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Academic Frontier-based Approach Based on Constructivism
Nuo Liu
1
, Shengli Yang
2
, Bing Feng
3
and Liangyin Chen
4
1
School of Microelectronics and Solid State Electronics,
University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
2
Zhejiang University of technology, Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310014, China
3
School of Foreign Language, University of electronic science and technology of China, Chengdu, China
4
College of Computer and Science, Sichuan University, Chengdu Sichuan, China
Keywords: Constructivism, Academic-Frontier Approach, Open-ended, Collaborative, Higher Education.
Abstract: For the purpose of combination of the basic and academic frontier knowledge by the application of the
theory of constructivist learning in order to trace the rapid development of microelectronics, Academic
frontier-based approach (AFA) is presented. The learner-centered instructional approach is valuable for
promoting active learning by involving learners in learning academic frontier topics in an open-ended and
collaborative environment. The design and implementation enrich the teaching modes and the content of the
key curriculums in depth. It is effective in achieving positive and higher cognitive goals.
1 INTRODUCTION
Many Universities have a growing concern with the
learners’ failure rates and academic achievement in
engineering courses. Learners and instructors are
often skeptical of the effectiveness of this technique.
Some of the frequent complaints that we hear from
our learners is “how to apply the knowledge in the
textbook”, “the lecture-centered study is inactively
and bored”, and we "have not shown them how to
do." According to Shuell (Shuell, 1986), “If learners
are to learn desired outcomes in a reasonably
effective manner, then the lecturer’s fundamental
task is to get learners to engage in learning activities
that are likely to result in their achieving those
outcomes”. John Dewey, the father of progressive
education supports ‘learning by doing’. Tyler (Tyler,
1949) wrote, ‘Learning takes place through the
active behavior of the learner; it is what he does that
he learns, not what the teacher does.’ Constructivist
theories have being the common theory-in-use in
higher education since the centrality of the learner is
given. For instructors, how to inspire those young
and fresh minds found in academia? How to
develop the learners’ curiosity in the subject they
will face after stepping off campus?
We present Academic Frontier-based Approach
(AFA) in the paper. The work reflects our on-going
research on teaching and learning in higher
education in which we have developed in several of
our engineering courses by learners’ actively
constructing new knowledge for the purpose of
learners’ academic pre-research and motivation.
2 WHAT IS ACADEMIC
FRONTIER APPROACH?
Academic Frontier Approach (AFA) is a pedagogy
that centers learner learning on Academic Frontier-
driven projects facilitated by a instructor in order to
achieve the new learning outcomes of courses
related to the content in textbooks — expansive
learning. Figure 1 gives the outline of AFA. It is a
cognitive constructivist epistemology which
concludes from science references that learners gain
more through relating academic material and papers
to their own interests and academic vision, and that
such experience informs their ability to
conceptualize content (Duffy and Jonassen, 1992).
Constructivism calls for learning opportunities that
are experiential, active, and collaborative. The goals
here for the learner are: firstly, to develop and
implement the new forms of teaching approach;
secondly, cultivate the curiosity and motivation by
expanding and collaborating learning in groups and
298
Liu N., Yang S., Feng B. and Chen L..
Academic Frontier-based Approach Based on Constructivism .
DOI: 10.5220/0004956502980300
In Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Computer Supported Education (CSEDU-2014), pages 298-300
ISBN: 978-989-758-021-5
Copyright
c
2014 SCITEPRESS (Science and Technology Publications, Lda.)