Becta review 2006. Evidence on the progress of ICT in education.

This is the review of the use and impact of ICT in the education system prior to the publication of the Government's e-Strategy for the education system, known as Harnessing Technology. The Review drew upon Becta's surveys of schools and FE colleges as well as other research to assess the impact of technology within the education system and the progress made in achieving Government policies in 2005-06

An Investigation Into The Use Of E-Learning Resources Within An Environmental Context For Schools

The premise of this study was to take a game-based learning and investigate whether pupil engagement was enhanced through an environmental context and a competitive environment. Despite game-based learning being an active research area, there appears to be a relatively slow uptake by teachers (Axe & Routledge, 2011) which perhaps gives light to a certain pragmatism amongst teachers to adopt games in education. However, credibility is given to this body of research by a number of prominent authors (Becta, 2001; Kirriemuir & McFarlane, 2003; Shaffer, Squire, Halverson & Gee, 2004). Research has shown the most effective way of integrating game-based learning is to firstly identify the pedagogy for the learning tool and then wrap this with gamified elements (Gee 2003; Gee 2004). What this study aimed to do was provide a system where pupils could learn about environmental topics through a series of educational activities during a prescribed set of trials in school but also have the opportunity to use the system as much or as little as they liked outside of school hours. In addition, this study introduced a contextualised scenario which challenged participants to make decisions based on both moral and competitive judgement in order to determine whether there was an underlying pattern of competitive behaviour or whether users were motivated by more than just winning, a suggestion made by Deen & Schouten 2011). As a concept, gaming strategies are ways that participants utilise an educational tool to win or succeed at the game-based element without explicitly fulfilling the pedagogical purpose. Literature suggests mixed results with previous studies as to the demographic profiles of participants who employ gaming strategies and also their motivations behind those strategies (Baker et al, 2004; Baker et al, 2005). This study aimed to identify basic demographic information for participants who used gaming strategies throughout the usage of this contextual e-learning system as well as the ways in which various strategies were used. One of the fundamental parts of this study was a feature designed to test whether participants were more likely to exhibit selfish or morally responsible behaviour when posed with a number of environmental disaster scenarios. The questions took the form of Environmental Decision Points and provided users with an environmental disaster scenario and three options carrying different points values. The decision participants had to make was whether they chose the more selfish option (and progressed further up their class league table) or whether they took the socially responsible option (where they could perhaps feel better inside but had nothing tangible to show). Overall, this study was designed to further learning in the areas of game-based learning, contextualised learning and gaming strategies within a cohort of Primary and Secondary school pupils

The e-revolution and post-compulsory education: using e-business models to deliver quality education

The best practices of e-business are revolutionising not just technology itself but the whole process through which services are provided; and from which important lessons can be learnt by post-compulsory educational institutions. This book aims to move debates about ICT and higher education beyond a simple focus on e-learning by considering the provision of post-compulsory education as a whole. It considers what we mean by e-business, why e-business approaches are relevant to universities and colleges and the key issues this raises for post-secondary education

Geometry with a STEM and Gamification Approach: A Didactic Experience in Secondary Education

Recent societal changes have meant that education has had to adapt to digital natives of the 21st century. These changes have required a transformation in the current educational paradigm, where active methodologies and ICT have become vehicles for achieving this goal, designing complete teaching sequences with STEM approaches that help students to learn. Under a gamified approach, this document addresses a didactic proposal in geometry focused on STEM disciplines. This proposal combines tools such as AR, VR, manipulative materials, and social networks, with techniques such as m-learning, cooperative-learning, and flipped-learning, which make methodological transformation possible. The research was carried out during two academic years under an action research framework. It departed from a traditional methodology and, in two cycles, methodology was improved with the benefits that gamification brings to STEM proposals in Secondary Education. The data gathered in the experiment were analysed following a mixed method. Learning produced, strategies employed, successes and errors, and results of a questionnaire are presented. Evidence shows an improvement in academic performance from 50% fails to 100% pass, most of the students ended up motivated, participation was of the whole group, more than 80% showed positive emotions, and thanks to the cooperative-learning, group cohesion was improved.This study was partially funded by the ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) research project from the FEDER-Andalusian Regional Government grant UAL2020-SEJ-B2086 and by University of Málaga (Spain). Partial funding for open access charge: Universidad de Málaga

Developing sustainable business models for institutions’ provision of open educational resources: Learning from OpenLearn users’ motivations and experiences

Universities across the globe have, for some time, been exploring the possibilities for achieving public benefit and generating business and visibility through releasing and sharing open educational resources (OER). Many have written about the need to develop sustainable and profitable business models around the production and release of OER. Downes (2006), for example, has questioned the financial sustainability of OER production at scale. Many of the proposed business models focus on OER’s value in generating revenue and detractors of OER have questioned whether they are in competition with formal education. This paper reports on a study intended to broaden the conversation about OER business models to consider the motivations and experiences of OER users as the basis for making a better informed decision about whether OER and formal learning are competitive or complementary with each other. The study focused on OpenLearn - the Open University’s (OU) web-based platform for OER, which hosts hundreds of online courses and videos and is accessed by over 3,000,000 users a year. A large scale survey and follow-up interviews with OpenLearn users worldwide revealed that university provided OER can offer learners a bridge to formal education, allowing them to try out a subject before registering on a formal course and to build confidence in their abilities as learners. In addition, it was found that using OER during formal paid-for study can improve learners’ performance and self-reliance, leading to increased retention and satisfaction with the learning experience

Open educational resources for all? Comparing user motivations and characteristics across The Open University’s iTunes U channel and OpenLearn platform.

With the rise in access to mobile multimedia devices, educational institutions have exploited the iTunes U platform as an additional channel to provide free educational resources with the aim of profile-raising and breaking down barriers to education. For those prepared to invest in content preparation, it is possible to produce interactive, portable material that can be made available globally. Commentators have questioned both the financial implications for platform-specific content production, and the availability of devices for learners to access it (Osborne, 2012). The Open University (OU) makes its free educational resources available on iTunes U and via its web-based open educational resources (OER) platform, OpenLearn. The OU’s OER on iTunes U reached the 60 million download mark in 2013; its OpenLearn platform boasts 27 million unique visitors since 2006. This paper reports the results of a large-scale study of users of the OU’s iTunes U channel and OpenLearn platform. A survey of several thousand users revealed key differences in demographics between those accessing OER via the web and via iTunes U. In addition, the data allowed comparison between three groups: formal learners, informal learners and educators. The study raises questions about whether university-provided OER meet the needs of users and makes recommendations for how content can be modified to suit their needs. As the publishing of OER becomes core to business, we reflect on reasons why understanding users’ motivations and demographics is vital, allowing for needs-led resource provision and content that is adapted to best achieve learner satisfaction, and to deliver institutions’ social mission