Learning for Life
In Search of Creativity Through Teaching and Learning Liberal Arts in Interactive Design in Higher Education
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Jing Zhou
The first section of this paper presents a decade long exploration of implementing a liberal arts approach to interactive design pedagogy in higher education. College students in recent decades have been shunning liberal arts and the decreasing number of undergraduates pursuing bachelor’s degrees in liberal arts has led to the weakening of liberal arts in Undergraduate General Education curriculum. As academic prioritization promoted more job-oriented disciplines, this known practice of integrating liberal arts component into technological-focused courses has been applied. Furthermore, it was in this teaching experience that I, a design educator, also became educated through persistent learning and searching for wisdom. Not only does this gradual intellectual transformation helped my students to reach better learning outcomes, but also inspired me to embark on an unexpected journey of creating two award-winning projects—Jiang Jian and Cradlr. The second section consists of case studies of the two interconnected projects. On the one hand, it unveils the forgotten story of an extraordinary woman Jiang Jian and the Mothers’ Movement in China during the Second Sino-Japanese War. On the other hand, it presents Cradlr: An Interaction Design for Refugee Children, which is a human-centered digital product and network concept designed to keep displaced children—a vulnerable population without cell phones—connected with their families, resources, and heritage on a global scale. Cradlr was inspired by the Mothers' Movement in China and the Women's Voluntary Service (WVS) in the UK during World War II, in search of a humanitarian solution for a complex ongoing social challenge.
Skills Development and Assessment In Business Education: Are Students Missing Out and What Can We Do About It? View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Angelito Calma, Miriam Edwards
Business schools with Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accreditation engage in an assurance of learning (AoL) process to evidence achievement of program-level learning outcomes. This continuous improvement process aims to ensure that business students develop the key business skills and competencies needed for their studies and future careers. The main criticisms of AoL, however, include its inability to identify and clearly understand the key discipline-specific dimensions or performance traits associated with each of these skills (e.g., critical thinking, problem-solving, communication). For example, critical thinking in economics may require different performance traits than critical thinking in marketing (e.g., using evidence; making judgments). In AoL, it is often performed in practice that a skills-based rubric applies to student assessments irrespective of their disciplines. This can pose issues, not only on the validity of the rubric and the results but also in missing out on the opportunity to improve a program and its units of study due to the inadequate feedback the rubrics provide academics and program directors. This, in turn, inhibits the re-examination of suitable traits specific to the discipline that students should develop as part of their business major. This paper showcases an ongoing thematic analysis study in assessing data collected from AoL over five years, examining a range of skills in undergraduate and graduate business programs. Once specific performance traits are identified, this has implications for teaching, learning and assessment (re)design and program development, thereby improving quality and accountability.
Experiences of Technical and Professional Support Offered to E-tutors in an Open Distance Education and Learning Institution in South Africa View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Mary Mmatsatsi Madileng
This paper investigates how an Online Distance Education and Learning (ODEL) institution in South Africa offers technical and professional support to e-tutors to ensure that they have sufficient knowledge and substantive skills to be the authority of the students. E-tutoring is the learning process consisting in individual student contact with a tutor through a virtual environment, as well as a way to support individual students who want to develop their skills and competencies. It is a form of online teaching approach using information technology to provide educational access, student support in the educational process, and motivation in solving educational problems. For an effective and sustainable e-tutoring approach, e-tutors need to be sufficiently competent educators in order to support students to solve educational problems using information technology. They therefore need certain qualities and skills such as knowledge of the subject matter, ways of engaging students using various technological applications, organisational skills to be able to keep track of students and coordinate educational activities. E-tutors therefore need continuous support in terms of technological skills development, instructional and content knowledge. This study is underpinned by the continuous professional development (CPD) framework and qualitative research design. CPD is essential for upgrading and upskilling educators to keep them updated with continuous changes and trends that culminate from technological innovations, content and pedagogical knowledge. It is therefore essential for every educator, especially e-tutors, in an attempt to adapt teaching and learning to the needs of an organisation, to meet the needs of respective students.
