easily transfers across all clinical courses and clinical settings-arguably enhances the students' learning experience, helps them to actively manage their preparation for clinical practice and to develop self-efficacy. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Actively Engaging Students in Asynchronous Online Classes. IDEA Paper #64

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Riggs, Shannon A.; Linder, Kathryn E.

2016-01-01

Active learning activities and pedagogical strategies can look different in online learning environments, particularly in asynchronous courses when students are not interacting with the instructor, or with each other, in real time. This paper suggests a three-pronged approach for conceptualizing active learning in the online asynchronous class:…

Ubiquitous learning model using interactive internet messenger group (IIMG) to improve engagement and behavior for smart campus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Umam, K.; Mardi, S. N. S.; Hariadi, M.

2017-01-01

The recent popularity of internet messenger based smartphone technologies has motivated some university lecturers to use them for educational activities. These technologies have enormous potential to enhance the teaching and ubiquitous learning experience for smart campus development. However, the design ubiquitous learning model using interactive internet messenger group (IIMG) and empirical evidence that would favor a broad application of mobile and ubiquitous learning in smart campus settings to improve engagement and behavior is still limited. In addition, the expectation that mobile learning could improve engagement and behavior on smart campus cannot be confirmed because the majority of the reviewed studies followed instructions paradigms. This article aims to present ubiquitous learning model design and showing learners’ experiences in improved engagement and behavior using IIMG for learner-learner and learner-lecturer interactions. The method applied in this paper includes design process and quantitative analysis techniques, with the purpose of identifying scenarios of ubiquitous learning and realize the impressions of learners and lecturers about engagement and behavior aspect, and its contribution to learning.

An Active-Learning Strategies Primer for Achieving Ability-Based Educational Outcomes

PubMed Central

Gleason, Brenda L.; Peeters, Michael J.; Resman-Targoff, Beth H.; Karr, Samantha; McBane, Sarah; Kelley, Kristi; Thomas, Tyan

2011-01-01

Active learning is an important component of pharmacy education. By engaging students in the learning process, they are better able to apply the knowledge they gain. This paper describes evidence supporting the use of active-learning strategies in pharmacy education and also offers strategies for implementing active learning in pharmacy curricula in the classroom and during pharmacy practice experiences. PMID:22171114

Synthesizing Technology Adoption and Learners' Approaches towards Active Learning in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chan, Kevin; Cheung, George; Wan, Kelvin; Brown, Ian; Luk, Green

2015-01-01

In understanding how active and blended learning approaches with learning technologies engagement in undergraduate education, current research models tend to undermine the effect of learners' variations, particularly regarding their styles and approaches to learning, on intention and use of learning technologies. This study contributes to further…

Developing Interactive E-Learning Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watkins, Ryan

2005-01-01

Although e-learning can offer interactive and engaging learning experiences, the creative ideas that are necessary to create such environments are not always easy to come up with when designing, developing, or teaching e-learning courses. E-learning activities use online technologies such as chat rooms, discussion boards, or email to facilitate…

Promoting Student-Centered Active Learning in Lectures with a Personal Response System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gauci, Sally A.; Dantas, Arianne M.; Williams, David A.; Kemm, Robert E.

2009-01-01

We investigated whether an active learning approach, facilitated by a personal response system, would lead to improved student engagement and learning outcomes in large-group physiology lectures for undergraduate science students. We focused on encouraging students' active learning in lectures, whereas previous studies have made more use of…

Measuring Engagement and Learning Outcomes During a Teacher Professional Development Workshop about Creative Climate Communication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morrison, A.; Gold, A. U.; Soltis, N.; McNeal, K.; Kay, J. E.

2017-12-01

Climate science and global climate change are complex topics that require system-level thinking and the application of general science concepts. Identifying effective instructional approaches for improving climate literacy is an emerging research area with important broader impacts. Active learning techniques can ensure engagement throughout the learning process and increase retention of climate science content. Conceptual changes that can be measured as lasting learning gains occur when both the cognitive and affective domain are engaged. Galvanic skin sensors are a relatively new technique to directly measure engagement and cognitive load in science education. We studied the engagement and learning gains of 16 teachers throughout a one-day teacher professional development workshop focused on creative strategies to communicate about climate change. The workshop consisted of presentations about climate science, climate communication, storytelling and filmmaking, which were delivered using different pedagogical approaches. Presentations alternated with group exercises, clicker questions, videos and discussions. Using a pre-post test design we measured learning gains and attitude changes towards climate change among participating teachers. Each teacher wore a hand sensor to measure galvanic skin conductance as a proxy for emotional engagement. We surveyed teachers to obtain self-reflection data on engagement and on their skin conductance data during and after the workshop. Qualitative data provide critical information to aid the interpretation of skin conductance readings. Based on skin conductance data, teachers were most engaged during group work, discussions and videos as compared to lecture-style presentations. We discuss the benefits and limitations of using galvanic skin sensors to inform the design of teacher professional development opportunities. Results indicate that watching videos or doing interactive activities may be the most effective strategies for increasing teachers' knowledge of climate science.

Using a Learning Styles Inventory to Examine Student Satisfaction with Web-Based Instruction: A 15-Year Study of One Professor's Web-Based Course Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olliges, Ralph

2017-01-01

This article examines Active Engagement, Active Communication, and Peer Engagement learning practices among various student groups. It examines which tools are most important for increasing student satisfaction with web-based and web-enhanced instruction. Second, it looks at how different tools lead to greater satisfaction among different types of…

Teaching nursing concepts through an online discussion board.

PubMed

Hudson, Kandi Ann

2014-09-01

Barriers to course content engagement and student learning in nursing education abound. Some of these barriers include content overload, classroom time constraints, and large student numbers. One way to overcome these issues is the implementation of active learning strategies in the classroom. Despite the positive learning outcomes associated with active learning strategies described in the education literature, traditional passive learning strategies continue to be used by nurse educators in the classroom. This article details the results of a pilot study using an active teaching strategy—an online discussion board—which was designed to improve the learning engagement of beginning nursing students enrolled in their first face-to-face nursing course. The results of the semester-long pilot study indicated a favorable student response to the active teaching strategy and improved overall success in the course by the students who participated fully in the online discussions.

Problematizing a general physics class: Understanding student engagement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spaid, Mark Randall

This research paper describes the problems in democratizing a high school physics course and the disparate engagement students during class activities that promote scientific inquiry. Results from the Learning Orientation Questionnaire (Martinez, 2000) guide the participant observations and semi-formal interviews. Approximately 60% of the participants self-report a "resistant" or "conforming" approach to learning science; they expect to receive science knowledge from the teacher, and their engagement is influenced by affective and conative factors. These surface learners exhibit second order thinking (Kegan, 1994), do not understand abstract science concepts, and learn best from structured inquiry. To sustain engagement, conforming learners require motivational and instructional discourse from their teacher and peers. Resisting learners do not value learning and do not engage in most science class activities. The "performing" learners are able to deal with abstractions and can see relationships between lessons and activities, but they do not usually self-reflect or think critically (they are between Kegan's second order and third order thinking). They may select a deeper learning strategy if they value the knowledge for a future goal; however, they are oriented toward assessment and rely on the science teacher as an authority. They are influenced by affective and conative factors during structured and guided inquiry-based teaching, and benefit from motivational discourse and sustain engagement if they are interested in the topic. The transforming learners are more independent, self-assessing and self-directed. These students are third order thinkers (Kegan, 1994) who hold a sophisticated epistemology that includes critical thinking and reflection. These students select deep learning strategies without regard to affective and conative factors. They value instructional discourse from the teacher, but prefer less structured inquiry activities. Although specific teacher interventions during inquiry lessons which promote scientific inquiry are sometimes successful in moving students from a conforming learning approach to performing, those students usually regress to a previous orientation due to affective and conative factors, especially if they believe the instructional discourse is inadequate. When working in cooperative groups, the disparate epistemologies of students from each learning orientation category becomes problematic.

Employer Engagement in Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mann, Anthony; Dawkins, James

2014-01-01

The subject of this paper is employer engagement in education as it supports the learning and progression of young people through activities including work experience, job shadowing, workplace visits, career talks, mock interviews, CV workshops, business mentoring, enterprise competitions and the provision of learning resources. Interest has grown…

Understanding the Direct Involvement of Parents in Policy Development and School Activities in a Primary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tobin, Bernie

2017-01-01

It is acknowledged that parental engagement with children's learning and education is of vital importance. But, there is a tendency to confuse engagement with learning with engagement with the school. While all types of parents' involvement can have a positive effect, it is actually what parents do with their child at home that has the greatest…

Learning Lives of North Korean Young Defectors: A Preliminary Study of Reconstructing Identity in Career Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Park, Hyewon; Kim, Junghwan; Schied, Fred M.

2015-01-01

This study of eleven young North Korean Defectors (NKDs) examines how they engage in daily learning focusing on the process of identity reconstruction through their attempt to engage in career development activities. For the purposes of this paper one case was selected to illustrate how a reconstructed identity is learned. The main research…

Exploring medical student learning in the large group teaching environment: examining current practice to inform curricular development.

PubMed

Luscombe, Ciara; Montgomery, Julia

2016-07-19

Lectures continue to be an efficient and standardised way to deliver information to large groups of students. It has been well documented that students prefer interactive lectures, based on active learning principles, to didactic teaching in the large group setting. Despite this, it is often the case than many students do not engage with active learning tasks and attempts at interaction. By exploring student experiences, expectations and how they use lectures in their learning we will provide recommendations for faculty to support student learning both in the lecture theatre and during personal study time. This research employed a hermeneutic phenomenological approach. Three focus groups, consisting of 19 students in total, were used to explore the experiences of second year medical students in large group teaching sessions. Using generic thematic data analysis, these accounts have been developed into a meaningful account of experience. This study found there to be a well-established learning culture amongst students and with it, expectations as to the format of teaching sessions. Furthermore, there were set perceptions about the student role within the learning environment which had many implications, including the way that innovative teaching methods were received. Student learning was perceived to take place outside the lecture theatre, with a large emphasis placed on creating resources that can be taken away to use in personal study time. Presented here is a constructive review of reasons for student participation, interaction and engagement in large group teaching sessions. Based on this are recommendations constructed with the view to aid educators in engaging students within this setting. Short term, educators can implement strategies that monopolise on the established learning culture of students to encourage engagement with active learning strategies. Long term, it would be beneficial for educators to consider ways to shift the current student learning culture to one that embraces an active learning curriculum.

Unpacking "Active Learning": A Combination of Flipped Classroom and Collaboration Support Is More Effective but Collaboration Support Alone Is Not

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rau, Martina A.; Kennedy, Kristopher; Oxtoby, Lucas; Bollom, Mark; Moore, John W.

2017-01-01

Much evidence shows that instruction that actively engages students with learning materials is more effective than traditional, lecture-centric instruction. These "active learning" models comprise an extremely heterogeneous set of instructional methods: they often include collaborative activities, flipped classrooms, or a combination of…

Active Learning Strategies and Assessment in World Geography Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klein, Phil

2003-01-01

Active learning strategies include a variety of methods, such as inquiry and discovery, in which students are actively engaged in the learning process. This article describes several strategies that can be used in secondary-or college-level world geography courses. The goal of these activities is to foster development of a spatial perspective in…

Eight-Legged Encounters—Arachnids, Volunteers, and Art help to Bridge the Gap between Informal and Formal Science Learning

PubMed Central

Hebets, Eileen A.; Welch-Lazoritz, Melissa; Tisdale, Pawl; Wonch Hill, Trish

2018-01-01

Increased integration and synergy between formal and informal learning environments is proposed to provide multiple benefits to science learners. In an effort to better bridge these two learning contexts, we developed an educational model that employs the charismatic nature of arachnids to engage the public of all ages in science learning; learning that aligns with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS Disciplinary Core Ideas associated with Biodiversity and Evolution). We created, implemented, and evaluated a family-focused, interactive science event—Eight-Legged Encounters (ELE)—which encompasses more than twenty modular activities. Volunteers facilitated participant involvement at each activity station and original artwork scattered throughout the event was intended to attract visitors. Initial ELE goals were to increase interest in arachnids and science more generally, among ELE participants. In this study, we tested the efficacy of ELE in terms of (i) activity-specific visitation rates and self-reported interest levels, (ii) the self-reported efficacy of our use of volunteers and original artwork on visitor engagement, and (iii) self-reported increases in interest in both spiders and science more generally. We collected survey data across five ELE events at four museum and zoo sites throughout the Midwest. We found that all activities were successful at attracting visitors and capturing their interest. Both volunteers and artwork were reported to be effective at engaging visitors, though likely in different ways. Additionally, most participants reported increased interest in learning about arachnids and science. In summary, ELE appears effective at engaging the public and piquing their interest. Future work is now required to assess learning outcomes directly, as well as the ability for participants to transfer knowledge gain across learning environments. PMID:29495395

Eight-Legged Encounters-Arachnids, Volunteers, and Art help to Bridge the Gap between Informal and Formal Science Learning.

PubMed

Hebets, Eileen A; Welch-Lazoritz, Melissa; Tisdale, Pawl; Wonch Hill, Trish

2018-02-26

Increased integration and synergy between formal and informal learning environments is proposed to provide multiple benefits to science learners. In an effort to better bridge these two learning contexts, we developed an educational model that employs the charismatic nature of arachnids to engage the public of all ages in science learning; learning that aligns with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS Disciplinary Core Ideas associated with Biodiversity and Evolution). We created, implemented, and evaluated a family-focused, interactive science event- Eight-Legged Encounters (ELE )-which encompasses more than twenty modular activities. Volunteers facilitated participant involvement at each activity station and original artwork scattered throughout the event was intended to attract visitors. Initial ELE goals were to increase interest in arachnids and science more generally, among ELE participants. In this study, we tested the efficacy of ELE in terms of (i) activity-specific visitation rates and self-reported interest levels, (ii) the self-reported efficacy of our use of volunteers and original artwork on visitor engagement, and (iii) self-reported increases in interest in both spiders and science more generally. We collected survey data across five ELE events at four museum and zoo sites throughout the Midwest. We found that all activities were successful at attracting visitors and capturing their interest. Both volunteers and artwork were reported to be effective at engaging visitors, though likely in different ways. Additionally, most participants reported increased interest in learning about arachnids and science. In summary, ELE appears effective at engaging the public and piquing their interest. Future work is now required to assess learning outcomes directly, as well as the ability for participants to transfer knowledge gain across learning environments.

Staff and Student Experiences of Dialogue Days, a Student Engagement Activity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Asghar, Mandy

2016-01-01

This paper reports the findings from a descriptive phenomenological exploration of the lived experience of dialogue days, a student engagement activity, from the perspectives of staff and students. I suggest that dialogue days enhance the relational and emotional aspects of learning with the potential to impact on future student engagement and…

A Motivational Perspective on Engagement and Disaffection: Conceptualization and Assessment of Children's Behavioral and Emotional Participation in Academic Activities in the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Skinner, Ellen A.; Kindermann, Thomas A.; Furrer, Carrie J.

2009-01-01

This article presents a motivational conceptualization of engagement and disaffection: First, it emphasizes children's constructive, focused, enthusiastic participation in the activities of classroom learning; second, it distinguishes engagement from disaffection, as well as behavioral features from emotional features. Psychometric properties of…

University Students' Emotions, Interest and Activities in a Web-Based Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nummenmaa, Minna; Nummenmaa, Lauri

2008-01-01

Background: Within academic settings, students experience varied emotions and interest towards learning. Although both emotions and interest can increase students' likelihood to engage in traditional learning, little is known about the influence of emotions and interest in learning activities in a web-based learning environment (WBLE). Aims: This…

Active Learning in the Middle Grades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edwards, Susan

2015-01-01

What is active learning and what does it look like in the classroom? If students are participating in active learning, they are playing a more engaged role in the learning process and are not overly reliant on the teacher (Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 2003; Petress, 2008). The purpose of this article is to propose a framework to describe and…

Incorporating Active Learning Techniques into a Genetics Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, W. Theodore; Jabot, Michael E.

2011-01-01

We revised a sophomore-level genetics class to more actively engage the students in their learning. The students worked in groups on quizzes using the Immediate Feedback Assessment Technique (IF-AT) and active-learning projects. The IF-AT quizzes allowed students to discuss key concepts in small groups and learn the correct answers in class. The…

Addressing Core Competencies Through Hospital Quality Improvement Activities: Attitudes and Engagement

PubMed Central

Lipstein, Ellen A; Kronman, Matthew P; Richmond, Camilla; White, Kristin Nyweide; Shugerman, Richard P; McPhillips, Heather A

2011-01-01

Background Hospital quality improvement initiatives are becoming increasingly common. Little is known about the influence of these initiatives on resident learning and attitudes. Our objective was to assess whether training in a hospital committed to involving residents in hospital-initiated, continuous quality improvement (CQI), and to participation in such activities, would influence residents' attitudes toward CQI and engagement in the hospital community. Methods We surveyed Seattle Children's Hospital pediatric residents, from residency graduation years 2002–2009. We included questions about participation in quality improvement activities during residency and measures of attitude toward CQI and of workplace engagement. We used descriptive statistics to assess trends in resident participation in hospital CQI activities, attitudes toward CQI and workplace engagement. Results The overall response rate was 84% (162 of 194). Among graduated residents, there was a significant trend toward increased participation in CQI activities (P  =  .03). We found no difference in attitude toward CQI between those who had and those who had not participated in such activities nor between residents who began training before and those who began after the hospital formally committed to CQI. Sixty-three percent of residents (25 of 40) who participated in CQI activities were engaged in the hospital community compared with 53% (57 of 107) who did not participate in CQI activities (P  =  .21). Conclusions Training in a hospital committed to involving residents in CQI was associated with a high rate of participation in CQI activities. Although such training and participation in CQI were not associated with resident attitudes toward CQI or hospital engagement, it may allow residents to learn skills for practice-based learning and improvement and systems-based practice. PMID:22942955

Student Engagement as a General Factor of Classroom Experience: Associations with Student Practices and Educational Outcomes in a University Gateway Course

PubMed Central

Shernof, David J.; Ruzek, Erik A.; Sannella, Alexander J.; Schorr, Roberta Y.; Sanchez-Wall, Lina; Bressler, Denise M.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate a model for considering general and specific elements of student experience in a gateway course in undergraduate Financial Accounting in a large university on the East Coast, USA. Specifically, the study evaluated a bifactor analytic strategy including a general factor of student classroom experience, conceptualized as student engagement as rooted in flow theory, as well as factors representing specific dimensions of experience. The study further evaluated the association between these general and specific factors and both student classroom practices and educational outcomes. The sample of students (N = 407) in two cohorts of the undergraduate financial accounting course participated in the Experience Sampling Method (ESM) measuring students' classroom practices, perceptions, engagement, and perceived learning throughout the one-semester course. Course grade information was also collected. Results showed that a two-level bifactor model fit the data better than two traditional (i.e., non-bifactor) models and also avoided significant multicollinearity of the traditional models. In addition to student engagement (general factor), specific dimensions of classroom experience in the bifactor model at the within-student level included intrinsic motivation, academic intensity, salience, and classroom self-esteem. At the between-student level, specific aspects included work orientation, learning orientation, classroom self-esteem, and disengagement. Multilevel Structural Equation Modeling (MSEM) demonstrated that sitting in the front of the classroom (compared to the sitting in the back), taking notes, active listening, and working on problems during class had a positive effect on within-student variation in student engagement and attention. Engagement, in turn, predicted perceived learning. With respect to between-student effects, the tendency to sit in front seats had a significant effect on student engagement, which in turn had a significant effect on perceived learning and course grades. A significant indirect relationship of seating and active learning strategies on learning and course grade as mediated by student engagement was found. Support for the general aspect of student classroom experience was interpreted with flow theory and suggested the need for additional research. Findings also suggested that active learning strategies are associated with positive learning outcomes even in educational environments where possibilities for action are relatively constrained. PMID:28663733

Student Engagement as a General Factor of Classroom Experience: Associations with Student Practices and Educational Outcomes in a University Gateway Course.

PubMed

Shernof, David J; Ruzek, Erik A; Sannella, Alexander J; Schorr, Roberta Y; Sanchez-Wall, Lina; Bressler, Denise M

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate a model for considering general and specific elements of student experience in a gateway course in undergraduate Financial Accounting in a large university on the East Coast, USA. Specifically, the study evaluated a bifactor analytic strategy including a general factor of student classroom experience, conceptualized as student engagement as rooted in flow theory, as well as factors representing specific dimensions of experience. The study further evaluated the association between these general and specific factors and both student classroom practices and educational outcomes. The sample of students ( N = 407) in two cohorts of the undergraduate financial accounting course participated in the Experience Sampling Method (ESM) measuring students' classroom practices, perceptions, engagement, and perceived learning throughout the one-semester course. Course grade information was also collected. Results showed that a two-level bifactor model fit the data better than two traditional (i.e., non-bifactor) models and also avoided significant multicollinearity of the traditional models. In addition to student engagement (general factor), specific dimensions of classroom experience in the bifactor model at the within-student level included intrinsic motivation, academic intensity, salience, and classroom self-esteem. At the between-student level, specific aspects included work orientation, learning orientation, classroom self-esteem, and disengagement. Multilevel Structural Equation Modeling (MSEM) demonstrated that sitting in the front of the classroom (compared to the sitting in the back), taking notes, active listening, and working on problems during class had a positive effect on within-student variation in student engagement and attention. Engagement, in turn, predicted perceived learning. With respect to between-student effects, the tendency to sit in front seats had a significant effect on student engagement, which in turn had a significant effect on perceived learning and course grades. A significant indirect relationship of seating and active learning strategies on learning and course grade as mediated by student engagement was found. Support for the general aspect of student classroom experience was interpreted with flow theory and suggested the need for additional research. Findings also suggested that active learning strategies are associated with positive learning outcomes even in educational environments where possibilities for action are relatively constrained.

Reducing the distance: providing challenging and engaging online postgraduate education in pain management.

PubMed

Devonshire, Elizabeth; Henderson, Sarah E

2012-05-01

1. Health professionals need access to flexible, high-quality, advanced education in pain management. 2. There are multiple pedagogical distances to be negotiated in the delivery of effective postgraduate education. 3. A critical consideration in the design and delivery of effective online learning for postgraduate education in pain management is how to: actively engage students in the learning process; and encourage students to become lifelong learners. 4. Conceptual frameworks for encouraging student interaction online provide a useful tool in the design of postgraduate online learning activities.

Student Perceptions of Active Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lumpkin, Angela; Achen, Rebecca M.; Dodd, Regan K.

2015-01-01

A paradigm shift from lecture-based courses to interactive classes punctuated with engaging, student-centered learning activities has begun to characterize the work of some teachers in higher education. Convinced through the literature of the values of using active learning strategies, we assessed through an action research project in five college…

An Ecosystem Approach to Invasive Species Management: An Aquatic Ecosystem Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Villamagna, A. M.; Karpanty, S. M.

2009-01-01

College students in natural resources continue to encounter instructor-centered teaching, despite strong evidence that suggests active-learning experiences benefit students more than passive learning activities. Case studies provide an active-learning alternative to lectures by teaching students new content and challenging them to engage in…

Supporting the "Collaborative" Part of Wiki-Mediated Collaborative Learning Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Larusson, Johann Ari

2010-01-01

Prior research has highlighted the educational benefit of enabling students to participate in collaborative learning activities. Developing technology that extends the physical boundaries of the classroom and enables students to engage in meaningful collaborative learning activities outside class time can be of significant value. For any…

Kinaesthetic Learning Activities and Learning about Solar Cells

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richards, A. J.; Etkina, Eugenia

2013-01-01

Kinaesthetic learning activities (KLAs) can be a valuable pedagogical tool for physics instructors. They have been shown to increase engagement, encourage participation and improve learning outcomes. This paper details several KLAs developed at Rutgers University for inclusion in an instructional unit about semiconductors, p-n junctions and solar…

Experiences That Matter: Enhancing Student Learning and Success. Annual Report 2007

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Survey of Student Engagement, 2007

2007-01-01

The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) documents dimensions of quality in undergraduate education and provides information and assistance to colleges, universities, and other organizations to improve student learning. Its primary activity is annually surveying college students to assess the extent to which they engage in educational…

Decimals, Denominators, Demons, Calculators, and Connections

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sparrow, Len; Swan, Paul

2005-01-01

The authors provide activities for overcoming some fraction misconceptions using calculators specially designed for learners in primary years. The writers advocate use of the calculator as a way to engage children in thinking about mathematics. By engaging with a calculator as part of mathematics learning, children are learning about and using the…

Student Agency for Powerful Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wiliams, Philip

2017-01-01

School libraries play a powerful role in enabling, informing, and sustaining student agency, and nothing engages and motivates students more deeply than enabling them to become the active agents in the process of learning. Students with agency are powerful learners who are prepared to engage with the world with sustained, courageous curiosity.…

Three Philosophical Pillars That Support Collaborative Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maltese, Ralph

1991-01-01

Discusses three philosophical pillars that support collaborative learning: "spaces of appearance," active engagement, and ownership. Describes classroom experiences with collaborative learning supported by these pillars. (PRA)

Assessing student clinical learning experiences.

PubMed

Nehyba, Katrine; Miller, Susan; Connaughton, Joanne; Singer, Barbara

2017-08-01

This article describes the use of an activity worksheet and questionnaire to investigate the learning experience of students on clinical placement. The worksheet measures the amount of time students spend in different learning activities, and the questionnaire explores student satisfaction and preferred learning activities. An activity worksheet and questionnaire … investigate[d] the learning experiences of students on clinical placement METHODS: The activity worksheet and questionnaire were used in a cohort pilot study of physiotherapy students on clinical placement. The activity worksheet provides details of the amount of time students engage in a range of clinical and non-clinical tasks while on placement, such as time spent treating patients, working individually, working with their peers and engaging in reflective practice. In combination with the questionnaire results, it allows clinicians to gain an understanding of the clinical learning environment experienced by their students. The data collected using these tools provide a description of the students' activities while undertaking the clinical placement. This information may guide the refinement of the clinical experience, and offers an opportunity to individualise learning activities to match students' needs and preferences. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and The Association for the Study of Medical Education.

Active-learning Strategies for Legal Topics and Substance Abuse in a Pharmacy Curriculum.

PubMed

Steinhardt, Sarah J; Clark, John E; Kelly, William N; Hill, Angela M

2017-02-25

Objective. To implement active-learning strategies to engage students in learning, applying, and teaching legal and substance abuse topics. Design. Medication Safety course student groups created films on a National Patient Safety Goal (NPSG) using a movie genre and presented them in film festival format. Pharmacogenomics course student groups taught ethical, legal, and social implications (ELSI) topics through presentation of short stories about comic book characters with genetic mutations. Students in the Drugs of Abuse course composed and performed dances depicting the mechanism of action of a drug in an in-class rave dance format. Assessment. Course evaluations revealed student engagement with subject material and enjoyment of the creative applications, critical thinking, and collaborative aspects of the activities. Students performed well on examination questions and graded assignments. Conclusion. These active-learning strategies facilitated students' abilities to learn, apply, and teach material in medication safety, pharmacogenomics, and substance abuse courses.

Active-learning Strategies for Legal Topics and Substance Abuse in a Pharmacy Curriculum

PubMed Central

Clark, John E.; Kelly, William N.; Hill, Angela M.

2017-01-01

Objective. To implement active-learning strategies to engage students in learning, applying, and teaching legal and substance abuse topics. Design. Medication Safety course student groups created films on a National Patient Safety Goal (NPSG) using a movie genre and presented them in film festival format. Pharmacogenomics course student groups taught ethical, legal, and social implications (ELSI) topics through presentation of short stories about comic book characters with genetic mutations. Students in the Drugs of Abuse course composed and performed dances depicting the mechanism of action of a drug in an in-class rave dance format. Assessment. Course evaluations revealed student engagement with subject material and enjoyment of the creative applications, critical thinking, and collaborative aspects of the activities. Students performed well on examination questions and graded assignments. Conclusion. These active-learning strategies facilitated students’ abilities to learn, apply, and teach material in medication safety, pharmacogenomics, and substance abuse courses. PMID:28289294

Beyond Simple Participation: Providing a Reliable Informal Assessment Tool of Student Engagement for Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wagetti, Rebecca J.; Johnston, Patricia; Jones, Leslie B.

2017-01-01

Educators have realized the importance of engaging students in learning. Teachers often see participatory behaviors like "hand raising" as evidence of students being engaged in an activity. These indications of engagement do not capture motivational factors behind true engagement. A research team developed a five item scale to easily…

Differences in students' mathematics engagement between gender and between rural and urban schools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ayub, Ahmad Fauzi Mohd; Yunus, Aida Suraya Md.; Mahmud, Rosnaini; Salim, Nur Raidah; Sulaiman, Tajularipin

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore secondary school students' mathematics engagement focusing on the cognitive, affective and behavioural engagement domains. A total of 387 students (186 male and 201 female) from the urban and rural secondary schools in Pahang, Malaysia, were randomly selected. There were 158 students from the urban schools and 229 students from the rural schools. Descriptive analyses for mathematics engagement domains revealed behavioural engagement had the highest mean (M = 3.74, SD = .63), followed by cognitive engagement (M = 3.56, SD = .43) and affective engagement (M = 3.48, SD = .47). The mean for students' overall mathematics engagement was 3.56 (SD = .46). Further analyses showed there were significant differences in each of the engagement domains in mathematics learning (affective, cognitive and behavioural), where students in the urban schools showed significantly better in the mean scores for affective, cognitive, behavioural domains and the overall mathematics engagement as compared to the students in the rural schools. Similar findings also showed there were significant differences in the overall mathematics engagement mean between the genders. The findings indicated girls were significantly better than boys in all (affective, cognitive and behavioural) of the engagement domains in mathematics learning. It was also shown girls had higher overall mathematics engagement mean as compared to boys. However, the study also indicated the overall students' mathematics engagement was at a moderate level. Besides, the rural school students did not show high mathematics engagement as compared to the urban school students. Further analyses showed girls significantly had better mathematics engagement as compared to boys. Hence, it is recommended that in order to optimize students' mathematics engagement, they should be actively engaged in more participative learning activities in mathematics classrooms. Focus should be given to rural schools and also among the boys.

Leading a Community of Learners: Learning to Be Moral by Engaging the Morality of Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Starratt, Robert J.

2007-01-01

This article attempts to provide a foundational understanding of school learning as moral activity as well as intellectual activity. It first develops a distinction between general ethics and professional ethics, and provides an initial explanation of the moral good involved in learning. The moral good of learning is then connected to the…

Informal Learning Activities for Learners of English and for Learners of Dutch

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Marsenille, Anne

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study is to investigate and compare the informal learning activities which French-speaking higher education students in Brussels engage in while learning English and Dutch. The informal learning of English was investigated in 2012, while the informal learning of Dutch was studied in 2015 and then compared to the informal…

Meeting the Challenge: Creating Engaging and Powerful Contexts for Literacy Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilhelm, Jeffrey D.

2007-01-01

This article explores the conditions of "flow" experience from two studies into the literate lives of young men (Smith and Wilhelm 2002; 2006) that were explanatory, when present, of motivation and engagement in various activities including literacy, and when absent, of a lack of motivation and engagement in various activities including literacy.…

Preadolescence Female Development through Sport and Physical Activity: A Case Study of an Urban After-School Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bruening, Jennifer E.; Dover, Kydani M.; Clark, Brianna S.

2009-01-01

Youth development research has found that children become more engaged and benefit more from being incorporated as decision makers. Thus participation helps promote development and encourages engagement. Based in theories of engagement and free-choice learning, the current research focused on a program combining sport/physical activity, life…

Supporting Head Start Parents: Impact of a Text Message Intervention on Parent-Child Activity Engagement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hurwitz, Lisa B.; Lauricella, Alexis R.; Hanson, Ann; Raden, Anthony; Wartella, Ellen

2015-01-01

Head Start emphasises parent engagement as a critical strategy in promoting children's long-term learning. Parents can support children's positive development by engaging them in stimulating activities. The following study assessed whether a service that delivered parenting tips via text message could prompt parents of children enrolled in Head…

Individual response technology to promote active learning within the caring sciences: An experimental research study.

PubMed

Hedén, Lena; Ahlstrom, Linda

2016-01-01

One major challenge in delivering lectures to large and diverse classes is the maintenance of a high standard of lecturing in order to engage students and increase their participation and involvement. The lecturer's assignment is to arrange and prepare the lecture before teaching, hence enabling students' enhanced learning. Individual response technology could encourage students' active learning and activate higher cognitive levels. The aim of this study was to evaluate individual response technology as a complement during lectures for students in higher education, in terms of the students' experiences of participation, engagement, and active learning. Also of interest was whether this technology can be considered a supportive technical system. Data were collected through a questionnaire where levels of each condition were reported on a numeric rating scale (0-10) at baseline and after the introduction of individual response technology. To get a broader perspective, two types of lectures (pediatric and statistical) were included, giving a total of four assessment times. The participants comprised 59 students in Bachelor of Nursing program at a Swedish metropolitan university. Overall, when individual response technology was used, students reported increased experience of engagement (n=82, mean 6.1 vs. n=65, mean 7.3, p<0.001), participation (n=92, mean 6.1 vs. n=79, mean 7.7, p<0.001), and active learning (n=92, mean 7.3 vs. n=79, mean 8.2 p<0.001). Additionally, the students experienced this technology as a supportive technical system during lectures (mean 6.6 vs. mean 8.1, p<0.001). The use of individual response technology during teaching is one way to enhance students' experiences of engagement, participation, and learning within the caring sciences. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Inside Out: Active learning in fluid dynamics in and out of the classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaye, Nigel; Benson, Lisa; Sill, Ben

2014-11-01

Active learning can be broadly defined as any activity that engages students beyond just listening. But is it worth the effort, when we can just lecture and tell students all they need to know? Learning theories posit that students remember far more of what they say and do than of what they hear and see. The benefits of active learning include increased attendance (because class is now something different and attending is more worthwhile) and deeper understanding of concepts (because students get to practice answering and generating questions). A recent meta-analysis of research on active learning has summarized evidence of real outcomes of active learning. Research is showing that students' performance on exams are higher and that they fail at lower rates in classes that involve active learning compared to traditional lecturing. Other studies have shown evidence of improved performance in follow-on classes, showing that the improved learning lasts. There are some topics and concepts that are best taught (or at least introduced) through lecturing, but even lecturing can be broken up by short activities that engage students so they learn more effectively. In this presentation, we will review the findings of the meta study and provide examples of active learning both inside and outside the classroom that demonstrate simple ways of introducing this approach in fluid dynamics classes.

Gamification of Learning Deactivates the Default Mode Network

PubMed Central

Howard-Jones, Paul A.; Jay, Tim; Mason, Alice; Jones, Harvey

2016-01-01

We hypothesized that embedding educational learning in a game would improve learning outcomes, with increased engagement and recruitment of cognitive resources evidenced by increased activation of working memory network (WMN) and deactivation of default mode network (DMN) regions. In an fMRI study, we compared activity during periods of learning in three conditions that were increasingly game-like: Study-only (when periods of learning were followed by an exemplar question together with its correct answer), Self-quizzing (when periods of learning were followed by a multiple choice question in return for a fixed number of points) and Game-based (when, following each period of learning, participants competed with a peer to answer the question for escalating, uncertain rewards). DMN hubs deactivated as conditions became more game-like, alongside greater self-reported engagement and, in the Game-based condition, higher learning scores. These changes did not occur with any detectable increase in WMN activity. Additionally, ventral striatal activation was associated with responding to questions and receiving positive question feedback. Results support the significance of DMN deactivation for educational learning, and are aligned with recent evidence suggesting DMN and WMN activity may not always be anti-correlated. PMID:26779054

Gamification of Learning Deactivates the Default Mode Network.

PubMed

Howard-Jones, Paul A; Jay, Tim; Mason, Alice; Jones, Harvey

2015-01-01

We hypothesized that embedding educational learning in a game would improve learning outcomes, with increased engagement and recruitment of cognitive resources evidenced by increased activation of working memory network (WMN) and deactivation of default mode network (DMN) regions. In an fMRI study, we compared activity during periods of learning in three conditions that were increasingly game-like: Study-only (when periods of learning were followed by an exemplar question together with its correct answer), Self-quizzing (when periods of learning were followed by a multiple choice question in return for a fixed number of points) and Game-based (when, following each period of learning, participants competed with a peer to answer the question for escalating, uncertain rewards). DMN hubs deactivated as conditions became more game-like, alongside greater self-reported engagement and, in the Game-based condition, higher learning scores. These changes did not occur with any detectable increase in WMN activity. Additionally, ventral striatal activation was associated with responding to questions and receiving positive question feedback. Results support the significance of DMN deactivation for educational learning, and are aligned with recent evidence suggesting DMN and WMN activity may not always be anti-correlated.

An Active, Reflective Learning Cycle for E-Commerce Classes: Learning about E-Commerce by Doing and Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abrahams, Alan S.; Singh, Tirna

2010-01-01

Active, experiential learning is an important component in information systems education, ensuring that students gain an appreciation for both practical and theoretical information systems concepts. Typically, students in active, experiential classes engage in real world projects for commercial companies or not-for-profit organizations. In the…

The Effectiveness of Active and Traditional Teaching Techniques in the Orthopedic Assessment Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nottingham, Sara; Verscheure, Susan

2010-01-01

Active learning is a teaching methodology with a focus on student-centered learning that engages students in the educational process. This study implemented active learning techniques in an orthopedic assessment laboratory, and the effects of these teaching techniques. Mean scores from written exams, practical exams, and final course evaluations…

Rethinking Active Learning in the Context of Japanese Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ito, Hiroshi

2017-01-01

This paper reconsiders active learning (AL) in the context of Japanese higher education. AL encourages students to actively engage with learning, enhancing their generic and employability skills. In Japan, AL has become increasingly popular but lacks a clear definition. AL proponents suggest that it is the use of instructional methods that…

Self-Observation Model Employing an Instinctive Interface for Classroom Active Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Gwo-Dong; Nurkhamid; Wang, Chin-Yeh; Yang, Shu-Han; Chao, Po-Yao

2014-01-01

In a classroom, obtaining active, whole-focused, and engaging learning results from a design is often difficult. In this study, we propose a self-observation model that employs an instinctive interface for classroom active learning. Students can communicate with virtual avatars in the vertical screen and can react naturally according to the…

The Flipped Classroom: An Opportunity to Engage Millennial Students through Active Learning Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roehl, Amy; Reddy, Shweta Linga; Shannon, Gayla Jett

2013-01-01

"Flipping" the classroom employs easy-to-use, readily accessible technology in order to free class time from lecture. This allows for an expanded range of learning activities during class time. Using class time for active learning versus lecture provides opportunities for greater teacher-to-student mentoring, peer-to-peer collaboration…

Effectiveness and Student Perceptions of an Active Learning Activity Using a Headline News Story to Enhance In-Class Learning of Cell Cycle Regulation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dirks-Naylor, Amie J.

2016-01-01

An active learning activity was used to engage students and enhance in-class learning of cell cycle regulation in a PharmD level integrated biological sciences course. The aim of the present study was to determine the effectiveness and perception of the in-class activity. After completion of a lecture on the topic of cell cycle regulation,…

75 FR 63822 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-18

... design to assess the impact of Learn and Serve America-funded service-learning activities on student...-funded service-learning activities on ninth and tenth grade students' academic achievement, academic... will be collected from students on their academic and civic engagement; teachers on the implementation...

Process-Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning: POGIL and the POGIL Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moog, Richard S.; Creegan, Frank J.; Hanson, David M.; Spencer, James N.; Straumanis, Andrei R.

2006-01-01

Recent research indicates that students learn best when they are actively engaged and they construct their own understanding. Process-Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) is a student-centered instructional philosophy based on these concepts in which students work in teams on specially prepared activities that follow a learning cycle paradigm.…

The Place of Game-Based Learning in an Age of Austerity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whitton, Nicola

2012-01-01

Digital games have the potential to create active and engaging environments for learning, supporting problem-solving, communication and group activities, as well as providing a forum for practice and learning through failure. The use of game techniques such as gradually increasing levels of difficulty and contextual feedback support learning, and…

Using Dual Eye-Tracking Measures to Differentiate between Collaboration on Procedural and Conceptual Learning Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Belenky, Daniel; Ringenberg, Michael; Olsen, Jennifer; Aleven, Vincent; Rummel, Nikol

2013-01-01

Dual eye-tracking measures enable novel ways to test predictions about collaborative learning. For example, the research project we are engaging in uses measures of gaze recurrence to help understand how collaboration may differ when students are completing various learning activities focused on different learning objectives. Specifically, we…

The Complete Guide to Service Learning: Proven, Practical Ways to Engage Students in Civic Responsibility, Academic Curriculum, & Social Action. Revised & Updated Second Edition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaye, Cathryn Berger

2010-01-01

"The Complete Guide to Service Learning" is the go-to resource in the fast-growing field of service learning. It is an award-winning treasury of service activities, community service project ideas, quotes, reflections, and resources that can help teachers and youth workers engage young hearts and minds in reaching out and giving back. Author, and…

Pattern of Task Interpretation and Self-Regulated Learning Strategies of High School Students and College Freshmen during an Engineering Design Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawanto, Oenardi; Butler, Deborah; Cartier, Sylvie C.; Santoso, Harry B.; Goodridge, Wade; Lawanto, Kevin N.; Clark, David

2013-01-01

The objective of this exploratory study was to describe patterns in self-regulated learning (SRL) for both high school students and college freshmen while engaged in a design activity. The main research question guiding this study was: How did high school and first-year college students self-regulate their approaches to learning when engaged in an…

Learning through Service: Developing an Intergenerational Project to Engage Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fiebig, Jennifer Nepper

2014-01-01

Educational institutions are increasingly encouraging faculty to design classroom projects that take learning outside the ivory tower and into the real world. An emphasis is placed on engaging both students and community partners in a mutually beneficial project that fosters a life-long commitment to actively helping the community and people in…

Science Hobbyists: Active Users of the Science-Learning Ecosystem

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Corin, Elysa N.; Jones, M. Gail; Andre, Thomas; Childers, Gina M.; Stevens, Vanessa

2017-01-01

Science hobbyists engage in self-directed, free-choice science learning and many have considerable expertise in their hobby area. This study focused on astronomy and birding hobbyists and examined how they used organizations to support their hobby engagement. Interviews were conducted with 58 amateur astronomers and 49 birders from the midwestern…

A Brief Overview on Using Technology to Engage Students in Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raines, Joan M.; Clark, Linda M.

2011-01-01

Incorporating and using technology in teaching mathematics can encourage students to become active participants in the classroom. This paper gives a brief overview of several technologies that can be used to enhance learning and motivate students to become engaged in the learning process. The technologies discussed include graphing calculators and…

Evidence for Family Engagement in Scientific Reasoning at Interactive Animal Exhibits

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kisiel, James; Rowe, Shawn; Vartabedian, Melanie Ani; Kopczak, Charles

2012-01-01

While the opportunity to engage in scientific reasoning has been identified as an important aspect of informal science learning (National Research Council, 2009), most studies have examined this strand of science learning within the context of physics-based science exhibits. Few have examined the presence of such activity in conjunction with live…

Creating Meaning through Multimodality: Multiliteracies Assessment and Photo Projects for Online Portfolios

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schmerbeck, Nicola; Lucht, Felecia

2017-01-01

Actively engaged in online media, learners today are surrounded by texts overtly and covertly transmitted by visual images, sound effects, and voices as well as the written word. Language learning portfolios can engage students in the literacy-oriented learning processes of interpretation, collaboration, and problem solving as outlined by Kern…

Defining Pedagogic Expertise: Students and New Lecturers as Co-Developers in Learning and Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howson, Camille Kandiko; Weller, Saranne

2016-01-01

This study evaluated a model of student-engaged educational development. Despite widespread commitment to student engagement across many institutional activities, student participation as partners with faculty in teaching and learning enhancement has been identified as a threshold concept for educational development. This study sought not only to…

Using the 5E Learning Cycle Sequence with Carbon Dioxide

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schlenker, Richard M.; Blanke, Regina; Mecca, Peter

2007-01-01

The authors used the 5E learning cycle (engage, explore, explain, extend, and evaluate) and a pulmonary carbon dioxide mystery to introduce eighth grade students to the study of chemistry. The activity engages students in measurement, data collection, data analysis, media and internet research, research design, and report writing as they search…

The Impact of Cooperative Learning on Student Engagement: Results from an Intervention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herrmann, Kim J.

2013-01-01

With an increasing awareness that many undergraduates are passive during teaching sessions, calls for instructional methods that allow students to become actively engaged have increased. Cooperative learning has long been popular at the primary and secondary level and, within recent years, higher education. However, empirical evidence of the…

Mathematics Engagement in an Australian Lower Secondary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Norton, Stephen

2017-01-01

The importance of actively engaging in mathematics discourse in order to learn mathematics is well recognized. In this paper, I use Basil Bernstein's concepts of pedagogic discourse to document and analyse academic learning time of students in Years 8 and 9 at a suburban lower secondary school: in particular, for what proportion of class time…

Promoting Student Learning and Institutional Improvement: Lessons from NSSE at 13. Annual Results 2012

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Survey of Student Engagement, 2012

2012-01-01

The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) documents dimensions of quality in undergraduate education and provides information and assistance to colleges, universities, and other organizations to improve student learning. Its primary activity is annually surveying college students to assess the extent to which they engage in educational…

Performance in physiology evaluation: possible improvement by active learning strategies.

PubMed

Montrezor, Luís H

2016-12-01

The evaluation process is complex and extremely important in the teaching/learning process. Evaluations are constantly employed in the classroom to assist students in the learning process and to help teachers improve the teaching process. The use of active methodologies encourages students to participate in the learning process, encourages interaction with their peers, and stimulates thinking about physiological mechanisms. This study examined the performance of medical students on physiology over four semesters with and without active engagement methodologies. Four activities were used: a puzzle, a board game, a debate, and a video. The results show that engaging in activities with active methodologies before a physiology cognitive monitoring test significantly improved student performance compared with not performing the activities. We integrate the use of these methodologies with classic lectures, and this integration appears to improve the teaching/learning process in the discipline of physiology and improves the integration of physiology with cardiology and neurology. In addition, students enjoy the activities and perform better on their evaluations when they use them. Copyright © 2016 The American Physiological Society.

Burnout and engagement at work as a function of demands and control.

PubMed

Demerouti, E; Bakker, A B; de Jonge, J; Janssen, P P; Schaufeli, W B

2001-08-01

The present study was designed to test the demand-control model using indicators of both health impairment and active learning or motivation. A total of 381 insurance company employees participated in the study. Discriminant analysis was used to examine the relationship between job demands and job control on one hand and health impairment and active learning on the other. The amount of demands and control could be predicted on the basis of employees' perceived health impairment (exhaustion and health complaints) and active learning (engagement and commitment). Each of the four combinations of demand and control differentially affected the perception of strain or active learning. Job demands were the most clearly related to health impairment, whereas job control was the most clearly associated with active learning. These findings partly contradict the demand-control model, especially with respect to the validity of the interaction between demand and control. Job demands and job control seem to initiate two essentially independent processes, and this occurrence is consistent with the recently proposed job demands-resources model.

The Value of Indirect Teaching Strategies in Enhancing Student-Coaches’ Learning Engagement

PubMed Central

Mesquita, Isabel; Coutinho, Patrícia; De Martin-Silva, Luciana; Parente, Bruno; Faria, Mário; Afonso, José

2015-01-01

This study aimed to examine the indirect teaching strategies adopted by a coach educator in terms of promoting student-coaches’ engagement in a positive and active learning environment. The participants were an expert coach educator and seven student-coaches from an academic coaching setting. A mix method approach was used to collect data. Whilst video-recording and participant observations were used to collect data from the lessons, focus groups were adopted to recall the perceptions of student-coaches. The results showed that indirect teaching strategies (i.e., asking questions, showing signs of autonomy by monitoring the pace at which they completed tasks and actively engaging in the search for solutions to tasks) implemented by the coach educator promoted a supportive and challenging learning environment which, in turn, encouraged student-coaches to be more actively involved in the lessons. Additionally, the affective aspects of the relationship established with student-coaches (tone of voice, gestures, facial expressions, eye contact, physical contact and humor) led them to feel confident in exposing their doubts and opinions, and in learning in a more autonomous manner. Moreover, the practical lessons proved to be crucial in helping student-coaches to reach broader and deeper forms of understanding by allowing the application of theory to coaching practice. In conclusion, this study reinforces the value of indirect teaching strategies to stimulate an active learning environment. It further highlights the value of practical learning environments to better prepare neophyte coaches for dealing with the complex and dynamic nature of their professional reality. Key points Both instructional and affective teaching indirect strategies used by the coach educator promoted a positive and challenging learning environment to student-coaches. The directness profile used by this coach educator (questioning, giving autonomy for problem solving and responsibility to regulate the learning tasks development) promoted the awareness and the ability of student-coaches to explore alternative solutions and self-regulate their own learning. Using humor, touch, gestures and tone of voice, the coach educator showed great care for student-coaches, which impacted positively on their enthusiasm, confidence and desire to be actively engaged in their own learning. PMID:26336354

Learning Environments and Inquiry Behaviors in Science Inquiry Learning: How Their Interplay Affects the Development of Conceptual Understanding in Physics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bumbacher, Engin; Salehi, Shima; Wierzchula, Miriam; Blikstein, Paulo

2015-01-01

Studies comparing virtual and physical manipulative environments (VME and PME) in inquiry-based science learning have mostly focused on students' learning outcomes but not on the actual processes they engage in during the learning activities. In this paper, we examined experimentation strategies in an inquiry activity and their relation to…

Child Development: An Active Learning Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levine, Laura E.; Munsch, Joyce

2010-01-01

Within each chapter of this innovative topical text, the authors engage students by demonstrating the wide range of real-world applications of psychological research connected to child development. In particular, the distinctive Active Learning features incorporated throughout the book foster a dynamic and personal learning process for students.…

Implementing the virtual reality learning environment: Second Life.

PubMed

Schmidt, Bonnie; Stewart, Stephanie

2009-01-01

Today, faculty members are challenged to find meaningful learning activities that enhance online nursing education. Second Life is an innovative Internet-based strategy that may be used to engage students in active learning. The authors discuss how this technology was implemented into an accelerated online nursing program.

Narratives of Experiential Learning: Students' Engagement in a Physical Activity-Based Service-Learning Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whitley, Meredith A.; Walsh, David; Hayden, Laura; Gould, Daniel

2017-01-01

Purpose: Three undergraduate students' experiences in a physical activity-based service learning course are chronicled using narrative inquiry. Method: Data collection included demographics questionnaires, pre- and postservice interviews, reflection journals, postservice written reflections, and participant observations. The data were analyzed…

Measuring student engagement in science classrooms: An investigation of the contextual factors and longitudinal outcomes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spicer, Justina Judy

This dissertation includes three separate but related studies that examine the different dimensions of student experiences in science using data from two different datasets: the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09), and a dataset constructed using the Experience Sampling Method (ESM). This mixed-dataset approach provides a unique perspective on student engagement and the contexts in which it exists. Engagement is operationalized across the three studies using aspects of flow theory to evaluate how the challenges in science classes are experienced at the student level. The data provides information on a student's skill-level and efficacy during the challenge, as well as their interest level and persistence. The data additionally track how situations contribute to optimal learning moments, along with longitudinal attitudes and behaviors towards science. In the first part of this study, the construct of optimal moments is explored using in the moment data from the ESM dataset. Several different measures of engagement are tested and validated to uncover relationships between various affective states and optimal learning experiences with a focus on science classrooms. Additional analyses include investigating the links between in the moment engagement (situational), and cross-situational (stable) measures of engagement in science. The second part of this dissertation analyzes the ESM data in greater depth by examining how engagement varies across students and their contextual environment. The contextual characteristics associated with higher engagement levels are evaluated to see if these conditions hold across different types of students. Chapter three more thoroughly analyzes what contributes to students persisting through challenging learning moments, and the variation in levels of effort put forth when facing difficulty while learning in science. In chapter four, this dissertation explores additional outcomes associated with student engagement in science using the results for chapters two and three to identify aspects of engagement and learning in science. These findings motivate a set of variables and analytic approach that is undertaken in chapter four. Specifically, the questions how engagement influences experiences in ninth grade science and students' interest in pursuing a career in STEM using the HSLS:09 data. This multifaceted study contributes to the conceptualization of student engagement, and will help bring clarity to the relationship among engagement, context, and long-term outcomes in science. Engagement is more than being on-task or paying attention, but is a condition influenced by many factors including student background, the learning context of the classroom, teacher characteristics, and the features of instruction. Understanding this relationship between engagement and contextual factors is helpful in uncovering teacher actions and instructional activities that may elicit higher engagement in science classes. These findings highlight the importance of science instruction using more cognitively-demanding activities, such as problem-based learning.

Developing an Experiential Learning Program: Milestones and Challenges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Austin, M. Jill; Rust, Dianna Zeh

2015-01-01

College and University faculty members have increasingly adopted experiential learning teaching methods that are designed to engage students in the learning process. Experiential learning is simply defined as "hands-on" learning and may involve any of the following activities: service learning, applied learning in the discipline,…

Active Reading Behaviors in Tablet-Based Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Palilonis, Jennifer; Bolchini, Davide

2015-01-01

Active reading is fundamental to learning. However, there is little understanding about whether traditional active reading frameworks sufficiently characterize how learners study multimedia tablet textbooks. This paper explores the nature of active reading in the tablet environment through a qualitative study that engaged 30 students in an active…

When Disruptive Approaches Meet Disruptive Technologies: Learning at a Distance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gibson, Chere Campbell

2000-01-01

Reviews research on constructivism in learning and selection of learning strategies. Suggests linking constructivism with instructional technologies for continuing medical education in order to "disrupt" reactive, habitual ways of learning and encourage active engagement. (SK)

A Comparison of Professional-Level Faculty and Student Perceptions of Active Learning: Its Current Use, Effectiveness, and Barriers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Cynthia J.; Metz, Michael J.

2014-01-01

Active learning is an instructional method in which students become engaged participants in the classroom through the use of in-class written exercises, games, problem sets, audience-response systems, debates, class discussions, etc. Despite evidence supporting the effectiveness of active learning strategies, minimal adoption of the technique has…

Incorporating Active Learning with Videos: A Case Study from Physics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Kester J.; Sharma, Manjula D.

2008-01-01

Watching a video often results in passive learning and does not actively engage students. In this study, a class of 20 HSC Physics students were introduced to a teaching model that incorporated active learning principles with the watching of a video that explored the Meissner Effect and superconductors. Students would watch short sections of the…

Staying Engaged: Knowledge and Research Needs in Student Engagement

PubMed Central

Wang, Ming-Te; Degol, Jessica

2016-01-01

In this article, we review knowledge about student engagement and look ahead to the future of study in this area. We begin by describing how researchers in the field define and study student engagement. In particular, we describe the levels, contexts, and dimensions that constitute the measurement of engagement, summarize the contexts that shape engagement and the outcomes that result from it, and articulate person-centered approaches for analyzing engagement. We conclude by addressing limitations to the research and providing recommendations for study. Specifically, we point to the importance of incorporating more work on how learning-related emotions, personality characteristics, prior learning experiences, shared values across contexts, and engagement in nonacademic activities influence individual differences in student engagement. We also stress the need to improve our understanding of the nuances involved in developing engagement over time by incorporating more extensive longitudinal analyses, intervention trials, research on affective neuroscience, and interactions among levels and dimensions of engagement. PMID:27087833

Teaching Evolution through the Founder Effect: A Standards-Based Activity.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leonard, William H.; Edmondson, Elizabeth

2003-01-01

Presents an activity called "The Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium, Founder Effect, and Evolution" to allow students to learn about evolution in an engaging, constructivist manner. The activity also uses the tools of mathematics to learn several related biology concepts. (Author/SOE)

Motivating At-Risk Students through Computer-based Cooperative Learning Activities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gan, Siowck-Lee

1999-01-01

Malaysian at-risk students trained in information-technology skills were appointed to lead cooperative-learning groups engaged in computer-search activities. Activities were structured to incorporate individual accountability, positive interdependence and interaction, collaborative skills, and group processing. Motivation, self-confidence,…

Training Older Adults to Use Tablet Computers: Does It Enhance Cognitive Function?

PubMed

Chan, Micaela Y; Haber, Sara; Drew, Linda M; Park, Denise C

2016-06-01

Recent evidence shows that engaging in learning new skills improves episodic memory in older adults. In this study, older adults who were computer novices were trained to use a tablet computer and associated software applications. We hypothesize that sustained engagement in this mentally challenging training would yield a dual benefit of improved cognition and enhancement of everyday function by introducing useful skills. A total of 54 older adults (age 60-90) committed 15 hr/week for 3 months. Eighteen participants received extensive iPad training, learning a broad range of practical applications. The iPad group was compared with 2 separate controls: a Placebo group that engaged in passive tasks requiring little new learning; and a Social group that had regular social interaction, but no active skill acquisition. All participants completed the same cognitive battery pre- and post-engagement. Compared with both controls, the iPad group showed greater improvements in episodic memory and processing speed but did not differ in mental control or visuospatial processing. iPad training improved cognition relative to engaging in social or nonchallenging activities. Mastering relevant technological devices have the added advantage of providing older adults with technological skills useful in facilitating everyday activities (e.g., banking). This work informs the selection of targeted activities for future interventions and community programs. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America.

Training Older Adults to Use Tablet Computers: Does It Enhance Cognitive Function?

PubMed Central

Chan, Micaela Y.; Haber, Sara; Drew, Linda M.; Park, Denise C.

2016-01-01

Purpose of the Study: Recent evidence shows that engaging in learning new skills improves episodic memory in older adults. In this study, older adults who were computer novices were trained to use a tablet computer and associated software applications. We hypothesize that sustained engagement in this mentally challenging training would yield a dual benefit of improved cognition and enhancement of everyday function by introducing useful skills. Design and Methods: A total of 54 older adults (age 60-90) committed 15 hr/week for 3 months. Eighteen participants received extensive iPad training, learning a broad range of practical applications. The iPad group was compared with 2 separate controls: a Placebo group that engaged in passive tasks requiring little new learning; and a Social group that had regular social interaction, but no active skill acquisition. All participants completed the same cognitive battery pre- and post-engagement. Results: Compared with both controls, the iPad group showed greater improvements in episodic memory and processing speed but did not differ in mental control or visuospatial processing. Implications: iPad training improved cognition relative to engaging in social or nonchallenging activities. Mastering relevant technological devices have the added advantage of providing older adults with technological skills useful in facilitating everyday activities (e.g., banking). This work informs the selection of targeted activities for future interventions and community programs. PMID:24928557

A Comparative Study of Instructor and Student-Led Learning in a Large Nonmajors Biology Course: Student Performance and Perceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bernot, Melody J.; Metzler, Jennifer

2014-01-01

Traditional lectures have come under increasing criticism as research indicates lectures may be less effective in achieving learning outcomes than other teaching methods. Student engagement and success can potentially be improved by changing traditional lectures to instructional methods using active learning techniques. Active learning refers to…

The Benefits and Barriers of Using Virtual Worlds to Engage Healthcare Professionals on Distance Learning Programmes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hack, Catherine Jane

2016-01-01

Using the delivery of a large postgraduate distance learning module in bioethics to health professionals as an illustrative example, the type of learning activity that could be enhanced through delivery in an immersive virtual world (IVW) was explored. Several activities were repurposed from the "traditional" virtual learning environment…

Implementing Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) in Undergraduate Biomechanics: Lessons Learned by a Novice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simonson, Shawn R.; Shadle, Susan E.

2013-01-01

Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) uses specially designed activities and cooperative learning to teach content and to actively engage students in inquiry, analytical thinking and teamwork. It has been used extensively in Chemistry education, but the use of POGIL is not well documented in other physical and biological sciences. This…

Preschool Peer Interactions and Readiness To Learn: Relationships between Classroom Peer Play and Learning Behaviors and Conduct.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coolahan, Kathleen; Fantuzzo, John; Mendez, Julia; McDermott, Paul

2000-01-01

Examines whether low-income preschool children's peer play interactions relate to learning behaviors and problem behaviors, and differ according to age and gender. Positive interactive play behavior was associated with active engagement in classroom learning activities, whereas disconnection in play related to inattention, passivity, and lack of…

Triple Nexus: Improving STEM Teaching through a Research-Public Engagement-Teaching Nexus

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stevenson, E.; McArthur, J.

2015-01-01

In this Reflection on Practice we propose a triple nexus of research, public engagement and teaching that could provide a new pathway for academic developers to enable greater engagement in learning and teaching issues from science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) academics. We argue that the public engagement activities demanded…

Civic Engagement through Service Learning at CSU Monterey Bay: Educating Multicultural Community Builders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pollack, Seth; Motoike, Pamela

2006-01-01

Founded in 1995 and envisioned as a university that would prepare graduates to be active, engaged citizens, California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB) developed a distinctive approach to civic engagement. Guided by an ambitious Vision Statement, CSUMB actualizes its civic engagement goals through an academic plan that mandates service…

Creation and Assessment of an Active e-Learning Introductory Geology Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sit, Stefany M.; Brudzinski, Michael R.

2017-01-01

The recent emphasis in higher education on both student engagement and online learning encouraged the authors to develop an active e-learning environment for an introductory geohazards course, which enrolls 70+ undergraduate students per semester. Instructors focused on replicating the achievements and addressing the challenges within an already…

It All Adds Up: Learning Early Math through Play and Games

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ramani, Geetha B.; Eason, Sarah H.

2015-01-01

Playing and learning mathematics do not have to be mutually exclusive activities, especially in kindergarten. Play and games can give young children opportunities to learn and develop foundational math skills that are aligned with Common Core standards for mathematics through age-appropriate, fun, and engaging activities.

Using Biomimicry to Engage Students in a Design-Based Learning Activity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gardner, Grant E.

2012-01-01

I describe a design-based learning activity that utilizes the interdisciplinary content domain of biomimicry. Design-based learning requires student creativity and technological innovation to address novel science problems, characteristics of the nature of science not often addressed in schools. Alignment with national standards documents,…

Learning to Leverage Children's Multiple Mathematical Knowledge Bases in Mathematics Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Turner, Erin E.; Foote, Mary Q.; Stoehr, Kathleen Jablon; McDuffie, Amy Roth; Aguirre, Julia Maria; Bartell, Tonya Gau; Drake, Corey

2016-01-01

In this article, the authors explore prospective elementary teachers' engagement with and reflection on activities they conducted to learn about a single child from their practicum classroom. Through these activities, prospective teachers learned about their child's mathematical thinking and the interests, competencies, and resources she or he…

Active Learning through Toy Design and Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sirinterlikci, Arif; Zane, Linda; Sirinterlikci, Aleea L.

2009-01-01

This article presents an initiative that is based on active learning pedagogy by engaging elementary and middle school students in the toy design and development field. The case study presented in this article is about student learning experiences during their participation in the TOYchallenge National Toy Design Competition. Students followed the…

Bothered by abstractness or engaged by cohesion? Experts' explanations enhance novices' deep-learning.

PubMed

Lachner, Andreas; Nückles, Matthias

2015-03-01

Experts' explanations have been shown to better enhance novices' transfer as compared with advanced students' explanations. Based on research on expertise and text comprehension, we investigated whether the abstractness or the cohesion of experts' and intermediates' explanations accounted for novices' learning. In Study 1, we showed that the superior cohesion of experts' explanations accounted for most of novices' transfer, whereas the degree of abstractness did not impact novices' transfer performance. In Study 2, we investigated novices' processing while learning with experts' and intermediates' explanations. We found that novices studying experts' explanations actively self-regulated their processing of the explanations, as they showed mainly deep-processing activities, whereas novices learning with intermediates' explanations were mainly engaged in shallow-processing activities by paraphrasing the explanations. Thus, we concluded that subject-matter expertise is a crucial prerequisite for instructors. Despite the abstract character of experts' explanations, their subject-matter expertise enables them to generate highly cohesive explanations that serve as a valuable scaffold for students' construction of flexible knowledge by engaging them in deep-level processing. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved.

Just-in-Time Teaching Exercises to Engage Students in an Introductory-Level Dinosaur Course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guertin, Laura A.; Zappe, Sarah E.; Kim, Heeyoung

2007-12-01

The Just-in-Time Teaching (JiTT) technique allows students to be engaged in course material outside of the classroom by answering web-based questions. The responses are summarized and presented to students in class with a follow-up active learning exercise. College students enrolled in an introductory-level general education geoscience course were surveyed over a two-semester period on their engagement level during lecture and perceived learning of course content. Data show that students are able to reflect on their prior knowledge and construct new knowledge with weekly graded JiTT exercises. Despite increasing and competing pressures outside of the classroom, students reported increased learning and engagement in a course with required weekly assignments.

Assessment and Comparison of Student Engagement in a Variety of Physiology Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hopper, Mari K.

2016-01-01

Calls for reform in science education have promoted active learning as a means to improve student engagement (SENG). SENG is generally acknowledged to have a positive effect on student learning, satisfaction, and retention. A validated 14-question survey was used to assess SENG in a variety of upper- and lower-level physiology courses, including…

Radon Measurement Laboratories. An Educational Experience Based on School and University Cooperation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

De Cicco, F.; Balzano, E.; Limata, B. N.; Masullo, M. R.; Quarto, M.; Roca, V.; Sabbarese, C.; Pugliese, M.

2017-01-01

There is a growing interest in engaging students and the general public about the meaning and objectives of doing science. When it is possible students can learn by actively engaging in the practices of science, conducting investigations, sharing ideas with their peers, teachers and scientists, learning to work with measuring apparatuses, to…

Investigating the Influence of Gender on Student Perceptions of the Clicker in a Small Undergraduate General Chemistry Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Niemeyer, Emily D.; Zewail-Foote, Maha

2018-01-01

The use of electronic response pads or "clickers" is a popular way to engage students and create an active-learning environment, especially within large chemistry courses. We examined students' perceptions of how the clicker affected their learning, participation, and engagement in the classroom, as well as their overall experience…

A Study of the Use of Twitter by Students for Lecture Engagement and Discussion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tiernan, Peter

2014-01-01

Research indicates that student engagement with lectures, and participation in discussion and debate, greatly improve their learning and experience of University. The nature of some lectures means they can lack opportunities for interaction and active learning. For this reason it can be difficult for some students, especially students new to…

Pulling My Gut out--Simple Tools for Engaging Students in Gross Anatomy Lectures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chan, Lap Ki

2010-01-01

A lecture is not necessarily a monologue, promoting only passive learning. If appropriate techniques are used, a lecture can stimulate active learning too. One such method is demonstration, which can engage learners' attention and increase the interaction between the lecturer and the learners. This article describes two simple and useful tools for…

Navigating Law School: Paths in Legal Education. Annual Survey Results, 2011

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Law School Survey of Student Engagement, 2011

2011-01-01

The Law School Survey of Student Engagement (LSSSE) focuses on activities that affect learning in law school. This year's results show how law students spend their time, what they think about their experience in law school, and guide schools in their efforts to improve engagement and learning. The selected results are based on responses from more…

Diverse Assessment and Active Student Engagement Sustain Deep Learning: A Comparative Study of Outcomes in Two Parallel Introductory Biochemistry Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bevan, Samantha J.; Chan, Cecilia W. L.; Tanner, Julian A.

2014-01-01

Although there is increasing evidence for a relationship between courses that emphasize student engagement and achievement of student deep learning, there is a paucity of quantitative comparative studies in a biochemistry and molecular biology context. Here, we present a pedagogical study in two contrasting parallel biochemistry introductory…

The Potential of Humor as a Trigger for Emotional Engagement in Outdoor Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hoad, Colin; Deed, Craig; Lugg, Alison

2013-01-01

This article examines the relevance of humor to student engagement in outdoor education. A sociocultural framework is applied to this examination, based on a view of learning as constructed, cognitive, embodied, and affective. A set of affordances of outdoor education as a contextually situated learning activity is identified along with related…

An Innovative International Community Engagement Approach: Story Circles as Catalysts for Transformative Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maslin-Ostrowski, Pat; Drago-Severson, Eleanor; Ferguson, Janet; Marsick, Victoria J.; Hallett, Margaret

2018-01-01

The purpose of this article is to describe the successes and challenges of an innovative community engagement initiative in Bermuda, Education for All, in order to enlarge our understanding of how a community uses storytelling as a catalyst for transformative learning. Sponsored by the Coalition for Community Activism, community members and…

Participatory Learning through Behavioral and Cognitive Engagements in an Online Collective Information Searching Activity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Chia-Ching; Tsai, Chin-Chung

2012-01-01

This study aimed to investigate the relationships between college students' behavioral and cognitive engagements while performing an online collective information searching (CIS) activity. The activity aimed to assist the students in utilizing a social bookmarking application to exploit the Internet in a collective manner. A group of 101 college…

Probability with Collaborative Data Visualization Software

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Willis, Melinda B. N.; Hay, Sue; Martin, Fred G.; Scribner-MacLean, Michelle; Rudnicki, Ivan

2015-01-01

Mathematics teachers continually look for ways to make the learning of mathematics more active and engaging. Hands-on activities, in particular, have been demonstrated to improve student engagement and understanding in mathematics classes. Likewise, many scholars have emphasized the growing importance of giving students experience with the…

Outdoor Play: Combating Sedentary Lifestyles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thigpen, Betsy

2007-01-01

Increasingly sedentary lifestyles are contributing to overweight and other health concerns as children spend less and less time outside engaged in active play. Outdoor play provides important opportunities to explore the natural world, interact with peers, engage in vigorous physical activity, and learn about our environment. However, outdoor…

Enhancing science education through extracurricular activities: A retrospective study of "Suzy Science and the Whiz Kids(c)"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kralina, Linda M.

Extracurricular activities (ECA) are informal settings offering free-choice experiences that are generally voluntary, open-ended, non-sequential, self-directed, hands-on, and evaluation-free. This mixed methods study investigates participation in a high school science ECA by collecting the memories of former student members for their perceptions of engagement as well as social positioning. First, this study examines the levels in which the science club engaged these members, particularly females, in science and teaching. Second, the study also ascertains how participation in the club allowed members to explore new identities and fostered the development of new skills, actions and behaviors, expanding possible future trajectories of identification, specifically in science- and education-related career fields. Based on a review of the related literature regarding engagement and identity formation and the reconstructed reality from the memories of these students and sponsor, a theoretical framework has been constructed, based on seven essential elements of informal learning for an engaging as well as a socially constructive high school science ECA. The most significant findings are (1) the high correlation between engagement, specifically, cognitive engagement with social positioning, (2) the important role of emotional engagement in science ECA, (3) the major perception roadblocks to science learning that can be overcome, particularly for females in physical science, and (4) the importance of the teacher-student interactions in science ECA. Articulating a theoretical framework to legitimate the power of informal learning structures may help other educators to understand the potential benefits of science ECA and thus, increase opportunities for such experiential activities in order to enhance engagement and expand positioning of their students in science. More engaging, socially constructive science ECA have the potential to enhance science education.

The effects of academic literacy instruction on engagement and conceptual understanding of biology of ninth-grade students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Larson, Susan C.

Academic language, discourse, vocabulary, motivation, and comprehension of complex texts and concepts are keys to learning subject-area content. The need for a disciplinary literacy approach in high school classrooms accelerates as students become increasing disengaged in school and as content complexity increases. In the present quasi-experimental mixed-method study, a ninth-grade biology unit was designed with an emphasis on promoting academic literacy skills, discourse, meaningful constructivist learning, interest development, and positive learning experiences in order to learn science content. Quantitative and qualitative analyses on a variety of measures completed by 222 students in two high schools revealed that those who received academic literacy instruction in science class performed at significantly higher levels of conceptual understanding of biology content, academic language and vocabulary use, reasoned thought, engagement, and quality of learning experience than control-group students receiving traditionally-organized instruction. Academic literacy was embedded into biology instruction to engage students in meaning-making discourses of science to promote learning. Academic literacy activities were organized according the phases of interest development to trigger and sustain interest and goal-oriented engagement throughout the unit. Specific methods included the Generative Vocabulary Matrix (GVM), scenario-based writing, and involvement in a variety of strategically-placed discourse activities to sustain or "boost" engagement for learning. Traditional instruction for the control group included teacher lecture, whole-group discussion, a conceptual organizer, and textbook reading. Theoretical foundations include flow theory, sociocultural learning theory, and interest theory. Qualitative data were obtained from field notes and participants' journals. Quantitative survey data were collected and analyzed using the Experience Sampling Method (ESM) to measure cognitive and emotional states, revealing patterns of engagement, quality of experience, and flow over the course of the instructional unit. Conceptual understanding was measured using the state persuasive writing rubric to analyze science essays in which students supported a claim with scientific evidence. The study contributes an Engagement Model of Academic Literacy for Learning (EngageALL), a Rubric for Academic Persuasive Writing (RAPW), a unique classification system for analyzing academic vocabulary, and suggestions for situated professional development around a research-based planning framework. A discussion addresses a new direction for future research that explores academic identity development.

Learning words during shared book reading: The role of extratextual talk designed to increase child engagement.

PubMed

Blewitt, Pamela; Langan, Ryan

2016-10-01

Shared book reading (SBR) is a valuable context for word learning during early childhood, and adults' extratextual talk boosts the vocabulary building potential of SBR. We propose that the benefits of such talk depend largely on a reader's success in promoting children's active engagement (attention and interest) during SBR. When readers ask children questions about new words, especially if they respond to children in a prompt, contingent, and appropriate (positive) manner, this verbal responsiveness functions as an effective engagement strategy. We randomly assigned 3- and 4-year-olds to three reading conditions (low, moderate, and high) distinguished by the degree to which the reader used extratextual engagement strategies, including verbal responsiveness. Despite equal exposure to unfamiliar target words, children's performance improved on two measures of word learning across the three conditions, demonstrating the value of engagement strategies in extratextual talk. This study provides a strong experimental demonstration that adult verbal responsiveness directly benefits preschoolers' word learning. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

ConfChem Conference on Flipped Classroom: Reclaiming Face Time--How an Organic Chemistry Flipped Classroom Provided Access to Increased Guided Engagement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trogden, Bridget G.

2015-01-01

Students' active engagement is one of the most critical challenges to any successful learning environment. The blending of active engagement along with rich, meaningful content is necessary for chemical educators to re-examine the purpose of the chemistry classroom. The Spring 2014 ConfChem conference, Flipped Classroom, was held from May 9 to…

Engaging Students with Active Thinking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wieman, Carl E.

This Peer Review issue focuses on science and engaged learning. As any advertising executive or politician can tell you, engaging people is all about attitudes and beliefs, not abstract tacts. There is a lot we can learn from these professional communicators about how to effectively engage students. Far too often we, as educators, provide students with the content of science-often in the distilled formal representations that we have found to be the most concise and general-but fail to address students' own attitudes and beliefs. (Although heaven forbid that we should totally abandon reason and facts, as is typical in politics and advertising).

Contributions of the hippocampus to feedback learning

PubMed Central

Dickerson, Kathryn C.; Delgado, Mauricio R.

2015-01-01

Humans learn about the world in a variety of manners, including by observation, by associating cues in the environment, and via feedback. Across species, two brain structures have been predominantly involved in these learning processes: the hippocampus—supporting learning via observation and paired association—and the striatum—critical for feedback learning. This simple dichotomy, however, has recently been challenged by reports of hippocampal engagement in feedback learning, although the role of the hippocampus is not fully understood. The purpose of this experiment was to characterize the hippocampal response during feedback learning by manipulating varying levels of memory interference. Consistent with prior reports, feedback learning recruited the striatum and midbrain. Notably, feedback learning also engaged the hippocampus. The level of activity in these regions was modulated by the degree of memory interference, such that the greatest activation occurred during the highest level of memory interference. Importantly, the accuracy of information learned via feedback correlated with hippocampal activation and was reduced by the presence of high memory interference. Taken together, these findings provide evidence of hippocampal involvement in feedback learning by demonstrating both its relevance for the accuracy of information learned via feedback and its susceptibility to interference. PMID:26055632

Can Cooperative Learning Achieve the Four Learning Outcomes of Physical Education? A Review of Literature

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Casey, Ashley; Goodyear, Victoria A.

2015-01-01

Physical learning, cognitive learning, social learning, and affective learning are positioned as the legitimate learning outcomes of physical education. It has been argued that these four learning outcomes go toward facilitating students' engagement with the physically active life (Bailey et al., 2009; Kirk, 2013). With Cooperative Learning…

Student perceptions of gamified audience response system interactions in large group lectures and via lecture capture technology.

PubMed

Pettit, Robin K; McCoy, Lise; Kinney, Marjorie; Schwartz, Frederic N

2015-05-22

Higher education students have positive attitudes about the use of audience response systems (ARS), but even technology-enhanced lessons can become tiresome if the pedagogical approach is exactly the same with each implementation. Gamification is the notion that gaming mechanics can be applied to routine activities. In this study, TurningPoint (TP) ARS interactions were gamified and implemented in 22 large group medical microbiology lectures throughout an integrated year 1 osteopathic medical school curriculum. A 32-item questionnaire was used to measure students' perceptions of the gamified TP interactions at the end of their first year. The survey instrument generated both Likert scale and open-ended response data that addressed game design and variety, engagement and learning features, use of TP questions after class, and any value of lecture capture technology for reviewing these interactive presentations. The Chi Square Test was used to analyze grouped responses to Likert scale questions. Responses to open-ended prompts were categorized using open-coding. Ninety-one students out of 106 (86 %) responded to the survey. A significant majority of the respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the games were engaging, and an effective learning tool. The questionnaire investigated the degree to which specific features of these interactions were engaging (nine items) and promoted learning (seven items). The most highly ranked engagement aspects were peer competition and focus on the activity (tied for highest ranking), and the most highly ranked learning aspect was applying theoretical knowledge to clinical scenarios. Another notable item was the variety of interactions, which ranked in the top three in both the engagement and learning categories. Open-ended comments shed light on how students use TP questions for exam preparation, and revealed engaging and non-engaging attributes of these interactive sessions for students who review them via lecture capture. Students clearly valued the engagement and learning aspects of gamified TP interactions. The overwhelming majority of students surveyed in this study were engaged by the variety of TP games, and gained an interest in microbiology. The methods described in this study may be useful for other educators wishing to expand the utility of ARS in their classrooms.

An active learning approach to Bloom's Taxonomy.

PubMed

Weigel, Fred K; Bonica, Mark

2014-01-01

As educators strive toward improving student learning outcomes, many find it difficult to instill their students with a deep understanding of the material the instructors share. One challenge lies in how to provide the material with a meaningful and engaging method that maximizes student understanding and synthesis. By following a simple strategy involving Active Learning across the 3 primary domains of Bloom's Taxonomy (cognitive, affective, and psychomotor), instructors can dramatically improve the quality of the lesson and help students retain and understand the information. By applying our strategy, instructors can engage their students at a deeper level and may even find themselves enjoying the process more.

Opening-up Classroom Discourse to Promote and Enhance Active, Collaborative and Cognitively-Engaging Student Learning Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hardman, Jan

2016-01-01

This paper places classroom discourse and interaction right at the heart of the teaching and learning process. It is built on the argument that high quality talk between the teacher and student(s) provides a fertile ground for an active, highly collaborative and cognitively stimulating learning process leading to improved learning outcomes. High…

Expanding "Within Context" to "Across Contexts" Learning: A Case Study of Informal and Formal Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Mi Song; Hung, Wei Loong David; Jamaludin, Azilawati Bte; Lim, Seo Hong

2014-01-01

Learning happens not only in schools, but also in every context that affords new experiences and opportunities for metacognition. We aim to maximize the different activity-milieux in which learners are engaged in developing their life-long learning dispositions to learn within and across contexts. This paper is a follow up of an earlier published…

Learn before Lecture: A Strategy that Improves Learning Outcomes in a Large Introductory Biology Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moravec, Marin; Williams, Adrienne; Aguilar-Roca, Nancy; O'Dowd, Diane K.

2010-01-01

Actively engaging students in lecture has been shown to increase learning gains. To create time for active learning without displacing content we used two strategies for introducing material before class in a large introductory biology course. Four to five slides from 2007/8 were removed from each of three lectures in 2009 and the information…

Not another boring lecture: engaging learners with active learning techniques.

PubMed

Wolff, Margaret; Wagner, Mary Jo; Poznanski, Stacey; Schiller, Jocelyn; Santen, Sally

2015-01-01

Core content in Emergency Medicine Residency Programs is traditionally covered in didactic sessions, despite evidence suggesting that learners do not retain a significant portion of what is taught during lectures. We describe techniques that medical educators can use when leading teaching sessions to foster engagement and encourage self-directed learning, based on current literature and evidence about learning. When these techniques are incorporated, sessions can be effective in delivering core knowledge, contextualizing content, and explaining difficult concepts, leading to increased learning. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Considering the Role of Tutoring in Student Engagement: Reflections from a South African University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Faroa, Brendon Duran

2017-01-01

Student engagement has been defined as the extent to which students are engaged in activities that higher education research has shown to be linked with high-quality learning outcomes. The ubiquitous influence of the term "student engagement" has been felt throughout the higher education landscape. This is especially true for South…

The ontogeny of cultural learning.

PubMed

Tomasello, Michael

2016-04-01

All primates engage in one or another form of social learning. Humans engage in cultural learning. From very early in ontogeny human infants and young children do not just learn useful things from others, they conform to others in order to affiliate with them and to identify with the cultural group. The cultural group normatively expects such conformity, and adults actively instruct children so as to ensure it. Young children learn from this instruction how the world is viewed and how it works in their culture. These special forms of cultural learning enable powerful and species-unique processes of cumulative cultural evolution. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

How Service Learning Addresses the Mental Health Needs of Students in Urban Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilczenski, Felicia L.; Cook, Amy L.

2009-01-01

Service learning promotes social-emotional and academic development through active engagement in community activities. It empowers students to think beyond themselves and to develop a commitment to serve others. In so doing, service learning builds connections with school and community that are critically important in urban settings. This paper…

Polling on a Budget: Implementing Telephone Surveys in Introductory and Advanced American Politics Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williamson, Jonathan

2011-01-01

Research suggests that student learning is enhanced when students are engaged through active learning strategies. In studying public opinion and polling, challenges include the provision of meaningful active learning environments when resources are limited. In this article, I discuss the design and implementation of telephone surveys as a teaching…

Supporting English Second-Language Learners in Disadvantaged Contexts: Learning Approaches That Promote Success in Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Warren, Elizabeth; Miller, Jodie

2015-01-01

In the Australian context, children living in disadvantaged circumstances, whose second language is English, are one of the groups at risk of failing in mathematics. This paper explores the impact purposely developed learning activities (Representations, Oral Language and Engagement in Mathematics Learning activities) have on pupils' mathematics…

Interaction Analysis for Supporting Students' Self-Regulation during Blog-Based CSCL Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Michailidis, Nikolaos; Kapravelos, Efstathios; Tsiatsos, Thrasyvoulos

2018-01-01

Self-regulated learning is an important means of supporting students' self-awareness and self-regulation level so as to enhance their motivation and engagement. Interaction Analysis (IA) contributes to this end, and its use in studying learning dynamics involved in asynchronous Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) activities has…

Cognitive and Social Aspects of Engagement in Active Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koretsky, Milo

2017-01-01

This article reports analysis of students' written reflections as to what helps them learn in an active learning environment. Eight hundred and twenty seven responses from 403 students in four different studio courses over two years were analyzed. An emergent coding scheme identified 55% of the responses as associated with cognitive processes…

A Mindtool-Based Collaborative Learning Approach to Enhancing Students' Innovative Performance in Management Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wu, Chih-Hsiang; Hwang, Gwo-Jen; Kuo, Fan-Ray; Huang, Iwen

2013-01-01

Educators have indicated that creative teaching is the most important educational activity; nevertheless, most existing education systems fail to engage students in effective creative tasks. To address this issue, this study proposes a mind map based collaborative learning approach for supporting creative learning activities and enhancing…

Teaching the Concept of Risk: Blended Learning Using a Custom-Built Prediction Market

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garvey, John; Buckley, Patrick

2010-01-01

There has been much research into the role of technology in promoting student engagement and learning activity in third-level education. This article documents an innovative application of technology in a large, undergraduate business class in risk management. The students' learning outcomes are reinforced by activity in a custom-designed…

Creating a Model for High Impact Practices at a Large, Regional, Comprehensive University: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McMahan, Shari

2008-01-01

Student engagement in High Impact Practices (HIPs) has been gaining the attention of higher education leaders and researchers. When students are actively engaged in the learning process they report greater gains in learning and personal development. Students involved in HIPs show better retention, higher GPA and succeed in graduating college in a…

Faculty Engagement with Learning Outcomes Assessment: A Study of Public Two-Year Colleges in Colorado

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Jennifer L.

2013-01-01

The problem addressed in this study was the assumption that faculty at the postsecondary level in the U. S. are not sufficiently or effectively engaged with student learning outcomes assessment (LOA) activities and/or practices. This issue emerged in two primary ways within the Scholarship of Assessment (SoA) body of literature: (1) as a…

"Play to Learn": A Case-Study of Parent/Carer and Child Engagement with a Physical Activity Website Resource

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hughes, Helen; Fleming, Scott

2015-01-01

In 2007, Sport Wales produced guidance for practitioners delivering the new Foundation Phase curriculum for children aged three to seven years. A focus was on physical development and in 2009 a resource entitled "Play to Learn" was developed supported by a website launched in 2011. The present study addresses (non-)engagement with the…

Reflections on Engaging Students in the Process and Product of Strategy Development for Learning, Teaching, and Assessment: An Institutional Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Healey, Mick; Mason O'Connor, Kristine; Broadfoot, Patricia

2010-01-01

Two areas of growing importance for academic developers are: first, their involvement in the development of institutional and faculty learning and teaching strategies; and second, how to engage students in academic development activity at institutional, department and discipline levels. This paper explores both interests by considering how…

Transforming Pedagogies: Encouraging Pre-Service Teachers to Engage the Power of the Arts in Their Approach to Teaching and Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McLaren, Mary-Rose; Arnold, Julie

2016-01-01

This paper describes and analyses, through the use of case studies, two experiences of transformative learning in an undergraduate arts education unit. Pre-service teachers designed and engaged with arts-based curriculum activities, created their own artwork, participated in a modified production of The Tempest and kept a reflective journal. These…

Active Learning and Student Engagement in the Business Curriculum: Excel Can Be the Answer

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCloskey, Donna W.; Bussom, Lisa

2013-01-01

Business educators are struggling with how better to engage their students in the learning process. At the same time, stakeholders are reporting that business students are ill prepared in problem solving techniques and the effective use of spreadsheets. The systemic use of Excel as a teaching tool in the business curriculum may be the answer to…

Distributing vs. Blocking Learning Questions in a Web-Based Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kapp, Felix; Proske, Antje; Narciss, Susanne; Körndle, Hermann

2015-01-01

Effective studying in web-based learning environments (web-LEs) requires cognitive engagement and demands learners to regulate their learning activities. One way to support learners in web-LEs is to provide interactive learning questions within the learning environment. Even though research on learning questions has a long tradition, there are…

Student Engagement in Inclusive Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rangvid, Beatrice Schindler

2018-01-01

Using large scale survey data, I document substantial differences in behavioural engagement (defined as involvement in academic and social activities, cooperative participation in learning, and motivation and effort) and emotional engagement levels (defined as a sense of belonging and well-being at school) between students with and without special…

Use of Team-Based Learning Pedagogy for Internal Medicine Ambulatory Resident Teaching.

PubMed

Balwan, Sandy; Fornari, Alice; DiMarzio, Paola; Verbsky, Jennifer; Pekmezaris, Renee; Stein, Joanna; Chaudhry, Saima

2015-12-01

Team-based learning (TBL) is used in undergraduate medical education to facilitate higher-order content learning, promote learner engagement and collaboration, and foster positive learner attitudes. There is a paucity of data on the use of TBL in graduate medical education. Our aim was to assess resident engagement, learning, and faculty/resident satisfaction with TBL in internal medicine residency ambulatory education. Survey and nominal group technique methodologies were used to assess learner engagement and faculty/resident satisfaction. We assessed medical learning using individual (IRAT) and group (GRAT) readiness assurance tests. Residents (N = 111) involved in TBL sessions reported contributing to group discussions and actively discussing the subject material with other residents. Faculty echoed similar responses, and residents and faculty reported a preference for future teaching sessions to be offered using the TBL pedagogy. The average GRAT score was significantly higher than the average IRAT score by 22%. Feedback from our nominal group technique rank ordered the following TBL strengths by both residents and faculty: (1) interactive format, (2) content of sessions, and (3) competitive nature of sessions. We successfully implemented TBL pedagogy in the internal medicine ambulatory residency curriculum, with learning focused on the care of patients in the ambulatory setting. TBL resulted in active resident engagement, facilitated group learning, and increased satisfaction by residents and faculty. To our knowledge this is the first study that implemented a TBL program in an internal medicine residency curriculum.

Emergence: Complexity Pedagogy in Action

PubMed Central

Jonas-Simpson, Christine

2015-01-01

Many educators are looking for new ways to engage students and each other in order to enrich curriculum and the teaching-learning process. We describe an example of how we enacted teaching-learning approaches through the insights of complexity thinking, an approach that supports the emergence of new possibilities for teaching-learning in the classroom and online. Our story begins with an occasion to meet with 10 nursing colleagues in a three-hour workshop using four activities that engaged learning about complexity thinking and pedagogy. Guiding concepts for the collaborative workshop were nonlinearity, distributed decision-making, divergent thinking, self-organization, emergence, and creative exploration. The workshop approach considered critical questions to spark our collective inquiry. We asked, “What is emergent learning?” and “How do we, as educators and learners, engage a community so that new learning surfaces?” We integrated the arts, creative play, and perturbations within a complexity approach. PMID:25838945

Creating Dynamic Learning Environment to Enhance Students’ Engagement in Learning Geometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sariyasa

2017-04-01

Learning geometry gives many benefits to students. It strengthens the development of deductive thinking and reasoning; it also provides an opportunity to improve visualisation and spatial ability. Some studies, however, have pointed out the difficulties that students encountered when learning geometry. A preliminary study by the author in Bali revealed that one of the main problems was teachers’ difficulties in delivering geometry instruction. It was partly due to the lack of appropriate instructional media. Coupling with dynamic geometry software, dynamic learning environments is a promising solution to this problem. Employing GeoGebra software supported by the well-designed instructional process may result in more meaningful learning, and consequently, students are motivated to engage in the learning process more deeply and actively. In this paper, we provide some examples of GeoGebra-aided learning activities that allow students to interactively explore and investigate geometry concepts and the properties of geometry objects. Thus, it is expected that such learning environment will enhance students’ internalisation process of geometry concepts.

Investigating the Mechanisms of Learning from a Constrained Preparation for Future Learning Activity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Siler, Stephanie A.; Klahr, David; Price, Norman

2013-01-01

Many studies have shown benefits associated with engaging students in problem-solving activities prior to administering lessons. These problem-solving activities are assumed to activate relevant knowledge and allow students to develop some initial knowledge structures, which support understanding of the lesson. In this paper we report the results…

Exploring Meteorology Education in Community College: Lecture-based Instruction and Dialogue-based Group Learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finley, Jason Paul

This study examined the impact of dialogue-based group instruction on student learning and engagement in community college meteorology education. A quasi-experimental design was used to compare lecture-based instruction with dialogue-based group instruction during two class sessions at one community college in southern California. Pre- and post-tests were used to measure learning and interest, while surveys were conducted two days after the learning events to assess engagement, perceived learning, and application of content. The results indicated that the dialogue-based group instruction was more successful in helping students learn than the lecture-based instruction. Each question that assessed learning had a higher score for the dialogue group that was statistically significant (alpha < 0.05) compared to the lecture group. The survey questions about perceived learning and application of content also exhibited higher scores that were statistically significant for the dialogue group. The qualitative portion of these survey questions supported the quantitative results and showed that the dialogue students were able to remember more concepts and apply these concepts to their lives. Dialogue students were also more engaged, as three out of the five engagement-related survey questions revealed statistically significantly higher scores for them. The qualitative data also supported increased engagement for the dialogue students. Interest in specific meteorological topics did not change significantly for either group of students; however, interest in learning about severe weather was higher for the dialogue group. Neither group found the learning events markedly meaningful, although more students from the dialogue group found pronounced meaning centered on applying severe weather knowledge to their lives. Active engagement in the dialogue approach kept these students from becoming distracted and allowed them to become absorbed in the learning event. This higher engagement most likely contributed to the resulting higher learning. Together, these results indicate that dialogue education, especially compared to lecture methods, has a great potential for helping students learn meteorology. Dialogue education can also help students engage in weather-related concepts and potentially develop better-informed citizens in a world with a changing climate.

The Room Itself is Active: How Classroom Design Impacts Student Engagement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rands, Melissa L.; Gansemer-Topf, Ann M.

2017-01-01

A responsive case study evaluation approach utilizing interviews and focus groups collected student and faculty perspectives on examined how instructors and students utilized a newly redesigned active learning space at Iowa State University and the relationship of this design with environmental and behavioral factors of student engagement. The…

Paired Peer Learning through Engineering Education Outreach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fogg-Rogers, Laura; Lewis, Fay; Edmonds, Juliet

2017-01-01

Undergraduate education incorporating active learning and vicarious experience through education outreach presents a critical opportunity to influence future engineering teaching and practice capabilities. Engineering education outreach activities have been shown to have multiple benefits; increasing interest and engagement with science and…

Graining Traction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

James, Joan K.; Matthews, Robert W.

2017-01-01

In their classrooms, the authors observed students experiencing meaningful and memorable learning when they were immersed in scientific inquiry involving Bess beetles. Students who learn from active, experiential instruction, find such learning to be exciting and emotionally engaging. As a result, they learn more deeply and effectively. This…

Karyotype Analysis Activity: A Constructivist Learning Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ahmed, Noveera T.

2015-01-01

This classroom activity is based on a constructivist learning design and engages students in physically constructing a karyotype of three mock patients. Students then diagnose the chromosomal aneuploidy based on the karyotype, list the symptoms associated with the disorder, and discuss the implications of the diagnosis. This activity is targeted…

Parsing learning in networks using brain-machine interfaces.

PubMed

Orsborn, Amy L; Pesaran, Bijan

2017-10-01

Brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) define new ways to interact with our environment and hold great promise for clinical therapies. Motor BMIs, for instance, re-route neural activity to control movements of a new effector and could restore movement to people with paralysis. Increasing experience shows that interfacing with the brain inevitably changes the brain. BMIs engage and depend on a wide array of innate learning mechanisms to produce meaningful behavior. BMIs precisely define the information streams into and out of the brain, but engage wide-spread learning. We take a network perspective and review existing observations of learning in motor BMIs to show that BMIs engage multiple learning mechanisms distributed across neural networks. Recent studies demonstrate the advantages of BMI for parsing this learning and its underlying neural mechanisms. BMIs therefore provide a powerful tool for studying the neural mechanisms of learning that highlights the critical role of learning in engineered neural therapies. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Diverse assessment and active student engagement sustain deep learning: A comparative study of outcomes in two parallel introductory biochemistry courses.

PubMed

Bevan, Samantha J; Chan, Cecilia W L; Tanner, Julian A

2014-01-01

Although there is increasing evidence for a relationship between courses that emphasize student engagement and achievement of student deep learning, there is a paucity of quantitative comparative studies in a biochemistry and molecular biology context. Here, we present a pedagogical study in two contrasting parallel biochemistry introductory courses to compare student surface and deep learning. Surface and deep learning were measured quantitatively by a study process questionnaire at the start and end of the semester, and qualitatively by questionnaires and interviews with students. In the traditional lecture/examination based course, there was a dramatic shift to surface learning approaches through the semester. In the course that emphasized student engagement and adopted multiple forms of assessment, a preference for deep learning was sustained with only a small reduction through the semester. Such evidence for the benefits of implementing student engagement and more diverse non-examination based assessment has important implications for the design, delivery, and renewal of introductory courses in biochemistry and molecular biology. © 2014 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Auditory learning through active engagement with sound: biological impact of community music lessons in at-risk children

PubMed Central

Kraus, Nina; Slater, Jessica; Thompson, Elaine C.; Hornickel, Jane; Strait, Dana L.; Nicol, Trent; White-Schwoch, Travis

2014-01-01

The young nervous system is primed for sensory learning, facilitating the acquisition of language and communication skills. Social and linguistic impoverishment can limit these learning opportunities, eventually leading to language-related challenges such as poor reading. Music training offers a promising auditory learning strategy by directing attention to meaningful acoustic elements of the soundscape. In light of evidence that music training improves auditory skills and their neural substrates, there are increasing efforts to enact community-based programs to provide music instruction to at-risk children. Harmony Project is a community foundation that has provided free music instruction to over 1000 children from Los Angeles gang-reduction zones over the past decade. We conducted an independent evaluation of biological effects of participating in Harmony Project by following a cohort of children for 1 year. Here we focus on a comparison between students who actively engaged with sound through instrumental music training vs. students who took music appreciation classes. All children began with an introductory music appreciation class, but midway through the year half of the children transitioned to the instrumental training. After the year of training, the children who actively engaged with sound through instrumental music training had faster and more robust neural processing of speech than the children who stayed in the music appreciation class, observed in neural responses to a speech sound /d/. The neurophysiological measures found to be enhanced in the instrumentally-trained children have been previously linked to reading ability, suggesting a gain in neural processes important for literacy stemming from active auditory learning. Despite intrinsic constraints on our study imposed by a community setting, these findings speak to the potential of active engagement with sound (i.e., music-making) to engender experience-dependent neuroplasticity and may inform the development of strategies for auditory learning. PMID:25414631

Auditory learning through active engagement with sound: biological impact of community music lessons in at-risk children.

PubMed

Kraus, Nina; Slater, Jessica; Thompson, Elaine C; Hornickel, Jane; Strait, Dana L; Nicol, Trent; White-Schwoch, Travis

2014-01-01

The young nervous system is primed for sensory learning, facilitating the acquisition of language and communication skills. Social and linguistic impoverishment can limit these learning opportunities, eventually leading to language-related challenges such as poor reading. Music training offers a promising auditory learning strategy by directing attention to meaningful acoustic elements of the soundscape. In light of evidence that music training improves auditory skills and their neural substrates, there are increasing efforts to enact community-based programs to provide music instruction to at-risk children. Harmony Project is a community foundation that has provided free music instruction to over 1000 children from Los Angeles gang-reduction zones over the past decade. We conducted an independent evaluation of biological effects of participating in Harmony Project by following a cohort of children for 1 year. Here we focus on a comparison between students who actively engaged with sound through instrumental music training vs. students who took music appreciation classes. All children began with an introductory music appreciation class, but midway through the year half of the children transitioned to the instrumental training. After the year of training, the children who actively engaged with sound through instrumental music training had faster and more robust neural processing of speech than the children who stayed in the music appreciation class, observed in neural responses to a speech sound /d/. The neurophysiological measures found to be enhanced in the instrumentally-trained children have been previously linked to reading ability, suggesting a gain in neural processes important for literacy stemming from active auditory learning. Despite intrinsic constraints on our study imposed by a community setting, these findings speak to the potential of active engagement with sound (i.e., music-making) to engender experience-dependent neuroplasticity and may inform the development of strategies for auditory learning.

Enhancing learning in geosciences and water engineering via lab activities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valyrakis, Manousos; Cheng, Ming

2016-04-01

This study focuses on the utilisation of lab based activities to enhance the learning experience of engineering students studying Water Engineering and Geosciences. In particular, the use of modern highly visual and tangible presentation techniques within an appropriate laboratory based space are used to introduce undergraduate students to advanced engineering concepts. A specific lab activity, namely "Flood-City", is presented as a case study to enhance the active engagement rate, improve the learning experience of the students and better achieve the intended learning objectives of the course within a broad context of the engineering and geosciences curriculum. Such activities, have been used over the last few years from the Water Engineering group @ Glasgow, with success for outreach purposes (e.g. Glasgow Science Festival and demos at the Glasgow Science Centre and Kelvingrove museum). The activity involves a specific setup of the demonstration flume in a sand-box configuration, with elements and activities designed so as to gamely the overall learning activity. Social media platforms can also be used effectively to the same goals, particularly in cases were the students already engage in these online media. To assess the effectiveness of this activity a purpose designed questionnaire is offered to the students. Specifically, the questionnaire covers several aspects that may affect student learning, performance and satisfaction, such as students' motivation, factors to effective learning (also assessed by follow-up quizzes), and methods of communication and assessment. The results, analysed to assess the effectiveness of the learning activity as the students perceive it, offer a promising potential for the use of such activities in outreach and learning.

Rules of (Student) Engagement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buskist, William; Busler, Jessica N.; Kirby, Lauren A. J.

2018-01-01

Teachers often think of student engagement in terms of hands-on activities that get students involved in their courses. They seldom consider the larger aspects of the teaching--learning environment that often influence the extent to which students are willing to become engaged in their coursework. In this chapter, we describe five "rules of…

Teaching about America's Fiscal Future in the University's Core Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Galatas, Steven; Pressley, Cindy

2010-01-01

Civic engagement is increasingly recognized as a significant function of public universities. The university provides a variety of opportunities for civic engagement, including co-curricular activities, service learning opportunities, and specific majors and minors. This article reviews the attempt to embed civic engagement and civic education…

Increasing Active Participation and Engagement of Students in Circle Formations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

St. Onge, Justin; Eite, Karla

2017-01-01

Participation and engagement are important factors in students' academic achievement and in increasing interest and motivation in the learning process. This study evaluates participation and engagement in circle formations in both outdoor and indoor education settings. Over a four-week study period, four instructors collected data on different…

Courseware Development with Animated Pedagogical Agents in Learning System to Improve Learning Motivation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chin, Kai-Yi; Hong, Zeng-Wei; Huang, Yueh-Min; Shen, Wei-Wei; Lin, Jim-Min

2016-01-01

The addition of animated pedagogical agents (APAs) in computer-assisted learning (CAL) systems could successfully enhance students' learning motivation and engagement in learning activities. Conventionally, the APA incorporated multimedia materials are constructed through the cooperation of teachers and software programmers. However, the thinking…

The Integration of Personal Learning Environments & Open Network Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tu, Chih-Hsiung; Sujo-Montes, Laura; Yen, Cherng-Jyh; Chan, Junn-Yih; Blocher, Michael

2012-01-01

Learning management systems traditionally provide structures to guide online learners to achieve their learning goals. Web 2.0 technology empowers learners to create, share, and organize their personal learning environments in open network environments; and allows learners to engage in social networking and collaborating activities. Advanced…

Community Based Learning and Civic Engagement: Informal Learning among Adult Volunteers in Community Organizations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mundel, Karsten; Schugurensky, Daniel

2008-01-01

Many iterations of community based learning employ models, such as consciousness raising groups, cultural circles, and participatory action research. In all of them, learning is a deliberate part of an explicit educational activity. This article explores another realm of community learning: the informal learning that results from volunteering in…

Tweets from the forest: using Twitter to increase student engagement in an undergraduate field biology course

PubMed Central

Soluk, Lauren; Buddle, Christopher M.

2015-01-01

Twitter is a cold medium that allows users to deliver content-rich but small packets of information to other users, and provides an opportunity for active and collaborative communication. In an education setting, this social media tool has potential to increase active learning opportunities, and increase student engagement with course content. The effects of Twitter on learning dynamics was tested in a field biology course offered by a large Canadian University: 29 students agreed to take part in the Twitter project and quantitative and qualitative data were collected, including survey data from 18 students. Students published 200% more public Tweets than what was required, and interacted frequently with the instructor and teaching assistant, their peers, and users external to the course. Almost 80% of students stated that Twitter increased opportunities for among-group communication, and 94% of students felt this kind of collaborative communication was beneficial to their learning. Although students did not think they would use Twitter after the course was over, 77% of the students still felt it was a good learning tool, and 67% of students felt Twitter had a positive impact on how they engaged with course content. These results suggest social media tools such as Twitter can help achieve active and collaborative learning in higher education. PMID:26594328

Tweets from the forest: using Twitter to increase student engagement in an undergraduate field biology course.

PubMed

Soluk, Lauren; Buddle, Christopher M

2015-01-01

Twitter is a cold medium that allows users to deliver content-rich but small packets of information to other users, and provides an opportunity for active and collaborative communication. In an education setting, this social media tool has potential to increase active learning opportunities, and increase student engagement with course content. The effects of Twitter on learning dynamics was tested in a field biology course offered by a large Canadian University: 29 students agreed to take part in the Twitter project and quantitative and qualitative data were collected, including survey data from 18 students. Students published 200% more public Tweets than what was required, and interacted frequently with the instructor and teaching assistant, their peers, and users external to the course. Almost 80% of students stated that Twitter increased opportunities for among-group communication, and 94% of students felt this kind of collaborative communication was beneficial to their learning. Although students did not think they would use Twitter after the course was over, 77% of the students still felt it was a good learning tool, and 67% of students felt Twitter had a positive impact on how they engaged with course content. These results suggest social media tools such as Twitter can help achieve active and collaborative learning in higher education.

Improving Learning with the Critical Thinking Paradigm: MIBOLC Modules A and B

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-02-06

Model encourages more active learning by requiring much of the learning material to be read prior to classroom instruction, and allotting more time to...for mental interaction with content Rote memorization Multiple Choice exams/quizzes Lower level of intensity in course work Active ... Learning Engaged Lecture Requires mental interaction with content Close reading to understand essential ideas Exams/Quizzes reflective of

Instructor-Created Activities to Engage Undergraduate Nursing Research Students.

PubMed

Pierce, Linda L; Reuille, Kristina M

2018-03-01

In flipped or blended classrooms, instruction intentionally shifts to a student-centered model for a problem-based learning approach, where class time explores topics in greater depth, creating meaningful learning opportunities. This article describes instructor-created activities focused on research processes linked to evidence-based practice that engage undergraduate nursing research students. In the classroom, these activities include individual and team work to foster critical thinking and stimulate student discussion of topic material. Six activities for small and large student groups are related to quantitative, qualitative, and both research processes, as well as applying research evidence to practice. Positive student outcomes included quantitative success on assignments and robust student topic discussions, along with instructor-noted overall group engagement and interest. Using these activities can result in class time for the construction of meaning, rather than primarily information transmission. Instructors may adopt these activities to involve and stimulate students' critical thinking about research and evidence-based practice. [J Nurs Educ. 2018;57(3):174-177.]. Copyright 2018, SLACK Incorporated.

Applying HOPSCOTCH as an Exer-Learning Game in English Lessons: Two Exploratory Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lucht, Martina; Heidig, Steffi

2013-01-01

This article describes HOPSCOTCH, a design concept for an "exer-learning game" to engage elementary school children in learning. Exer-learning is a new genre of digital learning games that combines playing and learning with physical activity (exercise). HOPSCOTCH is a first design concept for exer-learning games that can be applied to…

Infusing Student Activism into the College Curriculum: A Report of a Service-Learning Project to Bring Awareness to Sexual Violence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stepteau-Watson, Desiree

2012-01-01

Service learning involves infusing activities into the curriculum that enhance student learning, promote community engagement and effect change on the community level. Significant advantage can be applied to vulnerable communities by leveraging student action, interest, and energy, which can bring time, effort and attention to important community…

Living the Ethics of Responsibility through University Service and Service-Learning: "Phronesis" and "Praxis" Reconsidered

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lukenchuk, Anotonina

2009-01-01

This article considers the notion of service-learning (SL) as essentially different from other similar activities, such as philanthropy, charity, voluntarism, or a single act of kindness which are "one-way" socially engaged activities. Service-learning is different because it necessarily entails reciprocity and mutuality which are "two-way"…

The Geography of Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Hands-On! Developing Active Learning Modules on the Human Dimensions of Global Change.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liverman, Diana; Solem, Michael

This learning module aims to engage students in problem solving, critical thinking, scientific inquiry, and cooperative learning. The module is appropriate for use in any introductory or intermediate undergraduate course that focuses on human-environment relationships. The module examines the geography of human activities that produce the major…

A Symbiotic Relationship? Exploring the Relationships between College Students and Community Partners Who Engage in a Shared Service-Learning Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Budhai, Stephanie Smith

2012-01-01

Broadly defined as the combination and/or integration of participation in a community service activity with formal learning and reflection (Clark, 1999; Reising, Allen, & Hall, 2006; Tucker, McCarthy, & Lenk, 1998; Yan & Rodgers, 2006), service-learning activities range from voluntary student organized initiatives to mandatory…

Decentered Online Bible Instruction: How Active Learning Enhances the Study of Scripture

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Troftgruben, Troy M.

2018-01-01

The field of biblical studies lends itself well to decentered online learning--a kind that uses active learning to engage primary texts and their interpretations. Not only does such an approach work well in online and hybrid formats, it more readily welcomes readings that are more contextual, constructive, and collaborative. Three aspects best…

Quality Virtual Instruction: The Use of Synchronous Online Activities to Engage International Students in Meaningful Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weiler, Spencer C.

2012-01-01

Online instruction offers students a convenient way to access higher education. However, convenience must never trump quality when it comes to participation in a graduate program. Synchronous learning activities in graduate online courses are an effective way to enhance the learning experiences of all students, and especially those from different…

An activity theory perspective of how scenario-based simulations support learning: a descriptive analysis.

PubMed

Battista, Alexis

2017-01-01

The dominant frameworks for describing how simulations support learning emphasize increasing access to structured practice and the provision of feedback which are commonly associated with skills-based simulations. By contrast, studies examining student participants' experiences during scenario-based simulations suggest that learning may also occur through participation. However, studies directly examining student participation during scenario-based simulations are limited. This study examined the types of activities student participants engaged in during scenario-based simulations and then analyzed their patterns of activity to consider how participation may support learning. Drawing from Engeström's first-, second-, and third-generation activity systems analysis, an in-depth descriptive analysis was conducted. The study drew from multiple qualitative methods, namely narrative, video, and activity systems analysis, to examine student participants' activities and interaction patterns across four video-recorded simulations depicting common motivations for using scenario-based simulations (e.g., communication, critical patient management). The activity systems analysis revealed that student participants' activities encompassed three clinically relevant categories, including (a) use of physical clinical tools and artifacts, (b) social interactions, and (c) performance of structured interventions. Role assignment influenced participants' activities and the complexity of their engagement. Importantly, participants made sense of the clinical situation presented in the scenario by reflexively linking these three activities together. Specifically, student participants performed structured interventions, relying upon the use of physical tools, clinical artifacts, and social interactions together with interactions between students, standardized patients, and other simulated participants to achieve their goals. When multiple student participants were present, such as in a team-based scenario, they distributed the workload to achieve their goals. The findings suggest that student participants learned as they engaged in these scenario-based simulations when they worked to make sense of the patient's clinical presentation. The findings may provide insight into how student participants' meaning-making efforts are mediated by the cultural artifacts (e.g., physical clinical tools) they access, the social interactions they engage in, the structured interventions they perform, and the roles they are assigned. The findings also highlight the complex and emergent properties of scenario-based simulations as well as how activities are nested. Implications for learning, instructional design, and assessment are discussed.

Teach the Way They Learn: 62 Easy, Engaging, & Effective Language Arts Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hines, Joanne I; Vincent, Pamela J.

2005-01-01

This book focuses on quick and easy language arts activities to inspire and motivate students in kindergarten to sixth grades. Ingenious ideas appeal to children's enthusiasm for games, parades, race cars, their own names, and much more. The activities cost little or nothing. They engage young learners, and they work! This book is perfect for a…

Chaotic....!! Active and Engaged. Effects of an active learning classroom on student retention and engagement.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palsole, S.; Serpa, L. F.

2014-12-01

Scientific literacy has been defined as the foremost challenge of this decade (AAAS, 2012). The Geological Society of American in its position statement postis that due to the systemic nature of the discipline of earth science, it is the most effective way to engage students in STEM disciplines. Given that the most common place for exposure to earth sciences is at the freshman level for non majors, we decided to transform a freshman introductory geology course to an active, student centered course, using an inquiry based approach. Our focus was to ensure the students saw the earth sciences as broadly applicative field, and not an esoteric science. To achieve this goal, we developed a series of problems that required the students to apply the concepts acquired through their self guided learning into the different topics of the course. This self guided learning took the form of didactic content uploaded into the learning management system (the various elements used to deliver the content were designed video clips, short text based lectures, short formative assessments, discussion boards and other web based discovery exercises) with the class time devoted to problem solving. A comparison of student performance in the active learning classroom vs. a traditional classroom as measured on a geoscience concept inventory (the questions were chosen by a third party who was not teaching either courses) showed that the the students in the active learning classroom scored 10% higher on the average in comparison to the traditional class. In addition to this heightened performance, the students in the active classroom also showed a higher degree of content retention 8 weeks after the semester had ended. This session will share the design process, some exercises and efficacy data collected.

The Physics of Quidditch Summer Camp: An Interdisciplinary Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hammer, Donna; Uher, Tim

The University of Maryland Physics Department has developed an innovative summer camp program that takes an interdisciplinary approach to engaging and teaching physics. The Physics of Quidditch Camp uniquely sits at the intersection of physics, sports, and literature, utilizing the real-life sport of quidditch adapted from the Harry Potter novels to stimulate critical thinking about real laws of physics and leaps of imagination, while actively engaging students in learning the sport and discussing the literature. Throughout the camp, middle school participants become immersed in fun physics experiments and exciting physical activities, which aim to build and enhance skills in problem-solving, analytical thinking, and teamwork. This camp has pioneered new ways of teaching physics to pre-college students, successfully engaged middle school students in learning physics, and grown a large demand for such activities.

Trust, Growth Mindset, and Student Commitment to Active Learning in a College Science Course.

PubMed

Cavanagh, Andrew J; Chen, Xinnian; Bathgate, Meghan; Frederick, Jennifer; Hanauer, David I; Graham, Mark J

2018-01-01

There is growing consensus regarding the effectiveness of active-learning pedagogies in college science courses. Less is known about ways that student-level factors contribute to positive outcomes in these contexts. The present study examines students' ( N = 245) trust in the instructor-defined as perceptions of their instructor's understanding, acceptance, and care-and students' attitudes toward learning within an anatomy and physiology course featuring active learning. Analyses indicate that student trust of instructor and students' views of their own intelligence are both associated with student commitment to, and engagement in, active learning. Student-reported trust of the instructor corresponded to final grade, while students' views of their own intelligence did not. In an active-learning context in which students are more fully engaged in the learning process, student trust of the instructor was an important contributor to desired student outcomes. © 2018 A. J. Cavanagh et al. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2018 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

Drawing the Line with Google Earth: The Place of Digital Mapping outside of Geography

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mercier, O. Ripeka; Rata, Arama

2017-01-01

The "Te Kawa a Maui Atlas" project explores how mapping activities support undergraduate student engagement and learning in Maori studies. This article describes two specific assignments, which used online mapping allowing students to engage with the work of their peers. By analysing student evaluations of these activities, we identify…

A systematic strategic planning process focused on improved community engagement by an academic health center: the University of Kansas Medical Center's story.

PubMed

Cook, David C; Nelson, Eve-Lynn; Ast, Cori; Lillis, Teresa

2013-05-01

A growing number of academic health centers (AHCs) are considering approaches to expand collaboration with their communities in order to address complex and multisystem health concerns. In 2010, internal leaders at the University of Kansas Medical Center undertook a strategic planning process to enhance both community engagement activities and the scholarship resulting from these engagement activities. The authors describe the strategic planning process, recommendations, and actions associated with elevating community engagement within the AHC's mission and priorities. The strategic planning process included conducting an inventory of community engagement activities within the AHC; analyzing strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for community engagement work; and identifying goals and strategies to improve future community engagement activities and scholarship. The resulting road map for enhancing community engagement at their institution through 2015 consists of four main strategies: emphasize scholarship in community engagement, revise organizational structures to better facilitate community engagement, prioritize current engagement activities to ensure appropriate use of resources, and enhance communication of engagement initiatives to further develop stakeholder relationships.The authors also discuss implementation of the plan to date and highlight lessons learned that may inform other AHCs as they enhance and expand similar endeavors.

A Study of a Social Annotation Modeling Learning System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Samuel, Roy David; Kim, Chanmin; Johnson, Tristan E.

2011-01-01

The transition from classroom instruction to e-learning raises pedagogical challenges for university instructors. A controlled integration of e-learning tools into classroom instruction may offer learners tangible benefits and improved effectiveness. This design-based research (DBR) study engaged students in e-learning activities integrated into…

Blended Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tucker, Catlin; Umphrey, Jan

2013-01-01

Catlin Tucker, author of "Blended Learning in Grades 4-12," is an English language arts teacher at Windsor High School in Sonoma County, CA. In this conversation with "Principal Leadership," she defines blended learning as a formal education program in which a student is engaged in active learning in part online where they…

Athletic Training Student Active Learning Time with and without the Use of Bug-In-Ear Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nottingham, Sara L.; Montgomery, Melissa M.; Kasamatsu, Tricia M.

2017-01-01

Context: Clinical education experiences that actively engage students in patient care are important to the development of competent clinicians. It is important to assess athletic training students' time spent clinically and explore new technology that may facilitate more active learning during clinical education. Objective: To assess athletic…

Exploring Students' Emotional Responses and Participation in an Online Peer Assessment Activity: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheng, Kun-Hung; Hou, Huei-Tse; Wu, Sheng-Yi

2014-01-01

In the social interactions among individuals of learning communities, including those individuals engaged in peer assessment activities, emotion may be a key factor in learning. However, research regarding the emotional response of learners in online peer assessment activities is relatively scarce. Detecting learners' emotion when they make…

Understanding Player Activity in a Game-Based Virtual Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyer, David Matthew

2011-01-01

This study examines player activity in a game-based virtual learning environment as a means toward evaluating instructional and game design. By determining the goals embedded in project development and the availability and structure of in-game activities, the first part of this research highlights opportunities for players to engage with learning…

Ezines: A Constructivist Instructional Activity for Teaching Diagnosis and Psychopathology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Karyn Dayle; Granello, Paul F.

2008-01-01

Ezines (electronic zines) are independently made, online publications that can provide creative, pedagogical possibilities for constructivist learning in counselor education and, specifically, the diagnosis class. Making ezines about mental disorders and psychopathology allows students to engage in active learning about important topics while…

Vocational exploration in an extracurricular technology program for youth with autism.

PubMed

Dunn, Louise; Diener, Marissa; Wright, Cheryl; Wright, Scott; Narumanchi, Amruta

2015-01-01

Within a life span approach, introducing opportunities to explore careers through activities of interest provide ways for children to learn to explore, problem solve, and envision a future for themselves. However, little information exists about programs to promote social engagement and to explore potential career interests for youth with autism. Explore engagement and learning in a technology-based extracurricular program (called iSTAR) for youth with autism. The researchers used a qualitative approach with grounded-theory analysis to explore the processes that contributed to engagement and learning for youth with autism in an technology-based extracurricular program. Youth Centered Learning and Opportunities to Demonstrate Skills emerged as themes that illuminated the processes by which engagement and learning occurred for the youth in the iSTAR program. Interest in the graphics program stimulated interactions amongst the youth with each other and with the adults. Modeling, demonstration, and scaffolded questioning supported engagement and learning for all the youth. Providing structure, encouraging choices, and following the youths' lead provided bridges for sharing and learning about the technology program. Career exploration through use of interests in technology can provide opportunities for youth with autism to develop social and technical skills needed later for employment. Providing an environment that recognizes and builds on the youths' strengths and supports their autonomy and choices are critical components to promote their positive development and career potential.

Lifelong learning in the 21st century and beyond.

PubMed

Collins, Jannette

2009-01-01

Lifelong learning is now recognized by educators, governing bodies, accreditation organizations, certification boards, employers, third-party payers, and the general public as one of the most important competencies that people must possess. Promoting lifelong learning as continuous, collaborative, self-directed, active, broad in domain, everlasting, positive and fulfilling, and applicable to one's profession as well as all aspects of one's life has emerged as a major global educational challenge. Meeting this challenge will require changes in the way teachers teach and learners learn, as teachers take on a more facilitative role and learners take more responsibility for setting goals, identifying resources for learning, and reflecting on and evaluating their learning. For physicians, this will require less dependence on traditional educational venues, such as passive continuing medical education activities, and greater participation in self-assessment, peer assessment, evaluation of performance in practice, documentation of practice-based learning and improvement activities, and learning at the point of care. Radiologists in an academic setting are exposed to multiple opportunities for practicing lifelong learning, such as teaching others, participating in multidisciplinary conferences and journal clubs, and engaging in research. All radiologists can participate in self-audits and group audits of performance and become active participants in national radiology societies, where they can learn from each other. Participation in the American Board of Radiology's Maintenance of Certification program reflects a commitment to actively engage in lifelong learning and is one way of demonstrating to the general public a commitment to maintaining competence. (c) RSNA, 2009.

Work Engagement, Performance, and Active Learning: The Role of Conscientiousness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bakker, Arnold B.; Demerouti, Evangelia; ten Brummelhuis, Lieke L.

2012-01-01

The present study examines whether the relationship between work engagement and job performance is moderated by the extent to which individuals are inclined to work hard, careful, and goal-oriented. On the basis of the literature, it was hypothesized that conscientiousness strengthens the relationship between work engagement and supervisor ratings…

Triumph or Tragedy: Comparing Student Engagement Levels of Members of Greek-Letter Organizations and Other Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hayek, John C.; Carini, Robert M.; O'Day, Patrick T.; Kuh, George D.

2002-01-01

This study compared the levels of student engagement between fraternity and sorority members and other undergraduate students. After controls, Greek members appeared to be equally and sometimes more engaged in academically challenging tasks, active learning, student-faculty interaction, community service, diversity, satisfaction, and on learning…

Student Engagement in Very Large Classes: The Teachers' Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Exeter, Daniel J.; Ameratunga, Shanthi; Ratima, Matiu; Morton, Susan; Dickson, Martin; Hsu, Dennis; Jackson, Rod

2010-01-01

The rapid growth in the student population observed in higher education over the past 10-15 years in some countries has coincided with an increased recognition of student engagement and its value in developing knowledge. Active learning approaches have the potential to promote student engagement with lectures, but this becomes more challenging as…

"I Hate History": A Study of Student Engagement in Community College Undergraduate History Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perrotta, Katherine Assante; Bohan, Chara Haeussler

2013-01-01

Many instructors seek to improve student engagement, but determining how to achieve student engagement can be complex and complicated. The authors sought to explore how the implementation of active-learning strategies in undergraduate history courses at a metropolitan community college using graphic organizers and group discussion impacted student…

Virtual Learning Ecosystems: A Proposed Framework for Integrating Educational Games, E-Learning Methods, and Virtual Community Platforms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Washington, Christopher

2015-01-01

Digitally delivered learning shows the promise of enhancing learner motivation and engagement, advancing critical thinking skills, encouraging reflection and knowledge sharing, and improving professional self-efficacy. Digital learning objects take many forms including interactive media, apps and games, video and other e-learning activities and…

Giving Literacy, Learning Literacy: Service-Learning and School Book Drives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walker, Anne B.

2015-01-01

Service-learning can provide a range of literacy learning experiences for children as they work to solve real world problems and engage in inquiry, collaboration and reflection. Rather than being an extracurricular activity, service-learning projects are designed to meet standards and align with existing curriculum. This article explores how…

The Delivery of Recreation Programs: Students Gain Entry Level Management Skills through Service Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zimmermann, Jo An M.; Dupree, Jessica; Hodges, Jan S.

2014-01-01

Service learning is a well established pedagogy within higher education. Specifically, service learning allows students to engage in "real world" activities to practice skills and reflect upon their own competence. To enhance the effectiveness of service learning, instructors need to consider a multitude of learning influences. This…

Beyond the Four Walls: Community-Based Learning and Languages

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Connor, Anne

2012-01-01

At a time when languages in universities are under pressure, community-based learning language courses can have many positive benefits: they can increase interest in language learning, they can foster greater engagement with learning, and they can encourage active learning, creativity and teamwork. These courses, which link the classroom and the…

Development of an Instructional Design Model for Flipped Learning in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Jihyun; Lim, Cheolil; Kim, Hyeonsu

2017-01-01

In response to pedagogical challenges in higher education, blended learning has become a prevalent practice in colleges and universities. Flipped learning (FL) represents a newly emerging form of blended learning, where students individually watch online lectures prior to class and then engage in classroom learning activities interacting with…

Mobile Devices: A Distraction, or a Useful Tool to Engage Nursing Students?

PubMed

Gallegos, Cara; Nakashima, Hannah

2018-03-01

Engaging nursing students in theoretical courses, such as research, can be challenging. Innovative instructional strategies are essential to engage nursing students in theoretical nursing courses. This article describes an educational innovation using technology as a tool in an undergraduate nursing research class. All students in the course received iPads for the semester. Lecture material was presented in class using Nearpod, an interactive presentation embedded with slides, multimedia components, and learning activities. Students reported that using the mobile technology helped them minimize off-task activities, interact more with each other and the instructor, solve problems in the class, and develop skills and confidence related to their career. Allowing device use in the classroom, such as iPads and interactive mobile applications, can be a useful learning tool. Intentional use of technology and pedagogy can increase engagement and interaction with students. [J Nurs Educ. 2018;57(3):170-173.]. Copyright 2018, SLACK Incorporated.

Assessing the Effectiveness of a Hybrid-Flipped Model of Learning on Fluid Mechanics Instruction: Overall Course Performance, Homework, and Far- and Near-Transfer of Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harrison, David J.; Saito, Laurel; Markee, Nancy; Herzog, Serge

2017-01-01

To examine the impact of a hybrid-flipped model utilising active learning techniques, the researchers inverted one section of an undergraduate fluid mechanics course, reduced seat time, and engaged in active learning sessions in the classroom. We compared this model to the traditional section on four performance measures. We employed a propensity…

Exploring the Effects of the Computational Experiment Approach to the Epistemic Beliefs, the Motivation, the Use of Modeling Indicators and Conceptual Understanding in Three Different Computational Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Psycharis, Sarantos

2013-01-01

Contemporary teaching and learning approaches expect students--at any level of education--to be active producers of knowledge. This leads to the need for creation of instructional strategies, learning environments and tasks that can offer students opportunities for active learning. Research argues that one of the most meaningful and engaging forms…

Conceptualizing School-Based Teacher Learning from Teachers' Points of View: Holistically Leveraging Formal, Informal, and Independent Learning Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Monty; Dexter, Sara

2016-01-01

Improving in-service teacher education is paramount to improving student learning outcomes, and while research in this area typically examines formal teacher learning opportunities, emerging research indicates that teachers also engage in informal and independent modes of learning. Our inquiry into how teachers learned about integrating technology…

Learning beyond graduation: exploring newly qualified specialists' entrance into daily practice from a learning perspective.

PubMed

Cuyvers, Katrien; Donche, Vincent; Van den Bossche, Piet

2016-05-01

The entrance of newly qualified medical specialists into daily practice is considered to be a stressful period in which curriculum support is absent. Although engaging in both personal and professional learning and development activities is recognized fundamental for lifelong professional competence, research on medical professionals' entrance into practice is scarce. This research aims to contribute to the framework of medical professionals' informal learning and outlines the results of an exploratory study on the nature of learning in daily practice beyond postgraduate training. Eleven newly qualified physicians from different specialized backgrounds participated in a phenomenographic study, using a critical incident method and a grounded theory approach. Results demonstrated that learning in the workplace is, to a large extent, informal and associated with a variety of learning experiences. Analysis shows that experiences related to diagnostics and treatments are important sources for learning. Furthermore, incidents related to communication, changing roles, policy and organization offer learning opportunities, and therefore categorized as learning experiences. A broad range of learning activities are identified in dealing with these learning experiences. More specifically, actively engaging in actions and interactions, especially with colleagues of the same specialty, are the most mentioned. Observing others, consulting written sources, and recognizing uncertainties, are also referred to as learning activities. In the study, interaction, solely or combined with other learning activities, are deemed as very important by specialists in the initial entrance into practice. These insights can be used to develop workplace structures to support the entrance into practice following postgraduate training.

Student responses to a hands-on kinesthetic lecture activity for learning about the oxygen carrying capacity of blood.

PubMed

Breckler, Jennifer; Yu, Justin R

2011-03-01

This article describes a new hands-on, or "kinesthetic," activity for use in a physiology lecture hall to help students comprehend an important concept in cardiopulmonary physiology known as oxygen carrying capacity. One impetus for designing this activity was to address the needs of students who have a preference for kinesthetic learning and to help increase their understanding and engagement during lecture. This activity uses simple inexpensive materials, provides an effective model for demonstrating related pathophysiology, and helps promote active learning. The activity protocol and its implementation are described here in detail. We also report data obtained from student surveys and assessment tools to determine the effectiveness of the activity on student conceptual learning and perceptions. A brief multiple-choice pretest showed that although students had already been introduced to the relevant concepts in lecture, they had not yet mastered these concepts before performing the activity. Two postactivity assessments showed that student performance was significantly improved on the posttest compared with the pretest and that information was largely retained at the end of the course. Survey data showed that one-half of the students stated kinesthetic learning as among their learning preferences, yet nearly all students enjoyed and were engaged in this hands-on kinesthetic activity regardless of their preferences. Most students would recommend it to their peers and expressed a desire for more kinesthetic learning opportunities in the lecture curriculum.

Parallel, but Dissociable, Processing in Discrete Corticostriatal Inputs Encodes Skill Learning.

PubMed

Kupferschmidt, David A; Juczewski, Konrad; Cui, Guohong; Johnson, Kari A; Lovinger, David M

2017-10-11

Changes in cortical and striatal function underlie the transition from novel actions to refined motor skills. How discrete, anatomically defined corticostriatal projections function in vivo to encode skill learning remains unclear. Using novel fiber photometry approaches to assess real-time activity of associative inputs from medial prefrontal cortex to dorsomedial striatum and sensorimotor inputs from motor cortex to dorsolateral striatum, we show that associative and sensorimotor inputs co-engage early in action learning and disengage in a dissociable manner as actions are refined. Disengagement of associative, but not sensorimotor, inputs predicts individual differences in subsequent skill learning. Divergent somatic and presynaptic engagement in both projections during early action learning suggests potential learning-related in vivo modulation of presynaptic corticostriatal function. These findings reveal parallel processing within associative and sensorimotor circuits that challenges and refines existing views of corticostriatal function and expose neuronal projection- and compartment-specific activity dynamics that encode and predict action learning. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Practice makes perfect? The pedagogic value of online independent phonetic transcription practice for speech and language therapy students.

PubMed

Titterington, Jill; Bates, Sally

2018-01-01

Accuracy of phonetic transcription is a core skill for speech and language therapists (SLTs) worldwide (Howard & Heselwood, 2002). The current study investigates the value of weekly independent online phonetic transcription tasks to support development of this skill in year one SLT students. Using a mixed methods observational design, students enrolled in a year one phonetics module completed 10 weekly homework activities in phonetic transcription on a stand-alone tutorial site (WebFon (Bates, Matthews & Eagles, 2010)) and 5 weekly online quizzes (the 'Ulster Set' (Titterington, unpublished)). Student engagement with WebFon was measured in terms of the number of responses made to 'sparks' on the University's Virtual Learning Environment Discussion Board. Measures of phonetic transcription accuracy were obtained for the 'Ulster Set' and for a stand-alone piece of coursework at the end of the module. Qualitative feedback about experience with the online learning was gathered via questionnaire. A positive significant association was found between student engagement with WebFon and performance in the 'Ulster Set', and between performance in the 'Ulster Set' and final coursework. Students valued both online independent learning resources as each supported different learning needs. However, student compliance with WebFon was significantly lower than with the 'Ulster Set'. Motivators and inhibitors to engagement with the online resources were investigated identifying what best maximised engagement. These results indicate that while 'independent' online learning can support development of phonetic transcription skills, the activities must be carefully managed and constructively aligned to assessment providing the level of valance necessary to ensure effective engagement.

Methods of Engaging Preschool-age Children in Science Practices During Astronomy Activities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Plummer, J. D.

2015-11-01

Providing preschool children with science learning experiences may improve their later science literacy. Further, research shows that children are capable of engaging in the same kinds of scientific reasoning as adults. An initial step towards increasing the opportunities for children to engage in science is to improve our understanding of how to support children's engagement in the practices of science in astronomy. To this end, the My Sky Tonight project is developing and evaluating astronomy activities for informal science educators to use with young children. I have gathered video of a series of astronomy workshops that engaged preschool-age children with My Sky Tonight-developed activities. This paper describes features of these museum-based astronomy activities that supported young children in evidence-based science practices.

Using and Assessing an Experiential Learning Project in a Retail Marketing Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maskulka, Therese A.; Stout, David E.; Massad, Victor J.

2011-01-01

Business educators have been challenged recently to provide increased experiential learning opportunities for students. Proponents of experienced-based learning subscribe to the view that such experiences engage students actively in the learning process, and because of the linkage between practice and theory, better prepare students for the…

Student Teachers' Emotional Landscapes in Self- and Co-Regulated Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saariaho, Emmi; Anttila, Henrika; Toom, Auli; Soini, Tiina; Pietarinen, Janne; Pyhältö, Kirsi

2018-01-01

Self- and co-regulation are central elements in skillful student-teacher learning. Studies have confirmed the interrelation between positive academic emotions and student engagement in self-regulated learning. There are also indicators of student-teachers experiencing co-regulative learning activities as highly significant. Yet, we know…

Older Workers' Workplace Learning in Manufacturing Industries: Subjectivity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Migliore, Maria-Cristina Giovanna

2015-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to draw attention to older workers (OWs)' subjective engagement in working and learning in the manufacturing industry. Workplace learning (WPL) literature rarely considers the subjective side of learning from a cultural historical activity theory (CHAT) account. Design/methodology/approach: The paper adopts a…

Why Teach Social Entrepreneurship: Enhance Learning and University-Community Relations through Service-Learning Outreach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wessel, Stacy; Godshalk, Veronica M.

2004-01-01

This article focuses on providing a convincing argument for incorporating social entrepreneurship into the business professor's classroom. The outreach provided by social entrepreneurship enhances learning and promotes university-community relations. Service-learning engagement activities, in the form of social entrepreneurship, create a three-way…

Supporting Teachers to Design and Use Mobile Collaborative Learning Games

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marfisi-Schottman, Iza; George, Sébastien

2014-01-01

Mobile Collaborative Learning Games combine all the ingredients necessary to attract students' attention and engage them in learning activities. However, designing a coherent scenario that combines mobility, game mechanics and collaborative learning is quite a challenge. In this article, we take the first step by proposing several game patterns…

Spicing Up Information Literacy Tutorials: Interactive Class Activities that Worked

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zdravkovic, Neda

2010-01-01

Constructivist learning theories promote students' engagement as one of the key factors in successful learning and knowledge building. Research indicates that the short attention span of adult learners, their need to "learn-by-doing," interact and multitask in the learning process can be accommodated with a positive outcome by…

Changing How and What Children Learn in School with Computer-based Technologies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roschelle, Jeremy M.; Pea, Roy D.; Hoadley, Christopher M.; Gordin, Douglas N.; Means, Barbara

2000-01-01

Explores how computer technology can help improve how and what children learn in school. Highlights several ways technology can enhance how children learn by supporting four fundamental characteristics of learning (active engagement, group participation, frequent interaction and feedback, and connections to real-world contexts). Additional…

Coupled Collaborative In-Class Activities and Individual Follow-Up Homework Promote Interactive Engagement and Improve Student Learning Outcomes in a College-Level "Environmental Geology" Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arthurs, Leilani; Templeton, Alexis

2009-01-01

Interactive engagement pedagogies that emerge from a constructivist model of teaching and learning are often a challenge to implement in larger classes for a number of reasons including the physical layout of the classroom (e.g. fixed chairs in an amphitheater-style room), the logistics of organizing a large number of students into small…

Different Identity Revelation Modes in an Online Peer-Assessment Learning Environment: Effects on Perceptions toward Assessors, Classroom Climate and Learning Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yu, Fu-Yun; Wu, Chun-Ping

2011-01-01

The effects of four different identity revelation modes (three fixed modes: real-name, anonymity, nickname and one dynamic user self-choice mode) on participants' perceptions toward their assessors, classroom climate, and past experience with the learning activity in which they were engaged were examined. A pretest-posttest quasi-experimental…

Informal/Formal Learning and Workload among Ontario Secondary School Teachers. NALL Working Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smaller, Harry; Hart, Doug; Clark, Rosemary; Livingstone, David

Following up on an earlier national survey study of Canadian teachers' formal and informal learning, this study had 13 Ontario secondary teachers keep detailed logs of their day and evening activities, along with notations about what they may have learned as a result of engaging in each activity, for 7 consecutive days in late 1999, and again in…

Self-Regulated Learning Skills and Online Activities between Higher and Lower Performers on a Web-Intensive Undergraduate Engineering Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawanto, Oenardi; Santoso, Harry B.; Lawanto, Kevin N.; Goodridge, Wade

2017-01-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate students' self-regulated learning (SRL) skills used in a Web-intensive learning environment. The research question guiding the study was: How did the use of student SRL skills and student engagement in online activities compare between higher- and lower-performing students participating in a…

A Proposal for Teaching Undergraduate Chemistry Students Carbohydrate Biochemistry by Problem-Based Learning Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Figueira, Angela C. M.; Rocha, Joao B. T.

2014-01-01

This article presents a problem-based learning (PBL) approach to teaching elementary biochemistry to undergraduate students. The activity was based on "the foods we eat." It was used to engage students' curiosity and to initiate learning about a subject that could be used by the future teachers in the high school. The experimental…

Engaging Focus Group Methodology: The 4-H Middle School-Aged Youth Learning and Leading Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scott, Siri; Grant, Samantha; Nippolt, Pamela Larson

2015-01-01

With young people, discussing complex issues such as learning and leading in a focus group can be a challenge. To help prime youth for the discussion, we created a focus group approach that featured a fun, interactive activity. This article includes a description of the focus group activity, lessons learned, and suggestions for additional…

Applications of Speech-to-Text Recognition and Computer-Aided Translation for Facilitating Cross-Cultural Learning through a Learning Activity: Issues and Their Solutions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shadiev, Rustam; Wu, Ting-Ting; Sun, Ai; Huang, Yueh-Min

2018-01-01

In this study, 21 university students, who represented thirteen nationalities, participated in an online cross-cultural learning activity. The participants were engaged in interactions and exchanges carried out on Facebook® and Skype® platforms, and their multilingual communications were supported by speech-to-text recognition (STR) and…

Taking Active Learning into the Primary School: A Matter of New Practices?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stephen, Christine; Ellis, Jennifer; Martlew, Joan

2010-01-01

This paper examines the extension of active learning pedagogical practices familiar in preschool settings to the first class of primary school. Policy and practice guidance in the UK is advocating the benefits of experiential learning as a way of engaging young children as they move into primary school but for teachers this means a move to new…

Active Learning Strategies for the Mathematics Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kerrigan, John

2018-01-01

Active learning involves students engaging with course content beyond lecture: through writing, applets, simulations, games, and more (Prince, 2004). As mathematics is often viewed as a subject area that is taught using more traditional methods (Goldsmith & Mark, 1999), there are actually many simple ways to make undergraduate mathematics…

Using Web 2.0 to Support the Active Learning Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Jo; Chinn, Susan J.

2009-01-01

Increased attention to student engagement and active learning strategies have become particularly relevant in today's classroom environments. These approaches are also considered to be meaningful when teaching "net generation" students who have different styles and expectations. This study attempts to address these challenges through the…

College Student Activism: An Exploration of Learning Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosas, Marisela

2010-01-01

Researchers, politicians, and the public have criticized colleges and universities for not effectively preparing college students to be active participants in their communities and within a democratic society. Institutional initiatives on civic engagement have focused on community service and service-learning initiatives to meet this demand. The…

Facilitating Active Engagement of the University Student in a Large-Group Setting Using Group Work Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kinsella, Gemma K.; Mahon, Catherine; Lillis, Seamus

2017-01-01

It is envisaged that small-group exercises as part of a large-group session would facilitate not only group work exercises (a valuable employability skill), but also peer learning. In this article, such a strategy to facilitate the active engagement of the student in a large-group setting was explored. The production of student-led resources was…

Promoting 21st-Century Skills in the Science Classroom by Adapting Cookbook Lab Activities: The Case of DNA Extraction of Wheat Germ

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alozie, Nonye M.; Grueber, David J.; Dereski, Mary O.

2012-01-01

How can science instruction engage students in 21st-century skills and inquiry-based learning, even when doing simple labs in the classroom? We collaborated with teachers in professional development workshops to transform "cookbook" activities into engaging laboratory experiences. We show how to change the common classroom activity of DNA…

Observer roles that optimise learning in healthcare simulation education: a systematic review.

PubMed

O'Regan, Stephanie; Molloy, Elizabeth; Watterson, Leonie; Nestel, Debra

2016-01-01

Simulation is widely used in health professional education. The convention that learners are actively involved may limit access to this educational method. The aim of this paper is to review the evidence for learning methods that employ directed observation as an alternative to hands-on participation in scenario-based simulation training. We sought studies that included either direct comparison of the learning outcomes of observers with those of active participants or identified factors important for the engagement of observers in simulation. We systematically searched health and education databases and reviewed journals and bibliographies for studies investigating or referring to observer roles in simulation using mannequins, simulated patients or role play simulations. A quality framework was used to rate the studies. We sought studies that included either direct comparison of the learning outcomes of observers with those of active participants or identified factors important for the engagement of observers in simulation. We systematically searched health and education databases and reviewed journals and bibliographies for studies investigating or referring to observer roles in simulation using mannequins, simulated patients or role play simulations. A quality framework was used to rate the studies. Nine studies met the inclusion criteria. Five studies suggest learning outcomes in observer roles are as good or better than hands-on roles in simulation. Four studies document learner satisfaction in observer roles. Five studies used a tool to guide observers. Eight studies involved observers in the debrief. Learning and satisfaction in observer roles is closely associated with observer tools, learner engagement, role clarity and contribution to the debrief. Learners that valued observer roles described them as affording an overarching view, examination of details from a distance, and meaningful feedback during the debrief. Learners who did not value observer roles described them as passive, or boring when compared to hands-on engagement in the simulation encounter. Learning outcomes and role satisfaction for observers is improved through learner engagement and the use of observer tools. The value that students attach to observer roles appear contingent on role clarity, use of observer tools, and inclusion of observers' perspectives in the debrief.

Simple Activities for Powerful Impact

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

LaConte, K.; Shupla, C. B.; Dusenbery, P.; Harold, J. B.; Holland, A.

2016-12-01

STEM education is having a transformational impact on libraries across the country. The STAR Library Education Network (STAR_Net) provides free Science-Technology Activities & Resources that are helping libraries to engage their communities in STEM learning experiences. Hear the results of a national 2015 survey of library and STEM professionals and learn what STEM programming is currently in place in public libraries and how libraries approach and implement STEM programs. Experience hands-on space science activities that are being used in library programs with multiple age groups. Through these hands-on activities, learners explore the nature of science and employ science and engineering practices, including developing and using models, planning and carrying out investigations, and engaging in argument from evidence (NGSS Lead States, 2013). Learn how STAR_Net can help you print (free!) mini-exhibits and educator guides. Join STAR_Net's online community and access STEM resources and webinars to work with libraries in your local community.

Classroom Journal Club: Collaborative Study of Contemporary Primary Literature in the Biomechanics Classroom.

PubMed

Kuxhaus, Laurel; Corbiere, Nicole C

2016-07-01

Current engineering pedagogy primarily focuses on developing technical proficiency and problem solving skills; the peer-review process for sharing new research results is often overlooked. The use of a collaborative classroom journal club can engage students with the excitement of scientific discovery and the process of dissemination of research results, which are also important lifelong learning skills. In this work, a classroom journal club was implemented and a survey of student perceptions spanning three student cohorts was collected. In this collaborative learning activity, students regularly chose and discussed a recent biomechanics journal article, and were assessed based on specific, individual preparation tasks. Most student-chosen journal articles were relevant to topics discussed in the regular class lecture. Surveys assessed student perceptions of the activity. The survey responses show that, across all cohorts, students both enjoyed the classroom journal club and recognized it as an important learning experience. Many reported discussing their journal articles with others outside of the classroom, indicating good engagement. The results demonstrate that student engagement with primary literature can foster both technical knowledge and lifelong learning skills.

Self-regulated Learning in a Hybrid Science Course at a Community College

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manuelito, Shannon Joy

Community college students are attracted to courses with alternative delivery formats such as hybrid courses because the more flexible delivery associated with such courses provides convenience for busy students. In a hybrid course, face-to-face, structured seat time is exchanged for online components. In such courses, students take more responsibility for their learning because they assume additional responsibility for learning more of the course material on their own. Thus, self-regulated learning (SRL) behaviors have the potential to be useful for students to successfully navigate hybrid courses because the online components require exercise of more personal control over the autonomous learning situations inherent in hybrid courses. Self-regulated learning theory includes three components: metacognition, motivation, and behavioral actions. In the current study, this theoretical framework is used to examine how inducing self-regulated learning activities among students taking a hybrid course influence performance in a community college science course. The intervention for this action research study consisted of a suite of activities that engage students in self-regulated learning behaviors to foster student performance. The specific SRL activities included predicting grades, reflections on coursework and study efforts in course preparation logs, explanation of SRL procedures in response to a vignette, photo ethnography work on their personal use of SRL approaches, and a personalized study plan. A mixed method approach was employed to gather evidence for the study. Results indicate that community college students use a variety of self-regulated learning strategies to support their learning of course material. Further, engaging community college students in learning reflection activities appears to afford some students with opportunities to refine their SRL skills and influence their learning. The discussion focuses on integrating the quantitative and qualitative data and explanation of the findings using the SRL framework. Additionally, lessons learned, limitations, and implications for practice and research are discussed. Specifically, it is suggested that instructors can foster student learning in hybrid courses by teaching students to engage in SRL processes and behaviors rather than merely focusing on delivery of course content. Such SRL behaviors allow students to exercise greater control over the autonomous learning situations inherent in hybrid courses.

A Learning Cycle Approach To Introducing Osmosis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawson, Anton E.

2000-01-01

Presents an inquiry activity with a learning cycle approach to engage students in testing their own hypotheses about how molecules move through cell membranes. Offers student materials and teacher materials, including teaching tips for each phase of the learning cycle. (Contains 11 references.) (ASK)

Effects of Integrating an Active Learning-Promoting Mechanism into Location-Based Real-World Learning Environments on Students' Learning Performances and Behaviors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hwang, Gwo-Jen; Chang, Shao-Chen; Chen, Pei-Ying; Chen, Xiang-Ya

2018-01-01

Engaging students in real-world learning contexts has been identified by educators as being an important way of helping them learn to apply what they have learned from textbooks to practical problems. The advancements in mobile and image-processing technologies have enabled students to access learning resources and receive learning guidance in…

Remote Sensing Tertiary Education Meets High Intensity Interval Training

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joyce, K. E.; White, B.

2015-04-01

Enduring a traditional lecture is the tertiary education equivalent of a long, slow, jog. There are certainly some educational benefits if the student is able to maintain concentration, but they are just as likely to get caught napping and fall off the back end of the treadmill. Alternatively, a pre-choreographed interactive workshop style class requires students to continually engage with the materials. Appropriately timed breaks or intervals allow students to recover briefly before being increasingly challenged throughout the class. Using an introductory remote sensing class at Charles Darwin University, this case study presents a transition from the traditional stand and deliver style lecture to an active student-led learning experience. The class is taught at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, with both on-campus as well as online distance learning students. Based on the concept that active engagement in learning materials promotes 'stickiness' of subject matter, the remote sensing class was re-designed to encourage an active style of learning. Critically, class content was reviewed to identify the key learning outcomes for the students. This resulted in a necessary sacrifice of topic range for depth of understanding. Graduates of the class reported high levels of enthusiasm for the materials, and the style in which the class was taught. This paper details a number of techniques that were used to engage students in active and problem based learning throughout the semester. It suggests a number of freely available tools that academics in remote sensing and related fields can readily incorporate into their teaching portfolios. Moreover, it shows how simple it can be to provide a far more enjoyable and effective learning experience for students than the one dimensional lecture.

A pilot study assessing the value of 3D printed molecular modelling tools for pharmacy student education.

PubMed

Hall, Susan; Grant, Gary; Arora, Devinder; Karaksha, Abdullah; McFarland, Amelia; Lohning, Anna; Anoopkumar-Dukie, Shailendra

2017-07-01

Medicinal chemistry and pharmacology are difficult topics to both teach and learn given the complex nature of drug mechanisms and drug-receptor interactions. This highlights the need for innovative teaching methods to deliver this information to students. One such method is through three-dimensional (3D) printing of enzymes and ligands in the teaching of molecular modelling concepts relating to drug-receptor and enzyme interactions be ligands. This type of printing has been shown to be beneficial in several educational settings; however, to our knowledge, its effectiveness in pharmacy, medicinal chemistry and pharmacology learning and teaching is largely unknown. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate pharmacy student perceptions and the educational benefits of 3D printed molecules in molecular modelling with regards to engagement and learning outcomes when used in a drug-target interaction topic. This aim was achieved through administering students a short questionnaire designed to evaluate their engagement and learning outcomes with students also free to provide comments. This study found that nearly all (>90%) students found the activity was useful in improving both student engagement and learning outcomes. In conclusion, 3D printing may provide an alternative learning activity to help pharmacy students understand the drug-target interaction. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Group Active Engagement Exercises: Pursuing the Recommendations of "Vision and Change" in an Introductory Undergraduate Science Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jardine, Hannah E.; Levin, Daniel M.; Quimby, B. Booth; Cooke, Todd J.

2017-01-01

"Vision and Change in Undergraduate Education: A Call to Action," published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2011, suggested cultivating biological literacy and practicing more student-centered learning in undergraduate life sciences education. We report here on the use of Group Active Engagement (GAE)…

Actively Engaging Students in Culture, Gender, and Class Issues in Medieval Literature

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Donnelly, Colleen E.

2017-01-01

Students often find it difficult to understand literature of another era and a world that differs from their own. From interacting with illuminated manuscript pages to conducting a mock trial, this article discusses ways in which visual and active learning techniques can be used to engage students in medieval literature and culture.

Assessment as a Scholarly Activity?: Faculty Perceptions of and Willingness to Engage in Student Learning Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Xueli; Hurley, Sarah

2012-01-01

Analysis of survey data collected at a liberal arts college suggests that faculty perception of assessment as a scholarly activity has a significant relationship with willingness to engage in assessment. This finding indicates the importance of focusing on the scholarly nature of assessment when encouraging faculty participation in assessment…

Introduction to the Spring 2014 ConfChem on the Flipped Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luker, Chris; Muzyka, Jennifer; Belford, Robert

2015-01-01

Students' active engagement is one of the most critical challenges to any successful learning environment. The blending of active engagement along with rich, meaningful content is necessary for chemical educators to re-examine the purpose of the chemistry classroom. The Spring 2014 ConfChem conference, Flipped Classroom, was held from May 9 to…

NASA’s Universe of Learning: Girls STEAM Ahead

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marcucci, Emma; Meinke, Bonnie K.; Smith, Denise A.; Ryer, Holly; Slivinski, Carolyn; Kenney, Jessica; Arcand, Kimberly K.; Cominsky, Lynn R.; Girls STEAM Ahead with NASA Team

2017-10-01

NASA Science Mission Directorate’s Universe of Learning (UoL) program enables scientists and engineers to more effectively engage with learners of all ages. The Girls STEAM Ahead with NASA education program within UoL, expands upon the former program, NASA Science4Girls and Their Families, in celebration of National Women’s History Month. The initiative partners the NASA’s Universe of Learning science education program resources with public libraries to provide NASA-themed activities for girls and their families, including hands-on activities for engaging girls, complementary exhibits, and professional development for library partner staff. The science-institute-embedded partners in NASA’s UoL are uniquely poised to foster collaboration between scientists with content expertise and educators with pedagogy expertise. The thematic topics related to NASA Astrophysics enable audiences to experience the full range of NASA scientific and technical disciplines and the different career skills each requires. The events focus on engaging underserved and underrepresented audiences in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) via use of research-based best practices, collaborations with libraries, partnerships with local and national organizations (e.g. National Girls Collaborative Project or NGCP), and remote engagement of audiences. This presentation will provide an overview of the program progress related to engaging girls and their families in NASA-based science programming.

Assessing instructor intervention upon the perceptions, attitudes, and anxieties of community college biology students toward cooperative learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gafford, Kenneth Allen

The differences between two experimental groups using cooperative learning activities were examined during the initial eight weeks of a biology course. While both groups participated in the same cooperative learning activities, only one group received deliberate instructor interventions. These interventions were designed to help students think positively about working in cooperative learning groups while alleviating anxiety toward cooperative learning. Initially, all students were uncomfortable and reported trouble staying focused during cooperative learning. The final quantitative results indicated that the group who received the interventions had more positive perceptions toward cooperative learning but their attitudes and anxiety levels showed no significant difference from the non-intervention group; advantages occurred specifically for thinking on task, student engagement, perceptions of task importance, and best levels of challenge and skill. Intervention participants had a higher mean score on the class exam administered during the eight-week study but it was not significantly different. Qualitative data revealed that the intervention participants experienced greater overall consequence, mainly in the areas of engagement, believed skill, and self-worth. According to flow theory, when students are actively engaged, the probability of distraction by fears and unrelated ideas is reduced, for instance, how they are perceived by others. These findings corroborate constructivist theories, particularly the ones relative to students working in cooperative groups. Researchers should continue to use appropriate methods to further explore how students of various abilities and developmental levels are affected by their perceptions, attitudes, and anxieties relative to different instructional contexts. Given the highly contextual nature of students' learning and motivation, researchers need to examine a number of meaningful questions by comparing students' perceptions, attitudes, and anxieties toward cooperative learning with other methods of instruction.

"If You Want to Win, You Have to Learn to Get Along:" Youth Talk about Their Participation in Extracurricular Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dworkin, Jodi; Bremer, Karin Lindstrom

2004-01-01

Young people report being both emotionally and cognitively engaged in youth activities in ways they are not in other parts of their lives. Research has identified six developmental processes that categorize youths' growth experiences in their activities. These include identity work; developing initiative; learning, emotional competencies;…

Who Assigns the Most ICT Activities? Examining the Relationship between Teacher and Student Usage

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hsu, Shihkuan

2011-01-01

The expansion of information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure in schools is expected to promote learning. To what extent teachers are utilizing the new ICT tools to engage students in learning activities remains a question. This study reports what kind of activities teachers are likely to assign students, and what type of teachers…

Using Group Drawings Activities to Facilitate the Understanding of the Systemic Aspects of Projects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arantes do Amaral, João Alberto; Hess, Aurélio; Gonçalves, Paulo; Rodrigues, Vinícius Picanço

2017-01-01

In this article, we present our findings regarding promoting group drawing activities in order to facilitate the learning of systemic aspects of projects. We discuss the approach we used to engage the students and foster learning in our classes. We used group drawing activities in two project management undergraduate courses. The courses, which…

Levels of Engagement and Barriers to Physical Activity in a Population of Adults with Learning Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hawkins, Andrew; Look, Roger

2006-01-01

This study examined levels of, and barriers to, physical activity in a population of 19 adults with learning disabilities living in community supported accommodation, using diary records and semi-structured interviews with staff. The levels of physical activity were higher in the sample population than previous figures for adults with learning…

Throwing Paper Wads in the Chemistry Classroom: Really Active Student Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Orvis, Jessica N.; Orvis, Jeffrey A.

2005-01-01

Active engagement in the classroom is one of the best tools available for overcoming conceptual difficulties. Science educators agree that students of all ages learn more by participating actively in the interpretation of scientific phenomena (NAS 2003; NSF 1998). In this article, the authors describe demonstrations in class using paper wads as an…

Informal Adult Learning and Everyday Literacy Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, Maurice C.

2006-01-01

This study investigated the types of informal learning activities that adults with low literacy skills engage in outside of formal literacy programs and how these activities relate to their literacy practices. Key informants for the study included 10 adults identified at International Adult Literacy Survey levels 1 and 2. Using ethnographic…

Collaborative Learning in Online Courses: Exploring Students' Perceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Faja, Silvana

2013-01-01

Virtual collaborative activities have the potential to keep students engaged, create a sense of community in online courses and allow them to experience and practice virtual teamwork skills. This study presents an attempt to explore students' perceptions of online collaborative learning involving both process and product oriented activities. The…

Integrating Social Media Technologies in Higher Education: Costs-Benefits Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Okoro, Ephraim

2012-01-01

Social networking and electronic channels of communication are effective tools in the process of teaching and learning and have increasingly improved the quality of students' learning outcomes in higher education in recent years. The process encourages students' active engagement, collaboration, and participation in class activities and group…

Prairie Stories

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robertson, Amy; Blake, Kathryn

2011-01-01

Stories read aloud or written by students help science come alive and engage students as active participants in their learning. Students gain a sense of place by learning about their local ecosystem by listening to stories read aloud, doing prairie-related activities, and writing stories of their own. This article describes a prairie unit that…

Quality Time after School: What Instructors Can Do To Enhance Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grossman, Jean; Campbell, Margo; Raley, Becca

2007-01-01

Improving the quality of out-of-school time activities and creating effective learning environments is of keen interest to practitioners, funders and policymakers. Funded by The William Penn Foundation, "Quality Time After School" identifies characteristics of after-school activities that are linked to youth engagement and learning…

Targeting Efficient Studying--First-Semester Psychology Students' Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Öhrstedt, Maria; Scheja, Max

2018-01-01

Background: How students go about studying, including the learning activities that students engage in both during and between classes, is not easily understood. Previous research indicates that critical student features, such as approaches to learning and decisions of how to organise studying activities, develop in bidirectional interactions…

Finance Students' Experiences of Lecture-Based Active Learning Tasks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCullough, Kerry; Munro, Nicholas

2018-01-01

Consistent with current higher education concerns with student engagement and the student experience, this study explored third-year undergraduate Finance students' experiences of lecture-based active learning tasks. Finance students from the 2012 and 2014 cohorts from a South African university were invited to complete an anonymous questionnaire…

Co-Regulation and Knowledge Construction in an Online Synchronous Problem Based Learning Setting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Lila; Lajoie, Susanne P.; Poitras, Eric G.; Nkangu, Miriam; Doleck, Tenzin

2017-01-01

Learning to monitor and regulate one's learning in an academic setting is a task that all students must engage in. Learning in "group" situations requires both self- and co-regulation. This research examines a case study of a small group of medical student interactions during an on-line problem based learning activity (PBL) where…

ICT-Based Learning Personalization Affordance in the Context of Implementation of Constructionist Learning Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ignatova, Natalija; Dagiene, Valentina; Kubilinskiene, Svetlana

2015-01-01

How to enable students to create a personalized learning environment? What are the criteria of evaluation of the ICT-based learning process personalization affordance? These questions are answered by conducting multiple case study research of the innovative ICT-based learning process in iTEC (Innovative Technologies for Engaging Classrooms)…

Men's Sheds--Sharing Knowledge and Learning in the Company of Men

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carragher, Lucia; Golding, Barry

2016-01-01

Despite evidence of the benefits of learning for well-being across diverse groups, little is known about older men's experiences of learning, the factors that influence whether they choose to engage in learning activities and what role learning plays in their lives as they grow older. The present study examines the attitudes and learning…

Designing Authentic Learning Activities to Train Pre-Service Teachers about Teaching Online

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luo, Tian; Murray, Alexander; Crompton, Helen

2017-01-01

Online learning is increasingly being used in K-12 learning environments. A concomitant trend is found towards learning becoming "authentic" as students learn with tasks that are connected to real world occupations. In this study, 48 pre-service teachers use an online environment to engage in authentic practice as they developed online…

Measuring the Differences between Traditional Learning and Game-Based Learning Using Electroencephalography (EEG) Physiologically Based Methodology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Ching-Huei

2017-01-01

Students' cognitive states can reflect a learning experience that results in engagement in an activity. In this study, we used electroencephalography (EEG) physiologically based methodology to evaluate students' levels of attention and relaxation, as well as their learning performance within a traditional and game-based learning context. While no…

Facilitating and Bridging Out-of-Class and In-Class Learning: An Interactive E-Book-Based Flipped Learning Approach for Math Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hwang, Gwo-Jen; Lai, Chiu-Lin

2017-01-01

Flipped learning is a well-recognized learning mode that reverses the traditional in-class instruction arrangement by delivering learning content outside of the classroom and engaging students in more activities in class. However, it remains a challenge for students to comprehend the learning material by themselves, particularly when learning…

Cultural Sustainability of African Canadian Heritage: Engaging Students in Learning, the Past, the Present and the Future

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Finlayson, Maureen

2015-01-01

The focus of this research is cultural sustainability of African Canadian heritage. Research literature informs us that engaging youth in educational programmes at the local level is fundamental to sustainability discussions. Furthermore, students must be actively engaged in their African Canadian past, present and future education. However, there…

Construction Students Aid in Hurricane Recovery Efforts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Massiha, G. H.; Houston, Shelton

2010-01-01

According to Jacoby (1996), service-learning, officially defined in 1967, is "a form of experiential education in which students engage in activities that address human and community needs together with structured opportunities intentionally designed to promote student learning and development." Service-learning combines academic study,…

Virtual Museum Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prosser, Dominic; Eddisford, Susan

2004-01-01

This paper examines children's and adults' attitudes to virtual representations of museum objects. Drawing on empirical research data gained from two web-based digital learning environments. The paper explores the characteristics of on-line learning activities that move children from a sense of wonder into meaningful engagement with objects and…

Transform Modern Language Learning through Mobile Devices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tuttle, Harry Grover

2013-01-01

College professors can transform their modern language classes through mobile devices. Their students' learning becomes more active, more personalized, more contextual, and more culturally authentic as illustrated through the author's modern language mobile learning classroom examples. In addition, their students engage in many diverse types of…

Impact of engaging middle management in practice interventions on staff support and learning culture: a quasi-experimental design.

PubMed

Henderson, Amanda; Burmeister, Liz; Schoonbeek, Sue; Ossenberg, Christine; Gneilding, Julieanne

2014-11-01

This study evaluated the impact of different levels of engaging middle management in ward based strategies implemented by a project educator. The challenge for learning in practice is to develop effective teams where experienced staff engage and foster learning with students and other novice staff. A quasi-experimental pre- and post- intervention four group design was conducted from November 2009 to May 2010 across four general surgical and four general medical inpatient matched units in two settings in South East Queensland, Australia. Staff survey data was used to compare control and intervention groups (one actively engaging nurse managers) before and after 'practice learning' interventions. The survey comprised demographic data and data from two validated scales (support instrument for nurses facilitating learning and clinical learning organisational culture). Number of surveys returned pre- and post-intervention was 336 from 713 (47%). There were significant differences across many subscales pertaining to staff perception of support in the intervention groups, with only one change in the control group. The number of significant different subscales in the learning culture was also greater when middle management supported the intervention. Middle management should work closely with facilitators to assist embedding practice interventions. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Virtual Learning Environment for Interactive Engagement with Advanced Quantum Mechanics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pedersen, Mads Kock; Skyum, Birk; Heck, Robert; Müller, Romain; Bason, Mark; Lieberoth, Andreas; Sherson, Jacob F.

2016-06-01

A virtual learning environment can engage university students in the learning process in ways that the traditional lectures and lab formats cannot. We present our virtual learning environment StudentResearcher, which incorporates simulations, multiple-choice quizzes, video lectures, and gamification into a learning path for quantum mechanics at the advanced university level. StudentResearcher is built upon the experiences gathered from workshops with the citizen science game Quantum Moves at the high-school and university level, where the games were used extensively to illustrate the basic concepts of quantum mechanics. The first test of this new virtual learning environment was a 2014 course in advanced quantum mechanics at Aarhus University with 47 enrolled students. We found increased learning for the students who were more active on the platform independent of their previous performances.

Individual and Contextual Factors Influencing Engagement in Learning Activities after Errors at Work: A Replication Study in a German Retail Bank

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leicher, Veronika; Mulder, Regina H.

2016-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this replication study is to identify relevant individual and contextual factors influencing learning from errors at work and to determine if the predictors for learning activities are the same for the domains of nursing and retail banking. Design/methodology/approach: A cross-sectional replication study was carried out in…

Designing Science Learning Environments That Support Emerging Bilingual Students to Problematize Electrical Phenomena

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suarez, Enrique A.

This dissertation investigates how emerging bilingual students make sense of natural phenomena through engaging in certain epistemic practices of science, and the elements of the learning environment that created those opportunities. Specifically, the dissertation focuses on how emerging bilingual students problematized electrical phenomena, like electric flow and electrical resistance, and how the design features of the environment (e.g., sequencing of activities, linguistic practices) may have supported students as they made sense of phenomena. The first study describes how for students presented and evaluated mechanistic models of electric flow, focusing specifically on how students identified and negotiated a disagreement between their explanatory models. The results from this study highlight the complexity of students' disagreements, not only because of the epistemological aspects related to presenting and evaluating knowledge, but also due to interpersonal dynamics and the discomfort associated with disagreeing with another person. The second study focuses on the design features of the learning environment that supported emerging bilingual students' investigations of electrical phenomena. The findings from this study highlight how a carefully designed set of activities, with the appropriate material resources (e.g., experimental tools), could support students to problematize electrical resistance. The third study describes how emerging bilingual students engaged in translanguaging practices and the contextual features of the learning environment that created and hindered opportunities for translanguaging. The findings from this study identify and articulate how emerging bilingual students engaged in translanguaging practices when problematizing electrical resistance, and strengthen the perspective that, in order to be equitable for emerging bilingual students, science learning environments need to act as translanguaging spaces. This dissertation makes three contributions to how science educators understand how elementary-aged emerging bilingual students learning science. First, I offer a detailed account of how emerging bilingual students engaged in epistemic practices to problematize electrical phenomena. Secondly, I argue learning environments need to create opportunities for emerging bilingual students to engage in productive epistemic work through leveraging multiple kinds of resources from their semiotic repertoires. Finally, this dissertation contributes to our understanding of how emerging bilingual students engage in translanguaging practices as they investigate and talk about the natural world.

Exploring Students' Language Awareness through Intercultural Communication in Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yang, Yu-Fen

2013-01-01

Students seldom think about language unless they are instructed to do so or are made to do so during learning activities. To arouse students' awareness while learning English for Specific Purposes (ESP), this study formed a computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) community to engage teachers and students from different domains and…

Playground Exploration: An Opportunity for Incidental Learning of Mechanical Principles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lyons, Brian

2005-01-01

Play involves unstructured activity that is freely entered into and intrinsically rewarding. When children engage in play there is little intentional learning. There are no lesson plans. There are no daily objectives or specific learning outcomes. Incidental learning can cause relatively permanent changes in the way one thinks; accidental learning…

Mindtool-Assisted In-Field Learning (MAIL): An Advanced Ubiquitous Learning Project in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hwang, Gwo-Jen; Hung, Pi-Hsia; Chen, Nian-Shing; Liu, Gi-Zen

2014-01-01

Scholars have identified that learning in an authentic environment with quality contextual and procedural supports can engage students in thorough observations and knowledge construction. Moreover, the target is that students are able to experience and make sense of all of the learning activities in the real-world environment with meaningful…

Assessing Learning in a Sociology Department: What Do Students Say That They Learn?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bandini, Julia; Shostak, Sara; Cunningham, David; Cadge, Wendy

2016-01-01

Assessment plays a central role in evaluating and strengthening student learning in higher education, and sociology departments, in particular, have increasingly become interested in engaging in assessment activities to better understand students' learning. This qualitative study builds on previous research on assessment by asking what students in…

Special Issues on Learning Strategies: Parallels and Contrasts between Australian and Chinese Tertiary Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yao, Yuzuo

2017-01-01

Learning strategies are crucial to student learning in higher education. In this paper, there are comparisons of student engagement, feedback mechanism and workload arrangements at some typical universities in Australia and China, which are followed by practical suggestions for active learning. First, an inclusive class would allow learners from…

Center-Based Teaching and Children's Learning: The Effects of Learning Centers on Young Children's Growth and Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bottini, Michael; Grossman, Sue

2005-01-01

Many early childhood professionals recommend the use of learning centers in classrooms for young children (Kostelnik, Soderman, & Whiren, 2004). Centers provide children with opportunities for making choices, working with others, being involved in hands-on activities, and becoming fully engaged in learning. In contrast, traditional classroom…

Keeping Students in by Sending Them Out: Retention and Service-Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yob, Iris M.

2014-01-01

This review of recent literature examines the research on the impact of service-learning on student retention. The theoretical framework of the review draws on both Tinto's model of student attrition and Knowles's theory of adult learning, which together suggest that academic and social integration, active participation and engagement in learning,…

Teachers' Experiences with Integrating Play-Based Learning into Standards-Driven Curriculum: A Phenomenological Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nugent, Mary Beth Anderson

2017-01-01

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe kindergarten teachers' experiences with integrating play-based learning into standards-based academic curriculum in a school district in South Carolina. Play-based learning experiences were defined as instances which allow children to engage in active, social learning experiences in…

What Are Drivers for Informal Learning?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schürmann, Eva; Beausaert, Simon

2016-01-01

Purpose: The topic of informal learning at work has received increasing attention in the past years. The purpose of this study is to explore in which informal learning activities employees engage and what are the drivers for informal learning. Design/Methodology/Approach: Semi-structured interviews were taken from ten human resources (HR) and ten…

Negotiating Energy Dynamics through Embodied Action in a Materially Structured Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scherr, Rachel E.; Close, Hunter G.; Close, Eleanor W.; Flood, Virginia J.; McKagan, Sarah B.; Robertson, Amy D.; Seeley, Lane; Wittmann, Michael C.; Vokos, Stamatis

2013-01-01

We provide evidence that a learning activity called Energy Theater engages learners with key conceptual issues in the learning of energy, including disambiguating matter flow and energy flow and theorizing mechanisms for energy transformation. A participationist theory of learning, in which learning is indicated by changes in speech and behavior,…

Does the Sound of a Barking Dog Activate its Corresponding Visual Form? An fMRI Investigation of Modality-Specific Semantic Access

PubMed Central

Reilly, Jamie; Garcia, Amanda; Binney, Richard J.

2016-01-01

Much remains to be learned about the neural architecture underlying word meaning. Fully distributed models of semantic memory predict that the sound of a barking dog will conjointly engage a network of distributed sensorimotor spokes. An alternative framework holds that modality-specific features additionally converge within transmodal hubs. Participants underwent functional MRI while covertly naming familiar objects versus newly learned novel objects from only one of their constituent semantic features (visual form, characteristic sound, or point-light motion representation). Relative to the novel object baseline, familiar concepts elicited greater activation within association regions specific to that presentation modality. Furthermore, visual form elicited activation within high-level auditory association cortex. Conversely, environmental sounds elicited activation in regions proximal to visual association cortex. Both conditions commonly engaged a putative hub region within lateral anterior temporal cortex. These results support hybrid semantic models in which local hubs and distributed spokes are dually engaged in service of semantic memory. PMID:27289210

Introducing computational thinking through hands-on projects using R with applications to calculus, probability and data analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benakli, Nadia; Kostadinov, Boyan; Satyanarayana, Ashwin; Singh, Satyanand

2017-04-01

The goal of this paper is to promote computational thinking among mathematics, engineering, science and technology students, through hands-on computer experiments. These activities have the potential to empower students to learn, create and invent with technology, and they engage computational thinking through simulations, visualizations and data analysis. We present nine computer experiments and suggest a few more, with applications to calculus, probability and data analysis, which engage computational thinking through simulations, visualizations and data analysis. We are using the free (open-source) statistical programming language R. Our goal is to give a taste of what R offers rather than to present a comprehensive tutorial on the R language. In our experience, these kinds of interactive computer activities can be easily integrated into a smart classroom. Furthermore, these activities do tend to keep students motivated and actively engaged in the process of learning, problem solving and developing a better intuition for understanding complex mathematical concepts.

Looking through the lenses of science literacy and cultural diversity: learning from Helena's mistake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chinn, Pauline W. U.

2012-06-01

Maria Andrée focuses on an immigrant student whose error in a laboratory activity leads to a novel, colorful outcome that she excitedly shares with peers. After engaging in class activities for a few weeks she returns to her earlier dislike of science, saying: "I hate science, particularly Chemistry." The classroom activity system focused on reproduction of school knowledge did not expand to accommodate Helena's "new activity system with an object of learning science." This essay suggests teachers be prepared to teach diverse students in ways supporting multiple ways to engage in science. This becomes possible when teachers view their classrooms as dynamic, participatory activity systems that support content mastery as contributing to but not being identical to science identity and science literacy.

Intrinsic Motivation and Engagement as "Active Ingredients" in Garden-Based Education: Examining Models and Measures Derived from Self-Determination Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Skinner, Ellen A.; Chi, Una

2012-01-01

Building on self-determination theory, this study presents a model of intrinsic motivation and engagement as "active ingredients" in garden-based education. The model was used to create reliable and valid measures of key constructs, and to guide the empirical exploration of motivational processes in garden-based learning. Teacher- and…

Learning for sustainability among faith-based organizations in Kenya.

PubMed

Moyer, Joanne M; Sinclair, A John; Diduck, Alan P

2014-08-01

The complex and unpredictable contexts in which environmental and development work take place require an adaptable, learning approach. Faith-based organizations (FBOs) play a significant role in sustainability work around the world, and provide a unique setting in which to study learning. This paper explores individual learning for sustainability within two FBOs engaged in sustainability work in Kenya. Learning outcomes covered a broad range of areas, including the sustainability framework, environment/conservation, skills, community work, interpersonal engagement, and personal and faith development. These outcomes were acquired through embodied experience and activity, facilitation by the workplace, interpersonal interaction, personal reflection, and Bible study and worship. Grounded categories were compared to learning domains and processes described by Mezirow's transformative learning theory. The findings indicate that for learning in the sustainability field, instrumental learning and embodied learning processes are particularly important, and consequently they require greater attention in the theory when applied in this field.

Learning for Sustainability Among Faith-Based Organizations in Kenya

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moyer, Joanne M.; Sinclair, A. John; Diduck, Alan P.

2014-08-01

The complex and unpredictable contexts in which environmental and development work take place require an adaptable, learning approach. Faith-based organizations (FBOs) play a significant role in sustainability work around the world, and provide a unique setting in which to study learning. This paper explores individual learning for sustainability within two FBOs engaged in sustainability work in Kenya. Learning outcomes covered a broad range of areas, including the sustainability framework, environment/conservation, skills, community work, interpersonal engagement, and personal and faith development. These outcomes were acquired through embodied experience and activity, facilitation by the workplace, interpersonal interaction, personal reflection, and Bible study and worship. Grounded categories were compared to learning domains and processes described by Mezirow's transformative learning theory. The findings indicate that for learning in the sustainability field, instrumental learning and embodied learning processes are particularly important, and consequently they require greater attention in the theory when applied in this field.

Flipping the Composing Process: Collaborative Drafting and Résumé Writing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anders, Abram

2016-01-01

This article argues for a flipped learning approach to business and professional communication composing processes. Flipped learning sequences can scaffold more robust engagement with prewriting activities and support opportunities for in-class collaborative and facilitated drafting exercises. These types of learning experiences offer numerous…

Experiential Education: Enhancing the Liberal Arts Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Graff, Elissa R.

2013-01-01

This mixed-methods study combined a survey instrument, the Learning Style Inventory (LSI), with a selected group of follow-up interviews for the purpose of determining how experiential practices affected student engagement and learning. Quantitative data analysis established students' preferences for more active involvement in learning practices…

Maximizing Learning for Students with Special Needs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watkins, Deborah Edelman

2005-01-01

Providing a supportive learning environment and engaging students with a variety of abilities in effective learning activities requires a great deal of proficiency that extends beyond knowledge of subject content. Diverse classrooms challenge teachers to understand and accept the existence of academic, behavioral, and cultural diversity. Teachers…

Addressing Information Literacy through Student-Centered Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bond, Paul

2016-01-01

This case study describes several courses that resulted from a teaching partnership between an instructional technologist/professor and a librarian that evolved over several semesters, and the information literacy implications of the course formats. In order to increase student engagement, active learning and inquiry-based learning techniques were…

Conceptual and practical foundations of patient engagement in research at the patient-centered outcomes research institute.

PubMed

Frank, Lori; Forsythe, Laura; Ellis, Lauren; Schrandt, Suzanne; Sheridan, Sue; Gerson, Jason; Konopka, Kristen; Daugherty, Sarah

2015-05-01

To provide an overview of PCORI's approach to engagement in research. The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) was established in 2010 to fund patient-centered comparative effectiveness research. Requirements for research funding from PCORI include meaningful engagement of patients and other stakeholders in the research. PCORI's approach to engagement in research is guided by a conceptual model of patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR), that provides a structure for understanding engagement in research. To understand and improve engagement in research PCORI is learning from awardees and other stakeholders. Those efforts are described along with PCORI's capacity building and guidance to awardees via the Engagement Rubric. PCORI's unique model of engaging patients and other stakeholders in merit review of funding applications is also described. Additional support for learning about engagement in research is provided through specific research funding and through PCORI's major infrastructure initiative, PCORnet. PCORI requires engagement of stakeholders in the research it funds. In addition PCORI engages stakeholders in activities including review of funding applications and establishment of CER research infrastructure through PCORnet. The comprehensive approach to engagement is being evaluated to help guide the field toward promising practices in research engagement.

A comparison of in-class learner engagement across lecture, problem-based learning, and team learning using the STROBE classroom observation tool.

PubMed

Kelly, P Adam; Haidet, Paul; Schneider, Virginia; Searle, Nancy; Seidel, Charles L; Richards, Boyd F

2005-01-01

Having recently introduced team learning into the preclinical medical curriculum, evidence of the relative impact of this instructional method on in-class learner engagement was sought. To compare patterns of engagement behaviors among learners in class sessions across 3 distinct instructional methods: lecture, problem-based learning (PBL), and team learning. Trained observers used the STROBE classroom observation tool to measure learner engagement in 7 lecture, 4 PBL, and 3 team learning classrooms over a 12-month period. Proportions of different types of engagement behaviors were compared using chi-square. In PBL and team learning, the amount of learner-to-learner engagement was similar and much greater than in lecture, where most engagement was of the learner-to-instructor and self-engagement types. Also, learner-to-instructor engagement appeared greater in team learning than in PBL. Observed engagement behaviors confirm the potential of team learning to foster engagement similar to PBL, but with greater faculty input.

Science Activities Pre-K-3: The Leaves are Falling in Rainbows.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knight, Michael; Graham, Terry

Opportunities to learn and discover surround a young child every day. The activities and ideas within this book have been formulated to encourage a child's natural curiosity and sense of wonder and to engage all the child's senses in learning and discovery. The activities focus on the child as a natural explorer and involve children in identifying…

Science engagement and science achievement in the context of science instruction: a multilevel analysis of U.S. students and schools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grabau, Larry J.; Ma, Xin

2017-05-01

Using data from the 2006 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), we explored nine aspects of science engagement (science self-efficacy, science self-concept, enjoyment of science, general interest in learning science, instrumental motivation for science, future-oriented science motivation, general value of science, personal value of science, and science-related activities) as outcomes and predictors of science achievement. Based on results from multilevel modelling with 4456 students nested within 132 schools, we found that all aspects of science engagement were statistically significantly and positively related to science achievement, and nearly all showed medium or large effect sizes. Each aspect was positively associated with one of the (four) practices (strategies) of science teaching. Focus on applications or models was positively related to the most aspects of science engagement (science self-concept, enjoyment of science, instrumental motivation for science, general value of science, and personal value of science). Hands-on activities were positively related to additional aspects of science engagement (science self-efficacy and general interest in learning science) and also showed a positive relationship with science achievement.

Active Classroom Participation in a Group Scribbles Primary Science Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Wenli; Looi, Chee-Kit

2011-01-01

A key stimulus of learning efficacy for students in the classroom is active participation and engagement in the learning process. This study examines the nature of teacher-student and student-student discourse when leveraged by an interactive technology--Group Scribbles (GS) in a Primary 5 Science classroom in Singapore which supports rapid…

Implementation of Guidelines for Effective Fieldwork Designs: Exploring Learning Activities, Learning Processes, and Student Engagement in the Classroom and the Field

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Remmen, Kari Beate; Frøyland, Merethe

2014-01-01

Teachers find the implementation of fieldwork challenging. Therefore, this study investigates two teachers' implementation of theoretical guidelines for student-centered fieldwork activities, following their participation in a professional development course focusing on earth science fieldwork pedagogy. Video observation and instructional…

Effects of Online Mentoring in Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning Environments: Mentor Presence and Cognitive Engagement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dorner, Helga

2012-01-01

This study examines online mentor roles and effects with the online mentoring process in computer-supported collaborative learning environments in communities of in-service teachers. Interest in the online mentors' activity encompassed their participation in the online interactions, the influence of their activity on participants' patterns of…

Do Active Learning Approaches in Recitation Sections Improve Student Performance? A Case Study from an Introductory Mechanics Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tobin, R. G.

2018-01-01

Abundant research leaves little question that pedagogical approaches involving active student engagement with the material, and opportunities for student-to-student discussions, lead to much better learning outcomes than traditional instructor-led, expository instructional formats, in physics and in many other fields. In introductory college…

Transforming Principles into Practice: Using Cognitive Active Learning Strategies in the High School Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swiderski, Suzanne M.

2011-01-01

High school teachers who engage students through active learning in their classrooms can more fully understand this instructional practice by examining the theories and strategies underlying the cognitive perspective of educational psychology, which addresses the development of knowledge in the individual mind. Two theoretical explanations,…

Inter-Level Scaffolding and Sequences of Representational Activities in Teaching a Chemical System with Graphical Simulations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Na; Black, John B.

2016-01-01

Chemistry knowledge can be represented at macro-, micro- and symbolic levels, and learning a chemistry topic requires students to engage in multiple representational activities. This study focused on scaffolding for inter-level connection-making in learning chemistry knowledge with graphical simulations. We also tested whether different sequences…

Bingo!: An Engaging Activity for Learning Physiological Terms in Psychology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vanags, Thea; George, Amanda M.; Grace, Diana M.; Brown, Patricia M.

2012-01-01

Brain Bingo is a tutorial activity for helping undergraduate psychology students learn complex physiological terms. In two experiments, the authors tested pretest and posttest knowledge, and in Experiment 2, the authors tested retention after 5 weeks. In Experiment 1 (n = 41), the experimental group (Brain Bingo) recalled more terms than the…

Endogenous Fantasy and Learning in Digital Games

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Habgood, M. P. J.; Ainsworth, S. E.; Benford, S.

2005-01-01

Many people believe that educational games are effective because they motivate children to actively engage in a learning activity as part of playing the game. However, seminal work by Malone, exploring the motivational aspects of digital games, concluded that the educational effectiveness of a digital game depends on the way in which learning…

Promoting Social and Health Advocacy in the Classroom through Service Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wyatt, Tammy Jordan; Peterson, Fred L.

2008-01-01

The ability to advocate for personal, family, and community health represents an essential skill for a health literate individual. By providing opportunities to successfully engage in health advocacy and service learning activities, students may be motivated to become life-long advocates for health and continue to actively advocate and participate…

Utilizing Field-Based Instruction as an Effective Teaching Strategy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kozar, Joy M.; Marcketti, Sara B.

2008-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of field-based instruction on student learning outcomes. Researchers in the past have noted the importance of engaging students on a deeper level through the use of active course designs. To investigate the outcomes of active learning, two field assignments created for two separate…

Guided Imagery in the Classroom: An Enhancement to Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herr, Kay U.

The use of guided imagery meshes with recent insights into right and left brain learning. Guided imagery engages the right brain processes such as imagination, emotion, creative, and intuitive activities. While much instruction is concerned with left brain activity, that is, the processsing of information through words, the addition of right brain…

Young Children's Engagement and Learning Opportunities in a Cooking Activity with Parents and Older Siblings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Finn, Lauren; Vandermaas-Peeler, Maureen

2013-01-01

Parents teach their children through informal social interactions in a process known as guided participation (Rogoff, 1990). Although most research focuses on parent-child dyads, young children also learn from older siblings and parents through shared participation in daily activities. Utilizing a structured observational design, the authors…

Xtranormal Learning for Millennials: An Innovative Tool for Group Projects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stratton, Micheal T.; Julien, Mark

2014-01-01

Encouraging students to actively engage with course material is an ongoing challenge for many management educators. One common tactic is to use various technologies that allow tech-savvy Millennial Generation students to take a more active role in their learning. In this article, we describe an innovative group project that challenges students to…

Getting Students Outside: Using Technology as a Way to Stimulate Engagement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boyce, Carrie J.; Mishra, Chandrani; Halverson, Kristy L.; Thomas, Aimée K.

2014-12-01

Informal environments provide students with unique experiences that allow them to actively participate in activities while promoting a positive attitude toward and an increased interest in science. One way to enhance informal science experiences is through the integration of mobile technologies. This integration is particularly useful in engaging underrepresented students in learning science. Our informal environmental science program engages underrepresented, fifth-grade students in an informal learning environment supplemented with mobile tablet technology (iPads). The purpose of this study was to explore how fifth-grade students interacted with nature using mobile technology during a nature hike series. Participants included 55 fifth-grade students from two low-income schools. We found that students used the mobile technology to explore nature and stay engaged throughout the hike. The iPads were used as references, data collectors, and engagement tools. Students had an intense desire in returning to the site and responded positively toward interacting with nature. Prior research has indicated that students in this age group are likely to lose interest in science and the incorporation of field-friendly technology that engages students with nature, not technology alone, is a useful tool for keeping students interested in science.

The effects of Team-Based Learning on learning behaviors in the maternal-child nursing course.

PubMed

Cheng, Ching-Yu; Liou, Shwu-Ru; Tsai, Hsiu-Min; Chang, Chia-Hao

2014-01-01

The Team-Based Learning (TBL) method has been used as a teaching strategy in many disciplines. It is instructor-led, learner-centered learning with functions similar to those of problem-based learning, but it is more cost-effective. However, little is known about the application of TBL to nursing education. The objectives of the study are to employ the TBL approach in a Maternal-Child Nursing course and to evaluate its effects on learning outcomes. We present one-group pretest-posttest research design with the intervention of the TBL teaching strategy. The study was conducted in one of the nursing universities in Taiwan. One-hundred-four students in 2011 and 103 students in 2012 in an RN-to-BSN program who enrolled in the Maternal-Child Nursing course participated in this study. These students had graduated from a five-year nursing diploma program before enrolling in the RN-BSN program. Data were collected before and after the implementation of the TBL, which included active learning, in-class activities, and application exercises. The Class Engagement Survey (CES), Value of Teams (VTs), Self-Directed Learning Instrument (SDLI), and exam scores were used to measure students' learning outcomes. TBL significantly influenced the students' learning outcomes. Students who expressed that TBL increased their learning interests had a higher score on VT; and students who had high achievement from the current TBL course had higher scores on the CES, VT, and SDLI. The means of the group test scores and the final examination score were significantly higher than the individual scores from the in-class tests in both 2011, 2012, and the combination of 2011 and 2012. The TBL design requires out-of-class preparation before all classes, which requires active and self-directed learning. TBL provides opportunities to foster learner-to-learner interactions, which lead to more active engagement and teamwork among learners. It also promotes the students' class engagement and teamwork values, and it increases academic performance. The TBL is suggested to have a greater effect on academically weaker students. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluating the negative or valuing the positive? Neural mechanisms supporting feedback-based learning across development.

PubMed

van Duijvenvoorde, Anna C K; Zanolie, Kiki; Rombouts, Serge A R B; Raijmakers, Maartje E J; Crone, Eveline A

2008-09-17

How children learn from positive and negative performance feedback lies at the foundation of successful learning and is therefore of great importance for educational practice. In this study, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine the neural developmental changes related to feedback-based learning when performing a rule search and application task. Behavioral results from three age groups (8-9, 11-13, and 18-25 years of age) demonstrated that, compared with adults, 8- to 9-year-old children performed disproportionally more inaccurately after receiving negative feedback relative to positive feedback. Additionally, imaging data pointed toward a qualitative difference in how children and adults use performance feedback. That is, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and superior parietal cortex were more active after negative feedback for adults, but after positive feedback for children (8-9 years of age). For 11- to 13-year-olds, these regions did not show differential feedback sensitivity, suggesting that the transition occurs around this age. Pre-supplementary motor area/anterior cingulate cortex, in contrast, was more active after negative feedback in both 11- to 13-year-olds and adults, but not 8- to 9-year-olds. Together, the current data show that cognitive control areas are differentially engaged during feedback-based learning across development. Adults engage these regions after signals of response adjustment (i.e., negative feedback). Young children engage these regions after signals of response continuation (i.e., positive feedback). The neural activation patterns found in 11- to 13-year-olds indicate a transition around this age toward an increased influence of negative feedback on performance adjustment. This is the first developmental fMRI study to compare qualitative changes in brain activation during feedback learning across distinct stages of development.

A qualitative study on trainees' and supervisors' perceptions of assessment for learning in postgraduate medical education.

PubMed

Dijksterhuis, Marja G K; Schuwirth, Lambert W T; Braat, Didi D M; Teunissen, Pim W; Scheele, Fedde

2013-08-01

Recent changes in postgraduate medical training curricula usually encompass a shift towards more formative assessment, or assessment for learning. However, though theoretically well suited to postgraduate training, evidence is emerging that engaging in formative assessment in daily clinical practice is complex. We aimed to explore trainees' and supervisors' perceptions of what factors determine active engagement in formative assessment. Focus group study with postgraduate trainees and supervisors in obstetrics and gynaecology. Three higher order themes emerged: individual perspectives on feedback, supportiveness of the learning environment and the credibility of feedback and/or feedback giver. Engaging in formative assessment with a genuine impact on learning is complex and quite a challenge to both trainees and supervisors. Individual perspectives on feedback, a supportive learning environment and credibility of feedback are all important in this process. Every one of these should be taken into account when the utility of formative assessment in postgraduate medical training is evaluated.

Raphanus sativus, Germination, and Inquiry: A Learning Cycle Approach for Novice Experimenters.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rillero, Peter

1999-01-01

Describes open-ended experiments with seeds from the common garden radish (Raphanus sativus). The phases of the 5-E learning cycle--Engagement, Exploration, Explanation, Extension, and Evaluation--guide this activity series. (Author/MM)

Role-Playing Mitosis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wyn, Mark A.; Stegink, Steven J.

2000-01-01

Introduces a role playing activity that actively engages students in the learning process of mitosis. Students play either chromosomes carrying information, or cells in the cell membrane. (Contains 11 references.) (Author/YDS)

Assessment in Service-Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McDonald, Betty

2012-01-01

Offering meaningful service to the community while engaging in active learning is a pedagogical strategy that has come to be known as service-learning. Both learner and the community are mutual recipients of benefits derived from the process. The fundamental question that remains is, "How do we assess the learner in this non traditional…

Crime Scene Soil Investigation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deaton, Cynthia; Simms, Sarah

2017-01-01

Mobile learning is an incredible way to engage students in activities that encourage exploration and critical thinking. This type of learning is defined by the use of portable technology, such as laptops, tablets, and smart phones, to support learning in various environments and in various ways. Depending on the technologies and resources already…

Performance and Motivation in a Middle School Flipped Learning Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Winter, Joshua W.

2018-01-01

Flipped learning is a teaching approach that promotes collaboration by using technology to 'flip' traditional instruction. Content is delivered outside of class in the individual space (online) and the group space (classroom) is used to engage in collaborative activities. Flipped learning shifts the teacher's role toward facilitation. Research on…

Finding the Shoe that Fits: Experiential Approaches for First Practicum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Connell, William P.; Smith, Jacqueline

2005-01-01

Graduate counselling students in the first semester of practicum are challenged to learn the basic active listening sequence while simultaneously learning to engage in the supervision process. Students struggle with confusion and self-doubt as they attempt to develop self-efficacy as a professional counsellor. Adult learning theory and…

Ubiquitous Learning Ecologies for a Critical Cyber-Citizenship

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Díez-Gutiérrez, Enrique; Díaz-Nafría, José-María

2018-01-01

The aim of this research is to identify and analyse the ubiquitous learning acquired through blending education settings devoted to the "lifelong training of trainers" and how these contribute to the development of a conscious, critic and engaged citizenship. Through active exploration of the learning process, the study analyses the…

Negotiating Pedagogy Development: Learning to Teach Writing in a Service-Learning Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kelley, Karen S.; Hart, Steven; King, James R.

2007-01-01

Research has called for courses to be developed that provide preservice teachers opportunities to actively engage their pedagogies under construction in order to effectively translate their beliefs into sound instructional practice. This article presents research that examined how a service-learning writing tutoring program affected preservice…

Technology Supported Facilitation and Assessment of Small Group Collaborative Inquiry Learning in Large First-Year Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawrie, Gwendolyn A.; Gahan, Lawrence R.; Matthews, Kelly E.; Weaver, Gabriela C.; Bailey, Chantal; Adams, Peter; Kavanagh, Lydia J.; Long, Phillip D.; Taylor, Matthew

2014-01-01

Collaborative learning activities offer the potential to support mutual knowledge construction and shared understanding amongst students. Introducing collaborative tasks into large first-year undergraduate science classes to create learning environments that foster student engagement and enhance communication skills is appealing. However,…

Service Learning and Criminal Justice: An Exploratory Study of Student Perceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burke, Alison S.; Bush, Michael D.

2013-01-01

In recent years, more university programs have been encompassing service learning components to augment their academic studies. Service learning engages students in activities that meet community needs. The students acquire a deeper understanding of course content, requirements within the discipline, and civic responsibilities. This paper will…

Impacts of Learning Management System on Learner Autonomy in EFL Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dang, Tin Tan; Robertson, Margaret

2010-01-01

The integration of interactive online communication into different educational settings has been widely researched since the emergence of Web 2.0 technology. It has been particularly identified to give EFL students more opportunities to express ideas, enhance their engagement in learning activities and promote their confidence during virtual…

Stakeholders' Conceptions of Connecting Learning at Different Sites in Two National VET Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sappa, Viviana; Choy, Sarojni; Aprea, Carmela

2016-01-01

Learning through active participation and engagement in education and workplace settings is a prerequisite for effective professional competence development through Vocational Education and Training (VET). Equally important is that learning from multiple sites and sources needs to be purposefully connected and integrated to construct meaningful…

Learning by Doing: Using an Online Simulation Game in an International Relations Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Epley, Jennifer

2016-01-01

Integrating interactive learning activities into undergraduate courses is one method for increasing student interest, engagement, and skills development. Online simulation games in particular offer students the unique applied opportunity to "learn by doing" in a virtual space to further their overall knowledge base and critical thinking…

Designing Assessment into a Study Abroad Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Santanello, Cathy; Wolff, Laura

2008-01-01

One faces several challenges when designing an education abroad program. These include engaging non-traditional majors in study abroad experiences; facilitating learning activities that directly align with the learning goals of the courses; assessing specific learning outcomes; and finding ways to close the circle after the study abroad programs…

The Relationship of Neurogenesis and Growth of Brain Regions to Song Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kirn, John R.

2010-01-01

Song learning, maintenance and production require coordinated activity across multiple auditory, sensory-motor, and neuromuscular structures. Telencephalic components of the sensory-motor circuitry are unique to avian species that engage in song learning. The song system shows protracted development that begins prior to hatching but continues well…

Visualisation of Interaction Footprints for Engagement in Online Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glahn, Christian; Specht, Marcus; Koper, Rob

2009-01-01

Contextualised and ubiquitous learning are relatively new research areas that combine the latest developments in ubiquitous and context aware computing with educational approaches in order to provide structure to more situated and context aware learning. The majority of recent activities in contextualised and ubiquitous learning focus on mobile…

Learning Choices, Older Australians and Active Ageing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boulton-Lewis, Gillian M.; Buys, Laurie

2015-01-01

This paper reports on the findings of qualitative, semistructured interviews conducted with 40 older Australian participants who either did or did not engage in organized learning. Phenomenology was used to guide the interviews and analysis to explore the lived learning experiences and perspectives of these older people. Their experiences of…

Service Learning: Opportunities for Legal Studies in Business

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burke, Debra D.

2007-01-01

Service learning is a form of experiential learning designed to engage students, faculty, and community partners in a mutually beneficial experience. Specifically, it "is a credit-bearing, educational experience in which students participate in an organized service activity that meets identified community needs and reflects on the service activity…

Lessons Learned from Introducing Social Media Use in Undergraduate Economics Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Brien, Martin; Freund, Katarina

2018-01-01

The research process and associated literacy requirements are often unfamiliar and daunting obstacles for undergraduate students. The use of social media has the potential to assist research training and encourage active learning, social inclusion and student engagement. This paper documents the lessons learned from developing a blended learning…

Pedagogies of engagement in science: A comparison of PBL, POGIL, and PLTL*

PubMed Central

Eberlein, Thomas; Kampmeier, Jack; Minderhout, Vicky; Moog, Richard S; Platt, Terry; Varma-Nelson, Pratibha; White, Harold B

2008-01-01

Problem-based learning, process-oriented guided inquiry learning, and peer-led team learning are student-centered, active-learning pedagogies commonly used in science education. The characteristic features of each are compared and contrasted to enable new practitioners to decide which approach or combination of approaches will suit their particular situation. PMID:19381266

Green Map Exercises as an Avenue for Problem-Based Learning in a Data-Rich Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tulloch, David; Graff, Elizabeth

2007-01-01

This article describes a series of data-based Green Map learning exercises positioned within a problem-based framework and examines the appropriateness of projects like these as a form of geography education. Problem-based learning (PBL) is an educational technique that engages students in learning through activities that require creative problem…

A New Approach for Laboratory Exercise of Pathophysiology in China Based on Student-Centered Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Jian; Zhou, Junhai; Sun, Li; Wu, Qiuhui; Lu, Huiling; Tian, Jing

2015-01-01

Student-centered learning is generally defined as any instructional method that purportedly engages students in active learning and critical thinking. The student-centered method of teaching moves the focus from teaching to learning, from the teachers' conveying course concepts via lecture to the understanding of concepts by students. The…

Informal Learning as Performance: Toward a Hermeneutic Phenomenology of Museum Learning in "Second Life"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cool, Kathleen L.

2013-01-01

This study explored how avid users of "Second Life" ("SL") experience and make meaning of informal learning activities in virtual art museums and similar cultural spaces through their avatars. While recent literature has laid the groundwork for studying student engagement and formal learning, the lacuna of research bound by the…

Constructivism and Learning in the Age of Social Media: Changing Minds and Learning Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schrader, Dawn E.

2015-01-01

Social media provide new means and opportunities for learning that are consistent with major tenets of both social and cognitive constructivism, and extend the process of learning and meaning construction to more diverse communities and universally accessible shared activities that are jointly and concurrently engaged in by both peers and experts.

From the Learning Diary to the ELP: An E-Portfolio for Autonomous Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bertolotti, Greta; Beseghi, Micol

2016-01-01

In 2011 the Language Centre of the University of Parma introduced a self-study programme aimed at creating an autonomy-inspired language learning environment. Students are actively engaged in the management of their own learning and co-directed by advisors and teachers in the phases of planning, monitoring and assessment. Reflective diary writing…

Patterns in Clinical Students' Self-Regulated Learning Behavior: A Q-Methodology Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berkhout, Joris J.; Teunissen, Pim W.; Helmich, Esther; van Exel, Job; van der Vleuten, Cees P.; Jaarsma, Debbie A.

2017-01-01

Students feel insufficiently supported in clinical environments to engage in active learning and achieve a high level of self-regulation. As a result clinical learning is highly demanding for students. Because of large differences between students, supervisors may not know how to support them in their learning process. We explored patterns in…

The Effectiveness of Three Experiential Teaching Approaches on Student Science Learning in Fifth-Grade Public School Classrooms.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Powell, Kristin; Wells, Marcella

2002-01-01

Compares the effects of three experiential science lessons in meeting the objectives of the Colorado model content science standards. Uses Kolb's (1984) experiential learning model as a framework for understanding the process by which students engage in learning when participating in experiential learning activities. Uses classroom exams and…

Using Clickers in Class. The Role of Interactivity, Active Collaborative Learning and Engagement in Learning Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blasco-Arcas, Lorena; Buil, Isabel; Hernandez-Ortega, Blanca; Sese, F. Javier

2013-01-01

As more and more educational institutions are integrating new technologies (e.g. audience response systems) into their learning systems to support the learning process, it is becoming increasingly necessary to have a thorough understanding of the underlying mechanisms of these advanced technologies and their consequences on student learning…

A theory-informed, process-oriented Resident Scholarship Program

PubMed Central

Thammasitboon, Satid; Darby, John B.; Hair, Amy B.; Rose, Karen M.; Ward, Mark A.; Turner, Teri L.; Balmer, Dorene F.

2016-01-01

Background The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education requires residency programs to provide curricula for residents to engage in scholarly activities but does not specify particular guidelines for instruction. We propose a Resident Scholarship Program that is framed by the self-determination theory (SDT) and emphasize the process of scholarly activity versus a scholarly product. Methods The authors report on their longitudinal Resident Scholarship Program, which aimed to support psychological needs central to SDT: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. By addressing those needs in program aims and program components, the program may foster residents’ intrinsic motivation to learn and to engage in scholarly activity. To this end, residents’ engagement in scholarly processes, and changes in perceived autonomy, competence, and relatedness were assessed. Results Residents engaged in a range of scholarly projects and expressed positive regard for the program. Compared to before residency, residents felt more confident in the process of scholarly activity, as determined by changes in increased perceived autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Scholarly products were accomplished in return for a focus on scholarly process. Conclusions Based on our experience, and in line with the SDT, supporting residents’ autonomy, competence, and relatedness through a process-oriented scholarship program may foster the curiosity, inquisitiveness, and internal motivation to learn that drives scholarly activity and ultimately the production of scholarly products. PMID:27306995

A theory-informed, process-oriented Resident Scholarship Program.

PubMed

Thammasitboon, Satid; Darby, John B; Hair, Amy B; Rose, Karen M; Ward, Mark A; Turner, Teri L; Balmer, Dorene F

2016-01-01

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education requires residency programs to provide curricula for residents to engage in scholarly activities but does not specify particular guidelines for instruction. We propose a Resident Scholarship Program that is framed by the self-determination theory (SDT) and emphasize the process of scholarly activity versus a scholarly product. The authors report on their longitudinal Resident Scholarship Program, which aimed to support psychological needs central to SDT: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. By addressing those needs in program aims and program components, the program may foster residents' intrinsic motivation to learn and to engage in scholarly activity. To this end, residents' engagement in scholarly processes, and changes in perceived autonomy, competence, and relatedness were assessed. Residents engaged in a range of scholarly projects and expressed positive regard for the program. Compared to before residency, residents felt more confident in the process of scholarly activity, as determined by changes in increased perceived autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Scholarly products were accomplished in return for a focus on scholarly process. Based on our experience, and in line with the SDT, supporting residents' autonomy, competence, and relatedness through a process-oriented scholarship program may foster the curiosity, inquisitiveness, and internal motivation to learn that drives scholarly activity and ultimately the production of scholarly products.

Teaching EBP Using Game-Based Learning: Improving the Student Experience.

PubMed

Davidson, Sandra J; Candy, Laurie

2016-08-01

Evidence-based practice (EBP) is considered a key entry to practice competency for nurses. However, many baccalaureate nursing programs continue to teach "traditional" nursing research courses that fail to address many of the critical knowledge, skills, and attitudes that foster EBP. Traditional classroom teaching strategies do little to promote the development of competencies critical for engaging in EBP in clinical contexts. The purpose of this work was to develop, implement, and evaluate an innovative teaching strategy aimed at improving student learning, engagement and satisfaction in an online EBP course. The goals of this paper are to: (1) describe the process of course development, (2) describe the innovative teaching strategy, and (3) discuss the outcomes of the pilot course offered using game-based learning. A midterm course-specific survey and standard institutional end of course evaluations were used to evaluate student satisfaction. Game platform analytics and thematic analysis of narrative comments in the midterm and end of course surveys were used to evaluate students' level of engagement. Student learning was evaluated using the end of course letter grade. Students indicated a high satisfaction with the course. Student engagement was also maintained throughout the course. The majority of students (87%, 26/30) continued to complete learning quests in the game after achieving the minimum amount of points to earn an A. Seven students completed every learning quest available in the game platform. Of the 30 students enrolled in the course, 17 students earned a final course grade of A+ and 13 earned an A. Provide students with timely, individualized feedback to enable mastery learning. Create student choice and customization of learning. Integrate the use of badges (game mechanics) to increase engagement and motivation. Level learning activities to build on each other and create flow. © 2016 Sigma Theta Tau International.

Professional Development Settings: More than Time, Place, Activity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosemary, Catherine A.; Feldman, Naomi

2009-01-01

Like authors who create settings as integral components of engaging narratives, thoughtful literacy coaches and other educators who plan and implement professional development consider elements of settings to engage teachers in continuous learning. Many teacher educators, researchers, administrators, literacy coaches, and K-12 teachers understand…

Social and Environmental Justice in the Chemistry Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lasker, Grace A.; Mellor, Karolina E.; Mullins, Melissa L.; Nesmith, Suzanne M.; Simcox, Nancy J.

2017-01-01

Despite advances in active learning pedagogy and other methods designed to increase student engagement in the chemistry classroom, retention and engagement issues still persist, particularly with respect to women and minorities underrepresented in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) programs. Relevancy also remains elusive in…

Sticking with the nice guy: trait warmth information impairs learning and modulates person perception brain network activity.

PubMed

Lee, Victoria K; Harris, Lasana T

2014-12-01

Social learning requires inferring social information about another person, as well as evaluating outcomes. Previous research shows that prior social information biases decision making and reduces reliance on striatal activity during learning (Delgado, Frank, & Phelps, Nature Neuroscience 8 (11): 1611-1618, 2005). A rich literature in social psychology on person perception demonstrates that people spontaneously infer social information when viewing another person (Fiske & Taylor, 2013) and engage a network of brain regions, including the medial prefrontal cortex, temporal parietal junction, superior temporal sulcus, and precuneus (Amodio & Frith, Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 7(4), 268-277, 2006; Haxby, Gobbini, & Montgomery, 2004; van Overwalle Human Brain Mapping, 30, 829-858, 2009). We investigate the role of these brain regions during social learning about well-established dimensions of person perception-trait warmth and trait competence. We test the hypothesis that activity in person perception brain regions interacts with learning structures during social learning. Participants play an investment game where they must choose an agent to invest on their behalf. This choice is guided by cues signaling trait warmth or trait competence based on framing of monetary returns. Trait warmth information impairs learning about human but not computer agents, while trait competence information produces similar learning rates for human and computer agents. We see increased activation to warmth information about human agents in person perception brain regions. Interestingly, activity in person perception brain regions during the decision phase negatively predicts activity in the striatum during feedback for trait competence inferences about humans. These results suggest that social learning may engage additional processing within person perception brain regions that hampers learning in economic contexts.

Can Active Citizenship Be Learned? Examining Content and Activities in a Teacher's Education Module Engaging with Gandhi and Makiguchi

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sharma, Namrata

2015-01-01

Can active citizenship be learned? In recent years, teaching citizenship issues are becoming popular in schools across various parts of the world. This paper makes reference to India as an example. It argues the need for a pedagogical debate on what makes an active citizen. The complex questions it begins to address are these: who is a citizen?;…

Lo que da buen resultado en casa. Resultados de la investigacion y Actividades de aprendizaje: Sentido comun y diversion para ninos y adultos (What Works at Home. Research Findings and Learning Activities: Common Sense and Fun for Adults and Children).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crook, Shirley, Ed.

As part of an effort to encourage Hispanic parents to help their children in school, this home learning guide, which can also be obtained in taped versions, provides parents with learning activities with which to engage their children. Based on research findings, the activities are divided into the following categories: curriculum of the home,…

Lessons Learned at LPI for Scientists in Education and Public Outreach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shupla, C. B.; Kramer, G. Y.; Gross, J.; Shaner, A. J.; Dalton, H.; Grier, J.; Buxner, S.; Shipp, S. S.; Hackler, A. S.

2015-12-01

The Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) has engaged scientists in a variety of education programs, including teacher workshops, family events, public presentations, informal educator trainings, communication workshops, and outreach events. Scientists have helped conduct hands-on activities, participated in group discussions, and given talks, while sharing their own career paths and interests; these activities have provided audiences with a clearer vision of how science is conducted and how they can become engaged in science themselves. We will share the lessons we have learned through these experiences, including the value of collaborations between scientists and educators, the importance of understanding the audience's interests and knowledge, and the insights that audiences gain during unstructured discussion and interactions with scientists. LPI has also worked with the NASA Science Mission Directorate E/PO community to determine ways to enable scientists and engineers to engage in E/PO and STEM learning, including examining the research and programs for becoming involved in the preparation of future teachers (see the Menu of Opportunities at http://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/pre_service_edu/). We will share key research-based best practices that are recommended for scientists and engineers interested in participating in E/PO activities.

Using cooperative learning for a drug information assignment.

PubMed

Earl, Grace L

2009-11-12

To implement a cooperative learning activity to engage students in analyzing tertiary drug information resources in a literature evaluation course. The class was divided into 4 sections to form expert groups and each group researched a different set of references using the jigsaw technique. Each member of each expert group was reassigned to a jigsaw group so that each new group was composed of 4 students from 4 different expert groups. The jigsaw groups met to discuss search strategies and rate the usefulness of the references. In addition to group-based learning, teaching methods included students' writing an independent research paper to enhance their abilities to search and analyze drug information resources. The assignment and final course grades improved after implementation of the activity. Students agreed that class discussions were a useful learning experience and 75% (77/102) said they would use the drug information references for other courses. The jigsaw technique was successful in engaging students in cooperative learning to improve critical thinking skills regarding drug information.

Team-Based Learning in Pharmacy Education

PubMed Central

Ofstad, William

2013-01-01

Instructors wanting to engage students in the classroom seek methods to augment the delivery of factual information and help students move from being passive recipients to active participants in their own learning. One such method that has gained interest is team-based learning. This method encourages students to be prepared before class and has students work in teams while in the classroom. Key benefits to this pedagogy are student engagement, improved communication skills, and enhanced critical-thinking abilities. In most cases, student satisfaction and academic performance are also noted. This paper reviews the fundamentals of team-based learning in pharmacy education and its implementation in the classroom. Literature reports from medical, nursing, and pharmacy programs are also discussed. PMID:23716738

Exploring Marine Ecosystems with Elementary School Portuguese Children: Inquiry-Based Project Activities Focused on "Real-Life" Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guilherme, Elsa; Faria, Cláudia; Boaventura, Diana

2016-01-01

The purpose of the study was to investigate how young students engage in an inquiry-based project driven by real-life contexts. Elementary school children were engaged in a small inquiry project centred on marine biodiversity and species adaptations. All activities included the exploration of an out-of-school setting as a learning context. A total…

Active Engagement with Assessment and Feedback Can Improve Group-Work Outcomes and Boost Student Confidence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scott, G. W.

2017-01-01

This study involves evaluation of a novel iterative group-based learning task developed to enable students to actively engage with assessment and feedback in order to improve the quality of their written work. The students were all in the final semester of their final year of study and enrolled on either BSc Zoology or BSc Marine and Freshwater…

The Effect of Pre-College Extracurricular Participation on First-Year College Engagement and Completion. SERU Consortium Research Paper. Research & Occasional Paper Series: CSHE.6.17

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chang, Tongshan

2017-01-01

This study examines how student pre-college participation in extracurricular activities and volunteer and community services varies by demographic and academic variables, and how their experience participating in these activities affects first-year college engagement and learning outcomes. The analysis focuses on students at the University of…

An Experimental Investigation of Productivity Stratification and Knowledge Transfer in an Electronically Mediated Environment

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-03-23

material at hand: it forces student engagement . As extracted from the works of Bloom (1976) and Hecht (1978) by Kumar (1991:50) in his meta...analysis of instruction-engagement, “if an instructional method [has] an influence on student achievement,” then “ student engagement in a learning task...must mediate the relationship.” An appropriate way to define student engagement is the time a student “actively participates in learning” (Kumar

The Seeds of Learning: Young Children Develop Important Skills through Their Gardening Activities at a Midwestern Early Education Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Dana L.

2007-01-01

Using teachers as co-researchers to collect and analyze data, this case study explored preschool and kindergarteners' learning when they were engaged in hands-on activities in the garden and greenhouse areas of a model outdoor classroom. Key findings suggest that when young children are participating in garden and greenhouse activities they are:…

Do Active Learning Approaches in Recitation Sections Improve Student Performance? A Case Study from an Introductory Mechanics Course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tobin, R. G.

2018-01-01

Abundant research leaves little question that pedagogical approaches involving active student engagement with the material, and opportunities for student-to-student discussions, lead to much better learning outcomes than traditional instructor-led, expository instructional formats, in physics and in many other fields. In introductory college physics classes, some departments have departed radically from conventional lecture-recitation-laboratory course structures, but many, including my own, retain the basic format of large-group classroom sessions (lectures) supplemented by smaller-group meetings focused on problem solving (recitations) and separate laboratory meetings. Active student engagement in the lectures is encouraged through approaches such as Peer Instruction and Interactive Lecture Demonstrations, and these approaches have been demonstrably successful.

Animals, Emperors, Senses: Exploring a Story-Based Learning Design in a Museum Setting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murmann, Mai; Avraamidou, Lucy

2014-01-01

The aim of this qualitative case study was to explore the use of stories as tools for learning within formal and informal learning environments. The design was based on three areas of interest: (a) the story as a tool for learning; (b) the student as subjects engaging with the story; and (c) the context in which the story learning activity takes…

Cookbook Procedures in MBL Physics Exercises.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Royuk, Brent; Brooks, David W.

2003-01-01

Presents results of a controlled experiment comparing the conceptual mechanics learning gains as measured by the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) between two laboratory groups. One group completed cookbook labs while the other completed Interactive-Engagement (IE) labs in RealTime Physics. Suggests that laboratory activities should engage students in…

Bringing the Institution into Focus. Annual Results 2014

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Survey of Student Engagement, 2014

2014-01-01

The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) documents dimensions of quality in undergraduate education and provides information and assistance to colleges, universities, and other organizations to improve student learning. Its primary activity is annually surveying college students to assess the extent to which they engage in educational…

Involvement, Collaboration and Engagement: Social Networks through a Pedagogical Lens

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seifert, Tami

2016-01-01

Social networks facilitate activities that promote involvement, collaboration and engagement. Modelling of best practices using social networks enhances its usage by participants, increases participants confidence as to its implementation and creates a paradigm shift to a more personalized, participatory and collaborative learning and a more…

Actively Engaging Middle Level Students with Photo Journals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shankar-Brown, Rajni

2011-01-01

The author describes the implementation of a photo journal project and explains how it positively impacted diverse young adolescents, specifically three reluctant learners. In addition to increasing motivation and engagement in learning, the photo journal project built community in the classroom. This article shares practical ideas for…

Creation and Assessment of an Active e-Learning Introductory Geology Course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sit, Stefany M.; Brudzinski, Michael R.

2017-12-01

The recent emphasis in higher education on both student engagement and online learning encouraged the authors to develop an active e-learning environment for an introductory geohazards course, which enrolls 70+ undergraduate students per semester. Instructors focused on replicating the achievements and addressing the challenges within an already established face-to-face student-centered class (Brudzinski and Sikorski 2010; Sit 2013). Through the use of a learning management system (LMS) and other available technologies, a wide range of course components were developed including online homework assignments with automatic grading and tailored feedback, video tutorials of software programs like Google Earth and Microsoft Excel, and more realistic scientific investigations using authentic and freely available data downloaded from the internet. The different course components designed to engage students and improve overall student learning and development were evaluated using student surveys and instructor reflection. Each component can be used independently and intertwined into a face-to-face course. Results suggest that significant opportunities are available in an online environment including the potential for improved student performance and new datasets for educational research. Specifically, results from pre and post-semester Geoscience Concept Inventory (GCI) testing in an active e-learning course show enhanced student learning gains compared to face-to-face lecture-based and student-centered courses.

Athletic Training Students' and Preceptors' Perceptions of Active Learning Time and Bug-in-Ear Technology during Clinical Education Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nottingham, Sara L.; Kasamatsu, Tricia M.; Montgomery, Melissa M.

2017-01-01

Context: Engaging clinical experiences that allow extensive active learning and patient care interactions are important for the professional development of athletic training students. Understanding students' use of clinical time is important when attempting to improve these experiences. Objective: To gain participants' perspectives on active…

Social Networking and Pedagogical Variations: An Integrated Approach for Effective Interpersonal and Group Communications Skills Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Okoro, Ephraim

2012-01-01

Electronic communication and social networking are effective and useful tools in the process of teaching and learning and have increasingly improved the quality of students' learning outcomes in higher education in recent years. The system encourages and supports students' active engagement, collaboration, and participation in class activities and…

Testing the Effectiveness of Mathematical Games as a Pedagogical Tool for Children's Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bragg, Leicha A.

2012-01-01

In an effort to engage children in mathematics learning, many primary teachers use mathematical games and activities. Games have been employed for drill and practice, warm-up activities and rewards. The effectiveness of games as a pedagogical tool requires further examination if games are to be employed for the teaching of mathematical concepts.…

Directed Activities Related to Text: Text Analysis and Text Reconstruction.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davies, Florence; Greene, Terry

This paper describes Directed Activities Related to Text (DART), procedures that were developed and are used in the Reading for Learning Project at the University of Nottingham (England) to enhance learning from texts and that fall into two broad categories: (1) text analysis procedures, which require students to engage in some form of analysis of…

Interrogating History: Promoting Student Activism Using Children's Literature and the Full Circling Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Long, Trisha Wies

2017-01-01

Adolescents are often disengaged in the learning process, being more focused on social media and self-interest than classroom content. Full circling is a process that can be used to help students collaboratively engage in learning and actively reflect on historical events--especially those that are under reported in history books. In the present…

Supporting Active Learning in an Undergraduate Geotechnical Engineering Course Using Group-Based Audience Response Systems Quizzes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Donohue, Shane

2014-01-01

The use of audience response systems (ARSs) or "clickers" in higher education has increased over the recent years, predominantly owing to their ability to actively engage students, for promoting individual and group learning, and for providing instantaneous feedback to students and teachers. This paper describes how group-based ARS…

Social Interaction and Cooperative Activities: Drawing Plans as a Means of Increasing Engagement for Children with ASD

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peters, Brenda; Forlin, Chris; McInerney, Dennis; Maclean, Rupert

2013-01-01

A substantial amount of learning in schools takes place within social contexts and class-based group activities; however, social learning situations, communication and social cognition development for children with ASD can be a challenge for the children and their teachers. This paper explores what happens when children with ASD draw…

Re-Appropriating a Question/Answer System to Support Dialectical Constructivist Learning Activity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carroll, John M.; Wu, Yu; Shih, Patrick C.; Zheng, Saijing

2016-01-01

Learning can be engaged by dialectic, that is, by identifying pros and cons that inhere in propositions, and more generally, by raising questions about the validity of claims. We report here on a classroom case study of dialectical constructivist pedagogy: Students created dialectical analyses of two lectures and four books as core activities in a…

Teaching Record-Keeping Skills to 4-H Youths through Experiential Learning Techniques

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roland, Tyanne J.; Fisher, Meredith

2016-01-01

Teaching record keeping for breeding projects in a way that keeps youths engaged is a difficult task. The activity discussed in this article was used to teach 4-H participants the importance of record keeping by implementing the experiential learning model and without lecturing. A description of the activity, instructions and materials for the…

Teaching Law and Theory through Context: Contract Clauses in Legal Studies Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DiMatteo, Larry A.; Anenson, T. Leigh

2007-01-01

Business professors in the twenty-first century have been engaging in another form of problem-based pedagogy to unite business school and business practice. This teaching methodology, called "active learning," has become the new case method in college courses. Like the case-based approach, active learning bridges the gap between theory and…

Achievement-Based Rewards and Intrinsic Motivation: A Test of Cognitive Mediators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cameron, Judy; Pierce, W. David; Banko, Katherine M.; Gear, Amber

2005-01-01

This study assessed how rewards impacted intrinsic motivation when students were rewarded for achievement while learning an activity, for performing at a specific level on a test, or for both. Undergraduate university students engaged in a problem-solving activity. The design was a 2 * 2 factorial with 2 levels of reward in a learning phase…

Creative Multimodal Learning Environments and Blended Interaction for Problem-Based Activity in HCI Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ioannou, Andri; Vasiliou, Christina; Zaphiris, Panayiotis; Arh, Tanja; Klobucar, Tomaž; Pipan, Matija

2015-01-01

This exploratory case study aims to examine how students benefit from a multimodal learning environment while they engage in collaborative problem-based activity in a Human Computer Interaction (HCI) university course. For 12 weeks, 30 students, in groups of 5-7 each, participated in weekly face-to-face meetings and online interactions.…

Integrating Learning, Problem Solving, and Engagement in Narrative-Centered Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rowe, Jonathan P.; Shores, Lucy R.; Mott, Bradford W.; Lester, James C.

2011-01-01

A key promise of narrative-centered learning environments is the ability to make learning engaging. However, there is concern that learning and engagement may be at odds in these game-based learning environments. This view suggests that, on the one hand, students interacting with a game-based learning environment may be engaged but unlikely to…