Abstract:

Presenting the development and integration of QR codes and an eLearning platform as teaching resources significantly improve student knowledge, experience, feedback, attainment, and employability. Connecting practical skills to relevant industrial situations, this approach reduces the time demonstrators spend on basic explanations, freeing them to engage students on higher-level conceptual material.

In today’s educational landscape, practical learning experiences are essential for developing students' competencies. Presenting an innovative project designed to enhance student engagement with practical elements, fostering technical understanding, effective communication, and self-directed learning. Three key outcomes for a successful practical class are students’ acquisition of technical understanding, ability to communicate results, and application of conceptual understanding to their work, Students can begin to gain autonomy to manage their study and their own self-directed learning.

This eLearning project was designed to transform student engagement with practical subjects by promoting higher-order thinking. By employing application-based digital teaching and learning activities, it fosters a deeper understanding and practical application of course concepts. The digital resources support inclusivity, diverse student needs and moves beyond surface learning to deep learning occurring. The eLearning resources empower students to build resilience, autonomy, confidence, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills. Real-world applications are utilised to facilitate feedback and maximise academic potential.

Outcomes and Collaborative Efforts:
This project involved collaboration with eLearning staff to create digital learning materials accessible via QR codes and an eLearning platform. Students can access tutorial videos, subtitled for non-English speakers, and mobile web pages, enhancing their preparation for workshops and labs. This integration of this versatile technology has streamlined the delivery of practical subject matter and provided new learning opportunities. The digital resources offer quick access to materials, aiding communication of theory and embedding knowledge through digital means. This blended learning approach allows students to learn at their own pace and revisit complex topics as needed. Practical workshops and labs are also enhanced with this technology and scaffolded learning which supports self-reflection, metacognition, and knowledge construction, following the selection of logically building content improves student satisfaction, success, and reduces surface learning.
The use of QR codes and eLearning Platform, has enabled the introduction of eLearning in previously challenging areas, providing students with extensive support materials accessible at their convenience. The success of the eLearning platform is evident from analytical data on Blackboard, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic when user interactions surged. For example, It was accessed over 4,000 times in a semester demonstrating global accessibility and unencumbered assignment completion.

Impact on Higher Education:
The School of Chemical Engineering has adopted this resource to enhance the learning experience of over 300 students annually, including chemical and petroleum engineering students. The materials are also available in JORUM, a repository for open educational resources, benefiting colleagues and students worldwide.

Keywords:

Digital, e-learning, technology, autonomy, inclusivity, problem-solving, critical thinking skills.