Instructional Media Design Commons^™

Peer Feedback To Facilitate Project-Based Learning In An Online Environment, Yu-Hui Ching, Yu-Chang Hsu

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

There has been limited research examining the pedagogical benefits of peer feedback for facilitating project-based learning in an online environment. Using a mixed method approach, this paper examines graduate students’ participation and perceptions of peer feedback activity that supports project-based learning in an online instructional design course. Our findings indicate that peer feedback can be implemented in an online learning environment to effectively support project-based learning. Students actively participated in the peer feedback activity and responded positively about how the peer feedback activity facilitated their project-based learning experiences. The results of content analysis exploring the peer feedback reveal that learners …

Learning Analytics: Readiness And Rewards, Norm Friesen

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper introduces the relatively new field of learning analytics, first by considering the relevant meanings of both “learning” and “analytics,” and then by looking at two main levels at which learning analytics can be or has been implemented in educational organizations. Although turnkey systems or modules are not yet available for review, specific technologies for analyzing online student activities have been implemented and piloted. As a result, this paper recommends an incremental approach to institutional preparedness.

Mobile App Design For Teaching And Learning: Educators’ Experiences In An Online Graduate Course, Yu-Chang Hsu, Yu-Hui Ching

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

This research explored how educators with limited programming experiences learned to design mobile apps through peer support and instructor guidance. Educators were positive about the sense of community in this online course. They also considered App Inventor a great web-based visual programming tool for developing useful and fully functioning mobile apps. They had great sense of empowerment through developing unique apps by using App Inventor. They felt their own design work and creative problem solving were inspired by the customized mobile apps shared by peers. The learning activities, including sharing customized apps, providing peer feedback, composing design proposals, and keeping …

Development Of A Scale For Fantasy State In Digital Games, Beomkyu Choi, Jie Huang, Annie Jeffrey, Youngkyun Baek

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Digital games appear to motivate players intrinsically. Of various game features, fantasy in particularly plays a crucial role in enhancing motivation and is a key factor in immersion in gameplay. As with its inherent value, fantasy also plays a vital role in distinguishing digital games itself from other media. Despite its significance, fantasy has received little attention, and this concept is still ambiguous to define with any certainty. This study thus aims to create a framework to explore a dimension of fantasy and to develop a scale to measure a state of fantasy in digital games. As a result, four …

Collaborative Learning Using Voicethread In An Online Graduate Course, Yu-Hui Ching, Yu-Chang Hsu

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Collaborative learning enables participants in a learning community to externalize and share knowledge, experiences, and practice. However, collaborative learning in an online environment can be challenging due to the lack of face-to face interaction. This current study examined twenty graduate students’ experiences of using VoiceThread for a collaborative activity in an entirely online course to explore students’ perceptions of using multi-modal communication for collaboration and knowledge sharing. The results of this study revealed that graduate students had very positive experiences toward using VoiceThread for collaborative learning. The participants found VoiceThread easy to learn and use, and reported that audio and …

Using A Learner-Centered Approach To Develop An Educational Technology Course, Mariam Abdelmalak, Jesús Trespalacios

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The article explores the structure of a graduate educational technology course that used a learner-centered approach to prepare students to be independent responsible learners. Key features of this approach were the balance of power between the instructor and students, involving students in decision-making about their learning, sharing the responsibility for learning between the instructor and students, and using students' needs and interests in the course content. The article describes how the decision-making power was shared between the instructor and students, as well as how students responded to the course structure. This work has implications for creating learner-centered environments in which …

Leading A Multiple Project Mobile Learning Initiative: The Approach At Boise State University, Susan E. Shadle, Ross A. Perkins, Doug J. Lincoln, Michael J. Humphrey, R. Eric Landrum

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Many colleges and universities have launched wide-ranging, device-specific mobile initiatives or invested substantial resources to make services mobile friendly in a platform-neutral manner. For others, a more measured approach toward integration of mobile devices can be a reasonable and pragmatic way forward. Faculty and staff from a number of units within Boise State University convened in Fall 2010 to develop a series of specific recommendations that would allow for the development of one or more innovative, technology-based projects across campus. In 2011, the task force submitted a proposal titled “Mobile-Learning for Boise State: A Proposal to Catalyze Transformation in Teaching …

Scholarship And Literacies In A Digital Age, Norm Friesen, Lesley Gourlay, Martin Oliver

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

There is growing interest in the impact of digital technologies on meaning-making practices and identity in education, which has been explored via the related concepts of ‘digital scholarship’ and ‘digital literacies’. However, to date, much published work in this area has been descriptive, identifying possibilities or promoting specific kinds of intervention. Far rarer is work that develops concepts, links to research outside of the field of learning technology or work that uses new data to challenge existing orthodoxies.

Rethinking Fantasy As A Contributor To Intrinsic Motivation In Digital Gameplay, Beomkyu Choi, Youngkyun Baek

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Playing digital games is a part of life for current natives. Games make people engrossed, and are optimized environments where fun prevails. Of making people motivated in gameplay, fantasy is a paramount element. Research has discovered that fantasy plays a critical role in enhancing intrinsic motivation. This chapter thus revisits the role of fantasy while playing digital games, focusing on what brings a state of fantasy in a gaming world. Specifically, the purpose of this chapter is to probe factors creating fantasy state while gameplay. To this end, 153 junior high students aged from 11 to 13 were participated in …

What Was Your Best Learning Experience? Our Story About Using Stories To Solve Instructional Problems, Joanna C. Dunlap, Patrick R. Lowenthal

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

“Theory? What does this have to do with anything we’re doing?” Sound familiar? Students may not always verbalize this, but they often think it, especially in courses where the emphasis is on the development of technical skills and the application of those skills to the building of products. Presenting theory in a way that is relevant and engaging can be challenging under these circumstances. This article describes how we addressed this challenge by involving students in an analysis of their “best learning experiences” stories, and then helped them apply their discoveries to the products they built.

An Educational Data Mining Model For Online Teaching And Learning, Jui-Long Hung, Kerry Rice, Anthony Saba

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study contains two major parts. First, this study proposed a generic model for Educational Data Ming (EDM) studies by reviewing EDM literature and the existing data mining model. Second, the procedures of the EDM model are demonstrated with a case study approach. The case study results showed patterns and relationships discovered from the EDM model that could be applied to improve online teaching and learning and to predict students’ academic performances.

Technology-Supported Storytelling (Tsst) Strategy In Virtual World For Multicultural Education, Jie Huang, Youngkyun Baek, Jungwon Cho

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Learning culture through stories is an effective way for multicultural education, since stories are one of the most powerful and personal ways that we learn about the world. Storytelling, the process of telling stories, is a form of communication and a universal expression of culture. With the development of technology, storytelling emerges out of diverse ways. This study explores the storytelling in virtual worlds for multicultural education, and devises a Technology-Supported storytelling (TSST) strategy by examining and considering the characteristics of virtual worlds which could be incorporated into the storytelling, and then uses this strategy to teach Korean culture to …

Which Conference Do You Attend?: A Look At The Conference Attendance Of Educational Technology Professionals, Patrick R. Lowenthal

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Educational technology professionals attend conferences each year. Many have funds to attend at most 1-2 conferences each year. As a result, educational technology professionals must make a decision of which conferences to attend. The following article reports on what conferences other educational technology professionals attend.

Mobile Microblogging: Using Twitter And Mobile Devices In An Online Course To Promote Learning In Authentic Contexts, Yu-Chang Hsu, Yu-Hui Ching

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

This research applied a mixed-method design to explore how best to promote learning in authentic contexts in an online graduate course in instructional message design. The students used Twitter apps on their mobile devices to collect, share, and comment on authentic design examples found in their daily lives. The data sources included tweets (i.e., postings on Twitter), students' perceptions about mobile microblogging activities, and self-reported Twitter usage. Based on the tweet analysis, we found that the students appropriately applied the design principles and design terms in their critique of design examples. While the students were mainly engaged in assignment-relevant activities, …

What Value Does Service Learning Have On Introductory Engineering Students' Motivation And Abet Program Outcomes?, Carol Sevier, Seung Youn Chyung, Janet Callahan, Cheryl Schrader

Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning Faculty Publications and Presentations

A quasi-experimental study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of using a service learning (SL) method on influencing introductory engineering students' motivation and ABET program outcomes, compared to the effectiveness of using a conventional, non-service-learning (NSL) method. The sample used in the study was 214 students enrolled in an Introduction to Engineering course at a medium-size university in the northwestern region of the U.S. during the fall semester of 2009 and the spring semester of 2010. Sixty-nine students completed SL projects while 145 students completed NSL projects. Both SL and NSL projects were team-based. Using the ARCS model as a …

Perceptions About Women In Science And Engineering History, Heidi Reeder, Patricia A. Pyke, Lynn Lubamersky, Seung Youn Chyung, Cheryl B. Schrader

Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study investigated college students' perceptions about the contributions of women to the history of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) (N = 1,147). Students were asked to write down as many famous or historically important scientists, inventors or engineers they could think of. After one minute, they were instructed to write down as many famous or historically important women scientists, inventors or engineers they could think of. For the first question, 95% of the responses referred to male scientists, inventors or engineers. For the second question, respondents named on average less than one woman (M=.86), and those named were …

Intentional Web Presence: 10 Seo Strategies Every Academic Needs To Know, Joanna Dunlap, Patrick Lowenthal

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

A little over a year ago The Chronicle of Higher Education published a piece titled "Creating Your Web Presence: A Primer for Academics." We were excited to see some of the strategies Miriam Posner recommended for academics wanting to create and maintain a web presence. We had been doing many of the things Posner recommended, as well as a number of others. Thus, in many ways this article builds on Posner's piece but argues that faculty should be taking even more steps to build, maintain, and ensure that others can find their presence on the web.

A Developmental Study Of Asr-Enhanced E-Book Software To Improve On-Task Interaction For First Grade Users, Matthew William Gudenius

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This developmental research study explores the effects of audio-visual feedback and user input mechanisms on user behaviors and satisfaction, through development of a first-grade reading program for the computer. Specific design elements investigated include human vs. synthesized audio feedback, segmented vs. whole-word pronunciation, format of supporting graphic (image vs. animation), use of automatic speech recognition (ASR) to encourage or enforce oral reading of an e-book, and effect of tutorial with mouse-click word identification or ASR-controlled word synthesis games. The study examines a variety of quantitative and qualitative measures including use logs, recorded screen-capture videos of use sessions, one-on-one interviews, and …

Empowering Educators With Google's Android App Inventor: An Online Workshop In Mobile App Design, Yu-Chang Hsu, Kerry Rice, Lisa Dawley

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this report, the authors describe an introductory-level mobile app design workshop developed and offered over six weeks in Summer 2011. We also discuss the challenges and instructional implications derived from our experiences with this workshop.

Microblogging For Strengthening A Virtual Learning Community In An Online Course, Yu-Chang Hsu, Yu-Hui Ching

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper examines how a microblogging tool (i.e., Twitter) can be effectively used to strengthen a virtual learning community (VLC) in the two sections of a fully online graduate course. Students in this course were consisted of K-12 teachers, school technology specialists, corporate trainers, and military personnel. The microblogging activities were designed to allow quick peer interaction to build the momentum of social learning in the VLC. In this study, we collected quantitative data on sense of community through a Likert scale survey, and rich qualitative data on students' perception about microblogging activities. It was found that students’ sense of …

Exploring Factors Of Media Characteristic Influencing Flow In Learning Through Virtual Worlds, Beomkyu Choi, Youngkyun Baek

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study aims to find out factors of media characteristic which are considered to influence flow in learning through virtual worlds. One hundred ninety eight elementary students who are eleven to twelve years old participated in this study. After the exploratory factor analysis, to extract media characteristics of virtual worlds, seventy-eight elementary students who are eleven years old were used in the analysis of exploring relationships between factors influencing flow.

The results of this study show that distinct media characteristics of virtual worlds affecting engagement were labeled 'interactivity', 'representational fidelity', 'immediacy of communication', 'consistency', and 'persistence' after the exploratory factor …

Situational Qualities Exhibited By Exceptional Presenters, Joanna Dunlap, Patrick Lowenthal

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Bad presentations are commonplace, but rather than focus on what is wrong with bad presentations, the authors looked at what makes an exceptional presentation. They referenced recent work on the aesthetic qualities of learning experiences by Patrick Parrish and others, which describe aesthetic learning experiences as those that involve learners in the right level of challenge and heightened engagement. Aesthetic learning experiences are memorable and often transformative, leaving learners with enhanced confidence and capabilities—the very definition of exceptional. By attending to the situational qualities of aesthetic learning experiences, presenters are more likely to create exceptional presentations that establish relevance and …

Ict International: Developing An “International Issues In Ict” Course, Ross A. Perkins

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Given that educational or instructional technology graduate programs are preparing students to work in a highly connected, global society, faculty should seriously consider adding a course to their curriculum that specifically examines ICT integration in educational or training contexts outside of the nation in which the course is offered. Adding a course that examines international perspectives about ICT for teaching and learning would benefit all students no matter their career trajectory, as the issues to be addressed can provide them with critical perspectives within a comparative framework. This article provides a brief overview of a course that I designed for …

Design-Grounded Assessment: A Framework And A Case Study Of Web 2.0 Practices In Higher Education, Yu-Hui Ching, Yu-Chang Hsu

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper synthesises three theoretical perspectives, including sociocultural theory, distributed cognition, and situated cognition, into a framework to guide the design and assessment of Web 2.0 practices in higher education. In addition, this paper presents a case study of Web 2.0 practices. Thirty-seven online graduate students participated in a small-group collaborative concept mapping activity using Web 2.0 applications (e.g. Webspiration) to construct sophisticated understanding of instructional design processes. The analysis of this case focuses on different assessment strategies adopted to ensure students' successful participation in such technology-rich collaborative context. This case study concludes that a shared goal needs to …

Maximizing Accessibility In Online Courses, Linda Huglin, Shannon Rist, Bob Casper

Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning Faculty Publications and Presentations

In their creation of online courses, instructional designers may inadvertently overlook the needs of learners with disabilities. However, creating accessible online courses isn’t merely a "nice to do" activity; it is required by federal law. Section 504 of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1973, for example, specifically prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities by any federal agency receiving federal funds; this includes colleges and universities.

Using Research-Based Practices To Increase Response Rates Of Web-Based Surveys, Ross A. Perkins

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

An office of information technology at any institution of higher education must not only maintain and extend operations and services but also innovate. Under budgetary pressures current and future, goals for support and visioning face increased scrutiny and a demand for return on investment. Decisions, therefore, must be made based on a careful accounting of an organization’s needs — the gap between "what is" and "what is not." Because IT staff serve constituents with a wide range of needs, however, these needs are not always easily identified.

The 2008 IT budget of a midsize state university on the East Coast, …

Youtube Across The Disciplines: A Review Of The Literature, Chareen Snelson

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

YouTube has grown to become the largest and most highly visited online video-sharing service, and interest in the educational use of YouTube has become apparent. Paralleling the rise of academic interest in YouTube is the emergence of YouTube scholarship. This article presents the results of a review of 188 peer reviewed journal articles and conference papers with "YouTube" in the title that were published between 2006 and 2009. Four questions were answered through the review of YouTube literature: (1) What is the overall distribution of publication activity for refereed journal articles and conference papers with "YouTube" in the title? (2) …

The Development Of A Content Analysis Model For Assessing Students’ Cognitive Learning In Asynchronous Online Discussions, Dazhi Yang, Jennifer C. Richardson, Brian F. French, James D. Lehman

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a content analysis model for assessing students' cognitive learning in asynchronous online discussions. It adopted a fully mixed methods design, in which qualitative and quantitative methods were employed sequentially for data analysis and interpretation. Specifically, the design was a "sequential exploratory" (QUAL→ quan) design with priority given to qualitative data and methods. Qualitative data were 800 online postings collected in two online courses. Quantitative data were 803 online postings from the same two courses but from different discussion topics and different weeks. During the qualitative process, a grounded theory approach …

Virtual Movie Sets And Branching Video: Developing Interactive Educational Machinima With Second Life And Youtube, Chareen Snelson

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Machinima is the technique of using real-time 3D technologies such as computer games or virtual worlds in the creation of animated video productions. The Second Life virtual world provides an open landscape where inexpensive virtual movie sets, props, costumes, and characters may be created to meet specialized educational purposes. Interactive video techniques used to create online video simulations, virtual tours, adventure games, or interactive tutorials can be coupled with machinima to create interactive educational machinima products. YouTube supports this technique by providing both video hosting and the Annotations tool, which enables linking from video to video. Usage and demographic data …

Online Collaborative Learning In A Project-Based Learning Environment In Taiwan: A Case Study On Undergraduate Students’ Perspectives, Ke Zhang, Shiang Wuu Peng, Jui-Long Hung

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

This case study investigated undergraduate students’ first experience in online collaborative learning in a project-based learning (PBL) environment in Taiwan. Data were collected through interviews of 48 students, instructor’s field notes, researchers' online observations, students’ online discourse and group artifacts. The findings revealed interesting phenomena as results of cultural influences as well as educational system impacts. Students experienced first handed various learning benefits of PBL in the intensive six-week period, yet voiced serious concerns about the changed role of the instructor, as well as strong reservations on peer collaboration as a result of the competitive tradition in education. Obviously, online …