Search Results for
"learning"

This chapter discusses evolution of the thinking of the Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt about teaching, learning, assessment, technology, and instructional design under the broad heading of their extended work on the principles and practices of Anchored Instruction. It begins by stating a general set of ideas about the characteristics of powerful learning environments and the instructional design principles that are coupled to them. Then in subsequent sections it illustrates how features of the CTGV's evolving work on Anchored Instruction helped lead to and embody those principles. The subsequent sections begin by describing the earliest work on Anchored Instruction, the development of a set of multimedia instructional materials known as the Adventures of Jasper Woodbury. Later sections then describe work that pushed the ideas of Anchored Instruction in new and important directions that led to development of the SMART model and development of a general inquiry-learning model known as STAR.Legacy. An example of extending the Legacy instructional design model to higher education instructional settings is provided in the context of work in the VaNTH Center on bioengineering and biomedical engineering education. The chapter concludes with thoughts regarding what has been learned over time, challenges that remain in the areas of theory, research and practice, and the role of technology in the larger enterprise of connecting theory, research, and instructional design. © 2008 Springer-Verlag US.

This paper presents a research project that charts the complex development of engagement and professional identities in a group of international students (including British students) on an MSc course in Engineering. A detailed picture of the diversity of students' social, cultural and educational backgrounds at entry is placed against the development of students' own sense of what it means to be an Engineer in an international context. The case study was initiated by a concern for summative assessment outcomes in a number of the modules which were producing a notable bipolar marks distribution in students' final assessments. Students were either achieving highly in the module or clearly demonstrating an inability to work with the concepts and ideas of the module. The aim of the research was to investigate the detail and the nature of this outcome following the introduction of an intensified focus on tutors' own research, amongst other innovations. Through survey, observation and interview data the case study focuses on the sociocultural background to learning in Engineering and presents a qualitative finegrained picture of how students build their competences and identities as professional Engineers through engagement with their tutors and their tutors' own research. The initial data on the backgrounds of students presented a fascinating picture of the effects of internationalisation on the composition of student groups in Higher Education. Through the student interviews a picture of students constructing both their competences and identities emerged. The research presented to them by their tutors and that they engaged in themselves as part of the course was seen to be a significant factor in their learning and one that distinguished their learning experience in the UK from their previous learning. Students also placed emphasis on the social and personal factors that both supported them in their learning and motivated them to become Engineers in the first instance. Furthermore, early analysis of students' summative assessments indicated that there was a clear impact upon the proportion of students who had made a transition between weak engagement and failure and there was a growing engagement and achievement of threshold performance.

Alternative approaches to learning and assessment have become common practice in higher education today. While these approaches have several learning, instructional and assessment advantages for students and teachers, a need exists for a better understanding of their consequential evidence. The purpose of this study was to examine students' perceptions of, and satisfaction with, the experience of learning English for Law in the environment of a comprehensive learning and assessment system integrating the project component and academic writing portfolio component into the framework of traditional learning. A sample of 58 law majors from Mykolas Romeris University in Vilnius, Lithuania participated in the study. The main findings of the study indicate that the integrated approach to learning English for Law was very well accepted by the students due to the following benefits it presented: (i) this approach is effective and useful in promoting students' productive and receptive language skills; (ii) it enhances students' satisfaction with their results; (iii) it fosters one's motivation to learn a foreign language; (iv) it promotes students' development as independent learners. It is recommended that this study be extended to the investigation of the impact of such an approach on the students' final results in ESP in comparable groups. © 2008 Taylor & Francis.

The creation of a flexible education system, including procedures for the validation of previous education and other forms of knowledge should be one of the objectives of higher education institutions as well as other institutions that are engaged in adult education. To be effective, the system must be developed and implemented in partnership with employers, individuals and educational institutions. This article describes the situation with respect to the recognition of prior learning in EU countries and the Slovenian reactions to them. Moreover, it presents the results of empirical research which investigated the motivation of educational institutions to co-operate in the system established to validate non-formal and informal learning.

There has been renewed emphasis on the vocational in recent policy documents concerning provision for the 14-19 age group. More open acknowledgement of the vocational/academic divide within English education has appeared alongside the creation of increased vocational opportunities for young people. Research undertaken for the Transforming learning Cultures in Further Education project has, however, raised questions concerning the provision of vocational options for 14- to 16-year-olds that are not being fully addressed by policy-makers. This article aims to provide an answer to two linked questions: why might it be important to offer vocational options to students of this age in a further education college? And, under what conditions might students benefit most from such provision? Our research revealed that students can value highly such vocational experiences, but that the extent to which young people actually benefit from the opportunity to engage in vocational learning depends crucially upon the way in which such opportunities are experienced as different from ‘normal’ schooling. It has also revealed that the opportunities for such experiences are potentially fragile, vulnerable to the effects of change within the institution. © 2007, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. All rights reserved.

Online learning has enjoyed increasing popularity in gerontology. This paper presents instructional strategies grounded in Fink's (2003) theory of significant learning designed for the completely asynchronous online gerontology classroom. It links these components with the development of mastery learning goals and provides specific guidelines for incorporating these principles into each aspect of the online classroom such as the syllabus and presentation areas (class announcements, lectures, conferences, study groups). Strategies for cultivating connection to promote learning and retention in the online classroom and directions for future research on these pedagogical strategies are proposed. Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Purpose – This paper aims to describe an instructional study of three cases of work-based education students (in co-operative education in Canada), described by their teachers as ranging from high achieving to low achieving. Design/methodology/approach – The three students are given metacognitive instruction to enhance their workplace learning. The instruction is based on findings from a population of recent case studies of learning in the workplace and is shared with the students, with their teachers, and with their workplace supervisors. Interviews and observations are used to describe the variable success of metacognitive instruction in the three workplace settings. Findings – The paper finds that, while the teachers do not implement the materials fully, both the employers and the students find the metacognitive questions that make up the instructional materials to be useful and have suggestions for how the instructional materials should be used in workplaces. The instructional materials are appended. Originality/value – The paper provides useful information on enhancing their workplace learning among work-based education students. © 2007, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Human Resource Management for the Hospitality and Tourism Industries takes an integrated look at HRM policies and practices in the tourism and hospitality industries. Utilising existing human resource management (HRM) theory and practice, it contextualises it to the tourism and hospitality industries by looking at the specific employment practices of these industries, such as how to manage tour reps or working in the airline industry. It initially sets the scene with a broad review of the evidence of HRM practice within the tourism and hospitality industries. Having identified the broader picture, the text then begin to focus much more explicitly on a variety of HR policies and practices such as: recruitment and selection: the effects of ICT, skills required specific for the industry and the nature of advertising legislation and equal opportunities: illegal discrimination and managing diversity staff health and welfare: violence in the workplace, working time directives, smoking and alcohol and drug misuse remuneration strategies in the industry: the 'cafeteria award' approach, minimum wage and tipping Human Resource Management for the Hospitality and Tourism Industries is illustrated throughout with both examples of best practice for prescriptive teaching and discussion, and international case studies to exercise problem solving techniques and contextualise learning. It incorporates a user friendly layout and includes pedagogic features such as: chapter outlines and objectives, HRM in practice - boxed examples, reflective review questions, web links' discussion questions and further reading. Accompanying the text is a companion website which includes extra case studies to aid teaching and learning. © 2007, Dennis Nickson. All rights reserved

This paper examines a high school apprenticeship program with a focus on the opportunities for 'expansive' learning within three different contexts: schools, the training centre and worksites. The authors assume that while young people differ in the degree to which they engage in learning within different sites, the institutional arrangements and features of different learning environments significantly influence their experiences and the quality of their apprenticeships. The authors' analysis of interviews with students and instructors involved in a carpentry program suggests that these sites exhibit several features associated with expansive approaches to workforce development. However, restrictions on learning occurred in schools partly because of the academic/vocational divide in curriculum. In the learning centre, the failure to address tensions rooted in power relations in the workplace limited students' learning. Similarly, students were confronted with the need to make trade-offs in the workplace that restricted their learning. The authors argue that taking steps to address these issues would enhance workplace practices and learning environments for apprentices. © 2007 Taylor & Francis.

A comprehensive critical survey of the controversies, theories and practices central to secondary education today, this book provides teachers, researchers, parents and policy-makers with a vital new reference resource. It covers important topics including: assessment citizenship curriculum e-learning exclusion theories of learning work experience. Fully cross-referenced, with extensive suggestions for further reading and on-line resources, this is an essential guide to theory and practice in the twenty-first century classroom. © 2006 Jerry Wellington. All rights reserved.