Education Commons^™

Exploring Student Perceptions Of Flipgrid In Online Courses, Patrick R. Lowenthal, Robert L. Moore

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Asynchronous video-based discussions have affordances that can address some of the constraints of asynchronous text-based discussions. However, little research has been conducted on the use of asynchronous video-based discussions in online courses. As a result, the purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate students’ perceptions of using Flipgrid for asynchronous video-based discussions in fully online courses. We used a cross-sectional survey design to survey 79 students who used Flipgrid in a fully online course. Students overall reported that they liked using Flipgrid, it was easy to use, and that it helped improve social presence. In this paper, we will …

Social Presence And Online Discussions: A Mixed Method Investigation, Patrick R. Lowenthal, Joanna Dunlap

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Researchers have been investigating social presence in online learning for decades. However, despite this continued research, questions remain about the nature and development of social presence. The purpose of this mixed method exploratory case study was to investigate how social presence is established in online discussion forums in an asynchronous online course. The results suggest that social presence is more complicated than previously thought. In particular, situational variable such as group size, instructional task, and previous relationships influence how social presence is established and maintained in online courses. In the following paper, we report the results of our inquiry and …

Using Schema Training To Facilitate Students' Understanding Of Challenging Engineering Concepts In Heat Transfer And Thermodynamics, Dazhi Yang, Ruth Streveler, Ronald L. Miller, Inanc Senocak, Jim Slotta

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Chi and colleagues have argued that some of the most challenging engineering concepts exhibit properties of emergent systems. However, students often lack a mental framework, or schema, for understanding emergence. Slotta and Chi posited that helping students develop a schema for emergent systems, referred to as schema training, would increase the understanding of challenging concepts exhibiting emergent properties.

Purpose: We tested the effectiveness of schema training and explored the nature of challenging concepts from thermodynamics and heat transfer. We investigated if schema training could (a) repair misconceptions in advanced engineering students and (b) prevent them in beginning engineering students. …

Faculty Perceptions Of Online Teaching At A Midsized Liberal Arts University, Dana L. Shreaves, Yu-Hui Ching, Lida Uribe-Florez, Jesús Trespalacios

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this mixed-methods study, faculty perceptions of online teaching at a midsized liberal arts university were examined to better understand faculty acceptance and participation in online teaching at the university. Seventy-nine participants responded to a survey that collected qualitative and quantitative data. Content analysis of faculty perceptions of online teaching was employed and resulted in the identification of six themes. An examination of 21 quantitative factors identified 17 factors reported by more than 50% of respondents to influence their decision to teach or not teach online. Study participants perceived online learning as attractive to students but they wanted any online …

The Administration Of Online Programs In Statewide Systems: A Case Study Of The University System Of New Hampshire, Chris L. Labelle, Patrick R. Lowenthal, Kerry Rice

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

As enrollments in postsecondary online programs have grown, many institutions have pursued a more centralized business model that consolidates their online programming under a single executive leader, a statewide system office, or a coalition of institutions that have merged operations and assets. In this study, the researchers used an exploratory case study design--using both surveys and interviews--to investigate how online programs are administered at four institutions in the University System of New Hampshire (USNH). Several findings emerged from the data. First, participants struggled finding a common vocabulary when talking about online programs and the potential benefits of system-level collaboration; second, …

'Education As A Geisteswissenschaft': An Introduction To Human Science Pedagogy, Norm Friesen

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Human Science Pedagogy is ‘a strange case,’ as Jürgen Oelkers has recently noted: In the Anglophone world, where Gert Biesta has compellingly encouraged scholars to ‘reconsider education as a Geisteswissenschaft’ (a human science) its main themes and the contributions of its central figures remain unknown. For Germans, particularly in more ‘general’ or philosophical areas of educational scholarship (i.e. Allgemeine Pädagogik), this same pedagogy is recognized only insofar as it is critiqued and rejected. Taking this strange situation as its frame, this paper introduces Human Science Pedagogy to English-language readers, providing a cursory overview of its history and principal contributors, …

Guidelines For Designing Online Courses For Mobile Devices, Sally J. Baldwin, Yu-Hui Ching

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

College students frequently use mobile devices (e.g., smartphones and tablets) to access online courses yet online course designers often do not design courses with mobile learning in mind. This research identified seven national and statewide online course design evaluation instruments and examined the criteria that guide course designers designing online courses for learning with mobile devices. Currently, minimal guidance on course design for mobile learning is offered in most of the national and statewide online course design instruments. Research-supported design tips that promote device compatibility, content readability, format optimization, and mobile-friendly navigation are suggested in this paper to guide future …

4 Weird Things That Happen When You Videoconference, Norm Friesen

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

As the COVID-19 pandemic forces many U.S. colleges and universities to move their courses online, connecting online via video is now having its moment.

Family, friends, neighbors and even TV talk-show hosts are now meeting and broadcasting from home. Meanwhile, Microsoft, Google and Zoom are struggling to meet the demand for their videoconferencing services.

People have long noticed, however, that some peculiar things happen in videoconferencing. A magazine mentioned its “bizarre intimacy.” Jaron Lanier, who is considered the “father of virtual reality,” once remarked that it “seems precisely configured to confound” nonverbal communication.

Understanding Secondary School Teachers’ Tpack And Technology Implementation In Mathematics Classrooms, Julia Eden Hill, Lida Uribe-Florez

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge (TPACK) framework provides an understanding of a teacher’s knowledge in the three areas and how it is used to effectively teach with technology (Koehler, Mishra, & Cain, 2013). This study explores the TPACK of middle and high school math and special education teachers and how teachers integrate technology in their mathematics classrooms. Teachers in a rural public school district in the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S were surveyed. In the concurrent mixed-method design, data were collected using a survey with 22 close-ended questions from Zelkowski, Gleason, Cox, & Bismark (2013) to measure teachers’ TPACK …

Video Feedback: Is It Worth The Effort? A Response To Borupe Et Al., Patrick R. Lowenthal

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

It is easier than ever to provide video feedback. Research has shown that video feedback, among other things, can help increase conversational and afective communication. However, research also suggests that despite its benefts, instructors and students might prefer text-based feedback. The following paper responds to research by Borup, West, and Thomas (Educ Technol Res Dev 63(2): 161–184. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-015- 9367-8, 2015), describes the value of their research, how it can be applied, some limitations, and future areas of research in a time where colleges are shifting to digital

Comparing Collaborative And Cooperative Game Play For Academic And Gaming Achievements, Youngkyun Baek, Achraf Touati

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper reports an empirical study that explores gender differences in both cooperative and collaborative social gaming in relation to achievements and attitudes. Another aim was to compare students’ game attitudes, feelings towards group work, and achievements in cooperative versus collaborative digital game-based learning environments. One hundred sixty-four, sixth grade students from five different classrooms at an elementary school in South Korea participated voluntarily in this study. A total of two boys and two girls were randomly assigned to each group resulting in twenty groups for each of the grouping conditions. Based on interaction effects, results suggest that male students …

Developing Online Sense Of Community: Graduate Students' Experiences And Perceptions, Jesus Trespalacios, Lida J. Uribe-Florez

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Building a sense of community (SoC) is an important process in the success of distance education and students’ retention. However, developing a community in online learning environments is not an easy task. The purpose of this research study is to explore perceptions of graduate students on SoC and learning after using different collaborative activities with diverse forms of interaction (text, audio, and video) in an online educational research course. Quantitative data from two surveys and qualitative data from individual interviews were collected. Findings indicate that multimodal and scaffolding interactive activities help to support connectedness and learning, and therefore foster online …

An Integrated Framework Based On Latent Variational Autoencoder For Providing Early Warning Of At-Risk Students, Xu Du, Juan Yang, Jui-Long Hung

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The rapid development of learning technologies has enabled online learning paradigm to gain great popularity in both high education and K-12, which makes the prediction of student performance become one of the most popular research topics in education. However, the traditional prediction algorithms are originally designed for balanced dataset, while the educational dataset typically belongs to highly imbalanced dataset, which makes it more difficult to accurately identify the at-risk students. In order to solve this dilemma, this study proposes an integrated framework (LVAEPre) based on latent variational autoencoder (LVAE) with deep neural network (DNN) to alleviate the imbalanced distribution of …

Mining Educational Implications Of Minecraft, Youngkyun Baek, Ellen Min, Seongchul Yun

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study aims to explore the educational potential of Minecraft which has been widely used since its first release in 2009. Articles about Minecraft were searched for in ProQuest. Data was gathered from twenty-six articles which were indicative of three categories: Integration into curriculum; Student engagement, interest and enthusiasm; and Knowledge and skills acquisition. By using Minecraft, students acquire knowledge and skills, and are also engaged, interested and enthusiastic when Minecraft is employed in science, math, social sciences, language arts and composition classes. Challenges with using Minecraft in the classroom include the lack of focused learning objectives, inflexible curriculum, and …

Using Technology To Support Student Learning In An Integrated Stem Learning Environment, Dazhi Yang, Sally J. Baldwin

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper provides the first review and illustration of technology-use strategies for supporting student learning in different integrated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning environments. An integrated STEM learning environment may focus on integrating and learning science and mathematics or integrating and learning engineering and technology simultaneously for multiple levels of learners. An integrated STEM learning environment breaks down disciplinary boundaries and allows students to apply multidisciplinary knowledge in solving problems. This study illustrates four technology-use strategies to support student learning in an integrated STEM learning environment: a) providing authentic learning contexts, b) offering web-based inquiry environments, c) expanding …