Online Learning Delivered via Blended Problem-Based Learning

Course and Institution: Online Learning Module on the Postgraduate Diploma in Third Level Learning and Teaching; located in the Technological University Dublin. Teaching Strategy: Blended Problem Based Learning approach for 10 weeks. Students/Participants: 10 lecturers/academic staff members from a variety of higher education institutions from around the Republic of Ireland. Average Age: mature participants; some are new to teaching in higher education, and some have been teaching for anywhere between 5-25 years

Using Technology to Support Project and Problem-based Learning

This chapter is aimed at supporting lecturers in universities and colleges who have begun or are considering introducing project or problem-based learning (PBL) for students’ learning. In order to keep up with rapid change and make the most of learning technologies as aids to both learning strategies, a range of practical insights based on research will be provided in sections, supplemented with a variety of examples of learning technology being infused into both strategies. The range provided are by no means exhaustive, and you may know of many more examples yourself. It is unlikely that any one student would experience all of these learning methods in a project or problem-based learning event, but they are provided for academics, thinking of remodelling courses or modules

Case Studies of Good Practice in the Assessment of Student Learning in Higher Education

There are two modules on the certificate programme. Module one is entitled ‘Learning and Teaching in Higher Education’. The aim of this module is to provide teachers in higher education with a wide range of practical learning and teaching methods, including the use of relevant learning technologies that will help their students learn more effectively. They will gain solid background knowledge in recognised theories and national and international best practices in learning and teaching in higher education so that they understand the reasons for choosing certain teaching strategies

The Nature of Complex Blends: Transformative Problem-Based Learning and Technology in Irish Higher Education

This chapter discusses the complexities of blending technologies and problem-based learning (PBL) group interaction within the context of academic development in higher education. For both designers and tutors, it is important to seek best practices for combining instructional strategies in face-to-face and computer-mediated environments that take advantage of the strengths of each and avoid inherent weaknesses. A qualitative case study of the lived experiences of 17 academic staff participants in a blended PBL module over a two year period was considered likely to provide a much-needed analysis of current thinking and practice on the potential of interaction in this form of higher education professional academic development. Specific aspects of interaction (technical, peer, content, and the learning experience) within blended PBL tutorials are analysed to provide research-based evidence on the realities of delivering a PBL programme using technology. The study reported in the chapter argues that the intersection of PBL and learning technologies can offer an innovative way of teaching and learning and is a reflection of pedagogy and technology as an integrated model that can work effectively together. The findings show that the synergy from the collaborative blended PBL approach in this module can result in the coherent and comprehensive provision of training, support, and research throughout higher education institutions

Experiencing Technology: Integrating Learning Technology Within The Experiential Learning Cycle of a PG Certificate in Third Level Learning and Teaching.

This paper will discuss how a PG Certificate Course in Third Level Learning and Teaching for lecturers in higher education has adopted a particular approach in teacher education. In light of the findings put forth by Collis (1999), the paper will explain the practical aspects of how Learning Technology (LT) is fully integrated into both core Learning and Teaching modules of a PG Certificate Course for academic staff. As an important aspect of the successful integration and use of learning technology is the way in which it effectively reflects and articulates a given learning model, this PG Certificate Course has its theoretical basis on the Kolb Experiential Learning (EL) Cycle (Kolb, 1983). Experiential Experiential Learning (EL) Cycle (Kolb, 1983). Experiential Model of Learning (Kolb) Full details will be given on the relationship between the integration of Learning Technology (LT) to the Course and the Experiential Learning Cycle on which the design of the course is modelled. This newly designed PG Certificate is aimed at academic staff at higher education institutions in Ireland. In higher education, it is important to encourage teaching that develops critical and independent thinking in its students and research that informs the teaching process. This course is an important step toward these goals. It is anticipated that over time those who complete this course will have a positive impact in higher education in Ireland by modelling good practices in teaching that enhance learning, and by generating increased interest in teaching and learning in their own departments in their institutes. All this is to be achieved by aiding the course participants to better manage the media mix and range of learning technologies available in higher education today. From the outset, it was recognised by the course team that LT would not be fully integrated into the institutes unless the academics on the course came to believe in it. An overall goal of this course is that it will act as a catalyst within the institutions, encouraging the lecturers to reflect on all aspects of the learning and teaching provision, including the integration of LT; by spreading this on-the-ground enthusiasm, the goal is that the management of the institutes will support the full scale implementation of learning technology in teaching practice. Initially, the course was designed with two core modules in mind, Learning and Teaching in Higher Education and Designing Curricula and Assessment Strategies; a third Learning Technology (LT) Module had been designed to fit around this core. Comprehensive data on the educational use of computers as instructional tools within teacher education internationally is very limited, but it has shown that the opportunity for pre-service teachers to experience models of computer supported instruction before they try to manage it themselves is seldom available (Collis, 1999). On reviewing the initial course design, and best national and international practice in the area, it was decided to integrate the LT Module into the two core modules, instead of having the technology as an incremental add-on. Practical details of the course being that each module is of 15 weeks duration, and the course participants meet for a face to face class session for 3 hours of each of these weeks. Independent learning is fully encouraged outside of this schedule. The design focus was on the importance of fully integrating the use of LT within the experiential model of learning on which the programme was moulded, taking full account of the programme aims and objectives, assessment strategy and issues of student motivation. No one technology can support all types of teaching and learning – an effective approach is to combine a range of technologies. While mixtures of new media can offer significant opportunities for participants, they can also be a daunting hurdle for newcomers, such as the cohorts who become the course participants. The challenge presented by this course, and the Learning and Teaching Centre in which it was located, was to enable the course participants to feel comfortable with using a range of LT and replicate that in their own teaching practice in their subject disciplines

When it goes wrong, how do I know I am an excellent teacher, (just having a bad day)?

We all doubt ourselves at times, and we all have bad days in the classroom! Being an excellent teacher is a challenge to achieve consistently, made more difficult by trying to measure how we as teachers make decisions in the classroom, and what impact those decisions have on what and how our students learn. This case study is offered from the perspective of an academic developer, working as a ‘third space’ professional (Whitchurch, 2008), and as a facilitator of discussions about excellent teaching in higher education on DIT’s teaching qualification – the Postgraduate Diploma in Third Level learning and Teaching

Infusing critical thinking into Business Programmes. Video Case Studies:

Thinking critically about media content and contexts, Be an entrepreneur for a day: Market Trader Project

International Collaboration in Blended Problem-Based Learning

European education today is characterized by two dominant trends. First, e-learning has made impressive advances in the past five years. Second, European higher education has become increasingly internationalized. Within this, there has been an obvious shift towards more social, collaborative and communal perspectives of learning reported in recent educational research. Various forms of collaborative and inquiry-based learning include the idea that learning should be understood as a combination of participation, knowledge creation and internal processes. This paper discusses the blending of e-learning and problem-based learning (PBL), based on these observations and as a comprehensive approach encompassing the learning environment, curriculum, learning, studying and teaching