Exploring Virtual Reflective Learning Experiences in Higher Education
Exploring Virtual Reflective Learning Experiences in Higher Education

Summary/Abstract: As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, formal education underwent a period of rapid transformation. Beyond this period, the virtual learning environment proposed a reevaluation of curriculum designand didactic strategies. The Classroom Laboratory NTNU-WUT Joint Course (CL) was introduced asa novel learning experience for students at West University of Timisoara (WUT) and the NorwegianUniversity of Science and Technology (NTNU). This experimental course was proposed as part of theRomania-Norway collaboration and incorporates Virtual Project Based Learning (VPBL) in crosscultural and cross-disciplinary online learning groups. This study aims to describe the learningexperiences of Romanian students enrolled at WUT in the CL course during the 2021–2022 academicyear. In a quasi-experimental design, 24 Romanian students participated in a seven-weektransversal CL course, collaborating with Norwegian peers to develop a solution for a socialproblem. ••Students made significant gains in all three dimensions targeted by VPBL: skilldevelopment, self-regulation of learning, and group interactions in the online environment. Inaddition, the learning of students was compared based on the field of science they are pursuing(STEM and non-STEM). The results indicate that students enrolled in STEM disciplines demonstratedgreater benefits from this instructional approach, as evident in their progress across the threedimensions of PBL. The qualitative analysis of the students' journals reveals a positive learningexperience in terms of knowledge acquisition, skill development, and affective engagement. Inconclusion, CL and VBPL are valid strategies for online university-level instruction.

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