Measuring perceived social presence in distributed learning groups

Social presence—the degree to which ‘the other’ in a communication appears to be a ‘real’ person—has captured the attention of those dealing with learning in groups through computer-supported collaborative learning environments. The concept is important because it affects participation and social interaction, both necessary for effective collaboration and knowledge construction. This article reports on the construction and validation of a self-reporting (Dutch-language) Social Presence Scale to determine perceived social presence in distributed learning groups using computer-supported collaborative learning environments. The result is a one-dimensional scale consisting of five items with an internal consistency of .81. We used a nomological network of similar constructs for further validation. The findings suggest that the Social Presence Scale has potential to be useful as a measure for social presence.     

The academic progress of foreign students: study achievement and study behaviour

In this study we investigated associations between studying in a foreign language and students' academic achievement and study behaviour. Data were gathered in the Netherlands, at the Delft University of Technology (DUT). The results show that the success rate of foreign students was about the same as that of the Dutch students, but that foreign students needed more time to pass the examination. Language proficiency played a major part in explaining differences in study achievement as did the presence or absence of a selection procedure in the student's country of origin. Furthermore, the results show that the study behaviour of foreign students was significantly different from the Dutch students: their average grades on examinations were lower, they made more attempts before passing an examination, they were more likely to postpone examinations and to follow a different order from the recommended one. Suggested measures to improve foreign students' study success include requiring higher levels of language proficiency and stricter selection of foreign students in the country of origin. It is suggested that a system of mentors which provides for intensive coaching of foreign students in their first year may prevent a slow start.     

The use of keywords for delivering immediate performance feedback on teacher competence development

Literature shows that feedback that is specific, immediate and goal-oriented is effective on (pre-service) teachers’ performance. Synchronous coaching gives this kind of feedback. Due to immediateness of feedback, pre-service teachers can suffer from cognitive load. We propose a set of standardised keywords through which this performance feedback can be delivered – each keyword acts as a summary for the feedback message. The construction and the selection of the keywords is aimed at the reduction of message ambiguity, while at the same time a low level of cognitive load on the pre-service teacher must be maintained. An in vivo pilot-study with 40 respondents (pre-service teachers and their coaches) supported our hypothesis that usage of such sets of standardised keywords will mitigate the levels of ambiguity and cognitive load. These findings and other considerations for additional research using immediate performance are addressed.     

Development of an engineering identity in the engineering curriculum in Dutch higher education: an exploratory study from the teaching staff perspective

How do engineering students develop a professional identity during the course of the curriculum? What are the development mechanisms and important conditions? In an exploratory study among teachers the authors tried to find out whether the development of engineering identity can be understood by using the theoretical models of Ibarra and Sullivan. The results showed that the development of engineering identity is boosted during the internship in industry in the third year. Furthermore, the theoretical models could be recognised in the findings and four interaction types in internships, with significant differences in effect on identity development, could be identified if two dimensions were used: (1) industry supervisors’ perception of students; (2) the professional responsibility awarded. Some recommendations for curriculum improvement could be made; for example, introducing projects into the curriculum to stimulate identity development from the start. Further research is required on students’ preparation for internships.     

Towards characterising design-based learning in engineering education: a review of the literature

Design-based learning is a teaching approach akin to problem-based learning but one to which the design of artefacts, systems and solutions in project-based settings is central. Although design-based learning has been employed in the practice of higher engineering education, it has hardly been theorised at this educational level. The aim of this study is to characterise design-based learning from existing empirical research literature on engineering education. Drawing on a perspective that accounts for domain-specific, idiosyncratic and learner-centred aspects of design problems in the context of engineering education, 50 empirical studies on project-based and problem-based engineering education, to which the design of artefacts is central, were reviewed. Based on the findings, design-based learning is characterised with regard to domain-specificity, learner expertise and task authenticity. The implications of this study for the practice of engineering education are discussed.     

Does tagging improve the navigation of online recorded lectures by students?

Students more and more have access to online recordings of the lectures they attend at universities. The volume and length of these recorded lectures however make them difficult to navigate. Research shows that students primarily watch the recorded lectures while preparing for their exams. They do watch the full recorded lectures, but review only the parts that are relevant to them. While doing so, they often lack the required mechanisms to locate efficiently those parts of the recorded lecture that they want to view. In this paper, we describe an experiment where expert tagging is used as a means to facilitate the students' search. In the experiment, 255 students had the option to use tags to navigate 18 recorded lectures. We used the data tracked by the lecture capture system to analyze the use of the tags by the students. We compared these data to students who did not use the tagging interface (TI). Results show that the use of the TI increases in time. Students use the TI more actively over time while reducing the amount of video that they view. The experiment also shows that students who use the TI score higher grades when compared with students who use the regular interface.     

Self‐assessment in university assessment of prior learning procedures

Competency‐based university education, in which lifelong learning and flexible learning are key elements, demands a renewed vision on assessment. Within this vision, Assessment of Prior Learning (APL), in which learners have to show their prior learning in order for their goals to be recognised, becomes an important element. This article focuses on a first step in APL, namely students’ self‐assessment of their prior learning before entering university education. The main aim of the presented study is to examine the suitability of the use of self‐assessment in APL. First, in an explorative study, the main sources for self‐assessment are derived and the relation between sources and domain of study is investigated. Second, in a pre‐test post‐test research design, the hypothesis that students’ self‐assessment of prior learning related to a course changes after studying a domain‐specific course is tested. Pre‐test results reveal that students indicate that they have prior knowledge related to the chosen university programme. In general, this prior learning is obtained from study experience, work experience, books, newspapers, magazines, the Internet, TV, radio, film or video. A relation is found between the type of source and the university programme. The hypothesis that students change their self‐assessment after a study period could not be confirmed. Based on these results, it is concluded that self‐assessment in APL might be a suitable tool. Implications for further research are discussed.     

Exploring teachers' instructional design practices from a systems design perspective

Curricular changes in higher vocationaleducation have rendered teachers' instructionaldesign activities increasingly important. Usinga repertory grid technique, this paper sets outto analyse current design activities of tenteacher trainers. Their actual approach iscompared with an instructional systems design(ISD) approach and related to innovativeteacher roles. Teachers' activities show animbalance in two ID phases, that is problemanalysis and evaluation. The results suggestthat they attempt to translate curricular goalsdirectly into concrete lessons and they payrelatively little attention to evaluation. Inline with this finding, they underrate the twoinnovative teacher roles of the `diagnostician'and the `evaluator'. It is argued thatimbalanced or incomplete design approaches andperceived roles may hinder innovation ineducation. Implications for the support ofteachers' design activities are discussed.