Innovating Pedagogy 2015: Open University Innovation Report 4

This series of reports explores new forms of teaching, learning and assessment for an interactive world, to guide teachers and policy makers in productive innovation. This fourth report proposes ten innovations that are already in currency but have not yet had a profound influence on education. To produce it, a group of academics at the Institute of Educational Technology in The Open University collaborated with researchers from the Center for Technology in Learning at SRI International. We proposed a long list of new educational terms, theories, and practices. We then pared these down to ten that have the potential to provoke major shifts in educational practice, particularly in post-school education. Lastly, we drew on published and unpublished writings to compile the ten sketches of new pedagogies that might transform education. These are summarised below in an approximate order of immediacy and timescale to widespread implementation

Horizon Report Europe - 2014 Schools Edition

The NMC Horizon Project from the New Media Consortium is a long-term investigation launched in 2002 that identifies and describes emerging technologies likely to have a large impact over the coming five years in education around the globe. The NMC Horizon Report Europe: 2014 Schools Edition, the first of its kind for Europe, examines six key trends, six significant challenges and six important developments in educational technology that are very likely to impact educational change processes in European schools over the next five years (2014-2018). The topics within each section were carefully selected by the Horizon Project Europe Expert Panel, a body of 53 experts in European education, technology, and other fields. They come from 22 European countries, as well as international organisations and European networks. Throughout the report, references and links are made to more than 150 European publications (reports, articles, policy documents, blog posts etc.), projects (both EU-funded and national initiatives) and various policy initiatives from all over Europe. The Creative Classrooms multidimensional framework, developed by European Commission’s JRC-IPTS on behalf of DG EAC, was used for analysing the trends, challenges and technologies impacting European schools over the next five years. The analysis reveals that a systemic approach is needed for integrating new technologies in European schools and impacting educational change over the next five years.JRC.J.3-Information Societ

“Learning on a chip:” Microfluidics for formal and informal science education

© 2019 Author(s). Microfluidics is a technique for the handling of small volumes of liquids on the order of picoliters to nanoliters and has impact for miniaturized biomedical science and fundamental research. Because of its multi- and interdisciplinary nature (i.e., combining the fields of biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering), microfluidics offers much potential for educational applications, both at the university level as well as primary and secondary education. Microfluidics is also an ideal "tool" to enthuse and educate members of the general public about the interdisciplinary aspects of modern sciences, including concepts of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics subjects such as (bio)engineering, chemistry, and biomedical sciences. Here, we provide an overview of approaches that have been taken to make microfluidics accessible for formal and informal learning. We also point out future avenues and desired developments. At the extreme ends, we can distinguish between projects that teach how to build microfluidic devices vs projects that make various microscopic phenomena (e.g., low Reynolds number hydrodynamics, microbiology) accessible to learners and the general public. Microfluidics also enables educators to make experiments low-cost and scalable, and thereby widely accessible. Our goal for this review is to assist academic researchers working in the field of microfluidics and lab-on-a-chip technologies as well as educators with translating research from the laboratory into the lecture hall, teaching laboratory, or public sphere

Wunderkammers: Powerful Metaphors for ‘Tangible’ Experiential Knowledge Building

The paper identifies the need to support powerful metaphors that capture innovations of new emerging human computer interaction (HCI) technologies and innovative question and answering (Q&A) systems in the context of spatial learning and inquiry-based learning in education. Aim/goals of the research: Explore the potential of ‘Wunderkammer’ (curiosity cabinet) as a powerful metaphor to design new types of learning experiences catering for an ecology of artefacts (real or virtual objects) to provide a holistic context for educators to share and extend learning in action. Conclusions: We provide insight into the emergence of smart interactive objects with different types of sensors that can potentially support everyday life and the increasing access to new visual experiences through augment reality and virtual reality, for new types of tangible knowledge building that can be personalised and shared. This reshaping of human centred design and creating new experiences through tangible creations that externalize in real time and through new materials, the creative power of the ‘imaginations of movement’ provides new user experience design thinking through the concept of powerful metaphors, to provide core design requirements where the blending of worlds is common place

State-of-the-art analysis of the pedagogical underpinnings of open science, citizen science and open innovation activities

The document corresponds to O2A1 of the INOS Project. This state-of-theart analysis elaborates on the current state of knowledge on learning design in open science, citizen science, and innovation activities, in order to improve their pedagogical value. This includes reporting on the different types of activities, the learning design of these activities, and the learning outcomes of these activities

Advances in Technology Enhanced Learning

‘Advances in Technology Enhanced Learning’ presents a range of research projects which aim to explore how to make engagement in learning (and teaching) more passionate. This interactive and experimental resource discusses innovations which pave the way to open collaboration at scale. The book introduces methodological and technological breakthroughs via twelve chapters to learners, instructors, and decision-makers in schools, universities, and workplaces. The Open University's Knowledge Media Institute and the EU TELMap project have brought together the luminaries from the European research area to showcase their vision of the future of learning with technology via their recent research project work. The projects discussed range widely over the Technology Enhanced Learning area from: environments for responsive open learning, work-based reflection, work-based social creativity, serious games and many more

Examining the Impact of Student-Generated Screencasts on Middle School Science Students’ Interactive Modeling Behaviors, Inquiry Learning, and Conceptual Development

Student activities involving screencast production can serve as scaffolds to enhance inquiry behavior, heighten explanation development, and encourage the connection of conceptual ideas developed by eighth grade science students engaged in interactive computer modeling. Screencast recordings enabled students to simultaneously combine their narrative explanations with a visual record of their computer modeling activity. Students (n=210) generated numerous screencasts and written explanations during an online exploration regarding global climate change. The quasi-experimental design used in this study prompted student groups in four classrooms to screencast their final explanations concerning their modeling activity, while groups in the four control classrooms used a text entry tool to provide their explanations. Results indicated that student groups constructing screencast explanations spent 72% more time with the model (t=7.13, p<.001, d=2.23) and spoke an average of 131 words compared to the 44 written by control classroom groups (t=3.15, p=.002, d=0.99). Screencast groups were 42% more likely to describe their inquiry behavior activity when prompted by two design components developed to measure on-task behavior (t=2.89, p=.003, d=0.90). Knowledge integration was also heightened as 24% of the screencast groups provided scientifically normative ideas to support their explanations compared to less than 5% of the text entry groups

Investigating the Experience of Water: A Case Study of Teaching and Learning in Elementary School Science

Limited research has been done on the implementation of experiential learning to align with science and engineering practices. This research project developed an instrumental case study to examine the efficacy of an experiential education framework for teaching and learning water science and engineering practices in the elementary science classroom. This study investigates the process of a practicing scientist mentoring a 6th grade elementary science teacher and their participation in professional development activities, strategies used for preparation and practice, classroom implementation, and the consequences of student learning with two sections of science students. Data collection and analysis of teacher background surveys, unit plans provided by the teacher, classroom and field observations, and a semi-structured interview were data sources for the study. Student evidence was collected from pre/post drawing assessments, pre/posttests, reflections, and student artifacts. The findings indicated that personal, intensive long term professional development sessions had an impact on the teacher’s practice, where she was able to use the experiential framework as a guiding principle to create an outdoor and classroom-based unit on water in Earth systems. In her practice, she was able to use the framework to create analogies to make connections between natural water filtration and classroom models, and she used an integrated approach to discuss engineering and filter design. The scientist-teacher mentorship resulted in an increase in the teacher’s confidence and ability to teach elementary science topics on water science. Students’ conceptual understanding of water cycle components and processes progressed over the course of the unit from atmospheric level to subsurface level interactions. Students achieved an understanding of physical properties of matter and hydrogeological concepts of permeability and porosity. Students were able to understand systems thinking and developed dynamic thinking. Implications of this study indicate that the experiential learning framework is an effective pedagogical tool for teachers to introduce science and engineering practices as specified in the K-12 Framework. Using this framework, the classroom teacher was able to complete practices for planning and carrying out investigations, developing and using models, analyzing and interpreting data, and constructing and designing solutions