Distance education in the teacher education program of Zimbabwe

This research project was conducted using qualitative and quantitative methods to describe the distance education component of the Zimbabwean teacher education program. There were three objectives of the project. The first was to design and implement a workshop for faculty of Zimbabwean teachers\u27 colleges. The second was to produce, from that workshop, a written proceedings detailing the critical issues in Zimbabwean distance education. The third objective was to create a comprehensive description of the distance education component of the Zimbabwean teacher education program. A model, the Triad Perspective Model of Distance Education (TPMDE), was created from the three theoretical bases of curriculum development theory, systems theory, and adoption and diffusion of innovations theory. This multi-dimensional model was used to provide frames of reference for examining the Zimbabwean distance education program. There were five program recommendations offered as a result of this study. These were: (1) Create a Zimbabwean Commission for Distance Education, (2) Conduct regularly scheduled program evaluations, (3) Emphasize applied (as opposed to theoretical) education in the distance education print modules, (4) Increase the leadership role of the University of Zimbabwe in the area of distance education, and (5) Create Distance Education Departments within each teachers\u27 college. It was further suggested that future research be conducted using the TPMDE as both a descriptive tool as well as a design tool for building distance education programs

Educational games as a motivational tool: Considerations on their potential and limitations

There is considerable interest in leveraging video games to support students’ motivation. This involves employment of educational (serious) and entertainment games. However, while evidence indicates that games can enhance learning outcomes, doubts persist about whether they retain their enjoyable character in formal learning contexts. This study was carried out within the H2020 Gaming Horizons project, which involved a review of academic literature on the role of games in society, as well as 73 semi-structured interviews with relevant stakeholders, including players and educators, investigating their positions on game-related issues. The interviews suggested that players tend to view game-based learning – and specifically serious games at school – with scepticism. This is partly attributable to the perception that serious games have lower production values than entertainment games, and that gaming, as a voluntary, self-driven activity, clashes with the structured nature of school. Some educators reported individual and gender differences in the motivating power of games. However, the use of entertainment games to foster learning outcomes was seen favourably. Two focus groups devoted to the issue highlighted the need for carefully tailoring the gaming experience to both context and student, and the importance of developing a sustainable business model for enhancing serious games quality

Identifying objectives for a learning space management system with value-focused thinking.

A classroom with a blackboard and some rows of desks is obsolete in special education. Depending on the needs, some students may need more tactile and inspiring surroundings with various pedagogical accessories while others benefit from a simplified environment without unnecessary stimuli. This understanding is applied to a new Finnish special education school building with open and adaptable learning spaces. We have joined the initiative creation process by developing software support for these new spaces in the form of a learning space management system. Participatory design and value-focused thinking were implemented to elicit the actual values of all the stakeholders involved and transform them into software implementation objectives. This paper reports interesting insights about the elicitation process of the objectives

Distance education in the teacher education program of Zimbabwe

This research project was conducted using qualitative and quantitative methods to describe the distance education component of the Zimbabwean teacher education program. There were three objectives of the project. The first was to design and implement a workshop for faculty of Zimbabwean teachers' colleges. The second was to produce, from that workshop, a written proceedings detailing the critical issues in Zimbabwean distance education. The third objective was to create a comprehensive description of the distance education component of the Zimbabwean teacher education program. A model, the Triad Perspective Model of Distance Education (TPMDE), was created from the three theoretical bases of curriculum development theory, systems theory, and adoption and diffusion of innovations theory. This multi-dimensional model was used to provide frames of reference for examining the Zimbabwean distance education program. There were five program recommendations offered as a result of this study. These were: (1) Create a Zimbabwean Commission for Distance Education, (2) Conduct regularly scheduled program evaluations, (3) Emphasize applied (as opposed to theoretical) education in the distance education print modules, (4) Increase the leadership role of the University of Zimbabwe in the area of distance education, and (5) Create Distance Education Departments within each teachers' college. It was further suggested that future research be conducted using the TPMDE as both a descriptive tool as well as a design tool for building distance education programs.</p

Creating Engaging Online Courses

The importance of engagement for learning, specifically related to online coursework, is discussed in this paper. The cognitive basis for engagement and instructional strategies for integrating it into coursework are described, as well as the challenges that instructors face in creating robust learning environments. The roles of teacher and learner must also evolve to accommodate these new models, with increased student responsibility and accountability. Finally, practical examples are given to demonstrate strategies for enhanced engagement in online coursework

Teaching and learning at a distance: foundations of distance education [Sixth Edition]

https://nsuworks.nova.edu/fse_facbooks/1082/thumbnail.jp

Concept Mapping for Higher Order Thinking

Engineering education is facing a changing world in which how one thinks is becoming more important than what one thinks; that is, our course content is important but constantly changing and we need to help students learn how to think about that content. Today&rsquo;s students have grown accustomed to immediate rewards, multi-channel stimuli, and rapid-fire communications.&nbsp; As a result, they are often impatient and suffer a lack of focus. When reflection is called for in the learning process - a time consuming practice - students may find it difficult to overcome the conflict between their typically speedy management of priorities and the focused, time-intensive thinking required to acquire a strong foundation of declarative knowledge. Therefore, the exploration of tools to facilitate the formation of deep knowledge structures is essential. One instructional strategy that shows promise is the use of concept mapping, a learning activity that requires students to explain their understanding of important ideas and the relationships among those ideas.&nbsp; This paper describes a pilot project to integrate concept mapping into a Mechanical Engineering Course and the preliminary results of that project. This project has been established within the Working Group of &ldquo;Tools for Developing High Order Thinking Skills&rdquo;, of the Portuguese Society for Engineering Education, in which the first author is the leader and the other two co-authors, are working group members