Active and passive technology integration: a novel approach for managing technology’s influence on learning experiences in context-aware learning spaces

Technology integration is the process of overcoming different barriers that hinder efficient utilisation of learning technologies. The authors divide technology integration into two components based on technology’s role in the integration process. In active integration, the technology integrates learning resources into a learning space, making it adaptive to the changes in the context. In passive integration, the technology is integrated into a learning space so that it does not disturb the learner and the context. Using this division, the authors investigate technology integration in context-aware learning spaces (CALSs), which emphasise context-sensitiveness and utilise surrounding resources. UFractions is a CALS combining a mobile-based story and fraction rods. The authors analyse active and passive integration in UFractions among 305 middle schools pupils in South Africa, Finland and Mozambique. In the analysis the authors support quantitative questionnaire data with qualitative insights from questionnaires, interviews and observations. The findings indicate that technology integration, particularly active integration, in UFractions is incomplete. The concepts of active and passive integration are necessary in order to manage technology’s influence on learning experiences in CALSs. Active and passive integration can also be helpful in CALS design, deployment and evaluation, and they could be applied in other learning technology scenarios in the future.     

On study habits on an introductory course on programming

Computer aided assessment systems enable the collection of exact time and date information on students’ activity on a course. These activity patterns reflect students’ study habits and these study habits further predict students’ likelihood to pass or fail a course. By identifying such patterns, those who design the courses can enforce positive study habits and to prevent or minimize habits that lead to poor student performance. Hypothetically, by identifying and adjusting the short-term patterns, the teachers might be able to do the same during the course. This publication examines students’ short-term study habits on an introductory level programming course and presents multiple statistically significant connections between students’ assignment submission patterns and their respective final grades. Students who receive the highest grade start and finish their work early, do not work on weekends, and do not work at night, whereas those who fail the course do not show similar behavior but exhibit significant enrichment among those who work large amounts during the night. Course’s mandatory tutorial sessions that act both as assignment release events and as collaborative assignment solving sessions strongly increase assignment submission counts regardless of the students’ final grades and ensure an early start to solving the assignments, possibly preventing those who would otherwise fail the course from starting their work near deadlines.     

Upper secondary and vocational level teachers at social software

This study focuses on upper secondary and vocational level teachers as users of social software i.e. what software they use during their leisure and work and for what purposes they use software in teaching. The study is theorised within a technological pedagogical content knowledge framework, the emphasis is especially on technological knowledge and technological pedagogical knowledge. Four hundred thirty seven teachers were surveyed using an online questionnaire with Likert scaled statements and open-ended questions. Results suggest that the number of different types of social software actively used for teaching is small and that the potential of social software as a tool for supporting collaborative learning has not yet been realised. Discussion of the results is framed in the context of teachers’ developing technological pedagogical content knowledge.     

School teachers bullied by their students: Teachers' attributions and how they share their experiences

Previous studies suggest that many teachers worldwide are bullied by students. However, deeper understanding of teachers' bullying experiences; of their interpretations of the causes of bullying; and of how they cope with these experiences, is lacking. Using an Internet survey we examined the attributions made by Finnish elementary and lower secondary school teachers for their victimisation; the people with whom they share their experiences; and the links between these. Three kinds of attribution were identified: student-related, institution-related, and teacher-related. Selection of the persons with whom teachers shared their experiences was determined by the nature of the attributions given for victimisation.