Researchers have found both that rewards decrease creativity and that rewards such as money/pay increase creativity. Higher education arts and STEM faculty acknowledge that their environment is often a pedagogical transmission system in which students are given final stress-evoking exams which typically result in little creativity growth and…

The use of digital badges has become increasingly common in educational settings as an alternative assessment tool, and they are linked with student motivation and integration of gamification elements into learning environments. This study explores the perceptions of pre-service English teachers at a university of the inclusion of digital badges…

The patchwork text is an assessment method whereby students produce and share short pieces of writing over the course of a module that are subsequently integrated in a final summative piece. This paper reports on the experience of using this method of assessment in a criminal justice module. The objective behind introducing this form of assessment…

Whether the use of more active teaching-learning methods has a positive impact on academic performance remains unanswered. This article seeks to contribute to the issue by conducting a study of an Operations Management course with almost 1000 students per year over three consecutive academic years. The study compares three scenarios with differing…

Animations have long been perceived as an effective tool in teaching and learning. While students' reception towards animations has often been studied, there is also literature covering how teachers perceive and incorporate animations into their classes. At a research intensive university in Hong Kong, animations on the topic of university…

The student cohort on the University Science Extended Degree (SED) course is diverse in terms of educational experience. One of the key facets of teaching at this level is to engage and prepare students for higher levels of education in the sciences. The purpose of this evaluation is to relate a specific virtual framework, designed for students…

This article explores assessment in the context of problem-based learning (PBL) at three different levels. Firstly, it examines the position of assessment in the current system of higher education and, secondly, it examines students' experiences of assessment in problem-based programmes. The article draws on research into PBL that explored staff…

This "quasi-conclusion" is a patchwork of comments and claims about the nature and larger implications of "patchworking" from the preceding articles in this special issue on the Patchwork Text process, and from the records of discussions which the team of researchers held over the nearly three years of the project. (Author/AEF)

Participants who used the Patchwork Text process in their different educational contexts individually prepared statements of specific ideas that had emerged from their work and presented them in a spoken forum; the occasion was tape-recorded and transcribed, and the transcription was then edited. This article presents a joint statement about what…

Evaluates use of the Patchwork Text assessment format in a module taught at the beginning of a post-qualifying degree program for community specialist nurses. The aim of the module was to provide students with a theoretical understanding of the different types of knowledge that might inform their practice. Comparative material is presented to show…

Presents an example of a complete Patchwork Text assignment assembled by a student during the module "Perspectives on Research and Knowledge in Professional Practice." The example illustrates the Patchwork format of a sequence of writing tasks produced at intervals during the course and ending with an attempt at a retrospective synthesis. (AEF)

Reports on the experience of using the Patchwork Text strategy in a modular course structure. The idea was to provide formative feedback for the students who traditionally complain that all the assessment occurs at the end of the module. A surprising side-effect was that students were clearly studying earlier in the module. (Author/AEF)

Outlines the procedures of the Patchwork Text coursework assignment format, discussed in the articles of this special issue, and presents a general justification of their current educational importance. Reviews current literature on assessment processes in higher education and discusses work on the nature of "academic literacies." Compares the…

Describes the introduction of the Patchwork Text in a Masters-level research methods course at Ashcroft International Business School at Anglia Polytechnic University (United Kingdom). Evaluates Patchwork in light of whether it met three objectives: helping students achieve a coherent grasp of the research process; helping students develop the…