Effective Learning Environment

Academic Excellence Programme (AEP)

Cohort # 1
Training Session # 5b

Presented by Dr. Ola Elshurafa, SFHE A

Center for Excellence in

Teaching & Learning (CETL)
Learning Outcomes
As an AEP participant, you will

❖ Have strong knowledge on the different approaches to effective leaning environments;

❖ Realize the impact of effective learning environments on student learning;

❖ Reflect on your practices and efforts in creating effective learning environments and link it
with relevant UKPSF dimensions.
Effective learning environment What & How?
Activity # 1 – Group Brainstorming

What is an effective Learning

environment?

What can you do to promote an effective

learning environment?

Let’s hear from you!

What is an Effective Learning Environment?

❖ Supports thinking & facilitates learning

❖ Pushes learning capacity
❖ Provides a sense of achievement
❖ Students are active and engaged players
throughout the learning course
❖ Students enjoy learning and are motivated to learn
❖ Encourages self-directed learning
Benefits of an Effective Learning Environment

❖ Fosters effective academic performance;

❖ Promotes the students’ social and emotional
wellbeing;
❖ Develops some intrinsic motivation that will help
students feel good about themselves;
❖ Increases the ability of students to focus and
improves their cognitive abilities;
❖ Creates Enthusiastic Students.
Strategies for Effective Learning Environments

Create opportunities for students

to ask questions

❖ This is really crucial for the whole learning process to work.

❖ If a learner enters any learning activity with little to no natural curiosity,
prospects for meaningful interaction with texts, media, and specific tasks
are bleak.
❖ Many teachers force students to ask questions at the outset of units or
lessons, often to no avail.
❖ If students can’t ask great questions something, somewhere is unplugged.
Strategies for Effective Learning Environments
Use a variety of learning models/strategies

❖ Inquiry-based learning, project-based learning, direct instruction, Peer

learning, Flipped Learning, Active Learning, Case Study,
❖ Chances are, none are incredible enough to suit every bit of content,
curriculum, and learner diversity in your classroom.
❖ A characteristic of a highly-effective classroom is diversity, which also
has the side-effect of improving your long-term capacity as an
educator.
Strategies for Effective Learning Environments
Learning is personalized by a variety of criteria

❖ Personalized learning is the future

❖ Personalize learning by a variety of criteria not just assessment
results or reading level, but interest, readiness-for-content, etc.
❖ As you adjust pace, entry points, and rigor accordingly, you’ll have a
better chance of having uncovered what the learners truly ‘need’.
Strategies for Effective Learning Environments
Assessment is persistent, authentic,
transparent, and never punitive

❖ Assessment is just an attempt to get at what a learner

understands;
❖ The more infrequent, clinical, murky, or threatening it is,
the more you’re going to separate the ‘good students’
from the ‘good thinkers’;
❖ Why are students being tested? What’s in it for them,
and their future opportunities to improve?
❖ Feedback is quick even when the ‘grading’ may not be.
Strategies for Effective Learning Environments
Fueling Rich Discussions on Learning Content
and Assessments

❖ Students interact with their teacher and colleagues online

❖ In response to the prompt, a participant responds (“starts a thread”), others
contribute their own posts, and the group ultimately builds a conversation
to which everyone can contribute.
❖ These conversations can become very vibrant and allow teachers to dig
more deeply into a topic than they could in a face-to-face professional
development setting, where the constraints of time and space limit how
deeply a group can discuss a particular topic.
Strategies for Effective Learning Environments
Effective Use of Technology in the classroom

❖ Incorporating technology into your teaching is a great way to actively

engage your students.
❖ Interactive whiteboards or mobile devices can be used to display images
and videos, which helps students visualize new academic concepts.
❖ Learning can become more interactive when technology is used as
students can engage during lessons as well as instantly research their
ideas, which develops autonomy.
Strategies for Effective Learning Environments

Criteria for success is balanced and transparent

❖ Students should not have to guess what ‘success’ in a

highly-effective learning environment;
❖ It should also not be entirely weighted on ‘participation,’
assessment results, attitude, or other individual factors, but
rather meaningfully melted into a cohesive framework that
makes sense—not to you, your colleagues, or the expert

book on your shelf, but the students themselves.

Strategies for Effective Learning Environments

Caring about every student – HOW?

❖ One to one sessions? Office hours? Videos? Padlets for reflections or

muddy areas?
❖ Students can sense your feelings about them, so be very careful;
❖ Regardless of your personal feelings, it is important that you work with each
of your students to ensure their success;
❖ Are there any students you have written off? Are there students who are
difficult to reach or who just don't seem to care?
❖ Are you happy to see your low-performing students?
Activity # 2
 Areas of Activity Core Knowledge Professional Values
A1 Design and plan learning activities or K1 The subject material V1 Respect individual learners and
programs of study diverse learning communities

A2 Teach or support learning K2 Appropriate methods for teaching, learning V2 Promote participation in higher
and assessing in the subject area & at the education and equality of
level of the academic program opportunity for learners

A3 Assess & give feedback to learners K3 How students learn, both generally and V3 Use evidence-informed approaches
within their subject/disciplinary areas(s) and the outcomes from research,
scholarship and continuing
professional development
A4 Develop effective learning K4 The use & value of appropriate learning V4 Acknowledge the wider context in
environments and approaches to technologies which higher education operates
student support & guidance recognizing the implications for
professional practice
A5 Engage in CPD in subjects & their K5 Methods for evaluating the effectiveness of
pedagogy, incorporating research, teaching
scholarship & the evaluation of
professional practices K6 The implications of quality assurance &
quality enhancement for academic and
professional practice with a particular focus
on teaching
 Descriptor 2 (Fellowship)
Appropriate
Successful Commitment to
knowledge and
engagement all the 4
understanding across
across all 5 Areas Professional
all 6 aspects of Core
of Activity Values
Knowledge

D2i D2ii
D2iii

Successful Successful
incorporation of engagement in CPD
Successful subject and pedagogic in relation to
research or teaching, learning,
engagement in
scholarship, as part of assessment & related
appropriate teaching an integrated
practices related to professional
approach to academic
the Areas of Activity practice D2v practices
D2iv D2vi
The UKPSF Dimensions - Areas of Activity
A1
Design/plan A2
learning Teach/support
learning
activities/programs
of study
A3
Areas of Activity Assess & Give
Feedback to
Learners
A5
A4 Engage in CPD in
Develop Effective subject/disciplines &
Learning Environments their pedagogy
& Approaches to incorporating research,
student support & scholarship &
guidance evaluation of practice
8. The UKPSF Dimensions - Core Knowledge
K3
K2
How students
Appropriate
learn within
Methods
subject &
for T, L & A
discipline
K4
K1 Use and value of
Subject material
Core learning
Knowledge techniques/
technologies

K6 K5
Implications of Methods for
QA & QE Evaluating
effectiveness of
teaching

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8. The UKPSF Dimensions - Professional Values

V2
Promote participation
in HE & equality of
opportunity for
learners

V1 V3
Respect individual Use evidence –
learners & diverse Professional informed approaches
learning Values & outcomes from
communities research & PD
V4
Acknowledge wider
context of HE and
implications for
professional practice

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