Kim Jesper Herrmann

The Impact of Cooperative Learning on Student Engagement: Results from an Intervention.

With an increasing awareness that many undergraduates are passive during teaching sessions, calls for instructional methods that allow students to become actively engaged have increased. Cooperative learning has long been popular at the primary and secondary level and, within recent years, higher education. However, empirical evidence of the impact of cooperative learning at the university level is still limited. This study reports the result of a quasi-experimental real-life intervention with cooperative learning in an undergraduate course. In-class participation and student approaches to learning were measured before and after the intervention to assess the impact on 140 students’ engagement levels. In addition, open-ended comments were analysed, revealing what faculty adopting cooperative learning principles in higher education should be especially aware of.

Measuring perceptions of the learning environment and approaches to learning: validation of the learn questionnaire

ABSTRACT While focus on quality in Danish higher education has been growing in recent years, limited attention has been devoted to developing and thoroughly validating instruments that allow collecting data about university students’ perceptions of the teaching-learning environment. Based on data from a large sample of Danish university students, a Danish version of the Learn questionnaire was validated using confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis. Analyses confirmed the existence of three scales reflecting students’ approaches to learning and six scales reflecting students’ perception of the teaching-learning environment. The results suggest that the Danish version of Learn is a valid instrument to be used for evaluation of the teaching-learning environment as well as for research into Danish university students’ learning strategies.

Validation of the quality in PhD processes questionnaire

Purpose Increasing interest in PhD processes calls for valid and reliable survey instruments that cover key aspects of the PhD experience. Based on recent research, existing questionnaires and interviews with PhD students, the Quality in PhD Processes Questionnaire (QPPQ) was developed to cover a range of influential factors such as perceptions of the research environment and psychological well-being. This paper aims at validating the QPPQ for measuring quality in PhD processes. Design/methodology/approach This study assesses the validity of the QPPQ’s scales with special attention to factorial, convergent and discriminatory validity. Six scales were developed based on exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses applied to 23 items in a sample of 1,670 PhD students representing various academic disciplines. Findings Results were promising concerning the scales’ psychometric properties and indicators of validity. Originality/value The QPPQ offers itself as a theoretically grounded and thoroughly tested instrument for the purposes of evaluating and developing PhD programs at a local level or for researching PhD processes in general.