NB Language spoken is English unless only Dutch-speaking students participate
Description
We live in fascinating times. Everything you would like to know, from quantum mechanics to chocolate cookies, is only one click away.
Moreover, our rapidly evolving digital world presents opportunities to more efficiently and effectively shape the way we educate people across the lifespan. Hence, not surprisingly, numerous different digital educational programs and ICT applications have been developed over the last decade — ranging from applications to increase reading speed, to fully adaptive learning environments to radically improve children’s reading and math skills.
However, while there are obvious advantages of digital education, there are some important challenges as well. For example, how do you implement a digital learning environment (or even a straightforward application) in an existing context that is not primarily digitally oriented, such as a primary school? And let’s say you have succeeded in implementing the digital learning environment of your choice, how do you evaluate its value in terms of our current knowledge and assumptions about cognitive learning mechanisms?
In this course, we will address these and many other questions that are related to current (and future) digital solutions in education. We will do so by reading theoretical and empirical studies about the important themes in digital education (e.g., motivation of students and teachers, adaptive learning, big data) as well as by providing hands-on experience with designing a digital learning environment with the easy-to-use programming language Scratch. As such, you will gain in-depth knowledge about how to deal with the challenges and opportunities of digital education in our ever-changing world.
Course objectives
Acquire knowledge of a variety of digital educational applications and the underlying learning-theoretical assumptions (such as, adaptive training environments, simulation environments, MOOCS etc.).
Appreciate the influence — advantages and disadvantages — of the introduction of digital educational tools across a range of contexts.
Acquire and practice skills in the critical analysis and evaluation of digital educational tools (knowledge, skills, engagement, motivation).
Acquire and practice programming skills. We will use the programming language Scratch (or a highly similar coding environment).
Critically evaluate the relevant literature about digital educational tools.
Timetable
Mode of instruction
To ensure that students will attain a thorough knowledge of this emerging field, instruction will take a variety of forms, including lectures, guest speakers, group discussion as well as cooperative learning activities and group assignments.
Assessment method
Group assignments and presentations (group-wise, but evaluated individually) (40% of final grade).
Student reports (individually) about specific digital educational tools: evaluation of usage in school context (impact on teaching) and literature-based scientific evidence (60% of final grade).
Brightspace
During this course Brightspace will be used.
Reading list
Study material will consist of recent book chapters as well as primary research articles from leading journals in education, psychology, and cognitive science.
Registration
Course
Students need to register for lectures in uSis. It is not possible to take a course without a valid registration.
Exam
The exam of this course is a written report. Hence, you do not have to register for an exam in uSis.
Contact information
Contact and questions: [dr. Arnout Koornneef]https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/medewerkers/arnout-koornneef#tab-1).