This poster presentation examines the scope of using scaffolded reflective writing as an assessment tool in an undergraduate capstone research course offered by a residential college based in a Singapore university. The capstone experience in this college is part of the general education curriculum offered to residents. Designed to provide an opportunity for interdisciplinary research collaboration, the capstone requires groups of students from different disciplinary backgrounds to work closely with a community partner on a local need or problem under the supervision of college faculty. Drawing on the authors’ experiences of co-supervising two capstone projects on disability accessibility in Singapore, the poster demonstrates how intentionally designed reflection assessments generate active learning among students in research courses. Prior studies highlight a range of benefits of reflective writing from developing critical thinking, evaluating a wide range of perspectives to making sense of complex social realities. A scaffolded approach to reflective writing creates awareness of their individual learning strategies. Furthermore, when incorporated into research courses, reflective writing helps students discern the different methodological stages in their research journey. This study illustrates that curating scaffolded reflective writing exercises in research courses centred on community-based issues meets the needs of heterogeneously composed student groups whilst also empowering them to take ownership of their learning alongside working collaboratively on the research deliverables. Furthermore, it advances a student-centered research supervision experience by enabling the instructors to acknowledge the different starting points of students and provide formative feedback that aligns with their individual learning trajectories.

Authors:
Lavanya Balachandran, National University of Singapore, Singapore
Angie Tan, National University of Singapore, Singapore

About the Presenter(s)
Dr Lavanya Balachandran is a University Assistant Professor/Lecturer at National University of Singapore in Singapore

See this presentation on the full schedule – Friday Schedule

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