L’insegnamento online delle lingue all’Università del Dalarna (Svezia) : Esperienze di collaborazione internazionale e prospettive future

This paper describes the on-line teaching strategies for languages adopted at the University of Dalarna (Sweden) and the experience of a collaboration carried out with the Language Centre of the University of Parma that led to the administration of an international course in Italian for specific purposes. According to the results of its first administration, the promotion of advanced forms of "virtual mobility" together with the prospective of a joint degree in Italian language and culture will be outlined.

Languaging in virtual learning sites : studies of online encounters in the language-focused classroom

This thesis focuses upon a series of empirical studies which examine communication and learning in online glocal communities within higher education in Sweden. A recurring theme in the theoretical framework deals with issues of languaging in virtual multimodal environments as well as the making of identity and negotiation of meaning in these settings; analyzing the activity, what people do, in contraposition to the study of how people talk about their activity. The studies arise from netnographic work during two online Italian for Beginners courses offered by a Swedish university. Microanalyses of the interactions occurring through multimodal video-conferencing software are amplified by the study of the courses’ organisation of space and time and have allowed for the identification of communicative strategies and interactional patterns in virtual learning sites when participants communicate in a language variety with which they have a limited experience. The findings from the four studies included in the thesis indicate that students who are part of institutional virtual higher educational settings make use of several resources in order to perform their identity positions inside the group as a way to enrich and nurture the process of communication and learning in this online glocal community. The sociocultural dialogical analyses also shed light on the ways in which participants gathering in discursive technological spaces benefit from the opportunity to go to class without commuting to the physical building of the institution providing the course. This identity position is, thus, both experienced by participants in interaction, and also afforded by the ‘spaceless’ nature of the online environment.

Will it work? an initial examination of the processes and outcomes of converting course materials to CD-ROMs

The Faculty of Business and Law at Deakin University (Victoria, Australia) decided to dispense of all printed post-graduate learning materials and replace them with CD-ROMs from the commencement of the 2006 academic year. In addition, CD-ROMs were developed for a limited
number of undergraduate units as part of a future delivery plan for this cohort of students. The following paper describes this project, the reasons underpinning it, and the processes the Faculty adopted to implement the project. The project is ongoing and part of a broader agenda for change
that will see an even greater application of electronic technology to teaching and learning within the Faculty. Although only initial findings and observations are possible at this stage, the project provides a basis for longitudinal reporting and, potentially, a guide for other institutions who may
be considering such a move. The paper reports on these observations and on those in the educational development arena and suggests that the Faculty will need to learn from these initial experiences and evaluate the project in greater depth to guarantee a smooth transition for all stakeholders.

A focus on teaching in online pedagogy

As the Internet continues to grow in popularity and educational institutions feel the need to have a presence online, 'learning and teaching online' has become somewhat of an IT cliché. In many cases course material is made available online and it is left up to the learner to learn. The claims made for online courses promise considerable cost savings after the initial establishment period, and opportunities to provide education to a larger, globalised marketplace. For students, online learning is thought to allow more flexible study options, and the opportunity to work and study at the same time (Bell, et al 2002, p. 27).

In this paper we question the assumption that online teaching is merely making course material available on the World Wide Web. We report on our study of what is involved in the act of teaching online and on the research that led to the development of the 'mobile teaching facility' to enable a focus on teaching in the online environment. We reflect on how a group of academic staff are responding to online teaching. Details of professional development workshops, hardware and software solutions and working with the complexities of pedagogy will also be discussed. This paper is about our findings, recommendations and plans for future explorations.

Students' perspective of online learning

When a student commences a course of study that includes an online component the initial feedback academics receive can reflect their fear of the online concept, their bias against the use of technology, as well as difficulties they may have encountered with using the supporting technologies rather than with online learning per se. In second semester 2002, an evaluation of an online unit in the B. Computing was conducted at the end of the semester to gain a better understanding of students’ perceptions of online learning as well as the effectiveness of the technologies that support these activities. We report some preliminary results from the evaluation. Initial indications are that poor first impressions are reflected in students’ perceptions of the overall online learning experience. We highlight some areas, normally considered outside the immediate domain of eLearning, that must be attended to in order to minimise the potential negative impact on students, maximise the benefits of learning online and improve the learning experience for students.

Redesign of a multimedia course to reflect process not product

Universities are moving towards an environment of online teaching and learning. This is impacting the revision of degree programmes. A multimedia design course was revised to reflect and improve the design process inherent within multimedia production. The course was analyzed and revised using a critical reflection process. The outcome of the evaluation indicated that students were more satisfied but they had not grasped some of the fundamental concepts of design, and further revision of the course was needed for delivering materials and teaching in an online environment. The recommendation from the teaching team was to explore the range of research methods to formally revise the course again for future improvements to teaching practice and effective learning.

Security in the online e-learning environment

This paper addresses the role of security in the collaborative e-learning environment, and in particular, the social aspects of security and the importance of identity. It represents a case study, completed in Nov 2004, which was conducted to test the sense of security that students experienced whilst using the wiki platform as a means of online collaboration in the tertiary education environment. Wikis, fully editable Web sites, are easily accessible, require no software and allow its contributors (in this case students) to feel a sense of responsibility and ownership. A comparison between two wiki studies will be made whereby one group employed user login and the other maintained anonymity throughout the course of the study. The results consider the democratic participation and evolution of the work requirements over time, which in fact ascertains the nonvalidity of administrative identification.

Renegotiating the pedagogical peace : a case study in online discussions for undergraduate on campus students

This paper reports an investigation into the ways in which undergraduate students, who are studying on campus, learn in online discussions. The study focuses on student strategies, and the role of text, time and place independence, peer interaction and the influence of the curriculum. It also examines the relationships between online discussions and face to face classes. The study found deep approaches to learning were widely used and were associated with constructivist learning activity, thinking and interacting online in groups in a way that adds value to the classroom, close integration with face to face activity and a positive perception of online discussions and the course as a whole. This case study confirms the relational nature of student learning in a blended learning environment.

Problem-based learning in an online environment

This study describes the investigation of postgraduate students of mixed age and gender distributed across several Australian states as well as off shore who were juggling study with workplace demands. As face to face meeting was impossible because of the geographical distribution of the group members and because the course communication was centred on an online conference space, a small group space was established for each group for the purpose of completing the problem-based learning task. This paper provides a detailed description of the group dynamics and interactive processes required to negotiate an online problem-based learning task. It will also suggest ways to improve the collaborative learning potential of the online environment through well structured and meaningful activities.

Developing and presenting conceptual maps of course content

Teaching online involves providing an environment that is interactive and engaging. A large part of this is providing suitable learning resources. In this talk we will demonstrate an efficient method for producing conceptual maps of the actual course content, showing the structure of the subject for students in a visual way. The structures that result allows for learning resources to be linked in as required. The maps are developed using PowerPoint but they can be deployed in a web-friendly format or on CD-ROM.

To post or not to post : undergraduate student perceptions about participating in online discussions

Computer mediated conferencing (CMC) is now a common feature of blended learning environments where students learn in both face to face and online settings. While many teachers recognize the value of online discussions for learning, students appear to have different perspectives. Consequently, their participation in online discussions is often sporadic and not genuinely interactive. This paper examines these issues and provides student perspectives about participation in online discussions which arose from a case study in a conceptually difficult subject. Systems data indicated low numbers of posted messages. Student interviews provide some insights into this lack of participation, and identify the influence of the curriculum design, especially the nature of the learning activity, and its connection to other aspects of the course, for example, assessment and the regular class sessions. Other influential factors include the student’s ideas about learning, managing demands on their time and their acceptance of CMC. The paper also provides recommendations for improving participation in online discussions.

EStream: online mining of frequent sets with precise error guarantee

In data stream applications, a good approximation obtained in a timely  manner is often better than the exact answer that’s delayed beyond the window of opportunity. Of course, the quality of the approximate is as important as its timely delivery. Unfortunately, algorithms capable of online processing do not conform strictly to a precise error guarantee. Since online processing is essential and so is the precision of the error, it is necessary that stream algorithms meet both criteria. Yet, this is not the case for mining frequent sets in data streams. We present EStream, a novel algorithm that allows online processing while producing results strictly within the error bound. Our theoretical and experimental results show that EStream is a better candidate for finding frequent sets in data streams, when both constraints need to be satisfied.

Online students : relationships between participation, demographics and academic performance

Using information technology to support teaching and learning is becoming ubiquitous in tertiary education. However, how students participate and perform when a major component of the learning experience is conducted via an online learning environment is still an open question. The objective of this study was to investigate whether any relationships existed between the participation, demographics and academic performance of students in an information technology course that was taught wholly online. Tracking data generated by the online learning environment was collected throughout the semester. Through a detailed analysis of this tracking data it was found that a relationship existed between students' participation in the online learning environment and their performance, as measured by final results in the course. Relationships also existed between gender, nationality, participation and performance. However, there was no relationship between age and performance and participation. These findings suggest that when designing online learning for a diverse population, student demographics should be taken into account to maximise the benefits of the learning experience. The results also suggest that the tracking data can be used as an early indicator of students who are likely to fail the course since lack of participation early in the semester is indicative of lower outcomes in the course. Being able to identify such students allows staff to take remedial action proactively rather than reactively in the latter part of the semester.

Does the discussion help? The impact of a formally assessed online discussion on final student results

While there is agreement that participation in online asynchronous discussions can enhance student learning, it has also been identified that there is a need to investigate the impact of participation in online discussions on student course performance. This paper presents a case study based on an undergraduate engineering management unit employing a formally assessed online discussion area. It was observed that while many students read a significant number of discussion postings, generally, the posting of new and reply messages occurred at the minimum level required to qualify for the assignment marks. Based on correlation and multiple regression analysis, it was observed that two variables were significantly related to a student's final unit mark—prior academic ability and the number of new postings made to the online discussion. Each new posting contributed three times as much to the final unit mark as its nominal assessment value, suggesting that the work in preparing their new discussion postings assisted students in the completion of a range of assessable tasks for the unit. The number of postings read was not significantly correlated with the final unit mark, suggesting that passive lurking in this online discussion did not significantly contribute to student learning outcomes.

The learning outcomes of an online reflective journal in engineering

Reflective thinking based on experiential learning is a key skill required for the lifelong learner and the socially mature professional. Following several semesters employing a written reflective journal as an assessable task, a fourth-year engineering management unit adopted an online reflective journal. During the initial semester of use, an evaluation was undertaken to investigate student perceptions of the online journal. A summary of this previous work is presented here. Following three semesters of use of the online journal, an analysis of the student use of the journal was undertaken to investigate its contribution to unit learning outcomes. Based on the evaluation of student perceptions of the online reflective journal, it was found that a majority of students understood the purpose of the journal, and valued the journal in their learning; a majority of students read the journal entries of other students, and indicated that this assisted their learning; and the two most frequently reported ‘most useful’ aspects of the journal were the ‘enforced’ continuous revision of course material, and the ability to compare their understanding of the course material with that of other students. Based on a regression analysis of the factors related to student usage of the online reflective journal, it was found that the significant contributors to final unit mark where: prior academic performance; number of journal postings; and mode of study. This research confirmed that the online reflective journal was fertile territory in the landscape of educational technology, both in terms of student perceptions and contribution to unit learning outcomes.