The Future of Virtual Classroom: Using Existing Features to Move Beyond Traditional Classroom Limitations

This paper argues that the true potential of virtual classrooms in education is not fully exploited yet. The features available in most environments that have been incorporated as virtual classrooms are classified into two groups. The first group includes common features, related only to the emulation of a traditional classroom. In this group, the practical differences between traditional and virtual classroom are discussed. In addition, best practices that could aid the professors to make students feel like participating in a typical classroom are presented. The second group comprises of advanced features and practices, which extend the traditional classroom. In this group, examples of successful practices which could not be performed in a traditional classroom are introduced. Finally, a qualitative study with interviews of 21 experts from 15 countries is presented, showing that even these experts are not fully exploiting the advanced features that contemporary virtual classroom environments are offering.Comment: 8 pages, IMCL2017 Conference, Thessaloniki, Greec

Ghana coastal fisheries governance dialogue: Presentations, discussions and outcomes from a stakeholder forum on issues for reforming governance of Ghana’s coastal fisheries

This meeting, the second national Fisheries Governance Dialogue, aimed to help stakeholders in the fisheries sector generate a shared understanding of critical lessons and pathways for fisheries co-management success in Ghana. This was a direct response to the call from both fisheries communities and the government of Ghana for a radical change from the way fisheries resources are currently being managed. The meeting was attended by 60 men and women from stakeholder organizations and communities, and commenced with presentations on co-management experiences from local, regional and international participants. This was followed by panel discussions to extract lessons that specifically related to successfully implementing co-management in Ghana’s fisheries. Finally, breakout groups addressed in greater detail some issues of importance to fisheries governance reform in Ghana. While fisheries co-management is not a new concept in Ghana, participants heard that previous attempts to initiate these systems proved unsustainable. A number of lessons were drawn from these past experiences

Resource Review: Breakout EDU

Game-based learning is becoming an increasingly popular pedagogical technique for providing engaging learning experiences for youth. The Breakout EDU platform provides an opportunity to bring game-based learning into formal and non-formal learning environments using an escape-room-like approach while teaching specific subject areas and building life skills. There are more than 1,500 ready-made games for teaching a variety of topic areas, from science and math to team building, in any learning context. It also provides resources and tools to support youth development professionals in creating their own games. This review provides an overview of Breakout EDU and its kit and digital platform components and offers considerations for youth development professionals

School buildings for the 21st century. Some features of new school buildings in Iceland

The aim of this study is to identify features of change in the recent design of school buildings in Iceland, and how they might affect teaching practices. Environmental and architectonic features characterizing school buildings designed and built at the beginning of the 21st century are examined in light of challenges involving architecture, educational ideology, school policy and digital technology. The sample for the study consists of 20 schools located in four municipalities. Four of the school buildings were developed and built in this century, while the other 16 were designed in the 20th century. The design of all of the buildings was explored and reviewed by a multidisciplinary team. Data was collected by observations and photography at each school site, as well as by reviewing technical documents. The relationship between school design and school practices was studied through a questionnaire survey among all teachers, in order to find out whether teachers working in new environments differ from teachers in more traditional classroom settings. The results indicate a clear shift in the design of educational buildings. Flexibility, flow, openness and teamwork seem to guide recent school design. Clusters of classrooms or open spaces, transparent or movable boundaries, as well as shared spaces allowing for manifold interactions in flexible groups seem to be replacing traditional classrooms along confining corridors. Teachers working in open classroom environments collaborate more often than their counterparts. Teaching practices are also characterised by more opportunities for pupils to choose between tasks and enjoy more variation regarding group division and workspace arrangements. (DIPF/Orig.

LOEX 2012 Conference Report: Columbus, OH

Summary of plenary and breakout sessions of the 40th annual LOEX conference in Columbus, Ohio on May 3-5, 2012

Digital Escape Game: Breaking out of a mathematical medley

The Escape Room phenomena began in Japan in 2007. The premise of an Escape Room is that ‘players’ are locked inside a room and, in order to escape, they must solve a range of puzzles, riddles, and open mechanisms and locks inside a given timeframe. While the educational affordances of an escape room have been and continue to be explored (see for example Brown, Darby & Coronel, 2019) the grandeur and physical complexities required to set up an escape room mean than it is not a sustainable option for the average classroom teacher or smaller tertiary courses. The Escape Game, however, is played on a smaller scale with portable (often mostly printable) resources with players aiming to either break into something (a toolbox for example) by solving riddles, puzzles and opening locks within a given timeframe. The logistical ease of set up and iterability mean that the escape game format is becoming increasingly popular across all sectors of education—from young primary school learners to tertiary tauira (see for example Yachin, & Barak, 2019).  A successful example of the escape game movement in education is Breakout EDU (see for example Detwiler, Jacobson, & O’Brien, 2018). In addition to being a platform that provides resources to create your own and use other educator-made physical breakout games, Breakout EDU also provide members with a digital escape game creator and online repository. It was the Breakout EDU digital game format that was used as the mediating artefact in this case study.  A digital escape game, Mathematical Medley, was created for educators undertaking a postgraduate mathematics education course. The game was embedded into the course’s learning management system and activated at a certain time point for tauira to complete in groups or individually (as they chose). The purpose  of the study was to explore how a digital escape game might promote the learning of mathematical content (subject knowledge); and how a digital escape game might enable the use and development of key competencies and mathematical processes. An overview of the escape game, purpose, findings and implications of using the mediating artefact will be shared during the presentation of this case study

A systematic literature review on synchronous hybrid learning : gaps identified

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Integrating Immersive Experiences to Instruction through BreakoutEDU: Lessons Learned

This study employed an escape room motif to engage students to use information literacy course material to solve puzzles. Students practiced research techniques in a classroom environment that bypassed their expectations of traditional course instruction. Instructor objectives were to increase student engagement with the course material, and to foster teamwork among students in a cooperative learning environment. Authors initially obtained 9 kits from Breakout EDU, a company specializing in immersive games. Games were devised for three of the course units, with each unit identifying 4-5 information literacy skills or concepts. The puzzles were focused on reinforcement of the key concepts. After each escape room class session, students completed a short survey. At the end of the semester students completed another survey about their experiences. Over 80% of students indicated the games helped them understand course concepts. Comparisons of final grades in the gamified courses with previous, non-gamified courses revealed that students achieved more A’s and fewer D’s and F’s in the gamified courses.  Future directions for study include flipping game design to student groups, and further analysis of correlations between concepts learned through traditional teaching techniques and those learned in Breakout EDU classes.