{"id":10681,"date":"2021-05-21T10:46:23","date_gmt":"2021-05-21T08:46:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oeb.global\/oeb-insights\/?p=10681"},"modified":"2021-05-21T10:55:52","modified_gmt":"2021-05-21T08:55:52","slug":"designing-blended-learning-assignments-to-promote-undergraduate-research-at-universities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oeb.global\/oeb-insights\/designing-blended-learning-assignments-to-promote-undergraduate-research-at-universities\/","title":{"rendered":"Designing Blended Learning Assignments to Promote Undergraduate Research at Universities"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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For many students, especially undergraduates, it is a steep learning curve to become confident and competent in conducting academic research. In this article and during my presentation at OEB21, I shall share my experience of designing and implementing blended learning activities and assignments that develop students\u2019 research skills and academic curiosity.

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As a communication scholar, I have acquired a high level of expertise in research through the successful completion of over 50 research projects. It requires sophisticated knowledge in the subject matter, theories, and methods. However, I believe that students can acquire these powerful knowledge and research skills through participating in authentic research projects. I can claim that I am the first scholar in Hong Kong to apply research-informed teaching and learning in the social science discipline. My unique implementation of the pedagogical strategy is this: every student, whether in introductory or advanced courses, major or non-major, participates.<\/strong>

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Allow me to share three examples to demonstrate what I did and how I did it.

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In the first example, students are taking a general education course titled \u201cChildren as consumers: Marketing to the youth\u201d. In one class, students read a journal article about the attributes of \u201cmy favourite shop\u201d among adolescents. As a blended learning assignment, students replicated the data collection part of the study in a three-hour session. Students are required to bring two images of their favourite shops. Students formed pairs and each person conducted a qualitative interview of about 15-18 minutes with his or her partner. A list of questions and a template for transcription was given. The interview was audio-recorded. Students conducted the interview as well as part of the transcription in the class. The assignment brief and the assessment rubrics can be found online<\/a>.

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The teaching plan is as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n