High School Students' Critical Evaluation of Scientific Resources on the World Wide Web

This research explores a new web-based curriculum idea, that of having students write and publish critical web reviews of scientific resources as a means of both practicing critical evaluation of web resources, and of making an authentic value-added contribution to the web. This paper presents content analyses of selected sections of 63 web reviews published by eleventh grade students in a project-based science class. Two aspects of critical evaluation are focused upon: summarization of content and evaluation of credibility. Content analyses show that student summaries were usually accurate, but had room for improvement especially in areas of comprehensiveness and level of detail. An ideal model of a content review is developed from analysis of a second set of reviews. When asked to evaluate credibility, students struggled to identify scientific evidence of claims in web resources, but analysis of web documents shows that this is often because such evidence is missing. Students could accurately determine the publishing source of web documents, but challenges arose in identifying potential biases. Recommendations for future iterations of this curriculum idea are presented throughout. A companion paper that will appear in this journal will examine how student reviews serve the function of social filtering on the web.     

Science on the Web: Students Online in a Sixth-Grade Classroom

Publications from newspapers to research journals are filled with claims about the Internet and its value for education, yet research is just beginning to evaluate uses of these new information resources in the classroom. As part of the University of Michigan Digital Library Project, this research was undertaken as a first step in designing tools for secondary students to access a digital library. The Web offered an initial site for learning how students interact with digital resources and use standard tools. The Web can be seen as a site for student inquiry in science, using it as an information resource that opens the boundaries of the classroom and creates the possibility for students to pursue questions of personal interest. This study looks at students in 6th-grade science classes as they use the Web to carry out an inquiry-based assignment. Their understanding and enactment of their assignment to do research on the Web, their engagement in information seeking, and their use of Web technologies are explored and analyzed. Findings include evidence that students use Web technologies easily but simplistically; that information seeking is a complex and difficult process for these students, who seek to reduce the task to finding an obvious answer or finding a good Web site; and that developing students' understanding of content through use of the Web is a challenge for students and teachers.     

A systematic literature review of the use of Semantic Web technologies in formal education

This paper presents a systematic literature review of research focused on use of Semantic Web technologies in formal educational contexts. Through systematic search, the review has identified 199 research articles, which are examined with the intention of identifying prevalent themes within the body of research within the field of formal educational use of Semantic Web technologies. The themes identified by the review are: (1) Semantic Web ontologies; (2) Efficient distribution, accessibility, retrieval, reuse and combination of educational resources; (3) Linked Data; (4) Semantic Web enhanced virtual learning environments and personalization of learning environments; (5) Semantic Web learning objects; (6) Evaluation, feedback and assessment; (7) Semantic Web services; (8) Pedagogical tools for teachers and students. Furthermore, this review seeks to examine how these themes and the use of Semantic Web technologies in formal education reflects on the ongoing discussion of how pedagogy and technology should interact. The outset of this discussion is a previous study by Dirckinck-Holmfeld, which establishes that there is a tendency to emphasize technology over pedagogy in educational design and development.     

Use of a World Wide Web Site Evaluation Tool in Chemistry

Material on the World Wide Web may be freely accessed by instructors and students, regardless of its source. Evaluation of such material can be facilitated by use of one of a number of web site evaluation tools. These assess a web site in terms of content and design by adapting established principles in each of these areas. The feasibility of using one such tool, originally developed for the evaluation of medical information sites, in chemistry has been explored. The tool was applied to 37 sites that cover the periodic table. Most of the criteria seemed to be as applicable to chemical sites as to those for which it was designed, and gave useful information on the quality aspects of each site. On the other hand, some of the criteria included for medical sites were inappropriate or too vague in the context of chemical sites, and additional criteria not present in the original tool would have been useful for this application. These observations have been used to construct a modified tool which should be more applicable for World Wide Web sites with chemical content.     

Techno Savvy: a Web 2.0 curriculum encouraging critical thinking

This paper reports results from a case study focused on understanding student practices regarding production-oriented problem-solving with digital media. Thirty-seven students participated in an elective curriculum called, “Techno Savvy,” a nine-week course focused on student exploration of global issues, and designed around Web 2.0 tools. Socio-constructivist theory provided the theoretical lens to write and study the curriculum. Complexity in student practices using digital media tools to determine critical thinking is highlighted. Data were analyzed for patterns observed in student practices, video, artifacts, oral, and written work. Results suggest that student interaction and practices afforded by tools and content within the curriculum encourage critical thinking. This study implies a need for further classroom research linking pedagogical approaches with digital media to critical thinking and achievement.     

Critical evaluation as an aid to improved report writing: a case study

Report writing is an important employability skill for Engineers and Technologists, and this case study describes how a Technology degree module took a novel approach to developing students’ report writing skills. Students learned how to use a criterion-referenced critical evaluation framework for reports and other technological documents. They were given opportunities to practise using the framework both through exemplars and through evaluating the work of their peers. They also carried out self-assessment. The authors’ analysis of this novel approach shows that most students responded well to it and benefited from it. Lessons are drawn from this work for others who wish to improve their students’ report writing skills.     

基于工学结合的Web开发课程实践教学设计与实践

本文以工学结合的理论为依据,结合Web开发这门课程的教学实践,探讨如何通过对实践教学内容的设计、不同教学方法的使用以及教学考评实施来激发学生对这门课程的学习兴趣而改进实践教学设计,提高学生Web开发能力,取得良好的教学效果。     

Drawing near and pushing away: critical positioning in multimodal composition

As the tools and modes of literate practice continually emerge, so too must our critical approaches to understanding their expression. While media production has been praised for its potential to provide youth a voice to challenge dominant narratives, various questions remain as to what happens at the multimodal levels of composition in terms of critical engagement. This study uses mediated discourse analysis to examine adolescent students’ use of multimodal resources for purposes of critical positioning in ways unique to the multimodal dimensions of composing radio and video documentaries. Research findings reveal students’ active use of multimodal resources to both draw audiences near as well as push them away for purposes of pleasure, analysis, and critique. Implications for research and teaching include attention to the movement of shifting social positions as critical social practice.     

Mathematical e-learning using interactive mathematics on the Web

Interactive mathematics using mathematical notation on the Web have up to now not been possible. The development to the XML-standard MathML and also the use of JAVA servlet containers have made it possible to use the Web as an advanced calculator using numeric, graphic and symbolic mathematics interactively. In connection with mathematical e-learning for engineering students this will represent quite a quantum step. In many European countries both the number of students in mathematical courses generally and the number passing through the exams has reached a ‘dangerously’ low level and industry and schools are complaining. To meet this challenge the pedagogics and the methods of communicating mathematics will have to undergo an innovative process where new technology is important. The improvement of understanding mathematics by using interactive and personalized documents on the Web could reverse bad trends, and the problems associated with recruiting girls into engineering and mathematics also have to be emphasized through the selection of applications.     

Developing Asynchronous MBA Courses in the World Wide Web

This article describes the use of the Internet and the World Wide Web for the asynchronous delivery of MBA coursework. The planning and implementation processes are described, as are resources used to implement content creation and design of the delivery system. A Web committee was created to appraise the need for consultants, set priorities for course development, recommend content design, recommend hardware and software for delivery and student access, and study security for examinations.     

The Determinants of Web Use Within an Economics Principles Course

This article considers the determinants of student access of a specific course Web site from a Principles of Macroeconomics course. As they prepare for the course's in-class exams, students may choose either or both of two Web resource types, a dynamic resource (interactive multiple choice practice exams) or various static resources. The article addresses two related questions. First, we ask whether a given set of characteristics affects the access of these different Web site resources similarly. Second, we explore the influence of certain student characteristics on the student decision to access a given Web resource. In general terms, our findings suggest results that are consistent with existing studies of how students learn. Our results also suggest that a greater diversity of resources will, in fact, elicit wider use of one's course Web site.     

动态评价在顶岗实习管理系统中的设计与实现

目前顶岗实习中评价方式单一。将动态评价与Web2.0的开放理念融合在顶岗实习管理平台中,设计顶岗实习前期的岗前测试及培训指导、中期的教学介入和互动、末期的指导教师和学生互评等一系列管理流程,基于Web应用技术实现其主要功能,探讨动态评价在良好的资源和技术支持下对于师生互动管理的解决方案。     

Perceptions of Business Students' Feature Requirements in Educational Web Sites

There is paucity of original research that explains phenomena related to content organization and site design of educational Web sites. Educational Web sites are often used to provide Web‐based instruction, which itself is a relatively recent phenomenon for business schools, and additional research is needed in this area. Educational Web sites are designed with a different set of criteria as compared with other sites, such as those having an e‐commerce or marketing focus. More research is needed to build a theoretical foundation for feature requirements in educational Web sites. As in any new approach to teaching and learning, critical issues need to be examined before Web‐based instruction is fully integrated into teaching processes. When developing educational Web sites, features that support pedagogy should be given primary consideration. It is therefore important to identify key elements that will have maximum impact on learning. Using Q‐sort analysis (a type of Factor Analysis), this study investigated feature requirements of educational Web sites as perceived by business students. Based on the analysis of user requirements in relation to several variables that were identified from a review of literature, group characteristics emerged from students' responses. Similarities and differences between groups were investigated, and implications of these results for development of educational Web sites are presented in this study.     

Perceptions of pedagogical formation students about Web 2.0 tools and educational practices

This study aims to examine pedagogical formation students’ perceptions about Web 2.0 tools and educational practices. A case study approach forms the methodological framework of this study. This study was conducted with 42 pedagogical formation students of an Instructional Technology and Material Design course during the 2014–2015 spring semester. During the course, the students created digital materials such as puzzles, concept maps, worksheets, presentations and posters by using software including Prezi, Glogster, and Webspiration. Furthermore they were introduced to numerous Web 2.0 tools which were required learning for the purpose of the course. The data for this study was collected by the researcher through a questionnaire and open-ended questions developed in order to identify students’ views on Web 2.0 tools and educational practices they will face in their future professional life. Content analysis, frequency and percentage were used in the analysis of data. Answers to the following were sought from the data analysis: (1) which Web 2.0 tools do students use or planned to use in their current and future professional life (teaching profession); (2) what are the reasons students want to use Web 2.0 tools in their professional life as a teacher; (3) what are the views of students about their use of Web 2.0 tools in the educational context; and (4) what are students’ views about Web 3.0 technologies and the changes and innovations that will be brought about by these technologies in the field of education.     

K-12 Mathematics and the Web

Abstract

The Web offers numerous learning resources and opportunities for K-12 mathematics education. This paper discusses those resources and opportunities. Discussion includes (a) asynchronous and synchronous communication tools, (b) the use of data sets to make connections between mathematics concepts and real-world applications, and (c) interactive environments that promote active thinking by allowing students to manipulate mathematical systems, observe patterns, form conjectures, and validate findings.     

Students' Perceptions of the Effectiveness of the World Wide Web as a Research and Teaching Tool in Science Learning

Students often make little linkage from lesson to lesson on what they learn in the regular classroom. Having them take responsibility for what they are learning is one way of having them think and connect these thoughts together. This qualitative study looks at the use of the World Wide Web (WWW) as a research and teaching tool in promoting self-directed learning in a group of 15 year old students. The perceptions of students on the effectiveness of the World Wide Web in assisting them with the construction of knowledge on Photosynthesis and Respiration are reported and discussed in this paper. The study showed that the students found that the WWW had a number of positive effects on their learning including motivation for independent learning. However, the unedited and unstructured nature of the WWW meant that many of the sites they visited had information that was too difficult to understand and that time was required to improve technical and critical thinking skills to search effectively. The teacher's role as facilitator and guide was crucial to the success of their learning.     

Caught in the Web: university student use of Web resources

The World Wide Web has been gaining popularity among university students and is altering the way university students conduct research. Nevertheless, little is known about how university students use Web resources. This study was designed to investigate the following questions: (i) how do students use Web resources (academic versus non‐academic); (ii) what are the students online search behaviours; (iii) what are the students’ perceptions of Web resources; (iv) do students evaluate information on the Web; (v) what types of training do students perceive they need to successfully utilize Web resources? The findings of this study show that there is an urgent need for students to develop information literacy skills and apply these skills in the electronic information environment.

Pris dans la toile. L’usage des ressources en ligne chez les étudiants universitaires.

La « toile » est devenue populaire chez les étudiants des universités et est en train de modifier la façon dont ils mènent leurs recherches. On ne sait toutefois pas grand chose sur la façon dont les étudiants des universités utilisent les ressources en ligne. La présente étude a été menée pour élucider les questions suivantes (i) Comment les étudiants utilisent‐ils les ressources en ligne (académiques vs. non académiques)? (ii) Quels sont les comportements des étudiants pour la recherche en ligne? (iii) Quelles perceptions les étudiants ont‐ils des ressources en ligne? (iv) Les étudiants évaluent‐ils l’information qu’ils trouvent sur la « toile »? (v) De quel type de formation les étudiants pensent‐ils avoir besoin pour utiliser avec succès les ressources en ligne? Les résultats de cette étude ont montré qu’il y avait chez les étudiants un besoin urgent d’acquérir des compétences en traitement de l’information et d’appliquer ces compétences dans les environnements d’information électronique.

Gefangen im Netz – Wie Studenten Netzressourcen nutzen

Das World Wide Web hat an Beliebtheit unter Universitätsstudenten gewonnen und ändert die Art, wie sie Studien durchführen. Trotzdem weiß man wenig darüber, wie Studenten Webressourcen nutzen. Diese Studie wurde durchgeführt, um die folgenden Fragen zu untersuchen: (ii) Wie verwenden Studenten Netzressourcen (Akademiker vs. Nicht‐Akademiker); (ii) Welche Online‐Suchstrategien verwenden Studenten? (iii) Wie nehmen die Studenten die Netzressourcen wahr? (iv) Hinterfragen Studenten Information aus dem Web? (v) Welche Trainingsformen glauben Studenten, für die erfolgreiche Nutzung von Webressourcen zu benötigen? Die Befunde dieser Studie zeigen, dass Studenten dringend ihre Computer‐ und Web‐literacy weiter entwickeln und auch diese Fertigkeiten in der elektronischen Informationsumgebung anwenden müssen.     

The Development of Critical Thinking Skills in Undergraduate Supervisory Management Units: efficacy of student peer assessment

Well‐developed critical thinking skills are essential to good management, yet the fundamentals of critical thinking are often not taught explicitly to management students. This paper reports on the efficacy of a module designed to develop students’ critical thinking skills in the context of peer evaluation in a second‐year supervisory management unit. The module comprised a lecture and a seminar on the nature of critical thinking, followed by a series of seminars in which students practiced the skills taught. Sixty‐eight student oral literature reviews were delivered and evaluated over the first two semesters in 1997. Each presentation was graded by several small groups of students, with the assistance of a detailed marking guide. Results indicate that tuition in critical thinking strategies and skills may influence both peer/tutor grading agreement, and literature review content.