A preliminary investigation and analysis of student learning style preferences in further and higher education

In the current further education (FE) and higher education (HE) environment, students are under increasing pressure to perform well and achieve good results. As educators we must strive to enable students to make the most of their higher education by providing an education of the highest quality and enhance the learning experience. This study was undertaken as a preliminary investigation of how students learn and how we, as educators, can improve their learning. In this study, a range of students on different (FE and HE) courses completed the VARK (visual, audio, read/write, kinaesthetic) questionnaire on learning style preferences at the beginning of the semester. Responses were analysed and the author adapted various teaching techniques into course materials for the semester to accommodate the results obtained in the initial VARK survey. Students' responses were encouraging, with many being keen to participate with a view to improving their course performance. The author found that using a range of teaching techniques encouraged student participation in the course and, for some, enhanced their performance in assessment. This investigation provides an insight into the awareness of learning style preferences and how such awareness can be positively exploited in teaching and learning processes.     

英美报刊选读课教学中的几个问题

我国从20世纪80年代兴起的英美报刊选读课,作为英语专业高年级学生的选修课之一已有不短的时间了,但针对其教法与学法的研究数量较少。为了提高这门课的教学质量和学习效果,笔者结合自己的教学实践,对这门课教什么、怎么教、为什么学和怎么学的问题提出自己的一点见解。     

Linking teaching and research in an undergraduate course and exploring student learning experiences

ABSTRACT

In this case study, we first describe how teaching and research are linked in a master’s course on tissue engineering. A central component of the course is an authentic research project that the students carry out in smaller groups and in collaboration with faculty. We then explore how the students experience learning in this kind of discovery-oriented environment. Data were collected through a survey, reflective writing, and interviews. Using a general inductive approach for qualitative analysis, we identified three themes related to the students’ learning experiences: learning to navigate the field, learning to do real research, and learning to work with others. Overall, the students strongly valued learning in a discovery-oriented environment and three aspects of the course contributed to much of its success: taking a holistic approach to linking teaching and research, engaging students in the whole inquiry process, and situating authentic problems in an authentic physical and social context.     

Academic support model for post-secondary school students with learning disabilities: student and instructor perceptions

ABSTRACT

While post-secondary school students with learning difficulties confront many challenges, there is little research on methods of support. In the current study, the ‘adapted course’ model was qualitatively examined from the perspective of both students and instructors. The main goal was to explore how students and instructors perceived the instruction in adapted courses. Five pre-service students with learning disabilities (LD) and/or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and three instructors were interviewed. Responses were analysed using subjective analysis, with central content categories identified based on student and instructor statements. Six main themes emerged: (1) small class size; (2) emotional support; (3) adjusted teaching methods; (4) independent practice exercises; (5) instruction by modelling; and (6) instructor characteristics. The current study can inform pedagogical principles on which a support model for post-secondary students with LD can be based. It provides analyses of the effectiveness of one support model and presents the perceptions of both faculty and students. Moreover, the study provides an opportunity to learn about potential components of effective teaching-learning, not only in the specific context of adapted courses, but in any supportive learning situation (e.g. tutoring) or course.     

A qualitative approach to understanding the role of lecture capture in student learning experiences

Lectures continue to be the dominant form of university teaching, and lecture capture technologies are tentatively taken up to support this form of delivery, rather than being used as a viable alternative. Much of the previous research, however, has been self-reports or survey-based, with far less attention given to qualitative explorations. This study aims to bridge this gap by using qualitative methods in order to examine students’ experiences of lecture capture provisions within the context of their own learning by utilising six focus groups to generate data. Thematic analysis was used to understand group opinions and experiences of lecture capture within university teaching. Two conceptual themes emerged: enhancing the learning environment and working and learning strategically. Results show that the value of lecture capture provisions could not be fully evaluated by students without considering their current learning environments. The main positive function of lecture capturing was to alleviate negative perceptions of lectures as a learning event, but it also provided students an opportunity to learn strategically. The extent to which lecture capturing develops and enhances the learning experience is discussed. Recommendations for how universities could utilise lecture capturing are proposed.     

‘I have a love–hate relationship with ATLAS.ti’™: integrating qualitative data analysis software into a graduate research methods course

While research on teaching qualitative methods in education has increased, few studies explore teaching qualitative data analysis software within graduate-level methods courses. During 2013, we required students in several such courses to use ATLAS.ti? as a project management tool for their assignments. By supporting students’ early experiences with ATLAS.ti?, we anticipated that they might continue using the tool in their future research work. Using a case study and reflective practice approach, we reviewed course materials, including student and instructor reflections, to understand what happened when data analysis software was integrated into an advanced methods course. We identified five major themes: (1) a needed push out of their comfort zones; (2) various forms of support working together; (3) keys to motivation; (4) a new generation educating the current one and (5) use of the software beyond coursework. Implications for practice include ensuring adequate access and support for learning the software, balancing methodological and technical instruction, and creating meaningful student assignments and feedback opportunities.     

Explorations in using arts‐based self‐study methods

Research methods courses typically require students to conceptualize, describe, and present their research ideas in writing. In this article, the author describes her exploration in using arts‐based techniques for teaching research to support the development of students’ self‐study research projects. The pedagogical approach emerged from the author’s sociocultural theoretical perspective in using symbols and dialogue as mediating tools. Three arts‐based research projects were utilized to assist doctoral students in articulating research interests, framing research proposals, and reflecting on their development as researchers. Data included students’ implementation and assessment of projects; the instructor’s teaching logs; and students’ course evaluations. The projects served to illuminate the subtleties of research interests, self‐understanding and understanding of other’s research, and learning about self‐study by practicing it. Research methods instructors are prompted to consider what happens when students are asked to demonstrate their understanding of research using the arts and when they study the ‘so what’ of using them.     

公共英语演讲课程中的思辨技能培养——基于医学生专业学习需求的教学探索

对当下医学院校的公共英语演讲课程做出了三点调整:一是将公共英语演讲课程的定位从跨文化交际类通识课逐渐过渡到专门用途英语课.二是在教学内容的选择上凸显医学学科特色;提升对思辨能力的系统性认识;增加对说理演讲的学习,达到专业、技能、思辨的深度融合.三是在教学模式上,采用线上线下混合式教学.通过上述方法并举,力求使医学院校开...     

Electronic portfolios: Perspectives of students, teachers and parents

This study explores the perspectives of students, teachers and parents to evaluate the use of digital portfolios as an additional way to capture and enhance the learning of elementary students in a public school setting and as an opportunity to communicate this learning to parents. The research questions address four problems: complex assessment of learning, parental participation, and student and teacher satisfaction and the impact of the portfolio on teaching methods. Particularly, we are interested in the subjective satisfaction of students, teachers and parents in the portfolio development process. We are also interested in whether students learn to reflect constructively on their work, whether teachers have changed their teaching methods and whether parents believe the portfolio was used or could be used for enhanced communications.     

引“语文”之石,攻“程序设计”之玉——以文科生“Visual FoxPro程序设计”课程教学为例

文章首先分析了"Visual FoxPro程序设计"课程的特点以及对文科生进行教学时存在的问题;然后比较了中小学语文课程和高校程序设计课程的相似之处,由语文的教法和学法启发并开拓了程序设计课程教和学的新思路;进而逐步展开对该课程的教学内容、案例、实验内容和考核方式等方面的研究与实践;最后分析了教材编写存在的问题并给出建议。     

Engineering students’ experiences of interactive teaching in calculus

This study reports on an educational development initiative where peer instruction was used instead of traditional lectures in a calculus course for first-year engineering students. The aim of the study was to explore students’ experiences of this method. Data were collected by means of an open-ended questionnaire on two occasions: early and late in the course. The data were analyzed with an inductive content analysis. The findings comprise three qualitatively different ways to experience the interactive teaching method in calculus: (1) enthusiasm, (2) nuanced skepticism and (3) aversion. The categories differed regarding emotional reactions to the teaching, experiences of learning, conceptions of teaching and learning, and experiences of meaningfulness. Many students expressed enthusiasm for learning with peer instruction and noted that the method gave both teachers and students feedback on what students have difficulties with. These students perceived that they were responsible for their own learning. Other students experienced that peer instruction had some advantages and disadvantages, and preferred a mix between traditional lectures and peer instruction sessions. They seemed to believe that teachers and students share responsibility for learning. Some students expressed an aversion for peer instruction and the method seemed to challenge their beliefs of how teaching and learning is best conducted. Our study illustrates that educational development initiatives, even though based on research on student learning, do not benefit all students. One of the major obstacles seems to be that students’ underlying beliefs regarding teaching and learning may be counterproductive to the ideas behind the educational initiative. We suggest that beliefs regarding teaching and learning need to be addressed when introducing new teaching and learning methods.     

Writing in the Secondary-Level Disciplines: a Systematic Review of Context,Cognition, and Content

Situated within the historical and current state of writing and adolescent literacy research, this systematic literature review screened 3504 articles to determine the prevalent themes in current research on writing tasks in content-area classrooms. Each of the 3504 studies was evaluated and coded using seven methodological quality indicators. The qualitative synthesis of studies is organized by the overarching categories of context, cognition, and content. The studies are further grouped by relevant themes to explore how the incorporation of writing tasks into content-area instruction benefits the secondary students’ content-area learning and knowledge acquisition. Primary themes include the elements of explicit strategy and inquiry-based instruction, the impact of prewriting models, the role of metacognition and journaling, and the writing-related implications for content-area assessment. Recommendations for future research are offered. Additionally, practical implications for secondary content-area teachers are presented.     

Learning about research: exploring the learning and teaching/research relationship amongst educational practitioners studying in higher education

The paper examines aspects of the relationship between teaching and research in higher education in social science research methods, with particular reference to the subject area of Education. There are three main themes: reflections on how social science research methods should be (or are) taught; a review of current debates about the relationship between teaching and research, both in higher education and for school teachers; and finally, reporting how a group of educational practitioners (mainly school teachers) studying at Masters level experience learned about research methods. The paper is illustrated by qualitative data from a case study of student experiences of research methods teaching on a Masters degree in Education in a research-intensive UK university. It is suggested that studying the journey embarked upon by taught postgraduate students inexperienced in research is helpful in understanding how learning about research methods takes place, which in turn can assist future research methods teaching.     

电子技术实验教学与考核方法改革探讨

在对电子技术实验课程特点介绍的基础上,分析了当前电子技术实验教学中存在的问题,从提升实验教学地位、加强实验课建设和管理、丰富实验教学内容、改革实验教学方法和考核方式等方面提出具体的应对措施,以达到提高学生学习积极性,增强学生实际动手能力的目的,满足高素质工科专业人才的培养要求。     

Enhancing student learning of research methods through the use of undergraduate teaching assistants

By using a quasi-experimental design, in this study, we test the effect of undergraduate teaching assistants on student learning. Data were collected from 170 students enrolled in four sections of a quantitative research methods course, two sections without undergraduate teaching assistants and two sections with undergraduate teaching assistants, over two semesters. Results indicate that having undergraduate teaching assistants in the classroom can result in higher student performance. Students in the sections with undergraduate teaching assistants earned higher grades, were more likely to pass the course with a C or higher and performed better on half of the student learning outcomes than students in the sections without an undergraduate teaching assistant. Based on the overwhelmingly positive results on student learning, we would recommend the active use of undergraduate teaching assistants in the classroom, but especially for courses that students find challenging.     

Developing critical understanding by teaching action research to undergraduate psychology students

Action research assumes the active engagement of the stakeholders, such as the community, in the research, and a multiple‐level process of reflection in order to evaluate and monitor the actions taken. This makes action research a suitable methodology to increase the critical understanding of the participants. In this paper we describe the challenge of teaching action research within the context of an undergraduate community health psychology module. The module was designed using principles from transformative learning, critical pedagogy and action learning. The module took place over one semester; and 15 students (13 females, two males) took part in it. We discuss the background to the module development and the alignment of the learning objectives with the teaching and assessment methods, and reflect upon the students’ experiences in the module and the learning outcomes. We conclude by addressing the major challenges involved in teaching action research to increase critical understanding: the ability to engage in deep learning of undergraduate psychology students; our role and expectations as tutors on the course; and the current higher education system in which action science yet has to find a place.     

Explaining students' appraisal of lectures and student-activating teaching: perceived context and student characteristics

During lectures, some students are continuously focused and attentive, whereas others tend to be bored, jittery, or inattentive. The same might happen when students are given student-activating assignments. Some students simply love one type of instruction, whereas others tend to resent it. Moreover, it is not the context itself, but the context as it is perceived by the student that affects learning. This study sets out to discover how students view instruction, based on their experiences with a particular setting, and aims to investigate the effects of “context-by-student” characteristics, such as students' course experiences, and the effects of “student-by-context” features, such as approaches to learning. The research has a quasi-experimental design and compares a lecture-based setting with student-activating teaching methods (i.e. self-discovery learning by means of authentic tasks with the help of a scaffolding approach); followed by one of four assessment methods: a multiple-choice test, a case-based examination, a peer assessment or a portfolio assessment. Data (N = 579) were collected by means of validated questionnaires, comprising the ASSIST and LSQ instruments and the course experience questionnaire. Results demonstrate that students' appraisal of the assessment method, their course experiences and the teaching methods that are dominant in the setting contribute positively to students' appraisal of instruction. Interestingly, this conclusion applies to both the lecture-based and the student-activating groups and to both conventional assessment methods and new modes of assessment. Moreover, deep approaches to learning, monitoring studying and/or organized studying, as well as preferences for courses that support understanding, positively affect students' appraisal of student-activating teaching methods. In short, both student-by-context and context-by-student features prove to be strong predictors of students' appraisal of instruction and, as a consequence, student learning.     

基于项目学习的文化资源学课程教学研究

文化资源学的内容特征,内在地要求教师应加强运用探究性、实践性的教学方式。＂项目学习＂融教与学于一体,倡导学生进行自我导向性学习,注重知识建构和应用过程,符合文化资源学实践性教学的需要。教师可根据课教与学的具体进程,指导学生围绕若干个具有连续性的主题,以项目的形式开展学习活动。在此过程中处理好两个相互关联的关键性问题：一是如何激发、维持和强化学生的参与动机;二是如何最大可能地确保项目学习的实效性。     

How Undergraduate Students Learn

The prime purpose of an educational institution is to prepare graduates for both industrial and research-oriented employment. In each case, the graduate must have a capacity for lifelong learning. The course content and process are interlinked parts of learning. Three standard questionnaires were used to assess how students learn. The ‘study process questionnaire’ (SPQ) showed that there was a significant proportion of surface learners but thai this percentage can be modified by adopting certain teaching methodologies. The ‘course experience questionnaire’ (CEQ) indicated that a good memory is not sufficient to pass examinations, but also showed that the workload was too heavy and that assessment methods tend to control the approaches to learning adopted by students. The ‘learning style inventory’ (LSI) showed that students have adapted their learning style to match course emphases. To accommodate the different types of learner, lecturers need to change their teaching paradigm from one where lecturers stand outside the students' learning context, to one where lecturers are intimately involved in the learning context.