Form Of Collaborative Learning Research Articles

Networked aspects of lifelong work-integrated learning

The increasingly digitalised and continuously changing working life needs a continuous lifelong professional development that preferably is networked and work-integrated. This this study builds upon university teachers' and course participants’ experiences from a technology enhanced project called BUFFL A pilot project that combines truly work-integrated learning with lifelong learning, in a strive to address the contemporary need for continuous professional development. The important aim in the BUFFL project is to develop a model for collaborative, flexible, and lifelong professional development. A new and interesting concept in the BUFFL project was to involve concept of Bringing Your Own Data for activities in course modules. The aim of this study is to describe and discuss the lifelong work-integrated learning in the BUFFL project from a networked learning perspective. Data were gathered from e-mail interviews with teachers, e-mail conversations between teachers, facilitators and course participants, and from course evaluations. Results from the data sources have been grouped into three main themes in an inductive thematic analysis. Findings show that in academia, in industry, and in the in between a potential is found in the form of collaborative learning. A networked collaboration that should involve the theories from academia, combined with real-world-problems in the workplace, to achieve a fruitful meeting between academia and the industry

INFLUENCE OF PEER LEARNING PRACTICES ON STUDENT ACADEMIC COMPETENCES IN MATHEMATICS IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN RWANDAA CASE OF RUHANGO DISTRICT

Background:Peer learning recognized as a form of collaborative learning has garnered significant attention in educational settings due to its potential to enhance students understanding and retention of subject matter. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of peer learning practices on student academic competences in mathematics in public secondary schools in Rwanda. This study was guided by three specific objectives and three research hypotheses focusing on peer learning practices and their influences on student academic competences in mathematics in Public secondary schools. Methods and Materials:The study utilized a mixed-methods research design. The target population included 5 sector education officers, 20 secondary school head teachers, 40 mathematics teachers, and 1435 students from 20 secondary schools in Ruhanago District. Both probability and non-probability sampling procedures were employed to determine the sample size. Specifically, stratified random sampling was used for selecting education officers, head teachers, and mathematics teachers, while convenience sampling was employed for selecting students. Data collection involved the use of interview guides for head teachers and questionnaires for teachers and students. Qualitative data were analyzed using statistically techniques, while quantitative data were analyzed with IBM SPSS. Results:Results pertaining to the relationship between peer learning practices and academic competences in mathematics revealed significant findings. 93.1% of students acknowledged that peer-learning practices positively influenced their mathematics grades, while 91.5% agreed that these practices enhanced their problem-solving skills. Additionally, 94.5% of respondents affirmed that peer-learning practices improved their conceptual understanding of mathematics, while 92% agreed that such practices increased their peer interaction and collaboration skills. Furthermore, 94.5% of students acknowledged that peer-learning practices enhanced their metacognitive skills. A strong relationship was established between students academic competences and peer learning practices where Pearson coefficient of correlation states the correlation (r=0.860, p-value<0.001), Peer learning practices and students problem solving skills (0. 608**.p-value<0.001), Students academic abilities and peer learning practices (r=.876** , p-value <0.001). changes or improvements in their academic competences due to peer learning practices (r=.705** , p-value <0.001) The association is related because p-value was less than 0.05, explaining that peer learning practices influence students academic competences at high level. The researcher suggests further investigation to explore the influence of students academic competences on their overall academic performance in public secondary schools in Rwanda, allowing for comparative analysis. Overall, the results pertaining to the relationship between peer learning practices and students academic competences in mathematics establish a strong correlation. The data consistently demonstrate a high degree of positive correlation between peer learning practices and students math grades, problem-solving skills, conceptual understanding, peer interaction and collaboration skills, metacognitive abilities, and overall academic confidence. Conclusion: It is essential to acknowledge that the effectiveness of these practices may vary based on contextual factors and individual differences among students. Effective facilitation and a supportive learning culture are crucial for realizing the full benefits of peer learning practices, as well as for addressing potential challenges and variations in outcomes.

McLuhan’s Tetrad as a Tool to Interpret the Impact of Online Studio Education on Design Studio Pedagogy

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a surge in online studio education, which has presented a significant challenge to traditional design studio teaching methods that rely on face-to-face interactions between instructors and students. It is contended that online studio education enhances the accessibility of design studio pedagogy, making it possible for students to learn from anywhere in the world. However, it also challenges the development of tactile skills, which are crucial in design education. Additionally, online studio education can render certain aspects of traditional design studio pedagogy obsolete, while bringing back elements of design history and theory that may have been overlooked in traditional studio teaching. It can also be argued that online studio education has the potential to reverse the traditional power dynamics between instructors and students, resulting in more democratic and collaborative forms of learning that can empower students. As the literature on the effects of online studio education is growing, there is a need to understand how the shift from the material space and its affordances to an online environment affects the core components of an architectural design studio. To understand the effects of this new medium, this research employed Marshall McLuhan’s tetradic approach, a hermeneutic tool to perform a critical interpretation of any medium by examining four simultaneous effects: how it enhances a human sense, what it makes obsolete, what forgotten aspect it retrieves, and how it flips into its opposite at its extremes. A literature review was conducted to analyze the effects of online studios from a tetradic framework and identify the major discussions of the impact of online studio education. The methodology involves a two-part literature review. This study specifically focused on peer-reviewed, empirical research published after 2020, and the authors used search terms related to online architectural studios during the pandemic. The process identified 176 records of peer-reviewed empirical studies for further analysis and 20 papers were read and included in the review, defining repeating topics/themes and organized under four categories pertaining to the founding archetypes of an architectural design studio: (a) setting and communication, (b) actors, (c) outputs, and (d) dynamics. This process was followed by organizing the findings and interpreting them within the tetradic framework to develop a comprehensive understanding of the consequences of the online design studio. Overall, this research aims to provide a detailed and nuanced analysis of the impact of online studio education on design studio pedagogy, conceptualizing McLuhan’s tetrad as a basis for the analysis, and therefore aiming to enrich our understanding of the post-COVID-19 era of learning architecture by examining the dramatic change in the medium and its effects.

Cooperative Learning in Oceanography

The challenges of recruitment, retention, and learning outcomes in STEM higher education call for learning environments that promote student belonging and belief in their own abilities (Møgelvang, 2023). Cooperative learning (CL) is a type of group learning associated with increased learning and more “soft” student outcomes such as increased sense of belonging, scientific confidence, and generic skills (Møgelvang et al., 2023). CL may be defined as “a more-structured, hence more-focused, form of collaborative learning” (Millis and Cottell, 1997, p. 4). This structured approach is research based and is considered to increase the probability that all students are successful at group work (Millis and Cottell, 1997).

Growth Motives and Learning Behaviors Among Older Workers: Toward a More Comprehensive Assessment

Research findings indicate an age-related decline in worker’s growth and learning. In this paper, we investigate to what extent these results may be affected by measures (e.g., growth need strength scale) that are influenced by educational approaches to workplace learning, framing learning as intentional processes of knowledge acquisition guided by educators. Based on Human Resource Development (HRD) and non-HRD literature, we propose that these measures may not fully capture learning processes of older workers who seemingly prefer learning outside of formal educational contexts (e.g., spontaneous, strengths-based, and collaborative forms of learning). We examine measures of growth motives and learning behaviors and conclude that these are strongly influenced by an educational perspective, encouraging inaccurate conclusions regarding older workers’ learning interest and activity. We provide suggestions for the development of new measures inspired by a noneducational perspective on work-related learning, for instance by tapping into spontaneous, strengths-based, and collaborative forms of learning.

Impact of Collaborative Learning on Student Teachers’ Comprehension and Attitudes Towards Environmental Education Concepts in Chemistry

The study explored the impact of of collaborative learning on student teachers’ comprehension and attitudes towards environmental education concepts in Chemistry. The study involved 64 student teachers studying environmental chemistry at Mufulira College of Education in Zambia. The action research adopted a pre-test post-test quasi-experimental design. The students were randomly assigned to the two intervention groups. In both groups students had opportunities to learn pollution, waste management and climate change. In the experimental group they used team based learning while in the comparison group students used think-pair-share learning. Overall, learners’ attitudes towards chemistry were improved from pre-test to post-test in both the experimental group. Results from the achievement test revealed a statistically significant difference (t (df, 62) = 2.030, p = .024 at α = .05) between the mean scores of the experimental group (Mean = 69.75; SD = 13.853) and the comparison group (Mean = 60.67; SD = 14.501) after the experimental Phase. Overall, both forms of collaborative learning incorporating environmental education concepts and issues in Chemistry had a positive impact on learners’ comprehension and attitudes towards chemistry.

A Telecollaboration Project on Giving Online Peer Feedback: Implementing a Multilateral Virtual Exchange During a Pandemic

Telecollaboration, also called virtual exchange or online intercultural exchange, is a form of collaborative learning whereby language learners in different locations engage in computer-mediated communication to complete tasks online. There is ample evidence that telecollaboration promotes the acquisition of language skills, intercultural competence, and digital literacies. Challenges faced implementing virtual exchanges include differences in time zones, learning objectives, academic calendars, and cultural attitudes. The present article describes a case of a multilateral telecollaboration project based on the facilitated dialogue model involving four institutions—two in Europe and two in the United States—that was designed to prepare students for the experience of giving online peer feedback on collaborative writing assignments. Our initial goal was to explore the challenges students would face and the benefits they would receive from a complex telecollaboration project involving multiple institutions and two task sequences: 1) input and reflection on giving and receiving peer feedback, 2) completion of the collaborative writing task to be peer reviewed. However, new challenges and opportunities emerged after the switch to emergency e-learning and remote teaching during the Covid-19 pandemic. Relying upon multiple data sources—including correspondence, observations, class discussions, surveys, reflective writing, and information stored in virtual learning environments—our methods of data collection involved convenience sampling, while data analysis was predominantly descriptive. Our results demonstrate that even during a global pandemic, students and instructors face similar logistical challenges and reap similar benefits as has been reported in the literature. Yet our experience also reveals the resiliency of telecollaboration in the face of extreme disruption as well as the potential to exploit virtual exchange to develop learning strategies—such as methods for giving and receiving peer feedback—and meta-awareness of how language is used in the real-world—such as the implications of English as a lingua franca.

PuzzleMe: Leveraging Peer Assessment for In-Class Programming Exercises

Peer assessment, as a form of collaborative learning, can engage students in active learning and improve their learning gains. However, current teaching platforms and programming environments provide little support to integrate peer assessment for in-class programming exercises. We identified challenges in conducting such exercises and adopting peer assessment through formative interviews with instructors of introductory programming courses. To address these challenges, we introduce PuzzleMe, a tool to help Computer Science instructors to conduct engaging in-class programming exercises. PuzzleMe leverages peer assessment to support a collaboration model where students provide timely feedback on their peers' work. We propose two assessment techniques tailored to in-class programming exercises: live peer testing and live peer code review. Live peer testing can improve students' code robustness by allowing them to create and share lightweight tests with peers. Live peer code review can improve code understanding by intelligently grouping students to maximize meaningful code reviews. A two-week deployment study revealed that PuzzleMe encourages students to write useful test cases, identify code problems, correct misunderstandings, and learn a diverse set of problem-solving approaches from peers.

A problem shared is a problem halved? Enhancing learning through working in pairs.

Healthcare students' education is developing as our understanding of learning processes is enlightened by social theories of learning. Increasingly, the social context of learning is being highlighted as a key variable that enhances outcomes ranging from student satisfaction to test scores. We now require concrete examples of techniques that can be used to apply our theory to practice. To that end, in this issue of Medical Education, Rotgans et al1 . explore whether learning is enhanced through dyadic explanations.

УПРАВЛЕНИЕ УЧЕБНОЙ МОТИВАЦИЕЙ СТУДЕНТОВ В УСЛОВИЯХ ЦИФРОВИЗАЦИИ

In the modern world, digital technologies are not only a tool of the educational process, but also a living environment that opens up new educational opportunities. The system of “digital” education imposes certain requirements on students, the main ones of which are self-organization and self-motivation of educational activities. The article aims to solve the problem of increasing students' educational motivation in the modern conditions of total digitization. The authors conclude that the basis of self-education is internal motives, but they cannot be formed without external ones since internal needs appear only thanks to external influences. The creation of an external environment requires consideration of the peculiarities of young people's cognitive development. Modern students have a primarily visual thinking, a short-term memory with signs of transactional memory, an increased speed of receiving information under distracted attention, and an ability to study in a multitasking mode. When organizing education in a digital educational environment, taking into account the characteristics of representatives of the digital generation, one should turn to the structural elements of didactics: “teaching”, “learning”, “content”, “method”. In modern conditions, the elements themselves remain unchanged, but the relationships between them are modified. In the context of increasing educational motivation, the elements include change of the teacher's role; self-organization by a student of their educational activities, choice of their individual trajectory of study, forms and methods of educational activities; the use of interactive forms of teaching and assessment (blended learning, digital platform, virtual simulators, webinars, video lectures, joint sessions, etc.); group interaction in the form of collaborative learning with student-program-student, student-program-teacher relationships; the use of interactive teaching methods, typical group and team forms of work (collaborations, storytelling, gamification, project method, etc.). The results do not contradict the factors influencing the formation of sustainable motivation for learning activities stated by E.P. Ilyin and A.K. Markova, and are also confirmed by the answers to the survey among students.

Culture, Sexuality and Indigenous Healing in Pakistan: Exploring Sexual Health Care through Hakeems and Herbalists


 
 
 Objective: This paper aims to understand the relationship between sexuality, culture, and male sexual health through the role of hakeems as an indigenous healing framework in Pakistan. Study Design: Participant observation (by first author) and personal practice (by second author). Place and Duration of Study: At a matab where second author practices hikmat is located in Islamabad. The fieldwork in the form of collaborative learning has been going on since September 2019 to date. Materials and Methods: This research is based on the participant observation at the matab where people come to seek herbal medicine and consultancy from the hakeem. Narrative account of anthropologist and practice of certified hakeem, through an interactive exchange of ideas about questions of the study, was employed. The study has taken information in the form of semi-structured interviews from the patients who either gave consent or asked to remain anonymous. Results: Results have shown that the nature of the relation between sexuality and cultural order have compelled people to seek hikmat as indigenous healing on a long-term basis. The framework of indigenous healers has helped to understand the cultural logic of sexuality, which is embedded more closely in the practice of hakeems than the biomedical regime. Conclusion: Cultural competence, in this case the same cultural background of the hakeem and patients, adds to our understanding of the indigenous healing framework, sexuality, and culture.
 
 

Pair Programming in Perspective: Effects on Persistence, Achievement, and Equity in Computer Science

Pair programming is a form of collaborative learning in computer science that involves two students working together on a coding project. Previous research has identified mostly positive outcomes from this practice, such as course grades and the quality of the resulting code. Pair programming may also facilitate interactions that improve the climate for women and Students of Color, thereby reducing equity gaps in achievement and persistence. However, the existing research findings are inconsistent, which may reflect limitations in research design and/or challenges with implementing pair programming in an ideal manner. The present study sought to provide rigorous evidence through a cluster-randomized trial with 1,530 undergraduates in 96 lab sections across three different introductory computer science courses. Within the full sample, pair programming was unrelated to virtually all outcomes. However, pair programming actually led to poorer outcomes among White students, including grades within the introductory course, attempting or completing subsequent computer science courses, and majoring or minoring in computer science. These negative effects were generally driven by White students whose partners had either low or high levels of prior programming experience.

Writing differently

This special issue of Management Learning on ‘Writing Differently’ builds on a groundswell of resistance to ‘scientific’ norms of academic writing. These norms are restrictive, inhibit the development of knowledge and excise much of what it is to be human from our learning, teaching and research. Contributors to the special issue explore how, released from these restrictions, it is possible to touch vulnerable flesh and invoke new political and ethical practices. Through changing our norms of writing, we explore different modes of learning and change how and what we teach. By bringing the previously excised vast hinterlands of life and lives to the fore, we create the intellectual space to engender new ideas as well as more collaborative forms of learning. In so doing, we foster alternative conversations as to how we might constitute new, highly ethical and humanitarian organisations.

Learners’ Perceptions of Assessment Strategies in Higher Education

The study sought to establish learner perceptions about assessment strategies in higher education. This was against the backdrop of an emerging trend in the field of assessment that has resulted in different perceptions of learners with respect of their effectiveness in higher education learning. The study in particular endeavored to determine the perceptions of learners in relation to formative and summative assessment, as predominantly adopted assessment strategies in higher education. Forty six learners doing research methods were conveniently chosen to represent the target population and were served with self-administered questionnaires. The instrument used enabled the researcher to obtain quality data as respondents were given ample time to complete the questionnaire with limited pressure. The results were indicative of the fact that learners perceived formative assessment as a critical ingredient for effective learning in higher education. Formative assessment methods such as group presentations and other forms of collaborative learning were also perceived to be critical in higher education learning. Respondents also indicated that they perceived summative assessment as playing an augmenting role. Thus the two assessment approaches are perceived to be strategically important in enhancing effective learning in higher education.

Validation of Student Peer Assessment of Effective Oral Communication in Engineering Degrees

Peer assessment is a form of collaborative learning in which students evaluate learning products prepared by other students. We present the results of an analysis of the assessment of oral presentations by students. A group of students solves a problem, writes a document with the solution, and makes an oral presentation in class to other students. Another group assesses the written document and oral presentation. To help students perform the assessments, two rubrics are provided along with other guidance documents that help in writing scientific documents and performing oral presentations. The rubric evaluates five factors of oral communication. The results of the student evaluations are compared with the simultaneous evaluations produced by two lecturers. When making a comparison of the global assessment between lecturers and students, we find significant differences. However, when the factor “use of auxiliary resources” is removed, these differences disappear as the factor introduces a difficult to justify dispersion. In addition, the assessment performed by students with and without the help of a rubric is compared and no significant differences are found.

PEER TUTORING IN LEARNING A FOREIGN LANGUAGE AS A NON-MAJOR

Introduction. The problems of stimulation cognitive activity and improvement of student learning motivation are of interest for many Russian and foreign researchers. One of the approaches to solve these problems, actively implemented in educational process abroad, is peer tutoring. Peer tutoring is a form of collaborative learning based on the models of student interactions organized in pairs or groups with shared roles «peer tutor- tutee». The aim of the study is to analyze effective models of peer tutoring used abroad, to develop alternate models and apply them while teaching reading and translation at foreign language lessons in non-linguistic university. Methodology and research methods. Peer tutoring is studied by using both qualitative and quantitative research methods such as data collection, analysis and generalizations along with the experiment and observation. Results and scientific novelty. As a result the peer tutoring models have been developed and implemented within the regular classroom settings while teaching reading and translation to students in non-linguistic university. The offered models of tutoring involve preparation realities of the Russian higher education institutions; meanwhile, there are no special centers of mentoring with separate teaching staff and psychologists in foreign universities. The advantages of peer tutoring over traditional forms of education and a group form of work when students solve a problem are designated, but their roles are not accurately distributed. The undertaken experiment lasted for two years, showed that peer tutoring advantages in foreign language training consist in the following: firstly, such way of lessons allows teachers to avoid time-losing monotonous reading and translations of texts discouraging students; secondly, exchanging opinions, students study each other and gain skills of estimation of personal and others' work; thirdly, interacting in pairs or small groups, pupils are more active, than during the independent work or work organized by the teacher, they react to the arising educational situations; finally, such training considerably solves a problem of shortage of class periods on teaching the subject "Foreign language" as students manage to cope with much large scope of a training material as compared they manage to make during the traditional organization of an educational process. Practical significance. The obtained data contribute to the study of educational problems of adaptation and motivation, and can be used in teaching foreign languages as well as major subjects at higher educational institutions.

Study on Training Strategies for Effective Peer Review

As a form of collaborative learning, peer review has gained increasing popularity in writing instruction and been wildly adopted in EFL writing classrooms. Preparing students for peer review are an essential part of training. Since 1990s, there has been a number of studies conducted in the application of this technique. However, there is surprisingly little training in college on how to develop this essential skill or discussion of best practices to ensure that reviewers at all levels efficiently provide the most useful review. This paper presents some strategies of training students before, during and after peer review and aims to help students become effective peer reviewers.

The ‘More Capable Peer’: Approaches to Collaborative Learning in a Mixed-Ability Classroom

This essay challenges assumptions that those labelled as ‘high achievers’ are in some way ‘held back’ by those perceived as having lower initial capability. By exploring collaborative pedagogical approaches and focussing on my experiences with two students, with widely differing initial capabilities, and exploring how they have influenced each other’s learning, I argue that organisational models that separate students based on perceived ability can be damaging. Allowing time and space for students to collaborate on a range of tasks and creating a classroom atmosphere which values the contributions of all can enable those students deemed of lower ability to become useful learning tools for their ‘more capable peers’ as well as vice versa. Against those versions of the Vygotskian zone of proximal development that privilege the role of the ‘more capable peer’, I argue that collaborative forms of learning can be mutually beneficial.

A Black Swan in a Sea of White Noise: Using Technology-Enhanced Learning to Afford Educational Inclusivity for Learners with Asperger’s Syndrome

Against a backdrop of increasingly vocation-focussed course provision within higher education, of widening participation initiatives intended to promote greater inclusion for learners affected by learning difficulties, and of moves towards greater use of social and collaborative forms of learning, this paper discusses the case of an undergraduate Computing student affected by Asperger’s Syndrome (AS).While there is recognition in the literature of problems associated with face-to-face dialogue for persons affected by AS, there is a paucity of research both into the experience of students in higher education, and around the issue of participation in group-work activities increasingly found in creative aspects of computing. This paper highlights a tension between moves towards collaborative learning and UK disabilities legislation in relation to learners with AS. Employing a qualitative case-study methodology, the investigation revealed how a technology-enhanced learning intervention afforded an AS-diagnosed learner greater opportunities to participate in group-work in a higher education context. The findings suggest that not only can computer-mediated communications afford AS-diagnosed learners opportunities to participate meaningfully in group-work, but also that the learner demonstrated higher levels of collective-inclusive versus individual-exclusive phraseology than neurotypical peers, thereby challenging assumptions around participation in collaborative learning activities and assimilation of peer-feedback.

Docemur Docemus: Peer-Assisted Learning Improves the Knowledge Gain of Tutors in the Highest Quartile of Achievement but Not Those in the Lowest Quartile

Peer-assisted learning (PAL) is a form of collaborative learning where members of a peer group act as teachers for each other. A reciprocal PAL program was designed to investigate whether there were differential gains in knowledge acquisition among tutors compared with tutees. Bayesian statistical analysis was used to quantitatively assess the effect of tutor status on performance in a knowledge-based examination. Subgroup analysis according to student achievement and question difficulty was performed. Final year undergraduate medical students in a 5-year degree program (n = 126). The overall probability of getting a correct answer on the knowledge examination was 49.7%. For questions on topics where a student had acted as a tutor this improved to 57.3%. However, students who performed in the upper quartile had a greater percentage gain in the probability of a correct answer in topics that they had taught vs students who performed in the lowest quartile. There was demonstrable overall knowledge gain associated with acting as a tutor in a PAL program but the greatest gain occurred in students of highest academic ability.