Observing sessions
I had the enormous opportunity to participate as an observer in a module on Applied Design Research provided by Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences in Helsinki. It was a nice surprise to find out that during the session there was another student performing his teaching practises for this module. So it was doubly rewarding for me to witness not only how a complete course is organised but to understand the role of a trainee from his own point of view.
The course was in Finnish and consisted of four contact sessions with the students. Two face-to-face meetings were also held at Haaga-Helia Pasila Campus among teachers for lesson preparation. The whole module was a perfect to understand the planning and implementation process as well as how to organise the assessment methods. It consisted of four contact sessions and Here is the module in a nutshell:
SCOPE: 5 cr (135H)
CONTENT:
- Research ethics
- Applied research as a part of organisational development
- Identify the development tasks of organisations and companies.
- Choose the right research approach and data collection methods for the development task.
- Schedule a research and development task.
- Apply a chosen research and development approach and data collection strategies aiming the development of a thesis plan or a project work.
- Use the results from research and development work in the development work of the organisation.
- Assess and discuss the success of the applied research approach as well as the suitability of the research methods.
- Apply the result of the research and development.
TIMELINE
1st physical teacher meeting at Pasila Campus. 23 October
My first contact for these observing sessions took place during a face-to-face meeting with the responsible teacher of the course and the trainee operating as a teacher. During the session I gathered a general idea of the structure as presented above and the pedagogical methods to be used during the module. At this point it was clear the intended purpose of using constructivism as a learning perspective for awakening in students the promotion of logical thinking through discussions and sharing common findings.
During this first encounter it was decided the almost definitive shape of the whole module, including lectures, interactive activities, discussions or general aspects such as deadlines or number of hours per learning section.
I was also advised to read the book Kehittämistyön menetelmät by Ojasalo, Moilanen and Ritalahti as a theoretical base for me to understand the course as a whole. During the description of this course I will stress the structure of the course more than its content.
1st session 6th November (17.40 - 20.30h.) VIRTUAL
Structure in brief:
- Short introduction of responsible teacher, trainee and me as an observer.
- Take the register of attendees (about 28 students).
- Ice breakers + course description with its learning and assessment methods.
- Lecture: Overview on Applied Research.
- GROUP ACTIVITY. Identify differences Applied Research vs Scientific Research in groups of 4 people. (10 min).
- GENERAL DISCUSSION with findings. (15 min).
- Lecture continues. Goals and targets of Applied Research.
- BREAK (10 min).
- FINAL DISCUSSION. Students personal experiences with previous thesis works.
OBSERVATIONS:
Good general impressions of the session. The students were highly active and motivated probably due to the general interest regarding their own thesis works. Good balance between the two teachers presenting. Amusing presentation with very good timing. The session went smoothly so it was not necessary to use the total time planned, improving students' motivation as a result.
2nd session 7 November (9.00 - 15.00) VIRTUAL
Structure in brief:
- Lecture. Approaches in research.
- Padlet in groups. Research approaches and suitability (20 min).
- Group presentations based on the previous Padlet. (40 min).
- 11.45-12.30. Lunch break.
- Lecture continues. Data collection strategies.
OBSERVATIONS:
The session was designed to present a general overview of the different approaches when accomplishing research and to awake awareness of the suitable method to be applied to a potential research work. Students were able to identify the matching approaches to their own professional backgrounds, interests and their final research projects.
Holding a morning webinar after a previous evening session clearly affects students active participation. Fortunately the use of tools such as Padlet helps to become the session into a much more activating experience and to share personal perspectives.
2nd physical teacher meeting at Pasila Campus
This second meeting was used to concrete assessment tasks and to analyse the draft of the study plans provided by the students. During this meeting was discussed about the previous sessions and the points for improvement. The advice and recommendations coming from the responsible lecturer were really useful particularly in small details such as lecture timing or speech clarity and speed.
3rd session 27 November (17.40 - 20.30) VIRTUAL
Structure in brief:
- Reminder of the assessment methods and tasks to be assessed.
- Research ethics.
- Quality during the research and development process.
- FLINGA. Group activity based on two questions + reflection:
- Ethic aspects to take into account during the research process.
- How can the quality of a project be verified?
OBSERVATIONS:
Compact session based mainly on theory: characteristics of research and development, research ethic aspects and quality research. Time for reflection on the form more than the content. The students start to see in a clear way the right methods they are going to use during their future research tasks. Much more fluent session coming from the lecturers mainly due to the improvement of confidence and camaraderie with the audience.
4th session 28 November (9.00 - 15.00) VIRTUAL
Structure in brief:
- Lecture. The research and development process.
- Research and development from an organisation perspective.
- Group discussions and presentations on different research approaches.
- Final wrap up and reminder of the forthcoming tasks such as the online exam and possible deadlines.
OBSERVATIONS:
In contrast with the previous session in this occasion student participation was heavily encouraged. After a relatively brief introduction it was time for the students to first discuss in groups on their own thesis plans. This practical side of the session was strengthened by brief presentations based on the analysis of different research approaches, suitability and possible pros and cons.
Dynamic sessions like this one provide the students with a more concrete perspective of the whole module and gives the opportunity to define their own thesis paths and the right future research approach to be chosen.
GENERAL CONCLUSIONS AND IMPRESSIONS
Independently of the course content these sessions allowed me to witness first-hand the dynamics within a real-life module. Although most of the aspects are brilliantly practised during our vocational education teacher course, during these observing session it was great to interact from the teacher's perspective and see what is going on at the backstage.
It was equally interesting to know more about the difficulties that may occur during the course design process and the unexpected problems that may show up during the presentations. I get into the conclusion that if the content is clear and the structure is well defined from a teacher point of view, any eventual pitfall during the sessions may be easily sort out by simply adapting the available tools. These difficulties are even easier to be solved with the help of another teacher during the teaching sessions.
Here is a final list of the most positive and productive aspects I learned during the sessions in contrast with potential threats or concerns:
✅ POSITIVE ASPECTS
- The opportunity to attend a live session from a teacher perspective.
- How the course is organised in a real situation.
- Learning about the rhythm, speech style and tempos.
- Master the virtual environment of a webinar.
❌ NEGATIVE IMPRESSIONS AND FUTURE CONCERNS
- Not being able to connect or engage the audience.
- Not being able to manage a correct timing.
- Not having the opportunity to teach face-to-face.
- Not being able to correctly answer possible doubts coming from the students.
What is your personal opinion? Leave your comment down here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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