Research on the use of blogs in higher education suggests that students who blog as part of a course requirement demonstrate increased reflection, heightened feelings of connection, and increased course-related knowledge. Blogging provides a promising medium for students to engage in reflection on their participation in a cooperative education work term. Blogging can help guide a project by providing an encouraging place for team members to communicate clearly, document their work and other resources, and brainstorm ideas. In this paper, we describe a qualitative analysis of blog posts written by three students during a co-op placement. The students used the blog extensively and with multiple purposes: to reflect, to communicate, to brainstorm ideas, to evaluate literature, and to document team creations. We discuss the characteristics of the project and blog that may have contributed to its extensive use and provide recommendations for individuals interested in implementing a blog in similar projects.
Research on the use of blogs in higher education suggests that students who blog as part of a course requirement demonstrate increased reflection, heightened feelings of connection, and increased course-related knowledge. Blogging provides a promising medium for students to engage in reflection on their participation in a cooperative education work term. Blogging can help guide a project by providing an encouraging place for team members to communicate clearly, document their work and other resources, and brainstorm ideas. In this paper, we describe a qualitative analysis of blog posts written by three students during a co-op placement. The students used the blog extensively and with multiple purposes: to reflect, to communicate, to brainstorm ideas, to evaluate literature, and to document team creations. We discuss the characteristics of the project and blog that may have contributed to its extensive use and provide recommendations for individuals interested in implementing a blog in similar projects.
In this practice note, the authors discuss techniques they used to bring the collaborative approaches to evaluation (CAE) principles to life in a virtual setting. Following their CAE evaluation of an extracurricular post-secondary program, the authors examined artifacts of their work using CAE as a deductive framework. Their analysis highlighted numerous strategies to enact the CAE principles and the importance of modern technologies to facilitate crucial evaluation processes in a virtual setting. The authors conclude by discussing four recurring practices that aligned with the CAE principles and sharing technologies they used to enhance evaluation activities with clients, stakeholders, and each other.
There are many ways to intertwine theoretical and applied learning to nurture the competencies required to conduct evaluation. Experiential learning opportunities remain a priority for many evaluation educators who are helping learners apply foundational skills and knowledge to practice. Evaluators develop their professional expertise in diverse venues, including through experience, through professional learning, or, as we highlight in this chapter, in graduate school. Incorporating experiential learning from a professional association into a formal graduate course requires a willingness to blend university course expectations and activities with collaborative learning experiences. Using reflective dialogue and poetry enacted through dialogic analysis and reflection, we examine enduring perceptions and learning activated from student participation in the Canadian Evaluation Society's national evaluation case competition as part of evaluation education situated within a formal university graduate course. Weaving five voices representing learners, case study coach, and course instructor, we discuss how the evaluation competition was used to deepen understanding and develop evaluator competencies.
Critical thinking (CT) is essential in many higher-order thinking skills and should be enhanced by higher education programs. The Model of Integrated Thinking Skills (MITS) was developed to help students developing CT, assist educators teaching CT, and satisfy the following three criteria: 1) completely and objectively describe CT, 2) distinguish CT from other skills, and 3) be used by all disciplines. A validation survey determined how MITS is perceived with respect to the three criteria. Most participants perceived that MITS meets the three criteria, suggesting that MITS can assist student development of CT.
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