Post #2: Implications – Collaborative Learning and Micro-Learning

I would suggest that both Collaborative Learning and Micro-Learning are concepts that could easily fall into the curriculum of Construction Electrical education.

Firstly, the concept of collaboration is truly at the heart of a construction project. It takes many different professions and vocations to get a project off the ground in to a state of completion. Land developers, owners, and engineers begin the work on paper in the form of concepts, contracts, and drawings. From there, the trades are brought in to piece it all together. Civil workers level the land; framers work to construct the building; sub-trades such as electrical, plumbing, drywallers, and HVAC then arrive to fill it. If the concept of learning in a collaborative environment was to begin in the classroom with students, the transition to the aforementioned construction site environment could be relatively seamless. Also, within the idea of collaborative learning between students, I see many ways that the concept of micro-learning could be incorporated.

So how do I do it? Well, it will definitely require some planning. Currently, I am issued a general curriculum from which to teach, but I am able to put this forth to the students in whatever way I see fit. It is easy enough to simply review chapters and assign readings and self-tests each night, but is it effective? While quiz and exam grades would suggest that they are, in fact, learning the material, I would wonder if this method may debilitate long-term recall. Are they learning, or just regurgitating?

In pondering this idea of collaboration, I considered the option of more time in class spent working together, allowing students to discuss, ask questions of one another or their instructor, and then present their findings to the group. Perhaps I would need to devise some worksheets, break the 18 students into 6 groups of 3. Even in a ‘mature’ class of students, I would suggest that I predetermine the groups, ensuring that the quieter students or more advanced students didn’t all end up together. This might be an opportunity to give each group a slightly different topic within the same subject – say, one group looks at non-metallic sheathed cable, another armoured cable, and a third could take cab-tyre. Each group could be asked to list the main attributes of where this cable could be used, what its support measurements are, is it available in copper and/or aluminum, etc. This task could be completed in class with a little oversight from myself, or outside of class (considering the ‘flipped classroom’ concept) whereby students begin to learn on their own first and return to class with a slew of questions. If each group is given a chance to present their findings in short, 5 minute presentations, then we can start to manage a sort of micro-learning environment as well.

Another option for collaborative learning would be for me to create a short 3-minute videos, or series of videos, linked to our class VIULearn profile. Students could view the videos on their own time, in a group, and begin discussion from there. This concept would immediately demonstrate concepts of both micro-learning and collaborative learning.

While requiring a little more preparation up-front from the instructor, both concepts have the ability to fit well within our current curriculum, our busy lives, and into the overall concept of being a Construction Electrician down the road.