ERIC Number: EJ1136705
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009-Jul
Pages: 21
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1931-4744
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Developing Useful and Transferable Skills: Course Design to Prepare Students for a Life of Learning
Justice, Christopher; Rice, James; Warry, Wayne
International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, v3 n2 Article 9 Jul 2009
This article examines evidence of academic skill development and transfer related to the taking of a first year Inquiry-based seminar course designed to enhance a range of self-directed learning skills and their transferability to other learning contexts. The study compares a sample of academic work from two groups of Social Sciences students, one comprised of students who had taken the Inquiry course and the other who had not. The student work consists of (1) papers submitted by participants who were asked for the best paper they had written at university; and (2) descriptive narratives provided by participants of the steps they took in researching and writing that paper. Qualitative and quantitative analysis by multiple raters using a blinded protocol was conducted. The results show both meaningfully higher paper and skill assessments for students who had taken the inquiry seminar and evidence of transfer of skills and strategy to other learning contexts, supporting the hypothesis that transfer of core skills occurs under particular learning conditions that can be fostered through course design and enhanced through specific pedagogical objectives.
Descriptors: Skill Development, Transfer of Training, Active Learning, Inquiry, College Freshmen, First Year Seminars, Curriculum Design, Social Sciences, Comparative Analysis, Research Skills, Writing Skills, Writing (Composition), Basic Skills, Academic Ability, Effect Size, Scores, Research Universities, Foreign Countries
Centers for Teaching & Technology at Georgia Southern University. IJ-SoTL, Georgia Southern University, Henderson Library 1301, Statesboro, GA 30460. e-mail: sotlij@georgiasouthern.edu; Web site: http://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/ij-sotl/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A