Instilling Low Carbon Awareness through Technology-Enhanced Cooperative Problem Based Learning

Authors

  • Nina Diana Nawi Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
  • Fatin Aliah Phang Centre for Engineering Education, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
  • Khairiyah Mohd Yusof Centre for Engineering Education, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
  • Nor Farahwahidah Abdul Rahman Centre for Engineering Education, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
  • Zaki Yamani Zakaria Centre for Engineering Education, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
  • Syed Ahmad Helmi Syed Hassan Centre for Engineering Education, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
  • Aerma Nurazalina Musa State Department of Education, Ministry of Education, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v14i24.12135

Keywords:

Cooperative problem-based learning, technology-enhanced learning, digital platform, low carbon, environmental issues.

Abstract


Cooperative Problem-Based Learning (CPBL) is a highly Student-Centred Learning (SCL) method for students to develop self-directed learning skills. Previous studies show that CPBL succeeded in instilling environ-mental awareness, deep learning in Science, Technology and Mathematics (STEM) and 21st century skills among students. In this study, digital tech-nologies were utilised to form learning communities during the planning and implementation of CPBL: Low Carbon Society program in two sec-ondary schools in the Iskandar Region in Malaysia. CPBL requires the stu-dents and the facilitators to be proactive and sensible in seeking knowledge and information needed to solve the problem. Google search engine were predominantly used by the CPBL students to search for information, while WhatsApp and Telegram were primarily used to communicate and form learning support communities during the CPBL learning process. CPBL provides early exposure for the students to use software programs in plan-ning and delivering their findings. Students’ reflective journals and obser-vation reports were collected and analysed to identify low carbon aware-ness developed through CPBL. It is found that students’ active involve-ment in understanding the issues and the external motivation and pressure given enabled them to embrace the concept and awareness. The findings of this study indicate that technology assists and provides much needed support in the learning environment to develop low carbon awareness among the students.

Author Biographies

Nina Diana Nawi, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

Nina Diana binti Nawi currently a senior lecturer in School of Education, Faculty of Social Science and Humanities, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. Her main research interests are in funds of knowledge, student learning pedagogy, cooperative problem based -learning and physics education. She works close with Centre for Engineering Education and Low Carbon Asia Research Centre at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia in understanding the impacts of Problem Based Learning among the secondary school’s students with the theme of low carbon. She is an affiliate of The Young Scientists Network-Academy of Sciences Malay-sia (YSN-ASM).

Fatin Aliah Phang, Centre for Engineering Education, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

Fatin Aliah Phang received her PhD at University of Cambridge in Education in 2009. She is now an Assoc. Prof. at the School of Education, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM). She is also the Research Fellow at the Centre for Engineering Education, UTM. Her research area is in Physics education, focusing on problem-solving, metacognition and qualitative research methodology. She is also working on the fields of engineering education and low-carbon society awareness and education with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). She is the current Chair of Science Education working group of Young Scientists Network (YSN) - Academy of Science Malaysia (ASM).

Khairiyah Mohd Yusof, Centre for Engineering Education, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

Khairiyah Mohd Yusof is the founding Director of Centre for Engineering Ed-ucation, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. Currently, she is the President for the Society of Engineering Education Malaysia. A practitioner and researcher of problem-based learning (PBL), she regularly conducts courses to train and men-tor academics, especially those in STEM areas, in effective implementa-tion of student centered learning techniques such as active learning, cooperative learn-ing and PBL.

Nor Farahwahidah Abdul Rahman, Centre for Engineering Education, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

Nor Farahwahidah is a senior lecturer of Physics Education and Coordinator for postgraduate studies in Physics education at School of Education. She is spe-cializing in the field of Scientific Epistemology/Nature of Science. Currently, she is working as a research fellow at Centre of Engineering Education to widen her area of expertise into STEM education and Engineering Education. Her research interests focus on the norm of practices and epistemology scientific in science education.

Zaki Yamani Zakaria, Centre for Engineering Education, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

Ir. Ts. Dr. Zaki Yamani Zakaria has been with the School of Chemical & Energy Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) since 2008. His main research interests are in catalytic reaction engineering, en-gineering education, green related technology, and safety and health. He is pres-ently a fellow researcher in the Center of Engineering Education (CEE), UTM. He obtained his Ph.D (Chemical Engineering) UTM (2013). Before joining the facul-ty, he has been practicing as a Project Engineer (2003-2005) and Process Engi-neer (2005-2008). Ir. Dr. Zaki Yamani Zakaria became a Professional Engineer (BEM) and Chartered Engineer (IChemE) in 2010. He was appointed as a Profes-sional Technologist in 2018 by Malaysia Board of Technologist (MBOT).

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Published

2019-12-19

How to Cite

Nawi, N. D., Phang, F. A., Mohd Yusof, K., Abdul Rahman, N. F., Zakaria, Z. Y., Syed Hassan, S. A. H., & Musa, A. N. (2019). Instilling Low Carbon Awareness through Technology-Enhanced Cooperative Problem Based Learning. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (iJET), 14(24), pp. 152–166. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v14i24.12135

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Papers