Investigating and Understanding Student Learning Outcomes in an Online and Face-to-Face Graduate Level Legal Administration Course: An Embedded Mixed Methods Design

Online education is a new teaching and learning medium with few current guidelines for faculty, administrators or students. Its rapid growth over the last decade has challenged academic institutions to keep up with the demand, while also providing a quality education. Our understanding of the factors that determine quality and effective online learning experiences that lead to student learning outcomes is still evolving. There is a lack of consensus on the effectiveness of online versus face-to-face education in the current research. The U.S. Department of Education conducted a meta-analysis in 2009 and concluded that student-learning outcomes in online courses were equal to and, often times, better than face-to-face traditional courses. Subsequent research has found contradictory findings, and further inquiry is necessary. The purpose of this embedded mixed methods design research study is to further our understanding of the factors that create quality and successful educational outcomes in an online course. To achieve this, the first phase of this study measured and compared learning outcomes in an online and in class graduate-level legal administration course. The second phase of the study entailed interviews with those students in both the online and face-to-face sections to understand their perspectives on the factors contributing to learning outcomes. Six themes emerged from the qualitative findings: convenience, higher order thinking, discussions, professor engagement, professor and student interaction, and face-to-face interaction. Findings from this study indicate the factors students perceive as contributing to learning outcomes in an online course are consistent among all students and are supported in the existing literature. Higher order thinking, however, emerged as a stronger theme than indicated in the current research, and the face-to-face nature of the traditional classroom may be more an issue of familiarity than a factor contributing to learning outcomes. As education continues to reach new heights and developments in technology advance, the factors found to contribute to student learning outcomes will be refined and enhanced. These developments will continue to transform the ways in which we deliver and receive knowledge in both traditional and online classrooms. While there is a growing body of research on online education, the field’s evolution has unsettled earlier findings and posed new areas to investigate.

A aprendizagem da língua portuguesa pela comunidade chinesa a residir em Portugal: um estudo sobre diferentes gerações

Considerando o aumento do número de imigrantes oriundos da República Popular da China que procuram Portugal como país de destino, propõe-se um estudo sobre a forma como este grupo de imigrantes, em particular, aprende a língua portuguesa como língua de acolhimento. A análise será de natureza histórica, uma vez que irá descrever a história da imigração Chinesa para Portugal, em articulação com a procura e o interesse crescente na República Popular da China de cursos de PLE e do estudo da cultura portuguesa. A esta visão de um ponto de vista histórico irá contrapor-se o estudo da situação atual da forma como os imigrantes chineses fazem a aprendizagem da língua de acolhimento, em Portugal, através de análise de entrevistas realizadas a imigrantes a residir na área de Lisboa. Um outro aspeto importante que irá ser considerado no meu estudo é a questão da diferença geracional. A minha pesquisa procurará averiguar se a pertença a diferentes gerações, contrastando adultos/idosos e jovens, determina motivações, práticas e resultados diferenciados na aprendizagem da língua portuguesa como língua de acolhimento. Será importante considerar-se neste estudo os diferentes contextos em que é feita a aprendizagem da língua de acolhimento: o formal, o não formal e o informal. Além disso, iremos também abordar a questão da integração linguística e cultural dos imigrantes, em Portugal. A metodologia de pesquisa adotada é a da recolha de dados por entrevista.

Adolescents' willingness to seek psychological help: Promoting and preventing factors

Although a relatively high percentage of Australian adolescents experience mental health problems, many disturbed adolescents do not receive the help they require, and only a small proportion of adolescents seek professional psychological help. The present study examined adolescents' willingness to seek help and investigated factors that promote and prevent adolescents from seeking help for a mental illness from both formal and informal sources. Secondary school students (254 in number) from schools in Brisbane, Australia completed a questionnaire that examined the relationship between demographic and psychological variables, attitudes toward mental illness, and willingness to seek help for a mental illness. Results suggest that adolescents with greater adaptive functioning, fewer perceived barriers to help seeking, and higher psychological distress were more willing to seek help from formal and informal sources for a mental illness. Greater social support also predicted willingness to seek help from informal sources. Although attitudes toward mental illness did not influence willingness to seek help, less stigmatising attitudes were related to higher knowledge of mental illness, being female, and higher levels of social support. Implications for the present study focus on enhancing the ability of mental health interventions to increase adolescents' willingness to seek psychological help.

I-Spi: innovative shared practical ideas: a support guide for literacy and numeracy in the early years of schooling, for home tutor/supervisors in distance education

Innovative Shared Practical Ideas (I-Spi) is a guide to help you and your children learn together. It is designed to affirm, support and strengthen your role as home tutor/supervisors in your daily learning sessions with your children. In this guide particular emphasis is given to the value of talk, formal and informal early literacy and numeracy practices (including ideas from distance school lessons, from home tutor/supervisors, research, and beyond), assessment of these practices together with informal assessment ideas for gauging your children’s literacy and numeracy progress, and stepping in and building on strategies

A TECNOLOGIA MÓVEL E OS POTENCIAIS DA COMUNICAÇÃO NA EDUCAÇÃO

A pesquisa é baseada em três eixos principais, comunicação, educação e tecnologias digitais, com uma análise exploratória do mercado de produção de conteúdos para mídias móveis. O estudo é desenvolvido com revisão bibliográfica referente a esses três eixos e com o uso da metodologia qualitativa. São realizadas entrevistas semi-estruturadas com representantes do mercado de comunicação móvel do país, com o objetivo de descrever o fluxo de produção de conteúdos, com foco nas possibilidades de desenvolvimento da aprendizagem móvel. Neste sentido, são verificados os potenciais tecnológicos e comunicacionais do uso das novas Tecnologias da Informação e da Comunicação (TIC), com destaque para o celular, nos modelos de educação formal e informal, a partir de aspectos da Sociedade do Conhecimento, como convergência de mídias, interatividade e produção colaborativa. Observa-se tendências como a valorização do conteúdo em relação aos meios de comunicação e o desenvolvimento de novas experiências de acesso à informação com o uso das tecnologias móveis e convergentes.

O ESTUDANTE DA EAD (EDUCAÇÃO A DISTÂNCIA): UM ESTUDO DE PERFIL E INTERAÇÃO GERACIONAL

A aprendizagem formal e tradicional tem dado lugar a um cenário desafiador no qual educador e educando não comungam do mesmo espaço físico. A Educação a Distância (EAD), ainda é vista como uma solução que agrega cada vez mais alunos de diferentes idades que desejam uma graduação de ensino superior ou a continuidade dela. A pesquisa com o título: “O estudante da EAD (educação a distância): um estudo de perfil e interação geracional” propõe conhecer as características do perfil atual do estudante da EAD, abordando o diálogo entre as gerações no ambiente social escolar. O enfoque da pesquisa é qualitativa, exploratória e descritiva com dados que foram coletados através de entrevista com 08 alunos das gerações X e Y para assim entender se este perfil tem sido renovado com alunos mais jovens, do que a faixa etária de 25 a 45 anos. O resultado demonstra que alunos na faixa de 17 a 24 anos a cada ano aumentam 1% das matrículas. Já a faixa de 25 a 45 anos prevalece com 70% das matrículas. Portanto, este resultado revela que o perfil do aluno EAD ainda é o do jovem adulto, para adulto mais experiente, que busca a graduação com o propósito de progressão no ambiente profissional. As duas gerações citadas geração X e geração Y, mesmo em contextos históricos diferenciados de valores, crenças e comportamentos participam atualmente de uma transformação social que contempla os meios de produção do trabalho, a formação educacional e as relações sociais. O diálogo intergeracional direciona a um aprendizado compartilhado, participativo na troca de experiências mutuas. Para a geração X o jovem atual não é mais nomeado como o que precisa escutar e aprender, mas tem muito a partilhar, principalmente diante da facilidade com os meios tecnológicos. E para a geração Y, na partilha não há barreiras de idade, mas a segurança de interagir e se comunicar diante da troca de experiências

A variational approach to learning curves

We combine the replica approach from statistical physics with a variational approach to analyze learning curves analytically. We apply the method to Gaussian process regression. As a main result we derive approximative relations between empirical error measures, the generalization error and the posterior variance.

Workplace crime and the informal economy in Ukraine: Employee and employer perspectives

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the criminal workplace activities of both employers and employees in Ukrainian enterprises. It challenges traditional definitions of corruption and suggests that the practices that can be observed fit into the category of organised crime because of the country's economic framework. The paper also explores how the practices are partially a legacy of Soviet economic processes. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 700 household surveys were completed in three cities, Kyiv (where 450 surveys were completed), Uzhgorod (150) and Kharkiv (100). To complement these, approximately 25 in-depth interviews were undertaken with workers in each region. Furthermore, ethnographic observations and “kitchen table” interviews also played an important role in the research. Although the research was oriented towards those working in informal economies, business owners (both formal and informal) were also interviewed. Findings – As well as revealing the endemic nature of corruption in Ukrainian workplaces and the high levels of informal activity undertaken by workers, the research found that many people wish for their workplace to become more regulated. Research limitations/implications – Further interviews could have been carried out with state officials and in more locations. The implications are multiple but mainly they demonstrate the difficulty that those charged with economic reform in Ukraine must face. Originality/value – It is one of the first studies to explore these issues in Ukraine using a variety of research methods.

Moving from HRM to knowledge productivity:a study of whether and how organizations become learning organizations

Practitioners and academics are in broad agreement that, above all, organizations need to be able to learn, to innovate and to question existing ways of working. This thesis develops a model to take into account, firstly, what determines whether or not organizations endorse practices designed to facilitate learning. Secondly, the model evaluates the impact of such practices upon organizational outcomes, measured in terms of products and technological innovation. Researchers have noted that organizations that are committed to producing innovation show great resilience in dealing with adverse business conditions (e.g. Pavitt, 1991; Leonard Barton, 1998). In effect, such organizations bear many of the characteristics associated with the achievement of ‘learning organization’ status (Garvin, 1993; Pedler, Burgoyne & Boydell, 1999; Senge, 1990). Seven studies are presented to support this theoretical framework. The first empirical study explores the antecedents to effective learning. The three following studies present data to suggest that people management practices are highly significant in determining whether or not organizations are able to produce sustained innovation. The thesis goes on to explore the relationship between organizational-level job satisfaction, learning and innovation, and provides evidence to suggest that there is a strong, positive relationship between these variables. The final two chapters analyze learning and innovation within two similar manufacturing organizations. One manifests relatively low levels of innovation whilst the other is generally considered to be outstandingly innovative. I present the comparative framework for exploring the different approaches to learning manifested by the two organizations. The thesis concludes by assessing the extent to which the theoretical model presented in the second chapter is borne out by the findings of the study. Whilst this is a relatively new field of inquiry, findings reveal that organizations have a much stronger chance of producing sustained innovation where they manage people proactively where people process themselves to be satisfied at work. Few studies to date have presented empirical evidence to substantiate theoretical endorsements to engage in higher order learning, so this research makes an important contribution to existing literature in this field.

A prediction of outcomes: a psychological investigation into cognitive and affective development within the framework of adult literacy provision

This investigation seeks to explore the hypothesis, derived from observation and practice, that there is a strong relationship between the development of literacy skills and the growth of confidence in adult literacy students. Implicit in the developmental approach is the notion of progression towards some cognitive goal. Such a goal necessitates the establishment of a base line of existing attainment, together with subsequent assessment so that progress and development can be measured. The study includes an evaluation of existing formal and informal methods of initial and subsequent assessment and diagnosis available at the time for Adult Literacy Scheme Co-ordinators. Underlying the funding by Cheshire County Council for the project is the assumption that the results will be available for all practitioners and that the tools of measurement may be used by other Adult Literacy Co-ordinators in the County. It is intended, therefore, that this research should result in practical outcomes in which methods of assessment will involve active participation by students as well as by tutors, becoming part of the learning process. It is hypothesised that this kind of co-operation could lead ultimately to self-directed learning and student-independence. For the purposes of this research, a balance is attempted in the use of assessment tools, between standardised tests and informal methods. The study provides facts about students! reading habits; as well as their reading levels, their spelling levels, their handwriting, their writing skills and their writing habits. The study seeks to show the students' feelings towards education, their educational attainments and the type of school which they attended. The study also attempts to come to some measurement of those aspects of student personality which relate to confidence, by means of tests and questionnaires. The study concludes with an examination of the link between cognitive and affective progress.

Heritage and innovative learning approaches:an alternative approach to engineering education

Over recent years, the role of engineering in promoting a sustainable society has received much public attention [1] with particular emphasis given to the need to promote the future prosperity and security of society through the recruitment and education of more engineers [2,3]. From an employment perspective, the Leitch Review [4] suggested that ‘generic’ transferable employability skills development should constitute a more substantial part of university education. This paper argues that the global drivers impacting engineering education [5] correlate strongly to those underpinning the Leitch review, therefore the question of how to promote transferable employability skills within the wider engineering curriculum is increasingly relevant. By exploring the use of heritage in the engineering curriculum as a way to promote learning and engage students, a less familiar approach to study is discussed. This approach moves away from stereotypical notions of the use of information technology as representing the pinnacle of innovation in education. Taking the student experience as its starting point, the paper draws upon the findings of an exploratory study critically analysing the pedagogical value of using heritage in engineering education. It discusses a teaching approach in which engineering students are taken out of their ‘comfort zone’ - away from the classroom, laboratory and computer, to a heritage site some 100 miles away from the university. The primary learning objective underpinning this approach is to develop students’ transferable skills by encouraging them to consider how to apply theoretical concepts to a previously unexplored situation. By reflecting upon students’ perceptions of the value of this approach, and by identifying how heritage may be utilised as an innovative learning and teaching approach in engineering education, this paper makes a notable contribution to current pedagogical debates in the discipline.

A Semantic-Oriented Architecture of a Functional Module for Personalized and Adaptive Access to the Knowledge in a Multimedia Digital Library

This article presents the principal results of the doctoral thesis “Semantic-oriented Architecture and Models for Personalized and Adaptive Access to the Knowledge in Multimedia Digital Library” by Desislava Ivanova Paneva-Marinova (Institute of Mathematics and Informatics), successfully defended before the Specialised Academic Council for Informatics and Mathematical Modelling on 27 October, 2008.

Essential features of serious games design in higher education:linking learning attributes to game mechanics

This paper consolidates evidence and material from a range of specialist and disciplinary fields to provide an evidence-based review and synthesis on the design and use of serious games in higher education. Search terms identified 165 papers reporting conceptual and empirical evidence on how learning attributes and game mechanics may be planned, designed and implemented by university teachers interested in using games, which are integrated into lesson plans and orchestrated as part of a learning sequence at any scale. The findings outline the potential of classifying the links between learning attributes and game mechanics as a means to scaffold teachers’ understanding of how to perpetuate learning in optimal ways while enhancing the in-game learning experience. The findings of this paper provide a foundation for describing methods, frames and discourse around experiences of design and use of serious games, linked to methodological limitations and recommendations for further research in this area.

Versenyképesség és civil szerepvállalás a közigazgatás és a közszolgáltatások fejlesztésében (Competitiveness and civil contribution to the development of public administration and public services)

Az utóbbi évtizedek nemzetközi trendjei azt mutatják, hogy a civil szervezetek és a nonprofit szolgáltatók számottevő hatást gyakorolnak a versenyképesség alakulására. Ez a tanulmány azokat a formális és informális mechanizmusokat tekinti át, amelyeken keresztül a civil társadalom befolyásolja a közintézményi döntéseket és azok gyakorlati megvalósítását, hozzájárul a „government”-tôl a „governance” irányába való elmozduláshoz. Szintén képet ad arról az átalakulási folyamatról, amely a közszolgáltatások területén zajlik, s amelyből egyre markánsabban rajzolódik ki a közösségi kezdeményezésen alapuló, társadalmi ellenőrzés alatt működő nonprofit szolgáltatók és az állami szereplők közötti partneri viszony kialakulásának tendenciája. ____________ The international trends of the last decades have revealed that civil society organisations and nonprofit service providers have a significant impact on competitiveness. This paper gives an overview of the formal and informal mechanisms operated by civil society in order to keep public administration accountable, to influence public decisions and their implementation, thus moving from “government” towards “governance”. It also analyses the transition of public services, the more and more noticeable signs of an emerging partnership between the grassroots, community controlled service providing nonprofit organisations and the government actors.

Learning Behind Bars: Exploring Prison Educators’ Facilitation of Inmates’ Self-directed Learning through Garrison’s Model

Formal education programs in prisons have had success in reducing recidivism, but the introduction of informal learning can have additional benefits and longer lasting effects. This paper addresses recidivism and its effects on inmates and society at large and how prison educators can facilitate self-directed learning in prisons through Garrison’s model.