The influence of institutional involvement in international education on United States students

This study is focused on the impact of international education upon United States students. The research question tested was: does the involvement of a US university in international education programs affect the international outlook of United States students? Seven concept areas were developed and tested on a randomly selected group of 663 United States senior students enrolled at six universities: Indiana University, the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Wisconsin at Madison, Ohio State University, the University of Illinois at Urbana, and Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. The analysis of variance tests used indicated that for the most part the involvement of a university in international education programs does make a difference in the international outlook of United States students.     

A Methodological Case Study with Mobile Eye-Tracking of Child Interaction in a Science Museum

The field of instructional design and technology (IDT) aims to understand the interactions occurring among people and learning resources during educational experiences to inform design. This article illustrates the utility of mobile eye-tracking for research with children as a tool for IDT researchers and practitioners. Mobile eye-tracking can collect precise information concerning the learners’ visual attention and interactions in authentic environments, unlike traditional eye-tracking using a laboratory or stationary computer. Mobile eye-tracking also can be used effectively in out-of-school settings where learners walk around and interact with diverse resources. By presenting a qualitative interaction analysis, we illuminate how mobile eye-tracking supports investigating explorations in a hands-on museum. The analysis shows patterns of visual and bodily interactions with exhibits and with family members. Implications include how mobile eye-tracking can contribute to a researcher’s understanding of the child’s idiosyncratic viewpoint to examine in detail learners’ interactions and educational resources’ affordances at various educational settings.     

A cross-cultural approach to the adoption of open educational resources in higher education

The factors affecting the adoption of open educational resources (OER) in higher education have become a research topic of great interest as OER continue to be widely used in universities, affecting the quality of teaching and learning. The reasons for OER adoption are diverse, across both individual educators and cultural environments. This study explored determinants of OER adoption by university educators in three cultural contexts utilizing the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2). Data on educators' behavioral intention to adopt OER were collected from 152 educators in three countries, Korea, Japan and the United States. In every culture, habit was the strongest determinant of this behavioral intention. Other highly significant factors affecting OER adoption by educators varied by culture. In Korea, the strongest determinant was performance expectancy, in Japan it was social influence and in the United States it was price value. The moderating effect of culture was significant on three paths of the model, and the cultural specificity affecting OER adoption was substantial. Theoretical and practical implications related to the UTAUT2 model and OER policy are discussed.     

Developing inclusive educators: enhancing the accessibility of teaching and learning in higher education

In light of the growing population of students with disabilities at colleges and universities worldwide, faculty development connected to accessible teaching is of paramount importance. Drawing from the existing literature and from the results of a qualitative study of educational accessibility at one Canadian university, this article offers a series of recommendations for academic developers hoping to establish effective development initiatives focused on accessible teaching and learning. Key issues considered include the need to support instructors in translating principles of inclusive teaching into practice, the value of discussion-based approaches that take up difficult questions about minimum standards, and the question of whether development initiatives should be discipline-specific or interdisciplinary, mandatory or optional. Recommendations for further research are also discussed.     

Enrollment patterns and academic performance as a function of registration under a pass-fail grading system

An experimental pass-fail grading system was examined to determine if interdisciplinary exploration was encouraged by modifying the competitive aspects of grading and to examine the performance of students enrolling in pass-fail courses in the light of their past achievement and the performance of classmates. Results of the study suggest that the pass-fail grading situation encouraged study across a wider area of subjects, but also was associated with lower achievement as reflected by a familiar grading scheme. A review of the literature indicated that a need for valid evaluation of student progress is acknowledged by virtually all writers, but that numerous arguments attack the manner in which grades are assigned and used and attack the lack of knowledge about the psychometric attributes of traditional grading arrangements.

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Résumé Un système expérimental de notation réussite-échec a été mis à l'étude afin de déterminer si l'on pourrait encourager l'exploration interdisciplinaire en modifiant les aspects compétitifs de la notation et aussi afin d'évaluer le rendement des étudiants inscrits aux cours notés selon système réussite-échec à la lumière des réalisations antérieures de ces étudiants et du rendement de leurs camarades de classe. Les résultats de cette étude laissent entendre que le système en question a encouragé les étudiants à porter leur intérêt vers un plus grand nombre de sujets, mais qu'il s'en est suivi des résultats moins brillants en comparaison des résultats obtenus par le système de notation classique. Une étude de la littérature publiée à ce sujet indique que presque tous les auteurs reconnaissent la nécessité de disposer d'une méthode d'évaluation valable des progrès des étudiants, mais il existe de nombreux arguments contre la façon dont les notes sont accordées et utilisées et contre le manque de connaissance des attributs psychométriques de la méthode de notation traditionnelle.

     

Ideology,nationalism, and education: the case of education reforms in the two Koreas

Asia Pacific Education Review - This research explores the influences of ideology and nationalism on education reforms in South and North Korea through a comparative historical analysis of...     

The distance learner competencies: a three-phased empirical approach

This study identifies a set of competencies displayed in the successful distance learner. It employed a three-phased approach. Phase I, conducted to develop an initial list of competencies, comprised Behavioral Event Interviews with nine successful distance learners. In Phase II, these competencies were reviewed, elaborated and categorized by seven distance education experts by means of semi-structured interviews. A list of 15 competencies in 5 clusters was then developed and in Phase III, these competencies and clusters were verified quantitatively by surveying 197 successful distance learners. The results reveal that all of these 15 competencies are critically important to, and commonly displayed by, successful distance learners and that of these, management skills is the most important. The findings and their implications are examined and the paper concludes with suggestions for further research into learner competencies.     

Designing GIS learning materials for K–12 teachers

Although previous studies have proven the usefulness and effectiveness of geographic information system (GIS) use in the K–12 classroom, the rate of teacher adoption remains low. The identified major barrier to its use is a lack of teachers’ background and experience. To solve this limitation, many organisations have provided GIS-related teacher training using various GIS learning materials. However, most materials have been developed without much consideration for the ‘users’ of these materials. This article introduces a user-centred design (UCD) approach to design and develop GIS learning materials in collaboration with a group of teachers to assist teachers in learning about and implementing GIS effectively in their classrooms. To illustrate this approach, the author presents a case study that involves developing GIS learning materials for middle school social studies teachers in Colorado, USA. As a result, the majority of teachers reported that UCD-based materials were easy to learn and follow.     

The effect of recommendation systems on Internet‐based learning for different learners: A data mining analysis

A general challenge facing Internet‐based learners is how to identify information objects which are helpful in expanding their understanding of important information in a domain. Recommendation systems may assist learners in identifying potentially helpful information objects. However, the recent literature mainly focuses on the technical performance, rather than on how recommendations support searching in educational contexts. This study thus investigates how recommendation systems may influence the searching behaviors and strategies of different learners, when they are used with a mind map. The results suggested two main different searching behavioral patterns, namely focused searchers and broad searchers. It is found that the recommendations may influence the searching behaviors of the two types of searchers in different ways. For the focused searchers, the recommendations may support these searchers to expand their keywords to explore the domain. Regarding the broad searchers, they did not rely on the computer recommendations. However, the mind map interface applied along with the recommendations may support them in monitoring their searching processes. Online Information Searching Strategies Inventory (OISSI) was applied to examine the participants' perceptions of how students applied information searching strategies. The results of OISSI support that both types of searchers perceived a higher level of searching strategies when they search with the recommendation system and mind maps.     

Learning from MOOCs: a qualitative case study from the learners’ perspectives

This study describes the massive open online course (MOOC) experiences of three educational technology scholars assuming the roles of learners. Adapting Carroll’s model of school learning as a theoretical framework, the study employed an autoethnography method to collect empirical data in three different MOOCs. Data analysis from regularly recorded journals revealed commonalities and differences in learner experiences. Based on the results, a refined version of Carroll’s model was produced to provide a foundation for future research and development into MOOCs.