The use of virtual reality technology in teaching environmental engineering

The Open University (OU) provides a Diploma in Pollution control as part of its undergraduate degree programme. The courses that make up the Diploma are presented in distance learning format using the OU's supported open learning system that has been developed over several decades. Teaching environmental engineering by distance learning presents several challenges in terms of ensuring that students gain an appreciation of the technology in action and receive the motivation and support more-readily available to students taught in a campus setting. The OU has developed a multi-media resources DVD to help meet these challenges for students undertaking an environmental impact assessment project. The DVD contains virtual reality views of the proposed site, maps of the region, supporting technical data, interviews with experts and advice from a virtual tutor. A survey of students using the DVD found that the overwhelming majority found the DVD to be 'very useful' or 'useful'. Understandably, the material that is essential for completing the project received the highest rating, but the background material was still considered to be useful by most students. Similar resources could benefit all students in many areas of engineering and technology

Hearing the student voice : promoting and encouraging the effective use of the student voice to enhance professional development in learning, teaching and assessment within higher education

This is an ESCalate development project led by Fiona Campbell of Napier University that was completed in 2007. The Hearing the Student Voice project aimed to promote and encourage the use of the student voice to enhance the effectiveness of academic professional development and ultimately the learning experience of students. Students can have a powerful impact on academic professional development aimed at enhancing learning, teaching and assessment practice. By providing qualitative insights about the nature of their learning experience, students can bring both valid and valuable viewpoints and motivate staff who are engaged by the students' perspective and often admire their perspicacity. This report records the progress and achievements of the Hearing the Student Voice project, funded by ESCalate to promote and encourage the use of the student voice to enhance the effectiveness of academic professional development in learning, teaching and assessment practice and ultimately the learning experience of students. The report has been written by the team representing the four universities who collaborated on the projec

Civics and citizenship education in NSW secondary schools : case studies of the impact of authoritative expert content and multimedia technology in the classroom

This study examines teachers’ perspectives and experiences with civics and citizenship education (CCE) in secondary school classrooms in NSW. It investigates the pedagogical approaches of teachers of History and Geography in CCE and the ways in which technology is used in teaching practice. It is a study based on qualitative research methods and design. The research methodology adopts a multiple case study approach that incorporates an action research orientation. Sixteen teachers participated in the study in five NSW secondary schools. The research findings revealed that teachers approached CCE with reference to the NSW syllabus in a diverse range of ways. These approaches were categorised as follows: empathetic, rights and responsibilities based, values based, community based, and critically inquiring. While teachers tended to adopt a mix of these approaches in classroom teaching practice, the above approaches were discemable. Teaching approaches to CCE depended on several factors including school context, levels of student literacy and language skills, access to technology, and length of teaching experience. The research revealed the complex nature of the challenges facing CCE teachers in response to changing contemporary local, national and international events. The findings identify a continuing need for pre-service training, inservice training and professional development in CCE for secondary school teachers. Data gathered on teachers’ use of technology in classroom teaching showed differences in the pedagogical approaches adopted by CCE teachers in different schools. Differences in teaching approaches were shaped by teachers’ access to equipment and facilities, communication networks, and maintenance and support of technology for classroom teaching. The ‘digital divide’ revealed by the data influenced the ways in which participating teachers approached the use of technology for classroom teaching. The wider opportunities that existed in some schools to engage technology appeared to extend teacher’s ability to build knowledge of content and teaching (KCT) and knowledge of students and content (KSC) with respect to the use of technology. Limited and unequal access to technology for classroom teaching practice holds implications for the development of teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). A technological ‘digital divide’ has the potential to be mirrored in a ‘pedagogical divide’ in approaches to teaching with varied possibilities and outcomes for teachers and students in different schools. In addition to investigating existing teaching practice, in secondary schools this study explored different pedagogical approaches to CCE in the classroom. The action research orientation adopted relied on the earlier investigation of classroom practice with participating teachers. The methods that were applied combined authoritative expert content (AEC), instructional strategies, and video technology. The study explored the perceived impact of these methods on teacher knowledge and student knowledge in classroom settings. The research design facilitated the use of AEC in classrooms with participating teachers and over 800 secondary school students from 2002- 2005. Participating teachers perceived student involvement with AEC in the classroom as beneficial to student motivation and knowledge building in civics and citizenship within the NSW syllabus. The impact of AEC on teacher knowledge suggested an enhancement of teacher content knowledge with particular emphasis on specialised content knowledge (SCK) in CCE. Teacher’s participation in the study was perceived to have enhanced pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) in CCE to some extent. The pedagogical methods based on AEC and the use of video technology demonstrated a capacity to stimulate learning and build knowledge through collaborative teaching partnerships in CCE

Integrating e-learning technologies into conventional teaching and learning in the school and higher education system with scarce resources: a case study of Mzuzu University

The main aim of this study was to investigate how secondary schools and tertiary education institutions in Malawi can sustainably integrate e-learning technologies into traditional teaching and learning environments. The study was conducted in Malawi at Mzuzu University (MZUNI) and four secondary schools within Mzuzu City. Data were collected in two phases. Phase-one was a baseline study of the status of technology at MZUNI and in four conveniently sampled secondary schools in Mzuzu City. The rationale for conducting the baseline study was to ascertain the status of e-learning before conducting the intervention study. This phase used self-administered questionnaires, focus group discussions (FDGs) and in-depth individual interviews as tools for gathering data. Phase Two was interventional in nature because the researcher tried to implement some solutions which were observed during baseline study. This study used a longitudinal qualitative research approach. A mixed methods approach was used because the nature of the research questions required the use of different data gathering strategies. Study findings revealed that educational institutions that have limited resources can integrate technology in education by using resources they have. This study discovered that the following five media were sustainable and the most used technologies: The Internet, Facebook, memory sticks, personal computers and ordinary cell phones. Furthermore, challenges that institutions are likely to face when implementing technology integration included: intermittent electrical power supply; lack of resources for e-learning; resistance to use recorded e-resources; challenges with e-module production and using WhatsApp for educational purposes. The study recommends the following strategies to ensure that electronic technologies are integrated into the teaching and learning environment: MZUNI and other institutions which have limited resources for teaching and learning purposes should integrate technology in education using the most ubiquitous teaching and learning resources around them by making use of the Teaching and Learning Using Locally Available Resources (TALULAR) concept instead of solely relying on proprietary resources

A Pedagogy for Original Synners

Part of the Volume on Digital Young, Innovation, and the UnexpectedThis essay begins by speculating about the learning environment of the class of 2020. It takes place entirely in a virtual world, populated by simulated avatars, managed through the pedagogy of gaming. Based on this projected version of a future-now-in-formation, the authors consider the implications of the current paradigm shift that is happening at the edges of institutions of higher education. From the development of programs in multimedia literacy to the focus on the creation of hybrid learning spaces (that combine the use of virtual worlds, social networking applications, and classroom activities), the scene of learning as well as the subjects of education are changing. The figure of the Original Synner is a projection of the student-of-the-future whose foundational literacy is grounded in their ability to synthesize information from multiple information streams

Pedagogy For Employability

This guide, produced by the HEA, constitutes a revised and updated version of the Pedagogy for Employability publication first published in 2006. The publication has been updated with the practitioner in mind – those teaching in the classroom and those engaging with policy and student interactions in other ways, such as careers guidance and learning development workers. Practitioners are our focus, as we discuss the policy and institutional context that frames the environment within which people work. The early sections of this publication are intended to illuminate the possibilities and constraints that operate in different national, institutional and departmental situations, having a direct impact on the way that teaching and learning takes place between practitioners and students. Case studies of learning and teaching that support the development of student employability, in the classroom, through distance and part-time learning and in co-curricular and extra-curricular activities, are provided throughout the publication. In the later sections of the publication we focus particularly on the curriculum and learning and teaching practice

Mirror Mirror on the Wall, Is Blended Instruction the Best of All? Students’ Perceptions of Blending Face-to-Face and Online Instruction

According to Ayala (2009), blended learning is “the purposeful integration of traditional (i.e., face-to-face) and online learning in order to provide educational opportunities that maximize the benefits of each platform and thus more effectively facilitate student learning. The purpose of this study was to explore students’ perceptions of taking courses that utilized a blended instruction approach. Study participants consisted of 36 undergraduate students enrolled in teacher education programs. There were 18 seniors, 12 juniors, and 6 sophomores. For all 36 participants, this was their first blended course. Their perceptions were attained through a survey that compared instruction delivered online to those presented face-to-face. The categories addressed included student learning, course objectives, instructor involvement, media elements, overall learning experience, and advantages. The survey measured if both online and face-to-face instruction were effective in the blended courses, as well as to ascertain advantages over courses offered purely online or face-to-face

Learning Languages in a Digital World

Aleidine J. Moeller, Editor Janine Theiler, Assistant Editor I. Embracing Technology: Tools Teacher Can Use to Improve Language Learning — Introduction to the section: Frauke Hachtmann, Katie Hayes, Leyla Masmaliyeva, Malia Perkins 1 Rich Internet Applications for Language Learning — Dennie Hoopingarner and Vineet Bansal 2 Leveraging Podcasting for Language Learning — Dan Schmit 3 Using PowerPoint Templates to Enhance Student Presentations — J. Sanford Dugan II. Teacher Education and Professional Development: Agents of Change — Introduction to the section: Silvia Betta and Janine Theiler 4 Preparing for the ACTFL/NCATE Program Report: Three Case Studies — Susan Colville-Hall, Bonnie Fonseca-Greber, and Isabel Cavour 5 Preparing Teacher Candidates to Integrate Technology in the Foreign Language Classroom: A Teacher Educator’s Perspective — Elvira Sanatullov-Allison and Marat Sanatullov 6 Training Elementary World Language Teachers to Use an Immersion-based Approach: Modeling and Methods Instruction Delivered via Video/DVD — Jean M. Hindson 7 Action Research on a Technology Integrated Elementary School Foreign Language Methods Course — Marcia Harmon Rosenbusch and Hsueh-Hua Chuang 8 National Board Certification in World Languages: A Worthwhile Journey — Meg Graham 9 Enhancing Learner Self-Efficacy through Continuous Self-Assessment: Implications for the Foreign Language Classroom — Javier Coronado-Aliegro III. Teaching Culture through Divergent Paths — Introduction to the section: Gabriel Cote and Amy Struthers 10 Japanese Language and Culture Learning through E-mail Communication — Yuki Ozawa 11 A Road Less Traveled: The Chemin de Saint-Jacques from LePuy to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port — Lisa Signori, Steven M. Gardner, and Carlos Mentle

Is it possible to identify a category of ‘Law Film’ and how might it be applied?

This summary explores a large body of published work that has sought to develop both teaching and research in what has been termed film and the law or perhaps more accurately ‘cinematic justice'. The first section outlines the diversity of methodological approaches that have been used in the area generally but also within the submitted pieces that form the main body of the work. The second part outlines the problems in identifying the core material that now forms the basis of the subject. It charts the attempts to expand the base beyond courtroom drama and explores the engagement with areas of film theory. A thread that runs through the published work from start to finish has been identifying what a legal film is or might be. At the start this was not explicitly recognized as a question of genre, there was no established framework to apply. A large part of the scholarship has involved analyzing films and searching out common elements and ideas in order to invigorate the process. The third section addresses the synthesis of teaching and research that has always been a central feature of the enterprise. Developing a new ‘pedagogy’ for legal teaching seemed important - then became outdated - but now, it is argued, has the potential for a rebirth. This section makes the case for new thinking about using television material to explore the ideology within legal portrayals. The summary also reflects the author’s highly significant role in the contribution to the development of the area more generally