Mid-week questions and issues

After the first days of working on new concepts and a new problem, each student should submit topics they want to learn more about. These could be interesting topics or difficult topics, within or outside the core of the course. This feedback is then used to plan the next session and to organize a lecture-on-demand.

Debriefing

At the end of each problem, studies and results will be reported and discussed before the case is closed. The forms may vary from problem to problem, but they always include a brief group report. In addition, the work may be presented with slides, as a poster or as a demo, between groups or to the whole class. This may include peer evaluation.

Small test are organized so students can evaluate how they are reaching learning objectives of the course, and also as a way of learning missing pieces. These tests are not graded.

Group report

Group work for the problems may be reported and presented in various forms (presentations, posters, etc) during the course, depending on the problem. For every problem, each group also submits a brief written report in Moodle. Where appropriate, the group report should cover aspects such as:

0. Identification of group and problem

1. Substance

• How did you approach the problem?
• What kind of choices did you make and why?
• What kind of results did you get? What did you learn from them?
• What kind of difficulties did you face?
• In hindsight, propose improvements to solving the problem.

Remember that many of the problems are open and no perfect or right solutions exist, so do not try to find one. Instead, try to understand and describe what the methods you consider can do and what not. Propose ideas that could perhaps be helpful in solving the remaining issues.

2. Group learning:

• What did you set as your learning objectives for this problem?
• How did you study and learn as a group?
• How did you divide and organize work in the group?

3. Group self evaluation:

• Did the group work well together? Why?
• Did all group members contribute at least satisfactorily?
• How will you improve the way your group works?

4. Evaluation of the problem and teaching:

• Was the problem too large or too small? Was it too difficult or too easy? Too specific or too vague?
• Did you have, as a group, suitable background to work on the problem?
• How could the problem description be improved (for the next course of later problems in this course)?
• How could teaching be improved?

5. Other comments, ideas, observations, feedback?

Personal learning journal

Personal learning journals are submitted when instructed. The journal is submitted as a file in Moodle.

In your journal, briefly report on issues such as:

• What were your personal learning objectives and how did you set them?
• How and what did you study? List the material you used.
• What did you learn and how does that compare to the objectives you had?
• Describe your personal experience, e.g., what was exciting, surprising, or boring to you, how do the things your learned here relate to what you knew before, what kind of questions and ideas your learning raised.
• Which study techniques worked best? What could you do differently next time to improve your learning?

Avoid repeating course material, focus on your personal learning experience and the insight you gained.

For more advice on how to keep a learning journal see, e.g., http://www.audiencedialogue.net/journal.html .