Taxonomy Of Significant Learning Research Articles

Beyond the “Human Dimension”: Expanding Fink’s taxonomy of significant learning to include the more-than-human world

We are in a particular moment in human history when climate change and environmental degradation, and the accompanying “eco-anxiety” many of us feel, are challenging predominant ways of living and educating. Just as educational developers have started turning a critical lens inward around other important social justice issues, we all have the opportunity, and indeed a responsibility, to examine the ways that our field may be contributing—albeit inadvertently—to much broader environmental injustices. In this article, we take as our starting point an influential taxonomy of learning, offered by L. Dee Fink, which is frequently utilized in U.S. centers for teaching and learning to guide faculty in the design of their courses. Our purpose is to explore the implications and potential growth areas of one particular area of Fink’s learning taxonomy, what he has called the “Human Dimension,” and then to propose an expanded understanding and application of this dimension to include attention to and relationships with the more-than-human world, which Indigenous peoples have long practiced. We hope, ultimately, for this piece to provoke critical reflection of an anthropocentric approach to education, inspire a broader ecological perspective-taking, and perhaps even result in concrete environmental actions.

Undergraduate nursing students' perceptions of active learning strategies: A focus group study

BackgroundActive learning strategies have been identified as promoting critical thinking, strengthening clinical reasoning, and supporting the transfer of theoretical knowledge to practice amongst nursing students. AimThis study aimed to understand the undergraduate nursing students' perceptions of the active learning strategies being used in the classroom and to identify critical elements within their learning spaces which contribute to their learning. DesignQualitative, focus group study. SettingA four-year undergraduate baccalaureate nursing program in the Middle East. Participants50 undergraduate nursing students selected through purposive and snowball sampling participated in the study. MethodsFive focus group sessions were conducted with 10 participants in each session. Data collected from the discussions were transcribed and thematically analyzed and aligned with the Taxonomy of Significant Learning. ResultsStudy results show that undergraduate nursing students affirm that the use of active learning strategies supports the acquisition of foundational understanding, application and integration of knowledge, caring about the learning process, learning to learn, and the human dimension of learning. Participants also identified how best active learning strategies should be utilized and aspects of learning spaces that promote learning. ConclusionsAlthough the use of active learning strategies positively enhances the learning process, it is important to ensure that strategies are intentionally integrated into the classroom and aligned with the expected learning outcomes. Considerations of the learning space used are also of importance.

Beyond Bloom's: Fink's taxonomy as a catalyst for meaningful learning in nursing education

This article explores the integration of the six dimensions of Fink's taxonomy of significant learning into a nursing course and how course learning outcomes can be effectively mapped to these dimensions as well as the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Essentials. By aligning instructional strategies and assessments with these dimensions, educators can create a more engaging and effective learning experience for students. The article provides a practical example of how Fink's taxonomy was incorporated, highlighting the benefits of using this framework to foster deeper learning.

Design of an Integrated Project-Based Learning Curriculum: Analysis Through Fink’s Taxonomy of Significant Learning

Design of an Integrated Project-Based Learning Curriculum: Analysis Through Fink’s Taxonomy of Significant Learning

Significant learning in principles of economics: A module on the minimum wage

The authors of this article make a case for using Fink’s (2013) taxonomy of significant learning in the economics classroom to improve standard-based economics education and to continue transforming the discipline to reduce social inequality along multiple dimensions, including gender, race, and class. Fink’s framework is defined by student engagement with six distinct kinds of learning. Changes in student attitudes, changes in what students know about themselves and others, and learning how to learn in different settings are learning outcomes that are incorporated explicitly alongside acquiring new discipline-specific knowledge and skills. The authors apply Fink’s taxonomy to a module on the minimum wage for principles of economics. They discuss potential activities and reflect on the benefits and challenges associated with using Fink’s taxonomy.

Designing online teaching curriculum to optimise learning for all students in higher education

AbstractDisruptions to higher education teaching have raised significant concerns over the best curriculum design for teaching online and for the inclusion of all students. Universal design for learning (UDL) together with curriculum research models – taxonomy of significant learning and integrated curriculum design (ICD), provides a curriculum approach to optimising students' learning and building engagement with learning online. This paper outlines the redesign process and decisions made to improve the curriculum design in an online sociology course in teacher education. The goals of the redesign were to optimise all student learning, engagement and perceived satisfaction. Data collection included student responses (pre and post), course evaluation, analytics and reflections from an expert reviewer. Analysis was guided by the UDL curriculum design principles of engagement, representation and action/expression. Emerging from this research is the need to ensure that online learning redesign is user‐friendly and engaging, with multiple supported learning opportunities for the students. This redesign strengthens the quality of online learning, with learning becoming more meaningful and learning activities incorporating elements that are reflective, instructional and social. One interesting aspect that emerged was the importance of the partnership between the academic and the instructional designer in the redesign process.

Diversifying the ‘Great Economists’: An Assignment to Promote Inclusivity and Belongingness in Introductory Economics Courses

ABSTRACT In this paper, I present an innovative assignment designed to promote inclusivity and belongingness in the undergraduate economics classroom while also allowing students to gain familiarity with prominent economists and understand how their economic contributions are embedded within social, historical, and political contexts. Students are asked to create a presentation in which they give a biography of a ‘Great Economist,’ explain in detail one of the economist’s major contributions, and relate that concept to current course content, the economist’s life, and their own lives. To diversify who is considered a great economist, I have students choose from a pre-set list of economists and associated contributions. Purposefully curating a list of economists allows for the representation of a wide range of pluralistic and mainstream economic perspectives in addition to social identities and lived experiences, which students discover through their research. The assignment is structured to promote significant learning following Fink’s Taxonomy of Significant Learning and informed by key principles of feminist and critical pedagogy. I provide an instructional overview of the project, including recommendations for implementation in a face-to-face or online learning environment, considerations for crafting a list of economists, and end with observations from my own experiences.

Continuous learning and advancing technologies: a framework for professional development and training in artificial intelligence

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to assist organizations with professional development and training by using Fink’s (2017) Taxonomy of Significant Learning (TSL) to engage employees with continuous learning, in the context of artificial intelligence (AI). By using TSL, employees engage in six interactive stages that stimulate cognitive and affective learning. This stimulation is highly imperative because employees must acquire and apply new knowledge, develop new attitudes, and change learning behavior to help organizations undergo endless changes shaped by technological advancements.Design/methodology/approachThis article provides a structure on how to professionally develop and train an organization’s workforce in AI through the six tenets of the TSL model. It also provides guidance on analyzing situational factors and assessing employee learning.FindingsThis conceptual study reveals how organizations can advance employee thinking and shape employee behavior to prepare future leaders during technological shifts.Practical implicationsBy integrating the TSL in professional development and training strategies, organizations can achieve employee outcomes that will grow and sustain organizations as technology continues to impact markets.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to existing literature by providing a systematic and quality approach to transform employees into active learners within advanced technological environments. In addition, this paper discusses assessment methods to evaluate the effectiveness of learning.

Exploring learning outcomes among undergraduate kinesiology students in response to an inclusive physical activity promotion message assignment

Numerous professional bodies and curricular models in kinesiology call for the development of undergraduates’ cultural competency. In short, a culturally competent professional (a) mitigates personal biases from adversely affecting others, and (b) is aware of how societal patterns marginalize people (e.g., unquestioned norms; Gill, 2007). The present study aimed to evaluate the extent to which undergraduate students demonstrated learning in response to completing an inclusive physical activity promotion message assignment, which included a focus on designing materials inclusive of people with disabilities. A scholarship of teaching and learning approach was adopted to critically evaluate and reflect on an assignment used in an undergraduate kinesiology course. This case study drew on artifacts from a convenience sample of 10 undergraduate students enrolled in an introduction to adapted physical activity course. A descriptive discourse analysis was conducted of students’ reflections about what they learned from the assignment. Student responses were appraised with Fink’s (2013) taxonomy of significant learning for evidence of learning across six domains: i.e., foundational knowledge, application, integration, human dimension, caring, and self-determination. Student responses were coded and verified. Consensus was reached on all discrepancies. Student reflections signaled learning across four domains: foundational knowledge (n = 9), application (n = 3), integration (n = 5), and human dimensions (n = 6). Developments in the caring or self-determination domains were not evident. The findings indicate potential for the assignment to enhance Kinesiology curricula. As teacher-researchers, we discuss the findings in relation to further development of the assignment to better promote cultural competency.

A CROSS-DISCIPLINARY PROJECT ON MARKETING TO OLDER ADULTS

ABSTRACT For the second year in a row, students enrolled in Psychology of Aging and Consumer Behavior worked in cross-disciplinary teams during an eight-week session, with their efforts concluding in a team project. Student teams created a marketing plan of a product or service specifically targeting older consumers. Fink’s Taxonomy of Significant Learning provided a structure for organizing weekly team tasks and assignments. The cross-disciplinary teams created an opportunity for students to refine their “soft skills” by working in a dynamic team environment and gain insight into older adult motivations and preferences. Students presented their project ideas to older adults (6 panelists) and received feedback to improve the final concept. Student perceptions and learning were assessed both quantitatively and qualitatively. Pre and posttests were administered to measure changes in student perspectives of older adults (i.e., ageism) and beliefs about groups. Pre and post assessments revealed decreased levels of older adult avoidance and discrimination among students after participation. In addition, qualitative results noted increased understanding of aging among students. Several modifications and suggestions are provided to instructors wishing to replicate the project. This project prepared students to be part of a diverse team and encouraged a deeper understanding of older consumers.

The Effects of Personalized Learning on Achieving Meaningful Learning Outcomes

BackgroundThe modern world demands an effective educational approach to meet its requirements. In this study, the modern taxonomy of significant learning was applied to investigate the impact of personalized learning on achieving learning objectives.MethodsThe study utilized an experimental pretest-posttest control group design. Thirty undergraduate educational sciences students from Allameh Tabataba’i University participated in our study. They enrolled in the media education course in the spring semester of 2019-2020, and were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The learning topic was “media message analysis,” and lesson objectives were defined based on the taxonomy of significant learning required for modern world. Personalized learning was implemented in an online environment for the experimental group. By choosing authentic assignments, we provided the students with learning paths based on their cognitive styles and gave them a sense of control over their own learning. Students in the control group received an online “one-size-fits-all” education. The engagement questionnaire was used to evaluate integration, human dimension, and categories of significant learning taxonomy; to measure students’ ability to control their learning, an online self-regulated learning questionnaire was employed. A researcher-made exam was designed to measure content mastery in fundamental knowledge and application categories. All three measurement tools were applied at baseline and two weeks after the intervention. The independent t-test was used to compare the two groups in each related category.ResultsThe results revealed that a personalized learning approach could lead to significant improvement in content mastery, cognitive, agentic, and emotional engagement, as well as self-regulated learning in the experimental group (P=0.007, 0.02, 0.048, 0.048, <0.001, respectively).ConclusionTeachers can help students achieve different categories of significant learning taxonomy through applying personalized learning to their courses. Therefore, implementing a personalized learning environment is recommended for higher education.

Taxonomies in Education: Overview, Comparison, and Future Directions

This paper compares and contrasts some of the most popular taxonomies used in education, including: original Bloom’s taxonomy, revised Bloom’s taxonomy, Webb’s depth of knowledge, SOLO taxonomy, Fink’s taxonomy of significant learning, Shulman’s table of learning, and Marzano’s taxonomy. After a brief outline of each taxonomy, the paper discusses the literature corresponding to their use in education and the taxonomies are compared with regard to their treatment of knowledge, cognition, metacognition, higher-order thinking skills, affect, and explicit or implied theories of learning underlying each taxonomy. This is followed by a discussion of future directions for taxonomies in education. To date, while a few binary comparisons of taxonomies have been published, there has been no broad comparison of what may be regarded as the major taxonomies in use in education today. This paper represents the first broad examination of taxonomies that have had significant impacts on higher education.

In Their Own Words: Student Key Learning Experiences in an Introductory Evaluation Course

Abstract: Reflections by students on their key learning experiences in evaluation courses can provide useful data for educators seeking to identify the most impactful aspects of their teaching practice. In this practice note we describe how an instructor has included active reflective practice as part of their teaching practice, and how both the instructor and a graduate student analyzed other student reflections on key learning experiences to help improve the course. We first analyze these reflections using grounded theory, then perform two additional analyses, one using Fink’s taxonomy of significant learning and the second using both the Canadian Evaluation Society’s Competencies for Canadian Evaluation Practice and the American Evaluation Association’s Competencies framework. We conclude by reflecting on how the frameworks provided helpful data to understand and improve the practice of teaching evaluation through the lens of the student learner.

Enhancing student empathy through the taxonomy of significant learning

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to use Fink’s (2013) taxonomy of significant learning in a retail marketing class to help rural, price-sensitive students develop empathy toward high-end urban customers while becoming self-directed learners.Design/methodology/approachUsing a 16-week pilot course, students developed a gaming prototype and learned about the challenges of targeting those from a higher socioeconomic status.FindingsResults indicate that educators using Fisk’s taxonomy of significant learning might be able to positively influence the empathy that individuals on the lower end of the socioeconomic spectrum might feel toward higher-end customers. In addition, qualitative data reflects how a majority of students acknowledged empathy as their weakness but data also reveals how students plan to become continuous learners to improve their empathy in the future.Originality/valueThis paper has two key contributions. First, it shows how using a creative style of teaching within a marketing classroom can influence a key characteristic that buyers would need to successfully engage with higher-end clients. Second, it uses a new technique (gaming) in which to do so.

Towards Emancipatory L2 Instruction: Exploring Significant Learning Outcomes from Collaborative Digital Storytelling

&lt;p style="text-align:justify"&gt;Digital storytelling has undergone extensive study in different content-areas, but its naturally-combined use with collaborative writing for skills development, and reflective practice remains underresearched in pre-service EFL teacher education. This study undertook joint tech-enhanced retelling of L2 texts by 56 Turkish EFL teacher candidates, rubric-based peer and teacher assessment of final products, comparative analysis of complexity, accuracy, and fluency (CAF) between outliers, and process evaluation using the significant learning taxonomy to explore impacts on L2 writing performance, academic learning, and personal growth. Despite assigning lower scores than the teacher-assessors, especially to the top-performers, the majority of peers successfully fulfilled the job, effectively performed the future reviewer role, and positively reacted to co-construction, and technology integration. CAF and reflection analyses indicated that the biggest difference between the highest- and lowest-scoring groups lay in grammatical accuracy, and lack of mutual interaction could account for the less cooperative group’s poorer performance. The classification of their post-task responses into six kinds of learning gains (foundational knowledge, application, integration, human dimension, caring, and learning how to learn) also revealed that their collaborative digital storytelling experience (CDS) elicited more procedural, critical, creative and practical thinking on the academic learning front, while disciplinary and integrative thinking may have declined due to more immediate preoccupation with task achievement. Their critical thinking was mainly organised around consensus-reaching, fluctuating membership, and logistical challenges, and most demonstrated a clear understanding of the role of positive group dynamics in group outcomes. Despite heightened awareness of the performance-boosting, character-forming, and motivational benefits of collective scaffolding and multimodal meaning-making, a minority could also discern the instrumentality of innovative teaching techniques in their future classroom practices.&lt;/p&gt;

Evaluation of an e-book assignment using Fink's Taxonomy of Significant Learning among undergraduate dental hygiene students.

With significant learning experiences, students undergo positive, substantial, and lasting influences on their personal and professional lives. With grant support from The Ohio State University's Affordable Learning Exchange Program, students created e-book chapters for a Current Concepts in Dental Hygiene as a significant learning experience. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of an e-book chapter creation project on the learning of undergraduate dental hygiene students using Fink's Taxonomy of Significant Learning. Upon IRB exemption, this study involved a mixed-methods, cross-sectional research design involving a survey of attitudinal and reflective questions. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. The data from 100% (n=41) of the dental hygiene students enrolled in the Current Concepts in Dental Hygiene course were analyzed. Most students recognized the alignment of the 6 scaffolded assignments with the 6 domains of Fink's Taxonomy of Significant Learning. Most students agreed the project focused on foundational knowledge (68.8%, n=27), promoted active learning (73.2%, n=30), applied to real life problems (63.4%, n=26), and provided life lessons (56.1%, n=23). Thematic analysis revealed students appreciated the teamwork involved and the scaffolding of assignments, recognized the challenges of inconsistent feedback and technical issues with the software, and felt that more faculty guidance and technical support would have improved their experiences. Future research should evaluate the impact of using Fink's Taxonomy of Significant Learning with the design of courses or course-long projects on the education of dental and dental hygiene students.

INTEGRATING AND ASSESSING STUDENT PERCEIVED SUSTAINABILITY LITERACY IN AN INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS COURSE

ABSTRACT This paper examines whether marketing educators’ efforts in integrating sustainability-related issues in an undergraduate Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) course affect students’ perceived sustainability literacy. Using the Taxonomy of Significant Learning, a traditional IMC course was redesigned to include sustainability-focused concepts and assignments related to and integrated with the traditional course concepts. Analyzing student pre- and posttests of self-reported data from two questionnaires, one at the beginning of the semester and one at the end of the semester, impact on students’ perceived awareness and knowledge of sustainability issues was demonstrated.

Sustainable Engaged Accountable Learners.

The development of lifelong learners is among the most challenging goals for medical educators. The authors identify two important scholarly works that profoundly altered their understanding and approach to lifelong learning and curriculum design: L. Dee Fink's Taxonomy of Significant Learning and Cutrer et al.'s Master Adaptive Learner model. By applying these guides to their teaching and related research, three important characteristics of lifelong learning became evident: sustainability, engagement, and accountability. These are abbreviated "SEALs," for sustainable engaged accountable learners. This paper defines these qualities as they relate to emergency medicine training, significant learning, and the development of adaptive expertise. Connections to Fink's and Cutrer's works are offered for each learner characteristic. Educational and psychological theories that support the SEALs model are paired with practical suggestions for educators to promote these desired qualities in their trainees. Relevant features of adult learning are highlighted, including self-regulation, motivation, agency, and autonomy.

Fink's integrated course design and taxonomy: The impact of their use in a "Basics of Dental Anatomy" course.

This study aimed to assess whether the adjustment of Fink's Model of Integrated Course Design (ICD) with his Taxonomy of Significant Learning (hereinafter referred to as "ICD/SL") affected the academic performance of students at Universidad El Bosque in the "Basics of Dental Anatomy" course. For this purpose, 3 academic groups were selected: 2018/1 (55 students), 2018/2 (79 students), and 2019/1 (57 students). The control group, 2018/1, was taught without ICD/SL; the 2 treatment groups, 2018/2 and 2019/1, was taught with ICD/SL, which applied revised learning goals based on Fink's Taxonomy and new teaching and evaluation activities. The assessment of academic performance was based on a Likert scale to position student results in each grade score report. Statistical analysis was performed through the Kruskal-Wallis test and P-value through the Mann-Whitney U test and Fisher exact test. The results indicated that the treatment groups evidenced better academic performance in the summative assessment of the partial and final grades. In the treatment groups, 64% to 97% of students were in the High to Excellent segment; in comparison, this percentage in the control group was 44% to 65%. The course's rate of failure dropped from 10.9% in 2018/1 to only 1.7% in 2019/1. All the differences between the treatment and control groups were statistically significant (P<0.0001). The use of ICD/SL improved the academic performance of students.

Evaluating participatory group mentoring in international development projects in the Middle East

ABSTRACT Agents of sustainable international development seek to impact community transformation through developing the capacity of stakeholders. This article analyses six semi-structured interviews with mentors from two international development projects in the Middle East. Programmes sought to advance international development and human rights in a region challenged by political and social barriers. Analysis of the mentorship cases revealed that mentors used approaches that applied transformational leadership concepts in the form of idealised influence, inspirational motivation, individualised consideration and intellectual stimulation. Approaches used by mentors were examples of the Taxonomy of Significant Learning used to facilitate deep and independent learning.