Learning Of Course Content Research Articles

MEMIS: A Mobile-Supported English-Medium Instruction System

Education is one of the most important elements in our lives, as it provides a direct gain in knowledge. Thus, in order to provide better academic achievement, more and more instructors are adapting collaborative learning to their classes. However, two major problems lurk behind collaborative learning. First, it is difficult to apply collaborative learning because students tend to engage passively with traditional lectures. As a result, interactive technologies such as clickers have been applied to increase interactive learning and raise the rate of interaction. Nevertheless, these interactive technologies still have some limitations, such as limited mobility, high costs, setup issues, technical difficulties, and little support of higher-order thinking skills. Second, recently there has been an increasing number of EMI (English as Medium of Instruction) courses added to university course offerings in countries where English is not the first language. The goal of these courses is to support university internationalization and address the global status of English. However, it is even harder to achieve in-class interaction in large EMI lecture courses. In addition, some studies argue that EMI courses might affect the overall learning of course content because of students’ poor lecture comprehension and passive engagement in class.In order to address the limitations of interactive technologies, encourage more collaborative learning, facilitate greater in-class interaction in large lecture courses, and resolve students’ poor lecture comprehension in EMI courses, the author introduces MEMIS (Mobile-Supported English-Medium Instruction System), which includes both a T&S (Teachers & Students) mobile app and an EMI pedagogical method. The author first provides detailed implementation and all the features of the T&S mobile app, which improves students’ perceptions of classroom participation and in-class interaction. Then the author explains how she develops her EMI pedagogy such that it utilizes the features of the T&S mobile app to: 1) increase students’ overall learning in her EMI course, 2) develop students’ construction of knowledge and higher-order thinking, and 3) achieve all six cognitive processes from Bloom’s revised taxonomy. The author adapts a quasi-experimental design, statistically analyzes the effectiveness of both exam scores and final grades between a control group and an experimental group, and then asks students to evaluate their experiences and provide feedback about MEMIS. Based on both statistical results and students’ overall feedback, the author confirms that MEMIS is an effective approach that improves lecture comprehension, encourages more class engagement, promotes collaborative learning, and achieves better learning outcomes.

An EMI Pedagogy That Facilitates Students' Learning

<p>In recent decades, increasing numbers of EMI (English as Medium of Instructions) courses have been added to university course offerings in countries where English is not the first language, as a way of supporting university internalization and addressing the global status of English. However, some studies argue that EMI courses might affect the overall learning of course content because of students' poor lecture comprehension and passive engagement in class. In order to facilitate student engagement and improve learning experiences in EMI courses, the author introduces a pedagogical method that would facilitate students' overall learning in her EMI course. Based on students' overall feedback, the author confirms that her pedagogy is an effective method that improves lecture comprehension, encourages more class engagement, and promotes collaborative learning. Finally, the author recommends that other instructors apply this pedagogy to their EMI classes for better learning outcomes.</p>

Knowledge and skills transfer between MBA and workplace

Purpose– This paper aims to use goal-setting theory to explain the transfer of knowledge and skills between master of business administration (MBA) and the workplace.Design/methodology/approach– Data were obtained by an online survey of MBA students enrolled in at four US graduate business schools. These were a public and private institution in the Northeast region, a private sectarian institution in the Midwest region and a private institution in the Pacific region. All students worked while attending the university. The sampling frame consisted of each school’s MBA enrollees. Questionnaires were distributed to a random cross-section of part-time students at each graduate school of business representative of returned by 144 students. The profiles of responders were consistent with parameters for the entire MBA student population.Findings– The research shows that multiple goals of reciprocal knowledge and skills transfer may be in harmony and mutually reinforcing. In principle, each goal is more likely to be attained with greater economy of effort than might be surmised. Additionally, the same forces may act similarly to facilitate attainment of two well-integrated goals, in this case transfer between MBA studies and work, as well as between work and MBA studies.Research limitations/implications– The present study involved participants from part-time public and private MBA granting institutions in the USA. The study tested and extended goal-setting theory and introduced the innovative concept of reciprocal transfer. Future studies should seek to generalize the findings to a broader population of part-time MBA students, especially from other nations. Despite its strengths, the findings of this study need to be interpreted in the perspective of some limitations. The current study did not measure transfer climates in either the organization or university settings. Transfer climates undoubtedly have an important bearing on transfer outcomes.Practical implications– Review of the present study suggests that a positive MBA environment is needed to influence motivation to learn and perceptions of the MBA program’s utility, thereby promoting transfer of knowledge and skills to MBA studies from the workplace. A supportive work-to-MBA-studies transfer climate will lead to more active learning of course content that has greater relevance for achieving career goals. Potentially generalizable from the organizational transfer climate literature (Rouiller and Goldstein 1990; Rouiller and Goldstein 1993), positive transfer from work to MBA studies will occur when appropriate situational cues and consequences are present in the program.Social implications– A constructive implication suggested by the findings of this study would be the intervention and transfer management by educators to structure and strengthen the university transfer climate of their part-time MBA programs. Traditionally, the concept of transfer climate has been primarily applied to employee workplace training activity and job performance. The university culture of the MBA student might emphasize and reward continuous learning from workplace experiences. Opportunities at the university should be provided for the exercise of newly acquired workplace skills that reinforce MBA learning experiences.Originality/value– This is the first study that shows how learning goals and performance goals are integrated in the context of a new concept, i.e. reciprocal transfer of knowledge and skills between MBA and workplace settings. It also demonstrates, for the first time, the impact of learning and motivation for MBA studies and perceived utility of MBA program on the extent of transfer of learning and skills from the workplace to the university setting.

An Elective Course on Dermatological Topics and Cosmeceutical Compounding

To implement and assess a pharmacy dermatology and cosmeceutical compounding elective course and its impact on graduates' careers. A 3-credit elective course that incorporated classroom lectures on ambulatory dermatologic diseases and cosmeceutical products with case studies, weekly quizzes, and a comprehensive business plan project was implemented in a doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) program in 2010. Assessment instruments including weekly quizzes, a business plan project, and pre- and post-course tests were used to evaluate course content. Across 3 offerings of the course (2010, 2011, 2012), pre- and post-course test scores improved. Results of a postgraduate survey showed that 54% of respondents worked at a pharmacy offering compounding services, and 57% felt that the course played a significant or very significant role in their counseling on dermatologic conditions. Assessment methods revealed student learning of course content and the course appeared moderately beneficial to graduates' early careers. A more longitudinal analysis is needed to assess the course's impact on long-term career choices, particularly those dealing with compounding of cosmeceutical products.

Integrating personal mobile devices in teaching: the impact on student learning and institutional support

More students are bringing their own mobile devices to schools and universities. This trend offers educational institutions with opportunities to explore the available technology for teaching and learning (‘Bring Your Own Device’: BYOD). Based on a case study of an undergraduate course recently taught at a higher education institution in the United Arab Emirates, this paper explores how students’ personal mobile devices could support classroom teaching. It also investigates the implications for the institution of using those devices. Participants consisted of 19 Emirati female students and a member of the Information Technology department; multiple methods of data collection were adopted to achieve triangulation. The main findings suggest that the activities delivered through students’ personal mobile devices helped promote discussion both inside and outside class and supported students’ learning of course content. Some challenges and key factors contributing to positive outcomes are discussed.

Lecture is not a Dirty Word, How to Use Active Lecture to Increase Student Engagement

Lecture is a much maligned classroom method of instruction. Like any other technique employed by educators, there are both effective and ineffective ways to deliver content through a lecture format. Respecting that the college learner has changed, active lecturing strategies maximize student learning of course content, engaging both modern learners and teachers at higher levels. The active lecture strategies presented are grounded in Chickering and Gamson’s seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education and provide a balanced approach to providing content and opportunities to connect to the content that help students not only master the material presented in class, but also the out-of-class material students access in their readings and experiences.

The Effectiveness of Mutual Aid Learning Communities in Online MSW Practice Courses

Online social work education has grown rapidly in recent years, and practice courses now are frequently taught online. The present study contributes to the growing body of knowledge regarding best practices in online social work education by examining the effects of small-group learning communities on student learning and on student satisfaction in an online MSW practice course. Findings indicate that online MSW students participating in learning communities viewed the learning communities as useful, had higher levels of student satisfaction with the course, and demonstrated greater learning of course content than online MSW students participating only on one general discussion board.

“I’m in a Professional School! Why Are You Making Me Do This?” A Cross-Disciplinary Study of the Use of Creative Classroom Projects on Student Learning

Creative thinking skills are essential for today's workplace. Three faculty members from different professional schools (business, higher education administration, teacher education) examined student responses to the creative assignments in their courses. The assignments exemplify the following criteria: invited taking risks, encouraged innovative thinking, stressed connecting, demonstrated synthesis and transformation of course content. The study examined student responses to creative projects via a Likert-scale survey, open-ended narrative responses, and then scores on a rubric on creativity and integrative learning. Fifty-seven students were surveyed across all three courses. Overall, results indicate that students not only found these assignments worthwhile but also found that they furthered their learning of course content. Implications for practice are included.

Learning Why We Buy

Marketing educators have long recognized the value of engendering students’ deep learning of course content via experiential pedagogies. In this article, the authors describe a semester-long, team-based retail audit project that is structured to elicit active student engagement with consumer behavior course material via concrete, hands-on, real-world experience. For the project, students form teams to organize and conduct an observational audit of a live retail setting. In the process of completing the project, students engage with course content on their own, with their team members, and importantly, within a focal store environment, thus experiencing for themselves the effects of that content on their own shopping behavior, as well as that of others. Compelled by the project’s active pedagogy to engage in discovery, students learn not only the “what” and “why” of marketing concepts, strategies, and techniques but also “how to” implement them. Anchored in conceptual perspectives relevant to the project, the article explains the components and structure of the project and explicates its key benefits with an emphasis on the students’ perspectives. The article includes results of qualitative and quantitative analyses that support the effectiveness of the project and suggests future directions for extending pedagogical research in this area.

Measuring Up: Assessment in Microeconomics

Assessment takes place university wide, from evaluation of the entire institution to the micro focus of specific courses using learning objectives. Many faculty perceive assessment as already occurring through the assignment of grades. This paper investigates empirically the ongoing grades versus assessment debate. By examining the relationship between examination questions and post-test comprehension of learning objectives in Principles of Microeconomics, this study analyzes whether differences exist in proportions of correct responses from the two evaluation methods for each learning objective. For some of the objectives there are statistical differences found between the two proportions but insignificant differences for the remaining objectives. The authors conclude that these mixed results demonstrate exam questions and assessment post-test questions are not equal measures of student learning of course content.

I learnt a whole lot more than churning out an essay: Using online tools to support critical collaborative inquiry in a blended learning environment

This paper reports on a qualitative case study of a teacher and her students in a postgraduate Tourism course in New Zealand in which a Learning Management System (LMS), discussion forums, and wikis were used to facilitate student engagement and deeper learning of course content. Although the teacher was experienced in face-to-face teaching contexts, she was a novice in the design and delivery of online learning. However, she believed that technology could foster deeper and more meaningful critical collaborative inquiry amongst course participants and was keen to explore how this could be facilitated. Evaluative data were gathered from teacher interviews, student focus groups, and an online student survey. Findings indicate that the use of different online tools was effective for engaging students and helped them develop critical insights into key course concepts. However, careful planning and reflection on different pedagogical approaches were needed so that student learning could be supported in a meaningful and relevant ways. Implications for supporting educators and students in blended, online learning in Tourism Education are offered.

Inspiring equal contribution and opportunity in a 3d multi-user virtual environment: Bringing together men gamers and women non-gamers in Second Life®

A 3D multi-user virtual environment holds promise to support and enhance student online learning communities due to its ability to promote global synchronous interaction and collaboration, rich multisensory experience and expression, and elaborate design capabilities. Second Life^(R), a multi-user virtual environment intended for adult users 18 and older, is the most cited in educational literature, so it is important to explore how college-aged students are using it to form online learning communities. Previous research suggests that there is unbalanced participation between traditional college-aged men and women with regards to 3D multi-user video games, which closely resemble Second Life^(R). In this research study, we investigated in what manner women and men college students projected their virtual identities and engaged in interaction in Second Life^(R), and how this influenced their learning of course content. Analysis of multiple data sources revealed that conceptions of identity, beliefs of the nature of the virtual world, and technical skill were primary factors which affected group cohesion and learning within the community. Results from this study can provide insight into the class activities that can support all learners in accessing and contributing to the multi-user virtual environment learning community.

Constructivism applied to psychiatric–mental health nursing: An alternative to supplement traditional clinical education

With the popularity of accelerated pre-licensure nursing programmes and the growth in nursing student enrolments, traditional clinical education continues to be a challenge to deliver. Nursing faculty members are required to develop and implement educational innovations that achieve effective learning outcomes, while using fewer resources. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the effectiveness of a constructivism-based learning project to achieve specific learning outcomes and to supplement approximately 30 clinical hours in a psychiatric-mental health nursing course. Students participated in a 10-week, multistage project that examined life histories, treatment resources, and evidence-based practice, as applied to a single individual with a mental illness. Students reported increased understanding of mental health and illness, developed personal relevance associated with the knowledge gained, and learned to problem solve with regard to nursing care of individuals diagnosed with mental illness. For many students, there also appeared to be a reduction in stigmatized attitudes towards mental illness. Constructivism-based learning is a promising alternative to supplement clinical hours, while effectively achieving learning outcomes. Future research is needed to further validate the use of this method for the learning of course content, as well as the reduction of stigma.

Test-enhanced learning in a middle school science classroom: The effects of quiz frequency and placement.

Typically, teachers use tests to evaluate students’ knowledge acquisition. In a novel experimental study, we examined whether low-stakes testing (quizzing) can be used to foster students’ learning of course content in 8th grade science classes. Students received multiple-choice quizzes (with feedback); in the quizzes, some target content that would be included on the class summative assessments was tested, and some of the target content was not tested. In Experiment 1, three quizzes on the content were spaced across the coverage of a unit. Quizzing produced significant learning benefits, with between 13% and 25% gains in performance on summative unit examinations. In Experiments 2a and 2b, we manipulated the placement of the quizzing, with students being quizzed on some content prior to the lecture, quizzed on some immediately after the lecture, and quizzed on some as a review prior to the unit exam. Review quizzing produced the greatest increases in exam performance, and these increases were only slightly augmented when the items had appeared on previous quizzes. The benefits of quizzing (relative to not quizzing) persisted on cumulative semester and end-of-year exams. We suggest that the present effects reflect benefits accruing to retrieval practice, benefits that are well established in the basic literature.

Using a Web Page Design Activity to Promote Active Learning of Course Content in an Undergraduate Anatomy and Physiology Course

Abstract The purpose of this study was to evaluate student perceptions of a Web page design activity as a learning activity in an undergraduate anatomy and physiology course. One class of undergraduate majors in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology who took part in CSD 1720: Anatomy and Physiology of the Speech Mechanism at St. John’s University’s Staten Island Campus was solicited to voluntarily and anonymously complete an online survey regarding their perceptions of the utility of building a Web page to learn course content. Nine (34.6%) of the possible 26 students enrolled in the course completed the survey. Most respondents were freshmen or sophomores. No respondent indicated that he or she was technologically incompetent. Complete survey results were communicated in tabular format. Overall, student respondents to the survey indicated positive perceptions regarding the utility of building a Web page to enhance recall and understanding of course concepts in an undergraduate anatomy and physiology course. Recommendations for future research include the continued survey of future students to make a better-informed judgment regarding the use of this activity to improve student learning of course content.

ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS IN DESIGNING ONLINE DISCUSSIONS TO PROMOTE COGNITIVE PRESENCE – A PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE

Online discussions have been increasingly integrated into face-to-face classes at universities to enhance student learning of course content. The primary focus of past research has been on the end products of online discussions. Studies reported either successful findings or results that fell short of desired learning outcomes. An in-depth investigation is needed about how the design of online discussions is related to success. This paper reports our experiences in conducting a three-phase, design-based study: (1) designing the online discussion activity; (2) implementing our design in a university course; (3) empirically investigating our design.

Giving All Students the Keys to College and Skilled Careers: One District's Approach

THIS IS the story of how the Garden Grove Unified School District in California is taking the challenge of preparing students for and skilled careers. Though every student may not plan to attend college, the district has decided that the opportunities made available to students should not depend solely the foresight of teenagers or the prejudgments of adults. The curriculum that gives each student the ability to succeed in college, should he or she choose to attend, also provides the key that unlocks the door to skilled for the non-college-bound. Though many definitions of college and career readiness are possible, Garden Grove's operational definition is that students are deemed if they complete California's full A-G college-readiness course sequence and demonstrate mastery of the content of each course through an end-of-course exam. Checking for students' learning of course content is important because Garden Grove wishes to guarantee to students, parents, colleges, and employers that course labels accurately advertise what the student has learned. (1) Taking as great a challenge as seeing that all students are ready for and skilled careers has required, first, an unflinching recognition of how far the district has to go. On arriving at the lowest base camp at Mount Everest after an arduous climb, one doesn't conclude that the mountain has already been conquered. While Garden Grove's graduation rate has been higher than those of many of the district's counterparts, this number decreases greatly when you count only those students who are college ready. (2) Substantial short-term gains can be made by making sure that students who are well prepared academically enroll in challenging high school courses, but extending that success depends how well the district prepares students between preschool and eighth grade to succeed in those courses. Quick fixes are no more likely than shortcuts to the summit of Mount Everest. BACKGROUND Garden Grove is one of the growing number of urban suburban districts in the U.S. It serves 50,000 students in parts of seven municipalities in the Los Angeles area. The district's demographics are essentially urban: of the district's roughly 50,000 students, 60% receive subsidized lunches; 53% are Hispanic; 31%, Asian; 15%, white; and 1%, African American. The district is heavily populated by families who immigrated recently to the United States. English is the second language for roughly 80% of the district's students, who speak 68 different languages. Garden Grove has a number of advantages that have put it in a better position to take the challenge of educating its students to high levels. In particular, Garden Grove has been relatively free of many of the afflictions that have made it difficult to improve districts, such as unstable leadership, politics arising from issues peripheral to student learning, and the endless churning or layering on of multiple programs, practices, and new initiatives, so that the hapless school system never gets to do a good job of implementing any one thing. (3) Garden Grove strives to do an excellent job of implementing a small number of programs and strategies, and thus the district has been careful not to undertake any activity, even one attached to a large grant award, unless it ties directly to the district's goals. The implementation of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) has complemented Garden Grove's own growing focus the use of data to inform teaching and learning. California had already begun testing in more grades than NCLB requires, and Garden Grove has found the NCLB-required disaggregation of data by income and ethnic group highly useful. The goal-setting focus of the law matches well with Garden Grove's approach, and the district has developed two specific and measurable internal goals that, if met, will address the requirements of the state's accountability system and NCLB. …

Just-in-Time Teaching Exercises to Engage Students in an Introductory-Level Dinosaur Course

The Just-in-Time Teaching (JiTT) technique allows students to be engaged in course material outside of the classroom by answering web-based questions. The responses are summarized and presented to students in class with a follow-up active learning exercise. College students enrolled in an introductory-level general education geoscience course were surveyed over a two-semester period on their engagement level during lecture and per- ceived learning of course content. Data show that students are able to reflect on their prior knowledge and construct new knowledge with weekly graded JiTT exercises. Despite increasing and competing pressures outside of the classroom, students reported increased learning and engagement in a course with required weekly assignments.

The Effect of Group Projects on Content-Related Learning

Business schools often assign student group projects to enhance student learning of course content and to build teamwork skills. However, the characteristics of effective collaborative learning tasks, including group goals and individual accountability, are often not found in student group projects assigned in business classes. The current research found that content learning was actually inhibited by the use of a group project. The results indicate that the students who completed a project in groups learned less of the project-related content than did students who completed a shortened version of the project individually. The characteristics of business school group projects, peer-learning projects, and group projects in the workplace are compared and contrasted. Implications for program and course design are discussed.

Teaching in a High-Tech Conference Room:

As a response to research about both the work space of professional writers and the pedagogy using workplace simulations, a professional writing course was adapted for a high-tech conference room equipped with electronic meeting tools. This experiment improved students’ learning of course content, which included collaborative writing strategies, project management, and teamwork; research methods; presentation and design skills; and organizational culture and professional development. Students also better understood workplace realities and distinctions between academic and workplace environments. In addition, the experiment facilitated students’idea sharing and communication as well as their preparation for transitioning to the workplace. The teaching experience was more creative and rewarding, too.