If the aim of developing public policies is to solve social issues, it is worth asking whether the higher education programs for future public servants are being adapted to the demands of our societies. If we also recognize a relationship between education and political capacity, then it is pertinent to study the development of knowledge, skills,…

This study investigated the role of academic collaborations in enhancing critical thinking skills among graduate students, drawing on Critical Theory. A qualitative research approach was utilized, incorporating an exploratory case study design to investigate the effects of collaborative academic practices on the development of critical thinking.…

This paper aims to study ways of contributing to the development of Calculus through a Project-Based Learning (PBL) approach, which involves students in their first semester of the Integrated Master's program in Industrial Engineering and Management (IEM) at the University of Minho. The study presents the analysis of forty-two interdisciplinary…

This article presents the main findings of an applied research project, which studied student experiences of the challenges and opportunities of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) in two master programmes (MPs) at Aalborg University (AAU) characterised by diverse student groups, who bring different educational backgrounds, skills and experiences to the…

Pre-service teachers typically find it challenging to implement cooperative learning authentically in schools given the complexities of classroom environments. Curriculum integration also is demanding because it requires combining research-informed pedagogies and best practices to promote academic and social learning. This article describes how…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how assessment design was used to enhance students' critical thinking in a subject concerned with business enterprise systems. The study shows positive results and favorable perceptions of the merit of the approach. Design/Methodology/Approach: A case study approach was used to examine how the…

Administrative Consultation Wiki (ACW) is a project run under the auspices of the Faculty of Administration and the Ministry of Public Administration in Slovenia since 2009. A crucial component thereof is the involvement of students of Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree programs to offer them an opportunity to develop competences in…

Promoting and sustaining effective discussion--that which contributes to learning--is a skill that eludes many instructors (Darling-Hammond, 2008; Ge, Yamashiro, & Lee, 2000). This study explored the role and strategies of an expert instructor in an online advanced instructional design (ID) course that utilized a case-based learning (CBL)…

Focus groups were convened in 2005 and 2013 as the first step in successive MPA curriculum review and revision processes. Although the criteria for selecting participants and the questions posed to the groups were similar, the focus groups generated dramatically different perspectives regarding the challenges confronting administrators. An…

In this article, we report the findings from a study exploring the effects of a problem-based learning (PBL) approach to teaching and learning on learning outcomes for master's of social work (MSW) students. Students who participated in a PBL pilot project were compared with students who did not participate in 5 outcome areas: social work…

This practicum report describes the development and implementation of a course focused on development of problem-solving skills within a master's program in occupational therapy in pediatrics. The 12-week course was designed to teach students the use of appropriate occupational therapy intervention strategies through the use of case studies and…