Social technologies for online learning: theoretical and contextual issues

Three exemplars are presented of social technologies deployed in educational contexts: wikis; a photo-sharing environment; and a social bookmarking tool. Students were found to engage with the technologies selectively, sometimes rejecting them, in the light of their prior conceptions of education. Some students (a minority in all the studies) were unsympathetic to the educational philosophy underpinning the technology’s adoption. The paper demonstrates, through an examination of in-context use, the importance of sociocultural factors in relation to education, and the non-deterministic nature of educational technology. The academic study of technology has increasingly called into question the deterministic views which are so pervasive in popular discourse and among policy-makers. Instead, sociocultural factors play a crucial role in shaping and defining technology and educational technology is no exception, as the examples in the paper show. The paper concludes by drawing out some implications of the examples for the use of social technologies in education.     

Leveraging learning technologies for collaborative writing in an online pharmacotherapy course

The purpose of this project was to evaluate the development and delivery of a hypertext case scenario document to be used as the capstone assessment tool for doctoral-level physical therapy students. The integration of Web-based collaborative tools (PBworks? and Google Sites?) allowed students in this all-online course to apply their pharmacotherapy knowledge in a physical therapy patient scenario, while working with colleagues to determine the best route of patient care. Students developed digital writing skills imperative to a patient-centered, collaborative health-care field, and practiced evidence-based patient care. The findings demonstrate that the implementation of collaborative digital writing with a hypertext document case scenario assessment as the primary assessment tool in this online pharmacotherapy course delivered to doctoral-level physical therapy students is a feasible and effective educational strategy.     

Meaningful interaction: toward a new theoretical approach to online instruction

ABSTRACT

Taking full advantage of the educative benefits of interaction in digital learning environments will require the development of new theoretical frameworks that can contribute to a richer understanding of interaction. Literary theory provides an excellent place to develop such a framework and advanced understanding. Literary theory enables us to reconceptualise online courses as ‘texts’, thereby equipping us with more sophisticated modes of analysis for the teaching and learning process. By rethinking online courses as texts, and better yet as what Roland Barthes has described as ‘writerly’ texts, we can improve interaction in the online classroom. More importantly, we can move toward a more meaningful form of interaction, where learners interact with course content at the level of meaning and meaning making, where interaction becomes a full participation in the production of a lesson’s meaning. Indeed, this aim of co-producing meaning should be the primary objective of all learning.     

Learners,learning and new technologies

In 1997 the UK Government introduced a major five‐year programme to support and evaluate the successful use of new technologies in life‐long learning. Known as the National Grid for Learning (NGfL) Strategy, this ambitious vision addresses ICT infrastructure, content and practice. Recent OECD studies suggest that the main issues addressed through the NGfL are common to those being tackled throughout the developed world (OECD 2002). This paper will look at the implications of these strategies for curriculum improvement and reform. A theorisation of the possible relationships between different features of ICT and learning will be offered. Finally the contrast between home and school based use of technologies, and the implications for learning will be considered.Apprentis, apprentissage et nouvelles technologies. En 1997, le gouvernement britannique a lancé un programme d'envergure de cinq ans pour soutenir et évaluer l'emploi réussi de nouvelles technologies dans l'éducation tout au long de la vie. Ce programme est connu sous le nom de la stratégie du National Grid for Learning (NGfL), une vision ambitieuse qui touche à l'infrastructure des TIC, leur contenu et leur pratique. Des études récentes de l'OCDE suggèrent que les buts principaux recherchés par le NGfL sont communs avec ceux recherchés dans tous les pays développés (OCDE 2002). Cet article étudie les implications de ces stratégies pour l'amélioration du curriculum et la réforme et prétend montrer que l'e-mail, les conférences par informatique et le web peuvent potentiellement changer la nature des rapports entre apprenants, enseignants, écoles, communautés locales, nationales et internationales. L'article considère trois perspectives de TIC éducatives: comme outil, soutien pour l'enseignement et agent révolutionnaire et leurs relations avec l'évaluation. Finalement, le contrat entre la maison et l'usage des technologies basées à l'école et leurs implications pour l'enseignement seront considérés.Lerner, Lernen und neue Technikologien. 1997 führte die Regierung des Vereinigten Königreiches ein umfangreiches Fünfjahresprogramm ein, um die erfolgreiche Verwendung neuer Technologien im lebenslangen Lernen zu unterstützen und auszuwerten. Diese als 'National Grid for Learning Strategy (NGfL)' bekannte ehrgeizige Vision ist auf ICT- Infrastruktur,, Inhalt und Übung fokussiert. Neue OECD Studien legen nahe, daß sich die durch das NGfL angesprochenen Hauptfragen jenen, die ¨uberall in der entwickelten Welt gestellt werden, (OECD 2002) gleichen. Dieses Papier betrachtet die Auswirkungen dieser Strategien auf Lehrplanverbesserung und -Reform und wird belegen, dass E-Mail, E-Conferencing und die Nutzung des Web die Art der Beziehungen zwischen Lernenden, Lehrern, Schulen sowie lokalen, nationalen und internationalen Gemeinschaften potentiell verändern können. Dann werden drei Perspektiven von Bildungs-ICT im Verhältnis zur Einschätzung betrachtet: als Werkzeug, als Lernunterstützung und als 'revolutionärer Agent'. Zuletzt wird der Kontrakt zwischen Zuhause und der schulischen Verwendung von Technologien und die daraus sich ergebenden Auswirkungen auf das Lernen betrachtet.     

From learning to labour to learning for precarity

A demand on national economies in the 1970s was that they should begin to increase their labour market flexibility, which came to mean transferring risks and insecurity onto workers. Education was one way to prepare future workers for this new situation. The present article examines this preparation of learning for precarity some 40 years on. It is based on long-term ethnographic research in the Swedish upper-secondary school sector in particular kinds of educational programmes that have been devised and promoted as a means of integrating ‘lost pupils’ into either academic or vocational studies. The findings show this is not what is developing in practice in these programmes.     

Distance Education Trends: Integrating new technologies to foster student interaction and collaboration

Current trends in the field of distance education indicate a shift in pedagogical perspectives and theoretical frameworks, with student interaction at the heart of learner‐centered constructivist environments. The purpose of this article is to explore the benefits of using emerging technology tools such as wikis, blogs, and podcasts to foster student interaction in online learning. It also reviews social software applications such as Writeboard?, InstaColl?, and Imeem?. Although emerging technologies offer a vast range of opportunities for promoting collaboration in both synchronous and asynchronous learning environments, distance education programs around the globe face challenges that may limit or deter implementation of these technologies. This article probes the influence of technology on theory and the possible implications this influence affords.     

Modelling online community constructs through interaction data: A learning analytics based Approach

Education and Information Technologies - This study aims to use LMS log data to suggest a way to understand CoI constructs. Students’ interactions in Moodle components were weighted for...     

Adopting learning technologies: from belief to practice

A challenge faced by most heads of academic departments around the world is to manage the adoption and use of appropriate learning technologies in order to support the department’s learning offerings to students. Earlier research undertaken by the authors revealed that lecturers within the Department of Marketing and Retail Management at the University of South Africa believed a learning management system (LMS) to be the most appropriate technology to use. The experience of the Chair of Department, however, is that lecturers are using the university’s proprietary LMS, myUnisa, either to a limited extent or hardly at all. Consequently, further research was undertaken targeting the other Chairs of Departments and selected senior lecturers within the School of Management Sciences, to which the Department of Marketing and Retail Management belongs, in order to identify ways of increasing the use of myUnisa amongst lecturers.     

Getting the blend right in new learning environments: A complementary approach to online discussions

This paper reports some of the findings of a case study investigation of undergraduate student learning in online discussions within a campus-based business course in New Zealand. The project explored predominantly Net Gener students’ perceptions of the differences between face-to-face and online discussions and the role of these differences in their learning. The study found that the students regarded the two environments as different but complementary for their learning and identified the features of each discussion environment that supported their learning. A complementary framework, based on these student perspectives is presented. These findings and the framework provide teachers and course designers with a new evidence-based approach for including effective face-to-face and online discussions for Net Gener and other students within their courses.     

Networked learning: design considerations for online instructors

The considerable increase in web-based knowledge networks in the past two decades is strongly influencing learning environments. Learning entails information retrieval, use, communication, and production, and is strongly enriched by socially mediated discussions, debates, and collaborative activities. It is becoming critical for educators to better understand and become skilled at utilizing online networks and their affordances to improve the quality of learning experiences for their students. Along the same lines, networked learning could be seen as an effort to respond to the advances in electronic networks by putting the focus on the students and paying close attention to their educational needs, learning preferences, and social interactions. The aim of this paper is to review and synthesize empirical research on networked learning for online higher education courses and offer suggestions for future studies based on the gaps found in the literature. Implications of networked learning for instructional design are also discussed.     

Support services and learning styles influencing interaction in asynchronous online discussions

This paper reports a case of online classes from the English Language Teaching Programme at Anadolu University, Turkey. The study used an explanatory case oriented research design that assisted to examine relations between students’ learning styles and factors influencing students’ participation in asynchronous interactions in online courses. The study was carried out during the 2006–2007 academic year with a sample of 139 junior and senior students. The converger learners were more involved in discussion boards compared to other learning style groups. The most popular support service was found to be pedagogical and social guidance for all types of learning styles while the least preferred support services were the administrative and technical.

Unterstützungsdienste und Lernstiele zur Beeinflussung von asynchronen Online‐Diskussionen

In diesem Papier wird vom English Language Teaching Program der Anadolu Universität in der Türkei berichtet. Die Studie nutzte ein Erläuterungsprogramm, das zur Unterstützung von Beziehungen zwischen dem Lernverhalten und Faktoren, die die Teilnahme von Studenten an asynchronen Interaktionen in Online‐Kursen beeinflussen. Die Studie wurde 2006 und 2007 von einer Gruppe von 139 Junior‐ und Senior‐Studenten durchgeführt. Die “Converger” ‐Lerner waren im Vergleich zu anderen Gruppen. stärker in Diskussionsgruppen engagiert. Als der populärste Unterstützungsservice wurde der sowohl pädagogisch als auch sozial führende für alle Typen von Lernstielen empfunden, während die mit administrativ und technischem Schwerpunkt am Ende der Beliebtheitsskala rangierten.

Les services d’assistance et les styles d’apprentissage influencent l’interaction dans les discussions asynchrones en ligne

Cet article étudie le cas de cours en ligne du Programme d’Enseignement de la Langue Anglaise à l’Université Anadolu en Turquie. Dans cette étude on a utilisé un plan de recherche orienté vers l’examen de cas qui a aidé à examiner les relations entre les styles d’apprentissage des étudiants et les facteurs qui influencent leur participation aux interactions asynchrones dans les cours en ligne. Cette étude a été conduite pendant l’année universitaire 2006–2007 avec un échantillonnage de 139 étudiants de 3^e et de 4^e année. Les apprenants convergents participaient davantage aux groupes de discussion si on les compare aux groupes possédant d’autres styles d’apprentissage. Il ressort que le service d’appui le plus populaire était l’orientation pédagogique et sociale, ceci pour tous les types de style d’apprentissage alors que les services d’appui les moins populaires étaient d’ordre administratif et technique.

La influencia de los servicios de apoyo y de los estilos de aprendizaje sobre las interacciones en las discusiones asincrónicas en línea

Este artículo informa sobre el caso de cursos en línea dentro del Programa de Enseñanza de la Lengua Inglesa en la Universidad Anadolu de Turquía. En el presente estudio se utilizó un diseño explicativo de investigación orientado hacia los estudios de casos para facilitar la revisión de de las relaciones entre los estilos de aprendizaje de los alumnos y los factores que influyen sobre la participación de los alumnos en interacciones asincrónicas dentro de los cursos en línea. El estudio fuez llevado a cabo durante el año académico 2006–2007 con una muestra de 139 estudiantes de 3° y 4° año. Los discentes convergentes estaban más involucrados en los paneles de discusión en comparación con grupos con otros estilos de aprendizaje. Se notó que el servicio de apoyo más popular era la orientación pedagógica y socialesto para todos los tipos de estilos de aprendizaje mientras los servicios de apoyo menos preferidos eran administrativos y técnicos.     

Bayesian approaches to associative learning: From passive to active learning

Traditional associationist models represent an organism's knowledge state by a single strength of association on each associative link. Bayesian models instead represent knowledge by a distribution of graded degrees of belief over a range of candidate hypotheses. Many traditional associationist models assume that the learner is passive, adjusting strengths of association only in reaction to stimuli delivered by the environment. Bayesian models, on the other hand, can describe how the learner should actively probe the environment to learn optimally. The first part of this article reviews two Bayesian accounts of backward blocking, a phenomenon that is challenging for many traditional theories. The broad Bayesian framework, in which these models reside, is also selectively reviewed. The second part focuses on two formalizations of optimal active learning: maximizing either the expected information gain or the probability gain. New analyses of optimal active learning by a Kalman filter and by a noisy-logic gate show that these two Bayesian models make different predictions for some environments. The Kalman filter predictions are disconfirmed in at least one case.     

Leadership in online learning in higher education: Why instructional designers for online learning should lead the way

With the increase in demand for online education at the university level has also come the “recognition that in order to be effective, such programs cannot simply be on‐line replicas of the instruction delivered in classrooms” (Reiser, 2001, p. 64). An environment of collaboration with a shared vision is needed to bring faculty expertise together with online learning design and technological expertise. This article addresses why and how instructional designers should lead the way.     

'Intentional repetition' and learning style: Increasing efficient and cohesive interaction in asynchronous online discussions

This study verified the efficacy of the intentional repetition technique in improving interaction in asynchronous online discussions by taking into account the learning styles of the participants. A conceptual framework served for the development of the technique, which conceptualises efficient and cohesive interaction on a continuum of process that move from social presence to production of an artefact. Sixty-one university students participated in the study. A quasi-experimental research design was used. The subjects, who were assigned randomly into two groups, were tested using Kolb's learning style inventory. The results showed that the experimental group exposed to the intentional repetition technique produced significantly better interaction than the control group, regardless of their learning styles, which had no significant effect on the interaction. Moreover, there was no interaction effect between the learning styles and the treatment. The implications arising from these results identify various suggestions for increasing the coherence and depth of the interaction amongst students in asynchronous online discussions.