Problem‐based learning in regional anatomy education at Peking University

Problem‐based learning (PBL) has been introduced to medical schools around the world and has increasingly become a popular pedagogical technique in Asian countries since 1990. Gross anatomy is a fundamental basic science course in virtually all medical training programs, and the methods used to teach it are under frequent scrutiny and revision. Students often struggle with the vast collection of new terms and complex relationships between structures that they must learn. To help students with this process, our department teaches separate systemic and regional anatomy courses, the latter in a PBL format. After three years of using PBL in our regional anatomy course, we have worked out a set of effective instructions that we would like to share with other medical schools. We report here evidence that our clinical PBL approach stimulates students' interest in learning and enhances anatomy education in a way that can foster better practices in our future medical work force. Anat Sci Educ. © 2010 American Association of Anatomists.     

A Problem‐based Learning Model for Teaching the Instructional Design Business Acquisition Process

There is a growing emphasis on utilizing a problem‐based learning [PBL] pedagogy to help instructional design students gain an understanding of the complex forces operating within an actual design environment. However, little literature exists to suggest that PBL is being used to teach the process by which instructional design firms and practitioners secure work—the Instructional Design Business Acquisition Process (IDBAP). This study outlines a conceptual framework for using an adapted problem‐based learning model for teaching the IDBAP, which consists of writing a response to a request for proposal (RFP), developing a working prototype, and orally presenting the solution. This study also examines the impact of a PBL pedagogy on students' perception of their confidence in solving instructional design problems. The results of this empirical research indicate that students who participate in a problem‐based learning pedagogy gain confidence in their abilities to solve instructional design problems, view themselves in emotional control when solving an instructional design problem, and are more inclined to approach similar problems in the future.     

新世纪基础教育课程的理念--促进学生探究学习

基础教育课程改革将变革学习方式、倡导探究学习放在突出的地位。从理论和实践两个方面,对探究的概念与分类、探究学习和研究性学习的定义和相互关系、促进探究的实施要点等内容进行分析。     

A comparison between paper‐based and online learning in higher education

To date researchers have had difficulty establishing reliable conclusions in studies comparing traditional forms of learning (eg paper‐based or classroom based) vs online learning in relation to student learning outcomes; no consistent results have emerged, and many studies have not been controlled for factors other than lesson mode. This paper compares the effects of presenting two versions of lessons on punctuation that differed only in their mode of presentation. 59 students completed a pre‐lesson questionnaire, and after the lessons completed another questionnaire plus the NASA‐TLX which tests subjective cognitive workload stress. The results showed that students who sat the lessons on paper performed 24% better than those who sat the lessons online. Reasons for this difference in learning outcomes are considered, but no clear reason is apparent in the data from this study. The study sounds a note of caution in terms of the move by tertiary institutions to online and/or blended learning, and suggests further studies are required which assess learning outcomes in different mode of learning.     

Understanding natural sciences education in a Reggio Emilia‐inspired preschool

This ethnographic study explored aspects of how the natural sciences were represented in a Reggio Emilia‐inspired laboratory preschool. The natural sciences as a discipline—a latecomer to preschool curricula—and the internationally known approach, Reggio Emilia, interested educators and researchers, but there was little research about science in a Reggio Emilia classroom. The current research aimed to gain insight into natural science experiences in a Reggio Emilia‐inspired classroom. To gain in‐depth information, this inquiry‐based study adapted a research design with ethnographic data collection techniques (i.e., interview, observation, document/artifact collection, and field‐notes), namely Spradley's Developmental Research Sequence Method, which was a well‐known, pioneer ethnographic method. The data were analyzed from an interpretive perspective using multiple lenses. These lenses included Spradley's DRS for the classroom culture, Corsaro's peer culture theory, the Reggio Emilia approach, and Ohio's Early Learning Content Standards. The study involved 18 preschoolers, 10 teachers, and a program director. The results indicated that the Reggio Emilia‐inspired preschool offered a science‐rich context that triggered and supported preschoolers' inquiries, and effectively engaged preschoolers' hands, heads, and hearts with science. The natural sciences learning in this Reggio Emilia‐inspired preschool classroom met and exceeded some of Ohio's prekindergarten standards. The results suggested that the Reggio pedagogy, grounded in inquiry, is compatible with science education goals. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 47: 1186–1208, 2010     

Training Needs Analysis and Evaluation for New Technologies Through the Use of Problem‐based Inquiry

ABSTRACT The analysis of calls to a help desk, in this case calls to a computer help desk, can serve as a rich source of information on the real world problems that individuals are having with the implementation of a new technology. Thus, we propose that an analysis of help desk calls, a form of problem‐based inquiry, can serve as a fast and low cost means of both analyzing training needs and evaluating training. We illustrate the use of problem‐based inquiry through a case study of the analysis of help desk calls made after the delivery of a training program that served to introduce a new type of document management system in a professional services firm. Based on the analysis of help desk calls it should be possible to modify future training so as to enhance transfer to the job environment.     

Community‐based literacy learning

Because reading and writing are social as well as personal activities, many recent curricular reforms that promote literacy development have focused on the relationship between the learner and the community. These reforms have been based on situated cognition theory, which holds that learning is intermeshed with the social and physical contexts of activity and that learning occurs through active participation in a community of practice. Yet there is no distinct orientation to the concept of community across the various educational programs. In fact, at least three different orientations to community appear in the literature on literacy reform: experiential community, classroom community, and anticipatory community. Both experiential and anticipatory community orientations situate literacy in non‐school settings that involve learners in ‘real‐life’ communities. The classroom community orientation attempts to reproduce the roles of mentor and apprentice found in non‐school communities; however, its claim to legitimacy of activity is based more on the learner’s manner of participation than in the activity itself.     

Changes in Students' Use of Lifelong Learning Skills During a Problem‐based Learning Project

ABSTRACT In a climate of continual change and innovation, lifelong learning is a critical professional development objective which has a direct impact on organizations' effectiveness and ability to compete and innovate. To help learners continually upgrade their skills and knowledge so they can effectively address emerging organizational and professional needs and opportunities, educators must prepare learners for their professions using teaching methodologies that develop learners' capacity for and disposition toward lifelong learning. Problem‐based learning (PBL) is one such method. PBL uses professional problems of practice as a starting point, stimulus, and focus for student activity, and one of PBL's stated educational outcomes is students' use of lifelong learning skills. This study examined the changes in students' use of lifelong learning skills while participating in a PBL project. Twenty‐six undergraduate university computer science students completed a 15‐week C++ programming course. Using guided reflective journal responses as process data, students were observed to increase their application of lifelong learning skills during their PBL experience. Design and research recommendations are shared.     

Efficacy of learning strategies instruction in adult basic education

Results from randomized controlled trials of learning strategies instruction with 375 adult basic education (AE) participants are reported. Reading outcomes from whole group strategic instruction in one of four learning strategies were compared to outcomes of reading instruction delivered in the context of typical adult education units on social studies, history, and science. Both experimental and control conditions experienced high attrition and low attendance, resulting in only 105 control and 100 experimental participants' data in outcome analyses for the trials of the four learning strategies. Reading outcomes for these completers were not significantly different between experimental and control conditions, and each group achieved minimal gains. We discuss possible reasons for the non-significant effect from the intervention, including insufficient instructional dosage.     

Expected benefits of web-based learning for engineering education: Examples in control engineering

This paper presents how 'teaching and learning with technologies' may improve academic education and corporate training for engineering sciences. It particularly details examples of web-based learning tools for control and open distance learning experiments developed at the Grenoble National Polytechnic Institute (INPG, France). The paper describes the observed improvements brought by information and communication technologies in the academic context at different levels: the academic institution, the teacher and finally the user. Then it presents four significant approaches to web-based learning developed at the INPG. The first three approaches are intended to enrich and complete the traditional face-to-face teaching and learning in control with highly interactive, self-learning tools, including hypertext, exercise bases, simulations, and virtual and remote laboratories. The fourth approach is seen as a substitution for traditional face-toface teaching and learning, providing open distance learning in the context of continuing education. The benefits and limits of the four approaches are discussed. Prospective developments in university teacher status and staff evolution are explored and the role of university in the international context is discussed in a generic context. Finally, advantages of distance learning for industry are presented. Benefits of e.learning are shown from the point of view of the individual and the company.     

Problem‐Solving Model for Decision Making with High‐Incidence Disabilities: The Minneapolis Experience

The problem‐solving model (PSM) is used in the Minneapolis Public Schools to guide decisions regarding: (1) interventions in general education, (2) referral to special education, and (3) evaluation for special education eligibility for high‐incidence disability areas. District implementation was driven by four themes: the appropriateness of intelligence tests and the IQ‐achievement discrepancy for determination of eligibility, bias in assessment, allocation of school psychologist time, and linking assessment to instruction through curriculum‐based measurement. This article describes how the PSM was designed as a three‐stage process to measure response to intervention and used in the special education eligibility process. Program evaluation data collected since initial implementation in 1994 is reported in the areas of child count, achievement, referral, eligibility, and disproportion. The authors discuss the limitations of conducting PSM research in school settings, barriers to implementation of PSM, and make suggestions for enhancing treatment integrity.     

The myths about e‐learning in higher education

Proponents have marketed e‐learning by focusing on its adoption as the right thing to do while disregarding, among other things, the concerns of the potential users, the adverse effects on users and the existing research on the use of e‐learning or related innovations. In this paper, the e‐learning‐adoption proponents are referred to as the technopositivists. It is argued that most of the technopositivists in the higher education context are driven by a personal agenda, with the aim of propagating a technopositivist ideology to stakeholders. The technopositivist ideology is defined as a ‘compulsive enthusiasm’ about e‐learning in higher education that is being created, propagated and channelled repeatedly by the people who are set to gain without giving the educators the time and opportunity to explore the dangers and rewards of e‐learning on teaching and learning. Ten myths on e‐learning that the technopositivists have used are presented with the aim of initiating effective and constructive dialogue, rather than merely criticising the efforts being made.     

Design‐based science and student learning

Design‐Based Science (DBS) is a pedagogy in which the goal of designing an artifact contextualizes all curricular activities. Design is viewed as a vehicle through which scientific knowledge and real‐world problem‐solving skills can be constructed. Following Anderson and Hogan's (1999) call to document the design of new science pedagogies, this goal of this article is twofold: (a) to describe DBS, and (b) to evaluate whether significant science knowledge was constructed during consecutive enactments of three DBS units. In this study, 92 students participated in the consecutive enactments of three different DBS units. The development of their scientific knowledge was assessed through posters and models constructed during the curricular enactments and by identical pre‐ and post‐instruction written tests. The posttests showed considerable gains compared with the pretests, while the models and posters show application of this newly constructed knowledge in solving a design problem. These positive results support efforts being made to restructure school science around inquiry‐based curricula in general and design‐based curricula in particular. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 41: 1081–1110, 2004     

新基础教育课程与学习方式的变革

本次基础教育课程改革的重点之一就是转变学生的学习方式,倡导具有“主动参与、乐于探究、交流与合作”特征的新的学习方式,以更好地培养学生的创新精神和实践能力,促进学生全面和谐的发展。     

Increasing access to learning for the adult basic education learner with learning disabilities: evidence-based accommodation research

Accommodating adult basic education (ABE) learners with learning disabilities (LD) is common practice across many instructional, testing, and work settings. However, the results from this literature search indicate that very few empirically based studies are available to support or reject the effectiveness of a great deal of accommodation implementation. In addition, in light of the profound changes to literacy taking place in today's digital, networked, and multimodal world, technology is redefining traditional concepts of accessibility and accommodation.     

The effect of inquiry‐based learning on the achievement goal‐orientation of grade 10 physical sciences learners at township schools in South Africa

Due to apartheid policies, Black African learners in South Africa have been severely disadvantaged in school science. Despite policy changes to redress these historical imbalances, Black African learners continue to underperform in science. Previous research has identified motivation as a key factor that impacts performance. Achievement goal orientation is a construct of motivation that explains learning behaviour. In an attempt to address the problem of learner motivation, this study investigated the effect of inquiry‐based learning on the achievement goal‐orientation of grade 10 physical sciences learners at historically disadvantaged township schools in South Africa. In South Africa, the term “township” usually refers to under‐developed urban areas that were historically created for “non‐whites” during the apartheid era. The findings showed that the experiment group of learners who experienced inquiry‐based learning significantly gained in mastery goal orientation, while the control that were taught through a traditional direct didactic approach had an insignificant change in their mastery goal orientation. From these results, it can be concluded that inquiry‐based learning does support a mastery goal orientation in learners. This orientation is regarded as desirable because mastery approach goals could support positive outcomes in conceptual learning, leading to an improvement in science achievement of learners.     

Web‐based reading annotation system with an attention‐based self‐regulated learning mechanism for promoting reading performance

Due to the rapid development of information technology, web‐based learning has become a dominant trend. That is, learners can often learn anytime and anywhere without being restricted by time and space. Autonomic learning primarily occurs in web‐based learning environments, and self‐regulated learning (SRL) is key to autonomic learning performance. Moreover, sustained attention to web‐based learning activities can be challenging for students. Therefore, a web‐based reading annotation system with an attention‐based self‐regulated learning mechanism (ASRLM), which is based on brainwave detection, is designed to enhance the sustained attention of learners while reading annotated English texts online, and thereby promote online reading performance. In total, 126 Grade 7 students in four classes at a junior high school in New Taipei City, Taiwan, are the participants. Among the four classes, two classes are randomly distributed to the experimental group and the other two classes are randomly distributed to the control group. The experimental group utilizes the ASRLM to support their reading of annotated English texts online, whereas the control group is not supported by the ASRLM while reading annotated English texts online. Experimental results show that sustained attention and reading comprehension of the experimental group are better than those of the control group. Moreover, the web‐based reading system with ASRLM support promotes the sustained attention and reading comprehension of female learners more than those of male learners while reading annotated English texts online. Additionally, learners with high‐SRL ability in the experimental group have better sustained attention and reading comprehension than those learners with low‐SRL ability. Furthermore, the sustained attention and reading comprehension of the experimental group are strongly correlated, and the duration of sustained attention strongly predicts their reading comprehension performance.