Magda Ritzen

Communities of Practice in Higher Education

Internal and external developments in higher education are leading to transformation of education being placed high on the agenda. This places a great burden on the professionalisation of the staff. In a previous article (Hezemans and Ritzen, 2004) we described the way in which professionals learn and innovate. Communities of Practice (CoPs) were introduced as a ‘new’ way to learn. In this article we further zoom in on the phenomenon CoP: what are CoPs, what are the success-factors and how can this way of learning and working together contribute to innovation in higher education.

Lifelong Learning in the Digital Age

The growing importance of Lifelong Learning must be seen against the background of profound changes, reflected in all aspects of our living environment. These changes concern the global environment, but also our personal, economic, social, cultural and political environments. Lifelong Learning is a ‘must’ in the real-life context of the Knowledge Society and covers “all purposeful learning from the cradle to the grave” of very divers groups of learners. The Lifelong Learning environment has specific characteristics and is strongly supported by Information and Communication Technology. Sustainability of the learning environment is a critical issue. The growing demand for Lifelong Learning will force educational institutions to change.

Online formative tests linked to microlectures improving academic achievement

Background: Online formative tests (OFTs) are powerful tools to direct student learning behavior, especially when enriched with specific feedback. Aim: In the present study, we have investigated the effect of OFTs enriched with hyperlinks to microlectures on examination scores. Methods: OFTs, available one week preceding each midterm and the final exams, could be used voluntarily. The use of OFTs was related to scores on midterm and final exams using ANOVA, with prior academic achievement as a covariate. Results: On average, 74% of all students used the online formative tests (OFT+) while preparing for the summative midterm exam. OFT+ students obtained significantly higher grades compared to OFT-students, both without and with correction for previous academic achievement. Two out of three final exam scores did not significantly improve. Conclusion: Students using online formative tests linked to microlectures receive higher grades especially in highly aligned summative tests.

Learning environments and responsibility

Universities of Higher Professional Education (HBO) are working together intensively with institutions in the field to develop and provide educational programmes which prepare students as fully as possible for the reality and dynamics of professional practice. This article describes the way in which various interested parties (students, tutors and the professional field) can participate in the creation of learning environments which facilitate and promote the development of professional expertise and the competence of all involved. This participation, expressed in terms of responsibility, is presented in a model of ‘Learning Environments and Responsibility’. In this model three types of learning environments are distinguished: task-based, problem-based and situation-based.

Students’ motives for using online formative assessments when preparing for summative assessments

Background: Formative assessments intend to provide feedback on student performance in order to improve and accelerate learning. Several studies have indicated that students using online formative assessments (OFAs), have better results on their exams. Aims: The present study aims to provide insight in student reasons for using or not using available OFAs. Method: Three OFAs with feedback were available in a second year undergraduate course in physiology for biomedical sciences students (N = 147). First, students received an open questionnaire about why they did (not) complete the first two OFAs. Based on this data, a closed questionnaire was developed and distributed among students. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was applied. Results: The results indicate reasons why students do (not) use the OFAs. The EFA for using the OFAs indicated three factors, that were interpreted as collecting (1) feed up, (2) feed forward, and (3) feed back information. The main reasons for not using the OFAs were lack of time and having completed the questions before. Conclusions: Students’ reasons for using OFAs can be described in terms of collecting feed up, forward and back information and students’ reasons for not using OFAs can be student-, teacher-, or mode-related.

The Teacher: From a Responsible Student’s Point-of-View

Dutch universities of professional education are working with institutions in the field to develop programmes that are intended students to develop into starting professionals. The implementation of these new programmes means adopting a new methodology and this assumes that the teacher learns. This paper will show by means of a case description how a teacher, supported by ICT, can realise a personal learning process in such as way as to effectively guide and supervise an analogous learning process for the student. In this case the teacher and the student are central. The professional field provides the tools for practising this competence management.

Designing knowledge-rich curricula

What role does knowledge have in competency based higher education? Many Dutch Universities of Professional Education are struggling with the implementation of competency-based curricula. In view of current practice, this article distinguishes between two sorts of knowledge: vocation-related knowledge and context-free knowledge. In higher education curricula are developed with the aid of various design-models. The resulting curricula are tied to varying degrees with the field of practice, depending on which model is used. Below three models are typified and compared along four aspects: assignment-driven, vocationally related work processes, integral assessment & testing and knowledge development. Recommendations are then made for ways in which knowledge-rich, competency-based curricula can be developed and improved within the given design models. Keywords here are ‘good vocational assignments’ and ‘accountability of results’.