Showing papers on "Experiential learning published in 2010"

McKeachie's Teaching Tips: Strategies, Research, and Theory for College and University Teachers

Abstract: Part I: GETTING STARTED. 1. Introduction. 2. Countdown for Course Preparation. 3. Meeting a Class for the First Time. Part II: BASIC SKILLS FOR FACILITATING STUDENT LEARNING. 4. Reading as Active Learning. 5. Facilitating Discussion: Posing Problems, Listening, Questioning. 6. How to Make Lectures More Effective. 7. Assessing, Testing, and Evaluating: Grading Is Not the Most Important Function. 8. Testing: The Details. 9. Good Designs for Written Feedback for Students. 10. The ABC's of Assigning Grades. Part III: UNDERSTANDING STUDENTS. 11. Motivation in the College Classroom. 12. Teaching Culturally Diverse Students. 13. Dealing with Student Problems and Problem Students (There's Almost Always at Least One!). Part IV: Adding to Your Repertoire of Skills and Strategies for Facilitating Active Learning. 14. Active Learning: Group-based Learning. 15. Experiential Learning: Case-based, Problem-based, and Reality-based. 16. Using High-Stakes and Low-Stakes Writing to Enhance Learning. 17. Technology and Teaching. Part V: SKILLS FOR USE IN OTHER TEACHING SITUATIONS. 18. Teaching Large Classes (You Can Still Get Active Learning!). 19. Laboratory Instruction: Ensuring an Active Learning Experience. Part VI: Teaching for Higher-Level Goals. 20. Teaching Students How to Become More Strategic and Self-Regulated Learners. 21. Teaching Thinking. 22. The Ethics of Teaching and the Teaching of Ethics. Part VII: LIFELONG LEARNING FOR THE TEACHER. 23. Vitality and Growth Throughout Your Teaching Career.

Qualitative Research: Studying How Things Work

Abstract: Introduction: Make Yourself Comfortable. 1. Qualitative Research: How Things Work. 2. Interpretation: The Person as Instrument. 3. Experiential Understanding: Most Qualitative Study Is Experiential. 4. Stating the Problem: Questioning How This Thing Works. 5. Methods: Gathering Data. 6. Review of Literature: Zooming to See the Problem. 7. Evidence: Bolstering Judgment and Reconnoitering. 8. Analysis and Synthesis: How Things Work. 9. Action Research and Self-Evaluation: Finding on Your Own How Your Place Works. 10. Storytelling: Illustrating How Things Work. 11. Writing the Final Report: An Iterative Convergence. 12. Advocacy and Ethics: Making Things Work Better.

What are the learning affordances of 3-D virtual environments?

Abstract: Barney Dalgarno is a research fellow with the Centre for Research in Complex Systems (CRiCS), Charles Sturt University, and an associate professor with the School of Education at the same university. His research interests lie in desktop virtual reality learning environments, as well as constructivist computerassisted learning theories, techniques and tools. Dalgarno’s PhD work examined the characteristics of 3-D environments and their potential contributions to spatial learning, and he is now studying the application of brain imaging though Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to interactive multimedia research. Mark J. W. Lee is an adjunct senior lecturer with the School of Education, Charles Sturt University. Previously, he worked in a variety of teaching, instructional design, and managerial roles within the private vocational education and higher education sectors. He has published approximately 50 refereed book chapters, journal articles, and conference papers in the areas of educational technology, e-learning, and innovative pedagogy in tertiary education. Lee is the Chair of the New South Wales Chapter of the IEEE Education Society and serves as founding Editor-in-Chief of Impact:Journal of Applied Research in Workplace E-learning, in addition to being on the editorial boards of a number of international journals. Address for correspondence: Mark J. W. Lee, School of Education, Charles Sturt University, Locked Bag 588, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2678, Australia. Email: malee@csu.edu.au

Professional Learning Community

Abstract: There is increasing consensus that the term professional learning community broadly refers to an inclusive and mutually supportive group of people with a collaborative, reflective, and growth-oriented approach toward investigating and learning more about their practice in order to improve students’ learning. In many countries, policymakers view its potential for the capacity building needed to implement educational reform, while researchers are trying to gain greater nuanced and contextualized understanding of professional learning community. This article probes the meaning and purpose of professional learning community, membership, identified characteristics, levels of impact, and process and processes of development.

The Pedagogy of Poverty versus Good Teaching

Abstract: It will be formidably difficult to institutionalize new forms of pedagogy for the children of poverty, but it is worthwhile to define and describe such alternatives.

Facebook: An online environment for learning of English in institutions of higher education?

Abstract: Facebook (FB) is currently considered as the most popular platform for online social networking among university students. The purpose of this study is to investigate if university students consider FB as a useful and meaningful learning environment that could support, enhance and/or strengthen their learning of the English language. A survey was carried out with 300 undergraduate students at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Penang. It was found that the students believed FB could be utilized as an online environment to facilitate the learning of English. Nevertheless, teachers or language instructors have to integrate FB as an educational project with pre-determined learning objectives and outcomes for the learning experience to be meaningful. It is suggested that future research should focus on the meaningfulness of FB to students' language learning experiences.

Dimensions of Cruisers' Experiences, Satisfaction, and Intention to Recommend

Abstract: In the past decade, Pine and Gilmore set out the vision for a new economic era, the experience economy, in which consumers are in search for extraordinary and memorable experiences. Since then, a rich body of research on applications of the experience economy concepts have appeared in the marketing literature. However, academic investigations on the measurement of tourism experiences are very recent. The purpose of this article is twofold: to identify the underlying dimensions of cruisers’ experiences and to investigate the relationships among cruisers’ experiences, satisfaction, and intention to recommend. Overall, findings of this study enhance the theoretical progress on the experiential concept in tourism and offer important implications for cruise marketers.

Engaging online learners: The impact of Web-based learning technology on college student engagement

Abstract: Widespread use of the Web and other Internet technologies in postsecondary education has exploded in the last 15years. Using a set of items developed by the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), the researchers utilized the hierarchical linear model (HLM) and multiple regressions to investigate the impact of Web-based learning technology on student engagement and self-reported learning outcomes in face-to-face and online learning environments. The results show a general positive relationship between the use the learning technology and student engagement and learning outcomes. We also discuss the possible impact on minority and part-time students as they are more likely to enroll in online courses.

Investigating learners' attitudes toward virtual reality learning environments: Based on a constructivist approach

Abstract: The use of animation and multimedia for learning is now further extended by the provision of entire Virtual Reality Learning Environments (VRLE). This highlights a shift in Web-based learning from a conventional multimedia to a more immersive, interactive, intuitive and exciting VR learning environment. VRLEs simulate the real world through the application of 3D models that initiates interaction, immersion and trigger the imagination of the learner. The question of good pedagogy and use of technology innovations comes into focus once again. Educators attempt to find theoretical guidelines or instructional principles that could assist them in developing and applying a novel VR learning environment intelligently. This paper introduces the educational use of Web-based 3D technologies and highlights in particular VR features. It then identifies constructivist learning as the pedagogical engine driving the construction of VRLE and discusses five constructivist learning approaches. Furthermore, the authors provide two case studies to investigate VRLEs for learning purposes. The authors conclude with formulating some guidelines for the effective use of VRLEs, including discussion of the limitations and implications for the future study of VRLEs.

Learning presence: Towards a theory of self-efficacy, self-regulation, and the development of a communities of inquiry in online and blended learning environments

Abstract: In this paper we examine the Community of Inquiry framework (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, 2000) suggesting that the model may be enhanced through a fuller articulation of the roles of online learners. We present the results of a study of 3165 students in online and hybrid courses from 42 two- and four-year institutions in which we examine the relationship between learner self-efficacy measures and their ratings of the quality of their learning in virtual environments. We conclude that a positive relationship exists between elements of the CoI framework and between elements of a nascent theoretical construct that we label ''learning presence''. We suggest that learning presence represents elements such as self-efficacy as well as other cognitive, behavioral, and motivational constructs supportive of online learner self-regulation. We suggest that this focused analysis on the active roles of online learners may contribute to a more thorough account of knowledge construction in technology-mediated environments expanding the descriptive and explanatory power of the Community of Inquiry framework. Learning presence: Towards a Theory of Self-efficacy, Self-regulation, and the Development of a Communities of Inquiry in Online and Blended Learning Environments.

Using game theory and Competition-based Learning to stimulate student motivation and performance

Abstract: This paper introduces a framework for using Game Theory tournaments as a base to implement Competition-based Learning (CnBL), together with other classical learning techniques, to motivate the students and increase their learning performance. The paper also presents a description of the learning activities performed along the past ten years of a course where, in five of them, Competition-based Learning has been used. Finally, the experience gained is described together with an analysis of the feedback obtained from the students' surveys. The good survey results, and their similarity along the years, suggest that the combination of game theory with the use of friendly competitions provides a strong motivation for students; helping to increase their performance.

Use of three‐dimensional (3‐D) immersive virtual worlds in K‐12 and higher education settings: A review of the research

Abstract: In this paper, we review past empirical research studies on the use of three-dimensional immersive virtual worlds in education settings such as K-12 and higher education. Three questions guided our review: (1) How are virtual worlds (eg, Active Worlds, Second Life) used by students and teachers? (2) What types of research methods have been applied? (3) What research topics have been conducted on virtual worlds in teaching and learning, as well as their related findings? Overall, we found that virtual worlds may be utilised for the following uses: (1) communication spaces, (2) simulation of space (spatial), and (3) experiential spaces (‘acting’ on the world). Most of the studies reviewed were descriptive and conducted in polytechnic and university settings, and past virtual world research had been most frequently carried out in the media arts and health and environment disciplines. Three main research topics were found: participants' affective domain, learning outcomes and social interaction. We conclude by summarising some major findings and discussing three limitations of previous empirical studies. Several recommendations for future research related to virtual worlds in education settings are also provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using ubiquitous games in an English listening and speaking course: Impact on learning outcomes and motivation

Abstract: This paper reports the results of a study which aimed to investigate how ubiquitous games influence English learning achievement and motivation through a context-aware ubiquitous learning environment. An English curriculum was conducted on a school campus by using a context-aware ubiquitous learning environment called the Handheld English Language Learning Organization (HELLO). HELLO helps students to engage in learning activities based on the ARCS motivation theory, involving various educational strategies, including ubiquitous game-based learning, collaborative learning, and context-aware learning. Two groups of students participated in the learning activities prescribed in a curriculum by separately using ubiquitous game-based learning and non-gaming learning. The curriculum, entitled 'My Campus', included three learning activities, namely 'Campus Environment', 'Campus Life' and 'Campus Story'. Participants included high school teachers and juniors. During the experiment, tests, a survey, and interviews were conducted for the students. The evaluation results of the learning outcomes and learning motivation demonstrated that incorporating ubiquitous games into the English learning process could achieve a better learning outcomes and motivation than using non-gaming method. They further revealed a positive relationship between learning outcomes and motivation.

Real‐world learning opportunities in sustainability: from classroom into the real world

Abstract: Purpose – Academic sustainability programs aim to develop key competencies in sustainability, including problem‐solving skills and the ability to collaborate successfully with experts and stakeholders. These key competencies may be most fully developed in new teaching and learning situations. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the kind of, and extent to which, these key competencies can be acquired in real‐world learning opportunities.Design/methodology/approach – The paper summarizes key competencies in sustainability, identifies criteria for real‐world learning opportunities in sustainability programs, and draws on dominant real‐world learning models including project‐ and problem‐based learning, service learning, and internships in communities, businesses, and governments. These components are integrated into a framework to design real‐world learning opportunities.Findings – A “functional and progressive” model of real‐world learning opportunities seems most conducive to introduce students (as wel...

Applying the science of learning to medical education

Abstract: OBJECTIVE The goal of this paper is to examine how to apply the science of learning to medical education. SCIENCE OF LEARNING The science of learning is the scientific study of how people learn. Multimedia learning - learning from words and pictures - is particularly relevant to medical education. The cognitive theory of multimedia learning is an information-processing explanation of how people learn from words and pictures. It is based on the idea that people have separate channels for processing words and pictures, that the capacity to process information in working memory is limited, and that meaningful learning requires appropriate cognitive processing during learning. SCIENCE OF INSTRUCTION The science of instruction is the scientific study of how to help people learn. Three important instructional goals are: to reduce extraneous processing (cognitive processing that does not serve an instructional objective) during learning; to manage essential processing (cognitive processing aimed at representing the essential material in working memory) during learning, and to foster generative processing (cognitive processing aimed at making sense of the material) during learning. Nine evidence-based principles for accomplishing these goals are presented. CONCLUSIONS Applying the science of learning to medical education can be a fruitful venture that improves medical instruction and cognitive theory.

Learning Design: A Handbook on Modelling and Delivering Networked Education and Training

Abstract: E-learning is still in its infancy. This can be seen both in the limited pedagogical quality and lack of portability of e-learning content, and in the lack of user-friendly tools to exploit the opportunities offered by current technologies. To be successful, e-learning must offer effective and attractive courses and programmes to learners, while at the same time providing a pleasant and effective work environment for staff members who have the task to develop course materials, plan the learning processes, provide tutoring, and assess performance. To overcome these deficiencies, the IMS Global Learning Consortium Inc. released the Learning Design Specification in 2003. With Learning Design it is possible to develop and present advanced, interoperable e-learning courses embracing educational role and game playing methods, problem-based learning, learning community approaches, adaptivity and peer coaching and assessment methods. In this handbook Koper and Tattersall have put together contributions from members of the "Valkenburg Group", consisting of 33 experts deeply involved in e-learning and more specifically learning design. The result is a rich and lasting source of information for both e-learning course and tool developers, providing information about the specification itself, how to implement it in practice, what tools to use, and what pitfalls to avoid. The book not only reports first experiences, but also goes beyond the current state of the art by looking at future prospects and emerging applications.

How We Think: A Theory of Goal-Oriented Decision Making and its Educational Applications (Studies in Mathematical Thinking and Learning Series)

Abstract: Introduction and Acknowledgments 1. The Big Picture 2. Reflections, Caveats, Doubts, and Rationalizations 3. The Structure of the Representations Used in this Book 4. Lesson Analysis I: A beginning teacher carrying out a traditional lesson 5. Lesson Analysis II: An experienced teacher carrying out a non-traditional lesson 6. Lesson Analysis III: Third graders! A non-traditional lesson with an emergent agenda 7. Lesson Analysis IV: The analysis of a doctor-patient Consultation - an act of joint problem solving 8. Next Steps Indices, etc

Autonomy and Foreign Language Learning

Abstract: Independent language learning is one aspect of what the research literature calls learner autonomy, in other words, the ability and willingness of learners to study foreign languages on their own. This article illustrates the strategies I used to design, carry out and sustain my independent language learning project.

Experience Design : Technology for All the Right Reasons

Abstract: In his In the blink of an eye, Walter Murch, the Oscar-awarded editor of The English Patient, Apocalypse Now, and many other outstanding movies, devises the Rule of Six -- six criteria for what makes a good cut. On top of his list is "to be true to the emotion of the moment," a quality more important than advancing the story or being rhythmically interesting. The cut has to deliver a meaningful, compelling, and emotion-rich "experience" to the audience. Because, "what they finally remember is not the editing, not the camerawork, not the performances, not even the story---it's how they felt." Technology for all the right reasons applies this insight to the design of interactive products and technologies -- the domain of Human-Computer Interaction, Usability Engineering, and Interaction Design. It takes an experiential approach, putting experience before functionality and leaving behind oversimplified calls for ease, efficiency, and automation or shallow beautification. Instead, it explores what really matters to humans and what it needs to make technology more meaningful. The book clarifies what experience is, and highlights five crucial aspects and their implications for the design of interactive products. It provides reasons why we should bother with an experiential approach, and presents a detailed working model of experience useful for practitioners and academics alike. It closes with the particular challenges of an experiential approach for design. The book presents its view as a comprehensive, yet entertaining blend of scientific findings, design examples, and personal anecdotes. Table of Contents: Follow me! / Crucial Properties of Experience / Three Good Reasons to Consider Experience / A Model of Experience / Reflections on Experience Design

Collaborative Inquiry Learning: Models, tools, and challenges

Abstract: Collaborative inquiry learning is one of the most challenging and exciting ventures for today’s schools. It aims at bringing a new and promising culture of teaching and learning into the classroom where students in groups engage in self‐regulated learning activities supported by the teacher. It is expected that this way of learning fosters students’ motivation and interest in science, that they learn to perform steps of inquiry similar to scientists and that they gain knowledge on scientific processes. Starting from general pedagogical reflections and science standards, the article reviews some prominent models of inquiry learning. This comparison results in a set of inquiry processes being the basis for cooperation in the scientific network NetCoIL. Inquiry learning is conceived in several ways with emphasis on different processes. For an illustration of the spectrum, some main conceptions of inquiry and their focuses are described. In the next step, the article describes exemplary computer tools and env...

Embedding reflexivity within experiential qualitative psychology

Abstract: In this article, it is argued that reflexivity is integral to experiential qualitative research in psychology. Reflexivity has been defined in many ways. Woolgar’s continuum of reflexivity though provides a useful gauge by which to judge whether a researcher is involved in simple reflection or reflexivity. The article demonstrates the benefits of adopting a reflexive attitude by presenting “challenge-to-competency.” The author’s encounter with Sarah will help illustrate the role of reflexivity both in data generation and in interpretative analysis. To close, it is proposed that reflexivity as hermeneutic reflection, with its grounding in hermeneutics and phenomenology, is a useful construct for guiding our engagement in reflexivity in experiential qualitative research.

International experience and graduate employability: stakeholder perceptions on the connection

Abstract: This paper reports the findings of an Australian qualitative study (N = 45) concerned with the way that employers, academics and students perceived connections between international experience and graduate employability. Drawing on the literature, the authors argue that increasing globalisation and internationalisation has heightened the need for graduates with the ability to operate in culturally diverse contexts. Universities have focussed upon exchange as part of internationalisation to prepare students for work but there is still limited literature on the nature of the relationship between international experience, more broadly and graduate employability. The findings suggest that all stakeholders identify clear connections between international experience and employability given outcomes associated with the forging of networks, opportunities for experiential learning, language acquisition and the development of soft skills related to cultural understandings, personal characteristics and ways of thinking.

Online or Face-to-Face? Students' Experiences and Preferences in E-Learning.

Abstract: Which aspects of e-learning courses do students experience as being favorable for learning? When do students prefer online or face-to-face learning components? These questions were the subject of a research study in a sample of 2196 students from 29 Austrian universities. The students completed a questionnaire on their experiences attending an e-learning course, on their perceived achievements, and on their preferences for online or face-to-face learning components. Students appreciated online learning for its potential in providing a clear and coherent structure of the learning material, in supporting self-regulated learning, and in distributing information. They preferred face-to-face learning for communication purposes in which a shared understanding has to be derived or in which interpersonal relations are to be established. An especially important result concerns students' perceptions of their learning achievements: When conceptual knowledge in the subject matter or skills in the application of one's knowledge are to be acquired, students prefer face-to-face learning. However, when skills in self-regulated learning are to be acquired, students advocate online learning.

Learning as immersive experiences: Using the four-dimensional framework for designing and evaluating immersive learning experiences in a virtual world

Abstract: Traditional approaches to learning have often focused upon knowledge transfer strategies that have centred on textually-based engagements with learners, and dialogic methods of interaction with tutors. The use of virtual worlds, with text-based, voice-based and a feeling of ‘presence’ naturally is allowing for more complex social interactions and designed learning experiences and role plays, as well as encouraging learner empowerment through increased interactivity. To unpick these complex social interactions and more interactive designed experiences, this paper considers the use of virtual worlds in relation to structured learning activities for college and lifelong learners. This consideration necessarily has implications upon learning theories adopted and practices taken up, with real implications for tutors and learners alike. Alongside this is the notion of learning as an ongoing set of processes mediated via social interactions and experiential learning circumstances within designed virtual and hybrid spaces. This implies the need for new methodologies for evaluating the efficacy, benefits and challenges of learning in these new ways. Towards this aim, this paper proposes an evaluation methodology for supporting the development of specified learning activities in virtual worlds, based upon inductive methods and augmented by the four-dimensional framework reported in a previous study. The study undertaken aimed to test the efficacy of the proposed evaluation methodology and framework, and to evaluate the broader uses of a virtual world for supporting lifelong learners specifically in their educational choices and career decisions. The paper presents the findings of the study and considers that virtual worlds are reorganising significantly how we relate to the design and delivery of learning. This is opening up a transition in learning predicated upon the notion of learning design through the lens of ‘immersive learning experiences’ rather than sets of knowledge to be transferred between tutor and learner. The challenges that remain for tutors rest with the design and delivery of these activities and experiences. The approach advocated here builds upon an incremental testing and evaluation of virtual world learning experiences.

Enterprise education as pedagogy

Abstract: Purpose – This paper seeks to suggest that the most appropriate way to construe the concept of enterprise education is from a pedagogical viewpoint. Enterprise education as pedagogy is argued to be the most appropriate way to think about the concept and serves to demarcate it from entrepreneurship education, which is very much about business start‐up and the new venture creation process.Design/methodology/approach – Enterprise education is underpinned by experiential action learning that can be in, outside and away from the normal classroom environment. It can be delivered across a range of subject areas throughout different phases of education.Findings – Enterprise and entrepreneurship education are perceived to be conflated terms that for many in the education and business communities mean much the same thing. Adopting an enterprise education approach allows greater pupil/student ownership of the learning process.Practical implications – Enterprise education as pedagogy advocates an approach to teaching...