Building a Dynamic Online Learning Community among Adult Learners

This article examines the nature of learning communities constructed among a diverse group of adult learners in an online graduate-level course. The course engages students in both independent and team tasks to complete several project deliverables. The 21 students enrolled in this online course came from across the USA and countries as far away as Hong Kong, Japan, Argentina and Venezuela. Students and their instructor communicated via a variety of computer-mediated communication (CMC) tools, including synchronous webcasts and chat sessions and asynchronous e-mail and discussion boards. Discourse artefacts, student profiles, survey responses, and project evaluations were content analysed for evidence of the formation of learning communities, particularly for evidence of three markers: participation, shared identity and the establishment of a social network. This action research also generates pedagogical implications for promoting adult learners' active participation in online learning and instructional strategies to facilitate the community-building process. Construction d’une communauté d’apprentissage en ligne pour des étudiants adultes. Cet article examine la nature des communautés d’apprentissage formées dans un groupe varié d’étudiants adultes dans un cours en ligne de niveau graduate. Le cours engage les étudiants dans des taches À la fois indépendantes et en groupe pour mettre en oeuvre plusieurs projets. Les 21 étudiants inscrits dans ce cours en ligne venaient des Etats Unis et de pays aussi lointaines que Hong Kong, le Japon, l’Argentine et le Venezuela. Les étudiants et leur instructeur communiquaient grÂce À une variété d’outils de computer-mediated communication (CMC), y compris ces contributions synchrones du Web, des

séances de chat, des e-mails asynchrones et des sessions de discussion. Les produits des causeries, les profits des étudiants, les réponses aux questionnaires et les évaluations du projet ont donné lieu À des analyses de contenue pour mettre en évidence la formation de ces communautés d’apprentissage, et particulièrement 3 marqueurs: la participation, le partage des identités et l’établissement d’un réseau social. Cette recherche en action engendre aussi des implications pédagogiques pour promouvoir la participation des stratégies d’instruction pour faciliter le processus de construction de la communauté. über die Bildung einer Online Lerngemeinschaft zwischen erwachsenen Lernenden. Dieser Artikel untersucht das Verhalten von Lerngemeinschaften bei unterschiedlichen Lerngruppen von Erwachsenen in

einem online Examenskurs. Der Kurs verlangt von den Studenten selbständig und im Team einige vorgegebene Projekte fertigzustellen. Die in diesem online Kurs 21 eingeschriebenen Studenten kamen aus Gegenden quer durch die USA und Ländern wie Hong Kong, Japan, Argentinien und Venezuela. Die Studenten und ihr Lehrer kummunizierten via einer

Vielzahl von Computer gestützten Communication Tools (CMC) einschliesslich synchronen webcasts und chat sessions sowie

asynchronen e-mails und Diskussionsforen. Arbeitswerkzeuge, Studentenprofile, Prüfung der Antworten, und Projektevaluierungen wurden inhaltsbezogen analysiert um die Formierung von Lerngemeinschaften zu beweisen und im besonderen drei Hauptmerkmale zu belegen: Teilnahme, Mitteilung der Identität und Einrichtung eines gemeinsamen

Networks. Diese Studie hatte pädagogische Folgen, nämlich die aktive Teilnahme Erwachsener im online Lernen und bei Unterrichtsstrategien zu fördern, um den Prozess einer Gemeinschaftsbildung zu erleichtern.     

Back to Africa: Tracing Dyslexia Genes in East Africa

A sample of Swahili-speaking probands with reading difficulties was identified from a large representative sample of 1,500 school children in the rural areas of Tanzania. Families of these probands (n = 88) were invited to participate in the study. The proband and his/her siblings received a battery of reading-related tasks and performance on these tasks was recorded and treated as phenotypic data. Molecular-genetic analyses were carried out with 47 highly polymorphic markers spanning three previously identified regions of interest harboring susceptibility loci for reading difficulties: 2p, 6p, and 15q (DYX1–DYX3). The analyses revealed the involvement of these regions in the development of reading difficulties in Swahili. The linkage signals are especially pronounced for time (compared with error) indicators of reading difficulties. These findings are easily interpretable because in transparent languages such as Swahili deficits in reading are more related to the rate/speed of reading and reading-related processes than to the number of errors made. In short, the study incrementally advances the field by adding an understudied language and an understudied population to the variety of languages and populations in the field of molecular-genetic studies of reading difficulties.     

Lessening the Load of Misconceptions: Design-Based Principles for Algebra Learning

The current study examined the effectiveness of self-explanation prompts, visual signaling cues, and a combination of the two features on middle school students’ (N = 202) algebra learning. Also explored were the differential effects of features for students with faulty conceptual knowledge (evidenced by a higher prevalence of making errors during problem solving) on learning. That is, we assessed whether students who make prevalent conceptual errors predictive of algebra performance differentially benefit from design features. Participants were randomly assigned to complete 1 of 4 sets of worked example assignments supplemented with self-explanation prompts (n = 51), visual signaling cues (n = 49), both features (n = 51), or neither feature (n = 51). Worked examples supplemented with either self-explanation prompts or signaling cues led to greater learning from pre- to posttest in comparison to the worked example control, with practically meaningful effects. The effect of assignments supplemented with signaling cues was moderated by error prevalence. Those who made errors more frequently demonstrating misunderstanding of algebraic concepts (e.g., the meaning of a coefficient) benefited significantly more from visual signaling cues alone than self-explanation prompts alone or control assignments. These findings highlight the importance of considering differential effects of design features when used in combination or in isolation, particularly for struggling students.     

Resilience at University: the development and testing of a new measure

While measures of resilience have been applied in university settings, progress has been hindered by the lack of a consistent measure of resilience. Additionally, results from these measures cannot be easily translated into practical curriculum-based initiatives which support resilience development. Resilience is linked to student mental health and well-being, as well as academic engagement and achievement. This positions resilience as a key skill for students. A survey was administered to 410 Australian undergraduate students. The survey consisted of an adapted version of the Resilience at Work (RAW) scale, the Subjective Happiness Scale and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale. Data were subject to principal component analysis and scale reliability analysis. Results yielded a six-factor structure which closely replicated the seven-factor structure of the RAW scale. The research contributes to the development of a reliable and valid instrument of resilience for use in university. The new Resilience at University (RAU) scale shows promise as a valid and reliable measure of student resilience. Development and validation of the RAU scale is in its early stages and further research is required to explore the psychometric properties of the scale to ascertain whether it can be usefully applied in a university setting.     

Framing equity through a closer examination of critical science agency

Cultural Studies of Science Education - Science for all has been touted as the primary path to equity in science education in the USA. We argue that without attention to the power imbalances that...     

Sensory Processing in Rhesus Monkeys: Developmental Continuity,Prenatal Treatment,and Genetic Influences

Neonatal sensory processing (tactile and vestibular function) was tested in 78 rhesus macaques from two experiments. At ages 4–5 years, striatal dopamine D₂ receptor binding was examined using positron emission tomography. At ages 5–7 years, adult sensory processing was assessed. Findings were: (a) prenatal stress exposure yielded less optimal neonatal sensory processing; (b) animals carrying the short rh5‐HTTLPR allele had less optimal neonatal sensory scores than monkeys homozygous for the long allele; (c) neonatal sensory processing was significantly related to striatal D₂ receptor binding for carriers of the short allele, but not for animals homozygous for the long allele; and (d) there was moderate developmental continuity in sensory processing from the neonatal period to adulthood.