On the relationship between student approaches to learning and the use of technology in blended learning environments: a cross-case study analysis

As blended learning becomes ever more pervasive in the context of technological advances claimed to enhance learning, it is important to evaluate the impact of these advances on the quality of student experiences. Early phenomenographic research in academic, face-to-face environments extracted qualitatively different characteristics of student approaches to learning and revealed associations between approaches to learning and the quality of learning outcomes. Relatively little, however, is currently known about the attributes of these approaches in blended learning environments where online facilitation and resources supplement face-to-face teaching. The thesis therefore aims to explore the relationship between student approaches to learning (deep, strategic, surface) and the use of technology in blended settings. The research question was addressed by conducting four case studies across distinct subject areas in a single higher education institution. The findings were analysed within each case study and subsequently across all four studies to expose their relatability. The results show that the existence of a student-centred approach to teaching can induce extended use of selected facilities in the online environment by students who adopt a deep approach. Similarly, a strategic approach can be consistent with higher level of online activity, provided that the teacher approach places significant emphasis on assessment and student achievement. The current cross-case analysis makes a two-fold contribution: firstly, it underlines the relational nature of student approaches to learning when using technology in blended learning settings; secondly, it indicates that teacher approaches to teaching in the face-to-face context can impact more on student approaches to learning online than any features of the technology per se. The implications of these assertions are discussed in terms of disciplinarity, teaching and programme design, and the quality of student experiences in a changing university landscape

Assessing with e-Ase

The Educational Development Unit have produced a guide to assist academic staff in transforming assessment practices underpinned by technology. 'Assessing with e-Ase' highlights how technology combined with sound pedagogy has the potential to enhance the student experience of learning, teaching and assessment. Drawing on the experiences, knowledge and understanding of the e-assessment project at Middlesex University, it offers a consideration of contextual, procedural and logistical factors that may impact when using e-assessment practices. Key issues for consideration when developing and implementing e-assessment are included along with the part played by policy and strategy. Examples of departmental case studies, an outline of the support available to staff and links to resources that may provide useful additional information are also included

How Architecture and Engineering Students Conceptualize Design Creation: Report of a Pilot Study

This study uses phenomenographic research methodologies to identify qualitatively different ways engineering and architecture students conceptualize design creation; it seeks to discover if and how their conceptualizations of design creation relate to their conceptualizations of knowledge generation. This work extends prior research by King and Kitchener (1994) and others (Baxter Magolda, 1992; Belenky, Clinchy, Goldberger, & Tarule, 1986; Hofer & Pintrich, 2002; Perry, 1970) about the ways students develop increasingly sophisticated ways of: understanding and conceptualizing knowledge; sources of truth; how to evaluate various opinions and points-of-view; and ways to assess truthfulness and validity of new ideas. This project stems from the proposition that this development process manifests itself somewhat differently in fields that deal with physical sciences than in those grounded in the social sciences—the realm where these theories were established and defined. King and Kitchener (1994) have shown that conceptualizations of knowledge vary from one field to the next, yet little if any work has been done to assess and compare patterns of conceptualizations in the fields of architecture and engineering. Many national regulatory boards urge engineering to change its educational practices to elicit high levels of student engagement and self-directed learning, and achieve outputs more like those associated with architectural education. An extensive report by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (Boyer and Mitgang, 1996) was conducted on behalf of the five organizations regulating the education and practice of architecture in the USA. That report described very high levels of student learning and engagement and recommended that the methods used to teach architecture be transferred for use in more fields. The current study provides additional understanding of this topic, identifying the various concepts that architecture students hold about knowledge and design as well as how these conceptualizations are both similar and different to engineering students’ conceptualizations. An outcome of this study is increased understanding about aspects of the learning experience and the learning environment that capture students’ attention and elicit their engagement. With this knowledge, educators can do more to encourage reflection, exploration, and self-directed learning among students. This is a work in progress, and the first phase has been a pilot study. This paper reports results of the pilot as well as the context, rationale, and design of the overall study. The pilot was the first step in a study seeking to provide new understandings: (1) spanning multiple professions; (2) identifying the various concepts that architecture and engineering students hold about the generation of new designs; and (3) describing how these conceptualizations compare within and between fields. The second phase will use phenomenographic methodologies to identify qualitatively different ways engineering and architecture students conceptualize knowledge and design. To date, the study has been designed and has gained approval to proceed from our ethics review board. Three pilot interviews have been conducted and these have been used to adjust the research design and widen the parameters for the sample group. The research team secured ethics approval for the proposed changes. This paper describes the overall design of the study and what was learned from the pilot interviews

Capability as a concept in advanced practice nursing and education: a scoping review

Objective: The objective of this review was to map the literature about the concept of capability in advanced practice nursing education and practice to achieve greater clarity on the concept and its application. Introduction: Advanced practice nursing roles make up a growing segment of the global nursing workforce. Capability has been proposed as an overarching description of the attributes of advanced practice nursing roles within complex workplace environments. Capability includes knowing how to learn, and the ability to creatively integrate prior knowledge, skills, judgment, and experience in both new and familiar situations. Inclusion criteria: This review looked at the literature about capability applied to advanced practice nursing in any setting globally. We were guided by the International Council of Nurses’ definition of advanced practice nursing, which includes nurses with both graduate education and an expanded scope of practice. Drawing from an initial review of the literature, we used a working definition of capability, which was a combination of knowledge, skills, experience, and competencies that enables advanced practice nurses to provide appropriate care for patients in both known and unfamiliar clinical settings. We included literature about individual capability as a concept in any setting related to advanced practice nursing and education. Methods: We searched 18 electronic databases and included qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods study design methodologies, reviews, and reports. The gray literature search included policy and practice documents from the World Health Organization, the International Council of Nursing, and websites of 48 nursing and health organizations. Two reviewers independently completed title and abstract screening prior to full-text review and data extraction. Conflicts were resolved via discussion or with a third reviewer. Extraction was completed by 2 reviewers using a piloted data extraction tool. Articles published in English from 1975 to the present were included. Sources in languages other than English were not included in the review due to the difficulties in accurately translating the concept of capability. Results: Thirty-five sources were included in the review with publication dates from 2000 to 2023. Most sources originated from Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America. Sources included frameworks and clinical guidelines, peer-reviewed articles, and gray literature. Capability was discussed in a range of settings, including specialized clinical roles. Applications of capability in educational settings included the use of capability frameworks to guide nurse practitioner education, nursing practice doctorates, and postgraduate nurse practitioner training. Definitions of capability, where provided, were relatively consistent. Capability was proposed as a distinguishing characteristic of advanced practice nursing, as a descriptor of clinical proficiency that moved beyond competency, and as a framework that accounted for complexity in health care settings. Conclusions: Capability was used as a concept and framework to describe advanced practice nursing within complex practice environments that necessitate flexible approaches. Capability frameworks were applied holistically and to specific areas of practice or education, including in pre- and postgraduate advanced practice nursing education. Strategies for teaching and learning capability focused on flexibility, student-directed learning, and development of flexible learning pathways. Supplemental digital content: A Norwegian-language version of this abstract of this review is available: http:// links.lww.com/SRX/A58 Keywords: capability framework; complexity; knowing how to learn; scoping review; self-efficac

On the relationship between students’ approaches to learning and use of technology in higher education

As blended learning becomes ever more pervasive in higher education in the context of wider technological advances that claim to enhance student learning, it becomes increasingly important to evaluate these claims as well as the impact of these advances on student learning

'Constructive alignment' and learning technologies: some implications for the quality of teaching and learning in higher education

This panel presentation focuses on the concept of 'constructive alignment' for teaching and learning in higher education, with particular reference to its application in the use of learning technologies. It initially draws upon preliminary research findings which indicate that students may often be confused by discrepancies in the structure of learning provision in higher education institutions. The basic principles of the concept are outlined and recent contributions are reviewed. It is proposed that awareness of the wider learning context and continuous reflection are essential in pursuing desirable learning outcomes through the use of learning technologies

Creating E-portfolio with OSP

The paper describes the usefulness of e-portfolios for students, teachers, administrators and human resource personnel for learning, assessment and employment purposes. It is important to carefully look into the theoretical underpinning of the concept of e- portfolio before implementing it. Hands on experience with the OSP platform expected to provide information about the possible use of e-portfolios