Real-world Learning Experiences Research Articles

Technology integration in service-learning pedagogy: A holistic framework

Service learning is an experiential learning approach, which intentionally integrates community service with classroom learning, as it provides real-world learning experience for students to gain practical knowledge from hands-on field experience. In order to enhance students’ better understanding of course contents and theoretical knowledge, increasing number of academicians are incorporating service learning in their curriculum. However, less attention has been given to the effective integration of technology in this pedagogy. To address this issue, this study imparts a significant contribution in the overall body of knowledge by developing a technology integration framework for service learning programs. Our proposed framework comprises of three main components, i.e. (1) identification of common phases for service learning implementation, which are drawn on Kolb’s (1984) experiential learning theory; (2) technology support layer and; (3) stakeholders’ involvement patterns in service learning. Design science research methodology was employed for developing our proposed Technology Integration Framework for Service Learning (TIFSL) in this study. Moreover, in order to evaluate our proposed framework, a case study was also conducted, where data was collected through semi-structured interviews and survey based questionnaires. Findings of this study demonstrate that three main components of our proposed framework determine the effective technology integration in service learning. Respondents from case study reflected on their own service learning implementation process and technology utilization throughout their service learning projects, which highlights constrains from current technologies for effective integration in service learning pedagogy.

Rapid, experience-related changes in the organization of children’s semantic knowledge

The organization of knowledge according to relations between concepts is crucially important for many cognitive processes, and its emergence during childhood is a key focus of cognitive development research. Prior evidence about the role of learning and experience in the development of knowledge organization primarily comes from studies investigating differences between preexisting, naturally occurring groups (e.g., children from rural vs. urban settings, children who own a pet vs. children who do not) and a handful of studies on the effects of researcher-developed educational interventions. However, we know little about whether knowledge organization can be relatively rapidly molded by shorter-term real-world learning experiences (e.g., on a timescale of days vs. years or months). The current study investigated whether naturalistic learning experiences can drive rapid measurable changes in knowledge organization in children by investigating the effects of a week-long zoo summer camp (compared with a control school-based camp) on the degree to which 4- to 9-year-old children’s knowledge about animals was organized according to taxonomic relations. Although there were no differences in taxonomic organization between the zoo camp and the school-based camp at pretest, only children who participated in the zoo camp showed increases in taxonomic organization at posttest. Moreover, analyses of changes in taxonomic organization in zoo camp children suggested that these changes were primarily driven by improvements in the degree to which children differentiated between taxonomic categories. These findings provide novel evidence that naturalistic experiences can drive rapid changes in knowledge organization.

Community engagement in higher education: Online information sources

In an age of challenging public discourse and increased pressure for educational accountability, many colleges are renewing their commitments to the public purposes of higher education. In fact, presidents and chancellors at more than 450 institutions signed Campus Compact’s 30th Anniversary Action Statement1 in 2016, reaffirming their dedication to preparing students for engaged citizenship, to changing social and economic inequalities, and to contributing to their communities as place-based institutions. In practical terms, many campuses are placing increased emphasis on real-world learning experiences for students through opportunities such as service-learning, internships, and community-based research.

Narrative, machinima and cognitive realism: Constructing an authentic real-world learning experience for law students

In Australian law schools didactic pedagogies such as lectures devoted to the transmission of theory and knowledge to a largely passive audience still predominate. However, curriculum design embedding authentic learning pedagogies has been shown to be supportive of student learning. The challenge in adopting such curriculum design is how to offer situated cognitive learning opportunities on a large scale to increasingly diverse cohorts. This paper is a case study of a blended learning approach introduced into a second year undergraduate law unit to teach negotiation theory and practice to a large cohort of students studying in full-time, part-time, and distance external modes. This innovation was situated in an authentic simulated learning environment created through careful design of a high-fidelity scenario, utilising a narrative depicted by Second Life machinima video and simulated documentation. This approach resulted in greater student engagement and improved learning outcomes.

Teaching approaches in Health courses: a reflective study for curriculum redesign

The planning and implementation of contemporary curricula that provides an authentic real-world learning experience for students presents the opportunity to empower academics to participate in conversations about pedagogy. The quality of student learning is directly related to the teaching conceptions of academics involved in providing the student learning experience. Therefore a critical reflection of the teachers’ own beliefs about learning, knowledge, and the social role of “teacher” would assist with the transition from traditional to contemporary curricula that provide an authentic real-world learning experience for the students. That transition to new curricula needs to involve considerations around the implications, applications, and limitations of learning theories, and the need for continuing curricula refinement.

Educating sustainability change agents: the importance of practical skills and experience

Sustainability professionals are agents for change towards sustainable development. Such professionals require knowledge from a variety of disciplines, but also competencies to accomplish real-word change. This article evaluates an innovative course, Strategic Environmental Development, which immerses students in a real-life solution-oriented consultancy project in order to develop critical sustainability change agent skills and confidence in using them. Since 1996, students have worked in 127 projects in 28 countries. The evaluation builds on a post-graduation survey and personal interviews with graduates. Our findings indicate that the course, which is conducted as teamwork and often overseas, helps to prepare students for their challenges at work. It does so by requiring them to work with interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary situations, and to find, translate and combine information outside their own area of expertise, including knowledge from the field. We also argue that working in real-life contexts helps to build up the confidence and leadership that practicing sustainability professionals direly need. A real-life consultancy course helps students become professionals by helping them experience that they are able to access the necessary knowledge for problem-solving quickly and decisively. Moreover, students develop a sense of agency through the experience of being capable to accomplish change. Our findings contribute to a small but growing body of knowledge on the value of using real-world learning experiences in the education of sustainability professionals.

Incorporating an Instructional Scaffolding Approach into the Classroom: Teaching for Authentic Learning in Hospitality and Tourism Education

Literature regarding the effectiveness of various practices for nurturing student learning typically focuses on the different outcomes of passive versus active approaches and suggests that active teaching, including exposing students to real-world learning experiences, facilitates a richer and more authentic understanding. Limited investigation of the impacts of instructional scaffolding—implementing a progression of methods that supplements passive procedures with active learning initiatives—has been undertaken in hospitality and tourism education. This study measures learning among 59 students enrolled in an introductory hospitality and tourism course after they were exposed to passive, situated, and authentic instruction in an effort to determine the degree of understanding at each stage. Our findings revealed that incorporating real-world learning opportunities through situated and authentic teaching strategies helps students build upon theoretical knowledge gained passively to reach praxis.

“Not at the Expense of Their Culture”: Graduating Native American Youth from High School

What kinds of challenges do educators face in increasing Native American high school graduation rates, and what kinds of adaptations to a traditional high school are understood as necessary to achieve this outcome? This case study explored these questions as part of a larger multiple case study that investigated practices and processes related to high school graduation rates. It focused on educators’ attempts to increase Native American student graduation rates in a high school with typical gaps in graduation rates between Native American students and white students. Data collected included teacher and administrator interviews and documentary evidence. Framed by socioecological theory that focuses on relationships between district, school, and classroom processes and practices, study findings revealed that adaptations to improve Native youth graduation rates included (1) offering personally-relevant, real-world, experiential, and interdisciplinary learning experiences aligned to students’ own learning goals; (2) adapting school schedules to students’ lives outside of school; (3) prioritizing developing students’ sense of worth in contributing to their communities and societies; (4) providing flexibility regarding absences, (5) offering effective supports that emphasize connecting to an adult; and (6) partnering with families and other community members. Implications for future research and practice are discussed in light of the findings.

The Social Hubs Project: Exploratory real-world research - students as researchers and experiential learning.

This case study piece describes an approach to teaching and learning that has been successfully employed at the University of Kent, Canterbury. It offers a way of engaging students in real-world research and learning experiences that allow them to build skills, take on responsibility, and, at the same time, feel that they are making a valuable contribution to their University community. It is hoped that the story told here will inspire others to take similar initiatives in their own institutions.

Washington Watershed Education Teacher Training (WWETT) Program: Progress Report, 10/1/10-9/30/11

Between October 1, 2010 and September 30, 2011 the Washington Watershed Education Teacher Training (WWETT) Program, funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) program, offered six marine-based professional development workshops, an online curriculum development course and support for meaningful watershed education activities with 118 educators involving 40 community partners and 83 college students and staff. The educators collectively serve more than 2,500 students and represent 74 different educational institutions. Outreach efforts have reached an additional 112 teachers, students and community partners. The positive results from the Workshop Survey and Looking Back Survey data affirm our effective program delivery, and our Year 1 and Year 2 data are consistent. These results indicate that we delivered well-received workshop trainings which were relevant and valuable for participants, and which had a positive impact on our desired participant outcomes in a very short time frame. The data indicate that the factor most impacted by the workshop was participants’ knowledge and ability to access watershed education resources. Participants felt that hands-on, real-world learning experiences with experts is what worked best about the workshop.

Applied Learning and Community Partnerships Improve Student Engagement in Australia

Applied learning in a community context helps make school more engaging for young adolescents.The middle years of education is a time of significant physical, social, emotional, and cognitive change for students. It is also a period associated with student disengagement from schooling as evidenced by increases in absenteeism, behavioral problems, and dropout rates as well as a plateau or decline in achievement (Barratt, 1998; Smyth, McInerney, & Hattam, 2003; Tadich, Deed, Campbell, & Prain, 2007). Young adolescents have unique needs and benefit from a cohesive, structured education experience (see e.g., Chadbourne, 2001; National Middle School Association [NMSA], 2010). One way schools can protect students from risk of disengaging and dropping out is to help them value learning by situating it within contexts and communities where knowledge is applied (Eyers, Cormack, & Barratt, 1992). Bentley (2000), for example, asserted that schools need to be re-oriented as community assets that act as hubs for a wide range of activities and are networked with overlapping and complementary strands of community and economic life.In this article, we argue that an approach emphasizing applied learning and community partnership offers potential to engage students during middle years of schooling. After outlining a conceptual framework incorporating applied learning and community partnerships, we present a case study from Australia to illustrate framework in action and to highlight implications for practice.A framework for improving engagement in middle yearsApplied learning is a holistic approach to education that encourages learner to make connections to what is characterized as the real world, as opposed to traditional school-based classroom. While contemporary educational scholars (e.g., Bentley, 2000; Harrison, 2007) argue that connection between thinking and doing can provide benefits for learner, this idea has a long history. A notable proponent of this approach was John Dewey (1916), who claimed interaction, reflection, and experience-combined with an interest in community and democracy-created a powerful educative framework. Applied learning requires self-regulation and engagement as students learn through a process of inquiry, analysis, and decision making.In short, we understand applied learning to be immediate and purposeful connection between school-based and real-world learning experiences. The focus is on real-life application of student learning to solve a practical problem or project. Underpinning this approach is a humanistic concern with nurturing and working with each student in a holistic manner, taking into account his or her personal strengths, interests, goals, and previous experiences (Victorian Curriculum & Assessment Authority [VCAA], 2006).Because of emphasis on real-world experiences, applied learning often connects students with community partners-organizations and individuals outside their schools-so they can demonstrate relevance of what they have learned. Within an applied learning framework, community partnerships emphasize social nature of learning, extending process beyond formal school settings and classrooms to wider community (Bentley, 2000; Billett, 2001, 2003; Eraut, 2004; Stevenson, 1993).Networking is a critical dimension to this practical approach to education. Networking may involve connections and partnerships within local community, and it may involve use of technology to make connections to communities beyond classroom, thereby extending students' learning beyond immediate time and space (Bentley, 2000; Butin, 2003; Gardner, 1999; Gee, 2004). These real-world connections represent one powerful way to provide innovative and engaging learning experiences and to foster a genuine understanding of what is required for learners to be successful in a complex world shared by educators and members of general community. …

Blending technology in teaching advanced health assessment in a family nurse practitioner program: Using personal digital assistants in a simulation laboratory

This article describes the development and implementation of integrated use of personal handheld devices (personal digital assistants, PDAs) and high-fidelity simulation in an advanced health assessment course in a graduate family nurse practitioner (NP) program. A teaching tool was developed that can be utilized as a template for clinical case scenarios blending these separate technologies. Review of the evidence-based literature, including peer-reviewed articles and reviews. Blending the technologies of high-fidelity simulation and handheld devices (PDAs) provided a positive learning experience for graduate NP students in a teaching laboratory setting. Combining both technologies in clinical case scenarios offered a more real-world learning experience, with a focus on point-of-care service and integration of interview and physical assessment skills with existing standards of care and external clinical resources. Faculty modeling and advance training with PDA technology was crucial to success. Faculty developed a general template tool and systems-based clinical scenarios integrating PDA and high-fidelity simulation. Faculty observations, the general template tool, and one scenario example are included in this article.

Influences on and Obstacles to K-12 Administrators’ Support for Environment-Based Education

The term environment-based education (EBE) describes a form of school-based environmental education that uses the environment as a context for integrating subjects and a source of real-world learning experiences. Because of the importance of administrator support in teachers’ use of EBE (Ernst, 2009), survey research was conducted to explore influences on and obstacles to administrators’ support for EBE implementation, as well as how those influences and obstacles differed from administrators’ supporting other forms of EE (environmental education). Results suggest positive environmental attitudes, environmental sensitivity, and receptiveness to EBE are important in efforts to encourage administrator support for EE, whether EBE or other forms of EE. Professional development, such as mentoring, observations, conferences, and self-study, as well as reducing the obstacle of safety/liability concerns appears to be of particular importance when encouraging administrator support for EBE.

On the HorizonMobile Devices:Are They a Distraction or Another Learning Tool?

FACULTY OFTEN CRINGE AT THE THOUGHT OF SMART PHONES, iPADS, iPODS, OR ANY OF THE VARIOUS NEW TABLET DEVICES IN THE CLASSROOM. They see them as distractions, certain that students are using them to read Facebook postings or text their friends during class. Some educators have responded by banning this new technology from learning space, demanding that students turn off their smart phones and keep their tablet computers stowed in their bags (Parry, 2011, p. 16). I love my new iPad2--it is effortless to use and it weighs next to nothing. But it has made me wonder about impact mobile will have on learning. The recent 2011 Horizon Report projects mobile learning's time to adoption as one or less with two convincing statements: 2015, 80% of people accessing Internet will be doing so from mobile devices and Internet-capable mobile will outnumber computers within next year (Johnson, Smith, Willis, Levine, & Haywood, 2011, p. 12). As educators, we need to learn how to embrace mobile both inside and outside our classrooms. As Parry (2011, p. 16) suggests, We are called on as teachers to teach them [students] how to use these technologies effectively, to ensure that they end up on right side of digital divide: side that knows how to use social media to band together Parry believes that mobile web literacy is as important as basic literacy and a necessary skill for future employment. Yarmey's (2011) research also supports idea of promoting information literacy in a mobile environment. According to Schubert, president of Abilene Christian University and a pioneer in this area, Mobile-learning strategies can reconnect students to their peers, challenge them with real-world data, and involve them in real-world conversations--all providing relevance that students need for academic, social, and professional success (2011, p. 8). To provide evidence for his mobile initiative, Schubert cited a press release about 2009 National Survey of Student Engagement, which found students whose classes used course management technologies ... or interactive technologies ... scored higher on NSSE benchmarks, participated more in deep approaches to learning, and reported higher academic and personal gains during college (NSSE, 2009). He also cited research conducted by Carini, Kuh, and Klein (2006, p. 10), which demonstrated that student engagement is linked positively to desirable learning outcomes such as critical thinking and grades As we have all read from educational research and best practices, learning needs to be active, engaging, make connections to prior knowledge, and provide authentic, real-world learning experiences. Rodrigo (201 I) states that the promise of mobile learning is ability to engage students with creative and/or sophisticated content learning activities on their multimedia production devices. To achieve promise of mobile learning, we have to stop thinking about these powerful mobile multimedia as only consumption and get students using them as production devices So, it is time to put an end to death by PowerPoint and begin to engage our students, leveraging rather than banning these mobile devices. Creative Ideas for Engaging Students By using mobile learning, educator can promote three different types of literacy (Parry, 2011). The first is most obvious, understanding information access. It is fairly easy to call upon students to access information from their mobile to answer questions or solve problems in class. For example, you might present a case study of a patient and ask different groups of students to find information, such as, what diagnoses are associated with patient's signs and symptoms, what nursing interventions are appropriate as defined by their text or evidence (research or clinical guidelines), or what patient educational materials are available online. …

Interacting in the Learning Community: “Build a Ballet”: A Cross-Disciplinary Collaborative Project for Students

ABSTRACT A format for a collaborative, real-world learning experience for students from a variety of disciplines is presented. The “Build a Ballet” project involved high school students in dance, drama, and visual arts classes who utilized concepts and skills in choreography, dance performance, playwriting, and design to create an original narrative ballet based on a short story selected prior to beginning the project. The educational goal was for the participating dance, drama, and visual arts students to have the opportunity to develop skills in and across their disciplines through participation in a project involving planning, designing, constructing, and producing an original performance work. The original libretto, written by students, was based on Kate Chopin's short story “The Story of an Hour.” After assigning tasks through collaborative discussion at an initial planning meeting, each class worked during their regular class time to create their contribution to the ballet. The final ballet was first performed and discussed at an informal showing in the dance studio where critical feedback from all participating students, faculty, and administration was discussed, and appropriate changes to choreography, costuming, and characterization were made. It was performed next at local middle schools and culminated with a public performance. Although the student participants found the process to be challenging, they expressed a sense of satisfaction with their final performance. The intended goal of utilizing discipline-specific skills and a realistic setting was achieved, and the students' struggle with the process is evidence of learning. Audience members appreciated seeing a narrative ballet that was unlike others they had seen before. The result was a learning experience in which students applied classroom skills in design, scriptwriting, choreography, and performance in a manner that mimics the work of professional artists in visual arts, drama, and dance.

Influences on US middle school teachers’ use of environment‐based education

The term environment‐based education (EBE) describes a form of school‐based environmental education in which an instructor uses the environment as a context for integrating subjects and a source of real world learning experiences. Despite the growing body of evidence that supports the educational efficacy of this instructional approach and its grounding in high‐quality environmental education, relatively few US teachers seem to practice EBE (University of Maryland Survey Research Center 2000). In the context of encouraging more widespread adoption of this formal instructional approach, the author used survey research with a random sample of fifth–eighth grade teachers in US public schools to investigate influences on their decisions to use EBE and barriers to EBE implementation. The study also investigated how perceived influences on and barriers to EBE teachers differed from perceptions of teachers using other forms of environmental education and teachers using neither approach. Results suggest the importance of the following in teachers’ decisions to use EBE: positive environmental attitudes; environmental sensitivity; receptiveness to EBE; teaching context; and environmental literacy knowledge and skills. The influence that best discriminated between EBE teachers and teachers using other forms of environmental education was evidence of positive outcomes. The barrier that best discriminated among EBE teachers, teachers using other forms of environmental education, and teachers not using any form of environmental education was lack of training.

A Win-Win Peer Mentoring and Tutoring Program: A Collaborative Model

The Big Buddies' Program is a unique peer mentoring and tutoring project that was able to simultaneously address major service effectiveness issues at three local community organizations. Through a collaborative effort, these agencies designed this innovative approach for preventing school dropout, increasing youth's interest in volunteerism, and expanding real-world learning experiences for university undergraduate students in social work. The article outlines in detail the program set-up, selection of participants, schedule and location of buddy time, content of mentor/tutor training, coordination of the program, use of materials with plans, and the program evaluation design. Future implications of the model are provided along with guidelines for duplicating this innovative collaborative approach in other communities.

University/industry partnership in transferring continuous process improvement technology

This case study describes a university's cooperation with a manufacturer in implementing a continuous process improvement program. Included in the case study are a description of the NIST Manufacturing Extension Program, the manufacturer, the QUICK STEP* methodology of continuous process improvement, a QUICK STEP case study, and the manufacturer's results from using QUICK STEP. The basic foundation of the QUICK STEP continuous improvement process is the compression of time in all ways possible from the receipt of an order through the receipt of payment. The university participated in the manufacturer's improvement process by assisting in the focus groups to conduct critical assessments, documenting the QUICK STEP process and providing real world learning experiences to students.

Enriching student learning through innovative real‐life exercises

Hospitality management educators in British universities confronted by a range of pressures, some of which are considered in this article, are in danger of increasingly resorting to traditional teaching and learning approaches. Passive student learning, the marginalization of transferable skills development and the lack of individualization are among the weaknesses of these approaches. Discusses aspects of hospitality management teaching and learning practice which are candidates for change and reports on a specific exercise within a hospitality management undergraduate degree course which is a response to the challenges imposed by the pressures for change. Highlights the conditions deemed critical for such exercises to succeed. Emphasizes the importance of learning rather than teaching, moving from the transfer of knowledge towards the acquisition of knowledge, the significance of deep learning, the development of skills and the value of real world learning experiences.

Leave Practitioning to the Practitioners

Over the years it has been assumed (and corroborated by college professors) that professors make a significant contribution to business through their consulting and that, in turn, the consulting contributes to the experience of the educator and therefore to his competence in the classroom. There is little argument about the benefit of consulting that allows an educator the opportunity to meaningfully, beyond the dog-work level, involve competent students in real-world learning experiences; however, all too frequently this is not the case. Seldom, if ever, has this hypothesis been challenged by the academic community. It has become somewhat of a “sacred cow.” Perhaps it is time to examine this position a bit more objectively.