Using information and communications technology in higher education

A folio-based doctoral study comprising a dissertation, a major literature review, and a website. The dissertation identified key dimensions of blended learning environments created by the teachers in the study. These environments were characterised by different media blends and learning activities underpinned by resource-based learning approaches to teaching and learning.

A systems analysis method for online teaching and learning systems

A Method for Educational Analysis and Design (MEAD) was developed to analyse and design online teaching and learning systems. The method is based upon a participational design approach focused on the requirements of the users (students)

Survey of Directors of Australian university teaching and learning centres

The data provides a representative quantitative snapshot of the characteristics, capacities and constraints of Australian teaching and learning centres as seen through the eyes of their Directors. It provides evidence-based information for sector benchmarking and policy design, and identifies factors that contribute to the effective startegic leadership of Australian teaching and learning centres.

A framework for co-ordination and learning among teams of agents

We present a framework for team coordination under incomplete information based on the theory of incomplete information games. When the true distribution of the uncertainty involved is not known in advance, we consider a repeated interaction scenario and show that the agents can learn to estimate this distribution and share their estimations with one another. Over time, as the set of agents' estimations become more accurate, the utility they can achieve approaches the optimal utility when the true distribution is known, while the communication requirement for exchanging the estimations among the agents can be kept to a minimal level.

A review of e-learning technologies – opportunities for teaching and learning

The number of different e-learning technologies available to support teaching and learning is growing exponentially. A major issue for faculty and educational developers in higher education is to determine which e-learning technology is most appropriate to support their particular teaching needs and provide optimum learning opportunities for students. Over the last few years a vast amount of literature has been published on e-learning technologies and how they are used in education Therefore the decision to use a particular technology should be based on sound research and clear evidence. This paper reviews many of these e-learning technologies and provides information regarding their use and the opportunities afforded by them.

Discovering the value that the library can contribute to quality teaching and learning through student evaluation data

Large surveys of library user service quality perception are common. However, student evaluation of teaching (SET) data often show a disparity between ratings of library service quality and library resource quality. In this situation, perhaps SET data can also provide insights into what contributes to the perception of library resource quality, and hence identify leverage points for quality improvement interventions. This paper documents an analysis of available Deakin University SET data relating to student interaction with, and evaluation of, library resources. It highlights significant correlations associated with library-related SET items, and from them infers actions that the library could undertake to improve the value and perception of the quality of library resources. The following results were observed. High ratings for library resources were likely to be associated with high general ratings of teaching and unit quality. Postgraduate coursework students rated library resources significantly higher than students in the first three years of undergraduate programs. Students in one faculty (Health) rated library resources significantly higher than students in all other faculties. There was a strong correlation observed in Australasian Survey of Student Engagement data for both 2009 and 2010 between the two items “Used library resources on campus or online” and “Worked on an essay or assignment that required integrating ideas or information from various sources”. These findings suggest the following conclusions. Well-planned learning environments are likely to integrate meaningful student interaction with the library. Initiatives to improve the value and perception of the quality of library resources should be focussed on the specific characteristics and needs of particular student cohorts to have maximum impact. More sophisticated assessment tasks that require students to interact with the library have the potential to result in higher student ratings of the value of library resources.

Facilitating learning by going online : modernising Islamic teaching and learning in Indonesia

This chapter examines the impact of eLearning and Web 2.0 social media in a socially conservative environment in Indonesia that has nevertheless proven surprisingly adroit at change management. Web 2.0 social media has proven enormously popular in Indonesia but traditional Islamic schools (which are known in Java as pesantren but elsewhere in the Muslim world as madrasah) the focus of this study is often unable to access Web 2.0 or the Internet in general. Progressive non-national government organizations (NGOs) seek to remedy this situation by providing satellite broadband links to remote schools and this chapter examines one particular project. Despite the impoverished and conservative nature of their community, the leaders of this school have led their students in a surprisingly enthusiastic reception of eLearning technology, recognizing its great capacity to produce and enhance social networks and provide new opportunities for learning. Particular attention in this case study is given to factors relating to social capital, attitudes, and patterns of behavior in leadership and change management. A case study approach was chosen to enable a richer and more finely-grained analysis of the issues. The case study is based on semi-structured interviews and observations conducted over several years. This research shows that whilst the adoption and uptake of eLearning with emerging technologies is strongly shaped by cultural and social factors, it plays out in very different ways than might first have been expected.

The role of human resource practices in developing knowledge and learning capabilities for innovation : a study of IT service providers in India

This paper examines the role of human resource practices in the development of knowledge and learning capabilities for innovation for information technology service providers (ITSP) in India. Developing knowledge and learning capabilities for innovation has been the subject of much attention from industry, governments and researchers. However, the questions surrounding how human resource practices influence the development of knowledge and learning capabilities that lead to organizational innovation remains unclear; particularly for knowledge intensive firms in developing countries. The study draws from the experience of 11 of the largest ITSPs in India and based on in-depth interviews. The findings suggest that while traditional human resource practices are important, senior executives should take a strategic approach in developing human resource practices with knowledge and learning capabilities as central piece for organizational innovation.

An inquiry into the effectiveness of student generated MCQs as a method of assessment to improve teaching and learning

 In anticipation of helping students mature from passive to more active learners while engaging with the issues and concepts surrounding computer security, a student generated Multiple Choice Question (MCQ) learning strategy was designed and deployed as a replacement for an assessment task that was previously based on students providing solutions to a series of short-answer questions. To determine whether there was any educational value in students generating their own MCQs students were required to design MCQs. Prior to undertaking this assessment activity each participant completed a pre-test which consisted of 45 MCQs based on the topics of the assessment. Following the assessment activity the participants completed a post-test which consisted of the same MCQs as the pre-test. The pre and post test results as well as the post test and assessment activity results were tested for statistical significance. The results indicated that having students generate their own MCQs as a method of assessment did not have a negative effect on the learning experience. By providing a framework to the students based on the literature to support their engagement with the learning material, we believe the creation of well-structured MCQs resulted in a more advanced understanding of the relationships between the concepts of the learning material as compared with plainly answering a series of short-answer questions from a textbook. Further study is required to determine to what degree this learning strategy encouraged a deeper approach to learning.

Managing Indian IT professionals for global competitiveness: the role of human resource practices in developing knowledge and learning capabilities for innovation

Little is known about how human resource practices contribute towards the competitiveness of people based-knowledge intensive organisations in developing countries. This paper examines the role of human resource practices in developing knowledge and learning capabilities for innovation in the Indian information technology services sector. The study draws from the experience of a sample of 11 of the largest information technology service providers (ITSPs) in India and is based on in-depth interviews. The main finding suggests that the talent management architecture of ITSPs that comprises human resource practices and the development of knowledge and learning capabilities is the main drivers of innovation. A conceptual framework showing the link between human resource practices, knowledge and learning capabilities and innovation of ITSPs is developed followed by the limitations of the study and avenues for future research.

Becoming numerate with information and communications technologies in the twenty-first century

This article draws on data from a three-year Australian Research Council-funded study that examined the ways in which young children become numerate in the twenty-first century. We were interested in the authentic problem-solving contexts that we believe are required to create meaningful learning. This being so, our basic tenet was that such experiences should involve the use of information and communications technologies (ICT) where relevant, but not in tokenistic ways. This article highlights learning conditions in which young children can become numerate in contemporary times. We consider ‘academic’ or ‘school-based’ mathematical tasks in the context of a Mathematical Tasks Continuum. This continuum was conceptualised to enable focused and detailed thinking about the scope and range of mathematical tasks that young children are able to engage within contemporary school contexts. The data from this study show that most of the tasks the children experienced in early years mathematics classes were unidimensional in their make up. That is, they focus on the acquisition of specific skills and then they are practiced in disembedded contexts. We suggest that the framework created in the form of the Mathematical Tasks Continuum can facilitate teachers thinking about the possible ways in which they could extend children’s academic work in primary school mathematics, so that the process of becoming numerate becomes more easily related to authentic activities that they are likely to experience in everyday life.

Monetary equilibrium with decentralized trade and learning

This paper analyzes the stability of monetary regimes in an economy where fiat money is endogenously created by the government, information about its value is imperfect, and learning is decentralized. We show that monetary stability depends crucially on the speed of information transmission in the economy. Our model generates a dynamic on the acceptability of fiat money that resembles historical accounts of the rise and eventual collapse of overissued paper money. It also provides an explanation of the fact that, despite its obvious advantages, the widespread use of fiat money is only a recent development.

Abductive reasoning, information, and mechanical systems

We investigate, from a philosophical perspective, the relation between abductive reasoning and information in the context of biological systems. Emphasis is given to the organizational role played by abductive reasoning in practical activities of embodied embedded agency that involve meaningful information. From this perspective, meaningful information is provisionally characterized as a selforganizing process of pattern generation that constrains coherent action. We argue that this process can be considered as a part of evolutionarily developed learning abilities of organisms in order to help with their survival. We investigate the case of inorganic mechanical systems (like robots), which deal only with stable forms of habits, rather than with evolving learning abilities. Some difficulties are considered concerning the hypothesis that mechanical systems may operate with meaningful information, present in abductive reasoning. Finally, an example of hypotheses creation in the domain of medical sciences is presented in order to illustrate the complexity of abduction in practical reasoning concerning human activities. © 2007 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

New information and communications technologies for education in Latin America: risks and opportunities

Includes bibliography

Policies and practices for the use of information and communications technologies (ICTs) in education in Latin America and the Caribbean

Includes bibliography