Active Learning in Higher Education recent issues

Editorial

Baldwin, L. P. — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:14:02 PST

From traditional essay to 'Ready Steady Cook' presentation: Reasons for innovative changes in assignments

Leedham, M. — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:14:02 PST

The prose essay, case study and laboratory report, composed by individual students in isolation from their peers, used to be the mainstay of undergraduate writing. However, in recent years an array of alternative assignment types such as blogs, letters and e-posters have widened the repertoire of texts expected. This article attempts to describe the reasoning behind changes in assignment types at undergraduate and master’s level at the beginning of the twenty-first century. Data from 58 semi-structured interviews with lecturers in three UK universities is used together with course handbooks and some clarifications with lecturers via email. Suggested reasons for new assignment types are grouped into three categories: external, lecturer-driven and student-driven. The article surmises that, because of these pressures, students are now expected to produce a wide variety of text types, and greater attention should be paid to guidance in new assignments for both native and non-native speaker students.

Simulations and games: Overcoming the barriers to their use in higher education

Moizer, J., Lean, J., Towler, M., Abbey, C. — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:14:02 PST

Based on a categorization of simulation and gaming barriers developed in a previous study, this work seeks to explore in greater depth the composition and nature of these obstacles. It examines the interrelationships between the barriers and the impact of other contextual factors in the pedagogic environment. A series of in-depth interviews were conducted with 11 staff involved in teaching with simulations and games within a UK higher education institution. The findings underline the significant linkages apparent between three broad barriers to teaching with simulations, games and role-play: suitability, resource and risk. Further analysis of the interview transcripts facilitated the identification of a range of mechanisms which may be employed to overcome the aforementioned barriers: freeing up academics’ time, providing training and development, enabling informal learning, providing resource support, facilitating access to networks and providing access to secondary information sources. These mechanisms are discussed and evaluated in relation to the broader educational context.

The power of in-class debates

Kennedy, R. R. — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:14:02 PST

The students in three sections of a class rated their knowledge and identified their view before and after each of five in-class debates. The degree of self-reported knowledge was significantly different after four of the five debates. Between 31% and 58% of participants changed their views after participating in or observing each debate. Some changed their opinion even when they defended the side consistent with their original view. Despite their fears of participating in a debate, prior to the first debate, approximately 75% of the participants stated that they would consider using debate as an instructional strategy, and after the debates, this increased to about 85%. In both instances, males were more likely to respond positively than were females.

Recognizing the enhancement of graduate attributes and employability through part-time work while at university

Muldoon, R. — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:14:02 PST

The encouragement of the development of a set of graduate attributes to enhance employability in universities is not new. Mostly, however, it takes place within the formal curriculum. This article presents a case study of the outcomes of an institutional award for student development through extra-curricular activity. There are three categories of extra-curricular activity which qualify for the award: non-accredited learning and training; professional development; and community/voluntary work. The professional development category includes part-time work. This article focuses on just one component of the institutional award: part-time work. It looks at the range of paid and voluntary work undertaken by students during their studies, what they gain from it in terms of graduate attributes and the impact of institutional recognition of it. It seems that part-time work is a useful avenue for the development of graduate attributes and other desirable personal qualities, and enhances students’ employability. Additionally, students appear to benefit from institutional recognition of extra-curricular achievement while at university. Because of the small sample size, the results of this study may not be generalizable but the underlying notion of recognizing and rewarding student development through part-time work is transferable.

Gendered perceptions of learning and fairness when choice between exam types is offered

Mauldin, R. K. — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:14:02 PST

This study examined the differences in male and female students’ perceptions of how much they had learned and how fairly their performance had been measured when choice between constructed response, selective response, or mixed testing formats was introduced into different classrooms. Results revealed that introducing assessment choice into a classroom has significant but small effects on perceptions of learning and fairness. While results of gender differences were not found to be significant, the introduction of choice into classroom settings was found to have opposite effects on males and females. Specifically, male students became more convinced over the course of the term that they were being evaluated fairly when they were only permitted to take selective response tests, and less satisfied with the fairness of the evaluation if they were offered a choice. Female students were found to believe the opposite. Implications and recommendations for future research are then discussed.

Performance of cooperative learning groups in a postgraduate education research methodology course: The role of social interdependence

Onwuegbuzie, A. J., Collins, K. M.T., Jiao, Q. G. — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:14:02 PST

This study investigated the degree that social interdependence predicted the achievement of 26 cooperative learning groups. Social interdependence was assessed in terms of postgraduate students’ individual orientation (that is, cooperative, competitive, and individualistic). Participants were 84 postgraduate students enrolled in an introductory-level education research methodology course. An all possible subsets multiple regression was used to identify a combination of social interdependence variables that predict achievement. Results indicate that postgraduate students’ levels of individualism predict achievement in a research methodology course. Specifically, groups consisting of students with the greatest individualistic orientation tend to produce the article critiques receiving a high evaluation, regardless of how heterogeneous the group is with respect to levels of individualism. This finding adds validity to the theories of active and cooperative learning and to the incremental support towards using cooperative learning groups to promote postgraduate students’ active learning in research methodology courses.

Editorial

Baldwin, L. P. — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 03:20:59 PDT

Threshold concepts: A point of focus for practitioner research

Irvine, N., Carmichael, P. — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 03:20:59 PDT

Participants with teaching and research experience across eight disciplinary areas were introduced to the idea of `threshold concepts' and were then invited to identify potential threshold concepts in their own disciplines through small-scale research activities. Participants conceptualized their involvement in different ways: for some it provided a means of initiating changes in practice at faculty, department or course level, while others couched their involvement in terms of professional development or intellectual curiosity. This article describes how three selected disciplines — Sports Science, English Literature and Engineering — carried out enquiries into threshold concepts, and the ways in which they reflected on their participation in interdisciplinary seminars and disciplinary enquiry. These accounts highlight the importance of promoting a culture in which enquiry and reflection are central, while at the same time recognizing the value of appropriate `points of focus' for these activities and the importance of context-specific ideas of `quality' in practitioner research.

Mapping the maze of assessment: An investigation into practice

Gillett, A., Hammond, A. — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 03:20:59 PDT

This article presents the results of a preliminary survey of assessment tasks undertaken by students in higher education at a particular university. A key premise of the study was that the ability to handle assessment is central to the development of academic and professional literacy. Much of the current literature on assessment demonstrates a concern that it is not currently achieving this end. A grid of various features of assessment has been developed, onto which are mapped tasks used at all levels and within all disciplines in the institution. Considerable differences in the type and range of assessment tasks used across schools and disciplines are identified, and also a gap between the variation in tasks and the relatively narrow range of activities and techniques covered in most study skills manuals. It is argued that generic materials should broaden their base and that subject-specific material needs to be developed to accommodate the realities of lifelong learning.

Learning to teach with problem-based learning

Spronken-Smith, R., Harland, T. — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 03:20:59 PDT

This research explores the experiences of a group of academics learning to teach with problem-based learning (PBL) and how a community of practice (COP) supported this transition. An action-research project evaluated both PBL experiences and group processes. Teachers were enthusiastic about PBL but experienced a variety of problems during the transition. Those new to teaching had particular difficulty taking on the PBL role of `facilitator'. All teachers struggled to work within the `rules' of PBL. Of specific concern was the varied input teachers provided for their tutor groups and possible inequalities for student learning. The COP enabled professional learning about teaching PBL, but the dynamics of the group were perceived as too hierarchical. The group could have functioned better if it had adopted the principles underpinning a COP so that teachers could take a more critical stance towards how they operated within the group and how they taught PBL.

Effects of learning style profile of team on quality of materials developed in collaborative learning processes

Erdem, M. — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 03:20:59 PDT

The study described looks at the effects of learning style profile of teams on the quality of materials developed in a collaborative learning process. The study was carried out on collaborative teams of four or five university students, formed through learner preferences. Learning styles of the teams were determined using Kolb's Learning Styles Inventory. The learning style profiles of each team were found to vary, and each team had at least two students with different learning styles. At the end of the process, each team produced a printed material-developing manual. Evaluation was carried out by experts via analysis of the materials from the viewpoint of content adequacy, scientific accuracy, organization and originality, the specifications of which are also provided in the study. Statistical analyses indicated some significant differences between the teams regarding the product quality. Implications for practice in terms of team formation and possible effects on performance are given.

Different students, same difference?: A comparison of UK and international students' understandings of `effective teaching'

Bartram, B., Bailey, C. — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 03:20:59 PDT

Recent years have seen a considerable growth in the numbers of international students coming to study in the UK. In an attempt to identify the extent to which differences in understandings and expectations of `effective teaching practice' might impede their successful integration into academic life, the following article offers a comparative analysis of the ways in which UK and overseas students define good teaching. Focusing on survey results at one university, the study identifies and explores four key areas that underpin student understandings of effective teaching: teaching skills, teacher attributes, staff—student relationships and teacher knowledge. Results indicate that UK and international students appear to share broadly similar views and, despite some differences in emphasis, particular teaching skills emerge as most important, while teacher knowledge appears to be afforded a much lower priority. Potential explanations for the degree of commonality in student thinking and prioritization are investigated, and a number of conclusions considered.

Editorial

Baldwin, L. P. — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 07:51:22 PST

A smooth transition?: Education and social expectations of direct entry students

Barron, P., D'Annunzio-Green, N. — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 07:51:22 PST

While the most common type of student entering higher education falls within the 17—19-year-old age group, universities in the UK are keen to accept other categories of students onto programmes as a means of increasing diversity and maintaining student numbers in the latter portion of a programme. One such category is those students who enter a programme directly into the second or third year through informal articulation agreements between institutions and the recognition and granting of credit for previous studies or experience. This article examines the expectations of a cohort of students entering directly into the second and third year of an undergraduate degree in the business school of a Scottish university. This study identified a range of learning, personal and working issues amongst this group of students. Academic concerns included the ability to cope with a higher academic level, time management, assessments and study skills. Personal issues focused on coping with existing responsibilities and achieving an appropriate work/life balance. This article identifies the need to develop such students' academic self-confidence in the early stages of their time at university and indicates that this group of students has specific needs and requires additional institutional support.

Transition to postgraduate study: Practice, participation and the widening participation agenda

O'Donnell, V. L., Tobbell, J., Lawthom, R., Zammit, M. — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 07:51:22 PST

This article explores transition to postgraduate (PG) study in terms of the widening participation (WP) agenda. The research is located within a Communities of Practice framework, allowing for explanations of transition in terms of learning, identity and participation in practices. A qualitative ethnographic methodology is employed, and analysis reveals two themes: the heterogeneity of PG students, and the nature of PG teaching and learning. It is argued that the imperatives that the WP agenda generates are as compatible with PG as with undergraduate study, and that this may have been overlooked previously owing to assumptions of the homogeneity of postgraduates. However, students' experiences of academic practices do not always reflect the dogma of how teaching and learning should occur at PG level, and this may prevent full participation in PG study by those who might otherwise be included.

Students pay attention!: Combating the vigilance decrement to improve learning during lectures

Young, M. S., Robinson, S., Alberts, P. — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 07:51:22 PST

Maintaining student concentration in lectures has long been a challenge for lecturers. Pedagogical research consistently finds a drop in attention between 10 and 30 minutes into the lecture, which has been associated with the passive nature of the standard format, and has consequences for learning approaches and outcomes. A similar phenomenon has been observed in ergonomics for some time, known as the vigilance decrement. In this article, we present an exploratory effort to detect the vigilance decrement in four different lecture formats, by adopting an ergonomics measurement tool which has been related to vigilance, and relating the findings to students' assessment results. It was found that standard lecture formats do induce a vigilance decrement, and this can adversely affect learning of the material. Conversely, vigilance degradation is avoided when presentation is varied, though this is not necessarily associated with interactive participation techniques. Implications for lecturing styles, learning approaches and pedagogical research methods are discussed.

Collaborative testing: Cognitive and interpersonal processes related to enhanced test performance

Kapitanoff, S. H. — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 07:51:22 PST

Research has demonstrated that collaborative testing, working on tests in groups, leads to improved test scores but the mechanism by which this occurs has not been specified. Three factors were proposed as mediators: cognitive processes, interpersonal interactions and reduced test-anxiety. Thirty-three students completed a multiple-choice exam individually and in two-person collaborative groups. Test anxiety was reduced but was not directly related to increased exam scores. Improved exam scores were directly related to three cognitive processes: remembering information better, an increased ability to think about the information being tested and having good discussions. Both direct and indirect paths between cognitive variables and enhanced test outcomes were found. Good interpersonal interactions were independently related to satisfaction with the collaborative process.

Using technology to direct learning in higher education: The way forward?

Turney, C.S.M., Robinson, D., Lee, M., Soutar, A. — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 07:51:22 PST

Improvements in technology appear to provide an unprecedented opportunity to improve learning and teaching within the higher education system. At present, however, opinions are divided over the efficacy of such an approach and the extent to which technology should be embraced in teaching. Over a period of two years, we have developed a new `blended' module where all learning resources are provided online and formal teaching sessions are used to provide the directed learning needed by students. This article explores the effectiveness of using technology to direct learning and identifies generic problems. Using measures of student performance, we demonstrate that technology in higher education can significantly improve student learning when fully aligned to the teaching aims and fully embedded within a module. The ability of students to use technology to repeatedly return to resources was a clear benefit, allowing students to take responsibility for their own study at a pace appropriate for the learner.

Podagogy: The iPod as a learning technology

Dale, C., Pymm, J. M. — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 07:51:22 PST

With the growing influence of social media on contemporary society, educators have to adapt to new ways of engaging students in the learning process. The use of iPod technologies, as part of this new breed of social media and associated gadgetry, offers fresh opportunities to enhance the student learning experience. As part of a research project entitled Podagogy at the University of Wolverhampton, three projects within the performing arts subjects were undertaken to explore the use of the iPod as a learning technology. This article reports on a number of common themes that have emerged as a process of the research that has been undertaken. These themes offer educators an understanding of how the iPod can be used as a learning technology within their learning and teaching practices.

Editorial

Baldwin, L. P. — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 08:16:04 PDT

The silent participant in small group collaborative learning contexts

Remedios, L., Clarke, D., Hawthorne, L. — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 08:16:04 PDT

There is an increasing acceptance in the education literature and in classroom settings for `best practice' to be linked with verbal clarification of knowledge and reasoning, ideally in collaborative contexts where students construct both group and individual knowledge. Problem-based learning (PBL) is one such classroom context in which participation is viewed as leading to learning and where the nature of `good' participation is verbal contribution. Students who choose to participate without speaking, or `silent' students, are often seen as failing to learn, and significant tutor time is devoted to encouraging verbal input. This article examines the experience of four `silent participants' (two overseas-educated and two local Australian) in a PBL context. The analysis reported in this article suggests that students' choice to be silent is a consequence of multiple constraints — personal, contextual and cultural — and that silence should not be taken to signify lack of learning.

Listening to students: How to make written assessment feedback useful

Rae, A. M., Cochrane, D. K. — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 08:16:04 PDT

Written assessment feedback has not been widely researched despite higher education students continually expressing the need for meaningful and constructive feedback. This qualitative study employing focus groups captures and interprets the student perspective of written assessment feedback. Participants were Registered Nurses and non-traditional entrants to higher education. The findings generated a framework of themes and categories representing the feedback process experienced by the students. The themes were `learning from', `the process of receiving' and `making sense of' feedback. When this framework incorporates strategies such as `feed-forward', self-managed learning and personalized guidance it then represents a heuristic model of effective written assessment feedback. The model, created as a result of the research, should enhance the student experience and aid understanding of the complex processes associated with providing written assessment feedback.

Using action research to teach students to manage team learning and improve teamwork satisfaction

Scott-Ladd, B., Chan, C. C.A. — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 08:16:04 PDT

This article reports on a study investigating strategies that students can use to develop skills in managing team learning. Two groups of second-year management students participated in a semester-long action research project over two semesters. The students were educated on team development, team processes and conflict management and how to review and enhance team development. Teaching staff supported the approach and students were regularly encouraged to reflect on and learn about how their behaviour contributed to team effectiveness. This approach encouraged student participation and ownership as well as early intervention if problems arose. Findings suggest that when students are taught to manage the processes of teamwork and take greater ownership of managing conflict and team relations they report less conflict and less social loafing and are more satisfied with their learning outcomes.

The importance of establishing relevance in motivating student learning

Kember, D., Ho, A., Hong, C. — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 08:16:04 PDT

This article reports findings from a study which interviewed 36 undergraduate students about aspects of the teaching and learning environment which motivated or demotivated their study. It was found that students were motivated by a teaching environment characterized by eight main elements. This article reports in detail on the element of establishing relevance, as this seemed very important to the interviewees. The interviewees found that teaching abstract theory alone was demotivating. Relevance could be established through: showing how theory can be applied in practice, establishing relevance to local cases, relating material to everyday applications, or finding applications in current newsworthy issues. The traditional building block curriculum, which devotes substantial parts of initial courses to basic theory, could demotivate students if they could not see how the theory was applicable to the discipline or profession. The problem could be alleviated by a course which revealed a curriculum map showing the application of basic material in more advanced courses, or by early periods of exposure to professional practice in professional programmes. Professional programmes faced a double-edged sword with respect to relevance in that it could be established by demonstrating that material was relevant to a future career. However, students could easily become demotivated if they could not see the relevance of theoretical material, since they had chosen a professional programme in the expectation that it would prepare them well for their future career.

Assessing small-scale interventions in large-scale teaching: A general methodology and preliminary data

Dyson, B. J. — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 08:16:04 PDT

The use of lectures is ubiquitous in higher-education institutions, but also heavily criticized from an andragogical viewpoint. A current challenge for lecturers is to provide opportunities for active learning during these sessions and to evaluate their impact on student experience. Three one-minute interventions based on the lecture materials (write down one thing you have already learnt, one question you would like answering, and take a break) were introduced approximately 20, 30 and 40 minutes into the lecture and assessed with respect to engagement over a five-week period on a final-year psychology option. Students were invited to record their current level of lecture engagement every 5 minutes. Both between-and within-subject analyses revealed a significant increase in lecture engagement for the first intervention during the first intervention week relative to baseline weeks. The data show an enhancement of student engagement with certain small-scale interventions during large-scale teaching.