ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
A Questioned Practice: Twenty Reflections on Art, Doubt, and Error
Author: Baldacchino, John
Date: 2013-09-20
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Art,Art Education,Research,Research Methodology,Research and Development,Theory Practice Relationship,Educational Philosophy,Praxis,Risk,Educational Research

In this article, author John Baldacchino presents twenty reflections on art, doubt, and error. In the first five reflections, he produces a discussion of a number of unmediated narratives that tend to aggregate and span across the plural horizon of arts practice. In terms of the arts &quot;as well as&quot; education, these questions are approached within several scenarios that are set against ever-changing backdrops and which occur within contexts that keep shifting and altering their boundaries. The flip side of this discussion reveals and belongs to the remits of education. This engages the reader with a discussion of education that would seek to distance itself from academia&apos;s established approach. And yet, this discussion also claims a rightful place in academia. It is within this apparent contradiction that this essay takes the opportunity to discuss arts research as a &quot;practice-based&quot; method. Herein, Baldacchino touches upon topics such as interstitial discourse in education, arts researchers who seek to legitimize the arts from a social scientific approach, the role of a/r/tography in arts education, the definition of arts research and the risks that it carries, practicism and practice-based research, how making a case for practice brings about persistent forms of &quot;doubt&quot; and incessant search for &quot;error,&quot; how art and education relate to each other as antinomic practices, arts practice and &quot;unlearning,&quot; &quot;poetic scoping,&quot; and art&apos;s poetics of practice as an act of &quot;unmaking.&quot;
An Investigation into Social Learning Activities by Practitioners in Open Educational Practices
Author: Schreurs, Bieke
Date: 2014-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Open Education,Socialization,Lifelong Learning,Electronic Learning,Communities of Practice,Social Networks,Teamwork,Case Studies,Educational Practices,Foreign Countries,Semi Structured Interviews,Comparative Analysis

By investigating how educational practitioners participate in activities around open educational practices (OEP), this paper aims at contributing to an understanding of open practices and how these practitioners learn to use OEP. Our research is guided by the following hypothesis: Different social configurations support a variety of social learning activities. The social configuration of OEPs is investigated by an operationalization into the dimensions (1) practice, (2) domain, (3) collective identity, and (4) organization. The results show how practitioners of six different OEPs learn, while acting and collaborating through a combination of offline and online networks. The findings of our study lead to practical implications on how to support participation in OEP, and thereby stimulate learning in (online) networks of OEP.
Diving into Lake Devo: Modes of Representation and Means of Interaction and Reflection in Online Role-Play
Author: Koechli, Linda
Date: 2014-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Action Research,Role Playing,Constructivism (Learning),Web Sites,Synchronous Communication,Electronic Learning,Cooperative Learning,Higher Education,College Students,Simulated Environment,Self Concept,Usability,Likert Scales,Student Attitudes,Questionnaires,Asynchronous Communication,Interaction,Foreign Countries

This paper outlines an action research project involving the development of an educational online role-playing website, known as Lake Devo. Designed in keeping with constructivist principles, the website is used in select post-secondary courses at Ryerson University and allows learners to work synchronously, using visual, audio, and text elements to create avatars and interact in online role-play scenarios. The website also provides an integrated area for debrief following role-play activities. The features of the website were deliberately intended to provide a viable alternative to text-only online role-play activities, while not requiring the highly sophisticated elements of 3D virtual environments. During the period of the project on which this article reports, learners were invited to use the Lake Devo website for an assigned role-play activity. Online learner survey responses were collected following the pilot implementations of the website to determine the extent to which the non-text modes of representation (visual, audio) in Lake Devo, along with an integrated debrief area on the site, supported the learners in their online role-play activity. The preliminary findings suggest that Lake Devo provides an environment that effectively supports online role-play. The simple format of the Lake Devo avatars, the availability of visual and audio elements, and the ability to create a lasting artifact for review in a dedicated debrief area engage students and also reinforce the constructivist and collaborative nature of role-play activities. For practitioners beyond the Lake Devo project team and the Ryerson context, the Lake Devo website provides an example of an online role-play environment that offers alternatives to text-based and/or 3D virtual worlds.
Using Wikis for Online Group Projects: Student and Tutor Perspectives
Author: Kear, Karen
Date: 2014-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Web 2.0 Technologies,Online Courses,Electronic Learning,Student Projects,Cooperative Learning,Teamwork,Open Universities,Student Evaluation,Student Surveys,Usability,Teacher Attitudes,Student Attitudes,Faculty Workload,Technology Uses in Education,Program Effectiveness,Group Discussion,Statistical Analysis,Qualitative Research,Foreign Countries,Instructional Effectiveness,Tutors

This paper presents a study of the use of wikis to support online group projects in two courses at the UK Open University. The research aimed to investigate the effectiveness of a wiki in supporting (i) student collaboration and (ii) tutors' marking of the students' collaborative work. The paper uses the main factors previously identified by the technology acceptance model (TAM) as a starting point to examine and discuss the experiences of these two very different user groups: students and tutors. Data was gathered from students via a survey and from tutors via a range of methods. The findings suggest that, when used in tandem with an online forum, the wiki was a valuable tool for groups of students developing a shared resource. As previous studies using the TAM have shown, usefulness and ease of use were both important to students' acceptance of the wiki. However, the use of a wiki in this context was less well-received by tutors, because it led to an increase in their workload in assessing the quality of students' collaborative processes. It was possible to reduce the tutor workload by introducing a greater degree of structure in the students' tasks. We conclude that when introducing collaborative technologies to support assessed group projects, the perceptions and needs of both students and tutors should be carefully considered.
Considering High School Students' Experience in Asynchronous and Synchronous Distance Learning Environments: QoE Prediction Model
Author: Malinovski, Toni
Date: 2014-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Asynchronous Communication,Synchronous Communication,Distance Education,Identification,High School Students,Student Experience,Learning Activities,Structural Equation Models,Educational Quality,Expectation,Feedback (Response),Student Attitudes,Motivation,Usability,Educational Environment,Use Studies,Teaching Methods,Educational Practices,Foreign Countries

Early identification of relevant factors that influence students' experiences is vitally important to the educational process since they play an important role in learning outcomes. The purpose of this study is to determine underlying constructs that predict high school students' subjective experience and quality expectations during asynchronous and synchronous distance education activities, in a form of &quot;quality of experience&quot; (QoE). One hundred and fifty-eight students from different high schools participated in several asynchronous and synchronous learning sessions and provided relevant feedback with comparable opinions regarding different conditions. Structural equation modeling was used as an analytical procedure during data analysis which led to a QoE prediction model that identified relevant factors influencing students' subjective QoE. The results demonstrated no significant difference related to students' behavior and expectations during both distance education methods. Additionally, this study revealed that students' QoE in any situation was mainly determined by motivational factors (intrinsic and extrinsic) and moderately influenced by ease of use during synchronous or quality of content during asynchronous activities. We also found moderate support between technical performance and students' QoE in both learning environments. However, opposed to existing technology acceptance models that stress the importance of attitude towards use, high school students' attitude failed to predict their QoE.
Crowdteaching: Supporting Teaching as Designing in Collective Intelligence Communities
Author: Recker, Mimi
Date: 2014-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Electronic Learning,Computer Assisted Instruction,Internet,Educational Technology,Electronic Publishing,Cooperating Teachers,Teaching Methods,Interaction,Middle School Teachers

The widespread availability of high-quality Web-based content offers new potential for supporting teachers as designers of curricula and classroom activities. When coupled with a participatory Web culture and infrastructure, teachers can share their creations as well as leverage from the best that their peers have to offer to support a collective intelligence or crowdsourcing community, which we dub &quot;crowdteaching.&quot; We applied a collective intelligence framework to characterize crowdteaching in the context of a Web-based tool for teachers called the Instructional Architect (IA). The IA enables teachers to find, create, and share instructional activities (called IA projects) for their students using online learning resources. These IA projects can further be viewed, copied, or adapted by other IA users. This study examines the usage activities of two samples of teachers, and also analyzes the characteristics of a subset of their IA projects. Analyses of teacher activities suggest that they are engaging in crowdteaching processes. Teachers, on average, chose to share over half of their IA projects, and copied some directly from other IA projects. Thus, these teachers can be seen as both contributors to and consumers of crowdteaching processes. In addition, IA users preferred to view IA projects rather than to completely copy them. Finally, correlational results based on an analysis of the characteristics of IA projects suggest that several easily computed metrics (number of views, number of copies, and number of words in IA projects) can act as an indirect proxy of instructionally relevant indicators of the content of IA projects.
Analyzing the Effect of Learning Styles and Study Habits of Distance Learners on Learning Performances: A Case of an Introductory Programming Course
Author: Çakiroglu, Ünal
Date: 2014-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Cognitive Style,Study Habits,Distance Education,Academic Achievement,Measures (Individuals),Correlation,Electronic Learning,Foreign Countries,Introductory Courses,Programming Languages,Synchronous Communication,Asynchronous Communication,Online Courses,Scores,Delivery Systems,Pretests Posttests,Teacher Education Programs,College Students

This study examined the relationships among learning styles, study habits, and learning performances in an online programming language course. Sixty-two sophomore students who enrolled in an online introductory programming course participated in the study. Kolb's Learning Style Inventory (LSI) was used to measure the students' learning styles. Another inventory developed by the researcher was used to determine learners' study habits. An achievement test was used to put forward their learning performances. As a result, significant relationships between learning styles, study habits, and learning performances were revealed. The results present some ideas about distance learners' learning styles and study habits for instructors who wish to incorporate synchronous courses and support learners.
An Investigation into the Management of Online Teaching and Learning Spaces: A Case Study Involving Graduate Research Students
Author: Jowallah, Rohan
Date: 2014-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Case Studies,Graduate Students,Masters Programs,Web Based Instruction,Asynchronous Communication,Synchronous Communication,Computer Mediated Communication,Research,Seminars,Social Cognition,Learning Theories,Distance Education,Higher Education,Questionnaires,Learning Experience,Integrated Learning Systems,Interpersonal Relationship

This research evaluates the strategies implemented to support the research activities of postgraduate students pursuing online master's programs in the University of the West Indies Open Campus, as well as the activities of their supervisors. The three main strategies employed were (1) the use of a web-based &quot;teaching-learning space&quot; to facilitate asynchronous interaction between students and their supervisors; (2) the provision of a scheduling tool to facilitate the planning of one-on-one meetings via a synchronous web-conferencing tool; and (3) the organization of research seminars using the same web-conferencing tool. This research used Moore's theory of transactional distance and social cognitive theoretical framework to guide the project. Moore's model reemphasizes the need for stronger forms of communicating for online students, whereas the cognitive framework focuses on the need for social interaction among learner and teacher. Participants were graduate students (n = 34). All participants were required to complete a questionnaire online. Data were also collected from postings in discussion forums. Overall, notwithstanding limitations, the data shows there are benefits to be gained from conducting student research activities in an online environment.
Two Perspectives on E-Learning Design: A Synopsis of a U.S. and a European Analysis
Author: Hillen, Stefanie A.
Date: 2014-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Electronic Learning,Comparative Analysis,Comparative Education,Instructional Design,Teaching Methods,Teaching Models,Educational Philosophy,Educational Theories,Instructional Innovation,Educational History,Literature Reviews,Foreign Countries,Communities of Practice

This article seeks to examine e-learning design arising from two educational traditions: the United States of America and Europe. The research question is: Broadly, what kinds of pedagogy, instructional design models, or didactical models are established and proposed for e-learning design on the two continents? Two researchers examined multiple articles and texts in an effort to discern the prominent approaches in their respective regions. The analysis is tripartite: First, the educational philosophies, which have guided e-learning design on each continent, will be presented; second, specific theories about learning influencing e-learning design will be discussed; and finally, e-learning design, which arises from innovative instructional strategies, will be investigated. The resulting analysis brings to the surface not only how the values that underpin e-learning development in each region differ but also how specific perspectives influence the respective fields. The researchers acknowledge these differences but also remark on the historic and contemporary symbiosis that has endured even in this relatively new field of e-learning.
Towards Development of OER Derived Custom-Built Open Textbooks: A Baseline Survey of University Teachers at the University of the South Pacific
Author: Prasad, Deepak
Date: 2014-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Open Source Technology,Textbooks,College Faculty,Teacher Surveys,Electronic Publishing,Teacher Attitudes,Barriers,Questionnaires

Textbook prices have soared over the years, with several studies revealing many university students are finding it difficult to afford textbooks. Fortunately, two innovations--open educational resources (OER) and open textbooks--hold the potential to increase textbook affordability. Experts, though, have stated the obvious: that students can save money through open textbooks only if teachers are willing to develop and use them. Considering both the high price of textbooks and the benefits offered by OER and open textbooks, the aim of this study was to assess the University of the South Pacific (USP) teachers' willingness towards development of custom-built OER derived open textbooks for their courses with a focus on providing a foundation for strategies to promote open textbook development at USP. This paper reports the findings of an online survey of 39 USP teachers. The results show that 17 teachers were willing to develop OER derived custom-built open textbooks for their courses. Besides this, there are findings relating to six important areas: teachers' motivation to develop open textbooks; the frequency of more than one prescribed textbook per course; teachers' awareness of the costs of the prescribed textbooks; the average cost of prescribed textbooks in a course; teachers' awareness and utilization of OER and open textbooks; and teachers' perceived barriers to using OER and types of challenges they encounter while using OER. These findings have been discussed in relation to research studies on OER and open textbooks.
Analyzing the Effects of Story Mapping on the Reading Comprehension of Children with Low Intellectual Abilities
Author: Grünke, Matthias
Date: 2013-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Case Studies,Reading Comprehension,Mental Retardation,Children,Early Adolescents,Intervention,Visual Stimuli,Learning Strategies,Inferences,Computation,Effect Size,Regression (Statistics),Foreign Countries,Grade 5,Elementary School Students,Grade 8,Special Schools,Story Reading,Instructional Materials,Maps,Instructional Effectiveness

This single-case study examined the effects of a graphic organizing strategy on the ability of children to improve their text comprehension abilities. Participants were six students between ten and fourteen years old with major problems in understanding what they read. The intervention intended to teach them to visually highlight key elements of a passage, and thus, to deepen their understanding of it (story mapping). An AB multiple baseline design across subjects was applied. The intervention points were randomly determined within a preset range for each participant. In accordance with the emerging trend to apply inferential statistics as a supplement to visual inspection and the calculation of effect size measures, a randomization test and a piecewise regression procedure were used to analyze the data. Results suggested that the story mapping technique was very benefi cial in improving reading comprehension of struggling learners. The potentials of the intervention as well as of the statistical tests in analyzing data from single-case studies are discussed.
Characteristics and Activities of Teachers on Distance Learning Programs That Affect Their Ratings
Author: Stanišic Stojic, Svetlana M.
Date: 2014-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Distance Education,Teacher Characteristics,Undergraduate Study,Student Evaluation of Teacher Performance,Questionnaires,Conventional Instruction,Participant Satisfaction,Student Attitudes,Merit Rating,Educational Resources,Interpersonal Communication,Teacher Effectiveness,Critical Thinking,Inclusion,Correlation,Learning Activities,Foreign Countries

This paper presents an analysis of teachers' ratings on distance learning undergraduate study programs: 7,156 students enrolled in traditional and 528 students enrolled in distance learning studies took part in the evaluation questionnaire, assessing 71 teachers. The data were collected from the Moodle platform and from the Singidunum University information system, and then analysed with SPSS statistical software. The parameters considered as potentially affecting teacher ratings are: number of teachers engaged in a particular course, total number of courses in which the teacher is engaged, teacher's gender and age, total number of the available resources, and so forth. The results imply that scores assigned to individual teachers are consistent in both traditional and distance learning programs. The average rate was perceived to be lower when there were several teachers in a single course; such an effect was enhanced in cases where there was a significant age discrepancy among them. The other factors considered did not show a significant association with teacher ratings. Students' main remarks about the work of the teachers have been summarised at the end of this paper. Possible explanations and implications of the results are discussed and recommendations are given.
Numerical and Calculation Abilities in Children with ADHD
Author: Colomer, Carla
Date: 2013-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Numeracy,Computation,Mathematics Skills,Children,Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder,Elementary School Students,Grade 1,Grade 2,Grade 3,Grade 4,Grade 5,Age Differences,Mental Computation,Time,Arithmetic,Mathematics Instruction,Elementary School Mathematics,Foreign Countries

The aim of this study was to investigate the specific numerical and calculation abilities of 28 children with ADHD without comorbid mathematical learning disabilities (LD), ranging from the 1st to the 5th grade of primary school, and to examine the stability or the development of the arithmetic profile. Our results showed that a high percentage of children with ADHD have severe difficulties on numerical and calculation tasks, particularly with counting and arithmetical facts, and these percentages increase with age. Whereas younger children show more problems with lexical processes, for older children, mental calculation and counting processes are particularly difficult. The older students had a statistically worse performance than the younger students on the two measures of time (i.e., mental calculation time and counting time), indicating automatization deficits. This study underlines the importance for teachers to taking the individual arithmetic profiles of children with ADHD into account and of identifying the processes which should be enhanced through education and teaching interventions.