Approaches to networked learning : an investigation into the nature of autonomous student interaction with web-based educational environments.

A Networked Learning Environment is an autonomously accessible web resource that combines hypertext course materials, online communication channels, multimedia and other interactive features. Constructivist learning theory makes many claims about the potential of such environments, and the educational ‘affordances’ inherent within them. Yet what we understand about the ways in which students learn online, and whether this is conducive to realising the potential benefits on offer, is somewhat limited. Research into learning style differences and attitudes towards online studying provides a partial insight. However, by using tools designed for assessing how students undertake learning in traditional contexts, and through having been predominantly quantitative, much of the research to date can only highlight the relevance of such factors. Consequently, many questions regarding the how and why of networked learning behaviour remain largely unanswered, and there is a growing consensus that an understanding that is informed by the subjective perspectives of learners is required. This thesis describes a primarily qualitative investigation that shared this concern. The main research element involved a phenomenographic study that focused on the perceptions, behaviours and experiences of students who interacted with NLEs that were the sole or primary means of course delivery in three undergraduate, campus- based contexts. Two case studies and a naturalistic experiment were conducted, and the phenomenographic study was supplemented with other data relating to assignment grades, online discussion contributions, and preferences for conventional studying. The phenomenographic analysis identified three distinct types of approach to networked learning that can be seen as increasingly effective in terms of networked learning interactions and outcomes. Based on the findings of the phenomenography, and other aspects of the research, the thesis argues that while many students will experience to some extent the affordances inherent within NLEs, there is an important distinction between students recognising the benefits of networked learning, and actually undertaking this in a way that is conducive to good knowledge development. This thesis concludes by presenting a theoretical framework that conceptualises the relationship between a range of individual and contextual factors that influence networked learning, and which has a number of implications for theory and practice

Understanding the Cranial Nerves: Evaluation of a Self-Paced Online Module in Optometric Education

Among the faculty of Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, Tennessee, it is perceived that optometry students often enter their clinical assignments with poor clinical judgment. To address this, Understanding the Cranial Nerves--an online-self paced instructional intervention of approximately two hours\u27 duration--was developed. In it, the content is presented in a clinical context, in order to foster development of clinical thinking and factual recall. The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of this intervention upon first-year optometry students\u27 clinical thinking and content knowledge. Improvements in these subjects were measured using identical pre-/post-tests, and analyzed with Student\u27s t-tests (n= 66). Both factual recall [t (65) = 15.984, p \u3c .001] and clinical thinking [t(65) = 16.115, p\u3c .001] improved significantly. The study\u27s secondary purpose is to understand students\u27 perceptions of the intervention. These were measured immediately after completion with an attitude survey, which was designed to measure perceptions of the content, aesthetics, and usability. For the 19 Likert-type items on this instrument, the frequency distributions of the repsponses were compared to an expected distribution using Pearson\u27s chi-squared goodness-of-fit tests (n = 61). Significant responses included higher distributions on three course content items [X2 (4) = 14.705, p = .005; X2 (4) = 22.641, p \u3c .001; X2 (4) =23.308, p \u3c .001], and lower distributions on five usability items [X2 (4) = 39.975, p \u3c .001; X2 (4) = 42.476, p \u3c.001; X2 (4) = 60.476, p \u3c .001; X2 (4) = 41.619, p \u3c .001; X2 (4) = 35.105, p \u3c .001]. A cursory analysis of the remaining two free-response items showed general satisfaction with the intervention content but frustration with its usability (n = 25). Semi-structured interviews given several months after completion of the intervention yielded similar results (n = 8). Altogetherm the study suggests that self-paced, online content like Understanding the Cranial Nerves can be useful for improving factual recall and clinical thinking in optometric education. The lack of a control group and short duration of the study call its generalizability into question. Usability concerns must be addressed if the intervention is to be implemented

The Tracer Method: Don\u27t Blink or You Might Miss it. A Novel Methodology Combining Cognitive Task Analysis and Eye Tracking

This thesis describes the development and first demonstration of a new Human Factors method, The Tracer Method, which is a combination of Cognitive Task Analysis (CTA) and Eye Tracking. The study evaluated whether the two methods together produce new and different information than either method alone could provide. The method was tested using a video game, Overwatch, a dynamic, complex, and multiplayer game. The evaluation included: 1. Examining both in the same context (game), 2. Establishing unique contributions of each method alone, and 3. Evaluating overlapping information. Results identified some overlap between the two methods that provided some cross-validation of the data. Cognitive Task Analysis provided higher level strategies and course of actions that players implement during their games, while eye tracking provided visual patterns of search (order of eye movements). However, when combined, the two methods provide strategy information in context that neither method alone can provide. CTA elicits insight into how individuals make decisions and apply previous knowledge, experience, and environmental information. Eye tracking can support this through predictive models of individual’s eye tracking, to understand which elements are utilized in making predictions and situational assessments. We provide a tutorial and insight into best practices for implementation of The Tracer Method. This is the initial development of the new method, and on-going research is validating it in different environments. The Tracer Method is the first combined and documented systematic methodology that utilizes a changing and complicated environment and tests the interaction and output of Critical Decision Method and Eye Tracking

Applying science of learning in education: Infusing psychological science into the curriculum

The field of specialization known as the science of learning is not, in fact, one field. Science of learning is a term that serves as an umbrella for many lines of research, theory, and application. A term with an even wider reach is Learning Sciences (Sawyer, 2006). The present book represents a sliver, albeit a substantial one, of the scholarship on the science of learning and its application in educational settings (Science of Instruction, Mayer 2011). Although much, but not all, of what is presented in this book is focused on learning in college and university settings, teachers of all academic levels may find the recommendations made by chapter authors of service. The overarching theme of this book is on the interplay between the science of learning, the science of instruction, and the science of assessment (Mayer, 2011). The science of learning is a systematic and empirical approach to understanding how people learn. More formally, Mayer (2011) defined the science of learning as the “scientific study of how people learn” (p. 3). The science of instruction (Mayer 2011), informed in part by the science of learning, is also on display throughout the book. Mayer defined the science of instruction as the “scientific study of how to help people learn” (p. 3). Finally, the assessment of student learning (e.g., learning, remembering, transferring knowledge) during and after instruction helps us determine the effectiveness of our instructional methods. Mayer defined the science of assessment as the “scientific study of how to determine what people know” (p.3). Most of the research and applications presented in this book are completed within a science of learning framework. Researchers first conducted research to understand how people learn in certain controlled contexts (i.e., in the laboratory) and then they, or others, began to consider how these understandings could be applied in educational settings. Work on the cognitive load theory of learning, which is discussed in depth in several chapters of this book (e.g., Chew; Lee and Kalyuga; Mayer; Renkl), provides an excellent example that documents how science of learning has led to valuable work on the science of instruction. Most of the work described in this book is based on theory and research in cognitive psychology. We might have selected other topics (and, thus, other authors) that have their research base in behavior analysis, computational modeling and computer science, neuroscience, etc. We made the selections we did because the work of our authors ties together nicely and seemed to us to have direct applicability in academic settings

Teaching with style: computer aided instruction, personality and design education

The investigation reported in this thesis concerns the possibility of automatically matching the learning styles of design students with appropriate styles of computer aided instruction (CAl). Individual adult learners exhibit preferences for the way information is presented and for the ways in which they are taught. These preferences arise from characteristics known as cognitive styles which are associated with personality. Cognitive dissonance occurs when there is a mismatch between styles of teaching and styles of learning. Under these conditions some students will be discouraged. A survey of students on typical design courses showed them to have particular learning preferences. In this respect they are differentiated from tutors who may prefer to teach in a different style. CAl systems also exhibit styles. These are manifest in features such as the computer's control of learning interactions and the form of information which the system delivers. Computer-based training has often been of a sequential, drill-andpractice kind which encourages rote learning. This style has met with limited success, and it is shown to be unsuitable for most design students. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is used to classify the psychological types of design students. Evidence of learning preferences from the MBTI and from related sources is given. From a theoretical description of learning episodes, a computer-based model is developed that provides CAl treatments matched to sixteen learning styles. It is concluded that CAl-based teaching of technological information to design students can be more optimally matched. The principles established have wider implications for communications between designers and others

The efficacy of an electronic performance support system as a training tool for online faculty

An instructional website was developed as an electronic performance support system (EPSS) to determine whether faculty would use and learn from such a resource. This website summarized pedagogical information about online instruction that users could access 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In Phase I of the study, five college professors with experience teaching online courses evaluated the usability of the website and made suggestions on how it could be improved. Revisions were made to the website to enhance clarity and comprehension in preparation for Phase II of the study. In Phase II, 35 college instructors agreed to use the website to learn about pedagogical information related to teaching online courses. Only two people visited at least 75% of the web pages, limiting the conclusions that could be drawn. Two conclusions, however, seem warranted. First, an EPSS is not the most effective way to deliver non-mandatory faculty education because the primary goal of an EPSS is to enhance performance in a business setting rather than to facilitate learning in the academic setting. Second, any type of faculty development program must be developed from the learner\u27s perspective and include interaction between the participants

Instructional Logistics and Chunque-Based Learning Systems

Existing instructional design and curriculum design strategy components were synthesized to provide a comprehensive set of design models for the development of learning systems. The term instructional logistics was coined to define the management of student progress through a series of customized learning experiences. Strategies were developed for the design of student-centered learning systems by partitioning a curriculum into meaningful and manageable pieces (called chunques) and by manipulating those pieces to create personalized and individualized paths through a series of self-contained learning experiences. Strategies were developed to organize a collection of chunques into a path based on initial simplified mental models designed specifically to make the subject matter more appropriate for novice learners. Two types of paths were proposed: paths created prior to instruction based on the best guess at what is optimal for the particular circumstances (anticipatory paths) and paths modified on the fly based on diagnostic information gathered during the learning process (adaptive paths). Curriculum design decisions were based on two propositions: that curriculum decisions can be categorized as value-laden decisions, based on some conception of worth, or as technical decisions, based on instructional needs. The three souls proposition was developed, which proposes that educational goals can be categorized as education-to-be, sagacity-to-know, or training-to-do