Learning material could be from students. Through the compilation of learning material, students can better understand about the content of learning material. In addition, learning can be enhanced through the possibility of sharing, not only brief ideas through a forum, but also files and documents as well. This can greatly extend the flexibility of the activity designs.
Implementation
Here is a list of activities that you can do with the database system.
A collection of literature reviews: teachers may ask students to submit their journal reviews. Students are more likely to read as a result of reading their peers’ recommendations.
Peer-sharing of journal entries : The system can be used to keep track of students’ reflections on learning. For example, the system would encourage students to keep a regular record of what they have learnt, what they have failed to understand, evaluate their progress of achievement according to their previous study plans, and their study plans in future. Students are thus more conscious of their own learning process.
A database of current issues or news: the system enables student to reveal their opinions toward a piece of news that they have found relevant in relation to their discipline of study. Students would be encouraged to incorporate concepts and theories learnt in the course into the interpretation of these issues.
Appropriate issues can also be extended to case- based activities: Teachers may ask students to conduct in-depth investigations for a particular scenario that is designed with respect to these issues. Students may then proceed to discussion resolutions to these issues. At the end, they may take advantage of the system to exchange reports or presentations which are end-products of these learning activities.
Ideas:
Video projects and turning them into reusable learning resources.
Teachers from DSME1040 Economics for Business Studies II initiated such approach by introducing a video project as partial assessment to the course. The video project required students, in groups, to produce a short film, which incorporated with macroeconomic theories in class. At the end of the course, videos produced by each group were presented so as to allow students to learn about topics that they did not work on. The students-created videos were more able to explain abstract concepts in real-life examples that were closer to students’ everyday life. The videos motivated students to think, learn and apply knowledge. Selected videos produced were reused as teaching materials in the following year. Read more about the story here.
Students’ sharing of newspaper cuttings to learn latest developments. online Explanation of a virtual newspaper-cutting and discussion activity at PolyU: This movie is about strategies that teachers may employ to encourage students in enriching their own study material. http://e3learning.edc.polyu.edu.hk/examples/ RealExamples/demo/spd3124NewsDiscussion.html
Video projects and turning them into reusable learning resources.