Fackalty Hackathon
Sharing — Caring — Teaching! — Co-creating a Team-Teach, Problem-based Learning scenario and reimagining learning spaces.
This Medium, story is a response to an assignment set on my MSc SmartEdTech, co-creativity, and digital tools for educational innovation.
Design a MakerEd challenge, shaped as a Learning Object (LO), based on the Educational-Digital Gradual Immersion Model (EDGIM).
By following the below process, a learning object was conceived and developed to get higher education faculty involved in several things: problem-based learning; blended learning; 3D digital prototyping; peer-to-peer feedback and reflective portfolios.
If you want to dive straight in and see if you can use the LO for yourself, directly below is the flowchart. Follow the flowchart, step-by-step, and have fun!
If you also want to see the inspiration, reasoning and process that led to the flowchart and LO, continue reading the story below.
Have fun!
(Disclaimer: I have not yet tried out this hackathon/workshop LO, so am yet to test it, and of course find out what works, and what needs tweaking. Feel free to give me your thoughts and feedback!)
How this LO and Flowchart Came about
In order to frame and guide the construction of the LO, we were given several resources to consult, in which we had to choose concepts and ideas. As I am professionally involved in faculty development and learning experience design in higher education, this informs all my master’s projects and therefore, helped me to decide on the concepts with which to base my LO. Below are the 2 resources, and extended descriptions of why I chose each concept as my LO base:
1. Equitable Learning Practices
Selected Equitable Learning Practices: Project-based learning; Teacher-to-teacher feedback ; student portfolios.
However, as the equitable learning practice document is aimed at school teachers, I have decided to adapt the Project-based learning, to problem-based learning — while they are both excellent active pedagogy strategies that are under-used currently, I believe that problem-based learning can be more easily implemented in a higher education setting, especially by teachers who have less experience with active teaching.
I chose teacher-to-teacher feedback because university teachers very rarely (in my context) share ideas or good teaching practice among themselves, and I hope that this will help them see the value of peer-to-peer feedback for themselves, as well as implementing it with their students
I chose student portfolios — again, as an opportunity to introduce teachers to an excellent pedagogical tool, that they can then impart to their students
2. The United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Selected SDG — 4
Perhaps an obvious one to choose, but it’s the most important for me, and as evidenced by the UN, it has been identified that in order to achieve the 2030 education agenda and the 17 goals, Goal 4 is what binds them all:
The way in which the LO is designed, it also asks the learners to use the SDGs as inspiration for their project, I give a link (QR code, see LO flowchart below) to the SDG tracker, which not only describes what each SDG is, with a semi0interactive interface, but also tracks the success of each SDG and gives up-to-date inforamtion about work being done around the world.
Going deeper into SDG 4, target 4.7 states: Education for sustainable development and global citizenship.
For me this is an important factor in the future of higher edcuation and how it can contribute to the goals. Therefore, I have chosen SDG 4 as inspiration for my LO, because within my LO, the learners have the opportunity to interact with the SDGs, and then to design a learning scenario for heir students — thus the idea is to promote sustainable development from the bottom up.
After choosing the base of the LO, the next step is to:
Define the Instructional purposes:
To give unversity lectureres the opportunity to explore and immerse themselves in learning about and discovering ways to implement blended learning and problem-based learning through a co-creative workshop and furthermore, to introduce them to eportfolios and reflective practice by reflecting and chronicalling the workshop process and personal reflections in an eportfolio. Added value is to bring a ‘makered’ slant and get them to re-envision their learning spaces and to get them thinking about how learning spaces cna be changed and adapted to the digital transition, and to explore different ideas, taking into consideration a university experience based more on active and collaborative learning.
Next in the process:
Student Learning objectives:
By the end of this hackathon (co-creative brainstrorming and course building workshop) the learner should be able to:
— Create a blended learning, problem-based learning scenario for university students based around the SDGs
— Use an eportfolio to reflect on and chronicle the workshop learning experience
— implement peer-to-peer feedback
— Create a 3D model of a learning space
That brings to an end the process of the LO context. Next, is to follow the
EDGIM Framework
GIM Module 1: FAMILIARIZE
- Introduce/concept check problem-based learning
- Introduce/concept check eportfolio and reflective practice
- Introduce/concept check blended learning
- Introduce workshop concept: Co-create a blended problem-based learning scenario, situated within an SDG, and create an imagined learning space
Then to start the process: For the problem-based learning scenario based on SDG:
- Teachers choose an SDG that can correspond to each of their academic fields, and define a problem related to both the SDG, and their related fields
- Define learning outcomes
- Define assessment type
At the same time they need to document the process, thoughts and feeling in eportfolio, as well as evidence of the process (this is where teachers can/need to be creative — they need to work together to be sure that the process is well-documented)
GIM Module 2: (CO)CREATE
Designing the learning scenario:
- Define the blended learning scenario — what is in person? what is online? How can/should it be structured?
- content creation prototypes for online and in-class aspects (minimum viable product (MVP)/design sprint)
- document process, thoughts and feeling in eportfolio, as well as evidence of process
Desigining a learning space:
- Brainstorm with paper and pens
- Introduction to TinkerCad — creation of 3D digital prototype
- Creation of 3D physical prototype — using any materials found in the workshop space
- document process, thoughts and feeling in eportfolio, as well as evidence of process
GIM Module 3: EXHIBIT
- Finalise 1st iteration
- present to peer groups
- obtain peer feedback
- document process, thoughts and feeling in eportfolio, as well as evidence of process
Evaluation of Myself and My LO and Student Self-evaluation
In the final stage of my project brief, I have to evaluate my self, and the learners need evaluating too.
The below educator self assessment was provided:
In my self-assessment of my LO, I think that my LO offers and/or provides my learners with many of the 21st century skills and attributes. Specifically:
- oral and written communication
- critical thinking and problem solving
- collaboration across networks
- curiosity and imagination
- agility and adaptability
- self-regulation
- empathy & global stweardship
These skills may not be fully developed within the workshop, but I believe that the LO gives good opportunity for the learners to be introduced to these skills, to reflect on them, and to think about these skills for their students too.
The student self & peer group evaluation uses a rubric created especially for the task. This rubric is not about saying if the outcome was good or not, for the workshop, the focus is on process, not output. It is about students (faculty) self assessing their attiutdes and approach to the workshop and task they were given. Depending on how they self-assess, gives them the opportunity to ask WHY they felt like that. Everything is about reflection, discussion and thinking more deeply about their teaching practices, and ultimately thier students.
References
Sanabria, J. & Sánchez, P (2017). Capítulo 7. Evaluación de un modelo de inmersión gradual educativa digital. In R. Sumozas, E. Nieto, (Eds). Evaluación de la competencia digital docente. España, Editorial Síntesi
UNESCO (2015). SDG4-Education 2030, Incheon Declaration (ID) and Framework for Action. For the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 4, Ensure Inclusive and Equitable Quality Education and Promote Lifelong Learning Opportunities for All. ED-2016/WS/28.
