Pedagogical Change Research Articles

Educational value chain with industry 4.0 technologies

The world is fast changing with immersive technology applications. In the next few years we will be seeing many new applications with Artificial Intelligence from big names, such as Google, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft, Oracle and most recently Oracle with their cloud services. Fantasy has lured the educational environment to adopt augmented and virtual reality applications into the teaching and learning ecosystems. Today's technology has enabled us to work more effectively with learners in everyday, everyday settings and at school and helps us cultivate a collaborative learning environment, enabling us to develop and maintain the technology that the public wants, and that which can work on a community level. Springing up in the evolution, the pandemic has affected the quick implementation of digital technologies to be used for communication, sharing of data across the digital space, reaching unimaginably across all the nooks and corners of the world. In doing so, it has also allowed for the establishment of a world where the need for a single, decentralized 'platform' can be harnessed to promote social and economic growth and productivity. The content or data applications enhance the delivery capacity and understanding capability appropriately, to the specific process that is unique to the domain. The digital technologies available for our connected cities will accelerate the adoption and development of this emerging digital economy. There are more software and intelligence networked applications such as Simulations, and Big data which are systemic integrated through cloud computing, with appropriate cyber security, and comfortably assured with the 5G mobile telephony networks, propositioning accessibility, prompt delivery at and low cost and latency in connection. Thus, this industry 4.0 ages prompts to promote visualization, personalization, gamification and problem solving that are the essence in the changing pedagogy for a 24x7 erudite. The future is going to mean more growth and innovation. The past is no more over, but creates a vision which has in store something positive in the future, and hope of ever succeeding. This review paper covers the post-COVID changes involving a radical change in education across the world that impacted by Industry 4.0.

Necessity is the Mother of Invention: How the Need for Online Schooling Impacted Mathematics Teaching Practices and Student Engagement

In this paper, we document elementary school teachers’ attitudinal and pedagogical changes during the rapid move from brick-and-mortar to virtual schooling initiated by the COVID-19 pandemic. We administered four online surveys (in September and October 2020, and in March and June 2021) to determine teachers’ perceived challenges and successes in using online technology, as well as applied mixed-methods action research to identify their approaches to teaching mathematics online. The initial challenges included gaining skills, resources, and know-hows for teaching online, and supporting students and their families in the swift transition, while also maintaining instructional goals and overcoming stress. The later challenges included dealing with workload and engaging students in learning. As their comfort with technology increased, teachers started realizing that many old pedagogies were either impossible or inadequate in the online environment, and they began to innovate with virtual classrooms that encompassed students’ homes, parents, and the outdoors. Mathematics manipulatives were found in the kitchen and measurements were done in the home or during walks outside. Mathematics concepts became more real-life centered, and learning became more playful and problem-oriented. Technology helped to create and sustain learning communities, and exposed student thinking at their comfort level. For some students, this approach worked better than brick-and-mortar schools; for most teachers, it created opportunities to provide and receive feedback differently, collaborate widely, reinvent their practice, and contribute to changing norms. We conclude by providing suggestions for moving forward.

Here's to the future: Conversational agents in higher education- a scoping review

With AI's advancing technology, pedagogical changes are occurring, and chatbots are becoming more intertwined in our daily lives. While these can be used in a variety of disciplines, they play a particularly significant role in the digital transformation of education. We present a scoping review of chatbots in higher education (HE), investigating where chatbots are being applied. The main benefits and challenges of chatbots were explored. The quality of the selected papers was assessed using the International Organization for Standards (ISO) 9241–11 guidelines. A total of 2692 citations were found while searching recognized digital databases. After reading the abstract and full text, 64 publications were considered. Backward and forward reference checking yielded four further studies. Altogether, 66 studies were included. This review provides a comprehensive overview of research on using chatbots in HE, including advantages, and challenges. Research demonstrates the versatility and the promising aspects of this type of support system for university education.

Student Preferences for Active Learning and Their Beliefs, Experiences, and Knowledge

Active teaching methods are believed to facilitate higher-order thinking skills and prepare allied health students for independent clinical decision-making. This quantitative, correlational study aimed to explain the relationships between student preferences for active over traditional methods and their beliefs, the frequency and positiveness of their experiences, and the extent of knowledge they have received regarding active and traditional teaching methods. Two hundred and thirty students completed a 53-item online survey. Students were enrolled in a Doctor of Physical Therapy, Masters in Speech-language Pathology, or Bachelor of Science Nursing program in one of seventeen participating institutions across a ten-state Midwest region. A combination of student knowledge, student beliefs, and positive student experiences with active over traditional methods predicted 72.5% (R2 = .725, p = <.001) of the variance of student preferences for active methods. When students have clarity about the expectations of active learning methods, how they benefit their learning, believe they are responsible for learning and take the initiative, and perceive a positive experience, they prefer active methods over traditional methods. The results inform health professional education programs with recommendations that influence pedagogical change to support faculty and prepare students for clinical practice, higher-order thinking skills, and workforce expectations.

Enhancing Online Instructional Approaches for Sustainable Business Education in the Current and Post-Pandemic Era: An Action Research Study of Student Engagement

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed traditional classroom instruction to fully online teaching and learning modes. Higher education institutions in China were among the first to shift to these new modalities. The innovative integration of techno-pedagogies with the advancement of information communication technologies and multimedia applications made these rapid changes feasible in practice. However, the shift from traditional to fully online instruction was challenging. Student disengagement and learning performance losses due to these pedagogical changes have impacted the sustainability of educational programmes. We used mixed methods with dual-cycle action research to explore better pedagogical solutions. Seventy-six adult students, three teachers and three teaching assistants were involved in our study. Informed by the results of the first action research cycle, gamification was introduced in the second cycle. The gamified flipped classroom approach in the second action research cycle significantly improved student engagement, and their learning performance was sustained throughout the study. Suggestions for flexibility, all-in-inclusive, coopetitive learning, technical support and sustainable learning (F.A.C.T.S.) are proposed as a practical framework for new techno-pedagogical approaches in the current and post-COVID-19 era.

Teachers' pedagogical implementation of the National Large-Scale Assessment (NLSA): improving and advancing teaching-learning processes

PurposeLarge-scale assessment has been used in many education systems as an instrument to evaluate educational performance nationally. This practice is based on the concept of epistemic governance which encourages school accountability. This study aims to explore teachers' perspectives regarding the value and uses of national large-scale assessment (NLSA), highlighting its relevance across contexts.Design/methodology/approachUsing qualitative data, this paper presents the case of the Israeli NLSA tests – the Meitzav, while examining the perceptions and actions in which teachers engage to follow-up on the test results, and the extent to which they implement pedagogical change in light of the test results.FindingsThe findings showed that teachers tend to use the NLSA test results as a pedagogical tool to improve learning processes to a limited extent. They concede that most activity involving the tests at the school and class levels is dedicated to preparation and not to pedagogical change. Some explanations are suggested.Originality/valueThis paper discusses the theoretical and practical implications of the NLSA testing regime for the school, curriculum and pedagogy.

The challenges and experiences of academics supporting psychological capital among students at the emergence of COVID-19: A qualitative investigation of award-winning educators at a British university.

Studies show that student mental health has continued to deteriorate over the years. Developing strengths-based approaches could aid educators in the development of Psychological Capital (PsyCap) and positive protective factors in students to support their mental well-being and aid in their success; however, little is known of the subject experience of educators who attempt this. This study aims to understand the experience of award-winning educators; both in their attempts to cultivate positive protective factors in students and in challenges to the pursuit of that goal during the shifting academic landscape at the emergence of COVID-19. Six award-winning educators from a British university. Participants were interviewed over video calls in this research design using semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. The results showed two major themes; pressures for academics and strength-based approached to cultivating PsyCap. These themes reflected that educators saw an urgent need for students to develop resilience as they struggle to handle subjective failure and that students struggle with imposter syndrome. The educators identified the challenges as feeling taken for granted, having unmanageable workloads along high expectations placed on them. COVID-19 has added significantly to the workloads of educators and demonstrated students' need for resilience. This research identifies the experiences of educators trying to improve strengths-based practice while identifying the challenges of pursuing that goal in the changing pedagogy post-COVID-19.

STEM 1, 2, 3: Levelling Up in Primary Schools

Recent research advocating the educational value of engaging primary students in authentic integrated STEM inquiry projects also identifies challenges for teachers aspiring to high-quality student-learning experiences. Teachers require support to integrate disciplines, prioritise processes and reasoning over curriculum content, and increase student autonomy in purposeful STEM projects. Within the context of a year-long professional learning program in Australia, an innovative tri-level approach to skill-building for teachers and their students has been developed. The three levels of ‘STEM Skills’, ‘Design Process’ and ‘Integrated STEM Projects’ are intended to successively escalate demands on time, resources and pedagogical change while promoting the development of the dispositions and skills needed to engage in sustained inquiry projects. The teacher participants (n = 11) came from five schools who had just concluded the STEM Academy professional learning program. Semi-structured interviews guided teacher reflection. Data analysis combined inductive and deductive processes to thematize meaning and revealed ways in which the tri-level approach to STEM education supported the development of STEM integration practices. The findings suggest the efficacy of the tri-level approach and its potential value beyond the context in which it was developed.

Improving introductory financial accounting learning and retention through course redesign

This paper reports the results of a course redesign project for introductory financial accounting taught predominately to non-accounting majors. The objectives were to improve student learning and student retention. Student learning was measured with an assurance of learning (AOL) instrument. Retention was measured by the DFWI rate, composed of the grades of D, F, W (withdrawal) or I (incomplete). Thus, we measured the impact that the course redesign had on mean AOL scores and on mean DFWI rates. The first step in the redesign was to reduce the detailed course content. This created time for pedagogical changes in the second step. Metacognitive and active learning activities were added to foster student learning. Results indicated that the content reduction alone did not significantly impact AOL scores or DFWI rates. The pedagogical changes significantly improved AOL scores, and the combination of the content reduction and pedagogy changes decreased DFWI rates. It is hoped that the positive results will serve to inform other such course improvement efforts.

Changing Undergraduate Medical Students’ Perception of Online Learning and Assessment During the Covid-19 Pandemic: a One Year Follow-up Study

Introduction: Like most educational institutions, our medical school transitioned to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. An initial survey of 192 undergraduate medical students conducted in June 2020 revealed a low acceptance of online assessments, lack of work-readiness, perception of online discussions as being inferior to face-to-face, and prevalent anxiety. Following this, we implemented pedagogic changes to encourage independent learning, improve patient contact, and increase social interactions between students. Methods: A follow-up study was conducted 12 months later in the same student population, excluding those who had graduated. The same 14-item anonymized survey questionnaire was administered, and comparisons were made between the follow-up and initial responses. Results: At follow-up, 45.6% of participants felt that online assessments can adequately and fairly assess students’ performance compared to the initial study (26.2%, p = 0.002). Participants at follow-up were generally more agreeable that discussion using an online learning platform was as effective as face-to-face learning compared to before (p = 0.017). Subgroup analysis showed that this was only true for Year 2 – 4 students. Year 5 students perceived online learning as less effective then face-to-face, reported lower confidence in their ability to apply their knowledge, and an increased in anxiety compared to before. Conclusion: While perception of online learning and assessment had improved at follow-up, the ramifications from restrictions to medical education over the past two years are now being felt most severely by the current final year students, emphasizing the importance of anticipating and addressing these concerns much earlier.

Implementing an institution-wide pedagogical change in an Israeli college: The AWpack advising system in support of academic writing

Universities and colleges around the globe struggle to find ways to improve students’ academic writing skills. With the goal of tackling students’ writing skills on an institutional level, we set out on a 6-year journey to seek ways of enhancing the teaching of academic writing on a wide selection of courses. Here we describe and analyze the challenges entailed in implementing an intervention in a teachers’ college in Israel. We found that as the implementation process evolved, a shift from a top-down approach to a bottom-up approach resolved three different challenges: (a) The management challenge, which comes into play when leading any type of change; (b) The challenges specific to the academic work environment; and (c) The challenges of providing effective pedagogical tools for the implementation of the change. The one-on-one advising system, constituting the final stage of the process brings about the desirable change in broader terms. Based on the Tpack model, we offer AWpack (Academic Writing—pedagogical and content knowledge) as a strategy for implementing an institutional pedagogic change in the case of academic writing. Moreover, we show that as a working strategy within an academic institution it may facilitate other sought-after pedagogic changes.

Illuminating the Role of Classmates in Reducing the Participation Gender Gap in Lecture-Based Engineering Classes

Contribution: This work sheds light on how classmate behaviors influence gender gaps in verbal participation in lecture-based engineering classes. It is found that after a woman participates in class, there is a temporarily increased likelihood a woman will participate again afterward. Background: Women continue to be underrepresented in STEM higher education, particularly in engineering. Positive classroom experiences are key to retaining women undergraduates, but despite research into the value of interactive teaching that allows classmates to aid each other’s learning, lecturing is still most common in collegiate STEM classrooms. Research Questions: This study considers how classmates influence gender gaps in student verbal participation, even during traditional lecturing. Methodology: One thousand and three hundred and eighty seven student comments are observed over 89 class periods in ten engineering courses. The variation in student verbal participation levels with gender is analyzed, and its correlation with student speaking order, as well as other factors related to the classroom structure, is investigated. Findings: A statistically significant gender gap in class participation is observed, which is not fully explained by factors like class size or comment type. It is found, however, that when one woman participates, it increases the likelihood a woman will participate afterward, pointing to the role of classmates. This trend and the participation gender gap overall are eliminated when isolating classes taught by women. These results suggest that hearing either a woman classmate or instructor speak in class makes other women more likely to do so. As participation is linked to everything from student performance to confidence, this provides an avenue to increase gender equity in classroom experiences through small pedagogical changes that can be readily implemented into traditional lecturing.

A Process of Pedagogical Change in College Science Education: Instructor Perspectives

A Process of Pedagogical Change in College Science Education: Instructor Perspectives

TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AS AN EFFORT TO IMPROVE TPACK SKILLS IN 21ST CENTURY LEARNING

This article aims to explain the conception and evaluation of information and communication technology (ICT) professional development processes for the development of teacher technology pedagogical content knowledge for 21st century learning. This study emphasizes the involvement of teachers using TPACK in learning. Research is concerned with the use of ICT in learning, setting design goals, redesigning, implementing, and evaluating, as well as reflecting on student learning outcomes. The research approach uses surveys and descriptive analysis. Data triangulation techniques based on observations and interviews with respondents. The results showed that the skills of using technology in learning related to TPACK had a positive effect on teacher confidence in the knowledge of technology pedagogic content for 21st century learning. Five of the seven design teams were able to make pedagogical changes towards 21st century learning, and six teams realized an increase in learning outcomes student. The conclusion of the study stated that TPACK had an impact on learning and teacher confidence in learning.

Symposium: Better teaching through science: incorporating the scholarship of teaching & learning

The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, also referred to as SOTL, provides a framework for instructors to evaluate student learning and use evidence to determine pedagogical changes in the classroom. Engagement in SOTL challenges scholars to ask questions about their teaching practices and share with a larger community of practice. Examples of this include manuscript submissions to peer-reviewed journals, presenting abstracts at conferences, and other outlets that allow scholars to disseminate their findings. SOTL practices can be applied within an individual classroom or across a curriculum. Additionally, the promotion and tenure process at many institutions of higher education are highly recommending that faculty demonstrate impact on student learning. This symposium, presented at the 2022 Poultry Science Association Annual Meeting, highlighted best practices in SOTL, implementation of SOTL programming, and discussed using SOTL as a tool to evaluate teaching effectiveness. Poultry and animal science educators shared their experiences with implementing SOTL in their classroom and the benefits to students. From this symposium, we can conclude that there are multiple ways to document teaching excellence and conduct SOTL projects. This is of interest to educators implementing scholarly teaching in their classrooms.

Preschool Education Based on Computer Information Technology Literacy and Big Data

In this practical framework, the preschool teacher is reinforced to utilize a more significant teaching model, like forming real-time-based contextual issues, to help participants to identify a deep learning-based learning model. Numerous studies have been released as a result of the popularity of the use of CIT in preschool education as a research subject. Due to the fact that it broadens teaching resources, provides learning time flexibility, and strengthens teacher-student relationships, this teaching method has received a lot of attention in academia. Teaching strategies in preschool classrooms combine elements of both direct instruction and free play. Among these, CIT stands out as a powerful tool for boosting students’ motivation and engagement in the classroom. Integrate new technology and science into the classroom setting, as well as implement pedagogical changes that make use of IT. Preschool education informatization is now deploying new technology in a variety of preschools, yet there are still flaws. In this paper, a theoretical and problematic-based classifier model, a deep learning-based methodology that was reinforced by utilising a Python-based model to create the comprehensive among preschool students and high-phase semantic parameters, and to enhance computer-based teaching through estimation and text design that can detect high-frequency-based knowledge samples, are used. In this practical model, teachers are insisted to utilize significant frameworks like contextual issues to provide skills to students. The results show that this integrated CIT teaching method is suitable for students and able to raise their aptitude and enthusiasm for studying. By offering new theoretical and practical results about preschool education, the study helps to reform preschool education.

The role of early childhood pedagogical leaders in schools: Leading change for ongoing improvement

Early childhood pedagogical practice in primary schools is often challenged by academic demands, debate about best practice and ongoing change through new policy initiatives. This paper reports an investigation of how early childhood pedagogical leaders assist early years teachers in schools to embrace change and embed early childhood pedagogy. Framed within a constructivist epistemology, this paper reports on findings from three case studies drawn from a larger mixed-methods study from Perth, Western Australia. Data collected through shadowing pedagogical leaders, undertaking contextual interviews and analysing school documents revealed that pedagogical change was promoted, encouraged and sustained through a number of strategies. These included utilising early childhood champions, developing relational trust with staff, establishing communities of practice and empowering teachers as decision-makers. This paper highlights the critical role early childhood pedagogical leadership can play in recognising the professional capability of early childhood teachers to drive ongoing improvement in school contexts.

What I Think about When I Think about Teaching Ethics: A Philosophical Exploration in Pedagogy

What I Think about When I Think about Teaching Ethics: A Philosophical Exploration in Pedagogy

Conceptual Cartography for the Systematic Study of Music Education Based on ICT or EdTech

Music and its study have always been present among people. Its learning is significant, as it provides benefits and helps in the acquisition of many abilities and skills. However, didactic, methodological, and pedagogical changes have begun to appear that nurture and provide new challenges to their learning. Fully adapting to the 21st century and abiding by the great demand for technologies, we have seen the rise of ICT (Information and Communication Technologies), which have also been conceived as educational technology (EdTech), when applied to education. Due to these reasons, the need to conduct a systematic literature review in four databases has arisen to find out whether the use of technology in music education helps to facilitate the teaching-learning process of students. Evidence from this research has been collected using concept mapping to organize the training process. Finally, it is relevant to comment that evidence has been found and verified that the use of Edtech helps in the learning of Music Education; given that, in various documents, it is observed that they increase motivation, musical-technological thinking, critical thinking, creativity, musical practice, and musical improvisation and that they give rise to fun, playful, enjoyable, and stimulating learning.

Has pedagogy, technology, and Covid-19 killed the face-to-face lecture?

The lecture has been around for centuries and has featured as a popular and frequent component in higher education courses across many disciplines including anatomy. In more recent years, there has been a growing shift toward blended learning and related pedagogies that encourage active participation of students in both face-to-face and online learning environments. Unfortunately, in many cases, the lecture, which has typically focused on the transmission of information from educator to student has not been adapted to become a more learner-oriented approach with opportunities for students to actively interact and engage. As a result, the future of whether the lecture should continue has once again become a center of debate. The consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic and its aftermath have added to this with institutions now looking to stop all lectures or offer them in an online format only. This commentary argues that lecture-style components could still feature within face-to-face and online provision, but only if they are used sparingly within a blended curriculum, have a defined use that aligns well to learning outcomes, are assessed as the most effective method pedagogically, and importantly integrate approaches and activities that promote student engagement. Anatomy educators have demonstrated for years that they are able to be at the forefront of pedagogical change and evidenced during the pandemic their agile and innovative ability to adapt and do things differently. Therefore, the fate of the lecture, at least in anatomy, may well be in their hands.