Grading students' programming and soft skills with open badges: A case study

Well-developed programming (technical) skills are very important for software engineers, information systems engineers and programmers in general. However, they must also possess relevant personal skills (soft skills) to be successful at the workplace (eg, collaboration, solving real-world problems and communication). The latter, however, are rarely assessed and acknowledged in regular software engineering courses. This paper describes the results of a small case study involving an extracurricular Java programming course in which, in addition to knowledge and skills in relevant technologies, students' soft skills were also assessed. As part of the assessment, students have been awarded Open Badges. The study was exploratory in nature, aimed at examining Open Badges as a motivational mechanism, students' engagement in attaining soft skills and students' perception of soft skills and Open Badges. The results suggest that Open Badges may not be so effective in motivating students to complete the assignments nor attend the course, although students' perception of Open Badges is generally positive. Soft skills were generally perceived as important as hard skills. Students' engagement in attaining soft skills could be affected by assignment announcement time and its level of difficulty.     

Are badges useful in education?: it depends upon the type of badge and expertise of learner

Educational Badges are touted as an alternative assessment that can increase learner motivation. We considered two distinct models for educational badges; merit badges and videogame achievements. To begin unpacking the relationship between badges and motivation, we conducted a study using badges within an intelligent-tutor system for teaching applied mathematics to middle-school students. Our findings indicate that badge earning could be driven by learner motivations and that systems with badges could have a positive effect on critical learner motivations. However, badge acquisition patterns were different across learners with different levels of prior knowledge. Different badge types also affected different learners motivation. Additionally, we believe that our findings are compatible with the research finding that extrinsic motivators have a negative influence on learning. The implication for educational badge designers is that they must consider the ability and motivations of learners when choosing what badges to include in their curricula. We believe our findings exist as one piece of the large research base needed to understand educational badges.     

基于课程地图的开放大学专业建设——以信用管理专业为例

课程地图具有系统性、岗位导向性、模块化、路径化等特点,应用于远程教育有助于学生明确职业发展方向,从而进行有针对性的学习。开放大学信用管理专业建设可采用“以岗位定位为导向,以能力培养为核心,以课程模块为基础,以课程地图为指引”的设计思想,突出远程教育特色,针对具体岗位培养应用型人才。     

学分制下高职数学选课系统的设计与应用

学分制是高职院校改革发展的必然趋势,文章通过对学分制下高职院校数学选课系统模式的确定,设计了高职院校数学网上选课系统,该系统能够让学生准确快速地完成网上选课任务,并能给教师及教务管理者提供极大的帮助。     

广东开放大学教务管理系统设计探析

为适应广东开放大学正常办学需要,需结合其办学特点研究设计一套教务管理系统。该系统基于B／S模式的网络Web系统并增加手机Web平台和短信平台,采用三级管理模式、六网站平台结构和七大教务管理模块,可实现从学生入学到毕业的教务信息管理。同时,建立“课程超市”、“学分银行”以及学习成果认证机制,设立健全的教务管理制度,注重业务人员培训,并提出了“注重服务、效率优先”的新教务管理理念,为后续的系统设计、开发和应用提供了重要参考。     

从国外网络课程评价标准看我国的远程教育

根据对国外网络课程评价标准的介绍,分析了当前网络课程评价的发展状况,并在此基础上审视了我国远程教育的现状与发展,运用比较的方法,以我国《东莞理工学院网络课程评价标准》为例,总结出我国远程教育的特点与不足,取长补短,为网络课程建设与远程教育改革提供借鉴。     

Are There Jewish Digital Badges?: A Study of Religious Middle- and High-School Girls’ Perception of an Emerging Educational Technology-Based Assessment

For Jewish education, digital badges can provide an alternative to traditional assessments. However, the emerging research on badges suggests a complex relationship between learning opportunities, the learner, and the design of the badge. An investigation of a digital badge system at an ultra-Orthodox Jewish middle and high school for girls reveals new findings on digital badges as well as how badges can be used in Jewish education. Qualitative analysis of student interviews details how badges can motivate, provide feedback, and serve as credentials in Jewish educational organizations. This research answers whether digital badges are Jewish.     

高职院校地质找矿专业核心职业能力培养探讨——以“矿区原始地质编录”课程开发为例

为提高地质找矿专业毕业生的职业能力,近年来,我们在课程建设与改革方面作了一些探索,取得了较好的效果.本文以“矿区原始地质编录”课程的开发为例,从课程开发背景、课程主要内容、课程教学设计和课程考核体系等方面对学生职业能力培养进行探讨.     

完全学分制下学生选课规则的设计与优化

根据红河学院学分制改革的成功经验,结合教务管理的多年感受,从选课规则的设计与优化的视角,提出了解决完全学分制下学生选课“难题”的新思路.在全面分析组织学生选课的重点和难点问题的基础上,提出了设计与优化学生选课规则的基本原则,最后结合一个典型的成功案例,对学生选课规则的设计与优化进行了详细介绍.     

MVU优质在线课程标准及其评价体系探析

在线网络课程的评价成为制约在线教育发展的瓶颈,也影响着在线课程的设计与开发,本文详细分析美国密歇根虚拟大学(MVU)开发的优质在线课程标准及其评价体系,并对其量化的评价路径做出分析。结合国内网络课程设计与评价实践,分析其适用性与可行性,为国内网络教育发展及网络课程开发提供参照。     

The tutor/facilitator role in student retention

Open and distance learning provide particular (and sometimes overlapping) contexts for discussions of student retention. This paper argues that the environment for learning created by distance learning tutors is a key factor in student retention, whether retention is taken to refer to student completion of a single course or student persistence through a programme of study. Discussion of tutors' roles in retaining students is stimulated by the recent symposium on student retention and draws on a new analysis of three linked empirical inquiries located within the UK Open University. A fruitful integration of questionnaire surveys, project evaluation and practitioner action inquiries suggest that, where questions of retention focus on the student and their learning experience, tutors' facilitative roles are complex and valuable. Institutional policies and course design practices need to support tutors in their retention roles by using and sharing appropriate pedagogies, systems, student information and integrated professional development opportunities.     

基于学分制的职业院校教学管理系统研究

针对职业院校教学管理特点和实际需求,提出了基于学分制的职业院校教学管理系统的体系结构并设计了功能结构,分析了系统的数据库设计方法、安全设计策略以及功能设计的原理,给出了选课管理、教学评价、分班及排课管理等关键模块的设计和实现方法。系统基于Apple MAC服务器、MAC系统及Sybase数据库等软硬件平台,使用PowerBuilder10.5开发工具,采用面向对象技术开发。该软件功能完善、结构合理、界面友好、易于操作、运行稳定。     

面向终身学习需求的工科远程课程体系设计研究

面向终身教育的课程体系是通向学习型社会的路径和基石。课程体系设计包括:课程选择、课程组织、学习路径规划。文章基于灵活性、开放性和衔接性的设计原则,结合国家开放大学的工学科机械类专业建设,研究学科、专业和课程之间的关系,设计模块化、多入口、多出口、多层次、多通道的工科远程课程体系和学习路径,并形成与之配套的证书规则和选课规则,适应工程技术人才多样化的学习需求,为构建国家终身学习体系提供有益经验。     

基于MOSS的成教网络课程平台设计与实现

作为网络课程的载体,网络课程平台的优劣,直接影响着网络教学的效果。介绍了成教网络课程平台的设计与实现,并对其所用到的MOSS技术展开了有针对性的分析。     

基于工作过程的《自动化生产线的安装与调试》课程开发

《自动化生产线的安装与调试》是电气自动化技术专业的职业技能课程之一,包括传感器技术、电气控制技术、气动控制技术、PLC编程技术等多种专业知识技能。为了实现学校专业技能人才的无缝对接,拟通过相应的岗位(群)分析、工作任务、行动领域(典型工作任务)、学习领域(课程开发)、学习情境设计、教学组织设计,形成相对完善的课程标准体系,从而进行基于工作过程的课程开发。     

Developing a postgraduate work-based curriculum using an Intervention Mapping Approach

Advanced practitioner skill development has become an important focus in health service delivery as increasingly complex consumer needs, practice environments and national professional registration requirements impact on professional work practices. Increasingly, work-based or workplace learning experiences are being seen as an effective means for maintaining skill currency across working lives. Currently there is limited literature on pedagogical practices to support the educational and training requirements associated with development across a person's working life. This paper reports on an example of how an intervention mapping framework was used to guide the development, implementation and evaluation of a work-based praxis course for students in an interprofessional, online postgraduate mental health programme. The intervention mapping framework provided a stepped process to guide decision-making and allowed the incorporation of theory and evidence into the course design. This approach provided a stepped process to guide decision-making and allowed the incorporation of theory and evidence into the course design. While the use of the intervention mapping framework is often used within health promotion arenas, particularly for the effective design of health promotion educational programmes, it is argued that this framework can be utilised effectively when developing curriculum for use within higher education programmes.     

高职房地产经营与估价专业课程体系研究

房地产经营与估价是理论性和实践性并重的课程,如何使课程教学真正达到培养学生专业技能的目的,课程体系设计必须结合房地产经营与估价专业人才培养的目标,进行宽基础、多能力的理论课程体系设计、实践技能训练体系设计。本文围绕高职房地产经营与估价专业人才培养模式中的课程设置、实践教学以及实训实习基地建设等问题进行了探讨。     

澳大利亚TAFE学分制课程特点探析

实行弹性学分制改革是我国高职教育教学改革的重点内容,而其中课程改革是核心.澳大利亚TAFE学院学分制课程开发系统化、内容职业化、设计模块化、衔接科学化、评估多元化的特点,保证了学分制课程的顺利实施,其学分制课程满足学生个性化发展及社会对人才需求的特点对我国高职课程改革具有借鉴意义.     

电子徽章规范：MozillaOpenBadgs解读

电子徽章是近两年伴随开放资源运动、大规模在线开放课程等新型学习资源和学习模式出现的一种新型学习评估认证方式,具有高度的灵活性,可满足各类学习方式的需要,有助于弥补传统评价方式的不足。但是在电子徽章应用的初期,各种组织都在开发和应用自己的徽章体系,由此造成了徽章种类繁多、形状不确定以及采用标准不统一等问题,使得电子徽章的可信度和可用度降低,推广和应用变得困难。为解决这些问题,美国开源软件组织Mozilla基金会启动了OpenBadge项目．以提供一个规范化的电子徽章创建、发布和认证技术架构（OBI）。OBI架构分为徽章获得者、发布人、展示者三类角色,主要包括元数据规范、APIs、认证框架和徽章背包等模块。利用OBI,任何学习者都可以从多个来源收集徽章,并统一保存和管理;徽章发行者和展示者也可以通过标准化的API、元数据规范以及统一的身份认证机制,制作和展示徽章。虽然OBI的开放标准取得了电子徽章方面很大的市场份额,但是在可信度、可靠性v＇A及可验证性等方面还需要继续完善。未来的OBI将会在徽章展示、权限、接1：2等方面进行优化,使其更贴近实际应用。     

面包板电子制作实训课程教学设计

面包板电子制作实训课程是培养学生掌握电子制作操作技能的基本课程,该课程的开设有利于提高学生的动手能力及分析解决问题能力。文章在日常教学经验积累的基础上,从总体课程设计、具体教学设计方案和课程考核标准三个方面阐述了对于该课程的教学设计,并在文章最后做出总结并提出改进方向。