Fostering postgraduate student engagement: online resources supporting self-directed learning in a diverse cohort

The research question for this study was: ���Can the provision of online resources help to engage and motivate students to become self-directed learners?��� This study presents the results of an action research project to answer this question for a postgraduate module at a research-intensive university in the United Kingdom. The analysis of results from the study was conducted dividing the students according to their programme degree ��� Masters or PhD ��� and according to their language skills. The study indicated that the online resources embedded in the module were consistently used, and that the measures put in place to support self-directed learning (SDL) were both perceived and valued by the students, irrespective of their programme or native language. Nevertheless, a difference was observed in how students viewed SDL: doctoral students seemed to prefer the approach and were more receptive to it than students pursuing their Masters degree. Some students reported that the SDL activity helped them to achieve more independence than did traditional approaches to teaching. Students who engaged with the online resources were rewarded with higher marks and claimed that they were all the more motivated within the module. Despite the different learning experiences of the diverse cohort, the study found that the blended nature of the course and its resources in support of SDL created a learning environment which positively affected student learning.

Extending teaching and learning initiatives in the cross-disciplinary field of biotechnology

Our AUTC Biotechnology study (Phases 1 and 2) identified a range of areas that could benefit from a common approach by universities nationally. A national network of biotechnology educators needs to be solidified through more regular communication, biennial meetings, and development of methods for sharing effective teaching practices and industry placement strategies, for example. Our aims in this proposed study are to: a. Revisit the state of undergraduate biotechnology degree programs nationally to determine their rate of change in content, growth or shrinkage in student numbers (as the biotech industry has had its ups and downs in recent years), and sustainability within their institutions in light of career movements of key personnel, tightening budgets, and governmental funding priorities. b. Explore the feasibility of a range of initiatives to benefit university biotechnology education to determine factors such as how practical each one is, how much buy-in could be gained from potentially participating universities and industry counterparts, and how sustainable such efforts are. One of many such initiatives arising in our AUTC Biotech study was a national register of industry placements for final-year students. c. During scoping and feasibility study, to involve our colleagues who are teaching in biotechnology ��� and contributing disciplines. Their involvement is meant to yield not only meaningful insight into how to strengthen biotechnology teaching and learning but also to generate ���buy-in��� on any initiatives that result from this effort.

Use of the web to provide learning support for a large metabolism and nutrition class

To support student learning in a large Metabolism and Nutrition class, we have introduced a web-based package, using a commercially available program, WebCT. The package was developed at a minimal cost and with limited resources. In addition to downloadable (PDF) versions of lecture Powerpoint presentations, tutorial outlines and a practical class exercise, web-based self-directed learning exercises were included to reinforce and extend lecture material in an active learning environment. The web-site also contained a variety of formative and summative assessment tasks that examined both factual recall and higher order thinking Detailed course information, timetables and a bulletin board were also readily accessible. Student usage of the site was generally high, but varied widely between individual students. Students who achieved a high overall score for the course completed on average three times as many formative assessment items and achieved a higher score for all tests than students who did poorly. Student feedback about the site was very positive with the majority of students reporting that the course material and assessment items that were available were useful to their learning. Administration of the course was also facilitated. (C) 2001 IUBMB. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Health and physical education in middle schooling

The middle years of schooling are receiving increased attention. This paper gives some background to 'middle schooling' and begin discussion if physical education is to be involved in the shift that an increasing number of schools are attempting to make in order to enhance student learning. It addresses findings, innovations and changes to the field of physical education. A set of questions are posed about the relationship between the middle years of schooling, health and physical education.

What factors of satisfaction and motivation are affecting the development of the academic career in Portuguese higher education institutions?

An important constituent group and a key resource of higher education institutions (HEIs) is the faculty or academic staff. The centrality of the faculty role makes it a primary sculptor of institutional culture and has implications for the quality of the institution and therefore has a major role in achieving the objectives of the institution. Demand for academic staff in higher education has been increasing and may be expected to continue to increase. Moreover the performance of academic staff as teachers and researchers determines much of the student satisfaction and has an impact on student learning. There are many factors that serve to undermine the commitment of academics to their institutions and careers. Job satisfaction is important in revitalizing staff motivation and in keeping their enthusiasm alive. Well motivated academic staff can, with appropriate support, build a national and international reputation for themselves and the institution in the professional areas, in research and in publishing. This paper aims to identify the issues and their impacts on academic staff job satisfaction and motivation within Portuguese higher education institutions reporting an ongoing study financed by the European Union through the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology.

Accounting education in an action-based learning environment: lessons learned

In the context of the Bologna Declaration a change is taking place in the teaching/learning paradigm. From teaching-centered education, which emphasizes the acquisition and transmission of knowledge, we now speak of learning-centered education, which is more demanding for students. This paradigm promotes a continuum of lifelong learning, where the individual needs to be able to handle knowledge, to select what is appropriate for a particular context, to learn permanently and to understand how to learn in new and rapidly changing situations. One attempt to face these challenges has been the experience of ISCAP regarding the teaching/learning of accounting in the course Managerial Simulation. This paper describes the process of teaching, learning and assessment in an action-based learning environment. After a brief general framework that focuses on education objectives, we report the strengths and limitations of this teaching/learning tool. We conclude with some lessons from the implementation of the project.

Learning in higher education: strategies to overcome challenges faced by adult students - lessons drawn from two studies in portugal

Int���l J. of Information and Communication Technology Education, 3(2), 1-14, April-June 2007

Sustainability education in PBL education: the case study of IEM-UMINHO

Sustainability-related skills are becoming more and more relevant for a proficient and professional engineering practice. Industrial engineers in particular, given their broad field of intervention and being at the heart of industrial activity, hold a great deal of potential and responsibility in providing and delivering best industrial practices, that support enhanced industrial systems and products. Therefore making a real contribution in generating wealth and income for all the companies��� stakeholders, including local communities, as well as adding up to more sustainable ecosystems. Previous work by the authors focused on studying the inclusion of this subject on the education of industrial engineers, especially through active-learning methodologies, as well as presenting results on the use of one such approach. The study conducted tried to identify the impacts on sustainability learning using a given specific activity, i.e. a workshop on industrial ecology, held in the 2014/2015 academic year on the Integrated MSc degree on Industrial Engineering and Management at the University of Minho, Portugal. The study uses content analysis of student teams��� reports for two consecutive academic years. The former did not include one such workshop, while the latter did. The Fink taxonomy was used in the discussion of results and reflection. The study outcomes aimed at supporting decision making on worthiness of investment on similar education instruments for sustainability competency development. Some results of the study highlight that: (1) the workshop seem to globally have a positive contribution on the sustainability learning; (2) a number of dimensions of the Life cycle design strategy wheel was developed, but the approach was not broadly used, (3) There was a mismatch on the workshop schedule; (4) students enjoy the workshop; (5) a clearer endorsement on relevance of this aspect is required. Suggestions for future work are also issued.

Ensino, aprendizagem e avalia����o no Ensino Superior: Perspetivas e pr��ticas

Tese de Doutoramento em Ci��ncias da Educa����o - Especialidade de Desenvolvimento Curricular

Problem��ticas de la interacci��n discursiva en la ense��anza y el aprendizaje de las Ciencias Naturales. Aportes did��cticos. Interaction discoursive issues in teaching and learning Natural Sciences. Didactic contributions

Las did��cticas espec��ficas de las ciencias naturales revelan diferentes problem��ticas en su ense��anza y aprendizaje en los diferentes niveles del sistema educativo. En particular, en las clases de ciencias la interacci��n discursiva docente alumnos adquiere relevancia, ya que el proceso de comunicaci��n del conocimiento es uno de los pilares did��cticos, junto a la trasposici��n del mismo. Especificamente, en este proyecto nos abocamos a aquellas intervenciones de docentes y alumnos que se relacionan con la construcci��n del conocimiento biol��gico y qu��mico. El proyecto se enmarca en una actual linea de trabajo que indaga sobre las dificultades en los abordajes del conocimiento cient��fico en las aulas, las caracter��sticas del discurso entre docentes y alumnos, las habilidades y dificultades en la comprensi��n de los enunciados de problemas y las caracter��sticas de los textos que se utilizan en las clases. Se focaliza este estudio en casos que intentan dar respuesta a tres tem��ticas, agrupadas en un conjunto de situaciones de investigaci��n relacionadas con la interacci��n discursiva docente-alumno, retomando el rol del docente al hablar, guiar o dise��ar las situaciones de referencia para el aprendizaje de los alumnos. Los casos son: 1- En cuanto a las concepciones sobre diversidad biol��gica en estudiantes de escuela secundaria y en textos acad��micos, atendemos a c��mo la escuela presenta los contenidos ecol��gicos como un conjunto de dogmas y conceptos est��ticos. Adem��s suelen simplificarse conceptualmente y presentarse poco actualizados. Es por ello que se planea estudiar las concepciones y actitudes de los alumnos de secundaria sobre la biodiversidad, c��mo estas dificultan su comprensi��n y los textos usados en relaci��n a la promoci��n de la transposici��n did��ctica. 2- En relaci��n a c��mo se elabora el patr��n tem��tico del tema c��lula en clases de Biolog��a, se analizar��n las diferentes estrategias de significados y de desarrollo tem��tico, que se emplean en la comunicaci��n aulica. Se intentar�� establecer si hay cambios en el desarrollo tem��tico a medida que se avanza en la escolaridad. Esto es porque se puede apreciar que muchos de los problemas de aprendizaje del alumnado se deben a un desconocimiento tanto del patr��n tem��tico como del patr��n estructural de la ciencia, siendo preciso evocar los patrones tem��ticos que se quieren utilizar, para construir un conocimiento compartido. 3-Finalmente, en los enunciados de problemas de Qu��mica, se analizar��n las dificultades de comprensi��n lectora de alumnos de Ingenier��a. Los docentes frecuentemente atribuyen los problemas a deficiencias en la instrucci��n recibida, sin considerarse los conocimientos previos del alumno, los obst��culos conceptuales originados en el tema, las deficiencias en la habilidad lectora, el tipo textual predominante en la consigna, el formato en el que se escribi�� la consigna y los factores personales, etc., siendo que la comprensi��n del enunciado de una consigna de trabajo condiciona fuertemente la posibilidad de su resoluci��n. Los tres casos utilizar��n metodolog��as cualitaritas que incluyan an��lisis de contenido en discursos orales y escritos. Los datos se registrar��n desde observaci��n no participante, registro etnogr��fico y con grabaciones de audio. Se espera contribuir al conocimiento, realizando aportes a la formaci��n docente en tanto las estrategias discursivas que se emplean en el aula, en forma oral y en la escrita, conocer concepciones que dificultan o favoren la construcci��n del conocimiento cient��fico, entre otras. Los productos de estos estudios estar��n integrados por nuevos desarrollos para la formaci��n docente, publicaciones cient��ficas de impacto nacional e internacional, presentaciones a congresos, materiales did��cticos y divulgativos, dictado de seminarios y/o cursos, redacci��n de informes a las escuelas intervinientes.. The specific Natural Sciences didactics show different problems in teaching and learning along the school system. In particular, the discourse used to communicate knowledge in Science lessons becomes important. With this project we will focus on the teachers and students actions regarding the construction of biological and chemical knowledge. This project attempts to answer these issues and brings together a range of research situations related to teacher-student interaction, through discourse, taking up the role of the teacher to speak, to plan and to guide student learning. We will study the ideas and attitudes of high school students about biodiversity that make difficult its understanding and the textbooks used in relation to promotion of the didactic transposition. In addition, regarding how the thematic pattern in biology classes is costructed, it will be analyzed the different meaning and thematic development strategies that are used in communication. We will attempt to establish whether there are any changes in the thematic development throughout high school education. Finally, we will analyze the reading comprehension problems in engineering students. Teachers frequently attribute these issues to deficiencies in prior education, without considering the students background, the conceptual obstacles arising in the field, the format in which the prompt is written, personal factors, etc., keeping in mind that the outcome of an activity is strictly dependant con the prompt understanding. We expect to make contributions to the teacher education in both the discourse strategies used in the classroom, orally and in writing, to learn about the conceptions that hinder or favor the knowledge construction, among others. The products of this study will be national and international impact scientific publications, conference presentations, popular science publications, seminars courses and reports to the schools involeved.

Learning collaboration in General Internal Medicine: a pilot project for undergraduate students in nursing, physiotherapy and medicine

Background: A form of education called Interprofessional Education (IPE) occurs when two or more professions learn with, from and about each other. The purpose of IPE is to improve collaboration and the quality of care. Today, IPE is considered as a key educational approach for students in the health professions. IPE is highly effective when delivered in active patient care, such as in clinical placements. General internal medicine (GIM) is a core discipline where hospital-based clinical placements are mandatory for students in many health professions. However, few interprofessional (IP) clinical placements in GIM have been implemented. We designed such a placement. Placement design: The placement took place in the Department of Internal Medicine at the CHUV. It involved students from nursing, physiotherapy and medicine. The students were in their last year before graduation. Students formed teams consisting of one student from each profession. Each team worked in the same unit and had to take care of the same patient. The placement lasted three weeks. It included formal IP sessions, the most important being facilitated discussions or "briefings" (3x/w) during which the students discussed patient care and management. Four teams of students eventually took part in this project. Method: We performed a type of evaluation research called formative evaluation. This aimed at (1) understanding the educational experience and (2) assessing the impact of the placement on student learning. We collected quantitative data with pre-post clerkship questionnaires. We also collected qualitative data with two Focus Groups (FG) discussions at the end of the placement. The FG were audiotaped and transcribed. A thematic analysis was then performed. Results: We focused on the qualitative data, since the quantitative data lacked of statistical power due to the small numbers of students (N = 11). Five themes emerged from the FG analysis: (1) Learning of others' roles, (2) Learning collaborative competences, (3) Striking a balance between acquiring one's own professional competences and interprofessional competences, (4) Barriers to apply learnt IP competences in the future and (5) Advantages and disadvantages of IP briefings. Conclusions: Our IP clinical placement in GIM appeared to help students learn other professionals' roles and collaborative skills. Some challenges (e.g. finding the same patient for each team) were identified and will require adjustments.

Using problem-based learning for introducing producer theory and market structure in intermediate microeconomics

This paper shows how instructors can use the problem���based learning method to introduce producer theory and market structure in intermediate microeconomics courses. The paper proposes a framework where different decision problems are presented to students, who are asked to imagine that they are the managers of a firm who need to solve a problem in a particular business setting. In this setting, the instructors��� role isto provide both guidance to facilitate student learning and content knowledge on a just���in���time basis

Learning design twofold strategies for teacher-led inquiry andstudent active learning

This workshop paper states that fostering active student participation both in face-to-face lectures / seminars and outside the classroom (personal and group study at home, the library, etc.) requires a certain level of teacher-led inquiry. The paper presents a set of strategies drawn from real practice in higher education with teacher-led inquiry ingredients that promote active learning. Thesepractices highlight the role of the syllabus, the importance of iterative learning designs, explicit teacher-led inquiry, and the implications of the context, sustainability and practitioners��� creativity. The strategies discussed in this paper can serve as input to the workshop as real cases that need to be represented in design and supported in enactment (with and without technologies).

La Participaci��n de los estudiantes en la universidad: dificultades percibidas y propuestas de mejora = Student participation in the university: perceived problems and proposals for improvement

Este art��culo se centra en el an��lisis de la participaci��n de los estudiantes en el gobierno de la universidad y muestra espec��ficamente las principales dificultades que hay para ella y las propuestas que pueden facilitar la implicaci��n de los estudiantes en el funcionamiento de las universidades. A partir de una investigaci��n desarrollada durante los cursos 2007-08 y 2008-09, en la que se utilizaron cuestionarios y grupos de discusi��n con estudiantes y entrevistas dirigidas al profesorado, se obtiene informaci��n sobre los principales obst��culos para la participaci��n estudiantil. El estudio realizado muestra que, de acuerdo con la t��nica general reflejada en otras investigaciones sobre esta misma tem��tica en nuestro contexto, la participaci��n de los estudiantes en los distintos estamentos universitarios es escasa. Ahora bien, la metodolog��a seguida en esta investigaci��n permite contrastar las opiniones de los estudiantes con las percepciones del profesorado y obtener as�� matices significativos que muestran las principales direcciones que hay que tomar para facilitar un cambio de orientaci��n en el asunto. Los cambios que debemos emprender est��n relacionados no solo con la mejora de los mecanismos de informaci��n acerca de los canales de participaci��n, sino tambi��n con el replanteamiento de los procesos participativos por parte de la universidad, as�� como del papel del profesorado y, espec��ficamente, de los coordinadores de los ��rganos de gesti��n m��s pr��ximos a los estudiantes. En las conclusiones del documento se presentan las propuestas de mejora dirigidas a potenciar la implicaci��n de los estudiantes en el funcionamiento universitario. Entre ellas se apuntan las siguientes: mejorar la informaci��n y los canales de comunicaci��n con los estudiantes, mejorar los procesos electorales, ofrecer formaci��n a los estudiantes para la participaci��n y formaci��n al profesorado acerca de las metodolog��as, recursos e instrumentos que pueden repercutir en la motivaci��n de los estudiantes

Redefining dropping out in online higher education: a case study from the UOC

In recent years, studies into the reasons for dropping out of higher education (including online education) have been undertaken with greater regularity, parallel to the rise in the relative weight of this type of education, compared with brick-and-mortar education. However, the work invested in characterising the students who drop out of education, compared with those who do not, appears not to have had the same relevance as that invested in the analysis of the causes. The definition of dropping out is very sensitive to the context. In this article, we reach a purely empirical definition of student dropping out, based on the probability of not continuing a specific academic programme following several consecutive semesters of "theoretical break". Dropping out should be properly defined before analysing its causes, as well as comparing the drop-out rates between the different online programmes, or between online and on-campus ones. Our results show that there are significant differences among programmes, depending on their theoretical extension, but not their domain of knowledge.