University students : the divide between assessment methods and learning aspirations

This paper looks at students' learning aspirations and the type of knowledge they would like to gain during the time they invest on their tertiary education. Learning styles questionnaires have been developed to take into consideration the way different people learn, because not all students are the same: some do their utmost to learn from their courses; others cram before exams but do not appear interested during lectures; others only appear for their first and last lectures; and yet others just seem to patiently see the course through with no real effort put into it. If a lecturer really wants to ensure that his/her students are meeting their learning aspirations, can different assessment methods have diverse results. Which assessment methods best meets the learning aspiration of students? The aim of this paper is to evaluate the connection between different assessment methods and the students' learning aspirations. Results from the empirical analysis show that assignments provide students with the best opportunity for learning as it shows their aptitude in various ways: capacity to do research, to be innovative in their answers, integrate what they have learned during lectures and present work that goes beyond cut and paste material. Students appreciate feedback, while engagement in class can be used to improve learning results.peer-reviewe

Cognitive Learning Styles and Their Relation to Air Traffic Control Screening and Training

The purpose of this study was to show a relationship between the type of cognitive learning style that an individual possesses and their subsequent success at simulated air traffic control practical exercises. Kolb\u27s Learning Style Inventory was utilized to determine dominant learning styles of 30 college students enrolled in a laboratory-based air traffic control course. The instrument was administered during the first day of classes in the Fall of 1990. Students were placed in one of four groups for statistical purposes according to learning style. The scores of simulated micro-computer based air traffic control practical exercises given at semester\u27s end were used to determine a mean score for each of the four groups. A t-distribution was used to establish significance between the groups. This study will be used as a preliminary step toward identifying and testing for more precise skills that are predictive of success in air traffic control for the purpose of developing a more effective method of screening air traffic control candidates

Learning Styles of Undergraduate and Graduate Physical Therapy Students in Taiwan

AbstractThe research was conducted to identify the learning styles of undergraduate and graduate physical therapy students in Taiwan and to examine the associations between learning style and academic performance. Basic data and Kolb's Learning Style Inventory were obtained from 52 participants from one university. The most commonly occurring style of learner was assimilator (44%), followed by diverger (23%), accommodator (15%), and converger (17%). There was no significant difference in academic performance among the four different styles of learners. Qualitative analyses provided further understanding of the preferred learning and teaching strategies. The different strategies are recommended to meet students’ learning preferences

Innovation Plaza: Improving Teaching and Learning in Engineering Education

Innovation-Plaza at the University of New Mexico represents a significant advance in improvement in instruction, higher rates of student retention and graduation, and greater success for students traditionally underserved by engineering programs. Through the employment of improved teaching methods in a key ECE course; dual-credit courses for high school students; and outreach to public schools, industry, government and international organizations, Innovation-Plaza has already improved the prospects for academic and professional success for some students in the ECE program at UNM. Expansion and dissemination of the innovations piloted in this program can serve an important role in improving the prospects for students traditionally underserved by engineering and other higher education STEM programs, change that is essential if the United States is to remain competitive with other nations in science and technology. Given continued attention to the need to build on, replicate and disseminate successful aspects of the Innovation-Plaza program via improved pedagogy in ECE and other STEM courses; outreach to secondary school students, Hispanics, women, foreign students and other populations currently underserved by engineering and other STEM academic programs; and increased collaboration with educational institutions, governments, and industry, it can be expected that the Innovation-Plaza program will continue to experience growth and success in fulfilling its mission to better serve students in engineering and other STEM fields

Testiranje Dunnove & Dunnove te Honeyeve & Mumfordove teorije o stilovima učenja: Slučaj slovenskog sustava visokog obrazovanja

The learning styles literature con be considered as going through a revival during the several past years. Although learning styles have been heavily researched, little is known about Slovenian students’ learning styles, especially in the field of management education. The aim of the study is to explore the learning styles of students enrolled in the Economics of Education course at the FELU (University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Economics) The study method included both a descriptive and an exploratory perspective. A qualitative method was used to overview the literature background. Factor analysis, using the “Principle Axes Factoring” method, was used to extract learning styles. The adapted versions of Honey and Mumford’s Learning Style Questionnaire and Dunn & Dunn’s Learning Style Theory were used as research instruments in the questionnaire. The findings outline that for the educators in higher education, the challenge is to provide meta-cognitive support for students, enabling them to reflect not just on what they learn but also how and why.Literatura iz područja stilova učenja u posljednjih nekoliko godina sve je brojnija. Iako su se stilovi učenja do sada intenzivno proučavali, malo se zna o stilovima učenja slovenskih studenata, posebno u obrazovanju iz područja menadžmenta. Cilj ovog rada je utvrditi stilove učenja studenata upisanih na predmet Ekonomika obrazovanja na Ekonomskom fakultetu u Ljubljani. Metodologija istraživanja temeljila se na deskriptivnim i eksploratornim perspektivama. Prilikom izrade pregleda literature korišten je kvalitativni pristup. Za utvrñivanje stilova učenja korištena je faktorska analiza, temeljena na pristupu Principle Axes Factoring, dok su za prikupljanje podataka korišteni anketni upitnici izrañeni prilagodbom Honeyovog i Mumfordovog anketnog upitnika o stilu učenja, te Dunnove i Dunnove teorije stila učenja. Rezultati istraživanja pokazuje da bi nastavnici u visokom obrazovanju trebali pružati meta-kognitivnu podršku studentima, omogućujući im promišljanje ne samo o tome što uče, već i kako i zašto uče

Learning Patterns of Engineering Students in a Singapore Tertiary Education Context and the Implications for Continuing Education in the Field of Engineering

In 1997, Singapore implemented radical changes to its education curricula to foster deep, self-directed learning which were thought to be important for lifelong learning. The aim of this study was to establish if there was any evidence that Singapore tertiary students, having been through the revised curricula, had indeed developed desirable learning patterns for continuing education. The samples comprised polytechnic Engineering undergraduates from the Year 1 (N=638), Year 2 (N=616) and Year 3 (N=705) cohorts. The study also included a control sample of working adults (Professionals) (N=140) who had returned for continuing education. A mixed methods design was executed with a cross-sectional study using the 100-item English version of Vermunt's Inventory of Learning Styles, together with semi-structured group interviews. A flexible learning pattern was reported to be common among undergraduates. Besides that, a prove-yourself directed pattern was reported by first and third year students, while a passive-idealistic pattern was indicated by second year students. The other two patterns reported in each group were variations of the reproduction and undirected patterns. The meaning directed and application directed learning patterns were not clearly distinguishable among the undergraduates. Sub-scale scores related to deep processing and self regulation strategies were not significantly higher in the second and third years, while scores for stepwise (surface) processing and external regulation were not lower. There seemed to be insufficient evidence to indicate that the changes in the curricula by the Singapore Ministry of Education and the polytechnic were effective in fostering the desired learning patterns. Among the Professionals, the meaning and application directed learning patterns were more clearly distinguishable. Subscale scores related to the use of knowledge and vocation were significantly higher than for the undergraduates. Working adults appear to have a stronger conception that learning was for the useful application of knowledge, and were clearer in their motives to enhance their vocation through their studies compared with the undergraduates. This suggested that learning patterns could be modified if learning conceptions and motives could be changed. This study has extended the understanding of learning pattern development particularly in a Singapore context, and generally in the wider Asian context. Cultural and educational contexts appear to play a role in influencing students’ learning conceptions and motives which, in turn, shape their learning patterns. Interventions that superficially manipulate the learning environment have limited effect in changing learning patterns. To bring about desired changes, all four domains of a learner – learning conceptions, motives, regulation and processing strategies, need to be addressed. This remains a challenge for institutions of higher learning and has implications for educational policy, curricula design and delivery, instructional approaches, assessments and other factors that impact the learner and the learning environment

Learning styles and barriers to learning perceived by adult students on campus

The purpose of this study was to ascertain if there was a relationship between learning styles and barriers to learning as perceived by adult students in higher education. The sample included 431 randomly selected students 25 years or older who were enrolled at the University of Northern Iowa. A three-part questionnaire, mailed to the students, consisted of the Barriers to Learning Index, Kolb\u27s Learning Style Inventory, and demographic questions;The Barriers to Learning Index developed by the researcher was a series of 43 (Likert type) statements which were reflective of the three dimensions (i.e., dispositional, institutional, and situational) of the barriers to learning concept. It was hypothesized that dispositional barriers, defined as negative psychological perceptions about oneself as a learner, would be more consuming, critical, and difficult to cope with than the more tangible situational and institutional barriers;Kolb\u27s Learning Style Inventory was used to examine the dominance of the adaptive learning modes. Kolb theorized that for students to be most effective learners they need to develop the capacity to learn using four adaptive modes: concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation. It was conjectured that students with dominant learning modes would have more difficulty coping with and adapting to the learning environment than would students with balanced learning modes;The findings in this study revealed no relationship between the adaptive learning modes and perceived barriers to learning. Future research using the LSI to measure this relationship should assess the dominance of specific learning style types using a larger and more diverse population. Alternative methodologies for assessing barriers to learning are needed before concluding that institutional and situational barriers are more problematic than dispositional barriers