A Pedagogical Application Framework for Synchronous Collaboration

Designing successful collaborative learning activities is a new focus of research within the E-Learning community. The social dimension inside the traditional face-to-face collaborative learning is important and must be included in the online learning designs. In this thesis, we introduce the concept of Pedagogical Application Frameworks, and describe Beehive, a pedagogical application framework for synchronous collaborative learning. Beehive guides teachers in reusing online collaborative learning activities based on well-known pedagogical designs, to accomplish their educational objectives within a certain educational setting, and also simplifies the development of new pedagogical collaboration designs. Beehive’s conceptual model has four abstraction layers: Pedagogical Techniques, Collaboration Task patterns, CSCL Components, and CSCL script. By following the framework’s guidelines and specifications, developers will place the control of designing pedagogical collaboration tools in the teacher’s hand rather than in the software designer’s

An information security model based on trustworthiness for enhancing security in on-line collaborative learning

L'objectiu principal d'aquesta tesi és incorporar propietats i serveis de la seguretat en sistemes d'informació en l'aprenentatge col·laboratiu en línia, seguint un model funcional basat en la valoració i predicció de la confiança. Aquesta tesi estableix com a punt de partença el disseny d'una solució de seguretat innovadora, basada en una metodologia pròpia per a oferir als dissenyadors i gestors de l'e-learning les línies mestres per a incorporar mesures de seguretat en l'aprenentatge col·laboratiu en línia. Aquestes guies cobreixen tots els aspectes sobre el disseny i la gestió que s'han de considerar en els processos relatius a l'e-learning, entre altres l'anàlisi de seguretat, el disseny d'activitats d'aprenentatge, la detecció d'accions anòmales o el processament de dades sobre confiança. La temàtica d'aquesta tesi té una naturalesa multidisciplinària i, al seu torn, les diferents disciplines que la formen estan íntimament relacionades. Les principals disciplines de què es tracta en aquesta tesi són l'aprenentatge col·laboratiu en línia, la seguretat en sistemes d'informació, els entorns virtuals d'aprenentatge (EVA) i la valoració i predicció de la confiança. Tenint en compte aquest àmbit d'aplicació, el problema de garantir la seguretat en els processos d'aprenentatge col·laboratiu en línia es resol amb un model híbrid construït sobre la base de solucions funcionals i tecnològiques, concretament modelatge de la confiança i solucions tecnològiques per a la seguretat en sistemes d'informació.El principal objetivo de esta tesis es incorporar propiedades y servicios de la seguridad en sistemas de información en el aprendizaje colaborativo en línea, siguiendo un modelo funcional basado en la valoración y predicción de la confianza. Esta tesis establece como punto de partida el diseño de una solución de seguridad innovadora, basada en una metodología propia para ofrecer a los diseñadores y gestores del e-learning las líneas maestras para incorporar medidas de seguridad en el aprendizaje colaborativo en línea. Estas guías cubren todos los aspectos sobre el diseño y la gestión que hay que considerar en los procesos relativos al e-learning, entre otros el análisis de la seguridad, el diseño de actividades de aprendizaje, la detección de acciones anómalas o el procesamiento de datos sobre confianza. La temática de esta tesis tiene una naturaleza multidisciplinar y, a su vez, las diferentes disciplinas que la forman están íntimamente relacionadas. Las principales disciplinas tratadas en esta tesis son el aprendizaje colaborativo en línea, la seguridad en sistemas de información, los entornos virtuales de aprendizaje (EVA) y la valoración y predicción de la confianza. Teniendo en cuenta este ámbito de aplicación, el problema de garantizar la seguridad en los procesos de aprendizaje colaborativo en línea se resuelve con un modelo híbrido construido en base a soluciones funcionales y tecnológicas, concretamente modelado de la confianza y soluciones tecnológicas para la seguridad en sistemas de información.This thesis' main goal is to incorporate information security properties and services into online collaborative learning using a functional approach based on trustworthiness assessment and prediction. As a result, this thesis aims to design an innovative security solution, based on methodological approaches, to provide e-learning designers and managers with guidelines for incorporating security into online collaborative learning. These guidelines include all processes involved in e-learning design and management, such as security analysis, learning activity design, detection of anomalous actions, trustworthiness data processing, and so on. The subject of this research is multidisciplinary in nature, with the different disciplines comprising it being closely related. The most significant ones are online collaborative learning, information security, learning management systems (LMS), and trustworthiness assessment and prediction models. Against this backdrop, the problem of securing collaborative online learning activities is tackled by a hybrid model based on functional and technological solutions, namely, trustworthiness modelling and information security technologies

A Pedagogical Application Framework for Synchronous Collaboration

Designing successful collaborative learning activities is a new focus of research within the E-Learning community. The social dimension inside the traditional face-to-face collaborative learning is important and must be included in the online learning designs. In this thesis, we introduce the concept of Pedagogical Application Frameworks, and describe Beehive, a pedagogical application framework for synchronous collaborative learning. Beehive guides teachers in reusing online collaborative learning activities based on well-known pedagogical designs, to accomplish their educational objectives within a certain educational setting, and also simplifies the development of new pedagogical collaboration designs. Beehive’s conceptual model has four abstraction layers: Pedagogical Techniques, Collaboration Task patterns, CSCL Components, and CSCL script. By following the framework’s guidelines and specifications, developers will place the control of designing pedagogical collaboration tools in the teacher’s hand rather than in the software designer’s

Effects of computer-supported collaboration script and incomplete concept maps on web design skills in an online design-based learning environment

Web design skills are an important component of media literacy. The aim of our study was to promote university students’ web design skills through online design-based learning (DBL). Combined in a 2x2-factorial design, two types of scaffolding were implemented in an online DBL environment to support the students through their effort to design, build, modify, and publish web sites on processes and outcomes measures, namely collaboration scripts and incomplete concept maps. The results showed that both treatments had positive effects on collaborative (content-related discourse quality, collaboration skills, and quality of published web sites) and individual (domain-specific knowledge and skills related to the design and building of websites) learning outcomes. There was synergism between the two scaffolds in that the combination of the collaboration script and incomplete concept maps produced the most positive results. To be effective, online DBL thus needs to be enhanced by appropriate scaffolds, and both collaboration scripts and incomplete concept maps are effective examples

Conceptualising personal and mobile learning environments in higher education : focus on students' perspective

Tämän väitöskirjan tavoitteena oli tutkia yliopisto-opiskelijoiden näkökulmasta, miten henkilökohtaisen ja mobiilin oppimisympäristön käsite voidaan määritellä. Väitöskirja koostuu kuudesta osatutkimuksesta, jotka toteutettiin Lapin yliopistossa, missä vuosien 2004 ja 2009 välisenä aikana kaikille opintonsa aloittaville opiskelijoille tarjottiin mahdollisuus hankkia käyttöönsä kannettava tietokone yliopiston osaksi kustantamana. Tutkimuksen keskiössä ovat yliopisto-opiskelijat, heidän kokemuksensa ja näkemyksensä sekä kehitysideansa. Ensimmäisessä osatutkimuksessa kartoitettiin opiskelijoiden tietoturvaan, opiskelun mobiiliuteen sekä tietokoneilla tuettuun yhteisölliseen opiskeluun liittyviä odotuksia. Toisessa osatutkimuksessa selvitettiin, millaisen kotouttamisprosessin opiskelijat käyvät läpi ottaessaan kannettavaa tietokonetta käyttöönsä. Tutkimuksessa tarkasteltiin myös sitä, miten opiskelijat integroivat kannettavan tietokoneen oppimisprosessiinsa, millaisten kokemusten kautta kannettavasta tuli merkityksellinen sekä sitä, miten sukupuoli tai tietotekniset taidot vaikuttivat tähän prosessiin. Kolmas osatutkimus rakentui design-perustaisen tutkimuksen periaatteille ja sen aikana suunniteltiin ja toteutettiin langattomien kampusten tietoturvaa käsittelevä opintojakso. Neljännessä osatutkimuksessa selvitettiin, mitä pedagogista lisäarvoa kannettavat tietokoneet opiskelijoiden mielestä tuovat tietokoneella tuettuihin yhteisöllisen oppimisen prosesseihin. Viidennessä ja kuudennessa osatutkimuksessa keskityttiin erityisesti lapsiperheellisten ja lukukausien aikana työskentelevien opiskelijoiden kokemuksiin. Tulosten perusteella voidaan sanoa, että erityisesti lapsiperheelliset opiskelijat hyötyivät kannettavien tietokoneiden ja langattomien tietoverkkojen mahdollistamasta mobiiliudesta ja joustavuudesta. Osatutkimusten tutkimustehtäviä ja -kysymyksiä lähestyttiin useista metodologisista lähtökohdista käsin. Tutkimuksissa hyödynnettiin tilastollista lähestymistapaa, grounded-teoriaa, design-tutkimusta sekä erilaisten tutkimusmenetelmien yhdistelmiä (mixed methods). Tutkimuksissa kerättiin sekä laadullista että määrällistä aineistoa. Osatutkimuksissa saatuja tuloksia tarkastellaan toiminnan teorian (activity theory) kautta. Toiminnan teoria on sosio-kulttuurisesti orientoitunut viitekehys, joka käsittelee ihmisen toimintaa eri muodoissaan kehitysprosesseina. Tutkimus vahvistaa käsitystä oppimisympäristöistä käsitteellisinä, ei niinkään laitteisto- tai järjestelmävetoisina työvälineinä. Tässä tutkimuksessa esiteltävä käsitteellinen tarkastelu tarjoaa yliopistoille strategisen työvälineen, jota voidaan hyödyntää mobiilin tieto- ja viestintätekniikan (TVT) pedagogisen hyödyntämisen sekä tulevien TVT-hankkeiden suunnittelussa. Opettajille tutkimus valottaa opiskelijoiden näkemyksiä mobiilin TVT:n hyödyntämisestä opiskeluprosesseissa sekä lähtökohdan omien pedagogisten ja ammatillisten tietojen ja taitojen kehittämiseen. Tutkimusten valossa opiskelijat voivat pohtia, miten he voivat parhaalla tavalla hyödyntää mobiilia TVT:aa osana omaa arkeaan, johon yliopisto-opinnot kuuluvat. Tutkijoille tämä väitöskirja tarjoaa useita jatkotutkimustehtäviä, joiden kautta tässä kehitettyä käsitettä voidaan edelleen kehittää ja tarkentaa.This study investigated how the concept of personal and mobile learning environments (PMLEs) can be conceptualised, and how their creation could best be supported in higher education, according to university students. The six empirical studies comprising this thesis were conducted at the University of Lapland, where a large-scale mobile technology initiative was carried out between 2004 and 2009. The particular focus was on university students, their experiences, perceptions and development ideas. The first study sought to discern students’ expectations concerning data security, mobility and collaborative learning processes on a wireless campus, while the second aimed to reveal the domestication process that students go through when putting their laptops to use at the beginning of their studies. In addition, the means by which students integrated the laptop into their personal learning processes, the kinds of procedures that rendered the laptop useful and meaningful, and how gender and IT proficiency influenced these processes, were also examined. The third study was a design-based research (DBR) process, in which a computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) course on the data security of wireless learning environments was designed and implemented. The fourth study deliberated on the students’ perceptions of the added pedagogical value that laptops and wireless networks bring to CSCL processes. The fifth and sixth studies concentrated particularly on the views of non-traditional students who have extra life commitments along with their studies, such as taking care of children or term-time employment. The results of these two studies revealed that students with children especially benefited from the support the laptops and networks provided, and the mobility and flexibility that they afforded. Multiple methodologies were employed in order to answer varying and multidimensional research questions within the six empirical studies. The studies used approaches including statistical methodologies, grounded theory (GT), DBR, and mixed methods. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected. The results of the individual empirical studies are considered through activity theory, which is a socio-culturally driven, general framework for describing human activity as development processes in different forms. This study strengthens the view of PMLEs as conceptual tools, moving away from a device- or system-oriented understanding of learning environments. For universities as administrative organisations, the concept of a PMLE can serve as a strategic tool that can be used when developing strategies for ICTs’ pedagogical use and when designing possible future ICT initiatives. For university instructors, this research offers insights into students’ perceptions of using mobile ICTs in learning, and a starting point when developing their own professional skills and knowledge. It encourages students to consider the best ways to use mobile ICTs in their personal lives, of which higher education studies form a part. For researchers, the conceptual understanding of a PMLE offers a multitude of research tasks for future completion

Constructing the Learning Environment in Classroom Convivial Computer Tools for Higher Education

New education technologies are coming on stream, enabling connectivity among teachers, facilitators and students. Students have to learn how to access Managed Learning Environments each time they move to different course websites. These barriers can hinder the real understanding of the subject matter for a course. This research calls for a rethink of pedagogical process towards blending together commonly used emerging social software and legacy educational tools rather than developing new tools for the classroom. Indeed, a learning tool should fit well to the learning model and philosophy of that course. Three case studies were conducted through different courses in the Digital Media master program and Informatik program at the University of Bremen, Germany. Students worked in small groups to design digital media and learning portal that should make learning more interesting and meaningful for them. At the end, this research proposes the concept of Constructing the Learning Environment in classroom and Convivial Computer Tools for higher education, where students and teachers, via dialogues in the class, can negotiate to deploy a set of selected tools and functions to match their learning needs. It is also to show that a tool with too many functions can cause confusion, rather than enhance effectiveness. To empower collaborative, interactive and personal learning, this work proposes the blended learning and classroom procedures for a convivial selection of educational tools. At the end, our innovative attempt is to bring constructionist learning into the higher education context

A case study of collaborative learning among preparatory year students and their teachers at Hail University in Saudi Arabia

The concept of collaborative learning (CL) relates to the educational use of small groups, in which students work together to maximise their learning and to teach and learn from each other as much as possible, after receiving guidelines and instructions from their teachers. Collaborative learning in Saudi higher education (SHE) has been promoted at the government level in recent years as part of a trend to increase the adoption of e-learning. The policy also aligns with educational reforms and the drive to make the Saudi economy more competitive and diverse. Nevertheless, it is still enforcing itself to become a norm in the teaching and learning process as it is a radical shift from the traditional centralised decision making in educational settings and teacher-centred teaching, which indicate a high power distance structure. Therefore, this study investigates the perceptions of preparatory year students and teachers at Hail University regarding the implementation of CL. A qualitative research methodology was adopted. Data were gathered from observations, six focus groups (composed of five students in each group) and individual interviews with 12 teachers on the foundation year. The findings of this study indicated two modalities for deploying CL: traditional CL (TCL/non-computer- supported collaborative learning [CSCL]) and computer-supported CL (CSCL) in Saudi higher Education. Furthermore, the results showed that CL indeed provides personal, social, and academic benefits. It is still, however, marred by challenges such that effective implementation is curtailed and thus does not produce positive learning outcomes among students. Overall, given the cultural background, the preference for retaining a high power distance, and what teachers and students are accustomed to, the study suggests further research be conducted to implement an form of CL adapted to suit Saudi culture

Enhancing Free-text Interactions in a Communication Skills Learning Environment

Learning environments frequently use gamification to enhance user interactions.Virtual characters with whom players engage in simulated conversations often employ prescripted dialogues; however, free user inputs enable deeper immersion and higher-order cognition. In our learning environment, experts developed a scripted scenario as a sequence of potential actions, and we explore possibilities for enhancing interactions by enabling users to type free inputs that are matched to the pre-scripted statements using Natural Language Processing techniques. In this paper, we introduce a clustering mechanism that provides recommendations for fine-tuning the pre-scripted answers in order to better match user inputs