empowering student learning through knowledge production

Empowering student learning through knowledge

‘production’.

Dr. Barry Ryan.

College of Science, DIT.

Student Engagement

Active ‘Producing’ Students

Student EmpowermentLearning Styles

Ownership of

learning

Students learning in groupsGroup Activities and Peer

Learning

Generic Skill development

Reduced assessment load = ↑

Feedback


Constructive Alignment:

“....constructs meaning through the learning activities....”

“....turn declarative into functional knowledge....”


Constructive Alignment:Active and varied forms of learning mimicking the assessment.

Regular, timely and constructive feedback.

Case study

Module: TFQm3001 and TFME3003, Pharmaceutical Quality and Legislation

(3rd Yr)

Small class in small lecture room (Students: 12).All students were assumed to have little prior

knowledge.One hour lecture, twice a week for a twelve week

semester.No supplementary tutorials were provided.

Case study, In Class.

Group activity = structured: 1. Activity2. Group sizes3. Time allowed4. Outcomes

Harold Jarche; “Life in perpetual beta” blog.


Didactic Teaching

Lecture Notes

ACTIVE LEARNING

Role Play

DiscussionMind Map

“Chat time”


Role play activity example:• Develop a role play for the following situation: You

are a Pharmaceutical Scientist working for EMEA. You have been asked to give a short talk (5 mins) on the development of pharmaceutical legislation and outline the needs and future objectives of the legislation. All members of the group will help with drafting the role-play. One member will take the role of the Pharmaceutical Scientist. The other members will take the role of the audience members. The Pharmaceutical Scientist must address at least one (pre-prepared!) question from each of the audience members.Groups: 3-4Time: 45 mins

Case study, Inside and Outside Class.

Connection

Wondering

Critiquing

Visualisatio

n

Epistemic processes

Case study, Inside and Outside Class.

Epistemic processes Conceptualistaton and Visualisation activity example: Review the first five objectives for the 2010 EU Pharmaceutical Legislation update.

1. Conceptualise and visualise the key points.2. Convert the key points from each objective into a

simple image.

Groups: 3-4.Time: 20 mins.Note: Nominate one speaker from the group to describe the images to the class.

Case Study: Outside Class

Epistemic processes

4 blogs/student/semester & 1 reflective piece.

500 words/blog; anytime, anywhere,Free choice; abstraction encouraged,

Feed-back and –forward.

Case Study: Terminal Exam

Aligned Assessment• Questions focused on the higher

order skills: –analysis, –evaluation,–creation.

• Aligned to the teaching methodology.

• Exam = choice of questions(3 hrs).• Exam = 60% of overall grade.

Case Study: Terminal Exam

Aligned AssessmentSample Question (focussing on imagination,

creativity etc): You are employed as a R+D Scientist in medium

sized pharmaceutical company and you have been assigned the job of discovering the company’s new blockbuster drug (the choice of drug is up to you). Outline your decision making process as part of your initial discovery. Evaluate the pros and cons at each decision point.

Note: Typical time allocated in an exam situation: 45 mins.


Assessment is inescapable! Students are aware of this:

“What influenced students most was not the teaching but the assessment” - Gibbs and Simpson (2004).

“What do I have to do to pass”, or

“is this topic/concept on the exam”,

→ Subtle changes can result in positive outcomes.


Aligned in class tasks = activated and engaged the student.

Change = passive consumers → purposeful producers.

While in the groups, I could give my own opinion and suggestions as well as

learning other ideas from my fellow classmates which I

wouldn’t have thought about myself

Blogs were the talk around the coffee table. We would discuss ideas for new blogs or share some ideas from the

blogs in which we had learned while researching

the topics for them.


Blogs = natural progression from the in-class activities.

A medium = students → creative and productive.– Independent thinking– Reflection,– Connection,– Construction, – “Deep” learning

Blogging makes learning flat, not hierarchical (Segesten, 2011)

I found the blogs an interesting method of learning. The

research I carried out for each blog stayed in my head, making

the lectures more interesting and understandable.


Empowering Students.– Outline reasons– Learning styles,– Relevance,– Alignment, – Feedback.

→ Ownership of learning.....

Sage on the Stage → Guide by the

side.

I became aware of my learning style...[as a visual learner and using concepts maps]...I was astonished as to how I was capable of understanding, and remembering, so much.

Active ‘Producing’ Students.

“If I could offer you only one tip for the future,

sunscreen would be it” --- Baz Luhrmann

“The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proven by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more

reliable than my own meandering experience!!”


Resistance:– Group Work + Mark Allocation,– Fear of Change,– ‘Comfort Zone’,

“The lecturer outlined how there was going to be a lot of group work throughout the course; the whole class cringed at that idea, including myself”


Group work is not the “Silver Bullet” for Class engagement and participation. – Part of an integrated approach!

=

• How to give “Group Work Credit”?

• Logistical issues? Feedback, Classrooms etc.


Essentials:– Prior planning, – Stimulating, – Challenging,– Support, – Environment.

“I believe I have learned more through discussing and evaluating questions and topics with my classmates during group

work than a ‘regular’ lecture”.


Acknowledgements:–DT480/3 Class Group. –Dr. Julie Dunne (Teaching Fellowship Colleague).–Learning, Teaching and Technology Centre, DIT.

Twitter: @CBS_Lecturer, Email: [email protected]

empowering student learning through knowledge production

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