FRAMEWORK FOR DEVELOPING INTELLECTUAL SKILLS USING COLLABORATIVE LEARNING TOOLS: THE EXPERTS’ CONSENSUS

Background and Purpose: Students in higher education need intellectual skills for critical thinking, problem-solving and creating new knowledge. Social interactions during collaborative learning (CL) encourage these cognitive processes. However, instructors lack the skill to develop intellectual skills using appropriate pedagogy and CL tools. Hence, this study seeks to develop a framework for developing intellectual skills.   Methodology: The Fuzzy Delphi Method (FDM) was employed to identify and determine consensus on elements to teach intellectual skills among 16 panel of experts in educational technology and continuous professional development. In the first round, semi-structured interviews were conducted among four experts and the themes emerging from the interviews were used to develop the FDM questionnaire. The questionnaire was used in the second round of the FDM to determine consensus among the experts based on calculations of the defuzzification value.   Findings: The consensus among the experts is that resources for teaching intellectual skills are videos, interactive slides, animation/graphics and quizzes while the corresponding assessments are student-generated contents (i.e videos, infographic posters, interactive slides and designed products).   Contribution: The framework with the instructional strategies, resources and assessment provides a guideline for instructors to plan instruction for developing intellectual skills and generating new knowledge. Keywords: intellectual skills, collaborative learning, collaborative learning tools, Fuzzy Delphi, Merrill’s First Principles of Instruction   Cite as: Vasodavan, V., DeWitt, D., & Alias, N. (2021). Framework for developing intellectual skills using collaborative learning tools: The experts’ consensus.  Journal of Nusantara Studies, 6(1), 284-308. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol6iss1pp284-30

The need for Technical Communication for 21st Century Learning in TVET Institutions: Perceptions of Industry Experts

Skills-based institutions have been training students to communicate in English in the automotive industry. However, there does not seem much research on communications skills needed among employees in the automotive industry in Malaysia. Hence, this study investigates the opinions of experts in the automotive industry to determine the expectations on graduates’ technical communication competency. An interpretive qualitative approach was employed where interviews with five experts from different backgrounds in the automotive industry, was conducted. These experts were selected from a specific criterion to ensure they had supervised graduate interns. The transcripts of their interviews were analyzed thematically. The industry experts mainly emphasized the lack of technical communication language skills among graduates and the need for transferable skills related to technical communication. The experts also stressed that collaboration between the industry and training institutions was needed to develop pedagogical modules for technical communication for the automotive industry. Hence, skill-based institutions should collaborate with the industry to identify current needs in the industry in order to prepare graduates for the workplace. The implication of this study is on the need for graduates to have technical communication to be relevant to industry

Framework for technical communication skills content development for students in Malaysian Vocational Colleges: a fuzzy delphi study

Developing technical communication is vital to ensure employability of graduates in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions. However, limited studies are available to guide its development in Malaysian Vocational Colleges. Hence, this study is aimed at proposing a framework for technical communication development for effective implementation in Malaysian Vocational Colleges. This study employs Fuzzy Delphi Method (FDM) with 17 experts from industry and TVET institutions in identifying the prominent content of learning for technical communication skills development of students in Malaysian Vocational Colleges. Generally, the findings suggest that all clusters of technical communication skills (oral technical, written technical, interpersonal and researching skills) are important to be emphasised as the content of learning, with a high percentage of agreement (>75%). However, a number of items under Content of Learning components were omitted. For instance, two items under Oral Technical Communication, eight items under Written Technical Communication, two items under Interpersonal and one item under Researching Skills achieved percentage of agreement below 75%. The proposed framework is a relevant reference in introducing technical communication in Malaysian Vocational Colleges

A Problem-Solving Flipped Classroom Module: Developing Problem-solving Skills among Culinary Arts Students

Problem-solving skills are important at the workplace in Culinary Arts for initiating innovative and creative solutions. However, graduates from community colleges in Malaysia seem to have only average level of problem-solving skills, while instructors do not seem to emphasise developing problem-solving skills when conducting lessons. Hence, providing more opportunities in solving real-world problems for work is required. A Flipped Classroom approach begins with activities conducted with video lectures on key concepts and gatekeeper quizzes to be completed before class and in-class phase spent on applying concepts learned before class using problem-solving activities. In this study, a Problem-Solving Flipped Classroom (PSFC) module designed for students in the Culinary Arts programme in a Malaysian Community College based on Merrill’s First Principles of Instruction and the Cognitive Apprenticeship framework was employed and implemented among 30 first-semester students and one participating instructor in a selected Community College. The single group pretest and post test quasi-experimental design was used to investigate the effectiveness of the PSFC module for learning and problem solving. Using t-test analysis, the findings indicated that the students had significant learning gains and improvement in problem-solving skills after using the module. Hence, the PSFC module could be used in Culinary Arts at other Community Colleges and TVET institutions to improve problem-solving skills among Culinary Arts students. This is to ensure a significant amount of instruction at Community Colleges include problem-solving instruction using authentic tasks at a level suitable for students to acquire problem-solving skills required in the workforce

Development of a module for collaborative technology pedagogy content knowledge (TPACK) among undergraduates

The availability of new digital technologies In the 21st century requires educators to transform their Instructional practices. However, traditional lectures may be less relevant In developing skills of collaboration and integrating technology, which are skills required at the workplace. Instead, Instructors require technology pedagogy content knowledge (TPACK) which allows for development of collaborative skills and enriching experiences for learning with technology. This research attempts to develop a collaborative TPACK module for undergraduate students in a Bachelors of Counselling programme in the Faculty of Education. The module was developed based on the needs analysis of the students enrolled in the programme, and input from experts In the fields of counselling and instructional technology. The module was developed to Investigate how students match different domains of content knowledge with different technology applications for collaboration white they engaged in completing a project. The findings Indicate that the collaborative TPACK module could improve collaboration and TPACK. This indicate's that there Is a possibility that this instructional model could be applied to develop TPACK among instructors in different disciplines. Further research could be conducted to determine if academics from other institutions could also improve their TPACK based on this model

Development of a module for collaborative technology pedagogy content knowledge (TPACK) among undergraduates

The availability of new digital technologies In the 21st century requires educators to transform their Instructional practices. However, traditional lectures may be less relevant In developing skills of collaboration and integrating technology, which are skills required at the workplace. Instead, Instructors require technology pedagogy content knowledge (TPACK) which allows for development of collaborative skills and enriching experiences for learning with technology. This research attempts to develop a collaborative TPACK module for undergraduate students in a Bachelors of Counselling programme in the Faculty of Education. The module was developed based on the needs analysis of the students enrolled in the programme, and input from experts In the fields of counselling and instructional technology. The module was developed to Investigate how students match different domains of content knowledge with different technology applications for collaboration white they engaged in completing a project. The findings Indicate that the collaborative TPACK module could improve collaboration and TPACK. This indicate's that there Is a possibility that this instructional model could be applied to develop TPACK among instructors in different disciplines. Further research could be conducted to determine if academics from other institutions could also improve their TPACK based on this model

Impact of Video on Learning in Students with Autism in Malaysia: Future Prospects

AbstractUse of video in Malaysia is seen as having a bright future because technology development is expanding even more now. Thirty articles related to use of video on students with autism have been investigated. Only 12 articles have been selected as appropriate for use as references for this study. This article looks at the future prospects of impact of video on learning of students with autism in Malaysia. The focus of this study is the use of video by experts, identifying behavior of students with autism in their use of video and determining the limitations of video and ways to overcome them. This study uses the Fuzzy Delphi approach to achieve consensus of experts on the focus of study. The findings show that usage of video is extremely effective on students with autism besides shaping the behavior desired. Although video has its limitations, these can be overcome in various ways as suggested by the experts and researchers

Design of an instructional module on Basic Life Support for homeschooled children PUBLIC INTEREST STATEMENT

Abstract: Basic Life Support (BLS) can increase a victim's chances of survival when administered promptly and correctly. Cardiac and respiratory arrests occur more frequently when the victim is at home far from clinical support. Hence, prompt action by family members trained in BLS can save the victim's life. In this study, the requirements for the design of a module for teaching BLS as an important life skill to homeschooled children is investigated using Taba's model of curriculum design. The Fuzzy Delphi technique was used to obtain consensus among 10 experts for the design, content, strategies, activities and assessment for the instructional module. The experts agreed that BLS should be taught to children above 15 years, with content focusing on the techniques of proper chest compression, rescue breath and rescue of drowning victims. The findings indicate that the preferred strategies were observation of demonstrations and hands-on return demonstrations with activities using manikins to simulate emergency scenarios. The preferred methods of assessment were practical demonstrations, multiple choice questions and online assessment. The findings provide insights for the design of a BLS module which could be developed for homeschooled children. PUBLIC INTEREST STATEMENT This article is useful for determining aspects of knowledge, skill and delivery of instruction for Basic Life Support (BLS) and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) which may be taught to children outside of the school context. This is a necessary life skill which will enable students to save the lives of adults requiring this emergency procedure. This research can provide input for parents, curriculum developers, educational institutions, members of the public and other stakeholders on important aspects such as the age when BLS should be taught to children, and the components, strategies, activities and assessment approaches which are appropriate to be taught

Problem-Solving Strategies Among Culinary Arts Students in Community Colleges

Culinary Arts is an area in Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) where students need to possess problem-solving skills besides having fundamental subject matter knowledge and hands-on skills required for the technical aspects of cooking. The key components for learning to solve problems are analogizing, modelling, reasoning causally, and arguing. The development of these strategies will assist students in completing numerous cognitive tasks. However, little research has been done which provide information on the level of these skills in the context of students at Community Colleges, particularly among Culinary Arts students. Drawing from a survey data, the paper examines problem-solving skills of 831 Culinary Arts students, most of whom were aged 18-24, from eleven Community Colleges offering Certificate in Culinary Arts Programme throughout Malaysia. The analysis results revealed that students had only medium level of problem-solving skills. The finding is of great significance as knowing the level of problem-solving skills of Culinary Arts students is essential before designing a suitable intervention for them. Specifically, the findings can be used to justify the design of new learning environments towards developing problem-solving skills more effectively