Active learning is the outcome of a series of higher education policy reforms conducted in the late 2000s and early 2010s in Japan. This approach gained momentum after it was prioritised in a comprehensive report produced by the Central Council of Education (an advisory board of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology).…

The aim of this paper is to critique the individualistic ontological premises of 'self-directed learning', as it has been developed in humanist education literature in the tradition of Carl Rogers. The authors suggest instead that social-transformative education and its critical social ontology serve the emancipatory promise of education better…

This study explores engineering students' enactment of collective agency and perceptions of professional identity. Empirical data were drawn from observation and group interviews with 30 engineering students in a civil engineering course using a problem and project-based learning (PBL) approach. Using the technique of quantifying qualitative data,…

This study aimed to analyze articles published in the Web of Science database from 2012 to 2021 to examine the educational goals and instructional designs for STEM education. We selected articles based on the following criteria: (a) empirical research; (b) incorporating instructional design and strategies into STEM teaching; (c) including…

Despite an emerging emphasis on the role of engineers in achieving the SDGs, there is still a lack of agreement on which competencies should be prioritised to prepare them to tackle future sustainability challenges. By formulating a theoretical framework of key sustainable competencies based on prior studies, this study investigated engineering…

This paper will present the argument that while Problem Based Learning (PBL) (or its variant Project Based Learning, PjBL) provides significant benefits and advantages to student learning in of itself, the full benefit of PBL is only completely realised as part of an "integrated" curriculum that provides a variety of learning…

The contents taught in the programming subjects have a great relevance in the formation of computing students. However, these subjects are characterized by high failure rates, as they require logical reasoning and mathematical knowledge. Thus, establishing knowledge through the subject of algorithms can help students to overcome these difficulties…

In some European countries inquiry-based learning (IBL) has become popular in primary and secondary mathematics education, especially for scienceconnected content. On the other hand, problem-based learning (PBL) and project-based learning (PjBL) have a longer history in mathematics, science, technology, engineering (STEM) and in some other fields…

Recommendations for enhancing scientific literacy, inclusivity, and the ecosystem for innovation call for transitioning from teacher-centered to learner-centered science classrooms, particularly at the introductory undergraduate level. Yet little is documented about the challenges that undergraduates perceive in such classrooms and the students'…

Organizing a coherent PBL semester where courses and project work are integrated and supporting the development of both disciplinary and generic competences is difficult. In this study we investigate how integration can be supported by different IT initiatives. Applying a practice theoretical approach, inspired by Stephen Kemmis, this article…

Active learning forms a common teaching method within information literacy instruction. Commitment to participatory models of teaching and learning requires critical vigilance, however, particularly given changing information environments and broader educational priorities. This theoretical paper interrogates active learning and its prevalence…

This systematic literature review explored the importance of professional development (PD) for educators working with gifted students. Findings highlighted the need for PD to improve teacher knowledge, skills, efficacy, and student outcomes, especially considering the heterogeneously grouped classrooms, unique student needs, and lack of…

Active learning is centered on students and encourages them to participate in various classroom activities, with the teacher as a facilitator. Students are expected to develop multiple 21st-century skills through an active learning process, including digital and scientific literacies. Numerous studies demonstrate that students lack digital and…

Design-based Research (DBR) focuses on real-world problems, emphasizes studying an educational intervention in its supposed context, uses a cyclical process of design, implementation, evaluation, and improvement, utilizes mixed research methods, stresses reciprocal relationships between theories and practice, and involves a close collaborative…

The educational benefits of challenge- or problem-based approaches to learning are now well established. Action Research (AR) and Action Learning (AL) together provide educators with an ethic, a research methodology and a pedagogical strategy for harnessing and developing the motive power of purposeful activity for reflective enquiry in teaching…