Course Overview
Designed to empower educators, this course delves into a spectrum of cutting-edge student-centered methodologies, seamlessly integrated with Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and Educational Technologies (EdTech). Participants will navigate through pedagogically sound applications of educational technologies, unlocking the potential of implementing innovative teaching methods such as Design Thinking, Challenge-Based Learning, Educational Escape Rooms, Hackathons, and more.
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, students will acquire a multifaceted set of knowledge, skills, and competences poised to transform their approach to education. Having developed a deep understanding of pedagogically sound applications of ICTs and EdTech, students will be able to integrate them into their teaching practices. Moreover, they will be able to implement innovative teaching methodologies such as Design Thinking, Challenge-Based Learning, Educational Escape Rooms, Hackathons, etc., thus enabling dynamic and student-centered classrooms.
Beyond knowledge and skills, students will cultivate competences critical for 21st-century educators. An innovation mindset will drive the seamless integration of technology into education, embracing new methodologies and approaches. Competence in global collaboration (e.g. through telecollaboration, social networks, Hackathons, etc.) will foster a sense of interconnectedness through various digital means. Adaptability will be ingrained, preparing educators to embrace emerging tools and methodologies in the rapidly evolving educational technology landscape. An ethical approach to technology (esp. AI-based) use will ensure privacy, security, and inclusivity in digital learning environments. Lastly, a commitment to continuous learning will inspire educators to stay informed and responsive to evolving educational needs. This holistic approach ensures that students are not only well-equipped but also empowered to create learning experiences in student-centered, Technology-enhanced learning environments that inspire learners’ engagement and foster lifelong learning.
Course Content
The course will cover the following topics:
• Pedagogically Sound Application of Educational Technologies
• Innovative Teaching and Active Learning Methods: Design Thinking, Challenge-Based Learning, Educational Escape Rooms, Hackathons, etc.
• Flexible learning pathways and micro0credentials
• Virtual Learning Environments, MOOCs, and Learning Analytics
• Distance learning
• Open Educational Resources
• Educational Communities of Practice
• Gamification and E-sports in education
• Educational Escape Rooms
• Telecollaboration and Chatbots in education
• Corpora- and Social networks-based learning
• Artificial Intelligence in education
• Extended reality (VR/AR) in education
• Drones and Robotics in education
Instructional Method
The course includes a combination of theoretical classes (lectures) and hands-on practice seminars, all of which are designed to be as student-centered as possible. During the theoretical classes, students are introduced to the basics of the theory related to the topic, they are also invited to discussions and carry out small individual or group assignments. The hands-on seminars are designed in a way that students get to apply their theoretical knowledge in practice. More precisely, during these seminars, students will be working on developing their practical skills and developing their projects. The first one, will be to prepare a short workshop to be delivered in the hybrid mode, where students will have to showcase their understanding and practical implementation of
active learning methods, supported by the most suitable ICTs and/or EdTech (depending on the size of the group, the assignment can be individual or based on team work). The second assignment will be to prepare a digital educational escape room (depending on the size of the group, the assignment can be individual or based on team work), which will reveal the students’ understanding of learning pathways, learning personalization, and the 4Cs of the 21st century (i.e. Creativity, Critical Thinking, Collaboration, and Communication).
Required Course Materials
For every class, students will be asked to come prepared, having read the provided reading materials, which consist of scientific publications, chapters from books or other publications on methods and innovation in Education, etc. If the course is accepted to be given at the summer school, the lecturer will explore what publications are accessible in the local infrastructure (e.g. library, data bases, etc.) and will integrate them into the course either as course materials or as recommended additional sources.
In the course, students will be getting hands-on practice of using various open-source as well as commercial products of ICTs and EdTech. To be able to use some of them, students will have to register on the platform(s), for which they can create a special e-mail address not to have more traffic in their regular e-mail boxes, albeit many of the ICTs and EdTech we would try do not require any registration at all.
If possible, it would be useful to get access to Moodle so that students could try to create innovative tasks. However, if that is not an option, I can get access to Moodle of Kaunas University of Technology, and students would be able to practice there.
Assessment
The course aims at providing the participants with feedback on learning and for learning. The former focuses on learners’ progress, whereas the latter encourages the learner to make improvements based on the feedback received and improve their learning process, outputs, learning gains, etc. Students will receive multimodal feedback on their progress and assignments.
In the course, as they go through various topics and hands-on activities, students will be developing two projects: (i) a short workshop to be delivered in the hybrid mode, and (ii) a digital educational escape room. The final assessment will be based on the accumulation of the grades given for the outcome of the two projects.