Encouraging Deep Learning Using Student Reflections: A Case Study

• An important aspect in any learning situation is the approach that students to learning. Studies in the 1980's by Prosser, Marton and Säljö as well as Moon and others have built an increasingly convincing case for the existance several different approaches. From this body of literature has emerged three classifications of learning approach adopted by students, deep, surface and achieving. These approaches are not mutually exclusive, and a single student may use any or all of them in combination. A connection has been demonstrated between use of the deep learning and deeper understanding of the material being learned.Encouraging deep learning behaviour, however, is a much more complex issue, since choice of learning approach seems to be dependent on the manner in which the student experiences the learning environment. This paper reports on the use of reflections as a part of the educational design of two computing courses. The results describe student's perceptions regarding reflections using analysis of the reflections themselves. Student's perceptions of the utility of reflections as a learning tool are also explored using data collected from interviews with the students in one of the study cohorts.

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Data- och informationsvetenskap -- Datavetenskap (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Computer and Information Sciences -- Computer Sciences (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Computing Education

reflection

deep learning

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

kon (subject category)