Developing and applying green building technology in an indigenous community

The development of blended learning in Hong Kong has been shifted to using pedagogical driven approach and the adoption of learning theories in blended learning course development became significant. In the past years, HKU SPACE adopted cognitive alignment in outcome-based learning theory for designing and developing blended learning course to the students. This research aims at understanding learning experiences of undergraduate students in blended learning. In this study, qualitative approach was adopted for obtaining in-depth understanding of learning experiences of the students in the blended learning environment. Focus group interviews for students were conducted in an accounting course. The interviews were analyzed by thematic analysis while thematic maps were used for coding and themes identification. The themes in learn via learning activities, learn via collaboration, learn for good assessment result, learning activities helps study and enjoyed most, perceived advantages of online learning, need more learning support, need mobile learning, preference in integrated and non-integrated blended learning, and difficulties in blended learning were identified. With the themes identified, issues on learning engagement, importance of aligning assessment with learning activity, online collaboration and enhancing blended learning experiences were discussed. Finally, pedagogy designs to enhance students learning were recommended. The study contributes to fill the research gap in understanding blended learning experiences of undergraduate students in Hong Kong.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present an integrated model of didactic, practice and interdisciplinary service learning in healthcare education, and determine the students’ perceptions on the benefits of this integration. Design/methodology/approach – A pre and post survey design was utilized to examine health professions students’ perspectives with respect to learning outcomes relevant to professional benefits of a service learning capstone. The surveys consisted of 36 items for measuring the interdisciplinary course characteristics and perceived benefits of the integrated approach. The required interdisciplinary (used interchangeably with interprofessional) course was constructed as an integrated didactic, practice interdisciplinary service learning model. The sample consisted of undergraduate students (n=53) who completed the interdisciplinary senior seminar capstone course taught by one faculty member in one of three course sections. Structural equation modeling based on partial least squares was used to analyze the significance of constructs. Students’ reflections on interdisciplinary service learning were also collected and summarized. Findings – The study demonstrated the significance of interdisciplinary course and team preparation on perceived professional benefits and positive community service learning experience. Research limitations/implications – Further studies are needed and being pursued to address practitioners’ perceptions of interdisciplinary education. To fully complete the assessment of interdisciplinary education, longitudinal studies must be pursued with graduates and their employers. A larger sample size could be used to repeat this study. Practical implications – The model employed in this study may be utilized as a component of practice education and clinical practice to address accreditation requirements, quality patient-centred care, and engaging students in valuing interprofessionalism and service. Originality/value – This study presents an integrated model of didactic, practice and interdisciplinary service learning in health professions education, and demonstrates the benefits of the model with health profession students’ perceptions of interprofessional education (IPE). This study contributes to professional learning research as the impact of IPE has been questionable due to lack of rigorous evidence.

Short term, collaborative, immersive and situated learning experiences through cross cultural design projects are key to elevating design students’ global perspectives and ability to perform in international contexts. In this article we examine students’ experiences during an international study tour that took Australian university undergraduates to collaborate with peer students in a design project at a university in Colombia. Our examination identifies three key dimensions contributing to the enhancement of students’ global perspectives: 1) intercultural engagement through peer-to-peer exchange, 2) cross cultural collaboration during remote and immersive design work, and 3) immersing in place-based experiences that enable cultural sensitivity. An analysis of students’ essays and design work demonstrates how these three dimensions were fundamental to broaden their worldviews and ability to perform globally. In the context of increasing participation of graduates from the Creative Industries in the global economy, this article contributes to the discourse about the value of short-term mobility programs in Design in Higher Education.

The global pandemic in 2020 has led to a recent rise of digital technologies in higher education internationally, which seems to make learning less restricted in terms of time and space (Oztok, 2019) and enhance inclusion and engagement in learning. However, it is necessary to distinguish the presence and interaction in online learning from true connectedness and inclusivity. Networked learning, as a concept being constantly explored by a small group of researchers since the 1990s and attracting increasing current attention, is built around the different kinds of connections between students and instructors, as well as human and non-humans (NLEC, 2021). This paper emphasizes the need to be aware of the dimension of connection constructed through the assemblage of humans, materials and discourses. Adopting a socio-material perspective, the assumed high accessibility of online learning and the neo-liberal discourse of a ‘good learner’ are challenged and care is proposed as an approach to improve inclusivity in online learning in higher education. This paper is drawn from the data of a comparative research study that explores the online learning experience of undergraduate students in one case study university in China and the UK respectively. The research consisted of qualitative interviews with students and academics in the case discipline Sociology. The findings suggest a mismatch between students’ and teachers’ perception of what makes effective engagement. Although the teachers recognise certain difficulties in online courses, such as technical issues for organizing small group discussions, arguably the implied neo-liberal message is that hard-working ‘good’ students will always participate, regardless of where or how they learn. However, interviews with students in both contexts show that the specific surroundings in formal and informal educational settings, the interaction and support from peers, and the way their status is recognised in the community concomitantly mediate their experience, in addition to their abilities or motivation. This research contributes by highlighting the potential of emergent forms of networked learning in terms of unveiling the issues of established discourses including neoliberalism. It provides suggestions for future practices by proposing the role of care, supported by the findings, in tackling disengagement and exclusion, and pivoting students around supportive learning. Further, it adopts a socio-material perspective that fills a gap created by the dominance of human-centred research, generating reflections on the use of online materials in higher education.

Large enrollments in undergraduate courses pose several teaching and learning challenges that impact students’ learning experience and performance. Implementing co-learning activities in tutorials of large courses can help mitigate these challenges and improve the learning environment. One type of collaborative learning activity that has become increasingly popular is two-stage testing but there are limitations to how two-stage testing has been conducted. We undertook a study to elucidate whether our modified two-stage testing protocol and other co-learning activities performed in tutorials can enhance the learning experiences of undergraduate students and foster a sense of community in a large-enrollment research methods course. The specific aims of our study were to: 1) Assess whether co-learning activities including two stage testing in tutorials improves learning outcomes and fosters cohort cohesion in a large-enrollment junior undergraduate science course. 2) Evaluate the impact of our modified two-stage testing approach on student learning and long-term retention. To assess cohort cohesion students were asked to complete a survey and were invited to participate in focus groups. Results indicated that tutorials did foster cohort cohesion among students in the tutorial. The tutorial activities helped scale down the course size and connect with their peers. We tested our modified two-stage testing protocol by administering a two-stage test (an individual test consisting of short-answer questions followed by a group test that was comprised of a subset of the individual test questions that was completed during tutorials). Approximately three months after the individual test, a retention test was administered. Student grades were significantly higher in group tests compared to the individual tests. Interestingly, students on average scored 6.2% higher on the retention test questions that were from the group test, compared to questions that were only on the individual test. These results support the idea that group tests help improve student retention. Students reported tutorials and two-stage testing to be a positive learning experience.

Learning communities have been implemented in colleges and universities across the country in an effort to enhance the learning experience for undergraduate students. Scholars have noted the potential for these communities to help students build skills outside of the classroom as well as improve their performance inside the classroom. In this paper, we investigate the potential for learning communities to improve students’ attitudes toward the oft-dreaded subject of research methods. In the fall 2022 and fall 2023 semesters, we conducted two large-scale research projects on college students’ voting behavior in which students in a residential learning community participated as undergraduate study assistants. In addition, we surveyed students who had participated in various forms of research across three years of the learning community. We find that experiential exposure to social science has a moderate and positive effect on students’ interest and propensity to study research methods.

Although the need for education for sustainability in pre-service teacher education is well recognised, little has been published to indicate how this might be incorporated into university courses in Australia. This paper describes one attempt to encourage pre-service primary teachers to include education for sustainability in their future work. It includes a discussion about some of the choices made regarding teaching methods and content. The overall purpose of the article is to encourage others to contribute their ideas to the discussion over how best to incorporate education for sustainability in pre-service teacher education in Australia.

The Clown Group – Engineers without Borders (Knowledge Connections) is a group of clowns formed by Engineers and Engineering students. The theoretical basis of the Clown Group goes back to the origins of Jerzy Grotowski's “poor theater” (1933–1999). Concerning the use of music, theater and dance to present and promote the pleasure of art, the Group values the interaction with the public and does not worry about the structural elements commonly characterized by the theater as stage and lighting. In this way, the Clown Group promotes a Humanistic Formation of its members by providing a development in the capacity of communication, contact with the external community and also the satisfaction, by allowing the art to be spread in a simple and effective way. The objective of this work is to analyze the importance of Humanistic Training in the professional and personal development of Engineers and Engineering students, treating as a special case the Humanistic Training linked to the actions of the Clown Group – Engineers without Borders (Knowledge Connections). As a hypothesis, it is expected that the experience of members and ex–members of the Clown Group can be proven through their training and presentations over the years. In order to evaluate the personal and professional development of members and ex–members of the Clown Group during the training process, a qualitative research was carried out, via an applied questionnaire, in addition to a documentary research by observation, in which data were collected through analysis and observation of photos and documents of the Clown Group. In addition, Artificial Neural Networks were used to correlate the members and ex–members based on the two applied researches. The members and ex–members of the Clown Group have experienced a major break in introspection, significantly improving their way of communicating with society. The members and ex–members presented an improvement in the way they relate to each other in a team, a fundamental aspect of an Engineer's professional life. The Clown Group presents itself as a very important action for Humanistic Training and the professional and personal development of Engineers and Engineering students. The diffusion of art in the academic and external community promoted by the Clown Group also allows the deconstruction of the stereotype that the areas of Engineering and the Arts cannot coexist.

This study evaluated the integration of technology, collaboration skills, and learning satisfaction among freshmen students in a local college in Negros Occidental. Utilizing a descriptive research design, the study sought to assess the extent of technology integration in the Teaching Profession Subject, collaborative skills, and overall learning satisfaction. A total of 90 freshmen students participated, providing data through a validated self-made questionnaire. The findings indicated that the extent of technology integration was high, while collaboration skills were categorized as very high, and learning satisfaction levels were also deemed very high. Notably, the study found no significant relationship between technology integration and collaboration skills, suggesting that technology alone did not directly enhance students' collaborative abilities. Conversely, a significant correlation existed between collaboration skills and learning satisfaction, indicating that improvements in students' collaborative abilities were associated with heightened levels of satisfaction. Furthermore, the study established a significant relationship between technological integration and learning satisfaction, implying that effective use of technology enhanced students' educational experiences. These results underscore the need for educators to focus on fostering collaboration skills while ensuring that technology is effectively integrated into the curriculum. The implications of the findings highlight the importance of addressing content accessibility and providing structured support to facilitate meaningful collaborative experiences for freshmen students. Ultimately, the study contributes to understanding the dynamics between technology, collaboration, and student satisfaction in modern educational settings.

Problem based learning (PBL) has been used for many years and it is one of the effective educational methodologies applicable for distinguished engineering disciplines. It is a widely used student-centric approach through which students get engaged to solve real world problems by research, continuous study, and regular practices along with knowledge utilization during implementation. This study explores the PBL with an advanced computer engineering course of pre-final year students. This study centers around the implementation of a system to solve one of the real-life problems and distinguishes a portion of the difficulties that lie ahead for PBL. Here, to examine the impact of PBL approach for the specified subject, the result of B.Tech. (CE and IT branches) sixth semester students (A.Y. 2019-20 and 2020-21) are considered with various known parameters. Students' feedback is taken at the end of course study. Problem title, hook of the problem, background or history of the problem, clarifying/providing constraints, list of deliverables, strategy to solve the problem, assessment criteria/rubric etc. are provided well in advance to the students to be comprehensible for the problem. Learning sequence sessions are also arranged on a regular basis during problem solving by the facilitator to fill out the gap. As a result, the PBL approach is found to be intended more strongly for engineering students than for other students; in contrast, with traditional MCQ based examination students mostly focus on mug up of concepts rather than implementation and critical thinking. Engineering students are able to work smartly along with hard work, and as a result students have developed their technical skills, collaborative skills, self-learning approach with advanced computer engineering courses. Assessment pattern has changed into advancement with the proposed PBL approach over a traditional MCQ based approach. Continuous assessment is performed on covering all segments of the exam. Results found with traditional approach are contrasted with results found with PBL approach and tracked down that a more prominent number of students had secured more than over average score (>=60%) with the proposed PBL approach and statistically proven for the same. This correlation shows that students are more noticeable and curious about the PBL approach as opposed to robbing up hypothetical ideas and choosing the appropriate answers with a traditional MCQ based approach. In Addition, student’s feedback is observed to be very satisfactory. It has been seen that through PBL, students' retaining level has extremely increased and their learning abilities and understanding level too has improved altogether. PBL plays out a fundamental role for achieving the student's involvement and commitment towardslearning. Logical, critical thinking, teamwork, technical etc. skills for engineering students can be developed effectively with the PBL approach. Keywords— Problem-based learning, Continuous assessment, PBL, self-regulated learning, self-directed learning

The papers report the first year of two-year longitudinal study of ethnochemistry integration in culturally responsive teaching in chemistry classrooms. The teaching approach is focusing on exploring the culture and indigenous knowledge in Indonesia from chemistry perspectives. Ethnochemistry looks at the culture from chemistry perspectives integrated into culturally responsive teaching has developed students’ cultural identity and students’ engagement in chemistry learning. There are limited research and data in exploring Indonesia culture, which has around 300 ethics, from chemistry perspectives. Students come to the chemistry classrooms from a different background; however, their chemistry learning disconnected with their background which leads to students’ disengagement in chemistry learning. Therefore this approach focused on students’ engagement within their differences. This research was conducted with year 10 and 11 from four classrooms in two secondary schools through qualitative methodology with observation, interviews, and reflective journals as data collection. The results showed that the integration of ethnochemistry in culturally responsive teaching approach can be implemented by involving 5 principles which are content integration, facilitating knowledge construction, prejudice reduction, social justice, and academic development. The culturally responsive teaching has engaged students in their chemistry learning and developed their cultural identity and soft skills. Students found that the learning experiences has helped to develop their chemistry knowledge and understand the culture from chemistry perspectives. The students developed the ability to work together, responsibility, curiosity, social awareness, creativity, empathy communication, and self-confidence which categorized into collaboration skills, student engagement, social and cultural awareness, and high order thinking skills. The ethnochemistry has helped them to develop the critical self-reflection on their own cultural background.

The Health Equity Advancement Lab (HEAL) at the University of Iowa College of Public Health began in 2012 to support students, researchers, and community members interested in tackling persistent health inequities through a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach. Using concepts from critical consciousness theory, we developed an approach to building students', faculty members', and community partners' capacity to engage in CBPR to promote health equity that involved immersion in developing CBPR projects. Our paper describes the evolution of HEAL as a facilitating structure that provides a support network and engages diverse stakeholders in critical reflection as they participate in research to advance health equity, and resulting political efficacy and social action. We describe one HEAL-affiliated research project that employs a CBPR approach and has a strong focus on providing transformative learning experiences for students, faculty, and community members. We highlight challenges, successes, and lessons learned in the application of critical consciousness as a framework that engages diverse academic and community partners seeking to promote health equity. We argue that critical consciousness is a relevant theoretical framework to promote transformative learning among students, faculty, and community partners to promote health equity research in diverse communities.

<span lang="EN-US">This needs analysis aims to determine the teaching materials required by teachers on the circulatory system to improve students' critical thinking and collaboration skills at MTs Al Ittifaqiah. This research used a quantitative descriptive study; the research sample consisted of 80 class VIII MTs students and three science teachers. The instruments used are teacher and student questionnaires and documentation. The result analysis of student needs includes (1) teaching materials used (2) teaching materials that students like (3) learning methods used by teachers (4) complex material (5) learning outcomes and (6) developed 21st-century skills. The only teaching materials used by teachers are textbooks from publishers. The result of this research found that teachers at MTs Al Ittifaqiah need to learn video teaching materials based on the PBL model on the circulatory system to improve critical thinking and collaboration skills.</span>

Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University

Development of an international interdisciplinary course: A strategy to promote cultural competence and collaboration