REFLECTIONS ON RE-CURRICULATION: MOVING TOWARDS PROBLEM-BASED COURSE DESIGN SEMINAR ON STABILITY, DEMOCRACY AND RIGHTS MASENO UNIVERSITY, 7-8 DECEMBER Overview 2 Stability, democracy and rights in a PBL-perspective Challenges and possible concerns in PBL Research context Problem statement and research questions Data (collected jointly with Professor Iben Jensen, Department of Learning and Philosophy, Aalborg University) Theoretical framework Analysis with examples Concluding remarks Stability, Democracy and Rights in a PBL-perspective The concept of learning rights: The right of the student to get access to a learning environment where skills to learn, to reflect on knowledge, and to produce knowledge are developed (Wiberg, in Krogh and Jensen 2013, 104) The ethical mandate (Wiberg, 2013; Lgstrup 1991) Deweys democratic ideal and the concept of participator versus spectator (Wiberg, 2013, 106; Dewey 1990) 3 Stability, Democracy and Rights in a PBL-perspective 4 Two core principles: 1) open-ended problems and 2) student study groups Problems transport students from the classroom to tangible, real-world situations [.] Each PBL problem is a political problem; each student group is a political system [.] what implications for democracy follow from students choices and experiences? (Duch, Groh and Allen, eds. (2001, 194) Challenges and concerns in a South African university context Focus group interviews with staff at a university in the Free State province of South Africa (Mahlomaholo, Sechaba M.G. (2013) indicate that in a South- African institutional context, PBL: Required massive and costly resources to be implemented (not affordable by the institution) Was more time consuming than other modes of teaching and learning Required large amounts of expertise from the side of the faculty staff Was impossible to implement in large classes, which is the norm Was unlikely to significantly make an impact because the dominant culture in the institution was stuck in the non-democratic, teacher-centred practices of the past Was likely to increase the heavy workloads already carried by staff. 5 Research context BSU II Gulu University, Uganda - A Problem Based Course Design (PBCD) workshop Bringing together educators with an interest in problem based learning and ICT- supported curriculum design, this workshop prepares the ground for problem based intervention into curricula in two educational environments: The Faculty of Education and Humanities, and the Faculty of Business and Development. In the workshop, the participants will explore and discuss how current curricula may be re-oriented towards student-centered project work and how existing courses may feed into project work for enhanced outreach and community engagement. (My emphasis). 6 Research context Overall Workshop Objectives The overall objectives of the workshop were to: Reflect upon problem based learning in a local context Begin planning of problem based curriculum development Obtain hands-on practice in problem based project work. Goals At the end of the workshop participants were expected to be able to: Identify and analyze a problem Produce a well-founded problem statement Engage in ethnographic methodology (observations, interviewing) Reflect upon group dynamics and supervision practices for group formation in physical and online environments Plan a problem-based course that can function as a prototype for upscaling. 7 Research context: Faculties involved and courses selected for redesign Faculty of Education and Humanities: Post Graduate Diploma in Education (Educational Psychology: Guidance and Counseling) Faculty of Business and Development Studies: Master of Business administration (Creativity, Innovation and change; research methodology) 8 Problem statement and research purpose Although it is difficult to argue against the merits of the democratic learning ideal propounded by PBL advocates, more often than not a transition from a traditional didactic teaching approach to a student-centered learning approach gives rise to concern among staff and students. The purpose of this presentation is: To explore how participants in a recurriculation workshop construed concerns, opportunities and challenges in discussions focusing on problem based learning. 9 Data Moodle platform for the problem-based course design workshop Individual reflection paragraphs by workshop participants Group reflection paragraphs (four groups) Completed course design templates (four groups) Completed PBL project templates (four groups) Pre-workshop questionnaires (4 responses) Post-workshop questionnaires (7 responses) Recorded group discussions (approx. 3 hours of recording). 10 Documents guiding the process of data collection Course design template Project work template Reflection tasks (individual and group reflections) Role play (roles assigned to course participants) The example of reflection: Please reflect on your learning yesterday. 1. What did you find most important during the day? 2. Give some examples of elements from the day you might use in a course. 3. Give some examples on what you would phrase/organize in another way, if you were going to use it 4. Give some examples of elements from the day you did not find relevant for your students explain why 11 Theoretical framework: Discourse analysis The notion of Big D Discourse (Gee, 1990, 2010, 2015) The notion of anticipatory discourse (de Saint-Georges The Appraisal framework (Martin and White, 2005) 12 Analysis with examples Predominant features: Big-D-discourses intersecting with little-d-discourses. Discourse of democracy, fairness and equality Discourse of educational change Discourse of market economics Discourse of doubt and concern Discourse of hope and trust Anticipatory discourse cutting across. Evoked positive attitudes about transition to PBL Inscribed positive attitudes: appreciation of PBL Evoked negative attitudes about transition to PBL Anticipatory discourses (planning future action involving agency) 13 Analysis with examples Discourse of democracy, fairness and equality (1) We need outreaches, hands-on facilitation ourselves to our colleagues (post-workshop questionnaire) [evoked positive Attitude (Appreciation of PBL as an approach to democracy/ anticipatory discourse] (2) Working in groups and ensuring that each person contributes, helps to bring a wealth of ideas and knowledge (Individual reflection report). [Evoked positive Appreciation of PBL, drawing on an underlying principle of fairness and solidarity] 14 Analysis with examples Discourse of democracy, fairness and equality (3) I am disappointed with the level of participation. Many participants did not turn up and even those that turned up were too mobile (in and out of the workshop) (post-workshop questionnaire this view was expressed a participant in one of the four groups and thus cannot be taken as representing the views of other groups which did not have that problem) [little-d-discourse embedded in an underlying big-D-Discourse of solidary, evoking negative Judgement of integrity (obstructs principles of fairness and equality)]. (4) Everything involved discussion and it was participatory. The members shared ideas and came up with a common stand. Members owned the process (group reflection report). [Inscribed positive Judgement of members integrity]. 15 Analysis with examples Discourse of educational change (5) Change will go on and PBL is a noble idea [.] we can look at challenges as forecast areas of concentration make workshops, evaluation meetings no change can be understood beforehand it has to be tried (recorded group discussions). [Inscribed positive Appreciation of PBL. / Anticipatory discourse: Instigates future action to overcome challenges agency expressed through ability to act]. (6) We have traditional learning methods which we cannot escape (recorded group discussions). [Inscribed negative Appreciation of traditional learning methods evoked negative Judgement (social esteem/ inability) Evoked Discourse of concern and doubt] 16 Analysis with examples Discourse of market economics intersecting with Discourse of doubt and concern: (7) We have been applying an approach for a long time where students expect teachers to teach demand and supply the teachers supply, students demand - it will be a big challenge to make students and lecturers like the new approach - they may resist (recorded group discussion). [a) Evoked negative Judgement of teaching approach (through metaphor)/ social esteem/ normality b) evoked negative Judgement of teachers capacity - c) inscribed negative Judgement of students tenacity] 17 Analysis and examples Discourse of doubt and concern (8) What I see as possible obstacles in introducing PBL into our study programmes are poverty and adjustment to change by the lecturers (Pre-workshop questionnaire). [Evoked negative Judgement of lecturers capacity for change. Anticipatory Discourse weak potential for future agency] (9) How use the PBL approach with classes of 450 students (Post-workshop questionnaire) (10) Governing institutions do not like group exams (post-workshop questionnaire) (11) Lecturers may not be willing to change and let students go out and do outreach (pre-workshop questionnaire). [(9), (10) and (11): Evoked negative Affect (insecurity); inscribed negative Appreciation of governing institutions; inscribed negative Judgement of lecturers adaptive capacity. Evoked negative Appreciation of re-curriculation to PBL.] 18 Analysis and examples Discourse of hope and trust (12) If the PBL approach is integrated in the program during curriculum review, learners will discover for themselves new knowledge and identify solution to a given problem (Individual reflection report). [Inscribed positive appreciation of the PBL approach/ social value/ anticipatory discourse contingent]. (13) We can continue sensitizing the students, the lecturers and the management we can continue to influence policy makers we can continue to advocate for alternative sources of power (recorded discussions). [Evoked positive Judgement of the participants capacity ability/ Anticipatory Discourse powerful agents (yes we can). 19 Analysis and examples Discourse of hope and trust: (14) Generally it was a very interesting learning experience. It would be good if all teaching was based on the use of PBL approach (individual reflection) [Evoked positive Appreciation of the PBL approach. Evoked negative Appreciation of the traditional approach Anticipatory Discourse irrealis] (15) As a stakeholder I will make sure that we will be able to provide (assist in countering some of the challenges) (recorded plenary discussion role play) 20 Concluding remarks Overall impression - Active participation and commitment the participants engaged in discussions and were generally in favour of redesigning the curriculum to include PBL. The blended learning approach, using Moodle, caused problems for some participant. From a discourse perspective - The participants expressed positive attitudes towards introducing PBL partly by being critical of traditional approaches partly by reflecting on how to counter foreseeable recurriculation problems relating to a PBL approach. Negative attitudes (doubt and concern) were evoked rather than inscribed, but could be teased out through role play. Hope and trust was evoked through discourses where the participants construed themselves as agents (anticipatory discourse). 21 THANK YOU FOR LISTENING 22 Literature 23 Burch, K. (2001). PBL, Politics and Democracy, In Duch, B.J., Groh, S.E. and Allen, D.E. (eds) (2001). The Powers of Problem- Based Learning. Sterling, Virginia: Stylus. de Saint-Georges, I. (2012). Anticipatory Discourse. The Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics. DOI: / wbeal0032 De Saint-Georges, I. (2003). Anticipatory Discourse. Producing Futures of Action in a Vocational Program for Long-Term Unemployed. Unpublished dissertation. Georgetown University, Washington, DC. Gee, J.P. (2010). An introduction to discourse analysis: Theory and method. London and New York: Routledge. Gee, J.P. (2013). Discourse. Small d, Big D. In the International Encyclopedia of Language and Social Interaction. Wiley and Sons; Online version. DOI: / wbielsi016 Krogh, L. & Jensen. A. (2003) Visions, Challenges and Strategies. PBL Principles and Methodologies in a Danish and Global Perspective. Aalborg: Aalborg University Press. Literature, continued 24 Mahlomaholo, S. Problem-Based Learning and Sustainable Learning Environments: A South African Higher Education Policy Perspective, In Krogh, L. and Jensen, A. A. (eds.) (2013). Visions Challenges and Strategies. PBL principles and methodologies in a Danish and Global Perspective. Aalborg: Aalborg University Press. Martin, J.R. and White P.R.R. (2005) The Language of Evaluation. Appraisal in English. Hampshire and New York: Palgrave. Scollon, R. (2008). Analysing Public Discourse. Discourse analysis in the making of public policy. London and New York: Routledge. Wiberg, M. (2013). Learning rights, participation and toleration in student group work: A moral perspective, In Krogh, L. and Jensen, A. A. (eds.) (2013). Visions Challenges and Strategies. PBL principles and methodologies in a Danish and Global Perspective. Aalborg: Aalborg University Press.