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We know little to what extent peer feedback strategies can be applied on a large scale in higher education for complex tasks. This study aimed to design, implement, and evaluate an online-supported peer feedback module for large-scale use to enhance higher education students' argumentative essay writing performance. To do this, 330 students from five different courses at bachelor and master levels followed the online supported peer feedback module. In this module, students were asked to write an argumentative essay about a controversial issue, provide peer feedback for two peers, and revise their original essays based on the received feedback. Three types of data including original essay (pre-test) data, peer feedback data, and revised essay (post-test) data collected. Students also filled out the learning satisfaction questionnaire at the end of the module. The findings showed that the suggested online-supported peer feedback module was effective in improving students' argumentative essay quality in all courses at the bachelor and master levels. The findings also showed there is a difference in the level of students' satisfaction with the module among the courses and between the education levels. The findings of this study provide insights into and add value to the scalability of online peer feedback tools for argumentative essay writing in different contexts. Based on the findings, recommendations for future studies and educational practice are provided.

For a sustainable future, equipping sustainability change agents with relevant sustainability competencies is crucial. Among these competencies is system thinking competence -- the understanding of complex interrelationships among the dimensions of sustainable development and the impacts of the interrelationships. Learning approaches relevant to fostering sustainability competencies have been studied. However, research is rare on fostering systems thinking competence by simultaneously using multiple, real-world, and innovative learning approaches. To address this gap, we conducted a pre-test-post-test exploratory experimental study involving higher education students (n = 36). The study explored the contributions of field trips and collaborative learning in combination with mobile learning and paper-and-pencil note taking. The study simultaneously implemented a combined set of learning approaches in a real-world environment. The results suggest that the learning approaches and the real-world environment contribute to fostering the systems thinking competence of participants by exposing them to complex real-world systems and enabling the exchanging of diverse ideas among collaborating participants. As such, our study contributes to social constructivist learning discourses in education for sustainable development by indicating specific combinations of learning approaches and environments that facilitate the meaningful engagement and motivation of learners through self-regulated learning.

Competence-based education and training (CBE/T) has been implemented in Ethiopia to develop the competences of (future) professionals and to improve their performance. However, empirical evidence that demonstrates the effectiveness of CBE/T is scarce. Positioning the study within the theory of strategic alignment and comprehensive competence-based training, we used the authentic core job task 'On-Site Helping of Farmers during the Planting of Maize', of Development Agents as problem context and conducted an experimental-longitudinal research study including multirater performance assessment. The study compared competence development of the Development Agents who received training that could be characterized as 'High-CBT' (N = 33) and 'Low-CBT' (N = 32). 'High-CBT' means that in these training programmes, principles of competence-based training were used more completely than in the 'Low-CBT' programmes. Experts rated the competence levels of the Development Agents and Development Agents rated their own competence levels. Both groups did that before and after the training. Individual Development Agent performance was also rated by Trained Assessors. Longitudinally, Development Agent performance data was collected during one production year at three points in time. Development Agent's competence development in the 'High-CBT' training condition was higher than in the 'Low-CBT' condition. Observations made on each Development Agent's performance by Trained Assessors both in the Farmer Training Centres and in the authentic job situations, generally confirmed better performance of the 'High-CBT' group compared with the 'Low-CBT' group. The finding contributes to the state of research on the relationship between competence development and performance improvement, which is theoretically postulated although less empirically tested.

This paper presents a multi-faceted analytical Course Innovation Framework (CIF) that can help institutes of higher education analyze multiple aspects of course innovation. The CIF was constructed by integrating insights from literature, policy documentation and course-innovation practices at Wageningen University and Research in the Netherlands. The resulting CIF considers multiple stages of course innovation -- intended, implemented and attained -- along with multiple innovation processes organized into the following five clusters: Rationale for the Innovation; Nature of the Innovation; Innovation in Teaching and Learning; Evaluation and Dissemination Strategy; and Consistency and Reflection. University stakeholders experienced the CIF as usable and relevant. This study is intended to generate a multi-faceted understanding of course innovation and to provide university policy-makers and educators with inspiration or even guidance in their efforts to analyze, map and decide upon their course-innovation practices.

Game-based learning researchers have been investigating various means to maximise learning in educational games. One promising venue in recent years has been the use of learning analytics in online game-based learning environments. However, little is known about how different elements of learning analytics (e.g. data types, techniques methods, and stakeholders) contribute to game-based learning practices within online learning environments. There is a need for a comprehensive review to bridge this gap. In this systematic review, we examined the related literature in five major international databases including Web of Science, Scopus, ERIC, IEEE, and compiled Proceedings of the International Conference on Learning Analytics and Knowledge. Twenty relevant publications were identified and analysed. The analysis was conducted using four core elements of learning analytics, namely the types of data that the system collects (what), the methods used for performing analytics (how), the reasons the system captures, analyzes, and reports data (why), and the recipients of the analytics (who). This study synthesises the existing literature, provides a conceptual framework as to how learning analytics can enhance online game-based learning practices in higher education, and sets the agenda for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the intersection role of students' epistemic beliefs and gender in argumentative essay writing. In total, 148 undergraduate students from a Dutch university followed an argumentation module, filled out the epistemic beliefs survey, and wrote an argumentative essay. Results showed that students' beliefs about the Internet-specific justification of knowledge did not influence essay performance. On the other hand, beliefs about the nature of scientific knowledge influenced their argumentative essay writing. Overall, there were no gender differences in argumentative essay writing. However, female students outperformed male students in taking a position on the topic. The interaction effects of beliefs about the Internet-specific justification of knowledge and gender in argumentation performance were neutral. There was, however, an intersection effect of students' epistemic beliefs about the nature of scientific knowledge and their gender in argumentation performance. We discuss these results and provide suggestions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low yield/hectare gains, food insecurity and environmental unsustainability are challenges experienced by the agriculture sector in Ethiopia despite substantial government investment. Although there are many factors that contribute to the poor performance of the sector, smallholder farmer competence gaps are principal among them. This study aims to examine the effects of Comprehensive Competence‐Based Training (CCBT) on the competence development and performance improvement of smallholder farmers using the authentic professional core task during maize planting as a problem context. We applied a 3‐week randomized (control group pretest posttest) design and single‐blind field experiment to test the impact of CCBT through provision of a training to two comparable farmer groups using conventional 'Low‐CBT' and innovative 'High‐CBT' implementation levels. The samples included 'High‐CBT' (N = 220) and 'Low‐CBT' (N = 220) groups of smallholder farmers in the West Gojjam Zone in Ethiopia. Data on competence development and performance improvement of farmers were collected from themselves, trainer Development Agents and Trained Assessors. The yield in quintal/hectare gains for each smallholder farmer was collected twice (before and after the intervention). Repeated (pretest, posttest) MANOVA and ANOVA measurements were used to analyze the data. The results revealed that the development of smallholder farmer competence in 'High‐CBT' was higher than in 'Low‐CBT' training. Comparisons of performance in both the authentic job situation and in terms of yield in quintal/hectare gains in the two groups revealed a better performance of both groups. However, the 'High‐CBT' group performed better than the 'Low‐CBT' group in both the authentic job situation and in terms of yield in quintal/hectare gains. We obtained 31 and 41 quintal/hectares of maize for the 'Low‐CBT' and 'High‐CBT' groups, respectively, which are better than the baseline average 22 quintal/hectare for both groups. These findings underscore the relevance of CCBT, especially when the design principles of CBE are integrated well in the training programme (which was called 'High‐CBT level'), for improving performance, in this case gain in yield per hectare of smallholder farmers, which potentially results in the increase of household food security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to challenges emerging in society, universities are searching for ways to innovate their courses through novel institutional educational policies and practices. Those efforts, however, are often not informed by knowledge about course innovation characteristics university-wide, and are often not supported by processes of reflection questioning the 'who', 'how' and 'for what' of course innovations. This study applied the multifaceted analytical Course Innovation Framework (CIF) in order to explore characteristics of a large set of intended course innovations in a higher education institution in the Netherlands. The application of the CIF enabled a descriptive analysis of multiple characteristics of the intended course innovations. This analysis unveiled university-wide course innovation trends, upon which university stakeholders reflected in order to responsibly guide and transform policy and practices. The study findings show how the application of the CIF helps to gather situated knowledge on university-wide innovation trends, and how reflection on these trends empowers stakeholders to deliberate the culture and values of educational innovation they wish to promote within their institution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current paper focusses on the teachers' attitude towards and experiences with e-learning tools at two universities in different phases of e-learning implementation. The study population comprises teachers at university level and a simple random sampling method was used. A total of 45 teachers in bachelor programmes from the Faculty of Agriculture of Kabul University (KU) in Afghanistan filled out the survey. For this study, secondary data on Wageningen University and Research (WUR) in the Netherlands was also used from a survey which was recently conducted by Banihashem et al., (2023) in which 307 teachers participated. Data were analysed through descriptive statistics and the two settings were compared in general terms. The results showed that the majority of the respondents at KU and WUR had a favourable attitude towards e-learning tools and that this attitude is an important enabling or disabling factor in the adoption of technology. The findings also indicated respondents' access and facilities, e.g., at KU for interaction with students mainly among teachers HELMS during COVID-19 and for assessment, individual assignments and quizzes were used. Meanwhile, at WUR and mainly among teachers, for interactive purposes Brightspace assignments (and, for assessment, group assignments), Brightspace grades, individual assignments and rubrics were used. Consequently, this research paper will add to the existing knowledge in this area, potentially having a positive influence on the educational sector, because doing so could help the educational system to improve and to better consider the aspects which influence the attitude of teachers that leads to applying a technology. In addition, we recommend more e-learning research studies in Afghanistan in order to find a solution for educating women in Afghanistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]