Pplus_short_TA4_DIGI

Resources, Glossary

Mind Map

Case Study

Creative reaction on novel situation with digital tools help

Engagement of stakeholders in learning, teaching and/or assessment with support of digital tools

Stimulation students to solve real-world problem with digital tools help

Final Quiz - Survey - Badge

Preliminary Assessment

Sum up Infographic

Introduction of Module

Unit 4.2

Index

Supporting materials

Learning materials

Unit 4 .1

Unit 4.3

Testimonial

If you wish to develop an interesting and engaging course for your students but are not sure how to support this aim by digitalization, click on PROFFORMANCE course module.

• In this comprehensive course we aim to equip you with the necessary skills and strategies to effectively embed digitalization techniques into your curriculum design, your teaching and learning practices, students’ assessment and engagement with stakeholders during your teaching and learning and supporting students to solve real world problems and novel situations.
• Throughout the course, you will explore a wide range of topics, including leveraging educational technology tools, designing engaging digital learning experiences, promoting digital literacy and developing digital skills, and nurturing critical thinking in a digital context.
• We will delve into practical methodologies for incorporating interactive multimedia content, online collaboration platforms, and personalized learning approaches.
• By the end of this course, you will have gained the knowledge and confidence to create dynamic digital learning environments that inspire and empower students to thrive in today's increasingly digital world.

Welcome to our innovative course Digitalization in Learning and Teaching.

Intoduction Course

and finally, how to use a range of digital technologies to engage stakeholders and collaborate with them related to learning and teaching.

how to integrate digital tools to improve students’ ability to recognize real-world problems

and to encourage them to apply their existing technological knowledge to solve novel situations

Keywords: students’ active learning, problem solving, interacting with stakeholders, real-world problem, novel solution

In this module you will get guidance and support on

Ultimate aim: To support teachers to develop a digitally supported course.

Intoduction Module

Mindmap of the topic

Comprehensive process

Digital Skills

Collaborative learning

Concept map

Self-reflection is a valuable tool when developing your course. It helps you identify your strengths and areas for improvement. Our course supports you in strengthening your weaknesses and designing a better learning experience for your students.

Assess yourself along the PROFFORMANCE Assessment tool statements DIGI TA2 - Competences on innovative teaching and learning

Assess your competence in Impact and mission with and for society by the PROFFORMANCE Assessment Tool.

What is your experience?

Statements

Assessment Tool

Self-reflection

This is a paragraph of text waiting to be awesome content

I encourage students to creatively apply their existing technological knowledge to solve novel situations.

I incorporate activities supported by digital tools that require the student's ability to recognize real-world problems.

I use a range of digital technologies to engage stakeholders and collaborate with them related to learning and teaching.

Hint

Hint

Hint

Assess yourself

Assess yourself

Assess yourself

This is a paragraph of text waiting to be awesome content

UNIT 4.1

Engagement of stakeholders in learning, teaching and/or assessment with support of digital tools

This unit explores the crucial role of digital tools in fostering the engagement of various stakeholders within the higher education landscape – including students, educators, and potentially external partners. We will delve into how technology can enhance learning, teaching, and assessment processes by facilitating collaboration, communication, and the active participation of all involved. Furthermore, we will introduce the concept of digital curation as a powerful strategy for promoting sustained engagement and building collaborative learning communities.

Examples of Digital Curation Tools

Stakeholder engagement in higher education is increasingly facilitated by digital tools, enhancing learning experiences for students. Various studies highlight how these tools support collaboration, curation, and communication among stakeholders. Digital tools can also be used for informal learning outside the classroom (Littlejohn & Nicol, 2005). Digital Curation for Engagement Digital curation tools allow students to organize and share web content, promoting sustained engagement. These tools are essential for building a community of learners who can collaboratively explore and evaluate information (Antonio, Martin, Stagg, 2012)

Subtitle

UNIT 4.1

Engagement of stakeholders in learning, teaching and/or assessment with support of digital tools

Content Aggregation and Curation Platforms

Learning Content Curation

Multimedia Content Curation

Visual Content Curation

Social Media Curation Tools

UNIT 4.1

Examples of Digital Curation Tools

Virtual Guest Lectures and Webinars

Collaborative Online Projects

Social Media and Online Forums

The engagement of stakeholders helps students to gain knowledge, skills and competence from the real world.

Let’s look at 3 cases of how the stakeholders’ engagement can be a valuable part of your learning process.

UNIT 4.1

Virtual Guest Lectures, Collaborative Online Projects, and Online Forums are Powerful Engagement Strategies: Utilizing digital platforms for virtual guest lectures and webinars, facilitating collaborative projects with external partners, and creating online discussion forums and social media groups are concrete examples of how technology can effectively connect students with diverse stakeholders, fostering deeper learning and the development of relevant competencies.

Stakeholder Engagement Bridges the Gap Between Academia and the Real World: Actively involving external stakeholders like industry experts, alumni, and community leaders through digital tools provides students with invaluable real-world perspectives, practical skills, and networking opportunities that enrich their learning experience and prepare them for future careers.

Conclusions

Summary of the unit content

Digital Curation Facilitates Collaborative Learning and Knowledge Building: By using digital curation tools, students and educators can collectively explore and evaluate information, build shared collections of resources, and create interactive narratives. This collaborative process is essential for developing a strong community of learners and constructing knowledge together.

Digital Curation Tools Enhance Stakeholder Engagement in Diverse Ways: A wide array of digital tools, spanning social media, content aggregation, multimedia, learning content, and visual platforms, empowers stakeholders to actively discover, organize, share, and discuss information. This fosters deeper engagement with learning materials and with each other.

UNIT 4.1

UNIT 4.2

Stimulation students to solve real-world problem with digital tools help

In this unit, you'll discover how to motivate and equip students to tackle authentic, real-world challenges by effectively integrating digital tools. Explore strategies that foster deeper engagement and the development of crucial problem-solving skills. We'll delve into a powerful pedagogical approach: the Collaborative Learning Framework (CLF), with service learning as a foundational component.

'Collaboration allows us to know more than we are capable of knowing by ourselves.' - Paul Solarz

Implementation

Benefits of the Collaborative Learning Framework

One of the methods that can help you to stimulate students in solving real-world problems is Collaborative Learning Framework (CLF). These are the basic components of this framework:

Shared Goals

Active Participation

Reflection and Feedback

Interdependence

Group Work

UNIT 4.2

Stimulation students to solve real-world problem with digital tools help

details

Service learning is widely used in teacher education globally but less so in Austria. It combines organized service activities with classroom reflection, merging academic and civic learning. The pandemic necessitated remote learning, leading to the adaptation of service learning into e-service learning. See details in the bubble.

UNIT 4.2

One of the methods to stimulate students to solve real problems is service learning, an educational approach that combines community service with academic coursework and reflection. Students engage in organized service activities that address community needs while simultaneously reflecting on their experiences to deepen their understanding of course content and civic responsibility. Look on a case Austrian e-service learning course from the PROFFORMANCE database:

Service learning

UNIT 4.2

Tasks: Training of supporting solving real based problems by students

Real-World Problem Solving Through Collaboration and Service Yields Tangible Outcomes: The examples within the unit, such as the e-service learning projects (Fairy Tale Playground, Constructing Simple Robots, etc.), illustrate how engaging students in collaborative, service-oriented tasks using digital tools can lead to the development of practical skills, address real community needs, and provide students with a tangible sense of impact and accomplishment.

Digital Adaptation Enables the Continuation of Service Learning: The case of the Austrian e-service learning course demonstrates the adaptability of pedagogical approaches like service learning to remote learning environments. By leveraging digital tools, students can continue to engage in meaningful service activities and reflect on their experiences, even when physical presence is limited.

Conclusions

Summary of the unit content

Service Learning Integrates Community Engagement with Academic Learning: Service learning offers a powerful approach to connect classroom learning with real-world problem-solving by engaging students in community service activities that address genuine needs. Reflection on these experiences deepens their understanding of course content and fosters civic responsibility.

The Collaborative Learning Framework (CLF) Structures Effective Group Work: The CLF provides a robust structure for collaborative learning, emphasizing group work, shared goals, active participation, interdependence, and reflection/feedback. These components work together to enhance critical thinking, communication skills, engagement, and social development.

UNIT 4.2

UNIT 4.3

Creative reaction on novel situation with digital tools help

In this unit, you will explore how to foster students' creativity and digital proficiency, preparing them for the demands of the future workforce. You'll learn why graduates who can think creatively and use technology effectively are better equipped for success in today's dynamic industries. Discover how learning to use digital tools creatively enables students to tackle unforeseen challenges and develop unique solutions – a highly valued skill in today's society and job market.

Think about your assessment methods. Do they recognize and reward innovative approaches andcreative problem-solving? How do you provide constructive feedback that encourages further creativity?

Consider how you facilitate group work and peer-to-peer learning. Do you create environments where students can brainstorm and develop unique solutions together?

Reflect on the types of tasks you assign. Are they open-ended and challenging enough to push students to use their tech knowledge creatively?

2. In what ways do I provide opportunities for students to collaborate and share their technological solutions to novel problems?

3. How do I assess and provide feedback on students’ creative use of technology in solving new challenges?

1. How do I design assignments and projects that encourage students to think creatively and apply their technological skills in new and innovative ways?

Try to answer these reflective questions for yourself:

UNIT 4.3

Self reflection

Virtual Reality (VR) Simulations

Digital Storytelling Projects

Collaborative Online Platforms

By fostering creativity and digital proficiency, teachers help prepare students for the future workforce. Graduates who can think creatively and use technology effectively are better equipped to succeed in various industries and roles in the current world. In a rapidly changing world, students need to be adaptable and innovative. Learning to use digital tools creatively prepares them to tackle unforeseen challenges and come up with unique solutions, which is highly valued in today’s society and job market. Let’s look at 3 examples of how you can stimulate students innovative potential:

UNIT 4.3

Creative reaction on novel situation with digital tools help

Collaborative Online Platforms Facilitate Team-Based Innovation for Novel Problems: Utilizing platforms like Microsoft Teams or Slack for collaborative projects enables students to work together to address novel problems. This teamwork encourages diverse perspectives, fosters creative brainstorming, and supports the development of innovative solutions for community or societal challenges.

Digital Storytelling Cultivates Narrative Creation Around Novel Challenges: Engaging students in digital storytelling projects, using tools like Adobe Spark or Storybird, encourages them to develop creative narratives around unforeseen challenges. This process enhances their ability to conceptualize and communicate innovative solutions.

Conclusions

Summary of the unit content

Immersive VR Simulations Foster Experiential Learning in Novel Contexts: Utilizing Virtual Reality platforms allows educators to create engaging and immersive simulations that place students in novel, real-world scenarios. This experiential learning encourages the application of theoretical knowledge in unexpected situations and promotes creative problem-solving.

Creativity and Digital Proficiency are Essential for Future Success: Cultivating both creative thinking and effective use of digital tools equips students with the adaptability and innovation necessary to thrive in the evolving workforce and navigate an increasingly complex world.

UNIT 4.3

Outcomes

Key Takeaways for Educators

Students participated in a project that combined traditional narrative techniques with digital technologies. The primary aims were to reinforce language acquisition, promote digital literacy, and increase motivation by integrating ICT tools into the learning process. Students were tasked with creating their own digital stories, using software to combine images, text, and audio narration.

Implementation:

Digital Storytelling: A Case Study of the Creation and Narration of a Story by EFL Learners

Context: This case study, conducted by Betlem Soler Pardo at the Universitat de València, explores how digital storytelling (DST) can be used to foster both creativity and digital proficiency among university students learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL)3.

Digital Skills

Comprehensive process

Collaborative learning

GLOSSARY

Collaborative learning is the educational approach of using groups to enhance learning through working together. Groups of two or more learners work together to solve problems, complete tasks, or learn new concepts. This approach actively engages learners to process and synthesize information and concepts, rather than using rote memorization of facts and figures. See more:

Digital Skills are defined as a range of abilities to use digital devices, communication applications, and networks to access and manage information. They enable people to create and share digital content, communicate and collaborate, and solve problems for effective and creative self-fulfillment in life, learning, work, and social activities at large. See more:

Comprehensive process including references is a systematic and thorough approach to a task that involves citing sources of information, in the case of digitalization it means of complete rethinking of traditional learning and teaching practices. For example, see: Bygstad, B., Øvrelid, E., Ludvigsen, S., & Dæhlen, M. (2022). From dual digitalization to digital learning space: Exploring the digital transformation of higher education. Computers & Education, 182.

https://blogit.haaga-helia.fi/learn-to-change/digital-storytelling/

The Impact of Technology: Student Engagement and Success – Technology and the Curriculum: Summer 2018 (pressbooks.pub)

Ignacio, Jeanette & Chen, Hui Chen & Roy, Tanushri. (2022). Advantages and challenges of fostering cognitive integration through virtual collaborative learning: a qualitative study. BMC Nursing. 21. 10.1186/s12912-022-01026-6.

Amy, Antonio., Neil, Martin., Adrian, Stagg. (2012). 3. Engaging higher education students via digital curation. Digital Curation for Engagement Stakeholder Needs in E-Learning

Using Technology to Enhance Learning Experiences | Edutopia

Nokes-Malach, T. J., Zepeda, C. D., Richey, J. E., & Gadgil, S. (2019). Collaborative Learning. The Cambridge Handbook of Cognition and Education, 500–527. doi:10.1017/9781108235631.021

Allison, Littlejohn., David, Nicol. (2005). 1. Learning from digital natives: integrating formal and informal learning using technology.

Resources

Final Quiz of the module

10

Course completed!

Acknowledgements

The framework focuses on common objectives that all group members strive to achieve. This fosters a sense of responsibility and accountability among students.

Shared Goals

In this sourse you will get an overview how to....SHORT description of TA

Collaborative learning helps students develop essential social skills, such as empathy, conflict resolution, and cooperation.

Group activities can make learning more engaging and enjoyable. Students often feel more motivated when they are part of a team working towards a common goal.

Collaborative learning requires effective communication. Students learn to articulate their ideas clearly and listen to others, which improves their overall communication abilities.

Working in groups exposes students to different viewpoints, which can deepen their understanding and enhance their critical thinking skills.

Development of Social Skills

Improved Communication Skills

Increased Engagement

Enhanced Critical Thinking

Benefits of the Collaborative Learning Framework

Collaborative Online Platforms

Platforms such as Microsoft Teams or Slack can facilitate collaborative projects where students work together to solve novel problems. E.g., students can work on creating new products or new solutions for the community or society.

Develop assessment methods that evaluate both individual contributions and group outcomes. This can include peer assessments, self-assessments, and teacher evaluations.

Monitor group interactions and provide guidance as needed. Encourage positive group dynamics and address any conflicts promptly.

Clearly communicate the goals, roles, and responsibilities to the students. This helps in setting the right expectations and ensures that everyone is on the same page.

Plan activities that require collaboration and cannot be completed individually. Ensure that tasks are meaningful and relevant to the learning objectives.

Facilitating Group Dynamics

Assessing Group Work

Establishing Clear Expectations

Designing Group Activities

Digital Storytelling Projects

Using tools like Adobe Spark or Storybird, teachers can assign digital storytelling projects where students must create narratives around unexpected challenges. See inspiritiative cases.

Hint: You challenge students to think creatively and use their tech and digital skills and solving problems in innovative ways. Through hands-on projects, problem-based learning, and open-ended assignments, students can demonstrate their ability to adapt and apply their technological expertise to new challenges.

Hint: Through communication tools, online platforms, and social media channels, you actively engage with colleagues, experts from science and world of work, community representatives and other relevant stakeholders to support your teaching and learning of your students.

Success in collaborative learning depends on the interdependence of group members. Students rely on each other’s strengths and skills to accomplish the task, promoting teamwork and cooperation.

Interdependence

Professional coordinators, advisers Vilmos Vass Szilvia Besze Adviser Daliborka Luketic Designer Szabina Gyurisán Horváthné Co-designers Linda Huszár Bianka Bozzay

Authors Jan Beseda Loboda Zoltán Horváth-Dringó Ida Reviewers Horváth-Dringó Ida Anca Greere

Acknowledgements

Virtual Guest Lectures and Webinars

Teachers can invite industry experts, alumni, or community leaders to deliver guest lectures or participate in webinars using video conferencing tools like Zoom or Microsoft Teams. This allows students to gain insights from professionals and engage in real-time Q&A sessions, bridging the gap between academic learning and real-world applications.

Regular reflection and feedback sessions are integral to the CLF. These sessions help students evaluate their group dynamics, understand their learning processes, and identify areas for improvement.

Reflection and Feedback

Collaborative learning is the educational approach of using groups to enhance learning through working together. Groups of two or more learners work together to solve problems, complete tasks, or learn new concepts. This approach actively engages learners to process and synthesize information and concepts, rather than using rote memorization of facts and figures. See more at: https://www.valamis.com/hub/collaborative-learning

Collaborative Online Projects

Using platforms like Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, teachers can facilitate collaborative projects where students work with external stakeholders such as local businesses, non-profits, or research institutions. These projects can involve problem-solving tasks, research assignments, or community service initiatives, providing students with practical experience and networking opportunities.

Virtual Reality (VR) Simulations

Teachers can use VR platforms like CoSpaces Edu or Google Expeditions to create immersive simulations that place students in novel scenarios. For instance, in a business course, students might navigate a virtual startup environment, making decisions on marketing, finance, and operations. This experience can encourage students to use theoretical knowledge in the new context.

Students are organized into small groups to work on tasks collectively. This setup encourages interaction, discussion, and the sharing of diverse perspectives.

Group Work

See more:

4. The Art of Motivating Oneself: Supporing teenagers struggling with motivation during remote learning.

3. Working Creatively with MS Teams: Helped children actively use MS Teams for learning.

2. Constructing Simple Robots: Taught children basic robotics by building fruit robots.

1. Fairy Tale Playground: Enhanced children’s digital skills through photo editing.

The pandemic necessitated remote learning, leading to the adaptation of service learning into e-service learning. In the 2020-2021 e-service learning course, students engaged in service activities at two Austrian schools while reflecting on their experiences in class. This hybrid course included both onsite instruction and digital service implementation. Thirteen students completed four projects based on school needs:

Content Aggregation and Curation Platforms

• Feedly: A powerful content aggregation tool that allows users to collect and organize content from RSS feeds, news outlets, blogs, and more into easily digestible formats.
• Pocket: Enables users to save, curate, and organize articles, videos, and web pages for later reading or sharing.
• Flipboard: Allows users to create personal magazines by curating content from a variety of sources, making it visually engaging and easy to navigate.

Outcomes: Students found the digital storytelling exercises innovative and engaging, expressing enthusiasm for using new materials beyond traditional presentations. 90% of participants reported satisfaction with the opportunity to explore digital tools creatively. The project enhanced students’ technical skills, as they used the software skillfully and ingeniously in their story creation. Participants indicated that DST increased their motivation and confidence, and many planned to use similar methods in their future teaching practice. The case study concluded that digital storytelling is a practical and empowering pedagogical approach that cultivates both creative thinking and digital proficiency in higher education.

Think about your use of communication tools, online platforms, and social media channels. How do you engage with colleagues, industry experts, community representatives, and other stakeholders? What impact does this collaboration have on your teaching and your students’ learning experiences?

3. How do I utilize digital technologies to engage and collaborate with various stakeholders in the learning and teaching process?

Consider the hands-on projects, problem-based learning activities, and open-ended assignments you give to students. How do these tasks foster creativity and innovation in your students? Can you share examples where students demonstrated exceptional creativity in applying their technological expertise?

2. In what ways do I encourage students to use their technological knowledge creatively to address new and unique problems?

Reflect on the types of digital activities you use (e.g., interactive simulations, online discussions, virtual collaboration platforms). How do these activities enhance students’ critical thinking and problem-solving skills? Can you provide specific examples where students successfully applied their digital skills to real-world challenges?

1. How effectively do I integrate digital tools to help students identify and solve real-world problems?

Hint: Using e.g interactive simulations, online discussions, and virtual collaboration platforms etc., you challenge students to think critically, and use their tech and digital skills to bridge the gap between academic learning and solving real-world problems. These activities not only develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills but also enhance students' ability to navigate and address real-world challenges in a digitally connected society.

Comprehensive process including references is a systematic and thorough approach to a task that involves citing sources of information, in the case of digitalization it means of complete rethinking of traditional learning and teaching practices. For example, see: Bygstad, B., Øvrelid, E., Ludvigsen, S., & Dæhlen, M. (2022). From dual digitalization to digital learning space: Exploring the digital transformation of higher education. Computers & Education, 182.

Visual Content Curation

• Pinterest: A visual curation platform that lets users gather and share visual content in collections called boards, providing an engaging and visually appealing experience.
• Canva: While primarily a design tool, Canva also allows for content curation in the form of infographics, visual stories, and presentations that are highly engaging.

Multimedia Content Curation

• Curata: A comprehensive content curation platform that helps curate and organize a wide variety of content types (articles, images, videos) and present them in a visually engaging way.
• ThingLink: Allows users to create interactive images and videos by adding tags that link to other resources, enhancing user engagement.
• Symbaloo: A content curation tool that lets users organize and share web links in a visually engaging grid format, often used for educational purposes.

Each student is expected to actively contribute to the group’s work. This participation can take various forms, such as sharing ideas, providing feedback, or completing specific tasks.

Active Participation

Social Media Curation Tools

• Scoop.it: A content curation platform that allows users to discover and distribute content across social media channels, blogs, and newsletters.
• Wakelet: Allows users to curate content from the web, social media, and personal files to create interactive stories or collections.

• Digital storytelling projects effectively integrate creative thinking and digital tool use.
• Such projects can be adapted across disciplines to foster narrative skills, problem-solving, and digital literacy.
• Student motivation and engagement increase when learning tasks are both creative and technologically enriched.

Social Media and Online Forums

Teachers can create private social media groups or online forums (e.g., on LinkedIn, Facebook, or specialized platforms like Slack) to foster ongoing discussions and collaborations between students, faculty, and external stakeholders. These platforms can be used to share resources, discuss industry trends, and provide feedback on student projects, enhancing the learning experience through diverse perspectives and expertise.

Digital Skills are defined as a range of abilities to use digital devices, communication applications, and networks to access and manage information. They enable people to create and share digital content, communicate and collaborate, and solve problems for effective and creative self-fulfilment in life, learning, work, and social activities at large. See more at: https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/digital-skills-critical-jobs-and-social-inclusion ​

Learning Content Curation

These tools are focused on educational engagement and can be used to create curated learning pathways for learners.

• Elucidat: A digital learning tool that enables you to create interactive and engaging e-learning content.
• Pearltrees: A visual and social bookmarking tool that allows users to organize and share web resources in a tree-like structure, making it engaging for learners.
• ContentStudio: A tool for curating educational content from various sources and creating engaging learning pathways for users.

Nokes-Malach, T. J., Zepeda, C. D., Richey, J. E., & Gadgil, S. (2019). Collaborative Learning. The Cambridge Handbook of Cognition and Education, 500–527. doi:10.1017/9781108235631.021 Figure: Ignacio, Jeanette & Chen, Hui Chen & Roy, Tanushri. (2022). Advantages and challenges of fostering cognitive integration through virtual collaborative learning: a qualitative study. BMC Nursing. 21. 10.1186/s12912-022-01026-6.

If you want to learn more about your strengths and the areas where you can enhance the ways in which you use digital technologies for teaching and learning, click here. ​ This self-assessment tool develped by the EU Joint Research Centre helps you reflect on your digital competence as a higher education teacher. The tool consists of 25 questions of self-reflection to give you feedback with suggestions and tips on how to improve your teaching.