11 research outputs found
Enhancing Mathematics Learning Through Peer Assessment Using Mobile Tablet Based Solutions
Higher education is facing unprecedented challenges with an increasing demand for
high quality education, driven by tougher global competition. Student numbers are
fast growing at most universities, whereas the sources of funding are not proportionally
increasing. Subsequently, the teaching staff’s workload gets higher and higher
hence putting the quality standards at risk. As class sizes increase, it becomes more
difficult to learn in a highly teacher-controlled environment, since the teacher cannot
sufficiently address individual student’s needs. Therefore, a teacher should be
conceptually seen as a facilitator for students, who provides them with guidance
and opportunities to explore and make sense of their subjects of study.
Sustainable quality education requires novel approaches to teaching and learning,
to provide the best education with a minimum amount of resources. For instance,
students should be encouraged to be more active in their learning rather
than being passive receivers of the instruction. This study calls for a fundamental
shift from instructionism (a teacher focussed educational practice) towards constructivism
(a student focussed educational practice); keeping in mind that a combination
of both practices may be needed in certain cases. In addition to adopting the
appropriate educational praxis, innovations in educational technology can further
enhance the learning experience.
Mobile media tablets are gaining popularity with university students as technology
matures. Besides communication and digital media consumption as their primary
functions, the latest mobile media tablets can also be used for data production
and processing in teaching and learning contexts. This work revisits the practice of
peer assessment as a means of formative assessment. Based on user centred design
principles, engineering students at the University of Agder (Norway) and Kigali Institute
of Science and Technology (Rwanda) were involved in developing a media
tablet technology supported peer assessment system. The students’ role in system
development is reported as well as their active learning through peer assessment
of mathematics assignments. Results of the experimental study generally showed
improvements in the technical usability of the system throughout the development
cycle.
Analysis of the pedagogical usability criteria suggests that there are possible
learning gains of using such a system. The findings indicate that peer feedback has
a potential to improve students’ learning achievement and that media tablets hold a
promising solution in learning mathematics and related subjects. Furthermore, the
challenges of implementing effective peer assessment systems supported by new
information and communication technology are discussed
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Using Assessment for Learning Mathematics with Mobile Tablet Based Solutions
This article discusses assessment for learning in mathematics subjects. Teachers of large classes face the challenge of regularly assessing studentsཿ ongoing mathematical learning achievements. Taking the complexity of assessment and feedback for learning as a background, we have developed a new approach to the assessment for learning mathematics at university level. We devised mobile tablet technology supported assessment processes, and we carried out user studies in both Rwanda and Norway. Results of our study indicated that students found it fruitful to be involved in assessing other studentsཿ mathematics work, i.e. assessing fellow studentsཿ answers to mathematical tasks. By being involved in the assessment process, the students expected mathematical learning gains. Their providing and obtaining of feedback to/from their fellow students using technology supported tools were highly appreciated as regards their own mathematical learning process
Learning Groups in MOOCs: Lessons for Online Learning in Higher Education
when there is interaction within online learning groups, meaningful learning is achieved. Motivating and sustaining effective student interactions requires planning, coordination and implementation of curriculum, pedagogy and technology. For our aim to understand online learning group processes to identify effective online learning group mechanisms, comparative analysis was used on a massive open online course (MOOC) run in 2015 and 2016. Qualitative (interaction on the platform) and quantitative (survey) methods were used. The findings revealed several possible ways to improve online learning group processes. This paper concludes that course organization helped in increasing individual participation in the groups. Motivation by peers helped to increase sustainability of interaction in the learning groups. Applying these mechanisms in higher education can make online learning groups more effective
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