Authentic Learning

A special issue of Education Sciences (ISSN 2227-7102).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 November 2018) | Viewed by 21055

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, PO Box 123, Broadway, NSW 2007, Australia
Interests: current research interest is in scholarly approaches to learning and teaching; learning analytics; transition pedagogy and authentic learning environments

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Special Issue on Authentic Learning focuses on innovative, authentic teaching and learning approaches in higher education. Elements of authentic learning appear to be inherently embedded in many practise-oriented courses where the mastering of certain hands-on practises is essential in students’ future workplace due to professional regulatory requirements (e.g., in nursing, engineering, architecture). The introduction of authentic learning in theory heavy courses and traditionally teacher structured environments, where the relevance to workplace practices is not immediately apparent, requires a more targeted, careful approach to scholarly innovation. This Special Issue discusses innovative, authentic learning approaches in theory heavy courses and traditional teacher structured environments with a view on developing workplace relevant skills for future workplaces.

References:

Donovan, S., Bransford, J., and Pellegrino, (1999). How people Learn: Bridging Research and practice. Washington DC: National Academy of Sciences.

Newmann, F., Mark, H., and Gamoran, A. (1995) Authentic Pedagogy: standard that boost the students’ performance. Issues in Restructuring Schools, 8, p 1-12.

Maina, F. W. (2004). Authentic Learning, Perspective from contemporary educators. Journal of Authentic Learning, 1(1), p 1-8.

Dr. Jurgen Schulte
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • authentic learning
  • authentic assessment
  • Higher Education

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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18 pages, 1456 KiB  
Article
Applying Authentic Learning through Cultivation of the Entrepreneurial Mindset in the Engineering Classroom
by Lisa Bosman and Stephanie Fernhaber
Educ. Sci. 2019, 9(1), 7; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci9010007 - 31 Dec 2018
Cited by 46 | Viewed by 5597
Abstract
Higher education provides plenty of opportunity for theory and in many cases, even the ability to apply theory in a laboratory setting. Yet, there remains limited opportunity for students to learn by doing through participation in authentic learning experiences. The purpose of this [...] Read more.
Higher education provides plenty of opportunity for theory and in many cases, even the ability to apply theory in a laboratory setting. Yet, there remains limited opportunity for students to learn by doing through participation in authentic learning experiences. The purpose of this paper is to provide one potential solution for integrating authentic learning into the engineering classroom by cultivating the entrepreneurial mindset. As entrepreneurship serves as an integral part of the economy, developing an entrepreneurial mindset through authentic learning experiences is essential for engineers. While online discussion prompts represent a useful way for educators to facilitate student learning, less is known about how to facilitate online discussions in a way that truly cultivates an entrepreneurial mindset for engineering students. In this paper, the key intentions of entrepreneurially-minded learning are reviewed, and a guide for creating online discussions applicable to any engineering course is presented. Example online discussion prompts incorporating the entrepreneurial mindset are then shared from an Introduction to Engineering course. Results from a mixed methods survey instrument suggests positive impacts towards student perceptions of online discussions and development of the entrepreneurial mindset. Recommendations for effectively and efficiently facilitating online discussions for entrepreneurially-minded learning in the engineering classroom are offered. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Authentic Learning)
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19 pages, 287 KiB  
Article
Exploring Affective Dimensions of Authentic Geographic Education Using a Qualitative Document Analysis of Students’ YouthMappers Blogs
by Rebecca Hite, Patricia Solís, Lindsay Wargo and Thomas Barclay Larsen
Educ. Sci. 2018, 8(4), 173; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci8040173 - 18 Oct 2018
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 4041
Abstract
Research suggests numerous cognitive benefits of authentic learning experiences. Beyond cognition, there are additional dimensions for learners who engage in authentic learning experiences. In education, the affective experiences of authentic learning and the role of students’ social interactions remain largely unexplored. This paper [...] Read more.
Research suggests numerous cognitive benefits of authentic learning experiences. Beyond cognition, there are additional dimensions for learners who engage in authentic learning experiences. In education, the affective experiences of authentic learning and the role of students’ social interactions remain largely unexplored. This paper examines students’ affective and social experiences derived from blog posts published on the YouthMappers website. YouthMappers is an international network of university students who create open map data for humanitarian and development programming. In an analysis of two years (2016–2017) of 82 blogs from the YouthMappers network, students from the U.S. and abroad report motivating experiences fueled by social events and gatherings. The participants also find value in communicating with, encouraging, educating, and supporting their peers. Geographic region and gender also play a part in their accounts. This paper seeks to advance research in student affect and social interactions during authentic learning experiences. Positive affective and social experiences may be employed to create authentic learning experiences, building impactful social and emotional experiences for globally-diverse students. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Authentic Learning)

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14 pages, 1345 KiB  
Commentary
“How Real People Really Need Mathematics in the Real World”—Authenticity in Mathematics Education
by Pauline Vos
Educ. Sci. 2018, 8(4), 195; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci8040195 - 7 Nov 2018
Cited by 32 | Viewed by 9940
Abstract
This paper discusses authenticity from the perspective of mathematics education. Often, school mathematics offers students inauthentic word problems, which don’t show the authentic usefulness of mathematics in real life. In some tasks, authentic aspects are combined with inauthentic ones (e.g., an authentic context, [...] Read more.
This paper discusses authenticity from the perspective of mathematics education. Often, school mathematics offers students inauthentic word problems, which don’t show the authentic usefulness of mathematics in real life. In some tasks, authentic aspects are combined with inauthentic ones (e.g., an authentic context, but the question is artificial and different from what people within that context would ask). Several studies show that students are more motivated by authentic questions than by authentic contexts. Embedding these findings, I discuss issues associated with defining authenticity in education. A first issue is that philosophers use the term to characterize a person’s existential expressions (e.g., being true to oneself), whereas in education, we use the term for learning environments, artefacts, etc. Second, some researchers define authentic learning environments according to criteria (being open to different approaches, simulate a real-life activity, etc.), but I will illustrate that inauthentic activities can comply with such criteria as well. Alternatively, I suggest using the term for separate aspects in a learning environment (contexts, questions, etc.), and define authenticity as a social construct rather than as a subjective perception. In this way, a community (teachers, students, out-of-school experts) can reach agreement on the nature of this characteristic. For an aspect to be authentic, it needs to have: (1) an out-of-school origin and (2) a certification of originality (e.g., by bringing artifacts physically into a classroom or by testimony of an expert). This approach is illustrated by a study on students’ project work during an excursion to a mathematics research workplace. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Authentic Learning)
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