Practical Learning Experience Research Articles

“This is Part of my Final Grade”: A LatCrit Critique of Prison Tours as Pedagogical Tools in Criminal Justice Education

The proliferation of criminal justice programs brings new pedagogical challenges for educators who look for innovative ways to help students build lasting connections between theory, research, and practice. Prison tours are a well-known experiential learning practice in criminal justice courses. Educators have emphasized the benefits of using prison tours in providing students with first-hand knowledge of the criminal justice system, but critics have questioned their educational value, and the subjectivity of students’ personal experiences are rarely considered. In this article, I use LatCrit to problematize the use of prison tours as pedagogical tools in criminal justice courses, focusing on my status as a Latinx scholar and educator. I combine counter-story telling and autoethnography to highlight my own prison tour experience. I question the educational benefits of prison tours and discuss the potential harms they can cause Latinx students who have previously come into contact with the criminal justice system.

Solutions to enhance primary school teachers' Awareness of the Role of STEM in primary school

STEM education in primary school is designed to provide a foundation for future learning in these subjects, as well as to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills, which are important for success in many areas of life. By engaging students in hands-on, practical learning experiences, STEM education can help prepare them for the challenges and opportunities of the future. Primary school is an ideal time to introduce STEM concepts and practices to students. Children in primary school are naturally curious about the world around them, and STEM education can help them develop the skills and knowledge needed to systematically and structurally explore that world.

Enhancing EFL Learners’ Native Cultural Awareness via Project-based Learning

English language education nowadays is not merely about the instruction and acquisition of linguistic knowledge and skills. Instead, it has progressed to the real-life applications of the target language, which further requires a mastery of cultural knowledge and skills. In terms of culture, English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners, compared to native speakers of English, own their unique native culture. Yet, since language teachers tend to focus on the delivery of English cultural knowledge, EFL learners’ native culture is sometimes shadowed in the mainstream English classrooms worldwide. To this end, this exploratory paper aims to advocate attention to the importance of EFL learners’ native culture awareness and share some practical teaching and learning experiences in an English course called Multimedia and Foreign Language Learning. The paper outlines the pedagogical design of the course in China, providing classroom examples and practical suggestions to course designers, educators and instructors. We expect to give insights into integrating native culture into foreign language education in university settings.

Focus Research Entrepreneurship Learning and Entrepreneurship Intention: A Systematic Review

Entrepreneurship learning is the process of acquiring knowledge and skills related to entrepreneurship, including the ability to recognise and develop new business opportunities, effectively manage resources, and take calculated risks in order to achieve success in business ventures often associated with intentional entrepreneurship refers to a person's motivation or inclination to launch a new business venture. The focus of this study is on entrepreneurial learning and intention, and it employs a systematic review methodology from 2021 to 2023 scopus database. The focus of research related to entrepreneurship learning and entrepreneurship intention focuses on several things such as experiential learning practice, individual characteristics such as gender, age, proximity to entrepreneurship, academic performance, previous work experience, and propensity for risk and observe the change, innovation, one-day female-focused STEM-based entrepreneurship program, entrepreneurial self-efficacy, young employees’ perception of their current paid jobs, creativity among female learners, cognitive and social conditions, creative self-efficacy, and theory of planned behavior.

Exploring the application of self-directed and cooperative learning in information systems education: a critical analysis

Learning is a continuous process of acquiring knowledge. Information systems (IS) is a sub-discipline of computing discipline with a focus on providing theory and practical teaching and learning opportunities and experience for students in the area of managing computing resources in an organization and society at large. The application of self-directed and cooperative learning in information systems (IS) education has been an area of interest for researchers and educators. Self-directed learning emphasizes the learner's autonomy, while cooperative learning emphasizes collaboration and communication among learners. This paper presents a critical analysis involving self-directed and cooperative learning in IS education through a rapid review of the application of these learning approaches in IS teaching and learning. This study used a rapid review in searching, identifying, and analyzing relevant peer-review papers in critically analyzing the application of self-directed and cooperative learning in IS teaching and learning process. The analysis was done through a systematic approach reviewing relevant literature and identifying the benefits, challenges, and implications of self-directed and cooperative learning in IS education. The data analysis followed a rapid review approach to reaching the findings. The study revealed the meaning of SDL and CL and their application in IS teaching and learning process. The study also found different models that encourage the application of SDL and CL in IS teaching and learning process. The paper concludes with recommendations for IS educators and suggestions for future studies.

Getting hands-on: Praxis-focused assessment to enhance online arts teacher education

Online learning has radically altered educational access; however, challenges emerge for learning domains relying on practical learning experiences, such as the creative arts. Research shows praxis is vital to effective arts teacher preparation. However, as Australian initial teacher educators, we noted the challenges of engaging online students in arts praxis and held concerns regarding preparing them adequately for the primary classroom. In exploring solutions, we developed an approach mandating hands-on learning through assessment, theorizing this as praxis-focused pedagogy. Through surveys and interviews, we sought to understand student perspectives regarding the assessment processes and whether this improved online engagement and self-efficacy as future arts educators. Findings confirm students supported a praxis-focused approach to assessment, and reveal beneficial attributes of this approach. The study affirms significant potential for praxis-focused assessment to enhance online arts learning; an approach that may be useful in other online education courses where hands-on experience is central to learning.

Experiential Learning Style Models on Implementation of Pre-Primary School Social Studies Curriculum: Systematic Review of Related Literature

Experiential learning model (ELM) is characterized as a four-stage cyclical process of concrete experiences, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation for driving learning into practice. The four-stage cycle of ELM creates an immediate experience providing opportunities for learners to develop knowledge, skills, and values from direct experience as the foundation for observations and reflections. The observations and reflections are assimilated and refined into abstract concepts producing new implications for actions which when tested effectively, create new experiences for learners from formative years through their lifetime. Through experiential learning, a variety of concepts integrates from extremely theoretical ones to the simplicity of learning by doing for accelerated learning. Since ELM is a four-stage cycle, the learning styles of each individual are components of the four fundamental learning models. In instances where appropriate learning styles are adopted, concrete experiences with abstract concepts are developed for learners to experience an enthusiasm for continued learning. However, a mismatch between teaching and learning styles may lead to detrimental effects on the acquisition of new knowledge. The purpose of this review was to analyze the available literature on ELM to identify its usefulness, strength, weaknesses, and implications for teaching and learning pre-primary social studies. Data were sourced through primary and secondary sources. Secondary data were sourced from journal articles, research projects, texts, internet searches, and libraries. Experiential learning models are founded on the concept that an individual's experiences play an essential role in learning and appreciation of new knowledge. The review established that experiential learning practices aid in developing learners’ preferred learning styles which in turn strengthen the acquisition of new knowledge by doing, discovering, reflecting, and applying. For effective teaching and learning to take place, the review recommends curriculum developers incorporate the use of experiential learning style models in teaching pre-primary social studies curriculum (SSC).

Student perspectives on the intentional design of study abroad programs

Study abroad programs around the world offer participants a plethora of learning opportunities, from the formal component of credit-bearing studies to informal and incidental learning opportunities that come from living and studying internationally. Despite significant research in the field, the educative value of study abroad continues to be questioned. Experiential learning practices that frame study abroad can offer intentional design approaches to support students to learn from their experiences. This study explores study abroad participants' perspectives on the concept of intentional design from their experiences of a one to two semester international study program, where academic courses are studied in a host university but the students are largely left to their own devices to make meaning of their informal and incidental learning opportunities. The study found that students felt the study abroad experience is a deeply personal learning journey that should not be governed by set learning objectives. The paper offers insights on how ways experiential learning practices can inform the design of study abroad so the experience is attractive to students yet structured enough to intentionally support transformational learning.

Practicum structures and nursing student retention/achievement rates in a United Kingdom university: a quantitative analysis

This study sought to examine whether the consistent application of a specific placement design to student practice learning experiences within two pre-registration nursing degree programmes offered by a university in the United Kingdom (UK) affected retention and achievement levels. The quantitative analysis involved a sample of 460 employer-sponsored undergraduates, all of whom worked as non-registrant carers, within two cohorts of a part-time adult (physical) or mental health nursing degree programme, both of four years duration, offered by a large academic institution with a presence in all four UK nations. Cross-tabulation and multinomial logistic regression analyses found no statistically significant relationship between exclusive student exposure to either block or integrated practicum experiences in respect of programme withdrawal rates or the degree classification achieved by such learners.

Professional Competence of Teachers on Thematic Learning in Elementary Education

Online thematic learning requires creative teachers to prepare practical learning experiences for students, choose basic competence from various learning subjects and arrange them so that learning becomes more meaningful, engaging, and fun. This study aims to analyze the professional competence of teachers in thematic learning at elementary schools. This research is a type of qualitative research with a descriptive approach. The validity of the data in this study uses triangulation techniques and sources. Data collection techniques use interviews, observation and documentation methods. The research subjects were the principal, lower, and upper-grade teachers. The data analysis techniques used are techniques by Miles and Huberman. The results showed that the professional competence of elementary school teachers in thematic learning is an indicator that is applied, namely the understanding of material, structure, concepts, and scientific mindsets. The subjects are online thematic implementation, mastering basic competency standards, developing learning materials creatively, creating professionalism on an ongoing basis, and mastering information and communication technology have been carried out well with evidence from research data. Thus, teachers already have professional competence in elementary school in thematic learning.

Beyond the Workshop: Results From a Longitudinal, Interprofessional Teaching Certificate Program.

While most hospital-based, healthcare professionals are expected to teach and supervise, few receive training in education. We designed, implemented, and evaluated an interprofessional, hospital-based teaching certificate program based on experiential learning and reflective practice for healthcare professionals with little or no formal training in education. Participants attended educational seminars; incorporated new concepts, skills, and behaviors in their teaching; and submitted written reflections. Participants also met with an education coach, received feedback from a trained observer, and observed a "master teacher." We used descriptive statistics to analyze a survey distributed to the 2017-2019 cohort. We also analyzed written reflections to determine whether participants described a new teaching skill, concept, or behavior, and how they applied these to their teaching. Survey completion rate was 15/20 (75%). Participants described feeling connected to an educator community, establishing educational alliances with senior educators, and learning teaching strategies from other certificate members outside their own profession. Participants indicated they are more likely to pursue educational innovation, leadership, and scholarship. In the reflections, 88% described incorporating a new concept in their teaching. Participants in an interprofessional teaching certificate program engaged in a curriculum of professional development in education. Graduates of the program reported knowledge gain, behavior change, and establishment of educational alliances and a community of practice.

Conducting online design-based research: START e-business training as an educational intervention

Design researchers undertake continual refinement, based on findings from analysed data, to make iterative changes to educational research that is particularly concerned with improving the effectiveness of the educational design. This includes generating a range of artefacts that bridge educational theories with practice, resulting in new knowledge that is useful for teaching and learning in complex settings. This research focuses on teaching business skills and computer skills through transformational, reflective, and experiential learning interactions and practices. It is argued that constructivism theory provides a suitable approach for educating adult Arabic-speaking migrants to build on their skills, so they can make sense of their experiences, and continue their professional education. While we teach the Arabic-speaking migrants both business and computer skills directly, we can indirectly enhance English skills, if we focus on different aspects of English as suggested by English for specific purpose theory. This intervention constitutes a new approach to educational design. In developing the intervention, we applied the ADDIE model for instructional design. The learning management system that hosts the educational design is Chamilo. The research design uses quantitative and qualitative data collected through Chamilo including an online survey, data logs, and practical tests and quizzes. As well as data collection methods embedded in Chamilo, participant observations during Skype support sessions provide another data source for evaluating trainees’ learning and design effectiveness. This paper coalesces some considerations and limitations of online design-based research, while it also draws some reflections and action plans to overcome potential challenges in data collection as part of DBR iterative refining processes.

Hope labour in sport management: Sport industry internships, free labor, and reproduction of the intern economy

ABSTRACT This critical examination, based on in-depth interviews with current and former students from sport management academic programs in the United States, provides insight into how the academic internship is being reconfigured at the nexus of higher education and the sport industry. Drawing on the concept of hope labour, the analysis illustrates that sport management student internships in the sport industry are increasingly experienced and rationalised as future-oriented ‘investments’ and ‘opportunities’. It sheds light on coercive market forces behind increased internship participation and illustrates how the sport industry often fails to provide proper learning contexts for students to develop skills and advance their careers. We argue that sport management internships experienced, rationalised, and institutionalised as a form of hope labour obscures and contributes to the reproduction of exploitative realities and substandard experiential learning practices within the sport industry.

Alumni perspectives on interprofessional experiential learning and interprofessional collaborative practice in health care settings.

Interprofessional collaborative practice (ICP) is essential for optimizing patient outcomes in health care settings. Experiential learning (EL) is a method of modeling ICP to students during their education. No studies have evaluated the lasting impact of EL on self-reported clinical practice after students graduate. The aims of this study are to (a) examine what opportunities for ICP are available for alumni in current health care settings and (b) explore the early career impact of interprofessional EL on self-reported current clinical practice. This study utilized a mixed-methods design using descriptive statistics and a phenomenological approach. Participants included Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) and Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy (MAMFT) alumni who previously participated as graduate students in Balanced Families (BF), an interprofessional EL program. Sixty-four alumni were contacted through e-mail, of which 17 (27%) agreed to be interviewed. Quantitative data were analyzed utilizing descriptive statistics to describe demographics and summarize Likert scale responses. Qualitative data were analyzed using an interpretative phenomenological analysis approach. Five major themes were reflected in the transcripts: (a) The impact of interprofessional experiential learning on future clinical practice, (b) The value of holistic approaches, (c) The collaboration in holistic care, (d) The interconnected health care system and family system, and (e) The development of empathy for patients and their families. Interprofessional EL positively impacted DPT and MAMFT alumni, improving interprofessional communication skills and leading to more holistic approaches to care. Study outcomes support continued implementation of interprofessional EL in health care graduate study programs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Zooming in or zoning out: examining undergraduate learning experiences with zoom and the role of mind-wandering

The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a systematic change in course modalities due to the nationwide suspension of in-person instruction, resulting in the transition to emergency remote distance learning via Zoom. This transition certainly facilitated affordances of flexibility and continuity, but with it brought issues of unfamiliarity, lack of confidence, anxiety, distractions, and validity from both the instructors and the student perspectives. This in situ study aimed to better understand the students' learning experiences with Zoom by assessing the social, cognitive, and behavioral factors influencing learner's mind-wandering and its effect on online engagement. Undergraduate students from 14 classes across two research institutions in California (N = 633) were recruited to participate in an online survey while distance learning through a pandemic. Structural equation modeling was used to conduct a path analysis to explain the factors impacting students' online engagement mediated by students' frequency to mind-wander. Study findings revealed that (1) self-efficacy and trait anxiety had significant direct effects on students' mind-wandering; (2) self-efficacy, trait anxiety, task-value beliefs, and mind-wandering had significant direct effects on students' online engagement; and finally (3) the frequency of students' mind-wandering partially mediated the relationship between self-efficacy and engagement and between trait anxiety and engagement. Identifying these structural relationships further confirmed our hypotheses on sources contributing to students' mind-wandering while learning remotely, provided insights into potential mechanisms underpinning students' online engagement, and suggests practical pedagogical learning experience design recommendations for instructors to immediately implement while teaching and learning with Zoom..

Outcomes of a US-Sino family medicine leadership program

Background and objectivesThe purpose of this study was to determine the outcomes of a two- week US-Sino Family Medicine Leadership Symposium for medical educators from China and how participants have integrated their learning into their teaching and practice of medicine.MethodsTeaching topics emphasized principles of family medicine, teaching methods, assessment, and curriculum development. Each cohort received a wide range of practical, didactic and hands-on learning experiences. Online surveys were distributed anonymously to participants from the 2013–2019 cohorts to assess learner opinion and learner behavior change as a result of the leadership symposium. Quantitative measures assessed their level of integration of the topics into teaching and clinical practice and their satisfaction in the areas of teaching and leadership. They were also asked to provide qualitative feedback regarding incorporation of the content into their work.ResultsThe survey response rate was 47.6% (39/82). Respondents stated that they incorporated topics such as basic interviewing skills and information on the patient-centered medical home into their teaching in China. The most applied clinical skills they were able to incorporate into their clinical environment in China included: Breaking Bad News, Simulations Sessions with practice, One-Minute Preceptor, and Interprofessional Education.ConclusionsResults indicate that participants have demonstrated behavior changes that have led to the incorporation of the content into teaching and clinical practice. We demonstrated effectiveness of the curriculum in cultivating the teaching and practice of family medicine. The program appears to be a positive experience that has led to embracement of the roles as trainer and leader. 100% of the participants who completed the survey felt that the program improved patient confidence in their ability as a family doctor. Future assessment on barriers to their progress as teachers and leaders in family medicine would be helpful to explore.

Pre-Service Teachers’ Academic Identity and their Lived Experiences in Remote Learning: The New Normal in Curriculum Practice

The Ministry of Tertiary Institutions of South Africa charged post-secondary institutions to implement measures to achieve the government’s social distancing policy. Institutions shifted to remote learning to sustain their core business of teaching and learning. However, there were concerns with the implementation of these measures. For instance, pre-service teachers were seen as ill-equipped and poorly supported during remote learning. This paper aims to contextualise the identity of pre-service economic and management science teachers and reflect on their experiences of curriculum practice during remote learning. Architecture theory was used as the main lens for this study. Furthermore, the goal is to reflect on their adaptation to remote learning as the new normal. Participants’ experiences and factors that affected them are discussed as data collected using the critical participatory action learning and action research (CPALAR) approach as a form of critical education science. Critical discourse analysis was used to arrive at the following broad findings: firstly, higher learning institutions are obligated to create practical learning experiences for pre-service teachers. Secondly, participants were directly affected academically, socially, and psychologically. This paper concludes with the recommendation that hybrid learning as the new normal is the future of teaching and learning and should be embraced. Keywords: Pre-service teachers, New normal, Curriculum practice, Architecture theory

Full-stack Development and Soft Skills: An Agile-based Learning Framework

Full-stack software development skills are highly sought after by the tech industry. These skills are often obtained through hands-on experience in addition to learning the fundamental knowledge. Therefore, in order to provide effective training to software engineering students, it is important that educational institutions invest in innovative and practical training strategies. constructivist teaching and learning activities such as Project-based learning (PBL) can serve as effective strategies to provide hands-on and practical learning experiences for software engineering students. However, given the complexities of software development life-cycle, it would be highly beneficial to tailor a PBL approach that supports student learning and provides effective training. This research proposes an agile-based learning framework to facilitate learning of full-stack software development and the soft-skills that complement it. This framework has been applied to a software development and architecture course at the University of Calgary in fall 2021. The student perception of the delivery of the course and their performance is presented through survey, and the analysis of their Git repositories.

Perception of Faculty teachers towards OSCE in Public Nursing Colleges of Peshawar

There are different methods of evaluating clinical competencies in medical field students, among which the objective structured clinical examination is considered the most reliable and effective way of assessing clinical skills. Most popular method for assessment of clinical skills in Nursing Education. Objective: The study aims to explore and compare the perceptions of nursing faculty members regarding objective structured clinical examination application in the evaluation and assessment of the clinical skills of the nursing students. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional design was used to collect data from 46 Faculty teachers through simple random sampling. Content validity of the adopted questionnaire was verified by (5) experts in the field of nursing education and the internal consistency of the scale was found to be excellent (Cronbach's Alpha =0.949). Results: The mean age of study participants was 38.23±9.69. The majority of Participants 82.6 % (n=38) were females Half of the participants were Post RN BSN in qualification (n=23). Perceptions were categorized into positive and negative by the median cut-off value. 93.5 % faculty teacher’s express positive attitude regarding training and conducting of Objective Structured Clinical Examination. Conclusions: The study concluded that, the faculty teacher’s knowledge skills and attitude were positive regarding the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) exam. The study revealed that OSCE is an appreciated practical learning experience and maximum of the faculty teachers agreed that OSCE facilitated the assessment and develop their psychomotor skills. P=0.05 so there is no association found between age group, gender, level of education and perception

Exploring the effect of teacher ontological and epistemic cognition on engagement with professional development

ABSTRACT Personal epistemological beliefs play a key role in teacher engagement with professional learning, so consideration of epistemic cognition is integral to the designing of sustainable professional learning. This qualitative study uses Chinn et al’s (2014) model of epistemic aims, epistemic ideals and reliable epistemic processes (the AIR model) as a theoretical scaffold from which to understand how teachers’ ontological and epistemic cognitions affect their engagement with a professional development focused on mathematics anxiety and metacognitive questioning. To cater for the complex situated nature of epistemic cognition, semi-structured interviews were conducted throughout the programme of teacher learning. Thematic analysis identified common influencers on teacher professional learning whilst highlighting conflicts between conceptions of the nature of mathematics and what they had been taught about mathematics teaching. Findings indicate that teachers engaged most fully with situated, practical learning experiences in collaborative learning spaces as they allowed for greater alignment between professional learning content and personal epistemic beliefs. Recommendations for future professional learning and adaptations to the study’s epistemic research methodology are provided in the light of the findings.