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Rethinking Learning in Higher Education
A conceptual framework is developed based on an expansive literature review outlining well-founded common design principles and instructional quality dimensions and features of SCLEs that reflect a situative constructivist view of learning and instruction. The framework serves as a starting point and point of reference to structure the empirical research context.
The ethnographic case study research (empirical study) investigates three authentic university courses (seminars with 25 up to 38 students) for prospective teachers enrolled in a 1-year Master’s programme at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA, USA. Exploring authentic classroom learning, teaching and interaction practices provides rare and detailed glimpses into student-centred classrooms in order to carve out and systematise characteristic course design elements, instructional strategies, and teaching and learning challenges these classrooms present for the instructors and/or the students.
For data collection and analysis purposes several instruments are used to access rich empirical data that allow for thick descriptions and interpretations in the context of single and cross case analyses: participant observations, half-standardised student evaluation surveys, semi-structured instructor and student interviews and class videotapes. The qualitative coding process is informed by categories and codes iteratively developed based on theory and data. Event sampling, a constant-comparison approach and interaction analysis are used to identify underlying patterns and practices that emerge consistently in the naturalistic classrooms under study.
The empirical case study findings informed the development of a situative educational model outlining the following core components of powerful SCLEs: (1) The learning environment embodies aligned curricular design elements and related quality features that allow the students to engage with relevant and challenging content (e.g., questions, tasks) and achieve high-level learning outcomes; (2) Students are positioned for active participation in knowledge construction and interactions – as accountable authors, active and vocal participants, and responsible co-designers; (3) Instructors apply adaptive instructional strategies to support students’ participatory processes of knowledge construction and to cultivate a productive and supportive classroom community of learners.
The study also discusses challenges to the implementation of student-centred learning and instruction and draws implications for higher education classrooms and institutions to foster high-quality education and ultimately high-quality graduates.
Project video: (http://www.unisg.ch/en/forschung/foerderung/europaeischeforschung/euresearchvideo)
Hochschulen als studierendenzentrierte Lehr-Lernumgebungen: Curriculare, pädagogische und organisationale Implikationen für die Konzeptualisierung effektiver studierendenzentrierter Lehr-Lernumgebungen an Hochschulen
Wirksame studierendenzentrierte Lernumgebungen an Hochschulen
Designing Exploratory Learning Environments
Student-centred learning environments in higher education classrooms
Designing Student-Centered Learning Environments for Higher Education Classrooms
Critical Exploration: The Creation of an Exploratory Learning Environment in Teacher Education
Always Wondering ... a Mélange of Eleanor Duckworth and Critical Exploration
The Design of Exploratory Learning Environments