Case study 9: Active learning approach within a technology-focused education course
This project aimed to embed active learning strategies into course design and delivery to cultivate collaboration and collegiality amongst students (first-year pre-service teachers), increase their engagement and encourage them to develop the knowledge, skills and dispositions that will help them to have a positive impact on their own students’ learning as future educational practitioners.
- Course: EDUC1050 Teaching and Learning Tools in the 20th Century Knowledge Societies – 1st year, technology-focused education course (450 students)
- School/Faculty: School of Education, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
- Delivery: as part of the course redesign in 2017, the hourly face-to-face lectures occurred once every four weeks, with lecture material delivered via short videos uploaded to Blackboard for the other three weeks
- Active learning approach: online learning videos, in-class discussions and activities, group assessment
- Assessment tasks: group project work, group presentations, project report, and reflections on group work
Key issues and anticipated outcomes
- Attendance at lectures has historically been consistently low.
- The rapid pace of technological change in educational settings means that pre-service teachers (PSTs) need to be equipped with much more than just knowledge and skills in relation to existing technologies. Rather, PSTs need to be lifelong learners who have the knowledge, skills and dispositions to be flexible, adaptable, creative, collaborative, able to solve problems, and be able to take risks and be curious when seeking answers.
- In previous iterations of the course, data generated through SECaT and SETutor surveys indicated a consistently low level of student satisfaction and engagement.
Project innovation team
- Dr Vicente Reyes – Project Lead
- Dr Kate McLay