Maximizing Competency Education and Blended Learning: Insights from Experts

In May 2014, CompetencyWorks brought together twenty-three technical assistance providers to examine their catalytic role in implementing next generation learning models, share each other's knowledge and expertise about blended learning and competency education, and discuss next steps to move the field forward with a focus on equity and quality. Our strategy maintains that by building the knowledge and networks of technical assistance providers, these groups can play an even more catalytic role in advancing the field. The objective of the convening was to help educate and level set the understanding of competency education and its design elements, as well as to build knowledge about using blended learning modalities within competency-based environments. This paper attempts to draw together the wide-ranging conversations from the convening to provide background knowledge for educators to understand what it will take to transform from traditional to personalized, competency-based systems that take full advantage of blended learning

Improving Assessment and Evaluation Strategies on Online Learning

ICLI is an annual International Conference on Learning Innovation (ICLI) hosted byUniversitas Negeri Malang, Indonesia in collaboration with the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) and Indonesian Consortium for Learning Innovation Research (ICLIR) as well as Univerisiti Teknologi MARA Cawangan Perlis, Malaysia serving as co-organizer this year. The conference aims to gather researchers, practitioners, students, experts, consultants, teachers and lecturers to share their insights and experiences on research not only in constructing innovations in learning but also the knowledge of learner’s capability. The learners who are characterized as creative and competent by having the ability to understand what they have learned and capable of taking initiative and thinking critically. In addition, ICLI is organized on the basis of the trend in the 21st century, categorized by the increasing complexity of technology and the emergence of a corporate restructuring movement. This book is the proceeding of ICLI 2021, containing a selection of articles presented at this conference as the output of the activity. Various topics around education are covered in this book and some literature studies around specific topics on learning and education are covered as well. This proceeding book will be beneficial to students, scholars, and practitioners who have a deep concern in education. It is also futuristic with a lot of practical insights for students, faculty, and practitioners, and also a description of the Indonesian educational system in today’s era

Flipped learning and threshold concepts in the Turbomachinery section of Fluid Engineering course

This paper outlines a practical intervention aiming to collect the effects of introducing flexible learning in engineering higher education. The work dis- cusses the implementation of the flipped classroom method and the threshold concepts in the Turbomachinery section of Fluid Engineering course in the third year of Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's degree) at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. Fluid Engineering is traditionally one of the hardest courses involving a complex interaction between understanding concepts and using those concepts in the solution of cases, which also require the devel- opment of a set of skills. This case study is centred on two student cohorts, and the research spans over two consecutive Fall semesters. The study is based on sound pedagogy of educational technologies, in practice, frequent student-to-instructor interaction, academic results, and statistical and survey analyses. A principal conclusion is that overall class performance is much higher than that of the previous courses. The results indicate that learners gained under- standing from semester to semester and no statistical significance was ob- served between group and exam format. Students were satisfied with the level of suitability and the degree of compliance of the new implementation and found it constructive in their learning process, an important educational benefit. This positive experience, in terms of benefit-cost and outcomes, en- courages the intervention without sacrificing any curriculum syllabus, but taking advantage and bringing the benefits of interactivity distance learning technologies and traditional face-to-face lectures. This scholarly research aims to contribute to this area, by abandoning traditional lecturing in favour of active learningPostprint (author's final draft

The effect of intensively using web-based resources on the performance and attitude of high school biology students

Includes bibliographical references

Offline or online?: EFL students’ perceptions on working in face-to-face and virtual learning modes

Given the intensified number of online learning activities and having inadequate knowledge to identify the details of how it was organized within increased students’ language learning ability; this study focused on identifying the students’ perceptions of learning in two different situations. This study investigated how students perceived working in a new learning mode (online learning activity) compared to the traditional or face-to-face learning mode (offline learning activity) in regards to the learning frameworks, including the depth and comprehensiveness of learning, appropriate length for learning, comfortability of learning, and flexibility of learning. Ten students were selected to be the participants of the current study; all of whom were sixth and eighth semester students at the Department of English Language Education of Universitas Islam Negeri Ar-Raniry Banda Aceh. They were served by several questions related to their experiences working on two different learning modes. The findings revealed that working in offline learning mode was still the common preference among the students and only a few of them preferred online learning. Even more interesting was the finding of one or two students who perceived no differences between participating in offline and online class learning activities. In addition, the findings also indicated that interaction between the course instructors and students still becomes a prominent element on the students’ satisfaction and comfort of learning. The students also suggested that the keys to their satisfactory learning experiences are access to learning materials and to their class instructors. To conclude, this study also provides new insights on what matters the most to the students’ learning experiences with respect to the current online learning trend.

Examining the Engagement and Academic Success of Students in Blended Science Classrooms

Many educators believe traditional learning environments need to be enhanced to be more engaging to students. New educational methods need to be dynamic and responsive to connect with today’s learners. One of the most popular new methods is blended learning, which combines dynamic online content with engaging face-to-face learning activities. This review of literature aims to explore the impacts this learning model has made in science classrooms. By changing the way that information is delivered to students, teachers are able to create more in-class learning opportunities for students. Students are able to practice more in the presence of their teacher, and classes can incorporate more hands-on learning. Although the initial set up of a blended classroom may take more time, there are positive outcomes for students

Technology Integration and Use in Elementary Mathematics Methods Courses for Pre-service Teachers

According to the National Educational Technology Plan 2010, technology should be incorporated into teaching methods courses and field experiences and not just in stand-alone technology courses. The teacher preparation programs would provide technology-based learning experiences to prepare pre-service teachers to effectively use technology to improve learning, assessment, and instructional practices. However, the problem is that graduate pre-service teacher preparation programs do not adequately prepare pre-service teachers to incorporate technology into their teaching. Furthermore, the teacher preparation programs lacked opportunities for the pre-service teachers to experience technology as learners beyond the stand-alone course in technology. Research shows the need for pre-service teachers to experience technology as learners so that they can use their knowledge to create learning environments of greater understanding in their future classrooms, specifically in the area of mathematics. Technological pedagogical content knowledge is knowledge of how to incorporate technology into the teaching of content to promote student learning (Koehler & Mishra, 2009). This study investigated the ways in which math methods courses that provide technology-based learning experiences for pre-service teachers enable them to gain the technological pedagogical content knowledge necessary for effective teaching. This study investigated two elementary methods courses where technology integration was in place. Informants included the instructors and pre-service teachers in each course. A qualitative multiple case study methodology utilizing observations of methods courses, interviews with faculty and pre-service teachers, and collection of teaching and learning artifacts was used. Additionally, this study focused on both the faculty and the students’ use of instructional technology for enhancing the teaching and learning. Furthermore, Massachusetts has a technology self-assessment tool that can be utilized by teachers to assess their own technology proficiency (Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, 2010). The criteria in Standard 3, Teaching and Learning with Technology, was used to assess the instructors. The analysis also described how faculty used and modeled instructional technology in the methods courses to enhance teaching and learning