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.     

The perceptions of high-level officers in Cyprus about intercultural education and their underlying assumptions

Abstract

This article is based on a year‐long study of elementary to secondary transition in rural Ontario, Canada. The study considered the experience of transition for rural students within the political context of recently mandated changes to the transition years in Ontario. Research elsewhere suggests that the strong academic orientation of the secondary school creates a polarized and fragmented school culture which leads to student alienation and high drop‐out rates. These issues were regarded as less relevant in the rural area where the study took place and, thus, the teachers, parents and students who participated were sceptical about the need for change. The article examines the influence of contextual factors, including the rural setting, school structure and size, and teacher experience, on school culture and curriculum, and participants’ experiences of transition and their perspectives on change. A dialogical approach to enquiry was taken which attempted to bring together, through dialogue, the disparate views of research and participants to achieve new understandings on the critical issues of rural transition.     

After-school tutoring in the context of no Child Left Behind: Effectiveness of two programs in the Pittsburgh Public Schools

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation has created pressure for districts to improve their students’ proficiency levels on state tests. Districts that fail to meet their academic targets for 3 years must use their Title I funds to pay for supplemental education services (SES) that provide tutoring or other academic instruction. Many districts, including the Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS), have also adopted additional tutoring programs designed to help students reach proficiency goals. This paper examines student participation and achievement in two PPS tutoring programs—the NCLB-mandated SES program and a state-developed tutoring program. We examine the characteristics of students participating in each program, the effects of participation on student achievement, and the program features that are associated with improved achievement.     

Reliability and Validity of Bookmark‐Based Methods for Standard Setting: Comparisons to Angoff‐Based Methods in the National Assessment of Educational Progress

Historically, Angoff‐based methods were used to establish cut scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). In 2005, the National Assessment Governing Board oversaw multiple studies aimed at evaluating the reliability and validity of Bookmark‐based methods via a comparison to Angoff‐based methods. As the Board considered adoption of Bookmark‐based methods, it considered several criteria, including reliability of the cut scores, validity of the cut scores as evidenced by comparability of results to those from Angoff, and procedural validity as evidenced by panelist understanding of the method tasks and instructions and confidence in the results. As a result of their review, a Bookmark‐based method was adopted for NAEP, and has been used since that time. This article goes beyond the Governing Board's initial evaluations to conduct a systematic review of 27 studies in NAEP research conducted over 15 years. This research is used to evaluate Bookmark‐based methods on key criteria originally considered by the Governing Board. Findings suggest that Bookmark‐based methods have comparable reliability, resulting cut scores, and panelist evaluations to Angoff. Given that Bookmark‐based methods are shorter in duration and less costly, Bookmark‐based methods may be preferable to Angoff for NAEP standard setting.     

National Devolution in Swedish Higher Education -- A Quest for New Local Leadership. The Case of Leadership Development at Göteborg University

In 1993 a new national form for governance was introduced in Swedish higher education. The new regime, best described in terms of deregulation and decentralisation, among other things, required a new individually based leadership at universities.The paper describes the development of one particular 10-day interfaculty leadership training course for heads of departments, directors of study and other local managers, its content and methods and some implications for strategic management in higher education institutions.Four such implications are covered: constructing a new social identity as leaders, getting leadership acceptance in an individualistic academic-freedom culture, training academic leaders in accordance with professional values, and dealing with accountability in a collegial decision-making environment.