This module will serve as one of the key approaches to enhancing students’ university learning experiences with the aim of cultivating lifelong learners, facilitating their smooth transition to XJTLU through the development of self-regulated and research-led learning skills, and enriching their understanding of different disciplines/professions with perspectives of global citizenship. To achieve the aim, students in this module will work in groups on a real-world oriented and discipline-related project chosen by themselves to their interest, which will contribute to their studies and overall growth in the following ways. Aims of the Module This module will serve as one of the key approaches to enhancing students’ university learning experiences with the aim of cultivating lifelong learners, facilitating their smooth transition to XJTLU through the development of self-regulated and research-led learning skills, and enriching their understanding of different disciplines/professions with perspectives of global citizenship. To achieve the aim, students in this module will work in groups on a real-world oriented and discipline-related project chosen by themselves to their interest, which will contribute to their studies and overall growth in the following ways. First, through the learning of this module, students will explore the real-world issues under a variety of themes such as climate change, public health, environmental protection, artificial intelligence, sustainable design and so on, which can be linked with almost all the UG programmes offered at XJTLU, ranging from Environmental Science and Urban Planning to Applied Mathematics and International Relations. In this way, students will not only explore their real motivation by means of learning about the potential ways that their professional/disciplinary studies can be linked to the real world, but also acquire knowledge about the chosen fields via self-directed learning. Moreover, when conducting the project, students will be guided to develop research-led learning skills they will need both in their major studies and future lifelong learning. With tasks and milestones set at different stages of the PBL, students will learn and practice skills for teamwork, data collection, report presentation step by step as well as develop mindsets for critical thinking gradually. Besides, the module will guide each individual student to develop self-regulated learning skills when they need to continuously reflecting on their learning modes and experiences. During the process, they may realize the differences between studying in their high schools and at XJTLU, identify the areas that they may need to further improve, the sources that they can access, etc.. With the learning modes and skills developed or improved in Year 1, students will be better prepared for their major studies in Year 2 and beyond. Finally, when studying on the topic to their interest, students will be encouraged to incorporate perspectives of global citizenship such as SDGs, digital literacy, social entrepreneurship, and intercultural awareness. This will not only enrich their understanding of the chosen fields and topics with the awareness of connections between human societies and between human and nature, but also enlighten them to seek for possibilities of contributing to the well-being of the world with the professional knowledge and skills to be developed in university studies. Fit of the Module Based on the existing degree programme structure and as suggested by EQA, the module will merge into the current system as follows: 1. All XJTLU Year 1 students will be required to take this module, as it is essential for them to develop the necessary skills for studying at XJTLU and developing lifelong learning capacity; 2. The module is year-long and will bear 5 credits, which are additional to the 180 credits of degree programmes; 3. The 5 credits will be recorded as part of students’ academic performance and displayed on their transcripts; 4. Students’ performance in the module will not affect their progression but will be counted when they apply for student honors and awards, etc. by LIFE and other units of XJLTU;
A Demonstrate comprehensive and systematic appreciation of a real-world oriented and discipline-related issue or problem under selected themes to their interest, including the rationales, the status, and the possible solutions; B Demonstrate awareness of global citizenship by incorporating perspectives such as sustainable development, social entrepreneurship, and digital literacy into the solutions to the real-world issues or problems; C Apply research-led learning skills such as group work, data collection and analysis, presentation of findings and solutions, etc.; D Reflect on the acquisition of learning skills and the transformation of learning styles to develop self-regulated learning modes;
In this module, students will work in groups and start with real-world oriented topic under the themes selected by themselves based on their interest. Afterwards, they will conduct the project using research-led learning skills, including identifying the problem or issue for the project, searching for background information for the identified problem/issue, collecting and analyzing data, proposing solutions, producing products (e.g. videos, papers, posters, blogs or posts on social media, or even the creation of something that has got applicable function), and presenting the project. In this process, this module will also enhance students to develop self-regulated learning modes through constant self-monitoring, self-reflection, and self-planning in a formative manner. In alignment with the principles of PBL, the module will consist of a few stages during which tasks and formative milestones will be customized for the students to accomplish as groups collaboratively. Moreover, in each stage, online sources for asynchronous learning and onsite supervision will be provided to support students. Students will also be required to create an individual e-portfolio to record their progress, achievements, reflections, etc. Learning Stages of the Module Stage 1 (Week 1-6 Semester 1): Ice-breaking & Project topic confirmation Students will select topics according to their interest in different themes and based on the introduction to different themes. The selection will be done via an online platform which can also put students into groups automatically. Ice-breaking activities will be organized for students to get to know each other and a group coordinator will be elected in each group. Formative Milestones: Interest-driven topic selection; grouping Stage 2 (Week 7-11 Semester 1): Problem/Issue confirmation & Learning plan development Problem-finding skills will be introduced to the students and students will work collaboratively to identify a problem/issue within the themes/topics they have selected for their PBL. Students will also develop an initial plan for their PBL, which includes the product they are going to produce, and start exploring the real-world context and information. Templates and principles for developing learning plans will be introduced to students. Formative Milestones: Problem/issue identified; initial learning plan drafted Stage 3 (Week 12 Semester 1 – Week 1 Semester 2): Learning plan improvement & Source/data collection Students will further improve their learning plan based on their initial exploration and start collecting sources or data or for their project. Methods for data collection, such as questionnaire survey tools, interview skills, etc. will be introduced to the students. Formative Milestones: Learning plan finalized; data/source collection completed Stage 4 (Week 2-5 Semester 2): Data analysis & Product producing based on findings After the data collection, students will work together to analyse the data and generate findings as well as propose solutions for the PBL. They will also start producing the products (e.g. videos, papers, posters, blogs or posts on social media, or even the creation of something that has got applicable function); Stage 5 (Week 6-9 Semester 2): Project completion & Presentation preparation Students will complete their products and prepare for a presentation about the whole learning process and the product. Presentation skills will be introduced to the students. Stage 6 (Week 10-13 Semester 2): Onsite Group Presentation Onsite group presentation will be organized and each group will receive feedback from both peer reviews and teachers. Forms of Learning Three forms of learning will be organized and supported throughout the six stages of PBL: 1. Group work In this module, students will spend much time working in groups to conduct the PBL, following the guidance and tasks embedded in the six stages. An online platform will be developed for students to record and report their group work status, such as meeting time and frequency, work allocation and accomplishment, etc. The platform will also allow teachers to monitor students’ group work and offer feedback or intervene on a timely manner. 2. Advising (Tutorials) Each group will be assigned an academic staff of LIFE as the project advisor. The advisor will have onsite meetings with the groups during the tutorials and offer guidance regarding their progress and achievements at different stages of the PBL. 3. Asynchronous online learning. A variety of sources, including recorded lectures, reading materials, interactive learning activities, will be offered to students online; students will use the sources to learn the relevant skills ranging from problem identification and data collection to presentation and critical thinking. 4. Individual e-portfolio creating Students will be guided to create an e-portfolio to record their individual’s experience of learning on this module and in Year 1. On a monthly basis, students are required to record their status, plans, thoughts and reflections on the e-portfolio in forms ranging from simply filling some self-survey questionnaires to discussion with peers and advisors regarding their learning difficulties or achievements. At the end of the module, students will put all the records together to generate their individual portfolio. Assessments There will be two assessments in this module and both include several formative components. Assessment 1: Group Presentation In this assessment, students will be required to present their PBL by the end of the project. However, the presentation is not a single assessment; instead, the presentation will be built upon the following formative components at different stages of the module: • A document stating the problem/issue identified for the project selected by the group with explanation on the rationale, concerns, and process of decision-making (by the end of Stage 2); • A draft learning plan for the PBL, with the comments of all the group members (by the end of Stage 3) • A self-check list for the preparation of the presentation • A peer-review form These components will not be marked but feedback will be provided for students to keep improving their PBL. The presentation will be marked using standardized marking descriptors. Assessment 2: Individual Portfolio This is also a formative assessment. Students will be guided to record their status, thoughts, or reflections at different stages of the learning process. This will be done via actions for students to take, such as responding to surveys, holding meetings, writing a journal etc. At the end of the year, an e-portfolio will be generated from all the records that students have made. The e-portfolio will be marked