Elements in a university course, designing courses backwards and approaches to learning

1. Elements in a university course, designing courses backwards and approaches to learning ToT PhD supervisor course Part II Bagamoyo April 8, 2013 Jens Dolin

2. Various framing factors 1. Duration of the course (ideal, tactical, resource etc. considerations) 2. Placing in academic calendar 3. The target group (experienced supervisors, not-experienced, PhD-students, specific disciplines, …) 4. Mandatory course for all supervisors? For PhD students? 5. Criteria for approval 6. Participants implied conditions (supervisors’ approaches, students’ attitudes) 7. Your strengths and weaknesses as a teacher/instructor 8. Which course material (books, articles, power points, …) 9. Which course formats will you use? Which pedagogy? 10. Which form for evaluation (written-oral, anonymous-no anonymous)?

3. Different course formats • Homework • To the first part or to do between two parts of a course • Lectures • By the course leaders or by invited speakers (experts) or participants • Exercises • Learning by doing • Groupwork and plenary sessions • Find a good balance between small group work and common discussions • Cases • Exemplary cases chosen by the course leader and/or concrete examples from participants. Could be written, video, oral. • The most important format is variation !!!!!!

4. Designing courses backwards COMPETENCES STEP 1 What is most important to learn? What do you burn for? STEP 2 Select three to five major learning outcomes. Think in broad categories (attitudes, foundational knowledge, …) STEP 3 Work backwards. What competencies and skills demonstrates the achievement of the goals? What content is required to obtain these competencies? Which formats supports the different aspects?

5. Definitions of Competence There is no basis for a theoretically grounded definition or classification from the seemingly endless inventory of the ways the term competence is used. … There (is) … no single common conceptual framework. (Weinert, 2001) Competencies reflect expectations of workplace performance (Rolls, 1997) … competence is a […] roughly specialized system of abilities, proficiencies, or skills that are necessary or sufficient to reach a specific goal. This can be applied to individual dispositions or to the distribution of such dispositions within a social group or an institution … (Weinert, 2001) Competence is an expression for the ability to manage and to act in a social and cultural diversity. … A bit simplified you can say that competence is something you have, because you are able to meet the challenges in a given situation. (Jørgensen, 1999)

6. The concept of competence • refers to the necessary prerequisites available to an individual or a group of individuals for successfully meeting complex demands • should be used when the necessary prerequisites for successfully meeting a demand are comprised of cognitive and (in many cases) motivational, ethical, volitional, and/or social components • implies that a sufficient degree of complexity is required to meet demands and tasks • implies that much must be learned, but cannot be directly taught. • Competence is • a preparedness for action • based on knowledge • displayed in a concrete situation

7. Why this shift towards competencies? • Generel social trends: Increased complexity and contingency → difficult to formulate precise demands → increased emphasis on generel, social, and personal competencies • Requirements from the business world – the insufficiency of the school or university as an independent actor • Insight from learning theory: The lack of transfer of traditionel school knowledge (the situatedness of learning) • Pragmatic reasons: You need a floating denominator to catch something new

8. Central connections Conceptions of learning What is it to learn? Conceptions of the profession Learning Theories Conceptions of research What is (the purpose of) a PhD study? How do we learn? Traditions Regulations How do you learn to complete a PhD study? Organizing the supervision Supervision model Attitudes toward the PhD-st Feedback format

9. Actions Supervision form, texts, forms of talk, … Justifications Experiential (based on experience) Theoretical (litterature, courses, …) Ethical (attitudes towards students etc.) Conceptions of learning and teaching (Understanding of knowledge, …) Value basis The Practice Triangle

10. Own reflections on learning • Individually: Reflect on what you mean by ‘learning’. When has someone learned something? 2. Exchange your reflections with those around you

11. Different conceptions of learning All learners say that learning is … 1. an increased quantity of knowledge 2. to be able to remember and reproduce 3. to acquire facts and procedures for later use 4. to understand 5. to interpret and give meaning to reality 6. to change your interpretation and hence change as a person RECEIVING ACTING, DOING There are strong connections between a person’s conceptions of learning and the person’s (ofte unconscious) choice of study strategies: The conceptions of learning co-determine the learning outcome!

12. When have you learned science? Pipe-line approach to science education • when you know (?) the concepts • when you master the theory • when you can solve the equations • when you can work out the solution of a problem • when you can pass the test • when you can speak the science jargon • when you can pose the right questions • when you are able to do practical work in the lab or in the field • when you can cope with everyday situations involving science • … Citizenship approach to science education 44 % of the 1.& 2. year students at the Technical University of Denmark passed their tests (written exercises) without understanding the underlying concepts (Jakobsen&Rump 1999) Very small correlation between the achievements in the core items from TIMSS1995 and in the achievements in the performance assessment problems (Weng&Hoff 1999, p. 231)

13. Surface vs Deep approach towards learning Deep approach Students focus their attention on the overall meaning or message in a class session, text or situation. They attempt to relate ideas together and construct their own meaning, possibly in relation to their own experience. Surface approach Students focus their attention on the details and information in a class session or text. They are trying to memorise these individual details in the form they appear in the class or text or to list the features of the situation in order to pass the examinations.

14. Three approaches to teaching Constructivistic learning theories Practice learning theories Psyco dynamic learning theories

15. Constructivist learning Pedagogy The learner What has to be learned Existing knowledge New information New phenomenon interpret modify New knowledge Individual process? Social process?

16. Elements in a learning process (Kolb)

17. Constructivism versus Transfer Transfer approach to learning: The students learn by listening to the teacher telling what has to be learned Constructivism: learning is determined by the individual’s development, and the individual must him- or herself construct the knowledge - it cannot be transferred • Activate the student – it is he or her that are going to do the work! • don’t always tell the ‘solution’, what’s ‘right’ • give time and space for the students’ own knowledge construction • relate to earlier knowledge and give examples and metaphors

18. Teacher role in ‘traditional’ vs. constructivist teaching – an oversimplified dichotomy

19. Student role in ‘traditional’ vs. constructivist teaching – an oversimplified dichotomy