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1 – 10 of over 3000Chi-Jung Huang, Ling-ling Kueh, Hsiang-Wen Wang, Hsuan Hung and Hui-Hsin Wang
This study explores the extent of undergraduate students' engagement in interdisciplinary learning experiences across their academic journey and its potential correlation with…
Abstract
Purpose
This study explores the extent of undergraduate students' engagement in interdisciplinary learning experiences across their academic journey and its potential correlation with elevated levels of self-efficacy in learning. Furthermore, the research investigates how the clarity of career decisions and future goals contributes to the perception of relevance, value and alignment of interdisciplinary learning experiences among undergraduate students.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected using a self-report questionnaire in a longitudinal survey administered annually to undergraduate students at a university in northern Taiwan over four waves from 2018 to 2021. The sample analyzed for this study consisted of 123 undergraduate students who willingly and continuously participated in the research throughout the specified period.
Findings
The results showed that self-efficacy within interdisciplinary learning experiences could be classified into three clusters: high efficacy, moderate efficacy and fluctuating efficacy. The determinants influencing these clusters include career decisions and years spent in university. Undergraduate students who have determined their career decisions and are in their latter two years of undergraduate studies demonstrate higher self-efficacy in interdisciplinary learning. Conversely, students who have yet to determine their career decisions exhibit a fluctuating pattern of self-efficacy across the three interdisciplinary learning categories.
Research limitations/implications
Two key limitations of this research include a small sample size and a confined university-specific context, potentially constraining the applicability of the results to a broader population.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the interdisciplinary learning experience in higher education by explaining the significance of undergraduates' self-efficacy and career-related factors. Whereas most research has focused on the effects of self-efficacy, this study investigated the factors that influence undergraduates' self-efficacy.
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Areej Elsayary and Sandra Baroudi
Educational sustainability has acknowledged the value of transformation, which offers an opportunity of researching and rethinking how appropriate and successful educational…
Abstract
Educational sustainability has acknowledged the value of transformation, which offers an opportunity of researching and rethinking how appropriate and successful educational practices in an active learning environment could help prepare students for jobs that do not yet exist. So, to meet the job market needs, it became essential to focus on designing more context-specific programs where interdisciplinary courses are provided. The interdisciplinary courses are based on integrating different disciplines where there is a blur between the borders of the disciplines to shift the focus from structured courses to cooperation with external entities. In addition, the interdisciplinary programs allow students to choose modules from across subjects and encourage cooperation with staff from different departments. Thus, the purpose of this chapter is to present a framework of how transformation in education requires key drivers such as transformational visions, faculty commitments, students' engagement, resources (i.e. curriculum), and external relations to develop the values and competencies that the future professionals will need in the attempt to make decisions aiming at reaching a more sustainable world.
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Robin Alison Mueller, Harrison Campbell and Tatiana Losev
The purpose of our research is to better understand inquiry-based pedagogy in the context of leadership education. Specifically, we sought to learn about how leadership learning…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of our research is to better understand inquiry-based pedagogy in the context of leadership education. Specifically, we sought to learn about how leadership learning is characterized in an immersive inquiry course, and how inquiry-based pedagogy is experienced by students engaged in interdisciplinary leadership learning.
Design/methodology/approach
We used a case study approach as an overarching methodology. The research methods employed to collect data were World Cafe and episodic narrative interview. Further, we used collocation analysis and systematic text condensation as analytical strategies to interpret data.
Findings
Our findings led us to four primary conclusions: (1) inquiry-based learning helps to foster an inquiry mindset amongst leadership education students; (2) the challenges and tensions associated with inquiry-based learning are worth the learning gains for leadership students; (3) the opportunity to learn in relationship is beneficial for leadership development outcomes and (4) students’ experiences of inquiry-based learning in leadership education often included instances of transformation.
Research limitations/implications
Limitations of the research were: (1) it is a case study situated within a unique, particular social and educational context; (2) demographic data were not collected from participants, so results cannot be disaggregated based on particular demographic markers and (3) the small sample size involved in the study makes it impossible to generalize across a broad population.
Practical implications
This research has enabled a deep understanding of structural and relational supports that can enable effective inquiry-based learning in leadership education. It also offers evidence to support institutional shifts to inquiry-based pedagogy in leadership education.
Social implications
Our research demonstrates that use of inquiry-based pedagogy in leadership education has long-lasting positive effects on students' capacity for applied leadership practice. Consequently, participants in this type of leadership learning are better positioned to effectively lead social change that is pressing in our current global context.
Originality/value
There is scant (if any) published research that has focused on using inquiry-based pedagogies in leadership education. This research makes a significant contribution to the scholarship of leadership education.
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Nina Lotte Bohm, Renate G. Klaassen, Ellen van Bueren and Perry den Brok
In collaboration with their home cities, universities increasingly develop courses in which students investigate urban sustainability challenges. This paper aims to understand how…
Abstract
Purpose
In collaboration with their home cities, universities increasingly develop courses in which students investigate urban sustainability challenges. This paper aims to understand how far-reaching the collaboration with urban stakeholders in these courses is and what students are meant to learn from the transdisciplinary pedagogies.
Design/methodology/approach
This research is designed as a qualitative multiple-case study into the intentions of transdisciplinary courses in which universities collaborate with their home cities: Delft University of Technology in Delft and Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions in Amsterdam. The study compares the written intentions of eight courses in course descriptions with the ideal intentions that teachers describe in interviews.
Findings
First, seven of the eight investigated courses were designed for urban stakeholders to participate at a distance or as a client but rarely was a course intended to lead to a collaborative partnership between the city and students. Second, the metacognitive learning objectives, such as learning to deal with biases and values of others or getting to know one’s strengths and weaknesses in collaboration, were often absent in the course descriptions. Learning objectives relating to metacognition are at the heart of transdisciplinary work, yet when they remain implicit in the learning objectives, they are difficult to teach.
Originality/value
This paper presents insight into the levels of participation intended in transdisciplinary courses. Furthermore, it shows the (mis)alignment between intended learning objectives in course descriptions and teachers’ ideals. Understanding both the current state of transdisciplinarity in sustainability courses and what teachers envision is vital for the next steps in the development of transdisciplinary education.
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Hye Yeon Park, Carlos V. Licon, Jennifer Givens and Ole Russell Sleipness
This study aims to investigate the integration of education for sustainable development (ESD) into landscape architecture (LA) programs in North American universities to…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the integration of education for sustainable development (ESD) into landscape architecture (LA) programs in North American universities to understand its benefits and challenges and provide insights into the implementation of sustainability principles, pedagogies and teaching methods.
Design/methodology/approach
This study analyzed survey data from 128 LA faculty members from 85 Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture member schools. The survey assessed the implementation of sustainability principles, pedagogies, teaching benefits and challenges to integrating sustainability into their courses. To complement the survey data, 62 LA course syllabi were analyzed using a grounded theory approach to identify the topics covered, learning objectives and learning activities.
Findings
The study revealed that LA programs incorporate sustainability topics in various courses using project-based and interdisciplinary learning approaches. Integrating ESD into LA curricula promotes sustainability literacy, improved understanding of sustainability concepts and the development of sustainability skills. The study also found positive correlations between teaching methods, the enhancement of sustainability literacy and the development of design and planning skills.
Originality/value
This research examined the effects of teaching methods on student learning outcomes and the challenges instructors faced, providing practical insights into the integration of ESD in LA education. It offers recommendations to enhance the ESD knowledge of future LA practitioners, considering the inclusion of ESD as a core value of the standard by the Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board.
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Julia Kasch, Margien Bootsma, Veronique Schutjens, Frans van Dam, Arjan Kirkels, Frans Prins and Karin Rebel
In this opinion article, the authors share their experiences with and perspectives on course design requirements and barriers when applying challenge-based learning (CBL) in an…
Abstract
In this opinion article, the authors share their experiences with and perspectives on course design requirements and barriers when applying challenge-based learning (CBL) in an online sustainability education setting. CBL is an established learning approach for (higher) sustainability education. It enables teachers to engage students with open, real-life grand challenges through inter-/transdisciplinary student team collaboration. However, empirical research is scarce and mainly based on face-to-face CBL case studies. Thus far, the opportunities to apply CBL in online educational settings are also underinvestigated.
Using the TPACK framework, the authors address technological, pedagogical and content knowledge related to CBL and online sustainability education. The integration of the different components is discussed, providing teachers and course designers insight into design requirements and barriers.
This paper supports the promising future of online CBL for sustainability education, especially in the context of inter-/national inter-university collaboration, yet emphasizes the need for deliberate use of online collaboration and teaching tools.
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Basim S. Alsaywid, Sarah Abdulrahman Alajlan and Miltiadis D. Lytras
The impact of education and research skills on the strategic digital transformation of education is straightforward. In this context, the Saudi National Institute of Health plays…
Abstract
The impact of education and research skills on the strategic digital transformation of education is straightforward. In this context, the Saudi National Institute of Health plays a pivotal role in the design and implementation of a resilient and robust strategy for the development of skills and competencies to young health professionals. In this chapter, the authors provide a brief overview of the Vision 2030 in Saudi Arabia and its basic priorities in the areas related to the Education and Research in the healthcare domain. The authors also elaborate on the key plans and initiatives undertaken by the education and research skills directory of the Saudi National Institute of Health (SNIH) towards transformative learning with impact on the implementation of the Vision 2030.
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Camillia Matuk, Ralph Vacca, Anna Amato, Megan Silander, Kayla DesPortes, Peter J. Woods and Marian Tes
Arts-integration is a promising approach to building students’ abilities to create and critique arguments with data, also known as informal inferential reasoning (IIR). However…
Abstract
Purpose
Arts-integration is a promising approach to building students’ abilities to create and critique arguments with data, also known as informal inferential reasoning (IIR). However, differences in disciplinary practices and routines, as well as school organization and culture, can pose barriers to subject integration. The purpose of this study is to describe synergies and tensions between data science and the arts, and how these can create or constrain opportunities for learners to engage in IIR.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors co-designed and implemented four arts-integrated data literacy units with 10 teachers of arts and mathematics in middle school classrooms from four different schools in the USA. The data include student-generated artwork and their written rationales, and interviews with teachers and students. Through maximum variation sampling, the authors identified examples from the data to illustrate disciplinary synergies and tensions that appeared to support different IIR processes among students.
Findings
Aspects of artistic representation, including embodiment, narrative and visual image; and aspects of the culture of arts, including an emphasis on personal experience, the acknowledgement of subjectivity and considerations for the audience’s perspective, created synergies and tensions that both offered and hindered opportunities for IIR (i.e. going beyond data, using data as evidence and expressing uncertainty).
Originality/value
This study answers calls for humanistic approaches to data literacy education. It contributes an interdisciplinary perspective on data literacy that complements other context-oriented perspectives on data science. This study also offers recommendations for how designers and educators can capitalize on synergies and mitigate tensions between domains to promote successful IIR in arts-integrated data literacy education.
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Denise Rieg, Maria Laura Maclennan, Fernando Scramim, Melby Huertas and Eryka Augusto
This study aims to mitigate the inherent challenges associated with implementing project-based learning (PjBL) by integrating it with the service engineering methodology (SEEM)…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to mitigate the inherent challenges associated with implementing project-based learning (PjBL) by integrating it with the service engineering methodology (SEEM). The study demonstrates that combining PjBL with a methodological approach provides a step-by-step procedure that facilitates the practical application of PjBL and preserves the development of competencies inherent to PjBL.
Design/methodology/approach
Action research methodology was used to assess the effectiveness of combining PjBL learning strategy with SEEM. Data was collected through observations, questionnaires and focus group discussions to evaluate students’ expectations and perceptions of this combination.
Findings
The results show that PjBL implementation combined with SEEM enabled the organization of class dynamics, helping to mitigate difficulties encountered in the application of PjBL. Students conveyed that the integration of PjBL with SEEM afforded them a guiding structure without compromising their autonomy in decision-making for proposed solutions. It proved efficacious in honing skills pertinent to service design and analysis, teamwork, solution formulation, creativity and innovation stimulation.
Research limitations/implications
This research has been limited to four classes in one university in Brazil. Besides, PjBL was combined with only one methodology (SEEM). Therefore, this needs to be tested in broader settings and contexts.
Practical implications
The article highlights the potential benefits of PjBL in bridging the gap between academia and the professional world while acknowledging the challenges involved in its implementation, combining PjBL with a methodology that provides a sequence of steps to be followed.
Social implications
The social implications of implementing PjBL in higher education in the Brazilian and international contexts are multifaceted. The adoption of PjBL encourages instructors to adapt their learning strategies and align them with the evolving needs of worldwide society. Through PjBL, Brazilian and international higher education institutions may contribute to the development of individuals who are not only knowledgeable but also capable of applying their knowledge effectively in practical situations around the world.
Originality/value
The theoretical contribution lies in suggesting that combining PjBL with a methodology that provides a sequence of steps to be followed (such as that exemplified through SEEM) can address intrinsic issues that consider the complexity of PjBL implementation, preserving the development of competencies inherent to PjBL.
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Luis Zárate, Marcos W. Rodrigues, Sérgio Mariano Dias, Cristiane Nobre and Mark Song
The scientific community shares a heritage of knowledge generated by several different fields of research. Identifying how scientific interest evolves is relevant for recording…
Abstract
Purpose
The scientific community shares a heritage of knowledge generated by several different fields of research. Identifying how scientific interest evolves is relevant for recording and understanding research trends and society’s demands.
Design/methodology/approach
This article presents SciBR-M, a novel method to identify scientific interest evolution from bibliographic material based on Formal Concept Analysis. The SciBR-M aims to describe the thematic evolution surrounding a field of research. The method begins by hierarchically organising sub-domains within the field of study to identify the themes that are more relevant. After this organisation, we apply a temporal analysis that extracts implication rules with minimal premises and a single conclusion, which are helpful to observe the evolution of scientific interest in a specific field of study. To analyse the results, we consider support, confidence, and lift metrics to evaluate the extracted implications.
Findings
The authors applied the SciBR-M method for the Educational Data Mining (EDM) field considering 23 years since the first publications. In the digital libraries context, SciBR-M allows the integration of the academy, education, and cultural memory, in relation to a study domain.
Social implications
Cultural changes lead to the production of new knowledge and to the evolution of scientific interest. This knowledge is part of the scientific heritage of society and should be transmitted in a structured and organised form to future generations of scientists and the general public.
Originality/value
The method, based on Formal Concept Analysis, identifies the evolution of scientific interest to a field of study. SciBR-M hierarchically organises bibliographic material to different time periods and explores this hierarchy from proper implication rules. These rules permit identifying recurring themes, i.e. themes subset that received more attention from the scientific community during a specific period. Analysing these rules, it is possible to identify the temporal evolution of scientific interest in the field of study. This evolution is observed by the emergence, increase or decrease of interest in topics in the domain. The SciBR-M method can be used to register and analyse the scientific, cultural heritage of a field of study. In addition, the authors can use the method to stimulate the process of creating knowledge and innovation and encouraging the emergence of new research.
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