A detailed study of learning and teaching (L&T) of chemical engineering distillation to a mixed-ability small class of 13 students who are ordinarily full-time in-house employees in industry is reported. The course consisted of 9 × 2-h lectures (18 hours) and 9 × 2-h tutorials (18 hours). It was delivered over nine business days "in…

As English-medium instruction (EMI) spreads around the world, university teachers and students who are non-native speakers of English (NNS) need to put much effort into the delivery or reception of content. Construction of scientific meaning in the process of learning is already complex when instruction is delivered in the first language of the…

First-year engineering students often complain about their mathematics courses as the significance of the difficult and abstract calculus to their field of study remains unclear. We report on the project "MathePraxis", a feasibility study which was designed as a means to give first-year students some impression about the use of…

There is a growing literature on the educational benefits of using podcasting of lectures in higher education, but to date little research that interrogates closely its impact on student learning. The present study investigated how students used lecture podcasts produced in two engineering courses at a South African university. The findings…

In order to address the challenges and restrictions given by a traditional classroom lecture environment, the top-down and bottom-up nanotechnology teaching modules were developed, implemented and evaluated. Then based on the hypothesis that instructors could further develop students' interest in this emerging area through the introduction of the…

Discusses an alternative approach to lecturing, the interactive lecture. Examines the effects of interactive teaching in lectures using an interactive voting system and peer instruction on the attainment of learning objectives, student motivation, and student perception of the instruction offered. (Contains 20 references.) (Author/YDS)

Describes the use of three questionnaires in assessing how students learn. Results of the study process questionnaire, the course experience questionnaire, and the learning style inventory indicate that lecturers need to change their teaching paradigm to one where the lecturer is closely involved in the learning context. (DDR)

Defines student-centered, open learning, and distance learning. Describes the benefits of interactive, multimedia-based open learning to the learners, lecturers, tutors, sponsors, and the educational or training institution. Lists the main features of this approach and provides details about the structured system design approach to interactive…

Several years of experience in training lecturers for developing and tutoring project-based learning (PBL) courses have resulted in a 'practise as you preach' based and flexible training programme. This programme was successfully incorporated in the teacher training programmes of the University of Twente and other universities and polytechnics in…