Education Commons^™

Teaching And Assessing Engineering Design Thinking With Virtual Internships And Epistemic Network Analysis, Golnaz Arastoopour Irgens, David Williamson Shaffer, Zachari Swiecki, A. R. Ruis, Naomi C. Chesler

Golnaz Arastoopour Irgens

An engineering workforce of sufficient size and quality is essential for addressing significant global challenges such as climate change, world hunger, and energy demand. Future generations of engineers will need to identify challenging issues and design innovative solutions. To prepare young people to solve big and increasingly global problems, researchers and educators need to understand how we can best educate young people to use engineering design thinking. In this paper, we explore virtual internships, online simulations of 21st-century engineering design practice, as one method for teaching engineering design thinking. To assess the engineering design thinking, we use epistemic network analysis …

Engaged Learning In Community: At Wacc And In Your Canvas Course, Heather Newcomer, Marisa Petrich

Marisa Petrich

Learning Experiences In An Online Learning Environment: A Reflection, Kerwin A. Livingstone

Kerwin A. Livingstone

Online Learning In Higher Education: Comparing Teacher And Learner Perspectives, Peter W. Kilgour, Maria T. Northcote

Peter Kilgour

Higher education teachers’ and learners’ experiences of online teaching and online learning are tempered by their respective perceptions of their online educational environments. While much research has been undertaken in recent years to explore students’ or teachers’ perceptions of online education, less research has been conducted that investigates the perceptions of both groups in parallel contexts. Utilizing a mixed methods research approach, focus groups and questionnaires were administered to three cohorts of students and their teachers, across three institutions. Results are presented in terms of teachers’ and students’ perceptions of preferred online learning environments, including their most and least agreed …

Online Learning In Higher Education: Comparing Teacher And Learner Perspectives, Peter W. Kilgour, Maria T. Northcote

Maria Northcote

Higher education teachers’ and learners’ experiences of online teaching and online learning are tempered by their respective perceptions of their online educational environments. While much research has been undertaken in recent years to explore students’ or teachers’ perceptions of online education, less research has been conducted that investigates the perceptions of both groups in parallel contexts. Utilizing a mixed methods research approach, focus groups and questionnaires were administered to three cohorts of students and their teachers, across three institutions. Results are presented in terms of teachers’ and students’ perceptions of preferred online learning environments, including their most and least agreed …

Perceptions Of Sport Science Students On The Potential Applications And Limitations Of Blended Learning In Their Education: A Qualitative Study, Justin Keogh, Lisa Gowthorp, Michelle Mclean

Justin Keogh

Perceptions Of Sport Science Students On The Potential Applications And Limitations Of Blended Learning In Their Education: A Qualitative Study, Justin Keogh, Lisa Gowthorp, Michelle Mclean

Lisa Gowthorp

Perceptions Of Sport Science Students On The Potential Applications And Limitations Of Blended Learning In Their Education: A Qualitative Study, Justin Keogh, Lisa Gowthorp, Michelle Mclean

Michelle McLean

Lighting Up And Transforming Online Courses: Letting The Teacher’S Personality Shine, Maria T. Northcote

Maria Northcote

Affective aspects of learning have been shown to influence cognitive aspects of learning (Russo & Benson, 2005; Salmon, 2004) and online educators are increasingly aware of the role played by emotions in online learning. To encourage a well-rounded online learning experience for students, online course designers have long been encouraged to provide students with opportunities to express their own personality and identity (Palloff & Pratt, 1999). Such design features have been linked with improved learning outcomes and decreased attrition rates (McInnerney & Roberts, 2004). However, a comparable discussion about the value of teacher personality in online courses has yet to …

Devising Strategies For Enhancing Quality Staff Development In Embedding Ict In Teaching And Learning, Charles Juwah, Maria T. Northcote

Maria Northcote

Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) have huge potential and can add value to the quality of university teaching and learning. However, to fully exploit the potential of these innovative technologies, it is imperative that teaching staff are well informed about how to embed ICT in the curriculum in a way that is underpinned by sound pedagogy. Professional development programmes can enable staff to acquire appropriate skills to effectively facilitate technology-supported learning.The teaching staff from The Robert Gordon University and Edith Cowan University, are facing similar staff development challenges. Both universities provide online and distance education courses to their local and …

Dreams, Hiccups And Realities: What Happens When Lecturers And Students Co-Design An Online Module?, Maria T. Northcote, Beverly J. Christian

Maria Northcote

Negotiating curriculum design with students for students involves incorporating both the students’ needs and the lecturers’ requirements into the course structure, learning activities, resources and assessment tasks. In 2012, two lecturers and a group of first year undergraduate students worked together to design an online module within an on-campus course for a second year teacher education degree. During the semester when the online module was conducted, data were gathered from the lecturers and students in the course. Findings from analyses of these data are presented in this paper in terms of: 1) the lecturers’ and students’ initial dreams and plans …

Bumpy Moments And Joyful Breakthroughs: The Place Of Threshold Concepts In Academic Staff Development Programs About Online Learning And Teaching, Maria T. Northcote, Daniel Reynaud, Peter Beamish, Tony Martin, Kevin P. Gosselin

Maria Northcote

In this article the authors address the situation in higher education of academic staff facing what they conceptualise as “bumpy moments and joyful breakthroughs” as they work through the process of becoming teachers in online learning environments. The article comes from a research project, which gathered and analysed data from systematic observations and questionnaires. The authors base their study on the known fact that while many academics have grounded experience in on-campus teaching and learning situations they do not necessarily have the skills required today for extending learning through on-line environments. The authors discover that when academics start teaching in …

Reactions, Reflections And Responsibility: A 'Responsive Evaluation' Of An Emerging Blended Elearning Subject, Peter W. Kilgour, Phil Fitzsimmons

Peter Kilgour

This paper discusses the findings of a qualitative investigation that sought to illuminate the perceived benefits of undertaking a blended learning subject at one tertiary institution. While there are several studies detailing the benefits of online learning, this study focussed on the student’s perceptions. What emerged from the analysis process were a series of themes related to the notion of authentic learning. Key processes of this perceived optimal learning site and space were the elements of group and individual reflection, and risk taking. Thus a heightened sense of ownership was developed. While the students believed that this form of tertiary …

Bumpy Moments And Joyful Breakthroughs: The Place Of Threshold Concepts In Academic Staff Development Programs About Online Learning And Teaching, Maria T. Northcote, Daniel Reynaud, Peter Beamish, Tony Martin, Kevin P. Gosselin

Daniel Reynaud

In this article the authors address the situation in higher education of academic staff facing what they conceptualise as “bumpy moments and joyful breakthroughs” as they work through the process of becoming teachers in online learning environments. The article comes from a research project, which gathered and analysed data from systematic observations and questionnaires. The authors base their study on the known fact that while many academics have grounded experience in on-campus teaching and learning situations they do not necessarily have the skills required today for extending learning through on-line environments. The authors discover that when academics start teaching in …

Understanding Copyright & Transformative Fair Use, Andrée Rathemacher, Angel Ferria, Julia Lovett

Julia Lovett

Slides and workshop examples from a session, "Understanding Copyright & Transformative Fair Use," given at the Rhode Island Library Association Annual Conference, "RILA 2015," on May 28, 2015 in Newport, Rhode Island. "This interactive workshop will outline the basics of copyright and fair use, emphasizing the notion of transformative fair use as highlighted in recent court decisions. The majority of the session will be devoted to real-life scenarios, and audience members will be able to analyze texts, images, video, and sound recordings to determine whether the proposed use is fair. You’ll also learn about handy alternatives for situations when fair …

Copyright, Fair Use, And Education: Your Rights As A Student, Faculty Member, And Researcher, Julia Lovett, Andrée Rathemacher, Angel Ferria

Julia Lovett

Slides, handouts, and classroom examples from a presentation, "Copyright, Fair Use, and Education: Your Rights as a Student, Faculty Member, and Researcher," offered at the University of Rhode Island Libraries on February 24 and February 25, 2014. "Learn how Fair Use can help you incorporate copyrighted works (written material, images, video, etc.) into your research, teaching, and academic projects. Have questions about Fair Use and Copyright? Please bring them to these interactive sessions!" Part of the University Libraries' Search Savvy Seminar series.

The Cu Online Handbook 2011, Patrick R. Lowenthal, Kathleen Pounders, Joanna C. Dunlap, Elizabeth Conner, Howard Cook, David Thomas, Jeffrey R. Nystrom, Rodney Muth, Kelly Bergman, Margarita Bianco, Dan Mccollom, Sherri Clemens, Melissa Kreider, Barbara J. Dray, Stephanie Townsend, Storm Gloor, Tod Duncan, Jozianne Mestas, David Paul, Connie L. Fulmer, Anna Thai, Brian Yuhnke, J. Dobrovolny

Margarita Bianco

No abstract provided.

The Cu Online Handbook: Teaching Differently, Create And Collaborate, Patrick R. Lowenthal, David Thomas, Anna Thai, Brian Yuhnke, Susan Giullian, Donna Sobel, Connie L. Fulmer, Phil Antonelli, Laura Summers, Joanna C. Dunlap, Ellen Stevens, Dorothy Garrison-Wade, Patrick R. Lowenthal, Brent G. Wilson, Farah A. Ibrahim

Joanna Dunlap

No abstract provided.

The Cu Online Handbook 2011, Patrick R. Lowenthal, Kathleen Pounders, Joanna C. Dunlap, Elizabeth Conner, Howard Cook, David Thomas, Jeffrey R. Nystrom, Rodney Muth, Kelly Bergman, Margarita Bianco, Dan Mccollom, Sherri Clemens, Melissa Kreider, Barbara J. Dray, Stephanie Townsend, Storm Gloor, Tod Duncan, Jozianne Mestas, David Paul, Connie L. Fulmer, Anna Thai, Brian Yuhnke, J. Dobrovolny

Joanna Dunlap

No abstract provided.

Learning By Design: Teachers And Students As Co-Creators Of Knowledge [Book Chapter], Nathan Balasubramanian, Brent Wilson

Brent Wilson

About this book: Numerous educational technology programs and strategies have been developed on all continents to ensure that technology is used effectively for the benefit of student learning and achievement. The impact of technology on learning and instruction is still not clear. This book addresses several concerns of educators who rub elbows with a new technology. The book offers global research-based data on educational technology. The book consists of nine independent blind peer-reviewed scientific articles written by thirteen authors, four from Europe and nine from the USA. The authors present diverse views on social technologies and integration of ICT (information …

Leveraging Resources Across Units And Universities To Address Academic Literacies And Research Skills In Ontario Graduate Students, Melanie Mills, Elan Paulson

Melanie Mills

Students' Voices : Learning With Technologies : Students' Expectations About Learning With Technologies : A Literature Review, Kathryn Moyle, Susanne Owen

Professor Kathryn Moyle

This literature review is concerned with studies published since 2002 that take the perspectives of students in relation to learning with information and communication technologies. Students in schools, vocational education and training and in preservice teacher education, as well as early career teachers and other higher education students are included. The review examines published literature to: ascertain what recent research has already been undertaken in the field within Australia and overseas; ascertain the research methods used to underpin existing research; determine the gaps in existing knowledge; and consider the implications for determining what next steps could be undertaken. [Executive summary, …

Learning Assessments: Designing The Future, Geoff N. Masters

Prof Geoff Masters AO

Processes for assessing student learning are undergoing fundamental transformation.This presentation will consider three developments which can be expected to shape how student learning is assessed in the future. First is fundamental change in how assessment is conceptualised and approached, with a focus on monitoring learning. Second is growing interest in the assessment of a broader range of skills and attributes than those addressed in most current assessment efforts. Third is advances in technology which are opening the door to new ways of gathering information about student learning, including through records of real-time interactions in online learning environments. In ACER’s Centre …

Case Study Of Using A Social Annotation Tool To Support Collaboratively Learning, Fei Gao

Fei Gao

The purpose of the study was to understand student interaction and learning supported by a collaboratively social annotation tool — Diigo. The researcher examined through a case study how students participated and interacted when learning an online text with the social annotation tool — Diigo, and how they perceived their experience. The findings suggested that students participated actively in the collaborative learning activity and were engaged in a variety of behaviors including self-reflection, elaboration, internalization, and showing support. Although students generally had a moderately positive attitude toward using the social annotation tool for collaborative learning, a few problems were identified. …

New Model Of Productive Online Discussion And Its Implications For Research And Instruction, Fei Gao, Charles Xiaoxue Wang, Yanling Sun

Fei Gao

We develop a new model of productive online discussion based on a brief review of research literature on online discussion. As compared to previous discussion models, the new model provides a more systematic and comprehensive framework to understand how learning occurs through online discussion. Based on the new model, we propose several directions for research on improving the quality of online discussion and learning.

A Socratic Café For Critical Inquiry, Jody Piro, Gina Anderson

Jody Piro

This presentation will explore the completed research inquiry that developed from our overt attempt to promote critical thinking in an online forum. The implications for advancing critical inquiry in online formats for interdisciplinary university content areas will be addressed. The objectives of this session are twofold: 1) to introduce participants to the nine intellectual standards (Elder & Paul, 2007) used to analyze the critical thinking and Socratic questioning in our research, and 2) to discuss the structuring of critical analysis in participants' own classrooms. Participants can expect to participate in a cooperative learning activity to practice the use of Intellectual …

Reflections On An Inherent Tension Between Peer Collaboration And Individual Assessment In Online Professional Learning, Elizabeth Hartnell-Young, Leena Vainio

Dr Elizabeth Hartnell-Young

In this paper, the authors reflect on potential tensions between peer learning among adult students and current forms of assessment in two professional learning contexts: one in Finland, and one in Australia. The two groups participated separately in online and face to face learning that required them to gather data, reflect, communicate and try out new strategies in their workplaces. Formal learning outcomes and assessment were expected.

The Effect Of Synchronous And Asynchronous Participation On Students' Performance In Online Accounting Courses, Keith Duncan, A. L. Kenworthy, Ray Mcnamara

Ray McNamara

This article examines the relationship between MBA students' performance and participation in two online environments: a synchronous forum (chat room) and an asynchronous forum (discussion board) at an Australian university. The quality and quantity of students' participation is used to predict their final examination and course grade performance outcomes. We find that the total quality of students' participation is positively related to final examination performance but the total quantity of students' participation is related to overall course performance. We also find that synchronous engagement with the course (combined quality and quantity) drives these results and has twice the examination and …

Quality Learning With Technologies: Strategies For School Leaders To Address Challenges And Dilemmas, Kathryn Moyle

Professor Kathryn Moyle

The integration of technologies into schools is often promoted as a way to improve the quality of students’ learning, and an approach that enables teachers to be more ‘learner focused’.

Virtual learning environments, such as learning management systems, mobile technologies, online games, simulations and virtual worlds, are seen to offer teachers the ability to personalise learning for students, and as a way to enable students to be in control of the pace of their own learning. Technologies are also seen to assist in the collection and analysis of data about students’ achievements. Integrating technologies into school programs however, is not …

Implications Of Implementing A Hybrid Learning Approach At The University Of Guyana, Kerwin A. Livingstone

Kerwin A. Livingstone

Online learning and teaching is pervading higher education (HE) and many Universities are faced with the challenge of incorporating technology in education to meet the needs of students. The objective of this paper is to examine the implications of introducing a hybrid learning approach at the University of Guyana. A rationale has been established as to why this need is so germane. Literature has been reviewed and discussed, concerning face to face (F2F), online and blended instruction and the pertinence of these in current HE pedagogies. Special emphasis is paid to the transformative potential of blended learning to confront HE …