Yiwen.Zhang's assignment

Profile                         

NAME: Yiwen Zhang                  STUDENT ID:2358922

EMAIL ADRESS: Yiwen.Zhang23@student.xjtlu.edu.cn

Education History 

• MSc in Digital Education at Xi’an Jiao tong-Liverpool University

09 2023-Present

• Bachelor of Management at The Zhengzhou University of Aviation

09 2019-07 2023

Qualifications

CET 4 & CET 6

The detailed learning progress is shown in this mind map.

【金山文档】 mind map
https://kdocs.cn/l/cj1jppbOLdFr

1. Understand and apply a range of approaches to the design of online and offline courses.
2. Critically evaluate these approaches via an understanding of their philosophical and theoretical bases.
3. Select, design, and share media, learning activities, and assessment tasks appropriate to each approach.
4. Design and build course components appropriate to their institutional and educational context.

We come in contact with education daily, and it happens almost from the moment a person is born. I have also witnessed the changes in educational technology around me. However, under test-based education like junior high and high school, where the purpose of education is to advance to the next level, teachers and schools should pay more attention to the means of education. Old teachers use the same old PowerPoint and read from the same old book, attempting to teach knowledge by filling in the blanks. New teachers are too intimidated to protest against this approach and have no choice but to comply. The students become numb and hollow-eyed under this style of education, turning into children who only wait for the teacher to feed them. I thought there would be a change when I went to university; my undergraduate major was auditing, and even the old teachers with teaching experience would only read from the book. Some of them even struggled to operate the simplest PowerPoint, and financial knowledge was too boring, so I couldn't help but think, "Is there a kind of education specializing in cultivating education technology talents? Is there a more diversified and interesting way to design courses so students can learn spontaneously and actively?

So when I saw that XJTLU had opened a relevant program, I did not hesitate to enroll, and now I am a postgraduate student in digital education. I have learned about the importance of course design to course learning! I have never seen such an instructional design where forums, games, interactive videos, and knowledge cards can be added to a course. If these methods can be used in a real course, the learning outcomes will change even more. During the course, I gradually found answers. I broadened my horizons, listening to lectures from teachers in different fields, exploring digital literacy, student engagement, the development of meta-universes, and how these theories can be applied to teaching and learning, which I will describe in more detail in the next sections， and reflect on my study of EDS 431 Designing Digital Education Curriculum combined with my other learning experience this semester at XJTLU.

Before I came to XJTLU, I majored in audit, which had no relationship with digital education. I am very nervous and afraid I cannot catch up with the teachers' pace. During the three months I studied in MSc Digital Education, the most important thing I got was learning from different aspects.

As Dr. Li Na has said more than once, our program is open to students from all disciplines, including art, history, and finance. Students from different majors converge here and have different insights on the same issues due to their different educational backgrounds. Dr. Li Na also encourages us to team up with students of different personalities and majors; for example, three students are in our group, and we are from auditing, biomedical engineering, and academic English, respectively. Our different clashes of ideas will be described in detail in the later part.

In the EDS 431, there are teachers from different fields who come to give lectures to us; some of them are engaged in education-related work, and some of them are not, and from their lectures, I can get different perspectives from them.

We have ten guest lectures; among them, the most impressive is the lecture from Dr. Huang, who introduced SDG 17, which the United Nations first proposed to establish a new paradigm in sustainable development (Castillo-Villar, 2020). Before this lecture, I had never known anything about this; I had only heard about China's sustainable development strategy. SDG 17 is much more comprehensive and contains goal requirements in various areas. The SDG has a particular goal of sustainable development in education. The application of SDG 17 is mainly in the following aspects:

1. Cooperation of educational institutions: In order to realize the goals of SDG 17, many educational institutions have begun to establish cooperative relationships with other institutions to promote the realization of the SDGs jointly. Our school is a joint school between Xi'an Jiao Tong University and the University of Liverpool, and I, as a student of XJTLU, enjoy the educational resources brought by many parties.
2. Improving the inclusiveness and equity of education: Education is the key to escaping poverty. The past decade has seen a significant increase in access to education at all levels and a marked increase in enrollment, especially for girls. However, there are still many challenges to overcome, such as the approximately 260 million children globally who are out of school. This is something I know all too well: women's education has received less attention than men's, and women are no less powerful. This semester, for example, we invited ten teachers, eight women who have made a difference in various fields, to give lectures.
3. Lifelong learning opportunities: SDG 17 also emphasizes ensuring lifelong learning opportunities for all. This is in line with what we are advocating in our country.

SDG 17 is another perspective on contemporary education. Dr. Lina often says in class that what we teach is just one point of view, and you can agree or disagree or come up with newer ideas, and the teacher encourages students to explore independently. As Vygotsky proposed constructivism, constructivism believes that learning is an active process in which students construct knowledge through their thinking, exploration, and practice. The teacher's role is to guide and support the student's learning process rather than imparting knowledge Constructivists believe that knowledge is not mechanically acquired, but actively constructed within the constraints and offerings of the external study environment (Liu & Matthews, 2005). This is entirely different from the previous teaching methods. The teacher never limits our thinking and sincerely encourages us to explore and think about things from different perspectives. For example, for our final assignment, CPC, Dr. Li Na provided us with three frameworks for assessing course design, but she also strongly encouraged us to find other frameworks on our own, for example, we could use the criteria of SDG 17 for assessment. I think this is the charm of XJTLU, not only for EDS431 as a subject but also for EDS432; in this class, there will be different teachers to introduce digital education in different regions, and likewise, Dr. Sami will ask us if we agree with it after each knowledge point is presented.

In conclusion, EDS431 taught me how to view things from different perspectives and encouraged us to explore and think by ourselves. Teachers and educational technology are tools to assist us in our thinking, which makes me realize the importance of what I have learned, just as scaffolding teaching, the essence of which is that the teacher provides appropriate clues or hints for students' learning so that students can gradually climb through these scaffolds, discover and solve learning problems on their own, master the required knowledge, enhance their problem-solving skills, and grow to be independent learners. In scaffolding instruction, a more knowledgeable other provides scaffolds or supports to facilitate the learner's development. The scaffolds facilitate students' ability to build on prior knowledge and internalize new information (Van & R 2002). They will be able to discover and solve learning problems independently, acquire the knowledge they need, enhance their problem-solving skills, and grow into independent learners. The interactions we design with educational technology are the clues teachers provide for students.

People have different learning preferences depending on their personalities. Some people are introverted, so they prefer online independent learning, while some are extroverted and prefer group discussion learning. Starting from our personalities, we can only have better results if we find a way of learning that suits our needs, so we need to fully understand ourselves and clarify our learning preferences.

I believe that there is a strong connection between one's learning style and one's own personality and that Mbti plays a significant role in preference for course selection (Harrington & Loffredo, 2010). My personality test result is INFP, a personality that is good at compiling information, which fits my position in the team: recording what others are thinking. My preferred career field for my personality is education and counseling. I am sensitive and understanding, able to recognize and help people around me, and my strengths as an INFP are that I am enthusiastic, friendly, imaginative, and like to look at things from a non-traditional point of view. This could explain why I chose to major in Digital Education, as I am willing to try to empower education with new perspectives.

I also took part in the F-VOSAL test, which is 80 questions intended to measure the respondents toward action, process, people, and ideas (Landis et al., 2004), and I found out I am a people-oriented person. It fits my personality. In group activities, I pay attention to everyone and notice everyone's emotions. Because in social activities, no activity can avoid communication and collaboration with people. Especially in the course of EDS 431, many assignments need to be completed in cooperation with the group, and many of them are the products of our joint efforts. So, it is crucial to put people first, to respect others, and to listen to their opinions in learning and working.

Based on the VARK( visual (V), aural (A), reading/writing (R), and kinesthetic (K) models)(Mozaffari et al., 2020), my learning style is K(kinesthetic). This is similar to my previous learning style, where I preferred to experience the learning process independently. For example, when our group designed our number game using ABC learning, I suggested using VR several times to experience the actual situation and understand the new knowledge virtually. All the knowledge we have learned can be applied in practice. Only when they are manifested in practice can I master them.

Judging my learning style from three different dimensions, it can be concluded that I am a person-oriented INFP favoring the K（kinesthetic） style. In one of the classes, Dr. Lina showed three sentences describing herself, one of which was fake, and the teacher asked us to do this activity in small groups, which was a good ice-breaker. Through this game, the relationship between people was quickly drawn closer. This method can also be applied to teaching in the future. Moreover, my learning style has given me a more accurate understanding of ABC Learning Design. ABC learning contains acquisition, collaboration, discussion, investigation, practice, and production. This workshop includes a variety of hybrid online education methods to help transition new course resources to online resources. “The approach generates high levels of engagement, creative informed dialogue and group reflection about curriculum design among even time-poor academics” (Young & Perović, 2018, P3). The approach generates high levels of engagement, creative informed dialogue, and group reflection about curriculum design among even time-poor academics. There are different learning options for students with different learning preferences.

Moreover, Dr. Li often encourages us to learn with peers since peer learning brings many active outcomes, including a deeper understanding of the course outcomes, working collaboratively, and communicating confidently.( Boud et al., 1999). Therefore, the teacher organized a peer review in class. Through this activity, we not only had a better understanding of the grading standards but also found common problems in our peers' homework. As a K (kinesthetic) student, these activities help me improve.

During the three months in EDS 431, based on theoretical learning, I also participated in many practical activities. I designed our own digital game with my groupmates, trying to combine the knowledge of educational theory with curriculum design. In this semester, the most important assignment is to use our knowledge of curriculum design to design our own digital curriculum game based on the requirements of the proposal.

After the midterm exams, we evaluated the proposal and designed a digital curriculum game for adult education: Veterinary. Our educational goal is to enable users to master pathology, anatomy, anesthesiology, and others related medical knowledge. We also aim to develop students' creative thinking skills, encouraging them to think outside the box and take on challenges. There are many ways to design a course; we have multiple choices like fishbone diagram, ABC learning design, and Bloomy taxonomy. Our group chose ABC learning design after discussion; the reason for choosing him is that it allows for a high level of participation among time-prioritized learners, creative and informed conversations, and group reflection on the reality of the course.  ABC learning provides a platform where participants from different backgrounds can exchange feedback and transition from a teacher-centered to a student-centered model of education (Nørgaard et al., 2020), We set the game cycle to three weeks because based on the principle established by Graham et al. (2001), one of the seven is that good practice focuses on the time spent on the assessment. Therefore, we believe that the course cycle should not be too long and that it is vital to stimulate the student's interest in learning in a limited time so that the users do not take the course as a burden. This is a prototype of our design. (it will be changed in the later time) 

This semester I came across H5P, which can be used to create interactive content.H5P allows developers to use HTML5 and JavaScript to create interactive content, such as games, slideshows, and videos. In my previous learning experiences, teachers have tried to make new educational technology reforms and use new teaching platforms, but they changed the storage location of the PowerPoint. Education is still dull and needs more fun and flexibility, so we use H5P as the main way of instructional design and practice, not only because it provides a variety of resources but also because we can choose the activities that meet the requirements. The incorporation of H5P content enables students to engage in critical thinking about the material being taught and enhances their desired flexibility by expanding the learning environment. Students can obtain thorough, automated feedback, while teachers can monitor student participation in H5P activities (Singleton& Charlton, 2020). In our digital games, we utilize a variety of features in H5P, such as Accordion, Quiz, Interactive Video, etc. Instructional materials are vital to the teaching-learning process, making abstract knowledge more accessible (Afolabi & Adeleke, 2010). So, we designed accordion,which is used to present medical knowledge, like a drawer that is pulled open to reveal the knowledge. The nature of the subject determines that there must be constant consolidation of practice, so after learning the theory, we set up a test session, single choice, multiple choice, fill in the blanks, and judgment for the knowledge that we have just learned. In addition to this, we also utilize the functions that are already available in LMO, such as a forum where users can express their opinions. Instructors can also interact well with learners in the forum. Debattista (2018) especially highlights the interaction and community. Interaction between teachers and students can improve learning, communication, teamwork, and critical thinking skills. Moreover, we divide course design into synchronous time and asynchronous time, which let student control their learning time, and the flexibility of this mode can make student successful in their academic career (Nieuwoudt, 2020). In the previous midterm assignment, our group analyzed that one of the drawbacks of this proposal is that the form of feedback is not varied enough, based on the views John and Helen (2007) support that feedback can be done differently, like increased effort, motivation, or engagement. So we added Miro in this design, in which we reflect on what we have gained, and the teacher can also give feedback based on the students' reflections.

In a lab class, the teacher taught us how to make our own badges, and the badge system can positively impact the motivation of the primary learners (Abramovich et al., 2013). In the daily learning, Dr. Lina also awards badges to students who have upgraded to the next level. Dr. Sami influenced me to design the badge as an eagle, and I hope my students can soar in the sky like an eagle and achieve great things.

Metaverse is quite a mysterious term to me, and in the week 11 guest lecture, Dr. Li from the LMO gave us a detailed overview of the teaching abilities in the metaverse， which was first introduced in 1992(Lin et al., 2022). The metaverse is a collective virtual shared space, created by the convergence of virtually enhanced physical reality and physically persistent virtual space, including the sum of all virtual worlds, augmented reality, and the internet. The metaverse is currently not widely used in education, as(Hwang & Chien, 2022) highlighted. However, the metaverse is currently the most promising technology, few people have applied it to the field of education. Many educational scholars have never realized the future of the metaverse, let alone its application. In this class, it was not until Mr. Li led us to design a virtual space with Nibiru that I got a real sense of the metaverse, so it is still about proving theory with practice.

At the same time, I have thought about a few questions.

1 The metaverse development requires high technical and talent requirements, and software development is not free. How can we reduce the cost?

2 Is there any ethical issue involved in the utilization of metaverse?

3 The popularization of the metaverse is only a matter of time; should we think in advance about how to teach knowledge in the virtual world and design the curriculum？

When I first started this semester, I signed up for Dr. Li Na's AI chatbot experimental program because I did not know enough about AI and wanted more exposure to understand it outside class time. My first experiment was to chat with different robots in English and convey my distress to them, and the second one was also to chat with different robots that could use different languages. The AI can provide answers through these two experiments, but his advice cannot relieve the pressure on the experimenter. So, at this stage, AI still cannot have actual human emotions; he can only answer mechanically according to the set steps. In addition, I also participated in the experiment of using ChatGPT to guide writing, in which the teacher introduced Think Aloud, a psychological method first proposed by psychologist Dunkle in 1945. This method requires subjects to speak as much as possible about the brain is thinking while performing problem-solving or reasoning experimental tasks. Logic experiments have proven that thinking aloud is more efficient than writing silently and that writers become more organized. Also, in the 1-to-1 writing experiment, I used keywords to deliver instructions to CHATGPT to write a piece of writing about knowledge related to this course based on the instructions. GPT can give me very detailed writing instructions according to my instructions; he gives me what to write in each paragraph, and I am very clear about the article's structure according to his instructions. In writing, I also use the Think Aloud method to summarize the information that the AI has passed to me verbally, and the two go together, making my thoughts clearer.

I also attend an interview, as an interviewer, I asked several groups of students about the experience using XIPU AI to tackle programming problem. Through the interviews, students all have the experience about using XIPU AI, and they are proficient in command language, but the students hope that XIPU AI can evolve more perfect.

From the experiments I participated in above, AI development is shocking. It can be used to relieve stress and become a functional robot or provide guidance in writing and become a guidance robot. His development is not perfect enough; chatbots can mimic human conversations in some ways but cannot understand and recognize emotions. As a result, their answers may need more depth and insight, and they cannot communicate with humans in the true sense of the word. So, they still have much room for improvement.

I gained a lot from EDS 431

1. From the class： I learned how to use new technology to create a curriculum, like H5P, Miro, Nibiru, X-mind…
2. From my peers： I learned the power of group decision-making and the power of companionship.
3. From myself： I found the answers that puzzled me for a long time and found my genuine interest---digital education.

I am very fortunate that I came to this class and learned knowledge that can change the future education model. I think this is what education is all about, using what we have learned to make practices that will change education into the future era of the meta-universe.

Socrates once said:" education is not about filling a bucket; it is about lighting a fire!" Education means igniting students' desire for knowledge and curiosity and making learning passionate. We should cultivate students' ability to think independently and innovate rather than satisfy them with the impartation of knowledge.

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