Thomas is part of NMBU's Renewable Energy program and is part of a teaching team working to improve student writing through the educational program. Thomas talks about the challenges students and staff face in developing strong academic writing, and his ideas about how to improve research and writing skills as part of a progress plan for Bachelor and Master education.

Resources:

Writing Enriched Curriculum model - https://wec.umn.edu/wec-model

NMBU Learning Center - https://www.nmbu.no/en/employees/learning-center

NMBU Writing Centre - https://www.nmbu.no/en/students/writing

The Master's thesis is the final assessment of a student's graduate skills and knowledge, however at the KBM Department at NMBU, supervising professors noticed students were having problems with the thesis. Roland Kallenborn recruited the assistance of the NMBU Learning Center and Writing Centre to develop a digital course to teach students how to prepare themselves to research and write their thesis. The course was offered for the first time in 2019, and Roland shared his experiences teaching the course and discussed the potential benefits to expanding the course to other departments.

Resources:

MTH300 Course Description - https://www.nmbu.no/course/MTH300?studieaar=2019

SWR100 Scientific Writing Resource Portal, NMBU's online resource portal - https://nmbu.instructure.com/enroll/FYM3PK

NMBU Learning Center - https://www.nmbu.no/en/employees/learning-center

NMBU Writing Centre - https://www.nmbu.no/en/students/writing

Jonathan teaches Restoration Ecology, a practical field full of ecological theory. In his efforts to have his students more meaningfully engage with theoretical ecological concepts, he designed his course to have theory learned through students' own field-based research practices. Jonathan shares his experiences designing and adapting the course to help students 'learn by doing.'

Resources

Course Description - https://www.nmbu.no/course/ECOL350?studieaar=2019

Scientific data can be interpreted in numerous ways, and while data may be objective, different scientific and value perspectives shape the way we individually interept information. These interpretations are not always congruent, leading to scientific disagreements over the meaning of results. Associate Professor Elena Rocca, along with her collegue Rani Lill Anjum, believe that philosophy has a role to play in navigating these scientific disagreements. Elena talks about her role in developing a university course that applies philosophical thinking to scientific disagreements.

Resources

PHI300 Course Description

Philosophy of Biology: Philosophical bias is the one bias that science cannot avoid. 2019. F Andersen, RL Anjum, E Rocca

Digital media has been a part of education and learning for decades, but often through passive learning via documentaries and educational videos. Professor John McNeish is using digital media as an active, collaborative learning method for students with digital storytelling, in order to help students develop their voice, their research and their communication skills.

Resources:

The StoryCenter - Online resources to learn more about the history of, and how to create digital stories

Digital Stories produced at NMBU's Noragric Department

The NMBU Learning Center and Digital Storytelling Support

Lars Vemund Solerød discusses Learning Management Systems at NMBU and how the Study Department can help professors improve their use of Canvas and other Learning Management Systems for integrating course work, formulating student assessments, and sharing course content between different courses.

Resources:

Van der Kleij, F. M., Feskens, R. C., & Eggen, T. J. (2015). Effects of feedback in a computer-based learning environment on students’ learning outcomes: A meta-analysis. Review of educational research, 85(4), 475-511.

Contact Lars

NMBU Support's Introduction to Canvas

Guide to using Canvas:

• Canvas Guide Site
• Canvas Guide for Instructors

Professor William Warner talks about how technological integration in the classroom can be beneficial and problematic, as well as how digital feedback and professor-student scheduling offers more flexibility and freedom to develop student-teacher relationships.

Skjermopptak/Screen capture with Mediasite

Mediasite Training Videos on YouTube

Using digital devices for constructive feedback:

Chen, N. S., Wei, C. W., & Huang, Y. C. (2013). The integration of print and digital content for providing learners with constructive feedback using smartphones. British Journal of Educational Technology, 44(5), 837-845.

Review of free digital feedback technologies for effective feedback design:

Yuan, J., & Kim, C. (2015). Effective feedback design using free technologies. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 52(3), 408-434.

Canvas Scheduler Guide:

• Adding appointments in Canvas Scheduler
• View and Edit Appointments in Canvas Scheduler