Interdisciplinarity and Education

Bringing Immersive Technology Closer to Education and Research in the NUS Community

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Lyndia CHEN*, Raudhah THONGKAM, Jie Ying MAK, Magdeline NG Tao Tao, and Steven CHOW
TEL Imaginarium, NUS Libraries

*lyndiachen@nus.edu.sg

 

Chen, L., Thongkam, R., Mak, J. Y., Ng, M. T. T., & Chow, S. (2023). Bringing immersive technology closer to education and research in the NUS community [Lightning talk]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/bringing-immersive-technology-closer-to-education-and-research-in-the-nus-community/

SUB-THEME

Interdisciplinarity and Education

 

KEYWORDS

Technology education, immersive technologies, game-based learning, training, student engagement

 

CATEGORY

Lightning Talks 

 

ABSTRACT

To prepare for the digital era, it is important to familiarise students, educators, and the NUS community with various technologies that will soon be a mainstay in education, work, and daily lives, especially for immersive technology that is reshaping research and interaction with information. While its potential is promising, it can be challenging to keep up with the development of immersive technology (Dengel et al., 2021).

 

Some reasons for a lower than desired uptake of immersive technology are the ever-evolving novelty of the technology which can be overwhelming for a user who wants to start exploring the technology, the unfamiliarity and lack of use cases that can be done in a tertiary education setting, and the systemic difficulties in implementing immersive technology across curriculum (Dengel et al., 2021; Häfner, 2020).

 

Digital engagement strategy , adapted from Windham (2005)

 

As a team and a space in NUS Libraries, the Technology-Enhanced Learning (TEL) Imaginarium tries to raise awareness of immersive technology and its educational potential to the NUS community by organising bite-sized learning experiences through three main ways—short hands-on workshops, exciting game competitions, and tours that showcase popular tech tools and devices.

 

Underlying all the initiatives implemented by TEL Imaginarium is a strategy to engage participants, which its elements are succinctly described by Windham (2005), as described in Table 1.

 

Table 1
Principles to engage digital era learners [Adapted from Windham (2005)]

Interaction A classroom setting with ample opportunities to not just communicate, interact and collaborate with peers and educators, but also with multimedia material. Activities are organised to allow the building of connections in and out of the classroom setting.
Exploration Give learners an opportunity to explore and come up with their own conclusions, critique established literature, and develop an output or understanding with their unique stamp on it.
Relevancy Give learners an opportunity to impact real communities, interact with real-life case studies and applications, to acquire relevant skills and experiences.
Multimedia Provide a variety of media and keep them short and alternating to produce diverse content that meets the class’ learning objectives.
Instruction Basic research skills are still required to help learners navigate the information landscape, which can include teaching how to find, organise, evaluate, mix and use information correctly.

 

Workshops and other outreach initiatives to engage digital era learners.

 

Short hands-on workshops

The Jumpstart Miniseries are 1–2-hour workshops conducted every semester to increase familiarity with common immersive technologies. Participants from various disciplines get together to develop an output by presenting ideas in novel ways. The work is then showcased on an online exhibition platform to show possibilities of applications to research to inspire. Gamification elements such as digital badges are introduced to motivate learners to take charge of their learning and development for immersive technology (Huotari & Hamari, 2012).

 

Exciting games

In the name of education, the TEL Imaginarium team carefully weaves captivating storylines, game development concepts, and applications of immersive technology to develop escape room games. Packaged as a game competition with prize incentives, the NUS community can have fun pitting their wits to solve puzzles while learning about immersive technology. The game-based learning approach resulted in the popular reception of the games and successful engagement of the community (Kraiger et al., 1993) to share the technology’s potential in research and learning applications. Multiple partnerships were forged that increased the uptake of learning with immersive technology in NUS (Ketelhut & Schifter, 2011), such as with the Global Relations office to use games to orientate their incoming exchange students, and with the NUS Health and Wellbeing unit to develop escape room games revolving around the theme of mental health.

 

Tour showcases

TEL Imaginarium used to offer tours to interested NUS members to showcase the variety of immersive technology tools in the Library. Participants got to try out the applications and learn from use cases developed in NUS such as the 360 virtual tour application of NUS Libraries, which resulted in some notable interdisciplinary collaborations, such as with the Department of Biological Sciences where the team co-creates assessment tasks using immersive technology tools. This generated interest from the NUS community and NUS Libraries decided to organise yearly Tech Central Carnival events to do outreach on a wider scale over organising individual tours.

 

REFERENCES

Dengel, A., Buchner, J., Mulders, M., & Pirker, J. (2021). Beyond the horizon: Integrating immersive learning environments in the everyday classroom. 2021 7th International Conference of the Immersive Learning Research Network (iLRN), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.23919/iLRN52045.2021.9459368

Gilbert, J. (2007). Catching the Knowledge Wave: Redefining knowledge for the post-industrial age. Education Canada, 47(3), 4-8. Canadian Education Association. Retrieved June 2023 from https://www.maailmakool.ee/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/gilbert-catching-knowledge-wave.pdf

Häfner P. (2020). Categorization of the benefits and limitations of immersive environments for education. Proceedings of the 19th International Conference on Modeling & Applied Simulation (MAS 2020), 154-59. https://doi.org/10.46354/i3m.2020.mas.020

Huotari, K., & Hamari, J. (2012). Defining gamification: A service marketing perspective. Proceeding of the 16th International Academic MindTrek Conference, 17–22. https://doi.org/10.1145/2393132.2393137

Ketelhut, D. J., & Schifter, C. C. (2011). Teachers and game-based learning: Improving understanding of how to increase efficacy of adoption. Computers & Education, 56(2), 539–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2010.10.002

Kraiger, K., Ford, J. K., & Salas, E. (1993). Application of cognitive, skill-based, and affective theories of learning outcomes to new methods of training evaluation. Journal of Applied Psychology, 78(2), 311–28. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.78.2.311

Windham, C. (2005). The student’s perspective. In D. Oblinger & J. Oblinger (Eds), Educating the Net generation (pp. 5.1-5.16). Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE. Retrieved June 2023, from https://cyberlearn.hes-so.ch/pluginfile.php/804144/mod_resource/content/2/pub7101.pdf

 

Student Feedback on an Online Scientific Inquiry Course: Lessons Learned

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Reuben Manjit SINGH, Seow Chong LEE, Yuan Yuan CHEW, and Foong May YEONG
Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (YLLSOM)

*bchyfm@nus.edu.sg

 

Singh, R. M., Lee, S. C., Chew, Y. Y., & Yeong, F. M. (2023). Student feedback on an online scientific inquiry course: Lessons learned [Poster presentation]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/student-feedback-on-an-online-scientific-inquiry-course-lessons-learned/ 

SUB-THEME

Interdisciplinarity and Education

 

KEYWORDS

Multidisciplinary, nature of science, student feedback, fully online

 

CATEGORY

Poster Presentation 

 

INTRODUCTION

As part of the Common Curriculum, students enrolled in the College of Humanities and Sciences (CHS) read Scientific Inquiry (SI) courses. In our SI course “From DNA to Gene Therapy”, we used the notion of the Nature of Science (NOS) (McComas & Olson, 2002) to explore scientific practices from different disciplines (Schwartz et al., 2004). These included the scientific method, and the history and sociology of scientific endeavours. Our multidisciplinary course afforded students different lenses through which they could view the practices of science and could potentially ease them into subsequent interdisciplinarity courses (Diphoorn et al., 2023). Here we describe our analysis of students’ feedback to understand their perceptions on a fully online multidisciplinary course.

 

METHODS

Course information

The course HSI2003 “From DNA to Gene Therapy” was taught in semester II, Academic Year 2022/23. Yeong F. M. was the course coordinator with Lee S. C. and R. M. Singh serving as tutors. The course enrolment comprised 78 students mostly from the Faculty of Science. The course was fully online, with recorded lectures hosted on Canvas, and virtual tutorials held on MS Teams. For assessments, students were graded on individual quizzes, group assignments, and a summative essay. The quizzes were mainly content-based while the tutorial questions, group projects, and individual summative essay required students to discuss different aspects of scientific practices.

Coding of student feedback

Content analysis (Cohen et al., 2011) was performed on students’ end-of-year formal feedback. The anonymous comments were coded independently by R. M. Singh and Lee S. C. after a preliminary discussion. The codes were then categorised based on common themes.

 

RESULTS

We received 48 unique comments from students’ feedback. These were coded into 19 positive and 31 negative codes (Table 1). 72.2% of the positive codes were related to how the students found the topics approachable and interesting. These were categorised into the theme of overall course content. 27.8% pertained to self-directed learning, and were categorised into lectures. The negative codes were derived from comments on assignments and tutorials. Where assignments (51.6%) were concerned, the students felt dissatisfied at the release dates of assignments, digital platform used for group assignments, and the uneven distribution of workload within the group. For tutorials (48.4%), students disliked the online format, and preferred them to be held physically.

 

Table 1
Positive and negative student feedback classified by themes

Positive and negative student feedback classified by themes

 

DISCUSSION

As this was the first run of our course, it is informative to analyse students’ feedback. Indeed, their positive comments on the content are surprising. Nonetheless, they imply that multidisciplinary, and potentially, interdisciplinary content could be well-accepted by both science and non-science students if the contents were packaged and delivered appropriately. However, these are inadequate for good student learning experiences. It appears that post-pandemic, while students prefer didactic lectures to remain online for self-directed learning, they want group-based tutorials to be face-to-face due to constraints in the online environment. For instance, students were able to keep their cameras off during tutorials, and this led to a lack of facial and body cues that reduced engagement and hampered collaboration. Also, as students did not meet face-to-face, there was low level of accountability among group members. Based on the feedback, we have planned solutions for the subsequent semesters to address various issues (Table 2). By accounting for students’ feedback as part of our continuous improvement cycle, we hope to provide better student learning experiences in subsequent semesters.

 

Table 2
Issues identified and potential solutions

Issues identified and potential solutions

 

REFERENCES 

Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2011). Research Methods in Education (7th ed.). Routledge.

Diphoorn, T., McGonigle Leyh, B., Knittel, S. C., Huysmans, M., & Goch, M. V. (2023). Traveling concepts in the classroom : experiences in interdisciplinary education. Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in Education, 12 (S1), 1–14. Retrieved from https://www.ojed.org/index.php/jise/article/view/4844

McComas, William F, & Olson, J. K. (2002). The nature of science in international science education standards documents. In W. F McComas (Ed.), The Nature of Science in Science Education, Science & Technology Education Library, vol 5 (Issue 1996, pp. 41–52). Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-306-47215-5_2

Schwartz, R., Lederman, N. G., & Crawford, B. a. (2004). Developing views of nature of science in an authentic context: An explicit approach to bridging the gap between nature of science and scientific inquiry. Science Education, 88(4), 610–45. https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.10128

 

Teaching Surface Anatomy by Surgeons and Anatomists

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Eng-Tat ANG1*, Jaya B.1, Satish R. L.1, Norman LIN2, James LEE2, Sean LEE2,
GAO Yujia2, Victor LOH3, and Benjamin GOH2

1Department of Anatomy, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (YLLSOM)
2Department of Surgery, YLLSOM
3Department of Family Medicine, YLLSOM

*antaet@nus.edu.sg

 

Ang, E-T, Jaya B., Satish R. L., Lin, N., Lee, J., Lee, S., Gao, Y., Loh, V., & Goh, B. (2023). Teaching surface anatomy by surgeons and anatomists [Lightning talk]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/teaching-surface-anatomy-by-surgeons-and-anatomists/
 

SUB-THEME

Interdisciplinarity and Education

 

KEYWORDS

Surface anatomy, surgery, collaboration, teaching

 

CATEGORY

Lightning Talks

 

WHAT PROBLEM WAS ADDRESSED?

Not knowing enough surface anatomy is challenging for the clinical students as they further their medical education. Despite efforts by the anatomists to sensitise preclinical students to this important skillset via the clinical applications of medical sciences (CAMS), the surgeons are reporting that there is still a gap. These medical students are not confident in locating important landmarks (e.g. pubic tubercle) and organs. They would also appear to be unprofessional in their general handling of patients. Is this the result of poor alignment of teaching objectives and nomenclatures? This has to be dealt with because it will lead to frustrations for both teachers and students.

 

WHAT WAS TRIED?

For the first time at the National University of Singapore (NUS), surgeons and anatomists decided to collaboratively teach surface anatomy to the Medical Year 3 (M3) students as they begin their surgical rotations at the National University Hospital (NUH) (NUS-IRB 2023-2). This is fundamentally different from the existing CAMS (NUS) and initiatives like body painting (Diaz & Woolley, 2021). Importantly, standardised patients (SP) were involved, and therefore the level of authenticity is heightened. Students were instructed to surface mark bony landmarks, organs (e.g. liver in the abdomen), and glands (e.g. thyroid in the neck) respectively. The students-to-teacher ratio was kept small (9:1) in order to facilitate more interactions. Four sessions each lasting 2-3 hours (with time allocated for practice) were rolled out between 2022-2023. Pre- and post- session quizzes to ascertain knowledge gain were done. Lastly, a survey was carried out to gauge the level of satisfaction with the interventions.

 

WHAT LESSONS WERE LEARNED?

The surface anatomy knowledge expected of the clinical students was not fulfilled by the CAMS in the pre-clinical years. Most notably, the nomenclatures used by anatomists were not properly aligned with that of the surgeons. Students were confused by these discrepancies e.g. myopectineal orifice in the groin. Overall, the students (n = 72) felt that the module was useful in clarifying these doubts, and boosted their confidence dealing with the SP. 100% of the participants rated the programme between 8-10/10 for effectiveness and gain of knowledge (pre-post-test) (p < 0.05). We also observed that while some surgeons like to defer the teachings to the anatomists, others prefer to take the lead. There were also considerable variations in teaching styles (e.g. humour). All things considered, with the learning objectives and nomenclatures standardised, the venture was much appreciated by the M3 students. The improved conversations between surgeons and anatomists made the learning of surface anatomy more constructive and meaningful for the students. However, this conclusion is limited by the fact that this was a mono-institutional research. Therefore, the idea needs to be expanded.

 

REFERENCE

Diaz, C. M., & Woolley, T. (2021). “Learning by doing”: a mixed-methods study to identify why body painting can be a powerful approach for teaching surface anatomy to health science students. Med Sci Educ, 31(6), 1875-87. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-021-01376-x

 

Methods in Madness–Exploring the Use of Toolkits in Project-based Learning

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Mark CHONG* and Bina RAI
Department of Biomedical Engineering

*markchong@nus.edu.sg

 

Chong, M., & Rai, B. (2023). Methods in madness–Exploring the use of toolkits in project-based learning [Lightning talk]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/methods-in-madness-exploring-the-use-of-toolkits-in-project-based-learning/

 

SUB-THEME

Interdisciplinarity and Education

 

KEYWORDS

Project-based learning, interdisciplinary studies, design, instructional aids, training aids

 

CATEGORY

Lightning Talks

 

BACKGROUND

Project-based Learning (PBL) is commonly used to engage learners in meaningful projects and developing real-world products. Student-led inquiry is integral towards knowledge construction, with instructors engaged more heavily in coaching, rather than didactic delivery of content. Inherently, this results in an increased workload, both for staff and students (Brown, 2020), and PBL approaches are notorious for being time-consuming. The diverse nature of problem statements used, as well as instructors involved, often result in inconsistent expectations, further limiting efforts to scale-up delivery of instruction (Aldabbus, 2018; Shpeizer, 2019).

 

Peer instruction may provide part of the solution to these issues. As defined and popularised by Eric Mazur (Crouch & Mazur, 2001), peer instruction benefits from not having the “curse of knowledge”, with recent learners being better placed to explain concepts to each other, particularly in the learning of content knowledge. It follows that PBL can be integrated with peer instruction for improved outcomes, and has been proven effective for skills-based courses (Putri & Sumartini, 2021). As described above, however, design projects tend to be more open-ended and require some prior experience to steer the learning in the right direction; students within the project teams often lack the “big picture”, and require additional guidance in their discovery journey.

 

In this project, we proposed the use of students who have recently completed the course to return as teaching assistants (TAs) for future teams. To make up for the lack of general real-world experience, the TAs are trained and equipped with teaching aids in the form of toolkits that serve to standardise instruction and also provide a vehicle to report student progress for targeted feedback from the course instructor/faculty. Frameworks and toolkits, as used in innovation and design, serve to focus the users’ attention on immediate topics and to provide a platform for collaborative design (Clemente et al., 2016).

 

The following are the research questions explored in this project:

  • What are the major gaps in PBL that can be effectively addressed with teaching toolkits?
  • How effective are teaching toolkits in (a) facilitating teaching, and (b) nurturing confidence in instruction in student guides?

 

PROJECT AIMS & METHODOLOGY

We hypothesise that instructional toolkits improve teaching effectiveness and efficiency in design innovation courses for TAs. To test this hypothesis, the following aims have been developed:

 

Aim #1. We will develop toolkits to be used by learners in the course BN3101 “Biomedical Engineering Design”. Additionally, we will develop training guides for TAs to prepare them to transition into teaching roles. We expect these efforts to improve confidence of the teaching aids and enable them to provide focused guidance to the student groups throughout PBL. As a result, students will be steered in the right direction and converge on the course learning outcomes more quickly.

 

Aim #2. We will measure the effectiveness of the toolkits in facilitating peer instruction through a combination of direct and indirect measures at specified time points throughout the course. Two aspects of effectiveness of the training toolkits will be studied: (i) Ability to improve learning outcomes, and (ii) Ability to facilitate moderate facilitation by the TAs. Evaluation of (i) will be performed through self-reported surveys by learners, and qualitative assessments from instructors as direct measures of learning. Similarly, evaluation of (ii) will take place through surveys on learners and focus group discussions with student assistants at the end of the course.

 

Aim #3. We will analyse the data collected to reveal distinct material from the course that can be most effectively structured into a general set of toolkits to improve instruction and/or identify portions that can be digitised for online training of the student guides. This can also be useful for onboarding new course instructors, and may result in more consistent expectations of deliverables amongst course instructors.

 

CENTRAL MESSAGE

This presentation describes the process of developing toolkits for project-based learning courses for effective learning.

 

REFERENCES

Aldabbus, S. (2018). Project-based learning: Implementation & challenges. International Journal of Education, Learning and Development, 6(3), 71-79. https://eajournals.org/ijeld/vol-6-issue-3-march-2018/project-based-learning-implementation-challenges/

Brown, N. (2020). Practical solutions to manage staff and student workloads in project-based learning courses. Global Journal of Engineering Education, 22(1), 20-25. http://www.wiete.com.au/journals/GJEE/Publish/vol22no1/03-Brown-N.pdf

Clemente, V. Vieira, R. & Tschimmel, K. (2016). A learning toolkit to promote creative and critical thinking in product design and development through Design Thinking. In 2016 2nd International Conference of the Portuguese Society for Engineering Education (CISPEE), Vila Real, Portugal (pp. 1-6). http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/CISPEE.2016.7777732

Crouch, C. H., & Mazur, E. (2001). Peer instruction: Ten years of experience and results. American Journal of Physics, 69, 970-77. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.1374249

Putri, S. T., & Sumartini, S. (2021). Integrating peer learning activities and problem-based learning in clinical nursing education. SAGE Open Nurs, 7, 23779608211000262. https://doi.org/10.1177/23779608211000262

Shpeizer, R. (2019). Towards a successful integration of project-based learning in higher education: challenges, technologies and methods of implementation. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 7, 1765-71. http://dx.doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2019.070815

 

Fostering Interdisciplinarity in PF2203: Quality and Productivity Management

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Alexander LIN*, Anqi SHI, and TAY En Rong Stephen
Department of the Built Environment, College of Design and Engineering (CDE)

*bdgal@nus.edu.sg

 

Lin, A., Shi, A., & Tay, E. R. S. (2023). Fostering interdisciplinarity in PF2203: Quality and productivity management [Lightning talk]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/fostering-interdisciplinarity-in-pf2203-quality-and-productivity-management/

 

SUB-THEME

Interdisciplinarity and Education

 

KEYWORDS

Quality and productivity management, industry relevance, knowledge integration, constructivism learning

 

CATEGORY

Lightning Talks

 

INTRODUCTION

This discussion elucidates a pedagogical transformation of the course PF2203 “Quality and Productivity Management (QPM)”, which amalgamates an interdisciplinary management philosophy. Interdisciplinary learning integrates knowledge from multiple domains while considering their interrelationships (Ivanitskaya et al., 2002). This enables an interprofessional education with a deeper understanding of thinking processes practiced by different professionals (Cooper et al. 2001) and hence, is essential for coordinating and integrating the operations of different teams within the construction industry.

 

The approach to enhancing the interdisciplinary elements within the PF2203 curriculum revolved around a shift from a traditional, teacher-centred pedagogy to a more inclusive, student-centred approach. This paradigm shift was motivated by the need to ensure that students are not merely passive recipients of knowledge but active constructors of their learning experience (Anthony, 1996). It is through this shift that we sought to foster an interdisciplinary constructivism learning experience.

 

METHODOLOGY

This transformative journey involved enriching the traditional lecture format through the incorporation of (i) current industry insights, (ii) research findings, and (iii) multidisciplinary concepts, of which examples are presented in Table 1. This is to enable students to link theoretical principles to real-world applications for authentic learning, thereby enhancing their understanding and critical thinking abilities (Lombardi & Oblinger, 2007).

 

Table 1
Content added for lectures

Topic for the Lecture Content Added Purpose
Nature of the construction industry Robotic fabrication in construction and automobile industries. To understand how different disciplines in construction and manufacturing industries affect the consideration of applying robotic fabrication.
The debate on quality A case introduction about design, construction, and operation of a university building. To provide a practical example from the industry where the effectiveness of collaborations between different professionals, such as engineers, architects, and managers, affects the project outcomes.
Construction Productivity, Quality and Technologies A case introduction about design and fabrication of a 3D-printed concrete arch structure. To utilise a real case to elaborate how considerations and knowledge in fields of architecture, structure, construction/fabrication, and quality management are integrated in a design-to-fabrication process.
Just-in-time productivity A case introduction about a real-time quality monitoring system of fresh concrete during delivery. To utilise a real case to elaborate how technology can help one achieve just-in-time productivity.

 

In parallel, the tutorials were utilised as explorative platforms where students could delve into the intricate interplay between the sub-domains of engineering, management, policy, and human aspects to synthesise them into a cohesive understanding of QPM, thus enforcing interdisciplinary learning. This also allows the passive acceptance of knowledge from lectures to be transferred to active learning (Anthony, 1996), with knowledge construction based on constructivism learning theory (Piaget, 1954). During the tutorial sessions, students presented their findings and the lecturer provided guidance and feedback focusing on the interrelationship of different disciplines.

 

The framework illustrated in Figure 1 was deployed herein and fosters a constructivist learning process for interdisciplinary learning, which builds upon previous works on constructivism for interdisciplinary teaching and learning (Ledoux & McHenry, 2004; Scheer et al., 2012). Merging knowledge from both technical and non-technical subdomains, it builds upon students’ prior knowledge acquired from earlier lectures and courses, integrating it into tutorial activities. Within this approach, students explore the nuances of subdomain knowledge through an iterative balance between two main pillars: active learning and social interaction (Ledoux & McHenry, 2004). The former involves students actively constructing knowledge for their presentation, while the latter centres on obtaining feedback from peers and the lecturer. This cyclical engagement between the two processes across interdisciplinary sub-domains deepens comprehension and encourages a collaborative learning environment (Scheer et al., 2012).

framework employed to foster a constructivist learning process for interdisciplinary learning in the QPM course
Figure 1. The framework employed to foster a constructivist learning process for interdisciplinary learning in the QPM course.

 

RESULTS

The transformation of the pedagogical approach was met with positive student feedback in an end-of-course survey. Table 2 shows some representative student feedback, indicating that the revamped course allowed students to learn how QPM theory was applied to the construction industry [refer to feedback (a) and (b)], and the peer learning in tutorials allowed students to have a deeper understanding on comprehensive sub-domains relevant to QPM [refer to feedback (c) and (d)].

 

Table 2
Qualitative student feedback reproduced as they are

Feedback
(a) Further discusses applications and real world applications of the topics taught in the module. Content from slides and readings are closely related.
(b) Took a closer look into real-life examples of QPM and how it is implemented within a company
(c) The group projects are definitely useful as the various presentations done by the different groups covers a lot of different areas in QPM. This wide coverage of content is good in allowing us to learn as much from everyone.
(d) Understanding the different factors relating to quality and productivity, Listening and learning from other groups.

 

Table 3 shows the responses for the end-of-course survey utilising a five-point Likert scale. Survey responses for Questions (1) to (3) indicate a general agreement that the innovative learning activities contributed to a deeper understanding of the interdisciplinary relationships among the course’s subtopics and the integration of them. Most students appreciated the value derived from seeing the practical application of theoretical concepts (Question 4) and the lecturer’s approachability (Question 6). Additionally, students acknowledged that these activities fostered their ability to critically analyse and apply QPM concepts in the construction industry [Questions (5) and (6)]. Examples and images of students’ work will be shown in the presentation during the conference.

 

Table 3
Survey results indicating the average response based on a five-point Likert scale with 1 (Strongly Disagree) and 5 (Strongly Agree) (n = 27)

Questions Average Score 
(1) Quality and Productivity Management consists of many sub-topics. Through the learning activities for tutorials and group projects, I gained an understanding of the relationship between these sub-topics. 3.8
(2) Quality and Productivity Management consists of many sub-topics. Through the activities for tutorials and group projects, I learnt how to integrate these sub-topics. 3.6
(3) Quality and Productivity Management consists of many sub-topics. Through the activities for tutorials and group projects, I appreciate how these sub-topics connections to my prior knowledge/experiences about the built environment industry. 4.2
(4) Through the activities for tutorials and group projects, I learnt how quality and productivity management concepts/principles have been implemented in the construction industry and other industries/sectors. 4.1
(5) The activities for tutorials and group projects facilitate my critical thinking for deployment of Quality and Productivity Management. 4.0
(6) In the activities for tutorials and group projects, the guidance (if any) presented by the tutor(s) were instructive and inspired me and my group members to think critically and delivery our own ideas. 4.0

 

CONCLUSION AND SIGNIFICANCE

In conclusion, this study highlights how interdisciplinarity could be achieved through a course revamp incorporating i) current industry insights, ii) research findings, and iii) multidisciplinary concepts. Through this transformation, we have observed students actively participating in their learning journey while at the same time applying interdisciplinary knowledge from other domains of knowledge. This model potentially serves as a blueprint for other courses looking to foster an interdisciplinary and industry-relevant learning environment.

 

REFERENCES

Anthony, G. (1996). Active learning in a constructivist framework. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 31(4), 349-69. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00369153

Cooper, H, Carlisle, C., Gibbs, T., & Watkins, C. (2001). Developing an evidence base for interdisciplinary learning: a systematic review, Journal of Advanced Nursing, 35(2), 228-37. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2648.2001.01840.x

Ivanitskaya, L., Clark, D, Montgomery, G., & Primeau, R. (2002). Interdisciplinary learning: Process and outcomes. Innovative Higher Education, 27(2), 95-111. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021105309984

Ledoux, M. & McHenry, N. (2004). A constructivist approach in the interdisciplinary instruction of science and language arts methods. Teaching Education, 15(4), 385-99. https://doi.org/10.1080/1047621042000304510

Lombardi, M. M., & Oblinger, D. G. (2007). Authentic learning for the 21st century: An overview. Educause Learning Initiative, 1(2007), 1-12. https://library.educause.edu/resources/2007/1/authentic-learning-for-the-21st-century-an-overview

Piaget, J. (1954). The construction of reality in the child. (M. Cook, Trans.). Basic Books.

Scheer, A., Noweski, C., & Meinel, C. (2012). Transforming constructivist learning into action: Design thinking in education. Design and Technology Education, 17(3), 8-19. https://openjournals.ljmu.ac.uk/DATE/article/view/1679

 

Collecting, Documenting and Researching About the Effects of Litter on Biodiversity with Team Mates

cdtlsd Lighting Talks , , , , ,

Amy CHOONG Mei Fun
Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science (FOS)

dbscmfa@nus.edu.sg

 

Choong, A. M. F. (2023). Collecting, documenting and researching about the effects of litter on biodiversity with team mates [Lightning talk]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/collecting-documenting-and-researching-about-the-effects-of-litter-on-biodiversity-with-team-mates/

 

SUB-THEME

Interdisciplinarity and Education

 

KEYWORDS

Waste and our environment, group project, Natural Heritage of Singapore, biodiversity, protecting the environment

 

CATEGORY

Lightning Talks

 

ABSTRACT

GES1021/GESS1016 “Natural Heritage of Singapore” is a course that showcases biodiversity in Singapore and how development threatens local biodiversity. Undergraduates can take the course from any level. Owing to a lack of manpower, the LSM1307 “Waste and Our Environment” had to be put on hold and since I took over GES1021/GESS1016, I decided to incorporate LSM1307’s key topics, such as litter and pollution, into GES1021/GESS1016. The course LSM1307 focusses on environmental sustainability, particularly on waste and health concerns while GES1021/GESS1016 focusses on biodiversity, specifically on the natural heritage of Singapore. Students who enrolled into this course came from all faculties thus rendering this continual assessment (CA), titled as in this abstract, highly interdisciplinary.

 

This CA was a group project. In the CA instruction given, students were taught how to collect the trash, what to avoid, how to practice safety, how to document the waste and categorise it. The instruction also named the students as heroes to motivate them to do good as their litter removal helps local biodiversity. They were graded on aesthetics of the poster (2%), accuracy of information about the organisms (12%), detailed research on waste (5%), good referencing (1%), as well as the pictures and categories of waste collected (3%).

 

Out of the class of 125, the students formed their own groups of 3 to 5 members. Each group focussed on one natural habitat (may be at different locations in Singapore), documented three native plants and three native animals that lived there, and picked at least 50 pieces of litter from the habitat and documented them in their group poster. Based on what they had picked, students researched on the category of litter, their effects on the flora and fauna in general (need not be specific to their organism, as few such studies had been carried out locally). For instance, there were different types of plastics, and information on how they affected plants or animals could be obtained from studies done (need not be limited to Singapore). Finally, students submitted their work in the form of a three-page A3 poster in PDF. The first page described the team’s chosen habitat and organisms. The second page listed the types of litter collected and how these affected plants and animals, and the final page listed the references.

 

This CA was a form of experiential learning (Kolb, 1984). Students were taught in the course what a habitat is and what are considered native organisms. These background information form the intellectual origin (Kolb, 1984). As they carried out this assignment, students must be able to apply the concepts and correctly identify as well as photograph three native animals and plants. From the litter picking component, students could see for themselves how their six organisms were living amongst litter. From their desktop research, they would discover the harmful effects and might feel for their organisms’ plight. The research involved many disciplines, from biology and ecology of organisms, pollution chemistry affecting organisms’ growth and physiology (D’Costa, 2022; van Bijsterveldt et al., 2021; Zdunek & Kolenda, 2022), heavy metals (Buhari & Ismail, 2016), soil structure or aquatic quality, ultimately affecting human health (although students are to omit this in their poster). These experiences thus influence their overall learning.

 

When the students first started GES1021/GESS1016, most were clueless about local biodiversity and Singapore’s natural habitats. Subsequently as they attended lectures, worked on this assignment, encountered interesting plants and animals and recognised that these organisms were at risk from litter, students gained cognitive growth and their understanding changed. Their ideas about the environment and biodiversity were formed and reformed with each experience (Kolb, 1984).

 

The assignment was effective in bringing across the seriousness of litter’s harm to wildlife. The hard work required to pick up litter, the encounters with wildlife would be memorable. Students enjoyed the experience as they mentioned this in the module feedback (see comments in the next two paragraphs) and from conversations I had with them. During the “get to know you” online poll conducted on Mentimeter, my current student (2023-24) said they selected this course because of the litter-picking assignment.

 

Comments from two students:

  • “Very fun module with a very passionate Dr Choong! She instils values in us such as the importance of not wasting food, or not littering. Our project is very unique where we get to explore our natural habitat in Singapore and pick rubbish that pollutes these habitats.”
  • “It allows me to understand nature more and inspires me to make some changes in the future to protect our natural environment.”

 

REFERENCES

Buhari, T. R., & Ismail, A. (2016). Correlations between geo-chemical speciation of heavy metals (Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd and Ni) in surface sediments and their concentrations in giant mudskipper (Periophthalmodon schlosseri) collected from the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection, 4(1), 28-36. https://doi.org/10.4236/gep.2016.41003

D’Costa, A. H. (2022). Microplastics in decapod crustaceans: Accumulation, toxicity and impacts, a review. Science of The Total Environment, 832, 154963. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154963

Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential learning: experience as the source of learning and development. Prentice-Hall.

van Bijsterveldt, C. E. J., van Wesenbeeck, B. K., Ramadhani, S., Raven, O. V., van Gool, F. E., Pribadi, R., & Bouma, T. J. (2021). Does plastic waste kill mangroves? A field experiment to assess the impact of macro plastics on mangrove growth, stress response and survival. Science of The Total Environment, 756, 143826. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143826

Zdunek, P. & Kolenda, K. (2022). The threat of discarded food and drinks containers to monitor lizards. Herpetological Bulletin, 161, 28-30. https://doi.org/10.33256/hb161.2830

 

 

Exploratory Implementation of Scenario-based Student-generated Questions for Students From the Humanities And Sciences in a Scientific Inquiry Course

cdtlsd Paper Presentations , , , , ,

TAY En Rong Stephen1 and LIU Mei Hui2
1Department of the Built Environment, College of Design and Engineering (CDE)
2Department of Food Science & Technology, College of Humanities and Sciences (CHS)

1stephen.tay@nus.edu.sg, 2fstlmh@nus.edu.sg

 

Tay, E. R. S., & Liu, M. H. (2023). Exploratory implementation of scenario-based student-generated questions for students from the humanities and sciences in a scientific inquiry course [Paper presentation]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/exploratory-implementation-of-scenario-based-student-generated-questions-for-students-from-the-humanities-and-sciences-in-a-scientific-inquiry-course/

 

SUB-THEME

Interdisciplinarity and Education 

 

KEYWORDS

Interdisciplinarity, peer learning, student-generated questions, assessment, feedback

 

CATEGORY

Paper Presentation 

 

INTRODUCTION

Students in the College of Humanities and Sciences (CHS) are required to undertake courses to fulfil the Scientific Inquiry II (SI2) requirement. With the success of scenario-based student generated-questions (sb-SGQ) reported previously across three courses within the College of Design and Engineering (CDE) (Du & Tay, 2022; Tay, 2022), the sb-SGQ approach was adopted in the course HSI2007 “Deconstructing Food”, which fulfils the SI2 requirement by CHS. The sb-SGQ builds upon student-generated questions (SGQ) (Rosenshine et al., 1996) through the incorporation of real-life examples from industry for authentic assessment (Wiggins, 1990). The aim was to encourage interdisciplinary learning, which involves integrating knowledge from various disciplines to specific problems (Ivanitskaya et al., 2002) among students from both the Humanities and Sciences taking HSI2007. Hence, this study aims to answer the following questions:

 

  1. Does the approach encourage interdisciplinary learning?
  2. What are the student perceptions towards the use of sb-SGQ?

 

METHODOLOGY

The sb-SGQ was implemented as an ungraded activity in Semester 2 of AY2022/23, with the timeline of the implementation shown in Table 1. Participation to the survey is voluntary and does not impact student’s grades. Data was subsequently analysed using JASP, an open-source statistical package (Love et al., 2019) with a significance level of 5%.

 

Table 1
Implementation schedule of sb-SGQ

Week 1 5 7 and 9 10 11
Activity Inform students of sb-SGQ Provide guidance
on sb-SGQ		 Students generate sb-SGQ and upload to Canvas. Selected cases were discussed in tutorials. Graduate tutors provide feedback for sb-SGQ on Canvas. Perception survey shared with students

 

RESULTS

Through the sb-SGQ, we observed that students were able to develop questions that demonstrate the use of content knowledge across different instructional weeks. In the example below, students asked how one could identify organic/eco-friendly labels to make choices on sustainable food products (Figure 1). This question demonstrates the application of concepts taught in Week 6 (on food labels) and Week 8 (on food sustainability).

 

Example of sb-SGQ by Humanities and Science students in HSI2007.
Figure 1. An example of sb-SGQ by Humanities and Science students in HSI2007.

 

Interestingly, the group’s corresponding answer to the sb-SGQ (refer to Figure 2) demonstrated further integration of topics taught in Weeks 2 (on the use of reputable sources of information) and 4 (on product shelf-life). Importantly, interdisciplinary thinking from areas such as environmental sciences, psychology, and marketing were also present in the answer.

[2a] Example of answers to the sb-SGQ in Figure 1 with interdisciplinary elements.
.
[2b] Example of answers to the sb-SGQ in Figure 1 with interdisciplinary elements.
Figure 2. An example of answers to the sb-SGQ in Figure 1 with interdisciplinary elements.
 

Students’ responses to the survey questions are shown in Table 2. Generally, students from the Humanities and Sciences expressed positive responses, defined by a score above 3 in a 5-point Likert scale, for all five questions. Students from the Sciences provided a higher average response for all five questions, of which Q4 was statistically significant (p = 0.003) when using a one-tailed test. This could be attributed to a higher affinity by students from the Sciences towards question generation, which involves scientific inquiry, a skill students from the Sciences may be more accustomed to.

 

Table 2
Average of student responses in Semester 2 based on a 5-point Likert scale. 

Group Q1: The collective sb-SGQ developed by the class has helped me to better understand the concepts taught. Q2: The skills acquired in the sb-SGQ exercise are transferrable skills (i.e. skills that can be used/applied in other roles or settings). Q3: The sb-SGQ assignment was sufficiently challenging. Q4: I enjoyed the sb-SQG process. Q5: I would recommend the use of sb-SGQ for future modules.
Humanities
(n = 59)		 3.763 3.797 3.847 3.390 3.576
Sciences
(n = 60)		 4.017 3.967 3.783 3.717 3.700

 

Subsequently, qualitative feedback was analysed (refer to Table 3). Generally, students from the Humanities and Sciences were able to appreciate how the sb-SGQ allowed them to relate the course learning objectives with real-world examples. Students also appreciated peer learning in the sb-SGQ exercise, both from within and beyond the groups, which raised different perspectives. A Humanities student shared how the sb-SGQ made the student comfortable with scientific research (Comment 1 in Table 3). Another student shared how he/she was able to apply knowledge gained from another course into HSI2007, which highlighted the possibility of interdisciplinary learning when students employ elements from other courses (Comment 7 in Table 3). What was interesting was the comment by a student expressing how the sb-SGQ approach helps with his/her plans to be an educator in the future (Comment 10 in Table 3), which implies an independent agreement from the student on the pedagogical effectiveness of the sb-SGQ approach.

 

The comments provided in Table 3 highlight that 1) students from the Humanities can be comfortable with scientific research, a domain commonly perceived to be a strength of students from the Sciences (Comment 1 in Table 3), and 2) how students are able to organically retrieve information from other courses and apply them when given the opportunity to do so (Comment 7 in Table 3).

 

Table 3
Student feedback from HSI2007 on the sb-SGQ. Feedback reproduced as they were received.

Group Feedback
Humanities 1. It got me comfortable with doing scientific research for food related topics.

2. It was an interesting experience as to craft out an answer, one needs to take the initiative to plan out steps one should take to generate the answer and also put in the work to get the answer.

3. It motivated me to be on track with my classroom learning and apply it to real world scenarios. Collaborating with group mates to finish it made the process very insightful as we all brought different points to the table.

4. In generating my sb-SGQ, it was interesting to see linkages between the content learnt and how it is related to real-world scenarios. It was also a fun process to recap on knowledge learnt.
Science 5. Coming up with the scenario required us to recollect concepts that we had learnt in the module and craft according to them. This helped in further strengthening our contextual understanding.

6. It was deeply insightful and helped to expand my horizons.

7. I wanted to apply what I have learned in HSI2007 and FST1101B. Previously during one of the FST1101B tutorials, I learned about labeling on food packaging. Hence, the task proposed by HSI2007 felt somewhat similar and I was able to recall what I have previously learned from another module and transfer this knowledge here.

8. I feel like the sb-SGQ helps me to discover my interest in certain food topics and the generation of the questions and its corresponding answers makes me more knowledgable in that area and pushes me to ask more question. This helps me build a passion for learning and my thirst for knowledge.

9. My group mates and I had quite a lot of fun searching up cases and generating questions for them.

10. I aspire to be a teacher in the future and I feel sb-SGQ is useful for my professional development as it constantly pushes me to ask questions and find answers for it. This helps to cultivate my love for learning and makes me more interested to learn about new things as well as to ask questions when I am in doubt.

 

CONCLUSION AND SIGNIFICANCE

The sb-SGQ approach was employed in HSI2007 with students from both the Humanities and Sciences in HSI2007 to encourage interdisciplinary learning. Though a comparison with a control cohort without the sb-SGQ approach was not possible, as the HSI2007 course started with the sb-SGQ approach, a critical analysis of the data collected revealed valuable insights. Generally, there was positive student feedback evidenced from qualitative and quantitative data. The significance of this study lies in the lack of hardware and software costs in the sb-SGQ, which aids with the implementation of the sb-SGQ not only for this course, but potentially for other courses as well. In addition, data from this study suggests the possibility of sb-SGQ to encourage interdisciplinary learning, which can be further investigated in future runs of the course.

 

 

REFERENCES

Du, H., & Tay, E. R. S. (2022). Using scenario-based student-generated questions to improve the learning of engineering mechanics: A case study in civil engineering. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2022, 7-8 December, National University of Singapore. https://nus.edu.sg/cdtl/docs/default-source/engagement-docs/conferences/hecc2022/ebooklet.pdf

Ivanitskaya, L., Clark, D., Montgomery, G., & Primeau, R. (2002). Interdisciplinary learning: Process and outcomes. Innovative Higher Education, 27(2), 95-111. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021105309984

Love, J., Selker, R., Marsman, M., Jamil, T., Dropmann, D., Verhagen, J., Ly, A., Gronau, Q. F., Šmíra, M., & Epskamp, S. (2019). JASP: Graphical statistical software for common statistical designs. Journal of Statistical Software, 88(2), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.18637/jss.v088.i02

Rosenshine, B., Meister, C., & Chapman, S. (1996). Teaching students to generate questions: A review of the intervention studies. Review of Educational Research, 66(2), 181-221. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543066002181

Tay, E. R. S. (2022). Efficacy of scenario‐based student-generated questions in an online environment during COVID-19 across two modules. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2022, 7-8 December, National University of Singapore. https://nus.edu.sg/cdtl/docs/default-source/engagement-docs/conferences/hecc2022/ebooklet.pdf

Wiggins, G. (1990). The case for authentic assessment. Practical Assessment, Research, and Evaluation, 2(1), 2. https://doi.org/10.7275/ffb1-mm19

 

The Adult Educator Framework: Effective Approaches Towards Andragogy

cdtlsd Poster , , , , ,

Brian TAN Yeow Hui* and Zera LIM Chun Xi
School of Continuing and Lifelong Education (SCALE)

*brian.b@nus.edu.sg

 

Tan, Y. H., & Lim, C. X. (2023). The Adult Educator Framework: Effective approaches towards andragogy [Poster presentation]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/the-adult-educator-framework-effective-approaches-towards-andragogy/ 

SUB-THEME

Interdisciplinarity and Education 

 

KEYWORDS

Adult Educator Framework, andragogy, learner-centric approaches, assessment and evaluation, lifelong learning

 

CATEGORY

Poster Presentation 

 

ABSTRACT

The Adult Educator Framework focuses on effective approaches towards andragogy, the discipline of upskilling adult learners. The key components of the framework aims to enhance adult education experiences.

 

The framework recognises the distinct characteristics of adult learners and tailors instructional practices accordingly. It emphasises learner-cantred approaches, participatory learning methodologies, individualised instruction, and the creation of a supportive and inclusive learning environment. By adopting these strategies, educators can engage adult learners and maximise learning outcomes.

 

Assessment and evaluation play a crucial role in the Adult Educator Framework. By utilising diverse and inclusive assessment strategies, educators can measure learning outcomes, evaluate progress, and provide constructive feedback. This approach supports continuous improvement and enables learners to monitor their own growth and development.

 

The Adult Educator Framework serves as a guide for educators to design, implement, and assess adult learning experiences. It provides a foundation for effective andragogy practices, empowering educators to create dynamic, learner-centred environments. By understanding the unique characteristics and needs of adult learners and utilising effective approaches, educators can foster the growth, development, and success of adult learners, enabling them to achieve their lifelong learning aspirations.

 

Conditions for Interdisciplinary Learning–Some Preliminary Reflections on Designing and Facilitating “Global Experience Tokyo: City, Culture and Technology”

cdtlsd Lighting Talks , , , ,

LEE Chee Keng
NUS College

ckenglee@nus.edu.sg

 

Lee, C. K. (2023). Conditions for interdisciplinary learning–Some preliminary reflections on designing and facilitating “Global Experience Tokyo: City, Culture and Technology” [Lightning talk]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/conditions-for-interdisciplinary-learning-some-preliminary-reflections-on-designing-and-facilitating-global-experience-tokyo-city-culture-and-technology/

 

SUB-THEME

Interdisciplinarity and Education

 

KEYWORDS

Interdisciplinary, learning, experiential learning, independent study

 

CATEGORY

Lightning Talks

 

ABSTRACT

This Lighting Talk explores the sub-theme of Interdisciplinarity and Education by reflecting on the design and facilitation experience of Global Experience Tokyo (GEx Tokyo) 2023, guided by the questions:1) What are the conditions necessary for effective interdisciplinary learning? 2) What are the possible preparations that could bring about these conditions?

 

Global Experience (GEx) is a specially curated course in which students spend a month living in and studying an international city. Each GEx is guided by a theme. The theme for GEx Tokyo is “City, Culture and Technology.” The objective of the course is to allow students to examine and reflect on the dynamic and transformative relationship between city, culture, and technology through a set of interweaving and interdisciplinary encounters and site visits. In GEx Tokyo 2023, students attended seminars with guest professors, workshops with practitioners, masterclasses with experts, and field visits to start-ups, research centres, and government offices. Prior to arriving in Tokyo, students attended preparatory seminars that familiarise them with some of the anticipated topics and social situations in GEx Tokyo. Students were also required to propose an independent study research project related to the theme of GEx Tokyo prior to arriving in Tokyo.

 

Based on discussions with students during independent research project consultations, it became apparent that despite the explicitly stated course objective and the purposeful layering of the programme itineraries, students were not drawing upon the interdisciplinary itineraries to deepen and enrich their independent study projects. Preliminary student feedback suggests that students formulated their Independent Study proposals with disciplinary-based frames and experienced the diverse GEx Tokyo itineraries largely through the lens of their Independent Study project. Tellingly, they found all the experts they met on the trip knowledgeable but indicated that few helped them achieve their learning objectives.

 

This experience prompted the questions I would like to contemplate in this Lighting Talk:

  1. What are the conditions necessary for effective interdisciplinary learning in general and for GEx Tokyo in particular?
  2. What are the possible preparations that could bring about these conditions?

 

Discussions on interdisciplinarity and education often focus on how specific disciplines can connect to and benefit from interdisciplinary links, as well as how interdisciplinary links can be built across different disciplines in a course. Such discussions extend into how to operationalise interdisciplinary learning objectives by describing and assessing interdisciplinary learning.

 

This Lighting Talk attempts to reflect on GEx Tokyo 2023 student feedback through the integrated lens of literature examining the entanglement of personal epistemologies and emotions in students’ thinking, and those discussing learning environments, to contemplate the conditions that could motivate and facilitate effective interdisciplinary learning.

 

Examining Factor Structure of the Community of Inquiry Framework: A Bifactor Tactic

NUS CDTL Paper Presentations , , , , ,

Jingwen LOW1, Teck Kiang TAN2*, Yuan Yi CHONG1, and Tao Tao NG3
1Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science (FOS), NUS
2Institute for Applied Learning Sciences and Educational Technology (ALSET), NUS
3NUS Library
*alsttk@nus.edu.sg  

 

Low, J. W., Tan, T. K., Chong, Y. Y., & Ng, T. T. (2023). Examining factor structure of the community of inquiry framework: A bifactor tactic [Paper presentation]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/examining-factor-structure-of-the-community-of-inquiry-framework-a-bifactor-tactic/

 

SUB-THEME

Interdisciplinarity and Education 

 

KEYWORDS

Community of inquiry, factorial structure, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, bifactor model 

 

CATEGORY

Paper Presentation 

 

ABSTRACT

The Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework was commonly used for blended as well as online teaching and learning in higher education. This paper presentation examines the factorial structure of CoI, providing evidence to demonstrate that the bifactor factorial structure gives the most preferred conceptualising of the CoI framework. The findings confirmed that the One & Ten Bifactor Model fitted best, indicating the construct-relevant multidimensionality of CoI. This factorial structure is valuable for educators and researchers to understand students’ experiences through the application of CoI in a chemistry course. It also helps researchers intending to use the results for future research to use this validated factorial structure CoI that is capable of understanding the conceptualisation of CoI and its constructs.  

 

FRAMEWORK OF COMMUNITY OF INQUIRY

The Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework was commonly used for blended as well as online teaching and learning in higher education. This framework, from the socio-constructivist perspective, is based on a meaningful educational conception of teaching, social, and cognitive presence. These three presences are subdivided into ten subcategories, as shown in Figure 1 below. 

Figure 1. Conceptual framework and factorial structure of the Community of Inquiry (CoI).

 

The factorial structure defines the CoI dimensionality and its hierarchical relationship. This conceptual structure links the structural configuration to its assessment items. However, the factorial structure and its dimensionality are far from confirmation. While the application of the CoI framework has gained attention, was widespread, extended, and changed from its original intent, its factorial structure was not satisfactorily settled and agreed upon empirically. Stenbom (2018) reported the review results of 103 journals published between 2008 and 2017, which showed high validity and reliability; however, CoI factorial structure remained unanswered. The numerous factor structures suggested in the literature include the original three-category, and the ten-category structure. However, there is no evidence to show whether the three categories or the ten subcategories fit better empirically. Validation of the factorial structure thus requires further validation. The results of the study allow researchers and practitioners to use it with confidence as  a reliable structural source. More importantly, the bifactor model, which is the main model proposed in the current paper, specifies simultaneously two structural forms that make this model closer to reality. While Yang and Su (2021) supported the bifactor model as a valid and reliable representation of the CoI instrument but it was restricted to a general factor with the three main presences without further examining the ten subfactors. This study proceeds to examine the inclusion of a general factor with the ten subfactors.

 

RESULTS

This paper presentation examines eight factorial structures of CoI, comparing their fits (Table 1), and finds that the One & Ten Bifactor Model fits best, as depicted in Figure 2 below. This model allows for specifying both the general and specific factors. The general factor is a general common model that is loaded to all the CoI items together with a set of specific factors that represent a unique narrow set of dimensions that concurrently and essentially contributed under the CoI framework 

Figure 2. One & Ten Bifactor Model

 

Table 1 shows the results of the eight models, indicating M1, the hypothesised One & Ten Bifactor, fits best for all the five fit indices, namely χ2, CFI, TLI, RMSEA, and SRMR. 

 

Table 1
Fit indices of hypothesised CFA and competing models 

Model  χ2

 

 p-value  df  CFI  TLI  RMSEA  SRMR 
M1 Hypothesised One and Ten Bifactor  711  0.3495  458  0.9981  0.9976  0.0489  0.0455 
M2 Competing One-Factor  5607  0  527  0.9610  0.9585  0.2043  0.1222 
M3 Competing Three-Factor Oblique  1555  0  524  0.9921  0.9915  0.0923  0.0634 
M4 Competing Ten-Factor Oblique  912  0  482  0.9967  0.9962  0.0622  0.0521 
M5 Competing Second-Order, Three-Factor First-Order  1555  0  524  0.9921  0.9915  0.0923  0.0634 
M6 Competing Second-Order, Ten-Factor First-Order  3555  0  517  0.9767  0.9747  0.1595  0.1022 
M7 Competing Third-Order, Ten-Factor First-Order, Three-Factor Second-Order  1183  0  493  0.9947  0.9940  0.0778  0.0537 
M8 Competing One and Three Bfactor  929  0  487  0.9966  0.9961  0.0627  0.0488 

Note:

χ2=Chi-Square Statistics; df=Degrees of Freedom; CFI=Comparative Fit Index; TLI=Tucker-Lewis Index; RMSEA= Root Mean Square Error of Approximation; SRMR=Standardized Root Mean Square.   

* p <0.01 

 

CONCLUSION

While it is not out of expectation that the bifactor generally gives a better fit (Caci et al, 2015; Chen et al, 2006; Reise, 2012), it has been rediscovered and returned as an effective approach to modeling construct-relevant multidimensionality in a set of items (Reise, 2012). As the application of bifactor models remained poorly understood in the CoI research communities, the basic argument is that the utility of the bifactor model is capable of resolving important issues in conceptualising and measuring constructs. The current paper adds to the literature by providing evidence to demonstrate that the bifactor not only provides a better fit statistically but also provides a strong foundation for conceptualising the CoI framework and uses all ten subdimensions for measurement. 

 

REFERENCES

Chen, F. F., West, S. G., & Sousa, K. H. (2006). A comparison of bifactor and second-order models of quality of life. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 41(2), 189–225. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327906mbr4102_5  

Caci, H., Morin, A. J. S., & Tran, A. (2015). Investigation of a bifactor model of the strengths and difficulties questionnaire. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 24(1), 1291–1301. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00787-015-0679-3  

Reise, S. P. (2012). The rediscovery of bifactor measurement models. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 47(5), 667-96. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00273171.2012.715555  

Stenbom, S. (2018). A systematic review of the Community of Inquiry survey. The Internet and Higher Education, 39, 22–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2018.06.001  

Yang, H., & Su, J. (2021). A construct revalidation of the community of inquiry survey: Empirical evidence for a general factor under a bifactor structure. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 22(4), 22-40. https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v22i4.5587  

 

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