Introductory Module Research Articles

Assessing assessment: in pursuit of meaningful learning

The challenge of supporting the development of meaningful learning is prevalent in chemistry education research. One of the core activities used in the learning process is assessments. The aim of this paper is to illustrate how the semantics dimension of Legitimation Code Theory can be a helpful tool to critique the quality of assessments and reveal how this quality potentially contributes to meaningful learning. For this purpose we analysed an exam paper from an introductory chemistry module, using the semantics dimension as a framework. We discuss the tools that were designed for this analysis and how it was applied to reveal the weakness in this particular assessment. Suggestions for how this assessment can be improved is also discussed. This study illustrates how the semantics dimension can inform assessment practice and potentially contribute to the development of meaningful learning.

Outcomes of a service teaching module on ODEs for physics students

ABSTRACTThis paper reports on the first part of a multiphase research project that seeks to identify and address the difficulties encountered by physics students when studying differential equations. Differential equations are used extensively by undergraduate physics students, particularly in the advanced modules of their degree. It is, therefore, necessary that students develop conceptual understanding of differential equations in addition to procedural skills. We have investigated the difficulties encountered by third-year students at Dublin City University in an introductory differential equations module. We developed a survey to identify these difficulties and administered it to students who had recently completed the module. We found that students’ mathematical ability in relation to procedural competence is an issue in their study of differential equations, but not as severe an issue as their conceptual understanding. Mathematical competence alone is insufficient if we expect our students to be able to recognize the need for differential equations in a physical context and to be able to set up, solve and interpret the solutions of such equations. We discuss the implications of these results for the next stages of the research project.

Analytics in online and offline language learning environments: the role of learning design to understand student online engagement

ABSTRACTLanguage education has a rich history of research and scholarship focusing on the effectiveness of learning activities and the impact these have on student behaviour and outcomes. One of the basic assumptions in foreign language pedagogy and CALL in particular is that learners want to be able to communicate effectively with native speakers of their chosen language. Combining principles of learning analytics and Big Data with learning design, this study used a student activity based taxonomy adopted by the Open University UK to inform module design. The learning designs of four introductory and intermediary language education modules and online engagement of 2111 learners were contrasted using weekly learning design data. In this study, we aimed to explore how learning design decisions made by language teachers influenced students’ engagement in the VLE. Using fixed effect models, our findings indicated that 55% of variance of weekly online engagement in these four modules was explained by the way language teachers designed weekly learning design activities. Our learning analytics study highlights the potential affordances for CALL researchers to use the power of learning design and big data to explore and understand the complexities and dynamics of language learning for students and teachers.

The Appropriateness of Scratch and App Inventor as Educational Environments for Teaching Introductory Programming in Primary and Secondary Education

Teaching programming is a complex task. The task is even more challenging for introductory modules. There is an ongoing debate in the teaching community over the best approach to teaching introductory programming. Visual block-based programming environments allow school students to create their own programs in ways that are more accessible than in textual programming environments. These environments designed for education allow students to program without the obstacle of syntax errors (errors in typing commands) found in traditional text-based languages. In this paper, the authors focus on the use of App Inventor and Scratch as blocks-based programming environments designed explicitly with novices in mind. In the authors' analysis, both Novice Programming Environments (NPEs) seemed to be attractive platforms for introducing fundamental concepts in computer programming and both look appealing for both majors and non-majors.

Identifying Patterns of Learner Behaviour: What Business Statistics Students Do with Learning Resources

The interactions of early stage business students with learning resources over the duration of an introductory statistics module were analysed using latent class analysis. Four distinct behavioural groups were identified. While differing levels of face-to-face attendance and online interaction existed, all four groups failed to engage with online material in a timely manner. The four groups were found to demonstrate significantly different levels of attainment of the module learning outcomes. The patterns of behaviour of the different groups of students give insights as to which analytics education learning resources students use and how their use patterns relate to their level of attainment of the module learning outcomes.

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How APA’s Collaborative Care Training is Leading to Improved Care

How APA’s Collaborative Care Training is Leading to Improved Care

Teaching and learning on a transnational education programme: opportunities and challenges for flying faculty in Geography and related disciplines

Within the context of the internationalization of UK higher education, an increasing number of UK-based institutions are developing collaborative degree programmes with overseas institutions, of which partnerships with institutions in China are the most common. This paper employs a critical reflective approach to explore, from different perspectives (self-reflection, student feedback, our colleagues’ experiences), some of the opportunities and challenges that exist for flying faculty through critical reflection on the author’s own flying faculty experiences delivering an introductory Physical Geography module in China. Teaching in an unfamiliar environment brings with it a plethora of challenges, however; for staff in Geography and related disciplines, active engagement with the external world through field-based learning is perhaps the most challenging aspect of any overseas teaching experience. As such, a particular focus of this paper is on the challenges, and potential solutions, of incorporating field-based learning and teaching in the international classroom. Ultimately, faculty with international teaching experience are best placed to develop and enhance the internationalization of their own institution’s curricula.

The benefits of butterflies

Teaching art is an aspect of the curriculum that many teachers avoid because of feelings of inadequacy fostered by a lack of confidence in terms of personal 'artistic' skills. Informal surveys of first year students in primary teacher preparation programmes at the University of Waikato suggest this lack of confidence is prevalent before the students have even begun a basic introductory art curriculum module. An important aim of this module is to challenge and positively affect the attitudes of the students. Therefore, alongside developing foundation understanding of art education, the course outline offers to enable participants to ... approach the teaching of art with confidence and enthusiasm `(Department of Arts and Language Education, 1995, p.1). This article relates how a component of the module was integrated into a junior syndicate science unit at a local normal school. As a consequence, the experience was effective in helping students feel more confident about teaching art. The data was collected from three different participants in order to achieve triangulation (Cohen & Manion, 1989). Reflections of the university lecturer teaching the module, a student teacher participating in the module, and a teacher at the participating school are described. The data suggest that there was affective and effective success for participants when using a partnership model between university and school. The data also show that it was not only the student teachers who stood to benefit from this particular aspect of the module but concurrently, there were distinct advantages for children and staff of the school.

Introducing GIS across levels: designing for diversity

The paper proposes a strategy for designing introductory GIS modules at Birkbeck, University of London. Seven design aspects or elements (content, practical exercises, assessment, pace, mode, level of support, and level of difficulty) for tailoring modules at appropriate levels and for diversity are introduced and their application in Birkbeck’s context discussed. Student’s perceptions on those elements, obtained from surveying a subset of students who had taken multiple introductory GIS modules, is then presented. The paper concludes with a discussion on the relevance of the proposed design elements, reflecting on the differences between tutor’s design intentions and students’ perceptions.

High Resolution Melting Analysis for the Study of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms

Pharmacogenetics is the study of how inherited genetic variations correspond to an individual's specific reaction to drugs and their metabolism. An ideal pharmacogenetic test would provide information about an individual's genotype which would then inform the the doctor and patient about drug efficacy, provide specific dosage recommendations, and warn of the risk of adverse side effects.The purpose of this project is to determine how to use high resolution melting analysis to characterize the different alleles caused by single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). The SNPs being tested are in the VKORC1 and CYP2D6 genes which code for enzymes involved in the metabolism of warfarin and codeine, respectively. In addition, to refine our DNA extraction and amplification method and to provide support for an existing introductory biology laboratory exercise, we are also working on the SNP for PTC (Phenylthiocarbamide) tasting as well. The PTC SNP is currently being genotyped by students using restriction enzyme digestion. However, results of the restriction enzyme digest have conflicted with direct observations of PTC tasting ability. Therefore, we are interested in developing a reliable genotyping method using high resolution melting analysis. We were able to extract DNA from cheek cells and amplify the SNP alleles. We are presently developing a protocol for high resolution melting analysis of SNPs using the Roche LightCycler 480. The high resolution melting analysis should be sensitive enough to distinguish between the different SNPs. We will verify our SNPs results with DNA sequence analysis. Once we have developed a reliable assay, we will explore the possibility of creating an introductory biology laboratory module to expose students to pharmacogenetics.The overall goal is to optimize a protocol to make such testing more effective and frequent. This way when a patient is in need of medication a simple analysis of their genes can be made to determine the correct type and dosage of drug that will be most beneficial to them. Perfecting a pharmacogenetic testing using high resolution melt curve analysis would extinguish the current and less effective method of trial and error.Support or Funding InformationLawrence Technological University, Department of Natural Sciences

Электронный художественный текст: интеграция в образовательное пространство (опыт разработки электронного учебно-методического комплекса)

The main methodological aspects of the development and creation of electronic course “Electronic literature: language and digital culture education practice” for undergraduates of the second year of study (combined form) of the course 44.04.01 “Pedagogical education” are considered. The novelty of the research is seen in the proposed mechanism for the integration of electronic texts into the practice of foreign language teaching (English) and literature, which is based on the training modules of three types: introductory, thematic and meta-theoretic. Introductory modules are focused on the analysis of the structure and fundamental properties of the electronic literary text. Thematic modules of the course involve the study of electronic narratives from the point of view of their structure, genre and lexical-stylistic features. The task of the thematic modules includes study and analysis of elements of synthetic structure of electronic narrative (audio, video, graphics and animation). Meta-theoretic module is aimed at forming in graduate students the methodological skills to design and develop an online course or separate training modules on electronic literature and modern media culture. The relevance of the study is determined by the expressed interest of contemporary society in the preparation of professionals with skills and experience in the field of interdisciplinary studies.

Project-based learning in consumer sciences: enhancing students responsibility in learning

This study applied project-based learning (PBL) in Consumer Sciences (CS) with the aim of enhancing student responsibility in learning and contributing to teaching and learning by proposing a theory concerning students’ responsibilities. First-year students are often overwhelmed when exposed to the challenges of tertiary education as they are required to accept responsibility and direct their own learning processes. To address the problem, this research applied PBL in an introductory CS module to enhance students’ responsibility. We propose a theory, which highlights responsibility from the perspectives of self-directed learning, social constructivism and the capability approach. This theory, applying Hegel’s notion, emphasises the understanding of individual and collaborative responsibilities where freedom is morally important. To confirm or reject the theory, the investigation explored how first-year students can apply PBL in CS to enhance responsible learning. A mixed method design was used. A population of 104 students participated in this research. Data collection involved a questionnaire, documents, a project and test. The questionnaire was statistically analysed while qualitative analysis involved coding and the emergence of themes. Although some students initially experienced difficulty in managing their responsibilities as part of the CS project, results confirmed the proposed theory and the value thereof in lifelong learning. This theory emphasises the development of responsible independent learners as well as students who are responsible for and dependent on one another to construct knowledge collaboratively within the freedom of choice to achieve well-being.

An Interactive Learning Environment for Information and Communication Theory

Background:Interactive learning tools are emerging as effective educational materials in the area of computer science and engineering. It is a research domain that is rapidly expanding because of its positive impacts on motivating and improving students’ performance during the learning process.Material and methods:Taking into account the learning style index and learning preferences of engineering learners, the work uses software engineering techniques to develop the interactive learning environment. It also uses Java Technology in the implantation part.Results:This paper introduces an interactive learning environment for teaching and learning information and communication theory and related courses. The environment integrates several modules to meet the students’ different learning styles. It contains a movie-like module, an animated hypertext introductory module that fully explains the fundamental concepts of information and communication theory. Besides those important learning modules, it also contains a self-assessment module that contains a set of interactive tests and examinations.Conclusions:Learners can use the environment as a standalone application or as an applet from within any web browser. Some evaluation experiments comparative analyses of the results were performed to measure the performance of our environment in the classroom.

Development of a High Value Care Educational Module for Obstetrics and Gynecology Residents

Local Mentors: Carrie Wieneke, MD, and Michael Moxley, MD APGO Advisors: Alice R. Goepfert, MD, and Lee A. Learman, MD, PhD PURPOSE: To develop an educational module introducing high value care concepts to obstetrics and gynecology residents. BACKGROUND: Cost effective care is one of the 28 ACGME milestones to be achieved during residency training. It is imperative that physicians are aware of the components of the cost of medical care and how to maintain quality while containing cost. METHODS: Needs assessment was performed by surveying graduating seniors and junior faculty. Knowledge gaps were identified and an introductory educational module was designed. This module provides basic information defining high value care and how it can be achieved in clinical settings using a few simple tools; it was presented as an interactive small group discussion with activities illustrating cost-effective care using real life examples. EVALUATION PLAN: Participants of the study were OB/GYN residents (n=26) at two academic institutions. The introductory module started with a pretest. Evaluation of knowledge gained and decay was performed by an immediate post-test and a retention test 3 months later. The testing results are reported elsewhere. DISSEMINATION: In addition to submission to CREOG-APGO Annual Meeting, the module can be disseminated through AAMC MedEdPORTAL. REFLECTIVE CRITIQUE: Traditionally, the attitude of American medical care has been to use all available resources. A shift to taking care of patents using only the appropriate resources is a culture shift for both learners and teachers. Creating a module that is informative and interesting while achieving the goal of changing practice styles was challenging. Development of a robust national curriculum for ob/gyns should be undertaken.

A Quality Improvement Curriculum in Ambulatory Obstetrics and Gynecology: Development and Implementation With OBGYN Residents

Local Mentor: Maria Manriquez, MD APGO Advisor: Lee A. Learman, MD, PhD PURPOSE: To develop a quality improvement (QI) curriculum for Obstetrics and Gynecology (OBGYN) residents using on-line modules from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's Open School. BACKGROUND: OBGYN residents need to acquire knowledge and skills in quality improvement to be prepared to participate in this process in ambulatory practice. METHODS: We designed a QI curriculum for residents using on-line modules from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's Open School. The curriculum comprised three introductory modules supplemented with small group sessions during which ambulatory based QI projects were developed. Completion of the curriculum was a required component of residency training. EVALUATION PLAN: Residents completed a pre and post-curriculum survey. The survey included an eleven-question test of knowledge and a nine-question assessment of attitudes and confidence. Knowledge questions were drawn directly from the modules and graded on number of items correct; attitude and confidence questions were scored on a 5-point, Likert-type scale with 5 representing greatest confidence and perceived value surrounding QI issues. Mean knowledge scores increased from 7.25 to 8.72 following completion of the curriculum (P<.001). Similarly, mean attitude scores increased from 3.51 to 3.98 (P<.001). Ninety-seven percent of residents completed the modules and all small groups were successful in development of proposed ambulatory-based quality improvement projects. DISSEMINATION: Planned submission to the AAMC Med-Ed PORTAL. REFLECTIVE CRITIQUE: Residents showed gains in knowledge and confidence. Residents' development of quality improvement projects would have benefited from addition of a Quality Analyst. Our intent is to continue to develop and carry out the projects identified.

Introduction to Skin Cancer: A Video Module.

This introductory skin cancer video module engages novice health care professionals to make histological-clinical correlations for the three most common skin cancers: basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and melanoma. The goal of this video module is to engage novice health care professionals (e.g., allied health, medical, nursing students) to go beyond the all-too-common phenomenon of memorizing gross and histological features of skin cancers without reference to the relationship between these features. By explicitly highlighting underlying histological-clinical correlations for BCC, SCC, and melanoma, this video module helps learners build a deeper and lasting knowledge of these common diseases. Materials in this module include a learner guide with instructions on how to complete the module; four chalk-talk videos that discuss classification of skin cancers, histological-clinical correlations for BCC, SCC, and melanoma, and how to distinguish among benign nevi, dysplastic nevi, and melanoma (total viewing time 54 minutes, 22 seconds); annotated slides used in the videos; and 10 multiple-choice self-assessment questions. This module was successfully incorporated into the first-year flipped classroom curriculum for medical and dental students at Harvard Medical School. Written comments from students revealed that they enjoyed watching short concept videos to prepare for in-class, case-based discussions of BCC, SCC, and melanoma. By illustrating histological-clinical correlations and reducing cognitive load of the material through use of cartoons and prototypical clinical images, this video module is an accessible initial resource for an emerging generation of millennial health care professionals to learn about common skin cancers.

Dental Anatomy and Occlusion: Maxillary Incisors

Abstract Introduction This introductory dental anatomy module begins the process of teaching dental students how to analyze the structure and form of human teeth, a skill that is foundational to al...

Incorporating “virtual” and “real world” field trips into introductory geography modules

The “field trip” is a key pedagogical tool within geographical education to encourage deep learning, though they are increasingly difficult to implement due to reduced budgets, safety concerns and increasing class sizes. We incorporated three field-learning activities into a large introductory module. A traditional staff-led trip was the most effective activity in terms of enjoyment, knowledge, and deep thinking and awareness. Self-paced field activities and video podcasts had less pedagogical value, though can still support lectures and the staff-led field trip. An integrated approach will best maximize deep learning opportunities.

A research-informed dialogic-teaching approach to early secondary school mathematics and science: the pedagogical design and field trial of the epiSTEMe intervention

The Effecting Principled Improvement in STEM Education [epiSTEMe] project undertook pedagogical research aimed at improving pupil engagement and learning in early secondary school physical science and mathematics. Using principles identified as effective in the research literature and drawing on a range of existing pedagogical resources, the project designed and trialled a classroom intervention, with associated professional development, in a form intended to be suited to implementation at scale. The most distinctive feature of the epiSTEMe pedagogical approach is its inclusion of a component of dialogic teaching. Aimed at the first year of secondary education in English schools (covering ages 11–12), the epiSTEMe intervention consists of a short introductory module designed to prepare classes for this dialogic teaching component, and topic modules which employ the epiSTEMe pedagogical approach to cover two curricular topics in each of science and mathematics. A field trial was conducted over the 2010/2011 school year in 25 volunteer schools, randomly assigned to intervention and control groups. Within the intervention group, observation of lessons indicated that the level of dialogic teaching was higher for one of the topic modules than others. Evaluation focused on the effectiveness of the topic modules, each trialled in more than 10 classes containing a total of over 300 pupils, and compared with a group of similar composition. Overall, at this first implementation, learning gains under the epiSTEMe intervention were no greater, although for individual topic modules the effects ranged from small negative to small positive. No difference was found between intervention and control groups either in the opinion of pupils about their classroom experience or in changes in their attitude towards subjects.