Discontinuities in university student experiences of learning through discussions

This article reports on research into the student experience of learning through discussions in a third‐year undergraduate engineering subject. Information engineering students studying e‐commerce were required to engage in face‐to‐face and online discussions as a key aspect of their learning experience. This study investigates the quality of the experience of learning through those discussions using quantitative methodologies from Student Learning Research. Analyses of student ratings on the closed‐ended questionnaires identify qualitatively different approaches to learning through discussions, both in face‐to‐face contexts and online. Relationships are found among the variation in the quality of these approaches and how students perceive issues such as workload, what they thought they were learning through discussions and performance. Implications arising from these results identify different suggestions for teaching students to discuss successfully in different contexts.     

Implementing a case‐based e‐learning environment in a lecture‐oriented anaesthesiology class: Do learning styles matter in complex problem solving over time?*

This study explores how students' learning styles influence their learning while solving complex problems when a case‐based e‐learning environment is implemented in a conventional lecture‐oriented classroom. Seventy students from an anaesthesiology class at a dental school participated in this study over a 3‐week period. Five learning‐outcome tests and two course‐satisfaction surveys were implemented during the case‐based instruction using a blended approach (online and face‐to‐face). The results of one‐way ANOVAs with repeated measures revealed that the four learning styles (active–reflective, sensing–intuitive, visual–verbal, sequential–global) did not influence students' learning experience and learning outcomes during the implementation of case‐based e‐learning. However, the pattern of the students' performance graph and further analysis with a liberal approach implied that the active–reflective learning style may influence learning outcomes slightly at an earlier time during the case‐based learning implementation; however, as time passed, this learning style no longer influenced their learning at all. Thus, learning styles may not be considered important or may be considered only during the early stages of instructional implementation in order to facilitate the students' transition to the new case‐based learning environment. It is more efficient to encourage students to adapt to different learning environments than to design adaptive systems in order to embrace diverse learning styles.     

The role of students' motivation in peer‐moderated asynchronous online discussions

This study conducted a content analysis of online discussions to understand the nature of computer‐supported collaborative learning and discover how students' motivation, which is a crucial factor to the success of collaborative learning, relates with their interaction and knowledge construction in peer‐moderated online discussions. Discussion contents from 23 students in an online class were analysed. The results indicated that perceived value, competence and autonomy were critical factors that influenced lower level interactions; intrinsic motivation was the critical factor that influenced the individualistic elaboration interactions, whereas relatedness was the critical factor that influenced the collaborative elaboration interactions. The results also indicated that autonomy and relatedness were the critical factors that influenced the moderation behaviours. The findings suggest that teachers in online classes should promote students' motivation, and more importantly, scaffold student moderators in meaningful learning during peer‐moderated online discussions.     

An Analysis of Peer Assessment Online Discussions within a Course that uses Project-based Learning

In recent years project-based learning (PBL) incorporating online discussions has gradually been applied to courses that focus on writing projects. Past studies have shown that learners in PBL often face the difficulties of not having in-depth data analysis and peer discussions and how teachers design the rules and methods for online discussions has a significant influence on the quality of discussion. Since using a peer assessment strategy in the classroom could facilitate learners' critical thinking and meta-cognitive skills, this study conducts an empirical observational study in order to analyse the content and process of the discussion activities based on peer assessment without teacher intervention and tries to explore students' knowledge construction of the discussion. Sequential analysis and content analysis were conducted to observe the scale of each aspect of knowledge construction and the sequential pattern of students' knowledge construction during the discussions. Teachers didn't provide any guidance or intervention during the activity. Based on the results of the observations, this study discusses the possible difficulties that students may encounter when conducting peer assessment online discussions. Finally, this study also proposes suggestions about the timing and methods for teacher interventions.     

Development of a peer‐assisted learning strategy in computer‐supported collaborative learning environments for elementary school students

This study explores the effects of Electronic Peer‐Assisted Learning for Kids (EPK), on the quality and development of reading skills, peer interaction and self‐concept in elementary students. The EPK methodology uses a well‐developed, synchronous computer‐supported, collaborative learning system to facilitate students' learning in Chinese. We first review the theoretical framework and architecture of EPK. This study aimed to compare students learning Chinese language arts activities online using EPK with students learning face‐to‐face in a classroom setting. Students' online interactions were coded into four patterns of peer interactions: task coordination, tutor behaviour, tutee behaviour and off‐task. The online activity type significantly influenced the online peer interactions. Students in the online peer‐assisted learning group outperformed the face‐to‐face group on reading skills. Students learning online showed significant growth in self‐concept, and this was especially true for students who were passive participants. These findings demonstrate that EPK is an effective tool that can enhance elementary students' reading, as well as promote positive self‐concepts.     

Project-based learning and student knowledge construction during asynchronous online discussion

Project-based learning engages students in problem solving through artefact design. However, previous studies of online project-based learning have focused primarily on the dynamics of online collaboration; students' knowledge construction throughout this process has not been examined thoroughly. This case study analyzed the relationship between students' levels of knowledge construction during asynchronous online discussions with respect to engagement in project-based learning. Graduate students' online postings in a course that comprised both project-based and non-project learning activities were coded and counted for knowledge construction, teaching, and social interaction moves using computer-mediated discourse analysis. Chi-square analyses found that the instructor's teaching discourse remained fairly consistent during project-based and non-project learning. Despite this, students' online discussions during project-based learning were characterized by more advanced levels of knowledge construction, where ideas were rationalized and integrated into plausible solutions. In contrast, students' online postings outside project-based learning rarely moved beyond the lower levels of information sharing and idea exploration. Based on these results, guidelines for designing and facilitating online project-based learning are presented and discussed.     

Preparing future teachers for diverse schools in an online learning community: Perceptions and practice

This study provides an example of one institution's efforts to design coursework that meets the simultaneous challenges of supporting the aims of increasing access to online courses and simultaneously better preparing teachers to work in diverse classrooms. Based on online pre- and post-surveys and monthly open-ended writing prompts administered to students in an introductory teacher preparation course, the study sought to discover students' motivation to select online or blended courses, student perspectives on the benefits and challenges to taking this course online, characteristics of the learning environment that promoted or interfered with students' learning, instructor's perspective of learners' reaction to topics addressing K-12 classroom diversity, and the impact of an online format on students' discussions of issues related to learner diversity. Findings suggest that online courses should include a classroom placement component in which students experience a diverse classroom in order to best prepare students for diverse teaching assignments. Thus, the best online teacher preparation courses maybe those that blend virtual and face-to-face interaction rather than being strictly online.     

Being in the users' shoes: Anticipating experience while designing online courses

While user‐centred design and user experience are given much attention in the e‐learning design field, no research has been found on how users are actually represented in the discussions during the design of online courses. In this paper we identify how and when end‐users' experience—be they students or tutors—emerges in designers' discussions during their meetings in well‐established open universities. More precisely, we observed 15 design meetings of two design teams during the development of specific online courses. Designers' discourse was analysed on the basis of six dimensions regarding relevant actors, contents and strategies (purposes) of user experience anticipation. Results show the emergence of a solution‐oriented anticipatory discourse in form of scenarios regarding how learners and tutors will react to the course and the proposed activities. Moreover, this discourse is related to an emergent type of users‐based expertise, translated as the capacity of some designers to empathise with the end‐users more than other designers do. The participation of designers with this type of expertise in e‐learning design teams emerges as relevant for the decisions related to the course activities, interface or overall experience. Further research is invited towards this direction. Further discussion on this article can be found in “Being in the users' shoes: Is there maybe another way?” (DOI: 10.1111/bjet.12104 ).     

Communication in a web-based conferencing system: the quality of computer-mediated interactions

Time constraints and teaching in crowded classrooms restrict in-depth dialogical interaction in teaching and learning. Electronic conferencing systems, however, have the potential to foster online discussions beyond class time. Case-based instruction also constitutes a promising approach in fostering learners' participation and reflection. The purpose of this study was to investigate (a) the extent to which an electronic conferencing system, named COW (“Conferencing on the Web”), facilitates pre-service teachers' communication outside their classroom, when discussing teaching cases from their field experiences, and (b) the potential of COW and case-based instruction to foster quality discourse and promote students' critical-thinking skills. The results showed that students' online discourse was mostly an exchange of personal experiences and did not reflect well-supported reasoning. Future research on the issue of interactivity should address motivational and affective variables related to the implementation of distance-education methods, variations in pedagogical activity and task structure, and the readiness of mentors and learners.     

Student Responsible Learning: Getting Students to Read Online Discussions

Designing courses for optimal level student learning is dependent upon student participation. This study examined one way to encourage further student participation in online discussions. Of specific importance was how to encourage students to read their student-colleagues' online discussion responses: not just a minimum number of responses but the majority of the responses. Results illustrate that the method utilized, Thematic Analysis, is effective in increasing reading rates among students. But possibly even more interesting are the students' reports that the use of this learning tool encouraged them to think critically and that their learning occurred primarily through many of the tenets of social constructivist theory. Furthermore, students reported enjoying this process of learning.     

How Important is Study Mode in Student University Choice?

Conjoint analysis was used to model the importance of study mode in students' choice of university. Study mode was proposed as a key choice attribute as universities have diversified their means of delivering education and increased the use of online delivery. Results are reported for two conjoint experiments. The first investigated how undergraduate students made trade‐offs between study mode, university and tuition fees. The second examined similar trade‐offs made by current and prospective postgraduates. Findings confirmed the importance of study mode to both groups and suggest two main reasons for its influence on university choice: it affects students' experiences of learning and socialising at university, and their time and place flexibility. The most preferred study modes for undergraduates and postgraduates were face‐to‐face study and print‐based study, respectively. Given the trend towards online delivery, the findings have relevance to universities across national systems and reputational markets.     

Students' perceptions of the value of the elements of an online learning environment: looking back in moving forward

In 2003, Deakin University implemented a centralised learning management system (LMS) under the banner of Deakin Studies Online (DSO), as well as implementing policies requiring all its units of study to have at least a basic online presence from 2004. Given the scope of the university's commitment to online education, it was considered essential to evaluate the effectiveness of this investment. Based on more than 5400 responses obtained from students in 2004 and 2005 as part of the DSO evaluation survey, the analysis presented here identifies those elements of the online learning environment (OLE) that are most used and valued by students, those elements of the OLE that students most want to see improved, and, those factors that most contribute to students' perceptions that use of the OLE enhanced their learning experience. The most used and valued elements were core LMS functions, including accessing unit information, accessing lecture/tute/lab notes, interacting with unit learning resources, reading online discussions, contacting lecturers/tutors and submitting assignments online. The OLE elements identified as most needing attention were receiving feedback on assignments; viewing my marks; and reviewing unit progress. Students felt that using DSO enhanced their learning experience when they were adequately supported by unit teachers and technical support services; when they were able to find and use unit information; and when they were able to read the online contributions of other unit members. The retrospective analysis of data collected in the period 2004–2005 has been shaped by a forward-looking agenda. The array of elements available within, and in association with, traditional LMSs which has emerged since that time raises the future challenge of how to maximise and evidence educational value through the optimal combination of elements from the portfolio of e-learning technologies increasingly available to educators.     

Affective Learning in Online Multimedia and Lecture Versions of an Introductory Computing Course

This study evaluated students' affective learning in an introductory computing course that was taught in Hong Kong once in a lecture format and twice in a rich interactive multimedia online format to 414 college students in all. A simplified experience sampling method was used to assess affective learning at the midterm and end of each course in terms of intrinsic engagement (positive affect, perceived challenges, perceived skills in course activities), extrinsic engagement (performance expectations, performance goals, performance self‐efficacy), and negative affect in course activities. Controlling for students' computing background and pre‐enrollment academic ability, multivariate analysis of covariance indicated that, compared to lectures, e‐learning modules fostered more intrinsic engagement, comparable extrinsic engagement, and more negative affect. Findings suggest directions for developing online courses that optimise both cognitive learning and affective learning.     

Overseas students' intercultural adaptation as intercultural learning: a transformative framework

In the context of increasing recruitment of overseas students by British higher education (HE) institutions, there has been a growing need to understand the process of students' intercultural adaptation and the approaches that can be adopted by British academic institutions in order to facilitate and support these students' learning experience in the UK. Drawing upon one‐year of in‐depth qualitative research investigating the experience of a small cohort of Chinese postgraduate students' in a British university, I explore the three‐fold ‘stress‐adaptation‐growth’ intercultural learning process of these participants by focusing the discussions on the their lived experience in the UK. The key argument of this article is that intercultural adaptation is in itself a process of intercultural learning, which has the potential to bring about profound changes in overseas students themselves, transforming their understanding of the learning experience, self knowledge, awareness of the Other, and values and worldview.     

Weblog Technology for Instruction,Learning, and Information Delivery*

Ever since Weblog emerged as an infusive online communication tool over the last decade, its impacts have been witnessed by the Internet society at large. Meanwhile, more and more universities and colleges are offering online classes enhanced by Web technology. In this article, we investigate the role of Weblog combined with face‐to‐face lectures through a three‐phase study that examines college students' perception of Weblog used in class. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression and Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) techniques are employed to recognize meaningful patterns from collected data. The findings lie in the aspects of: relationship between level of study and the perceived value of Weblog, the relationship between level of Weblog experience and the perceived value of Weblog, and factors contributing to students' perception of Weblog usage. As the first work of its kind examining Weblog adoption from student perspective, this article provides educators, researchers, and practitioners with conceptual and practical references.     

Changes in teacher stress through participation in pre‐referral intervention teams

Teachers today face high stress that can compromise their well‐being, longevity in the profession, and the quality of their interactions with students. Pre‐referral interventions, which address individual student difficulties before consideration for special education, may help buffer teacher stress through student interventions and team support. Yet, little is known about how teacher stress changes across pre‐referral interventions. This study followed 33 elementary education teachers prospectively through their participation in a pre‐referral intervention team (PIT) program. Hierarchical linear modeling indicated that, across the pre‐referral process, teachers felt less distress related to referred students' needs, termed “dyadic stress.” Teachers' dyadic stress was partially accounted for by student progress on referral concerns. Teachers' experience of PIT support was also linked to reductions in stress and lower dyadic stress after pre‐referral interventions were implemented. The findings have implications for how school practitioners consult with teachers. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Teaching at the border of despair and hope: supporting the education of non‐traditional working class student teachers

This study focuses on a group of working class adult students' experiences and reactions to their encounters during a foundational series of university courses required of all preprofessional education students. It finds that sharing stressful events and personal information during analytical discussions led to the development of a collegial learning community and added to participants' respect for difference and diversity. The study also finds that these non‐traditional undergraduates viewed their own academic learning experience, as well as their role as college students, through a standpoint of struggle and distress. However, their future professional goal, being a teacher, was defined from an opposite point of view. Education and learning as a profession was viewed as a liberating experience, a way out of poverty and other stressful conditions. The dissonance between these two perspectives is explored from a variety of theoretical perspectives and the discussion ends with a call for more inclusive and flexible university programs that support working class and non‐traditional students' perspectives and needs.     

Medical students' perceptions and performance in an online regional anatomy course during the Covid-19 pandemic

The present study evaluated the students' psychological well-being, experiences, performance, and perception of learning regional anatomy remotely. A regional anatomy remote learning curriculum was designed and learning materials were delivered virtually to 120 undergraduate medical students at Jinan University, China. All the students consented and voluntarily participated in this study by completing self-administered online questionnaires including the Zung's Self-Rating Anxiety and Depression Scales at the beginning and end of the learning session. A subset participated in focus group discussions. Most of the students (90.0%) positively evaluated the current distance learning model. More than 80% were satisfied with the content arrangement and coverage. Many students preferred virtual lectures (68.2%) and videos showing dissections (70.6%) during the distance learning sessions. However, writing laboratory reports and case-based learning were the least preferred modes of learning as they were only preferred by 23.2% and 14.1% of the students, respectively. There was no significant lockdown-related anxiety or depression reported by students using depression and anxiety scales as well as feedback from focus group discussions. The surveyed students' confidence scores in distance learning were significantly higher after 5 weeks than at the beginning of the session (3.05 ± 0.83 vs. 3.70 ± 0.71, P < 0.05). Furthermore, the present results showed no significant differences between the current group's academic performance in the unit tests as well as the final overall evaluation for different parts of the course compared to that of the previous year's cohort. The findings above were congruent with focus group discussion data that the use of the online teaching platform for regional anatomy significantly improved the students' confidence in virtual and self-directed learning and did not negatively affect their academic performance.     

Online Focus Group: A Tool to Evaluate Online Students' Course Experience

This study suggests that virtual focus groups can be used as a powerful research tool to evaluate students' online course experiences. Students taking courses through the Internet want to be in control of when to access their course content. They also want to be able to decide when and how they interact with their peers and professors. In other words, students are striving for flexibility. Due to the fact that online courses require a different array of preparation, infrastructure, technical support, technology expertise, and course methodology; the evaluation of student online course experience(s) requires a different evaluation paradigm. In this study, the researchers combined the focus group with the Delphi technique and were able to verify the important matters that made an impact on students' satisfaction with the online course(s) they took. The uniqueness of this study is related to the adoption of asynchronous communication into the focus group research technique.     

Taiwan college students' self-efficacy and motivation of learning in online peer assessment environments

Online peer assessment is an innovative evaluation method that has caught both educators' and practitioners' attention in recent years. The purpose of this study was to develop relevant questionnaires for teachers to understand student self-efficacy and motivation in online peer assessment learning environments. A total of 205 college students with experience in online peer assessment participated in this study. Two questionnaires measuring students' online peer assessment self-efficacy (OPASS) and their motivations in online peer assessment learning environments (MOPAS) were developed. The former included three self-efficacy scales: evaluating, receiving and reacting. The latter included two scales: intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation. Through factor analysis, both revealed highly satisfactory validity and reliability in assessing students' self-efficacy and motivation in online peer assessment learning environments. Moreover, the students' responses also showed that they were highly confident and strongly intrinsically motivated when participating in an online peer assessment learning environment. Finally, the interplay between the scales of OPASS and those of MOPAS was explored and the reciprocal relationship between students' self-efficacy and motivation in an online peer assessment learning environment was also highlighted.