Learning In Post-secondary Education Research Articles

Layering at all Levels: Integrating Layered Curriculum in Postsecondary Education

Calls to increase active learning, an approach that positions students in the center of their learning experience, have increased considerably in recent decades. In response, there has been substantial work to expand our understanding and implementation of active learning approaches in many educational spaces. However, much of this instructional design has concentrated on elementary and secondary learning levels, with less development of practice and scholarship focused on active learning in postsecondary education (PSE). Layered curriculum (LC) (Nunley & Evin Gencel, 2019) is an approach to active learning, as well a form of differentiated instruction (DI), that offers students innovative ways to engage with and demonstrate their learning. The model includes three layers of learning, each with its own group of learning activities and assessments, that guide a student’s progression from foundational to more complex engagement with a subject. While the use of this approach is less frequent in PSE, and discussions and evidence of its implementation are limited in the PSE literature, this paper will explore why the integration of LC would especially benefit postsecondary learners. The challenges to its integration in PSE will be addressed, including mitigation strategies, and the importance of collaborative curriculum design.

Undergraduate Student Adaptation to Unplanned and Unexpected Online Learning in Post-Secondary Education

The Corona Virus Disease- 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak that occurred during the spring 2020 academic semester forced colleges and universities worldwide to suddenly switch their teaching and learning processes to remotely delivered and online environments. This unexpected and unplanned transition to online course delivery, known as emergency remote teaching (ERT), disrupted normal modes of instruction and learning for students as well as teachers and faculty. Using an inductive qualitative research approach, this study investigated how undergraduate postsecondary students adapted to ERT. Specifically, this study examined the breadth of strategies that students used to adapt to ERT and identified the adaptive strategies students perceived as being effective by helping them to successfully complete their courses. Researchers analyzed qualitative data generated by twelve hundred and thirty-seven (1237) undergraduate student participants studying twenty-seven (27) different undergraduate courses across seven different U.S. institutions of higher education. Data were generated using a self-report, face-validated survey with open-ended questions. Findings revealed that participants exercised their self-regulation in action by focusing more heavily on external induced adjustments than internal induced adjustments. Participants perceived the most effective strategies to be behavioral engagements, followed closely by cognitive and, to a lesser extent, affective engagements.

Self‐regulated learning with computer‐based learning environments

AbstractAlong with the increased interest in self‐regulated learning research, there has been a high engrossment in computer‐based learning environments that facilitate instruction and promote learning. These two crucial pedagogical approaches have been identified as being valuable to educators and learners. They merit refreshed considerations in light of new advanced theories, research, and practices in digital technologies and self‐regulated learning. This chapter introduces this volume on contemporary self‐regulated learning research with computer‐based learning environments that facilitate teaching and learning in postsecondary education. Contributors to this volume are internationally recognized scholars in self‐regulation and interactive learning technology research. They give an overview of the current state of knowledge in their specific disciplines as they integrate theoretical approaches to self‐regulated learning with contemporary technology issues. The authors provide research‐based analyses of the topic with specific examples of how practitioners can apply new knowledge and offer concrete recommendations for action and future directions.

Moving Forward in a Good Way: Nurturing the Spirit of Learning in Postsecondary Education

Moving Forward in a Good Way: Nurturing the Spirit of Learning in Postsecondary Education

Becoming leaders of change through service: An investigation of socially empowered learning in post-secondary education.

This article presents findings from the study of a service-learning program for undergraduate students offered by a post-secondary leadership education centre. The program was designed to enhance post-secondary learning beyond the program of studies while developing perspectives of servant-leadership and serving community-identified needs. The theoretical framework is explained and details of the program are described, followed by the research study with findings that support service-learning programs as an effective form of Socially Empowered Learning. Specifically, results indicate that the program investigated here led to a significant increase in group potency, collective efficacy, and overall social empowerment. Implications for the theory of Socially Empowered Learning are explored in addition to recommendations for future research and practice.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING IN POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION: PARTICIPATION IN A SUBSIDIZED PROGRAM “EXPORT TRADE EXECUTIVE”

The economic conditions nowadays with the increased international competition, open borders, and easier money circulation in the market have created the need for additional production, while unemployment rates have been on the rise making adults required to enrich their knowledge attend training seminars in order to achieve a successful transition from the education stage to the labor market. These new market conditions have led to the promotion of professional development and training of the workforce, which will be achieved through vocational education (Valiente et al., 2020, Saar et al., 2013). At the same time, the need for more opportunities for personal and social development and employment has created lifelong learning in post-secondary education. Subsidized training programs are very often implemented, organized by large organizations, in order to provide additional knowledge to adult workers and the unemployed, regardless of age, level of knowledge, degree, and specialty. This study explores the motivation and the criteria of the participation in one of the Subsidized Unemployed Program with the title “Export Trade Executive”. According to the results of the research, the driving force for the participation of adults in this kind of program is the professional development of the participants, the improvement of their professional skills, the adaptation to the new technological data, but also socialization through the program.
 
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Development of the Online and Blended Teaching Readiness Assessment (OBTRA)

The rapid shift to online teaching and learning in postsecondary education during COVID-19 forced institutions to provide additional support and resources to instructors, especially those who were teaching online for the first time. The Online and Blended Teaching Readiness Assessment (OBTRA) was designed to assess the perceptions and competencies of instructors undertaking the move to online teaching to identify strengths and limitations. The present study identified the underlying factor structure and evidence of construct validity of the OBTRA for a sample of 223 postsecondary instructors (data collected from November 2019 to January 2020). An exploratory factor analysis revealed 5 factors that were interpreted as Technology, Engagement and Communication, Pedagogy, Perceptions of Teaching Online, and Organization. OBTRA scores were also found to be positively correlated with scores obtained from measures of instructional practices and teacher efficacy. The next steps in the development of the OBTRA are to examine how it can be used to enable academic units to provide the most appropriate support and resources aligned with instructor needs and to guide instructors to the initial steps required for successful transition to online teaching.

“I Saw a Change”: Enhancing Classroom Equity through Student-Faculty Pedagogical Partnership

Persistent inequities in access to and experiences of learning in postsecondary education have been well documented. In line with efforts to redress these inequities and develop more just institutions, this study explores the potential for pedagogical partnerships in which students and faculty collaborate on teaching and learning initiatives to contribute to classroom equity. We investigate this issue by drawing on qualitative interviews with students who have participated in extracurricular pedagogical partnership programs in institutions in Canada and the United States, and who identify as members of marginalized groups (e.g., racialized students, 2SLGBTQ+ students, students from religious minorities, disabled students). While much existing research on equity and student-faculty partnership primarily focuses on the outcomes of partnership for participating students, we instead investigate students’ perceptions of the extent to which their partnership efforts contributed to wider impacts—such as developments in faculty thinking and teaching practice and student experiences in the classroom. We also consider challenges students noted connected to power imbalances and faculty resistance, which influence partnership’s capacity to contribute to equity and raise important considerations for those interested in partnership practice.

The Intelligent Platform of Autonomous Learning in Post-Secondary Education

The aim of the study was to develop and test the effectiveness of an autonomous learning intelligent platform in post-secondary education. It was conducted on the basis of the Institute of Dentistry named after E.V. Borovsky in I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Moscow, Russia) and Humanitarian and technical academy (Kokshetau, Kazakhstan). This research involved 59 teachers and 390 students, who comprised the total sample of 449 respondents. The experiment consisted of three stages – introductory, experimental, and final. The introductory stage included the distribution of enrolled students into the experimental and control groups. Besides, at the introductory stage, the development of questionnaires directed at identifying students’ and teachers’ readiness to implement autonomous learning was performed. Apart from this, the involved educators were required to fill the learning platform with predetermined training content. The considered intelligent learning platform was developed by programmers by prior agreement with educational institutions under study. The experimental stage was aimed at introducing the designed model of autonomous learning based on the created intelligent platform. The final stage implied surveying of all study participants according to the developed questionnaires. After the introduction of the created autonomous learning model, it was revealed that 51.5% of enrolled teachers were ready for self-directed education at a high level, 20.4% – at a satisfactory level, 18.4% – at a moderate level, and 9.7% – at a low level. Among the students of Sechenov University, 21% of respondents had a high level of readiness for autonomous learning based on intelligent platforms, 27% of students had a sufficient level, 35% – moderate, and 17% – low. Among the Humanitarian and technical academy students, 29% had a high readiness for autonomous learning, 30% were ready at a sufficient level, 25% at a moderate, and 16% at a low level. This study provided an opportunity to use the developed questionnaires and the model of autonomous learning in post-secondary education for further research on the implementation of self-directed training.

Blended and Online Learning in Post-Secondary Education in Canada: An Introduction to Special Issue 11.3

Blended and Online Learning in Post-Secondary Education in Canada: An Introduction to Special Issue 11.3

The Case of the \u2018Nasty Trolley\u2019 or How Mobile Learning and Tablets are Influencing Emotions and Affects and Shaping the Constitution of the Identity of Teachers and Students

The purpose of this study was to discuss the influence of the use of tablets and mobile learning in post-secondary education and their impact on the emotions and affects felt by a teacher and students and on their identity constitution. Assemblage theory was the onto-epistemological perspective in which this investigation was grounded, and assemblage ethnography was the methodology used to collect data. An ethnographic account was provided based on what was observed during lessons, and was analysed using the concepts of emotions, affects and subjectivation. Findings indicated that no contradictory emotions and affects emerged as a result of the actions and interactions of components in the assemblage. There was a smooth relationship among human components, influencing the way they see each other and their roles. However, regarding human and non-human components, the affects and emotions that emerged impacted each other, causing tensions between these components.

"Implementation of Community-Based Experiential Learning: Challenges, Opportunities, and Insights"

This symposium showcases the process of integrating and implementing community-based experiential learning in post-secondary education, offering insights from multiple perspectives including the institutional, college, and individual course levels. We propose to advance research and practice of community-based experiential learning by providing a greater understanding of the challenges and opportunities that this approach presents, as well as frameworks and strategies for mitigating tensions and embedding community engagement into the curriculum and culture. The contributors--both faculty and administrators--highlight critical issues including institutional prioritization and restructuring, integration within and across programs, demonstrating impact, advocacy, and change management. The presentations collectively illustrate ‘championing’ community engagement from both top-down (institution, administration) and bottom-up (faculty, instructor) approaches. A Stakeholder-Governance Framework for Curriculum Development Presenter: Chelsea Willness; U. of Saskatchewan Presenter: Vince Bruni-Bossio; U. of Saskatchewan

Review of "Measuring college learning responsibly: Ac- countability in a new era"

Shavelson, Richard J. (2010). Measuring college learning responsibly: Accountability in a new era. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. Pages: 238. Price: 25.50 CAD (paper).In his book, Measuring college learning responsibly: Accountability in a new era, Shavelson sets out to provide a summary and critical evaluation of creating learning assessment and accountability systems that support the improvement of teaching and learning and at the same time systems that will provide external accountability. He claims that this book presents alternatives to existing methods of learning assessment and accountability systems that aim to significantly improve college teaching and learning and for delivering information to external audiences. He has been developing the ideas for this book with targeted groups such as policy makers in educational, governmental, and public institutions, for almost 20 years. The history of learning assessment and its development is chronologically organized and smoothly transitions into the topic of accountability. A summary of each of the book's chapters follows.In Chapter 1, the policies regarding post-secondary learning assessment are discussed, followed by Chapter 2 where Shavelson explores measuring learning in post-secondary education. In Chapter 3, readers are provided with a history of learning assessment from the 19th century to the present. Here, the author refers the College Learning Assessment (CLA), which he helped to develop. All of chapter 4 is devoted to a more in-depth discussion of CLA. Chapter 5 provides the author calls two exemplary campus assessment- of-learning programs. Here, readers are introduced to these programs along with the post-secondary institutions (Alverno College and Truman College) that host them. The chapter also provides a case study of four universities. Chapters 6 through 10 expand the discussion of the topic of learning assessments and their accountability in post-secondary institutions. Chapter 6 stresses the importance and urgency of increasing the accountability of information in post-secondary institutions. Chapter 7 explains accountability is and as suggested by the chapter title, State Higher Education Accountability and Learning Assessment, Chapter 8 explores state universities and assessment policies. Finally, Chapters 9 and 10 deal with post-secondary institutions' accountability outside of, and within, the United States. Here, the author presents the importance of measurement tools to evaluate teaching effectiveness due to the need for assessing postsecondary institutions' accountabilities.For some time now, there has been a serious need to develop instruments that assess the quality of learning and teaching. However, the questions of who should be held accountable for such developments and how should they be held accountable serve as roadblocks to quality assessment instruments and accountable conductors. We also know that learning is a quality that is intangible. Consequently, parts of learning should be assessed has been a question rather than what learning should be assessed and in ways (p.133). Moreover, those accountability measurement instruments currently available are at times overused and in some cases, deemed as inadequate. Thus, Shavelson takes this historical background as his opportunity to provide some possibilities for previously unanswered questions.The author is considered extremely credible in this field; however, since the author was involved closely with the development of CLA, his vision and opinion regarding CLA could be considered biased. Therefore, additional assessments of CLA would likely add to the assessment of the accountability and validity of the instrument. …

32. Increasing the Impact of Canadian Research on Teaching and Learning in Post-Secondary Education

This paper builds on an inquiry process initiated during a session at the 2008 Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education conference. The goal was to promote scholarly research on teaching, learning, and educational development in Canadian post-secondary institutions by identifying and prioritizing research issues, and emerging collaborative strategies for inquiry into these issues. We reflect on the initial outcomes of the session and on strategies to increase the impact of research on teaching and learning in our institutions.

New directions for self‐regulation of learning in postsecondary education

AbstractThis chapter highlights the major contributions of this volume on self‐regulation of learning and provides new directions for cutting‐edge theoretical and empirical work that could serve to facilitate self‐regulation of learning in postsecondary education.

Introduction: Self‐regulation of learning in postsecondary education

AbstractThe chapter introduces this volume on self‐regulation of learning by providing a look at the soundness of the theories, techniques, and tools readily available to instructors and students that could serve to facilitate self‐regulation.

Student Outcomes in a Pathophysiology Course Based on Mode of Delivery: Distance Versus Traditional Classroom Learning

Background and Purpose. Distance learning is a growing trend in physical therapy education; little is known about its impact on learning outcomes. The purposes of this study were to: 1) compare student performance based on mode of delivery (distance education versus traditional classroom presentation); 2) investigate the relationship between students' previous academic performance and difference in performance based on mode of delivery; and 3) explore students' perceptions of, and preferences for, distance education and traditional classroom instruction. Subjects. Ninety-six physical therapist students, enrolled in 2 successive pathophysiology courses, were included in this study. Methods. Each student received half of the course instruction in a traditional classroom mode and half in a distance mode. Student learning was measured by multiple-choice exams. The percent correct was calculated for questions relating to the content presented in classroom versus distance modes of instruction. Matched pair t-tests were used to compare the means. Pearson product moment correlations were used to examine the strength of the association between student cumulative GPA (grade point average) and differences in scores based on mode of presentation. A survey was conducted to obtain the students' perceptions of the learning experience based on format of delivery. Qualitative and quantitative methods were used to analyze the survey responses. Results. Students performed significantly better on questions based on material presented in the distance format (t = 5.16, P Discussion and Conclusion. Although students preferred traditional classroom instruction, they performed significantly better on questions related to material that was presented in a distance format. Students with less academic ability may benefit from the self-paced learning and internet resources to master coursework requiring factual recall of information. Key Words: Distance education. Traditional classroom, Student performance, WebCT. INTRODUCTION Technological advances and computer access have led to an increase in the use of distance learning in postsecondary education.1,2 Internet-based course management software systems such as WebCT* and Blackboard[dagger] have become commonplace in the classroom.3,4 The popularity of distance learning both nationally and abroad has flourished for financial and geographic reasons, and as a matter of lifestyle choice.5-7 Distance education is defined by the Commission on Colleges, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools as a formal educational process in which the majority of the instruction occurs when student and instructor are not in the same place.8(p1) Instructional methods may be synchronous or asynchronous and may use a variety of designs such as correspondence study and audio, video, or computer technology. The Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reported that the number of distance education programs offered in postsecondary institutions nearly doubled in the 4-year period leading up to 1998.9 Additionally, in a 2000 to 2001 follow-up survey, it was reported that 55% of institutions with graduate/professional programs offered distance education courses.2 In health-related fields, distance education has been used to provide professional training,10-12 continuing education,13 as well as programs that award advanced certificates or degrees.8,14-16 With pressures on academic institutions to reach a broader student audience,17 coupled with the expanding opportunities in the health-related professions,18 one would expect the growth of distance learning in the health professions to continue. …

Project-Based Learning in Post-Secondary Education – Theory, Practice and Rubber Sling Shots

The purpose of the study was to explore what project-based learning is, what are the pedagogical or psychological motives supporting it, how it has been implemented and what impact it has had on learning in post-secondary education. The study is based on a qualitative review of published articles. The work revealed that the majority of articles on project-based learning are course descriptions focusing on the implementation of individual courses, whereas serious research on the topic is virtually non-existent. In addition, the term project-based learning subsumes different activities with varying purposes. Therefore, practitioners and curriculum developers are encouraged to reflect upon the purpose and possibilities of project-based learning along with students and to set realistic, clear goals. Practitioners and researchers are urged to document courses even more carefully. Several issues for further research are identified.

Learning on Campus and Learning at a Distance: A Randomized Instructional Experiment.

To address a major methodological problem in the body of evidence on distance learning in postsecondary education, we conducted a randomized, true-experiment paired with a quasi-experiment. Community college students randomly assigned to receive instruction at a distance via a two-way interactive telecourse demonstrated learning equivalent to that of students assigned to on-campus, face-to-face instruction. However, students choosing to take the course via telecourse at remote sites had significantly higher course learning than either randomly assigned group. Such evidence suggests that the body of evidence on distance learning could be seriously confounded by learner self-selection.

Eric Review: Service Learning in the Community College

After presenting a comprehensive definition of service learning in postsecondary education, the author reviews the literature on service learning at community colleges. In addition to discussing national initiatives to promote service learning experiences for students, this review provides examples of service learning programs and summarizes best practices for starting and managing such programs based on case studies in the literature. The results of recent program evaluation efforts are discussed, and the author defines current research needs to determine how service learning affects students.