ECTN Working group Developing Independent Learners in Chemistry

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ECTN Working groupDeveloping Independent
Learners in Chemistry

• Report Madrid Meeting
• 24-26 March 2006
• Nataa Brouwer
• Universiteit van Amsterdam

ECTN Annual Conference ECTN Association Meeting
2006
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Eurobachelor competences
Eurobachelor students will

• have the ability to gather and interpret relevant
  scientific data and make judgements that include
  reflection on relevant scientific and ethical
  issues
• have the ability to communicate information,
  ideas, problems and solutions to informed
  audiences
• have competences which fit them for entry-level
  graduate employment in the general workplace,
  including the chemical industry
• have developed those learning skills that are
  necessary for them to undertake further study
  with a sufficient degree of autonomy

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Focus of the Madrid Meeting

• organisation of education process
• didactics (art of teaching)
• assessment
• computers and ICT

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Organisation of educationprocess

• How does the education process have to change?
• What is the role of the teacher?
• When should the development process begin?
• Who is involved in developing independent
  learners?

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Educational process
teacher-centred
student-centred

• separated working forms
• guided tutorials
• closed experiments

flexible educational process
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Three actors in developing independent learners

• responsibility for own development
• teaching methods that stimulate independent
  learning
• dissemination of good practices
• publishing
• facilitation of educational change
• teachers training
• support experts and funding
• recognition of innovative teacher

• students
• teachers
• faculty

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2. Didactics (art of teaching)

• Which teaching methods support the independent
  learning process?
• How can practical courses help to develop
  independent learners?
• Which skills need attention?

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Teaching methods

• interactive teaching approaches
• integration of traditional teaching methods
• open assignments, group work
• problem oriented learning
• scaffolding
• research oriented lab courses
• competence oriented teaching
• knowledge, skills, attitudes
• reflection and metacognition

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Good practice Studio course
UvA, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Good practice Problem solving

• cooperative learning in problem solving
• group work
• problem solver, sceptic, checker and recorder
• rotation of roles
• concept maps
• positive interdependence
• individual accountability share of the work and
  mastering all material
• face-to-face interaction
• interpersonal skills leadership,
  decision-making, communication and conflict
  management
• self-assessment / reflection of group functioning

Department of Material and Earth Science,
Polytechnic University of the Marche, Italy
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Skills that need attention

• Two documents in Bologna process
• report of the project Tuning Educational
  Structures in Europe
• generic competences
• subject-specific skills
• cognitive abilities
• The ECTN working group on Core Practical Skills
  (1999) defined the practical skills including
  working to deadlines, report writing, safety
  awareness and team work
• Working group Developing independent learners in
  chemistry
• generic competences and subject-specific skills
  and cognitive abilities should be developed
  during the subject-specific courses
• from the first year of study
• study skills include time management skills,
  thinking skills, working with others, and
  reflection skills needs attention

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Focus of the Madrid Meeting

• Organisation of education process
• Didactics (Art of teaching)
• Assessment
• Computers and ICT

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3. Assessment

• Does the assessment process need to be adapted?
• How can the problem of heterogeneous
  pre-knowledge of students be approached?

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Assessment strategies

• assessment strategies reflect the changes in
  teaching methods and integration of skills
• competence based
• self assessment
• peer assessment
• more flexible curriculum
• heterogeneous pre-knowledge

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Pre-knowledge

• heterogeneous pre-knowledge
• lack of pre-knowledge in mathematics a problem in
  chemistry courses
• brush up on pre-knowledge
• student takes the responsibility
• flexible
• university makes opportunities at different
  stages in the curriculum
• teachers and peers give feedback

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Good practice Students Maths Learning Centre

• a drop-in centre that provides assistance with
  Maths
• on line support system
• encourages students to become independent
  autonomous learners

Dublin Institute of Technology, Ireland
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Good practice Brushing Up With the Web
project

• joint project of three Dutch universities
• flexible approach, different educational
  scenarios
• ICT
• Special Interest Group on Math pre-knowledge
• Example Quantum chemistry
• just in time brush up on pre-knowledge in
  mathematics
• regular self-assessment of pre-knowledge
• on-line tests based on computer algebra
• feed back on the process by the teacher
• extra help by a tutor

UvA, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Good practice Brushing Up With the Web
project
UvA, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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4. Computers and ICT

• The role of computers and ICT
• communication synchronous, asynchronous
• on line collaboration
• resources information management, literacy
  skills
• computers as tools simulations, modeling,
  solving real life open problems
• tests and surveys, self-study quizzes
• electronic learning platforms, 24/7 principle

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Good practice European Virtual Seminar

• 16 universities
• cases about sustained development in Europe
• interdisciplinary groups
• on line collaboration

Universities in Europe
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Recommendations

• I. Organisation of education process
• education process changes from teacher-directed
  to student-directed
• three actors are involved in this process the
  student, the teacher and the faculty
• development of independent learners begins in the
  first year of the programme of study
• more recognition for the teacher and extra funding

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Recommendations

• II. Didactics
• interactive learning approach, problem based and
  inquiry based learning
• competence oriented and self directing education
  process
• development of the generic and subject-specific
  skills integral part of the subject-specific
  courses.
• feed back from teachers, coaches and peers on the
  development
• scaffolding teaching strategy, especially in the
  first study year.
• reflection and metacognition

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Recommendations

• III. Assessment
• shift to competence based assessment
• project reports and presentations on outcomes
  also part of the assessment process
• concept mapping
• special attention for heterogenic background
  knowledge

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Recommendations

• IV. Computers and ICT
• access according to 24/7 principle
• information management and literacy skills within
  subject-courses
• different online resources including primary
  literature (evaluation of quality and relevance)
  
• computers as research tools real and more
  complex open problems.
• time and place independent communication with
  peers, teachers and experts
• online collaboration in interdisciplinary groups
• online diagnostic tests to assess pre-knowledge

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The working group

• Dr Bill Byers University of Ulster (Group
  Leader)
• Prof Carlaxel Andersson Lund University
• Dr Natasa Brouwer University of Amsterdam
• Prof Liberato Cadellini Universita Politecnica
  delle Marche
• Dr Peter Childs University of Limerick
• Dr Odilla Finlayson Dublin City University
• Dr Claire McDonnell Dublin Institute of
  Technology
• Dr Ilka Parchmann University of Oldenburg
• Prof Jesus Santamaria Complutense University,
  Madrid
• Prof Kristiina Wahala University of Helsinki
• Dr Hazel Wilkins Robert Gordon University
• Dr Jonny Woodward University of Leicester