Authors:
Marta Arias
;
Carles Creus
;
Adrià Gascón
and
Guillem Godoy
Affiliation:
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Spain
Keyword(s):
Self-learning, e-Learning, Videos, Teaching, Theory.
Related
Ontology
Subjects/Areas/Topics:
Computer-Supported Education
;
Distance and e-Learning in a Global Context
;
e-Learning
;
e-Learning in Electrical, Mechanical, Civil and Information Engineering
;
e-Learning Success Cases
;
Information Technologies Supporting Learning
;
Learning/Teaching Methodologies and Assessment
;
Pedagogy Enhancement with e-Learning
;
Social Context and Learning Environments
;
Web-Based Learning, Wikis and Blogs
Abstract:
In this paper we describe a teaching experience applied to a theoretical course thought in a computer science degree. The main feature of our experiment is the introduction of videos specifically designed for self-learning as part of the learning process. Master classes are replaced by working sessions in which the involvement of students gains prominence. The teacher explains almost nothing in class. Instead, most of the time is devoted to the presentation of solutions to exercises assigned to students in advance. All presentations are done by students, and the teacher only intervenes in order to complete explanations and correct mistakes.
The result of our experiment is promising from several perspectives. The exam results are better with the new approach. The students learn to learn on their own and take better advantage of the time in class. The work load is uniformly distributed along the course. The new approach also benefits the teacher since he/she spends considerably less ti
me preparing theory lectures, and gets continuous feedback to better follow the students developement.
The videos are valuable in themselves and have been made publicly available. In fact, our students prefer them to a master class. They can pause, rewind and replay the video, take a rest, and postpone the lecture if necessary. Moreover, the interest for these videos goes beyond our university boundaries: according to the visits’ place of origin and posted comments, they are being used by students from other countries.
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