ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Creating Learning Objects from Preauthored Course Materials: Semantic Structure of Learning Objects--Design and Technology
Author: Petrinjak, Anita
Date: 2004-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Semantics,Instructional Materials,Open Universities,Electronic Learning,Course Content,Information Technology,Institutional Cooperation,Distance Education,Standards,Classification,Material Development,Teaching Methods,Foreign Countries

This paper describes work that was done at Athabasca University as part of the &quot;EduSource Canada&quot; project. This work centered around learning object development based on pre-authored educational content. The major outcomes of the work were the development of an explicit semantic structure with strong educational focus for learning objects, and the implementation of that structure, using platform/software-independent XML technology. An explicit semantic structure for educational content has some significant advantages: it enables faster publishing of material in different formats using automated processes; it allows institutions to participate in seamless content exchange with other institutions; and it enables more accurate discovery and reuse of learning objects within learning object repositories.
Teacher Wellbeing in Neoliberal Contexts: A Review of the Literature
Author: Acton, Renae
Date: 2015-08-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Well Being,Neoliberalism,Context Effect,Literature Reviews,Preservice Teachers,Preservice Teacher Education,Inservice Teacher Education,Emotional Adjustment,Social Networks,Public Policy,Educational Policy,Investigations,Ambiguity (Context),Emotional Response,Interprofessional Relationship,Systems Approach,Comparative Analysis,Affective Behavior,Collegiality,Competition,Professional Identity,Productivity

There is an increasing awareness that the wellbeing of a workforce is an important consideration in any organisation. Within the context of education, possibilities for supporting teacher wellbeing are mediated by neoliberal policy technologies that are incongruent with key aspects of wellness. Reviewing the literature, it appears there is value in prioritising teacher wellbeing as an intentional inclusion in both the professional development of practising teachers and within pre-service teacher education programs. This inclusion will empower teachers to better negotiate these imposed systemic constraints. Education for teachers regarding key facets of wellbeing--including managing emotional labour and the importance of professional social networks--is found to be essential in retaining and sustaining the teaching profession, thus enabling greater possibilities for professional flourishing.
The University Model Is a Victim of Its Own Success
Author: Mitchell, Matthew
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Success,Victims,Victims of Crime,Models,Higher Education,Educational Change,Educational Practices,Change Strategies,Foreign Countries

There is a perception that radical change in the higher education sector is inevitable. This paper argues that the university model of higher education is fundamentally sound and by implication, is not necessarily subject to the same forces acting on other industries. If changes are to affect higher education, these are likely to come from forces seeking to capitalise on the success of the higher education model, and in doing so place the entire model at risk. This issue is discussed in relation to one real proposal as an example of the actual (rather than the perceived) threats to the university sector.
Commentary on &quot;A Review of e-Learning in Canada&quot;
Author: Schwier, Richard A.
Date: 2006-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Electronic Learning,Computer Assisted Instruction,Special Needs Students,Educational Research,Gender Differences,Meta Analysis,Technology Uses in Education,Educational Attitudes,Advanced Students,Role,Instructional Design,Social Change,Change Agents,Outcomes of Education,Ethnicity,Race,Religion,Guidelines,Higher Education,Foreign Countries,Teaching Methods,Educational Practices

In this commentary, Richard Schwier draws observations of what he believes are key issues in e-learning that come directly out of &quot;A Review of e-Learning in Canada.&quot; However, much of the commentary is consumed by topics that haven't yet generated the volume or type of research necessary to allow the kind of compressed scrutiny that this type of review and meta analyses are built to analyze. Schwier begins by briefly discussing the notion of evidence-based decision making vs. evidence for whether using technology is a good or bad idea. Next, he notes that the review calls for increased attention to special needs students, academically advanced students, issues of gender, ethnicity/race/religion, and aboriginal education. In order to get at these thorny issues, Schwier suggests that narrative research can offer valuable insights. From here, he proceeds to discuss: what we value as learning outcomes, social software and the shifting responsibility for constructing learning environments, the role played by instructional designers as agents of social change, a repository of failure, a theoretical framework of what makes e-learning tick, and additional research questions.
The Student Experience of Distance Education: Reviews of Two Qualitative Theses Designed to Explore the Day-to-Day Experience of Learners Studying Online
Author: Kinash, Shelley
Date: 2003-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Student Experience,Distance Education,Electronic Learning,Content Analysis,Doctoral Dissertations,Journal Articles,Scholarship,Hermeneutics,Phenomenology,Theses,Lifelong Learning,Student Development,Teleconferencing

There is an emerging body of published research inquiring into distance education, yet the student experience is under-­represented. Berge and Mrozowski (2001) examined ten years (1990­-99) of dissertations and journal articles from four distance education journals. They reported that of 1,419 publications, 890 depicted research studies. They classified the research articles into ten different content themes. 31% of the articles addressed content themes regarding learners. Of these, 17% of the papers addressed learner characteristics, 8% redefining roles of key participants, and 6% learner support. The authors did not specify whether these papers incorporated experience from the perspective of the students although the labels of the content themes would suggest otherwise. This research review critiques two qualitative theses designed to explore the day-­to-­day experience of learners studying online. Both are written in the tradition of hermeneutic phenomenology, described by van Manen (1997) as &quot;a &quot;descriptive&quot; methodology because it wants to be attentive to how things appear, it wants to let things speak for themselves&quot; and as &quot;an &quot;interpretive&quot; methodology because it claims that there are no such things as uninterpreted phenomena&quot; (p.180). A commitment to learners and educators as active constructors of knowledge has implications for the research rationale, the questions asked, and the means of study. The reviewed research is motivated by a belief that improvements to distance education must be preceded by conversations with those invested in the experience, namely the students.
Towards a Cyber-Constructivist Perspective (CCP) of Educational Design
Author: Luppicini, Rocci
Date: 2003-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Instructional Design,Constructivism (Learning),Educational Research,Communities of Practice,Teaching Methods,Self Concept,Discourse Analysis,Learning Processes,Information Technology,Communications,Intervention

This theoretical paper utilizes cybernetic-­based approaches (Bopry, 1999; Wiener, 1954) and communications theory (Habermas, 1984, 1990; Krippendorff, 1994) to advance knowledge of constructivist learning. I argue that past educational research literature on constructivist learning is partly responsible for limiting how educational designers conceptualize individual and collaborative learning environments. A cyber-­constructivist perspective (CCP) is explored as a tool for increasing awareness of factors that may contribute to effective constructivist educational design (ED) within learning communities. I discuss advantages and disadvantages of adopting a CCP in the design of constructivist learning environments.
A Case Study of Institutional Reform Based on Innovation Diffusion Theory through Instructional Technology
Author: Szabo, Michael
Date: 2003-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Educational Technology,Educational Change,Educational Innovation,Technological Advancement,Delivery Systems,Adoption (Ideas),Case Studies,Communication (Thought Transfer),Foreign Countries,Research Universities,Distance Education,Barriers,Educational Benefits,Leadership,Resistance to Change

A theory­-based system of educational reform through instructional technology, the Training, Infrastructure and Empowerment System (TIES), was developed and piloted in a research university during the late 1990s. In 2001, a research study was conducted on this implementation using qualitative methodology. Interviews were conducted with 12 participants who represented 4 different stakeholder groups. Some of the themes to emerge were: (a) Vision for instructional technology, (b) learning technologies and alternative delivery systems, (c) adoption of innovation, (d) general challenges and (e) lessons learned. Discussion includes implications of these themes for reform of education as they relate to a theoretical reform framework. Suggestions for further research are also identified.
A Review of e-Learning in Canada: Rejoinder to Commentaries
Author: Abrami, Philip C.
Date: 2006-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Electronic Learning,Educational Research,Public Opinion,Costs,Computer Assisted Instruction,Information Technology,Technology Integration,Foreign Countries,Computational Linguistics,Outcomes of Education,Teaching Methods

Abrami et al. (this issue) provide a review of e-learning in Canada from 2000 onwards by synthesizing information drawn from multiple sources, not only primary research. In total, there were 726 documents included in our review: 235 views expressed in the public printed media (an expression of general public opinion); 131 views from trade/practitioner perspectives; 88 views of policymakers contained in public policy documents; 120 sources of evidence contained in reviews of research; and 152 sources of evidence contained in primary empirical studies. It is the authors' understanding that this is the first review of its kind to be as inclusive of sources. This is both the review's greatest strength, allowing the authors to determine whether consensus existed among myriad sources, and potentially its greatest weakness, as both the time for such a comprehensive review and the cost meant the authors sacrificed a degree of depth for an increase in breadth. In this rejoinder to the commentaries, they explore several issues: (1) the nature and importance of systematic reviews; (2) answering questions about what works and why; and (3) what is e-learning and what are its impacts.
The New Broom: A Fiction for Our Times with True Quotes
Author: O'Neill, Arthur
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,College Presidents,Administrator Role,Leadership Styles,Universities,College Administration

This article spins a yarn about the appointment of António Coimbra, the first vice-chancellor of an Australian university, who came from Portugal, well-equipped for the job. Described is his approach to this new role and his unusual way of handling the unexpected task of a vice-chancellor.
Commentary on e-Learning Review
Author: Haughey, Margaret
Date: 2006-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Meta Analysis,Statistical Analysis,Qualitative Research,Research Methodology,Electronic Learning,Computer Assisted Instruction,Teaching Methods,Outcomes of Education,Technology Integration,Information Technology,Foreign Countries

Given the extensive adoption of research orientations that employ qualitative data collection techniques in education, Margaret Haughey found it exciting to read about a meta-analytical method that combined findings from studies within these research orientations with those from the well-established traditional forms that most often employed quantitative data strategies. Traditional research methods are not exclusively quantitative but usually transform qualitative data obtained through methods such as open question survey responses into a quantitative form. Since the development of alternative research paradigms and data analysis strategies for qualitative data, there has been extensive writing, much heat and little light on the vexing question of how to acknowledge the differing research orientations while coming to some general conclusion that could be useful to policy makers. Abrami, Bernard and their colleagues suggest they have a format that will bridge the chasm. Haughey's commentary focuses on the most obvious next question, Does this research categorization scheme work?
Booth, S. &amp; Hulten, M. (2003), Open Dimensions of Variation: An Empirical Study of Learning in a Web-Based Discussion. &quot;Instructional Science&quot;, 31, 65-86
Author: McCracken, Janet
Date: 2003-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Undergraduate Students,Computer Mediated Communication,Group Discussion,Learning Strategies,Distance Education,Blended Learning,Asynchronous Communication,Cooperative Learning,Student Projects,Phenomenology,Content Analysis,Engineering

As increasing numbers of undergraduate students in higher education are engaging in online group discussions as part of their course work, there is a need to gain insights into the nature of the experience of learning in this new context. Previous studies have reported benefits for students who engaged in online discussions, but few describe these benefits within a theoretical framework. This paper describes the results of a study of engineers enrolled in a distance course in which they &quot;designed&quot; an automatic vehicle. The course can be described as blended, as there were both online and face-to-­face sessions. The study analysed asynchronous group discussions, which constituted the communication mode for an optional collaborative project. The goal of the collaborative project was to create a specification for an automatic driving system. In keeping with a phenomenographic methodology, the analysis focused on seeking themes that emerged from the online discussions for the group as a whole and creating categories that represented these themes.
Bridging Theory and Practice: Developing Guidelines to Facilitate the Design of Computer-Based Learning Environments
Author: Young, Lisa D.
Date: 2003-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Theory Practice Relationship,Guidelines,Program Development,Educational Environment,Computer System Design,Educational Practices,Educational Principles,Design Requirements,Constructivism (Learning),Online Systems,Instructional Design,Cognitive Objectives,Usability,Social Networks,Learning Experience,Context Effect,Computer Uses in Education

The design of computer-­based learning environments has undergone a paradigm shift; moving students away from instruction that was considered to promote technical rationality grounded in objectivism, to the application of computers to create cognitive tools utilized in constructivist environments. The goal of the resulting computer-­based learning environment design principles is to have students learn with technology, rather than from technology. This paper reviews the general constructivist theory that has guided the development of these environments, and offers suggestions for the adaptation of modest, generic guidelines, not mandated principles, that can be flexibly applied and allow for the expression of true constructivist ideals in online learning environments.
The Development of Media Literacy among Grade Five Teachers and Students--A Case Study
Author: Emery, Winston
Date: 2003-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Grade 5,Elementary School Students,Teaching Methods,Media Literacy,Foreign Countries,Urban Areas,Curriculum Implementation,Audiences,Educational Technology,Educational Attitudes,Teacher Education,Instructional Effectiveness,Interviews,Multiple Literacies,Case Studies,Learning Activities,Teacher Attitudes,Elementary School Teachers

This is the first of two articles about a study of the implementation of a media literacy curriculum project in three inner city school Grade 5's in Montreal. The authors describe what the teachers and students learned about two key Media Literacy concepts: the media construct reality and audiences negotiate the meanings of media texts. The teaching featured the use of Internet and computer technology. Their findings suggest that it is possible to teach elementary students to read media critically and raises some issues that merit further investigation: the ideology of positivism that permeates the use of technology in education; the training of media education teachers; and the factors that characterize effective media education pedagogy.
Using Activity Theory to Design Constructivist Online Learning Environments for Higher Order Thinking: A Retrospective Analysis
Author: Morrison, Dirk
Date: 2003-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Learning Theories,Constructivism (Learning),Online Courses,Cooperative Learning,Computer Assisted Instruction,Computer Mediated Communication,Thinking Skills,Agricultural Education,Leadership Training,Skill Development,Holistic Approach,Case Studies,Secondary School Students,Foreign Countries,Program Descriptions,Instructional Design,Comparative Analysis

This paper examined a particular online learning activity, embedded within a computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL) environment incorporated as part of the larger context of participation in a unique national agricultural leadership development program. Process outcomes such as a high level of collaboration and active peer facilitation as well as demonstration by participants of a variety of holistic thinking skills were observed via a transcript analysis of online interactions. This led to speculations that the particular design features embedded within the context of the online collaborative &quot;issues analysis project&quot; (IAP), were thought to clearly reflect a constructivist approach. Methods to confirm this included evaluating the learning activity in light of nine characteristics of an authentic task in CSCL environments, and using activity theory as a conceptual framework with which to further examine the extent to which the IAP reflected the values and principles of a constructivist online learning environment.
Engagement with Electronic Portfolios: Challenges from the Student Perspective
Author: Tosh, David
Date: 2005-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Learner Engagement,Portfolios (Background Materials),Institutional Cooperation,Foreign Countries,Universities,Student Attitudes,Internet,Holistic Approach,Learning Processes,Educational Experience,Interviews,College Students

Much of the evidence and research available on the use of e-portfolios focuses on faculty and institutional perspectives and/or consists mainly of anecdotes about how useful the e-portfolio has been to learners. While it is generally agreed that e­-portfolios have great potential to engage students and promote deep learning, the research that has been conducted to date focuses very little on student perceptions of value of the e­-portfolio for their learning. If students do not accept the e­-portfolio as a holistic means with which to document their learning in different contexts and more importantly, agree or wish to use the e-­portfolio as an integral part of their educational experience, then the potential impact the e-portfolio will have on learning will not be realised. This paper highlights four themes arising out of research that is underway within an international framework of collaboration between the University of Edinburgh, the University of British Columbia and the University of Waterloo.
The Rainbow Bridge Metaphor as a Tool for Developing Accessible E-Learning Practices in Higher Education
Author: Seale, Jane K.
Date: 2006-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Higher Education,Electronic Learning,Figurative Language,Educational Change,Access to Education,Stakeholders,Guidelines,Standards,Futures (of Society),Foreign Countries,Educational Practices,Disabilities,Academic Support Services,Staff Development

This paper explores the extent to which existing accessibility metaphors can help to develop our conceptualizations of accessible e-­learning practice in higher education and outlines a proposal for a new rainbow bridge metaphor for accessible e­-learning practice. The need for a metaphor that reflects in more depth what we are beginning to understand about how to bring about that change, who should bring about that change, and what the result of such a change might be is identified. One such metaphor that could help us do this is the metaphor of a rainbow bridge. The stakeholders of accessible e­-learning within higher education may understand the rainbow bridge as a useful metaphor in that the colours of the rainbow can represent all the main stakeholders in accessibility; the different views that different people can have of the same rainbow can represent different but related views of accessibility; and crossing the rainbow bridge to &quot;higher awareness&quot; can represent the &quot;awareness&quot; that is required in order to develop accessible e­-learning practice.
Constructivism, Education, Science, and Technology
Author: Boudourides, Moses A.
Date: 2003-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Constructivism (Learning),Definitions,Interdisciplinary Approach,Social Science Research,Educational Research,Philosophy,Cybernetics,Developmental Psychology,Social Psychology,Educational Theories,Sciences,Technology,Science and Society

The purpose of this paper is to present a brief review of the various streams of constructivism in studies of education, society, science and technology. It is intended to present a number of answers to the question (what really is constructivism?) in the context of various disciplines from the humanities and the sciences (both natural and social). In particular the discussion will focus on four varieties of constructivism: philosophical, cybernetic, educational, and sociological constructivism.
Directions for Research and Development on Electronic Portfolios
Author: Abrami, Philip C.
Date: 2005-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Research and Development,Portfolios (Background Materials),Electronic Publishing,Program Descriptions,Delivery Systems,Usability,Professional Development,Users (Information),Technical Support,Program Administration,Financial Support,Audience Analysis,Sustainability,Evidence,Success,Knowledge Management

This lead article for the special issue of the &quot;Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology&quot; explores directions for research and development on electronic portfolios, which are digital containers capable of storing visual and auditory content; software for which may also be designed to support a variety of pedagogical processes and assessment purposes. The paper is organized around several key questions: What are the types and characteristics of electronic portfolios? What are the outcomes and processes that electronic portfolios support for their creators? What are the contexts in which EPs are most effective and worthwhile? Who are electronic portfolio users/viewers and how do we provide appropriate professional development to encourage correct adoption and widespread and sustained use? What do we know and need to know about technical and administrative issues? What is evidence of electronic portfolio success? How do we move forward with funding and infrastructure?