Learning Experiences In Higher Education Research Articles

In Quest for Better Understanding of Student Learning Experiences

This paper discusses students understanding of their own learning experiences in higher education. The purpose of the study was to find out what kinds of meaningful learning experiences the students gain during courses in which the teaching methods are purposefully tuned to facilitate shared understanding, problem solving and creativity. The data consists of observations of the three different teaching events as well as thirteen taped and transcribed in-depth interviews with voluntary students. The research questions looked into probe student aims and understanding when studying, and the role of learning environments and expectations of the competences produced during these monitored learning processes. Our data suggest that peer-to-peer interaction and working in collaborative groups facilitates knowledge building and, by implication, promote experiences of transformative learning.

What difference does 'difference' make? A discussion with ethnic minority students about their learning experience in higher education

This article explores the everyday experiences of minority ethnic students at a university in the West Midlands. Based on interviews with 23 second-level students taking Sociology modules, it seeks to highlight the key social, personal and pedagogic issues for this group of minority ethnic students and to deepen understandings of cultural identity and exchange on campus. The students' multiple narratives and voices are central to the article, as is the possibility that there are multiple ways of experiencing teaching and learning at a university.

A phenomenographic analysis of student reflections in online learning diaries

There are many studies regarding the benefit of incorporating learning diaries into learning experiences in higher education, though very little research documenting what students record when those diaries are unstructured. There are also several arguments and counter‐arguments for providing students with structure in their completion of learning diaries. Structure is said to limit spontaneity, while unstructured learning diaries are considered to be logs or diaries rather than reflective journals. This study presents evidence that unstructured, private learning diaries can assist students to become more self‐aware – and aware of others – while learning together online. This research provides useful pointers for managers and designers of online learning experiences regarding the role that online learning diaries can play in facilitating reflection.

Negotiating Interactions in State–Voluntary Sector Relationships: Competitive and Collaborative Agency in an Experiential Workshop

This article examines an experiential student workshop focused on state–voluntary sector relationships in the UK, which formed part of a postgraduate voluntary sector studies programme. The different group behaviours observed were instructive in illustrating how students, all working in third sector or related public agencies, perceive and have assimilated demands and practices of the external environment. These insights also highlight the value of experiential learning in higher education both for student reflection and research. The article adopts an interdisciplinary approach to examine some consequences of ideologies and behaviours associated with managerial culture permeating actions in this interactive setting. It combines critical discussion of non-profit organizations with group relations and learning theories, offering a different perspective through which to explore patterns embedded in inter-agency relationships. Consideration of ways that these patterns might be changed to improve the service environment in the voluntary sector has wider implications for research in this field.

Is e‐learning replacing the traditional lecture?

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to review some of the learning technologies associated with teaching and learning in higher education (HE). It looks at e‐learning and information technology (IT) as tools for replacing the traditional learning experience in HE, i.e. the “chalk and talk” lecture and seminar. HE is on the threshold of being transformed through the application of learning technologies. Are we on the brink of a new way of learning in HE after a tried and tested formula over 800 years?Design/methodology/approachAdopting a case based approach, the fieldwork for this research took place at two UK Higher Education Institutes (HEIs). A number of units that included IT‐based learning were identified. All units included a web site that was aimed at supporting students' learning. The data were collected through unstructured discussion with the lecturer and a questionnaire to students.FindingsThis paper considers and highlights the key findings from the sample linking them to the literature with the purpose of testing the aim/title of this paper. Evidence suggested the implications for HEIs are they cannot assume that presenting new technologies automatically makes their institutions “youth friendly”; this new generation would like to see some concrete benefits of technology.Originality/valueFrom this small‐scale investigation this paper attempts to investigate in which direction HE might go. Is this generation wanting a step change? Evidence from this research suggests not – new technologies will only play a bit part. They can help free up time in order to engage and support students in new and interesting ways.

Book Reviews

Eileen Carnell, Jacqui MacDonald, Bet McCallum and Mary Scott, M (2008) Passion and Politics: Academics Reflect on Writing for PublicationReview by Rowena MurrayThushari Welikala and Chris Watkins (2008) Improving Intercultural Learning Experiences in Higher Education: Responding to Cultural Scripts for LearningReview by Sheila TraharKaren Smith, Malcolm Todd and Julia Waldman (2009) Doing Your Undergraduate Social Science DissertationReview by Nicholas Walliman

Book Review: Shatter the Glassy Stare: Implementing Experiential Learning in Higher Education

Book Review: Shatter the Glassy Stare: Implementing Experiential Learning in Higher Education

Role of instructional technology in the transformation of higher education

It is argued in this article that the convergence of collaborative constructivist ideas and emerging instructional technologies are transforming higher education. The article begins with an overview of instructional and communications technology and how this technology is being used in the service of either sustaining or transforming teaching and learning in higher education. Next, the idea of collaborative constructivist approaches to teaching and learning are explored and the case for a guiding framework is made. The Community of Inquiry framework is briefly described and assessed from a theoretical and practical level. Finally, the discussion turns to the nature and importance of institutional leadership if instructional technologies are to transform the quality of the teaching and learning experience in higher education.

Using Wikis to support the Net Generation in improving knowledge acquisition in capstone projects

Students have to cope with new technologies, changing environments, and conflicting changes in capstone projects. They often lack practical experience, which might lead to failing to achieve a project’s learning goals. In addition, the Net Generation students put new requirements upon software engineering education because they are digitally literate, always connected to the Internet and their social networks. They react fast and multitask, prefer an experimental working approach, are communicative, and need personalized learning and working environments. Reusing experiences from other students provides a first step towards building up practical knowledge and implementing experiential learning in higher education. In order to further improve knowledge acquisition during experience reuse, we present an approach based on Web 2.0 technologies that generates so-called learning spaces. This approach automatically enriches experiences with additional learning content and contextual information. To evaluate our approach, we conducted a controlled experiment, which showed a statistically significant improvement for knowledge acquisition of 204% compared to conventional experience descriptions. From a technical perspective, the approach provides a good basis for future applications that support learning at the workplace in academia and industry for the Net Generation.

BOOK REVIEW: Shatter the Glassy Stare: Implementing Experiential Learning in Higher Education

BOOK REVIEW: Shatter the Glassy Stare: Implementing Experiential Learning in Higher Education

Reviewing the literature on the student learning experience in higher education

Education Academy which aimed at mapping the research base around the student learning experience in higher education (HE). The project aimed to 1) provide an overview of the ways in which the student learning experience in HE has been and is conceptualised; 2) provide an overview of interventions aimed at producing a more effective learning experience; and 3) review the methodological approaches adopted to investigate the student learning experience. The paper outlines the review approach adopted by this project and presents an analytical map in which reviewed studies are categorised in terms of the methods they adopt and the area of investigation. Selected findings in the areas of inventory-based studies, assessment and feedback and teaching, curriculum and learning environments are discussed. The project identified a large, but broad, heterogeneous and somewhat scattered research base, dominated by a tradition of studies using inventory methods, and otherwise by small and localised studies often conducted by practitioners researching their own subject areas. The paper concludes with a discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of the project's methods, and recommendations for developing the student learning experience research base in the future.

Reviews: Adult Education and Lifelong Learning – Theory and Practice, Improving Intercultural Learning Experiences in Higher Education: Responding to Cultural Scripts for Learning, Writing in the Academy: Reputation, Education and Knowledge. A Professorial Lecture, Promoting Integrated and Transformative Assessment: A Deeper Focus on Student Learning, the Routledge International Handbook of Lifelong Learning

Reviews: Adult Education and Lifelong Learning – Theory and Practice, Improving Intercultural Learning Experiences in Higher Education: Responding to Cultural Scripts for Learning, Writing in the Academy: Reputation, Education and Knowledge. A Professorial Lecture, Promoting Integrated and Transformative Assessment: A Deeper Focus on Student Learning, the Routledge International Handbook of Lifelong Learning

Facilitating guided participation through mobile technologies: designing creative learning environments for self and others

We appropriate Rogoff’s (Apprenticeship in thinking: Cognitive development in social context, 1991; in: Wertsch et al. (eds.) Sociocultural studies of mind, 1993) notion of guided participation to demonstrate, through abbreviated case studies, our strategy for integrating mobile technology-based learning experiences in higher education. Guided participation implies facilitating access to shared community-valued practices by supporting new members in legitimate participation. We illustrate how mobile technologies and social software can be used to (a) facilitate guided participation among undergraduate engineering students within classes and (b) teach graduate students in instructional technology to design for guided participation. Thus, students are not only transitioned into respective learning communities but also gain experience in designing for others. Given the recent advances in computing and trends in the adoption, diffusion, and use of mobile technologies, we argue that mobile technologies provide a substantive, fertile, and invigorating area for teaching and research in higher education for the foreseeable future.

Should 'teacher centred teaching' replace 'student centred learning'?

Mission statements of most HEIs across the UK support 'student centred learning'. In this paper, it is suggested that 'teacher centred teaching' should also have a major role to play, improving the quality of the learning experience in higher education. Students are extremely diverse in their skills, weaknesses, and learning styles, but lecturers are just as diverse in their abilities and areas of expertise. Moreover, teaching methods are now more varied than ever before (e.g. lectures, tutorials, workshops, labs, ebl/pbl, on-line provision, transferable skills exercises), often requiring specialist skills that not every university lecturer possesses. Identifying those strengths and weaknesses, and building our teaching around the qualities of our teachers, is surely one way of improving the student learning environment, and perhaps leading to happier students and more fulfilled lecturers.

Experiential Learning in Collegiate Aviation: The Use and Assessment of Internships

Experiential learning, in general, and internships, in particular, are increasing in popularity as students endeavor to gain real-world experience in their chosen career field prior to college graduation. As noted by Steffes (2004), “Providing students with a connected view of learning that integrates their real world experiences with classroom lectures and discussion can create a powerful learning environment” (p. 49). It is this powerful learning environment that was the focus of this paper. As part of this study, a comprehensive literature review and survey of UAA institutional members was conducted. This resulted in a more thorough understanding of the history of experiential learning, the various types of experiential learning, various aspects of internships, the role of internships in collegiate aviation, and current methods of assessing internships both within collegiate aviation and other academic fields. The paper concluded by presenting various recommendations in how to best assess internships to ensure the growth and continued success of this form of experiential learning in higher education.

The learning style preferences of hospitality and tourism students: Observations from an international and cross-cultural study

This paper reports on a study of the learning style preferences of new entrants onto hospitality and tourism programmes in Australia and the United Kingdom. It suggests that a majority of students on these programmes in both countries have strong learning style preference that present some challenges to educators and the planning of learning experiences in higher education. Typically these students prefer learning styles that are concrete rather than abstract, and active rather than reflective. Furthermore, substantial minorities register low or very low preferences for learning in abstract and reflective styles. The initial learning style of new entrants on to taught programmes, therefore, present substantial teaching and learning barriers for educators who are attempting to develop reflective practitioners. Inappropriate teaching strategies can present some genuine learning difficulties for these students. In Australia, educators face added complexity because students from Confucian heritage backgrounds display learning style preferences at odds with their piers. They are more likely to respond positively to abstract and reflective approaches but negatively to active and concrete teaching strategies. The authors suggest one way of approaching the learning needs of these students is to use Kolb's experiential learning cycle as a way of encouraging the development of ‘balanced’ learning strategies that lead to reflective practice.

Learning Styles and Learning Spaces: Enhancing Experiential Learning in Higher Education

Drawing on the foundational theories of John Dewey and Kurt Lewin, we examine recent developments in theory and research on experiential learning and explore how this work can enhance experiential learning in higher education. We introduce the concept of learning space as a framework for understanding the interface between student learning styles and the institutional learning environment. We illustrate the use of the learning space framework in three case studies of longitudinal institutional development. Finally, we present principles for the enhancement of experiential learning in higher education and suggest how experiential learning can be applied throughout the educational environment by institutional development programs, including longitudinal outcome assessment, curriculum development, student development, and faculty development.

An exploration of student learning experiences and approaches to learning

The research literature documents the different approaches to learning that students in Higher Education (HE) can adopt, e.g. deep, surface and strategic. Stage 1 of a longitudinal study aimed to determine the students’ approach to learning, and to assess whether this was related to previous learning experiences, initial expectations of HE and learning experiences in HE. A questionnaire study was conducted with 57 Level 1, degree students. The results revealed that a high proportion of students rated themselves as deep learners. Approach to learning was generally unrelated to previous learning experiences, but was related to initial expectations of HE. The students’ approach to learning was related to some initial learning experiences at HE and to assessment grades. It was concluded that the relationships between learning approach and learning experiences were generally consistent with previous research. In this study, the strategic approach appeared to be more beneficial in terms of assessment grades.

The Theory & practice of teaching

Part one: 1. Teaching, learning - the changing landscape, Gill Nicholls and Peter Jarvis 2. Teaching in a changing world, Peter Jarvis 3. Teaching styles and teaching methods, Peter Jarvis 4. Ethics and education, Bob Brownhill and Peter Jarvis 5. Radical and feminist pedagogies, Julia Preece and Colin Griffin. Part two: 6. Didacticism - lectures and lecturing, Colin Griffin 7. The Socratic method, Bob Brownhill 8. Facilitation and facilitator style, Josie Gregory 9. Principles of experiential education, Josie Gregory 10. Experiential methods of teaching and learning, Paul Tosey 11. Practice-based and problem-based learning, Peter Jarvis 12. Mentoring - the art of teaching and learning, Gill Nicholls 13. The learning community - a design for teaching and learning, Paul Tosey. Part three: 14. Assessment in post-compulsory education, Linda Merricks 15. Assessment of experiential learning in higher education, Josie Gregory 16. Distance education in the learning society, Thomas Black and John Holford 17. Further developments in teaching, Peter Jarvis.

Experiential learning in higher education

Experiential learning in higher education