Open Access Journals at Aalborg University
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Digital Problem Based Learning for Facilitating the Acquisition of Collaborative Competencies
Get PDFIs Networked Learning (NL) and Problem-Based Learning (PBL) the future of education to foster collaboration? Networked learning has been proposed to be combined with PBL. Both are pedagogies and philosophies influenced by traditions of open learning, radical pedagogies and humanistic educational ideas. Problem-based learning is a constructivist, student-centered, and problem-based approach used at the medical education at Aalborg University (AAU). During COVID, AAU fast-tracked the implementation of Digital PBL (DPBL) methods. Digital PBL opens new possibilities for collaborations across platforms and holds a potential to improve learning. This potential has yet to be released through systematic efforts to understand the possibilities in the context of medical education.The curriculum at the medical education at AAU is centered around the seven roles of physicians originally described in the Canadian framework, CanMEDS. Healthcare systems becomes increasingly complex, interconnected, and rely on interdisciplinary teamwork. The Collaborator role thus becomes more important than ever before. Physicians are expected to excel in clinical expertise and collaborate effectively with other healthcare professionals, patients, and families.The specific focus on collaboration is a good example of alignment between PBL-, NL pedagogy and the CanMEDS framework, and could be important to further exploration using DPBL.This study will investigate the possibilities of DPBL within the medical education at AAU by exploring and testing digitally supported pedagogical design options for facilitating the acquisition of collaborative competencies.This explorative sequential mixed-method study will explore user-needs and perspectives using DPBL in the medical education. This contextualized knowledge will inform the development of a new teaching intervention aimed at enhancing the Collaborator role. It will be evaluated using quantitative measures of student engagement, time requirements, satisfaction and self-report learning outcomes. The data will be merged with focus group interviews to gain an in-depth understanding of the quantitative results.The theoretical background will be learning design, including constructivism. This approach will be employed using the ACAD-model. The DPBL will include a digital element, the podcast media, and a pedagogical practice encouraging the medical students to engage actively in the learning process. This is facilitated by podcast production in groups.At NLC24 the findings of the user-needs and perspectives will be presented and interpreted as part of the design and frame of the podcast intervention. The intervention will take place in autumn 2024 and this can answer if NL and PBL is part of the future education to foster collaboration
PBL hybrid: An exploration of the concept of hybrid learning in a resource-constrained university context
Get PDFIn this paper, we explore the concept of hybrid learning in the context of a project aiming to transform the master programmes at Gulu University in Uganda by incorporating problem- and project-based learning (PBL) and the use of digital technologies to prepare graduates to lead community transformation and improve employability. Teachers are experimenting and piloting PBL and digital technologies. Based on the teachers' experiences this paper provides insights into how PBL and hybrid learning are being enacted by teachers and learners in the context of a resource-constrained university environment. What are the challenges of bringing these principles of hybrid learning and PBL together in a resource-constrained environment? The paper understands hybrid learning as the development of a new quality of learning environments that goes beyond a mere mixture of elements, e.g. digital and analogue, on-site and off-site. In this paper we are particularly concerned with exploring how the new PBL hybrid practices are developing, with a interest in how digital tools are integrated into teaching and learning. This paper is based on the results of a co-construction workshop with teachers and researchers based on their experiences from the first pilot phase. The results of the study suggest that flexibility is a core concept in relation to PBL-hybrid. Hybrid learning involves flexibility in terms of how learners carry out educational activities, how PBL is implemented, the use of many different technologies and the use of both analogue and digital learning tools and spaces. Moreover, to achieve hybrid learning, the types of flexibility and technologies, as well as the mix of digital and analogue tools, depend on the specific context of the educational activities, as well as on the competences of learners and teachers. As such, hybrid learning needs to be seen as a concept in relation to the contexts in which it unfolds. This insight is important for networked learning, which cuts across contexts, actors, materials/spaces and digital/analogue modalities.
Designing for the materialization of networked learning spaces
Get PDFThe potential of a Networked Learning (NL) space comes into being when participants establish communication, build connections among each other, and create a dialogic space. Moving from this premise, this article poses a complex question: How to design for the materialization of a NL space? It bases its theoretical framework on Bakhtin’s idea of centrifugal and centripetal forces, the concepts of network core and periphery, as well as the idea of the strength of weak ties. Through these lenses, the article presents a cross-case analysis of two projects aiming at technology education in Denmark. Forces, connections, and movements are exposed and analyzed, showing the importance of unstructured communication processes that nurture a networked community. These results lead to new speculations for future educational design of NL spaces
What kinds of social network groups do teachers find useful?
Get PDFThis paper presents results from a survey of teachers describing their two most useful Facebook groups (n=108 teachers). It addresses a gap in the literature, in that many studies investigate teachers within certain Facebook groups, but little is known about the types of groups that teachers-who-use-Facebook find to be most useful. Analysis of the survey results looks at the privacy, thematic focus, and regional focus of groups that teachers report to be useful. The study also addresses the question of “what kinds of peer support do teachers find within these useful Facebook groups?” The results show that useful Facebook groups tend to be private, positioned at a state/jurisdiction/national level, and have a clear thematic focus. Results also show that within these useful Facebook groups teachers report high levels of pragmatic support, with lower levels of modelling of practice, reflection and feedback, meaningful connections, and emotional support (in that order). The paper discusses the significance of these findings with respect to issues of policy, design, and facilitation of Social Network Sites (SNSs) as well as teacher preparation for competencies to thrive within SNSs
BRIDGES - designing a European Digital Education Hub (EDEH) to support networked digital learning as we transition from Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) to effective post-digital education.
Get PDFThe COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the need for effective digital education across all education sectors, but perhaps especially within the HE context. Initially in 2020 the rush to continue to deliver teaching and learning to students who were no longer allowed on campus was characterised by a process of trying to emulate online what had previously been occurring offline. This included activities such as large and unwieldy online lectures and classes, often featuring the same powerpoint presentations as would be used in a face-to-face setting, and a general failure to adapt materials and pedagogies to take full advantage of the affordances presented by the digital context. This period has been coined Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT). During 2021 more co-ordinated and highly developed approaches have been explored by HE Institutions as it became clear that COVID-19 was not going away and that the long-term reality of HE teaching and learning lay in new approaches (e.g. blended learning) and new pedagogies (e.g. networked learning). This led to the rise of the post-digital education paradigm. However, across many institutions, regions and countries there remains a lack of support, resources and training for HE educators in post-digital education. The BRIDGES Erasmus+ project aims to work with European educators and learn from existing research in these areas to better understand these shortfalls and develop a digital platform - the European Digital Education Hub - to help address the gaps
Symposium 2: DIGIFLEX - from flexible and digital courses to an overall networked learning perspective on digital course design
No full textThe digital two-way communication that society expects today can be said to blur the boundaries between the universities and the surrounding society. As the campus becomes more of an open network, the gap between formal and informal learning narrows. One can see a shift towards a perspective of lifelong learning with a more social and global perspective. Seen in that perspective, higher education has a greater value for people, than just specific skills or a specific degree. How people in society interact with various groups and organizations on social media also demonstrates this development and it challenges how we traditionally view learning. It also affects how the university conducts course design. Students and educators have come to expect the use of new digital tools. Many of these tools contribute to interaction between educators and students in collaborative learning. In a societal perspective we see a two-way exchange of meanings and needs, which makes it possible to create solutions that neither the university nor organizations in society could have adopted on their own. The focus of this paper is the course design process of a commissioned education course, DIGIFLEX. The practice meanings from students, colleagues and a reference group are referred to as feedback loops. These feedback loops continuously drove the course design and development forward and clearly indicated the need for an adaption to a more societal context. The design process is described via three stages and two feedback loops. The first stage focused on finding a modern digital design with lots of audiovisual elements for short and flexible courses. In the first feedback loop, we gained inspiration via a learning technology conference, which led to sessions with reverse brainstorming where the project group further challenged the standard norm for course design. In step two, the pilot course was implemented with the new elements generated from the first feedback loop. We received support from a reference group with expertise in networked learning and the students evaluated the course. Our findings show a need for more dialogue and informal structure as complement to the existing digital course design. This insight was confirmed by the experiences and lessons learned from distance education during the pandemic. There is a need for a networked learning perspective in this kind of digital course design. More frequent reconciliations, evaluations of needs and expectations from the surrounding society is important for the success of similar projects in the future
The Contemporary University’s Role in Developing, Conducting and making Networked Professional Learning a practice
Get PDFThere is a growing demand for professional development, driven by employees, employers, HR-departments, and organisations alike, both in the private- and the public sector. This demand emerges from a need for an ability to continually and flexibly improve professional practices in order to respond to the impact of new knowledge, methods, and digital technologies. On the basis of the newly published book Networked Professional Learning - Emerging and Equitable Discourses for Professional Development, we will discuss the concept of Networked Professional Development and how universities can contribute to society through educational practises that support networked professional development – both in formal and informal settings. The discussion will take off from the following three questions:
How do universities further develop Networked Learning as a professional development practice?
What capacities do universities need to utilize to conduct Networked Professional Development?
In which organisational settings (public- and private sectors alike) is Networked Learning a fruitful approach to Professional Development?
How do universities involve end-users (e.g. the leaders, the HR-departments, the professionals, students etc.) in the process of designing practices and spaces for Networked Professional Learning
Advocating for Nexus Analysis: Integrating Micro and Macro Perspectives in Problem-Based Learning Research
Get PDFThis paper advocates for the adoption of Nexus Analysis as a robust analytical framework in Problem-Based Learning (PBL) research. Developed by Scollon and Scollon, Nexus Analysis offers a unique lens for examining the intricate dynamics of PBL by seamlessly integrating micro-level interactions with macro-level societal discourses. The approach enables researchers to capture the rich, nuanced interplay between individual behaviors and broader educational contexts. Despite its potential, Nexus Analysis remains underutilized in the study of PBL, where research often polarizes towards either micro or macro perspectives without bridging the two. This paper discusses the foundational concepts of Nexus Analysis, illustrating its relevance and applicability in capturing the complex reality of educational environments. By highlighting its methodological strengths, the paper aims to encourage scholars to adopt Nexus Analysis, to further strengthen the research around PBL
Editorial
Get PDFWelcome to the first issue of the twelfth volume of the Journal of Problem Based Learning in Higher Education. This is our annual issue and contains 5 research papers and 3 case studies. The scope of the journal is nicely mirrored in the papers and cases, and the range of our mutual interest in the topic of PBL in Higher Education is showcased by the diversity of the papers and cases. Once again, our authors come from all over the world, Brazil, Denmark, Turkiye, Germany, Sweden, and the UK, and are focused on a variety of areas such as group assessment, supervision methods, organisational change, teacher training etc
The ODHeatMap tool: Open data district heating tool for sustainable energy planning
Get PDFBuilding footprints are a geographical indication of the spatial distribution of built-up infrastructure, thereby reflecting energy demand patterns, including heating requirements. Heating demands spatial distribution shown in heat atlases are primordial for evaluating district heating systems feasibility, which are a key decarbonizing technology that offers more sustainable heat supply in dense urban areas. Sustainable energy planning frameworks utilize district heating potentials as metrics for the formulation of alternate system configurations aimed at decarbonizing societies and creating an understanding of heating transition pathways. However, the availability and accessibility of the data needed for assessing these potentials is highly contextual and often challenges modelling processes. Simultaneously, there is a growing potential for open data and software mechanisms that could aid in addressing these challenges and create otherwise unavailable heat mapping resources. This paper describes the development of the ODHeatMap tool, a workflow built with open data in python functions that transform building footprints into a heat atlas. Ulaanbaatar city is used as a demonstration area for the tools functionalities, with the outputs being applied in a broader study aimed at developing strategies for Mongolia's heating sector. The tool is accessible through a fully cloud-based environment and can be used in any given geographical context