Acta Pedagogia Asia 526 views
Abstract Reticence prevalent among East Asian students has prompted educators to attempt different methods to engage them. Gamification of courses has gained popularity as an avenue to encourage students’ participation, and it is facilitated by the roll-out of diverse online gamification platforms. This study aims to reflect on an educator’s experience of incorporating elements of gamification in an environmental science course delivered in a micro-campus established through a Sino-American educational collaboration. Gibb’s Reflective Cycle was adopted to guide the reflection practice. Gamification was implemented with three online interactive platforms, namely Poll Everywhere, Kahoot, and Quizizz. Poll Everywhere was mainly used for short polls and activities during lessons, while Kahoot and Quizizz were used for quiz-like competitions whose scores did not contribute to students’ grades. Kahoot created a lively atmosphere in class but was constrained by limits on players’ numbers, internet control, and the lag between sending and receiving responses. Quizizz had more game elements, which thrilled individual players but was less able to create the lively classroom the educator desired. It was more stable, perhaps because it was less subjected to internet control. Poll Everywhere had a less attractive scoreboard and was more appropriate for short classroom activities. Students' interest in the platforms tended to wane with each repeated use of the platforms. To improve the gamification experience, a mix of platforms could be used, and locally developed platforms could be sourced for stability and diversification.[...] Read more. Full text

Acta Pedagogia Asia 1184 views
Abstract Student-centered approach has been the center of attention in teaching and learning as the emphasis to shift away from teacher-centered approach is growing. While the term has been widely used, it remains unclear how it can be effectively operationalized given the continuum nature of teacher-centered and student-centered approaches. This article examines 34 articles and included a thematic analysis of their contents to systematically present the methods to operationalize student-centered approach. A channel to practice student-centered approach is project-based learning where students work on projects, such as community and design projects, and are expected to manage the projects or at least propose actions or solutions. Problem-based learning is a variant of project-based learning and students often work on scenarios, cases, questions, or problems which are less extensive than projects. Problem-solving usually precedes lectures to promote self-directed learning and facilitate scaffolding. An argument-based curriculum incorporates arguments and debates that engage students in the self-discovery of different perspectives on a given topic. Student-centered approach is closely linked to the use of technology for research, interactions, gamification, simulations, and feedback. Student-centered feedback prompts active learning through deliberate feedback while adaptive teaching involves students in content-building. This review contributes to the enhancement of student-centered elements in teaching and learning.[...] Read more. Full text

Acta Pedagogia Asia 908 views
Abstract The impetus to raise awareness and impart positive attitude change toward climate action as one of the sustainability goals has catalyzed the introduction of climate change courses in universities, particularly in developing countries. An online climate change course has been developed and delivered as an elective to the first-year students of a university in China. A reflection of the course in terms of its teaching and learning and assessment was conducted based on the Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle with SWOT employed for evaluation and analysis of the experience. The course has the strength of incorporating abundant audio-visual elements, highlighting important points in slides, employing gamification, and simulating community projects in assignments. However, online teaching could be more time-consuming than face-to-face teaching in certain aspects, such as preparation of activities and games, and responding to students after office hours. Despite this, students felt that more interactions could be integrated, and teamwork might lead to advantage-taking and unequal task distribution in certain groups. This reflection calls for further improvement with the greater use of online interactive platforms and databases; interactions with experts and scientists in the field; delivery of community projects or talks to a real audience; and cross-varsity and cross-regional collaborations.[...] Read more. Full text