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1 – 10 of over 4000Guido Caniglia, Beatrice John, Martin Kohler, Leonie Bellina, Arnim Wiek, Christopher Rojas, Manfred D. Laubichler and Daniel Lang
This paper aims to present an experience-based learning framework that provides a bottom-up, student-centered entrance point for the development of systems thinking, normative and…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to present an experience-based learning framework that provides a bottom-up, student-centered entrance point for the development of systems thinking, normative and collaborative competencies in sustainability.
Design/methodology/approach
The framework combines mental mapping with exploratory walking. It interweaves mapping and walking activities with methodological and theoretical inputs as well as with reflections and discussions. The framework aligns experiential activities, i.e. mental mapping and walking, with learning objectives, i.e. novice-level sustainability competencies. The authors applied the framework for student activities in Phoenix/Tempe and Hamburg/Lüneburg as part of The Global Classroom, a project between Arizona State University in the USA and Leuphana University of Lüneburg in Germany.
Findings
The application of the experience-based learning framework demonstrates how students started developing systems thinking (e.g. understanding urban systems as functional entities and across different domains), normative (e.g. using different sustainability principles) and collaborative (e.g. learning across disciplinary, social and cultural differences) competencies in sustainability.
Originality/value
The experience-based learning framework contributes to the development of curricular activities for the initial development of sustainability competencies in introductory-level courses. It enables students from different disciplinary, social and cultural backgrounds, e.g. in international education, to collaboratively start developing such competencies. The framework can be adapted to different educational contexts.
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Jodie Birdman, Aaron Redman and Daniel J. Lang
This paper aims to investigate student experiences and the potential impact of experience-based learning (EBL) in the early phase of graduate sustainability programs through the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to investigate student experiences and the potential impact of experience-based learning (EBL) in the early phase of graduate sustainability programs through the lens of key competencies. The goal is to provide evidence for the improvement of existing and the thorough design of new EBL formats in sustainability programs.
Design/methodology/approach
This comparative case study focuses on the first semester of three graduate sustainability programs at Leuphana University of Lüneburg, Germany and Arizona State University, USA, for two of which EBL was a core feature. The study compares the curricula, the teaching and learning environments and the reported experiences of one student cohort from each of three programs and synthesizes the resulting insights. Student interviews were combined with student self-assessments and supported by in-vivo observations, curriculum designer input, instructor interviews and course materials. MAXQDA was used for data analysis following a grounded theory approach.
Findings
EBL influences students’ reflective capacity, which impacts the development of key competencies in sustainability. Qualitative analysis found four key themes in relation to the students’ learning in EBL settings, namely, discomfort, time-attention relationship, student expectations of instructors and exchange. The intersection of these themes with curricular structure, student dispositions and differing instructor approaches shows how curriculum can either support or interrupt the reflective cycle and thus, holistic learning.
Research limitations/implications
With the focus on the first semester only, the students’ competence development over the course of the entire program cannot be demonstrated. Learning processes within EBL settings are complex and include aspects outside the control of instructors and curriculum designers. This study addresses only a select number of factors influencing students’ learning in EBL settings.
Practical implications
Early engagement with EBL activities can push students to leave their comfort zones and question previous assumptions. Designing curricula to include EBL while encouraging strong intra-cohort connections and creating space for reflection seems to be an effective approach to enable the development of key competencies in sustainability.
Originality/value
This paper investigates the experiences of students in EBL through a key competence lens. The study combines student self-perceptions, instructor reflections and in-vivo observations. Data collection and analysis were conducted by a researcher not affiliated with the programs. These factors make for a unique study design and with data-driven insights on the seldom researched competence-pedagogy-curriculum connection.
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Current research lacks a clear definition of blended learning in entrepreneurship education (EE), a comprehensive overview of the recent research, and a conceptualization of…
Abstract
Purpose
Current research lacks a clear definition of blended learning in entrepreneurship education (EE), a comprehensive overview of the recent research, and a conceptualization of different types of blends with their respective challenges and advantages. In response to that, the author systematically reviewed the literature on blended learning in EE and developed four archetypes of blends for entrepreneurship educators.
Design/methodology/approach
The author conducted a systematic literature review and identified 75 relevant peer-reviewed articles published between 2004 and 2021.
Findings
The findings suggest that blended learning is a common yet underexplored and undertheorized phenomenon in EE. The findings display the rationale and motives, educator characteristics, content, teaching methods, student characteristics, and results of blended learning in EE.
Originality/value
The paper is original because it posits blended learning as an independent and unique mode of delivery in EE. In addition, the author suggests four archetypes of blends in EE: the traditional blend, the for-action blend, the in-action blend, and the experiential blend. For each of these blends, the author identified specific advantages and challenges and discussed under which circumstances educators may employ them.
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This paper aims to examine employees' conceptions of the meaning of experience in job‐competence and its development in workplace context. The aim is to bring out the variety of…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine employees' conceptions of the meaning of experience in job‐competence and its development in workplace context. The aim is to bring out the variety of conceptions related to experience, competence and workplace learning.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is based on interview data from six Finnish small and medium sized enterprises. The data were collected as a part of a larger European Union research project, Working Life Changes and Training of Older Workers (WORKTOW) during spring 1999. The approach chosen for the analysis presented in this paper was phenomenography.
Findings
The findings in the paper show the importance accorded to experience in competence and in workplace learning. The employees valued work experience as the main source of their competence. They also developed their competence mainly through learning at work. The role of social participation in work communities and learning through experiences was emphasized.
Practical implications
The paper shows that differentiating employees' conceptions paves a way to more specific perspectives on the development and utilisation of experience‐based competence in work communities and organisations.
Originality/value
In this paper the findings are discussed in the light of construction and development of older workers' job‐competence in working life. It is argued that experience serves several kinds of purposes in workplace learning also among experienced workers.
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This study aims to analyse the line managers and employees’ use of lean task boards over time in Norwegian municipalities using action learning theory. The research question was…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to analyse the line managers and employees’ use of lean task boards over time in Norwegian municipalities using action learning theory. The research question was the following: what kind of action learning processes do the line managers and employees’ use of the lean task board promote in municipalities’ healthcare units?
Design/methodology/approach
This qualitative case study data from a Norwegian municipality involved analyses of 750 internal self-recorded logs from task board sessions from 6 different units and 25 semi-structured interviews of managers and employees.
Findings
The task board works for line managers to make employees responsible for forwarding ideas, solutions and implementation of new actions. The use of the task boards contributes to systemising work through establishing new routines and improving orderliness at work. The line managers used the task boards as a project management system to track progress in the purchasing of diverse equipment and initiatives to improve professionalism and their units’ facilities. The study explains the learning challenges for managers using the lean task board, as the method promotes finding experience-based solutions that do not involve critical reflection and use of theory.
Practical implications
The lean task board is well-suited for managers to promote learning processes that counteract chaos in local healthcare organisations. However, the task board has limitations as a method for improving services amongst healthcare units and for solving difficult problems.
Originality/value
The study contributes to understanding how action learning theory can be applied to the analysis of the results of lean task board sessions
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Geoffrey Prideaux and James E. Ford
A recent report has suggested that there is a total inadequacy of management education and development in Britain. One fundamental concern is the design of programmes which focus…
Abstract
A recent report has suggested that there is a total inadequacy of management education and development in Britain. One fundamental concern is the design of programmes which focus on the development of effective managers, as opposed to just teaching people about business and management. An innovative management development programme has been developed, based around key adult learning principles such as emphasis on management competencies and work experience based learning.
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In this second of two articles describing a two‐year part‐time management development programme conducted at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, an account of the impact…
Abstract
In this second of two articles describing a two‐year part‐time management development programme conducted at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, an account of the impact of the programme on the development of the participants as managers is offered from their viewpoint, and the implications for management development offered by the course are assessed.
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Gustav Hägg and Agnieszka Kurczewska
The purpose of this paper is to justify, elaborate and elucidate the concepts of action, experience and reflection, and how they are intertwined when discussing contemporary…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to justify, elaborate and elucidate the concepts of action, experience and reflection, and how they are intertwined when discussing contemporary entrepreneurship education. These concepts have been given a meaning in entrepreneurship education, but have not been discussed in-depth, and by that have been abridged in meaning and purpose, and mostly been treated in isolation from each other.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is conceptual and takes its starting point in the historical development of the field and discusses the concepts, from philosophical roots and their application, in entrepreneurship education.
Findings
Neither of the discussed concepts are enough to generate learning one by one, as they are intertwined within the learning process that aims to generate knowledge. From this perspective, an understanding of how these concepts work, both individually and in synergy, is of importance for entrepreneurship education.
Research limitations/implications
The discussion presented in this paper may be a starting point for future empirical studies on entrepreneurial learning, by developing the meaning of action, reflections and experience, or by trying to conceptualize them.
Practical implications
The study indicates that entrepreneurship education should not concentrate only on one dimension of the entrepreneurial learning process, as for example, on actions, but should try to combine all of its discussed elements.
Originality/value
By exploring the origins and developments around the concepts, the paper brings a deepened understanding of what the field considers as important when learning entrepreneurship. By decomposing and mutually referring the concepts, the authors contribute to the call of strengthening the theoretical and philosophical understanding in entrepreneurship education.
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IT related skills are vital for becoming and remaining a citizen in a digitally supported information society – also for adults who are no longer in school; do not use IT in their…
Abstract
Purpose
IT related skills are vital for becoming and remaining a citizen in a digitally supported information society – also for adults who are no longer in school; do not use IT in their work; are unemployed, self‐employed, or retired; or otherwise without the technical support, possibilities for training, and availability of a community of practice and “master users” that are common in organizational contexts. The paper aims to draw on literature on learning IT skills in the organizational context and to apply this in a non‐organizational, community context. The paper seeks to explore how individual IT‐skill and knowledge development could be supported using formal and informal learning strategies, including community services, training courses, information events, learning community and other learning mechanisms.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is empirically grounded in a research and development project with 50 participating families who received a PC, printer, and internet connection, as well as training, technical support, and information events over a period of two years. Both qualitative and quantitative data were gathered throughout the project. Data are here analyzed as an extensive case study.
Findings
Based on experiences from the project the paper describes how “digital literacies” could be learned and supported and inclusion in the digital information society enhanced in practice. The paper develops a framework that shows how different learning strategies and mechanisms support different kinds of computer knowledge and skill areas; describes three interlinked areas of IT knowledge and skills; and suggests a number of practical implications on how computer self‐efficacy could be supported in a non‐organizational context.
Originality/value
The paper draws on extant knowledge about learning and developing IT‐skills in the organizational context, and applies this knowledge in a different context in order to explore how this knowledge can be used also outside organizations to support adults to be part of the digitally supported information society.
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Aisha Yaquob Alsobhi and Khaled Hamed Alyoubi
Through harnessing the benefits of the internet, e-learning systems provide flexible learning opportunities that can be delivered at a fixed cost at a time and place to suit the…
Abstract
Purpose
Through harnessing the benefits of the internet, e-learning systems provide flexible learning opportunities that can be delivered at a fixed cost at a time and place to suit the user. As such, e-learning systems can allow students to learn at their own pace while also being suitable for both distance and classroom-based learning activities. Adaptive educational hypermedia systems are e-learning systems that employ artificial intelligence. They deliver personalised online learning interventions that extend electronic learning experiences beyond a mere computerised book through the use of intelligence that adapts the content presented to a user according to a range of factors including individual needs, learning styles and existing knowledge. The purpose of this paper is to describe a novel adaptive e-learning system called dyslexia adaptive e-learning management system (DAELMS). For the purpose of this paper, the term DAELMS will be employed to describe the overall e-learning system that incorporates the required functionality to adapt to students’ learning styles and dyslexia type.
Design/methodology/approach
The DAELMS is a complex system that will require a significant amount of time and expertise in knowledge engineering and formatting (i.e. dyslexia type, learning styles, domain knowledge) to develop. One of the most effective methods of approaching this complex task is to formalise the development of a DAELMS that can be applied to different learning styles models and education domains. Four distinct phases of development are proposed for creating the DAELMS. In this paper, we will discuss Phase 3 which is the implementation and some adaption algorithms while in future papers will discuss the other phases.
Findings
An experimental study was conducted to validate the proposed generic methodology and the architecture of the DAELMS. The system has been evaluated by group of university students studying a Computer Science related majors. The evaluation results proves that when the system provide the user with learning materials matches their learning style or dyslexia type it enhances their learning outcomes.
Originality/value
The DAELMS correlates each given dyslexia type with its associated preferred learning style and subsequently adapts the learning material presented to the student. The DAELMS represents an adaptive e-learning system that incorporates several personalisation options including navigation, structure of curriculum, presentation, guidance and assistive technologies that are designed to ensure the learning experience is directly aligned with the user's dyslexia type and associated preferred learning style.
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