Evidence-Based Teaching for the 21st Century Classroom and Beyond

This book serves as an essential intervention where the innovative, evidence based and contemporary teaching, learning approaches, strategies and learning support systems to be incorporated in the learning process are presented, supported with findings. It addresses the complex challenges and limitations in practice supported with evidence, hence providing possible approaches to address them. It also addresses an interesting scope of topics that are both contemporary and essential to almost all academics that have a high responsibility to nurture, develop, train and equip learners both at the undergraduate and post-graduate levels at the university with the relevant skills and competencies.

“The book authored by Dr. Rajaram provides evidence-based discussions and practical-oriented recommendations that comes as a timely, relevant intervention for educators and research scholars. Like most organizational sectors, the education sector is facing increasing competition and rapidly changing students’ interests and needs. Stated differently, it is being disrupted. In order for Higher Education Institutions and Universities and their faculty to stay relevant, it is critical that they understand, respond and adopt innovative evidence-based teaching strategies. Evidence-Based Teaching and Innovative Learning Strategies has been written to ensure that educational researchers and faculty are up to date on the latest teaching and learning innovations and research. It is sure to inform and propel educational best-practices into the future. The insights shared will serve as case-studies and exemplary practices to help educators respond with agility to the evolving, rapid changes in higher education.”  - Assistant Professor Ryan Gottfredson, College of Business and Economics, California State University-Fullerton, United States

 “The book combines a succinct review of business education, learning science and teaching theories and presents evidence-based yet pragmatic research insights and analysis related to teaching and learning scholarship. These well-researched and clearly articulated analyses have generated theoretically informed recommendations for optimizing the learning process and effectiveness on how students in business education learn. This book addresses gaps in the literature explicit to business education teaching and learning. The author, Dr. Rajaram’s insightful discussions kindle contemporary and interesting research questions for business educators now and into a post-COVID future. The book serves a timely and valuable exploration of the discipline of business education in higher education institutions for researchers and educators alike.” – Professor Bob Fox, Curriculum, Office of Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education & Student Experience), University of New South Wales, Australia and Teaching Fellow, The University of Hong Kong

 

“In this book, Dr. Rajaram goes beyond a basic presentation of existing learning methodologies. He also reflexively discusses approaches such as the flipped classroom and on-line learning via social media. Dr. Rajaram provides insights on important topics such as getting students motivated through collaborative work within and between groups, helping students develop cognitive empathy-related skills and leadership competencies, and creating a sense of community in the classroom. The result is a set of evidence-based, contemporary, valuable insights and innovative tools for researchers and educators in Higher Education.” - Dr. Ludvig Levasseur, Assistant Professor in Entrepreneurship, Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore and Junior Research Fellow, Indiana University

  

“The book is beneficial for educators and researchers from universities who want to bring their “know-hows” and teaching skills to a more advanced level. This book by Dr. Rajaram presents validated pedagogical practices, innovative learning strategies from the latest academic research and vital tips for improved teaching and contemporary, evidence-based learning for varying relevant stakeholder groups. The book comprises of valuable insights and practical recommendations. The scholarly discussions and nuances covered are well scaffolded and clearly articulated. I highly recommend educators and researchers to read it.” - Dr. Andrea Honal, Professor of Management, Media & Marketing and Director of the Digital Learning of the DHBW Mannheim, Germany

 “Dr Rajaram continues his contributions and surprise readers with yet another insightful, impactful and forward-looking publication in the field of Higher Education. The author delivers a set of chapters that are an essential read for those involved in advancing teaching and learning strategies, equally at the top-ranked, and emerging institutions around the World. Rich in evidence, theoretical frameworks and innovative approaches, the book leads the reader to reconsider their practices in the context of emerging 21^st century Higher Education landscape. As institutions face complex challenges brought abound by, for example, the emerging technologies, strategic repositioning and health crisis, forward-looking strategic proposals integrated into the book provide safeguard for sustainable development in innovative teaching and learning in the context of Higher Education.” - Associate Professor Daniel Churchill, Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong

 

“This is a comprehensive book on teaching and innovative learning strategies. It reviews various teaching and learning approaches and offers suggestions on how to adapt and execute them. The evaluation of existing scientific evidence and the reflections shared are thought-provoking and helpful for advancing future research in the areas of teaching and learning as well. This is definitely a worthwhile read for instructors and researchers who are interested in implementing state-of-the-art and stimulating strategies to engage their learners!”- Assistant Professor Chong SinHui, Division of Leadership, Management and Organisation, Nanyang Business School, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

  

“Dr. Rajaram’s book makes an important contribution to the field of learning science and teaching scholarship in business education. Its treatment of evidence-based teaching approaches should be adopted as exemplary practices by business educators across the world, especially for undergraduate education. The book examines the challenges faced by Universities to transform their teaching and learning methodologies to respond to the rapidly evolving changes in industry and technology. The teaching and innovative learning strategies recommended by Dr Rajaram are very grounded and innovative and will enhance learning effectiveness for all students” - Professor S. Viswanathan, Nanyang Business School, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

 

“Dr. Kumaran’s book provides a collection of effective field-tested strategies that allows educators to meaningfully engage students in class.  Some of these are illustrated with examples and research studies based on Dr. Kumaran’s classes in the Nanyang Business School.  The discussions on considerations in the design of collaborative class activities to develop soft skills such as empathy and leadership traits are especially useful and interesting. The underlying principles depicted are also applicable to educators and scholars in other similar fields.  This book will be a valuable addition to educators developing curriculum to prepare students for the 21st century.”- Dr. Ho Shen Yong, Principal Lecturer, Associate Dean (Academic), Division of Physics & Applied Physics, College of Science, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

  

“This book presents a unique set of ideas for innovation in teaching and learning with a set of pragmatic recommendations for educators in higher education to adapt to their respective teaching practices. With evidence-based findings and thought-provoking discussions, this book enhances the research and practice of holistic higher education with new perspectives and proposition in imbuing soft skills in students. The current book, underpinned by good quality empirical work and theorizing, will be a valuable resource for practitioners, policymakers and researchers in higher education contexts.” Dr. Samson Tan, Head, Centre for Innovation in Learning, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 

  

“Technological developments and innovations have infiltrated all aspects of our lives, from where and how we communicate, interact, work, play as well as learn. This book provides a timely review of teaching strategies commonly employed in higher education to help students learn and prepare for an increasingly digitalized 21^st Century. The authors based their review and discussion on extant research evidence and findings, providing a sound basis for informing both researchers and educators. The book provides reflective suggestions on how research scholars can extend current understanding in the field of learning science and useful insights on how teaching faculty can help to further enhance student learning.” - Associate Professor Low Kin Yew, Associate Dean (Undergraduate Academic), Nanyang Business School, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

  

“Dr. Rajaram's new academic book provides a timely contribution to teaching pedagogy at this turning point in modes of delivery in Higher Education Institutions.  It provides sound, evidence-based advice for educators and researchers today, but offers more than merely a guide and set of top tips.  It is underpinned by extensive research and leading-edge theoretical insights to teaching and learning today.  Covering concerns such as students’ engagement, collaborative learning and critical thinking, it links practice in the classroom with virtual learning environments and the use of social media, thus bringing debates on teaching practice bang up to date for contemporary and veteran educators.  The result is a book that should grip the reader and enable Higher Education educators and researchers to reflect upon and update their teaching practices and scholarship endeavours in this fast-evolving digitalized world.” – Dr. Paul Forrester, Senior Lecturer in Enterprise, Keele Business School, Keele University, United Kingdom

 

“It is almost cliche to say that we in higher education are living in a disruptive, transformative era. Dr. Rajaram is an experienced educator whose thoughtfulness and intentionality in considering how we might effectively implement innovative approaches for facilitating student learning outcomes serve as the perfect antidote in a moment that can sometimes feel overly reactive, even frantic. In Evidence-Based Teaching for the 21^st Century Classroom and Beyond - Innovation-Driven Learning Strategies, Dr. Rajaram brings his expertise to this distinct moment of transition in higher education. His insightful discussions of approaches such as the flipped classroom, innovative tactics for developing student empathy and peer reflective feedback, and co-opting social media platforms as collaborative learning tools reflect an ongoing mission to connect the scholarship of teaching and learning with cutting-edge digital tools to prepare university graduates for the challenges of our dynamic global economy.” - Associate Professor Alexander Bolinger, Department of Management, College of Business, Idaho State University, United States

 

“We inhabit a fluid, fast-changing geopolitical landscape. All of humanity faces unprecedented challenges, including climate change, artificial intelligence governance, and global pathogen risks. To confront these challenges, today’s university students must receive a holistic education. They should be equipped not only with content-knowledge, but also an array of social skills, cognitive competencies, and emotional sensitivities needed to innovate, work with others, act ethically, and lead. Dr. Kumaran Rajaram’s ground-breaking study assesses a multitude of pedagogical techniques that engage students on all these levels. Collaborative and experiential learning, peer feedback, and “flipped” classrooms are shown to cultivate problem-solving skills, empathy, and leadership ability. Dr. Rajaram subjects all the interventions to an evidence-based analysis with well-defined performance criteria. We have here an invaluable resource for university educators worldwide.” - Associate Professor Andres Carlos Luco, School of Humanities, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

 

“In eight well-crafted chapters, Dr. Kumaran Rajaram, brings together valuable insights about several key areas of pedagogy in a highly readable and useful book that anyone in the higher education sector should read. The book offers principled, contextual and evidence-based approaches to teaching in the modern university setting. There is a great deal to learn from this book.” – Assistant Professor Althaf Marsoof, Division of Business Law, Nanyang Business School, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

 

“This book is a rich and timely contribution to mastering the transformation of higher education in the 21^st century. There is ample coverage of how to build and foster new and vital competencies on the sides of both students as well as academic instructors through innovative approaches in classrooms and beyond. Key skills such as critical thinking, cognitive empathy and reflection are explored. Dr. Kumaran Rajaram provides valuable insights through the featured studies and real-time learning environment experiments he has conducted for many years. I highly appreciate the evidence-based coverage of state-of-the art approaches uniting technology, intellectual skills and innovative mindset. Scholars will benefit from value-adding research avenues opened up. This book will inspire the SOTL community to further enquire the complex challenges associated with making higher education future-proof.”  - Dr. Volker Rundshagen, Professor of Management and Tourism Studies, Vice Dean, School of Business Studies, University of Applied Sciences Stralsund, Germany

“This book by Dr. Rajaram discusses evidence-based teaching and innovative learning strategies in university education that are studied in the context of business studies. It has the potential to influence the way educators and policy makers think about curriculum, pedagogies and the use of technologies to better engage learners and make them reflect and think critically. I strongly recommend this book for anyone interested in contemporary and transformative ways of teaching and learning in higher education, especially in the current pandemic as well as post-pandemic age.” - Professor Chee-Kit Looi, Professor of Education, National Institute of Education, and Co-Director, Centre of Research and Development in Learning, Nanyang Technological University

 

“There are not many books on teaching practices for higher education. From these, there are less than a handful that review the science behind educational practices, and fewer still that report on primary studies on specific strategies and interventions. This book belongs to the latter and is true to its word – it is about evidenced based teaching. The eight chapters in this book incorporate eight studies of educational strategies and interventions towards distilling best practices for the future of education. This book is essential reading for those tasked with transforming education to meet current and future demands.”  – Associate Professor Damien Joseph, Assistant Dean (Undergraduate), Nanyang Business School, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

 

“I would like to congratulate Prof Kumaran Rajaram on his new book. It is a timely book as the higher education sector has gone through significant transformation over the recent years. It is important to have evidence-based strategies to inform the community. Educators will find this book useful to understand relevant topics such as flipped classroom, collaborative learning and experiential learning. Educators must continue to learn so as to be well-equipped and competent teachers in the 21st century.” – Dr. Seow Poh Sun, Associate Professor of Accounting (Education), Associate Dean (Teaching and Curriculum), School of Accountancy, Singapore Management University, Singapore

 

“The information within this book examines the challenges of how higher education institutions and Universities should transform their teaching and learning methodologies to better connect students with how they learn and what they learn.  Through best-in-practice learning and teaching strategies, insights from this book show why and how we should go beyond merely facilitating content knowledge, to the application and development of skills that will position students to be to be job-ready.” – Prof Robert Sroufe, Murrin Chair of Global Competitiveness, Top Ranked MBA Sustainable Business Practices Program, Palumbo-Donahue Graduate School of Business, Duquesne University

Dr. Kumaran Rajaram is a Senior Lecturer and Course Chair where he lectures, leads a team of senior instructors, responsible for the curriculum & learning design of management and leadership courses in the Leadership, Management and Organization Division at the Nanyang Business School. He earned his PhD with Distinction in Business and Management (majoring in Organizational Learning, Learning Culture and Science). As an acknowledgment for his quality performance, he was nominated for the 2012, 2013, 2014 Emerald/EFMD Outstanding Doctoral Research Awards. As a research affiliate-fellow with Centre for Research and Development in Learning, he performs cutting-edge research in Organizational Science, Learning Analytics, Culture of Learning, Learning Culture and Internationalization of Business Higher Education. He is an expert, scholar-practitioner in business management, organizational science leadership, change management and a research scholar who specializes in learning analytics, organizational learning and development, management education, culture of learning and internationalization of higher education. He has received multiple competitive school, university and national level research grants and awards on topics related to pedagogical innovation and leadership competencies. He has published in management education, learning culture in multi-disciplinary context, learning analytics and internationalization of higher education. He was instrumental in transforming and implementing the flipped-classroom pedagogy, adopting problem-based and team-based learning in the course that he chairs. Dr Rajaram is also the inventor of various innovative learning interventions. Dr. Rajaram is the Founder and Executive Director of Research Lab for Learning Innovation and Culture of Learning. He was nominated for the Outstanding USQ Professional Alumnus 2012, 2013 and Outstanding USQ Academic & Research Alumnus 2014, 2015 and 2016. He was awarded the John Cheung Social Media Award 2016, NTU EdeX Grants 2016 & 2017 and MOE TRF Grant 2017.