Exploring new criteria to design materials for online education

Peer-reviewed

University teacher competences in a virtual teaching/learning environment : analysis of a teacher training experience

This paper attempts to shed light on the competencies a teacher must have inorder to teach in online university environments. We will relate a teacher trainingexperience, which was designed taking into account the methodological criteriaestablished in line with previous theoretical principles. The main objective of ouranalysis is to identify the achievements and difficulties of a specific formativeexperience, with the ultimate goal of assessing the suitability of this conceptualmethodologicalframework for the design of formative proposals aiming to contribute tothe development of teacher competencies for virtual environments.

The FaceUOC Project : An Open Social Learning experience by the Open University of Catalonia

The possibilities and expansion of the use of Web 2.0 has opened up a world of possibilities in online learning. In spite of the integration of these tools in education major changes are required in the educational design of instructional processes.This paper presents an educational experience conducted by the Open University of Catalonia using the social network Facebook for the purpose of testing a learning model that uses a participation and collaboration methodology among users based on the use of open educational resources.- The aim of the experience is to test an Open Social Learning (OSL) model, understood to be a virtual learning environment open to the Internet community, based on the use of open resources and on a methodology focused on the participation and collaboration of users in the construction of knowledge.- The topic chosen for this experience in Facebook was 2.0 Journeys: online tools and resources. The objective of this 5 weeks course was to provide students with resources for managing the various textual, photographic, audiovisual and multimedia materials resulting from a journey.- The most important changes in the design and development of a course based on OSL are the role of the teacher, the role of the student, the type of content and the methodology:- The teacher mixes with the participants, guiding them and offering the benefit of his/her experience and knowledge.- Students learn through their participation and collaboration with a mixed group of users.- The content is open and editable under different types of license that specify the level of accessibility.- The methodology of the course was based on the creation of a learning community able to self-manage its learning process. For this a facilitator was needed and also a central activity was established for people to participate and contribute in the community.- We used an ethnographic methodology and also questionnaires to students in order to acquire results regarding the quality of this type of learning experience.- Some of the data obtained raised questions to consider for future designs of educational situations based on OSL:- Difficulties in breaking the facilitator-centred structure- Change in the time required to adapt to the system and to achieve the objectives- Lack of commitment with free courses- The trend to return to traditional ways of learning- Accreditation- This experience has taught all of us that education can happen any time and in any place but not in any way.

The Transformation of Practical Teaching Focusing on Dialogic Learning

This study investigates the transformation of practical teaching in a Catalan school, connected to the design, implementation and development of project-based learning, and focusing on dialogic learning to investigate its limits and possibilities. Qualitative and design-based research (DBR) methods are applied. These methods are based on empirical educational research with the theory-driven of learning environments. DBR is proposed and applied using practical guidance for the teachers of the school. It can be associated with the current proposals for Embedding Social Sciences and Humanities in the Horizon 2020 Societal Challenges. This position statement defends the social sciences and the humanities as the most fundamental and important ideas to face all societal challenges. The results of this study show that before the training process, teachers apply dialogic learning in specific moments (for example, when they speak about the weekend); however, during the process and after the process, they work systematically with dialogic learning through the PEPT: they start and finish every activity with a individual and group reflection about their own processes, favouring motivation, reasoning and the implication of all the participants. These results prove that progressive transformations of teaching practice benefit cooperative work in class

Student experiences in a course blended learning

Fascination is a project for design students, developed jointly by the Technical University of Catalonia (UPC) and the University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT), which works with two groups of students, one group of participants in Spain and another group in Thailand where, hands-on activities, a range of technologies are used to prepare students for the lessons, through learning activities and content. This research paper presents the test of both a general model and a tool for measuring the participants’ experiences in a course that uses a blended learning methodology, with the aim of collecting empirical evidence to justify the effort of applying this methodology, based on the participants’ satisfaction. The procedure used in the conceptualization of the survey, the generation of topics, the collection of data, and the validation of the scale of various items are described here. The information, provided by the 26 people surveyed about the course and the virtual environment that was used, was analyzed to measure their perceptions and explore possible relations. Finally the conclusions of the research and the future work are presented.

INTERACTIONS: DESIGN, IMPLEMENTATION AND EVALUATION OF A COMPUTATIONAL TOOL FOR TEACHING INTERMOLECULAR FORCES IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Intermolecular forces are a useful concept that can explain the attraction between particulate matter as well as numerous phenomena in our lives such as viscosity, solubility, drug interactions, and dyeing of fibers. However, studies show that students have difficulty understanding this important concept, which has led us to develop a free educational software in English and Portuguese. The software can be used interactively by teachers and students, thus facilitating better understanding. Professors and students, both graduate and undergraduate, were questioned about the software quality and its intuitiveness of use, facility of navigation, and pedagogical application using a Likert scale. The results led to the conclusion that the developed computer application can be characterized as an auxiliary tool to assist teachers in their lectures and students in their learning process of intermolecular forces.

Conditions for EFL learning and professional development : Finland-Swedish learner and teacher perspectives

Engelskans dominerande roll som internationellt språk och andra globaliseringstrender påverkar också Svenskfinland. Dessa trender påverkar i sin tur förutsättningarna för lärande och undervisning i engelska som främmande språk, det vill säga undervisningsmålen, de förväntade elev- och lärarroller, materialens ändamålsenlighet, lärares och elevers initiala erfarenheter av engelska och engelskspråkiga länder. Denna studie undersöker förutsättningarna för lärande och professionell utveckling i det svenskspråkiga nybörjarklassrummet i engelska som främmande språk. Utgångsläget för 351 nybörjare i engelska som främmande språk och 19 av deras lärare beskrivs och analyseras. Resultaten tyder på att engelska håller på att bli ett andraspråk snarare än ett traditionellt främmande språk för många unga elever. Dessa elever har också goda förutsättningar att lära sig engelska utanför skolan. Sådan var dock inte situationen för alla elever, vilket tyder på att det finns en anmärkningsvärd heterogenitet och även regional variation i det finlandssvenska klassrummet i engelska som främmande språk. Lärarresultaten tyder på att vissa lärare har klarat av att på ett konstruktivt sätt att tackla de förutsättningar de möter. Andra lärare uttrycker frustration över sin arbetssituation, läroplanen, undervisningsmaterialen och andra aktörer som kommer är av betydelse för skolmiljön. Studien påvisar att förutsättningarna för lärande och undervisning i engelska som främmande språk varierar i Svenskfinland. För att stöda elevers och lärares utveckling föreslås att dialogen mellan aktörer på olika nivå i samhället bör förbättras och systematiseras.

Mobile learning and video experience in delivering digital content

In recent years, the worldwide distribution of smartphone devices has been growing rapidly. Mobile technologies are evolving fast, a situation which provides new possibilities for mobile learning applications. Along with new delivery methods, this development enables new concepts for learning. This study focuses on the effectiveness and experience of a mobile learning video promoting the key features of a specific device. Through relevant learning theories, mobile technologies and empirical findings, the thesis presents the key elements for a mobile learning video that are essential for effective learning. This study also explores how previous experience with mobile services and knowledge of a mobile handset relate to final learning results. Moreover, this study discusses the optimal delivery mechanisms for a mobile video. The target group for the study consists of twenty employees of a Sanoma Company. The main findings show that the individual experience of learning and the actual learning results may differ and that the design for certain video elements, such as sound and the presentation of technical features, can have an impact on the experience and effectiveness of a mobile learning video. Moreover, a video delivery method based on cloud technologies and HTML5 is suggested to be used in parallel with standalone applications.

Organisational learning and knowledge acquisition. A case study of internationalising manufacturers of wood-based prefabricated buildings

The study investigates organisational learning and knowledge acquisition of wood-based prefabricated building manufacturers. This certain group of case companies was chosen, because their management and their employees generally have a strong manufacturing and engineering background, while the housing sector is characterised by national norms, regulations, as well as local building styles. Considering this setting, it was investigated, how the case companies develop organisational learning capabilities, acquire and transfer knowledge for their internationalisation. The theoretical framework of this study constitutes the knowledge-based conceptualisation of internationalisation, which combines the traditional internationalisation process, as well as the international new venture perspective based on their commonalities in the knowledge-based view of the firm. Different theories of internationalisation, including the network-perspective, were outlined and a framework on organisational learning and knowledge acquisition was established. The empirical research followed a qualitative approach, deploying a multiple-case study with five case companies from Austria, Finland and Germany. In the study, the development of the wood-based prefabricated building industry and of the case companies are described, and the motives, facilitators and challenges for foreign expansion, as well as the companies’ internationalisation approaches are compared. Different methods of how companies facilitate the knowledge-exchange or learn about new markets are also outlined. Experience, market knowledge and personal contacts are considered essential for the internationalisation process. The major finding of the study is that it is not necessary to acquire the market knowledge internally in a slow process as proposed by the Uppsala model. In four cases companies engaged knowledge in symbiotic relations with local business partners. Thereby, the building manufacturers contribute their design and production capabilities, and in return, their local partners provide them with knowledge about the market and local regulations; while they manage the sales and construction operations. Thus, the study provides strong evidence for the propositions of network perspective. One case company developed the knowledge internally in a gradual process: it entered the market sequentially with several business lines, showing an increasing level of complexity. In both of the observed strategies, single-loop and double-loop learning processes occurred.

Yrittäjyyskasvatuksen arvoja etsimässä. Design-tutkimus opettajankoulutuksen opetussuunnitelmien kehittämisessä

This research is a survey on values related to entrepreneurship education and a participatory action research on entrepreneurship education curricula in teacher education. Research problems, rising from the practical development work, were solved by several methods, following the principles of design-based research. Values related to entrepreneurship education were studied among teachers, headmasters, teacher educators, researchers and officers in the field of entrepreneurship education in 16 European Union countries. Fifteen most important values related to entrepreneurship education were listed based on two qualitative surveys (N 124 and N 66). Values were also surveyed among Finnish teacher trainees (N 71). Results of the surveys show that the values given by the teacher trainees did not differ much from the ones given by the professionals already working in the field. Subsequently, emergence of these values was studied in documents that steer education. The values gathered in the surveys did not occur in the documents to a substantial degree. Development of entrepreneurship education curricula in teacher education was conducted by means of participatory action research. The development project gathered 55 teacher trainers from 15 teacher education organisations in Finland. The starting point of the phenomenon based project (see Annala and Mäkinen 2011) was the activity plan created for developing entrepreneurship education curricula. During the project, the learning of the teacher educators proceeded in a balanced way as brightening visions, stronger motivation, increasing understanding and new practices, following Shulman and Shulman’s model (2004). Goals of the development project were set to each teacher educator acquiring basic knowledge on entrepreneurship education, organization of obligatory courses on entrepreneurship education, and making entrepreneurship education a cross-curricular theme in teacher education. The process increased the understanding and motivation of teacher educators to develop and teach entrepreneurship education. It also facilitated collaboration as well as creating visions on entrepreneurship education. Based on the results, the concept of enterprisingness was defined, and recommendations were given for developing curricula in entrepreneurship education.

International Partnering strategy for e-learning provider in emerging economies: Evidence from East Africa learning institutions

International partnership has received growing interest in the literature during the past decades due to globalization, increased technological approaches and rapid changes in competitive environments. The study specifically determines the support provided by international partners on promotion of e-learning in East Africa, assess the motives of partner selection criteria, the determinants of selecting partners, partner models and partner competence of e-learning provider. The study also evaluates obstacles of e-learning partnering strategy in East Africa learning institutions. The research adopts a descriptive survey design. Target population involved East Africa learning institutions with a list of potential institutions generated from the Ministry of Higher Education database. Through a targeted reduction of the initial database, consisting of all learning institutions, both public and private, the study created a target sample base of 200 learning institutions. Structured questionnaires scheduled were used to collect primary data. Study findings showed the approach way East African communities in selecting their e-learning partners depend on international reputation of partners, partner with ability to negotiate with foreign governments, partner with international and local experiences, nationality of foreign partner and partners with local market knowledge.

Design of Personalization of Massive Open Online Courses

Massive Open Online Courses have been in the center of attention in the recent years. However, the main problem of all online learning environments is their lack of personalization according to the learners’ knowledge, learning styles and other learning preferences. This research explores the parameters and features used for personalization in the literature and based on them, evaluates to see how well the current MOOC platforms have been personalized. Then, proposes a design framework for personalization of MOOC platforms that fulfills most of the personalization parameters in the literature including the learning style as well as personalization features. The result of an assessment made for the proposed design framework shows that the framework well supports personalization of MOOCs.

Nursing Students’ Learning about an Empowering Discourse In Patient Education

The main purpose of this study was to describe and evaluate nursing students' learning about an empowering discourse in patient education. In Phase 1, the purpose was to describe an empowering discourse between a nurse and a patient. In Phase 2, the purpose was first to create a computer simulation program of an empowering discourse based on the description, and second, the purpose was to evaluate nursing students’ learning of how to conduct an empowering discourse using a computer simulation program. The ultimate goal was to strengthen the knowledge basis on empowering discourse and to develop nursing students’ knowledge about how to conduct an empowering discourse for the development of patient education. In Phase I, empowering discourse was described using a systematic literature review with a metasummary technique (n=15). Data were collected covering a period from January 1995 to October 2005. In Phase 2, the computer simulation program of empowering discourse was created based the description in 2006–2007. A descriptive comparative design was used to evaluate students’ (n=69) process of learning empowering discourse using the computer simulation program and a pretest–post-test design without a control group was used to evaluate students’ (n=43) outcomes of learning. Data were collected in 2007. Empowering discourse was a structured process and it was possible to simulate and learned with the computer simulation program. According to students’ knowledge, empowering discourse was an unstructured process. Process of learning empowering discourse using the computer simulation program was controlled by the students and it changed students’ knowledge. The outcomes of learning empowering discourse appeared as changes of students’ knowledge to more holistic and better-organized or only to more holistic or better-organized. The study strengthened knowledge base of empowering discourse and developed students to more knowledgeable in empowering discourse.

Designing gamification for collaborative learning in group work

Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) is a teaching and learning approach which is widely adopted. However there are still some problems can be found when CSCL takes place. Studies show that using game-like mechanics can increase motivation, engagement, as well as modelling behaviors of players. Gamification is a rapid growing trend by applying the same mechanics. It refers to use game design elements in non-game contexts. This thesis is about combining gamification concept and computer supported collaborative learning together in software engineering education field. And finally a gamified prototype system is designed.

University students’ regulation of learning and text processing – examples from medical and teacher education

The general aim of the thesis was to study university students’ learning from the perspective of regulation of learning and text processing. The data were collected from the two academic disciplines of medical and teacher education, which share the features of highly scheduled study, a multidisciplinary character, a complex relationship between theory and practice and a professional nature. Contemporary information society poses new challenges for learning, as it is not possible to learn all the information needed in a profession during a study programme. Therefore, it is increasingly important to learn how to think and learn independently, how to recognise gaps in and update one’s knowledge and how to deal with the huge amount of constantly changing information. In other words, it is critical to regulate one’s learning and to process text effectively. The thesis comprises five sub-studies that employed cross-sectional, longitudinal and experimental designs and multiple methods, from surveys to eye tracking. Study I examined the connections between students’ study orientations and the ways they regulate their learning. In total, 410 second-, fourth- and sixth-year medical students from two Finnish medical schools participated in the study by completing a questionnaire measuring both general study orientations and regulation strategies. The students were generally deeply oriented towards their studies. However, they regulated their studying externally. Several interesting and theoretically reasonable connections between the variables were found. For instance, self-regulation was positively correlated with deep orientation and achievement orientation and was negatively correlated with non-commitment. However, external regulation was likewise positively correlated with deep orientation and achievement orientation but also with surface orientation and systematic orientation. It is argued that external regulation might function as an effective coping strategy in the cognitively loaded medical curriculum. Study II focused on medical students’ regulation of learning and their conceptions of the learning environment in an innovative medical course where traditional lectures were combined wth problem-based learning (PBL) group work. First-year medical and dental students (N = 153) completed a questionnaire assessing their regulation strategies of learning and views about the PBL group work. The results indicated that external regulation and self-regulation of the learning content were the most typical regulation strategies among the participants. In line with previous studies, self-regulation wasconnected with study success. Strictly organised PBL sessions were not considered as useful as lectures, although the students’ views of the teacher/tutor and the group were mainly positive. Therefore, developers of teaching methods are challenged to think of new solutions that facilitate reflection of one’s learning and that improve the development of self-regulation. In Study III, a person-centred approach to studying regulation strategies was employed, in contrast to the traditional variable-centred approach used in Study I and Study II. The aim of Study III was to identify different regulation strategy profiles among medical students (N = 162) across time and to examine to what extent these profiles predict study success in preclinical studies. Four regulation strategy profiles were identified, and connections with study success were found. Students with the lowest self-regulation and with an increasing lack of regulation performed worse than the other groups. As the person-centred approach enables us to individualise students with diverse regulation patterns, it could be used in supporting student learning and in facilitating the early diagnosis of learning difficulties. In Study IV, 91 student teachers participated in a pre-test/post-test design where they answered open-ended questions about a complex science concept both before and after reading either a traditional, expository science text or a refutational text that prompted the reader to change his/her beliefs according to scientific beliefs about the phenomenon. The student teachers completed a questionnaire concerning their regulation and processing strategies. The results showed that the students’ understanding improved after text reading intervention and that refutational text promoted understanding better than the traditional text. Additionally, regulation and processing strategies were found to be connected with understanding the science phenomenon. A weak trend showed that weaker learners would benefit more from the refutational text. It seems that learners with effective learning strategies are able to pick out the relevant content regardless of the text type, whereas weaker learners might benefit from refutational parts that contrast the most typical misconceptions with scientific views. The purpose of Study V was to use eye tracking to determine how third-year medical studets (n = 39) and internal medicine residents (n = 13) read and solve patient case texts. The results revealed differences between medical students and residents in processing patient case texts; compared to the students, the residents were more accurate in their diagnoses and processed the texts significantly faster and with a lower number of fixations. Different reading patterns were also found. The observed differences between medical students and residents in processing patient case texts could be used in medical education to model expert reasoning and to teach how a good medical text should be constructed. The main findings of the thesis indicate that even among very selected student populations, such as high-achieving medical students or student teachers, there seems to be a lot of variation in regulation strategies of learning and text processing. As these learning strategies are related to successful studying, students enter educational programmes with rather different chances of managing and achieving success. Further, the ways of engaging in learning seldom centre on a single strategy or approach; rather, students seem to combine several strategies to a certain degree. Sometimes, it can be a matter of perspective of which way of learning can be considered best; therefore, the reality of studying in higher education is often more complicated than the simplistic view of self-regulation as a good quality and external regulation as a harmful quality. The beginning of university studies may be stressful for many, as the gap between high school and university studies is huge and those strategies that were adequate during high school might not work as well in higher education. Therefore, it is important to map students’ learning strategies and to encourage them to engage in using high-quality learning strategies from the beginning. Instead of separate courses on learning skills, the integration of these skills into course contents should be considered. Furthermore, learning complex scientific phenomena could be facilitated by paying attention to high-quality learning materials and texts and other support from the learning environment also in the university. Eye tracking seems to have great potential in evaluating performance and growing diagnostic expertise in text processing, although more research using texts as stimulus is needed. Both medical and teacher education programmes and the professions themselves are challenging in terms of their multidisciplinary nature and increasing amounts of information and therefore require good lifelong learning skills during the study period and later in work life.