1) The document discusses empowering students through knowledge production by having them actively engage in learning activities like group work, role plays, mind maps and blogs instead of just passively receiving information. 2) When students actively participate in varied learning activities that mimic the type of assessment, it leads to deeper learning compared to traditional lectures. It also reduces assessment load and provides more feedback. 3) A case study details how incorporating structured in-class group activities and out of class blogs led students to feel more engaged, take ownership of their learning, and perform better on aligned assessments focusing on higher order skills.

1. Empowering student learning
through knowledge „production‟.
Dr. Barry Ryan.
College of Science, DIT.

2. Student Engagement

3. Active „Producing‟ Students
Students learning in
groups
Group Activities and Peer Learning
Generic Skill development
Reduced assessment load = ↑
Feedback
Student
Empowerment
Learning Styles
Ownership of
learning

4. Active „Producing‟ Students
Constructive Alignment:
“....constructs meaning through the learning
activities....”
“....turn declarative into functional knowledge....”

5. Active „Producing‟ Students
Constructive Alignment:
Active and varied forms of learning mimicking the
assessment.
Regular, timely and constructive feedback.

6. Case study
Module: TFQm3001 and TFME3003,
Pharmaceutical Quality and Legislation (3rd Yr)
Small class in small lecture room (Students: 12).
All students were assumed to have little prior knowledge.
One hour lecture, twice a week for a twelve week semester.
No supplementary tutorials were provided.

7. Case study, In Class.
Group activity = structured:
1. Activity
2. Group sizes
3. Time allowed
4. Outcomes
Harold Jarche; “Life in perpetual beta” blog.

8. Case study, In Class.
ACTIVE
LEARNING Didactic
Teaching
“Chat time” Role Play
Lecture
Notes
Mind Map Discussion

9. Case study, In Class.

10. Case study, In Class.
Role play activity example:
• Develop a role play for the following situation: You are a
Pharmaceutical Scientist working for EMEA. You have
been asked to give a short talk (5 mins) on the
development of pharmaceutical legislation and outline
the needs and future objectives of the legislation.
All members of the group will help with drafting the
role-play. One member will take the role of the
Pharmaceutical Scientist. The other members will take
the role of the audience members. The Pharmaceutical
Scientist must address at least one (pre-prepared!)
question from each of the audience members.
Groups: 3-4

11. Case study, Inside and Outside
Class.
Epistemic processes
Wondering
Connection

12. Case study, Inside and Outside
Class.
Epistemic processes
Conceptualistaton and Visualisation activity example:
Review the first five objectives for the 2010 EU
Pharmaceutical Legislation update.
1. Conceptualise and visualise the key points.
2. Convert the key points from each objective into a
simple image.
Groups: 3-4.
Time: 20 mins.
Note: Nominate one speaker from the group to describe the images to the
class.

13. Case Study: Outside Class
Epistemic processes
4 blogs/student/semester & 1 reflective
piece.
500 words/blog; anytime, anywhere,
Free choice; abstraction encouraged,
Feed-back and –forward.

14. Case Study: Terminal Exam
Aligned Assessment
• Questions focused on the higher order
skills:
– analysis,
– evaluation,
– creation.
• Aligned to the teaching methodology.
• Exam = choice of questions(3 hrs).
• Exam = 60% of overall grade.

15. Case Study: Terminal Exam
Aligned Assessment
Sample Question (focussing on imagination, creativity
etc):
You are employed as a R+D Scientist in medium sized
pharmaceutical company and you have been assigned
the job of discovering the company‟s new blockbuster
drug (the choice of drug is up to you). Outline your
decision making process as part of your initial
discovery. Evaluate the pros and cons at each decision
point.
Note: Typical time allocated in an exam situation: 45

16. Active „Producing‟ Students
Assessment is inescapable! Students are aware of this:
“What influenced students most was not the teaching
but the assessment” - Gibbs and Simpson (2004).
“What do I have to do to pass”,
or
“is this topic/concept on the exam”,
→ Subtle changes can result in positive outcomes.

17. Active „Producing‟ Students
Aligned in class tasks = activated and engaged the
student.
Change = passive consumers → purposeful producers.
Blogs were the talk
While in the groups, I could around the coffee table.
give my own opinion and We would discuss ideas
suggestions as well as for new blogs or share
learning other ideas from my
some ideas from the
fellow classmates which I
blogs in which we had
wouldn’t have thought about
learned while researching
myself
the topics for them.

18. Active „Producing‟ Students
Blogs = natural progression from the in-class activities.
A medium = students → creative and productive.
– Independent thinking
– Reflection, I found the blogs an interesting
– Connection, method of learning. The
research I carried out for each
– Construction, blog stayed in my head, making
the lectures more interesting
– “Deep” learning and understandable.
Blogging makes learning flat, not hierarchical
(Segesten, 2011)

19. Active „Producing‟ Students
Empowering Students.
– Outline reasons
– Learning styles,
I became aware of my learning
style...[as a visual learner and
– Relevance, using concepts maps]...I was
astonished as to how I was
– Alignment, capable of understanding, and
– Feedback. remembering, so much.
→ Ownership of learning.....
Sage on the Stage → Guide by the
side.

20. Active „Producing‟ Students.
“If I could offer you only one tip for
the future, sunscreen would be it”
--- Baz Luhrmann
“The long-term benefits of sunscreen have
been proven by scientists, whereas the rest
of my advice has no basis more reliable
than my own meandering experience!!”

21. Active „Producing‟ Students
Resistance:
– Group Work + Mark Allocation,
– Fear of Change,
– „Comfort Zone‟,
“The lecturer outlined how
there was going to be a lot of
group work throughout the
course; the whole class cringed
at that idea, including myself”

22. Active „Producing‟ Students.
=
 Group work is not the “Silver Bullet” for Class
engagement and participation.
– Part of an integrated approach!
• How to give “Group Work
Credit”?
• Logistical issues? Feedback, Classrooms etc.

23. Active „Producing‟ Students.
Essentials:
– Prior planning,
– Stimulating,
– Challenging,
– Support,
– Environment.
“I believe I have learned more through discussing
and evaluating questions and topics with my
classmates during group work than a „regular‟
lecture”.

24. Active „Producing‟ Students.
Acknowledgements:
–DT480/3 Class Group.
–Dr. Julie Dunne (Teaching Fellowship
Colleague).
–Learning, @CBS_Lecturer, Email: Barry.ryan@dit.ie
Twitter: Teaching and Technology