Traces of Students’ Performances in Online Activity Logs

In this study we examine the question of whether or not students’ activities on an online learning content management systems (LCMS) can be an indicator for students’ performances in the course. We measure performance by grades in three different exams and we use variety of measures for quantifying the online activities. The data is collected from two sections of a two hundred level information systems course in a Midwestern university. Our data analysis results are partially consistent with findings of prior literature in this area that suggests importance of students’ consistent access to the course material throughout the semester. Our mixed results, however, calls for a closer examination of the measures that have been developed and used in the literature and their effectiveness in inferring students’ performance based on students’ online activities. The analyses presented here and similar models can help instructors plan course-related actions and implement interventions after close examinations of the data that is freely available to them through online learning content management systems

Active Algorithms: Sociomaterial Spaces in the E-learning and Digital Cultures MOOC

This paper will explore two examples from the design, structure and implementation of the ‘E-learning and Digital Cultures’ Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) from the University of Edinburgh in partnership with Coursera. This five week long course (known as the EDCMOOC) was delivered twice in 2013, and is considered an atypical MOOC in its utilisation of both the Coursera platform and a range of social media and open access materials. The combination of distributed and aggregated structure will be highlighted, examining the arrangement of course material on the Coursera platform and student responses in social media. This paper will suggest that a dominant instrumentalist view of technology limits considerations of these systems to merely enabling or inhibiting educational aims. The subsequent discussion will suggest that sociomaterial theory offers a valuable framework for considering how educational spaces are produced through relational practices between humans and non-humans. An analysis of You Tube and a bespoke blog aggregator will show how the algorithmic properties of these systems perform functions that cannot be reduced to the intentionality of either the teachers using these systems, or the authors who create the software, thus constituting a complex sociomaterial educational enactment

DELIVERY AND ASSESSMENT OF A SYSTEMS ANALYSIS COURSE DURING COVID-19

In this paper, we review and reflect on our experience in the teaching of a Systems Analysis (SA) course in Semester 1, 2020, in Victoria, Australia, during COVID-19 lockdown. The SA course is a second-year course for all Bachelor of IT programs in our university, and it ran on three campuses and online. Students work in groups of three to analyse and document the system requirements of Australia Post. This paper describes the design of an SA course, how all students moved to online mode and the design of the final assessment to replace the traditional face-to-face exam in response to COVID-19 lockdown. We also describe the content of the course, method of instruction, assessment tools, the learning outcomes during online, what we have learned from running this course, recommendations for future offerings and how others can adapt and apply the practice

E-xcellence methodology: lessons learned over ten years of development and implementation

The E xcellence methodology for quality assurance of e learning in higher education has developed into a flexible and effective approach to quality assurance. It has proved suitable to meet the needs of a diverse range of institutions and national quality assurance regimes, and is applicable to both distance and blended modes. The E xcellence resources (http://e-xcellencelabel.eadtu.eu/) include a quality manual, guidance for institutions and assessors, and an online Quick Scan self-evaluation tool. The manual was updated in 2012 and 2016 to reflect evolving changes in practice. The E-xcellence methodology provides 35 benchmark statements, grouped under six headings: Strategic Management, Curriculum Design, Course Design, Course Delivery, Staff Support and Student Support. Higher education institutions self-assess their capabilities against each of the benchmark statements on a four-point scale. They also prepare a roadmap of future actions which can be mapped to benchmark statements. A visit by external reviewers enriches and complements the self-assessment. This study is based on an analysis of E xcellence self-evaluations and roadmaps at twenty higher education institutions. Tabulating those benchmarks that are rated as not yet adequate, and those which attract the most planned actions, highlights the aspects that institutions have found most challenging as they develop and implement online and blended learning programmes. This profiling exercise indicates that institutions regard issues of strategy, curriculum design and staff support as presenting the greatest challenges. Particular problems include staff workload and developing an online academic community for students. In contrast, the provision of reliable IT systems and hardware is unproblematic

A multi-dimensional investigation of self-regulated learning in a blended classroom context : a case study on eLDa MOOC

Online systems such as massive open online courses (MOOCs) are new innovative learning technology in education. With the proliferation of MOOC systems, little has been mentioned about blended MOOC system and how it enhances students’ performance. Blended classroom is a form of learning taking place between two different activities of which one is online and the other is traditional teaching method using bricks and mortal classroom settings. This study reveals the effectiveness of blended classroom teaching for an undergraduate course. The module was embedded in an eLDa MOOC platform, which is a platform for delivery computing concepts, and Python programme course. This research aims to investigate students’ perceptions of self-regulated learning (SRL) habits. A multi-dimensional survey was designed to evaluate each aspect of SRL skills, motivation and attaining better grades within the course. This research analysis explores (a) cognitive process of students improving their self-regulated learning skills (b) potential of students’ preparedness and motivation to engage with the course content in a blended context (c) potential difference in addressing the relation among the methods of engagement and achievement in their weekly assessment results. The research applied an online self-regulated learning questionnaire (OSLQ) as the instrument for measuring the self-regulated learning skills of the students in the learning platform environment. In relation to developing a revised OSLQ to address the use of the instrument to measure self-regulated learning in an online blended classroom context. Data collection process was conducted on a sample of first year undergraduate students who took a seminar module via a blended course format. The results indicate the level of self-regulated learning explored from the measure of the self-regulation in the blended learning environment in this study

Exploring Student Learning Experience of Systems Engineering Course Developed for Manufacturing and Industrial Engineering Graduates

This paper describes the introduction to the concepts and methodology of Systems Engineering to the students of a graduate Manufacturing and Industrial Engineering program in the University of xxxxxx. This graduate course was initially developed to be a part of traditional face to face lecture-based curriculum, however with the onset of COVID-19 pandemic, it was restructured to be discoursed in an online format. This paper discusses on course structure used to enforce online systems engineering learning over a period of 14 weeks. This included addressing the basic concepts of systems engineering to provide the students’ knowledge to facilitate transformation of operational needs to a well-defined system. Further, students reviewed the iterative design process of problem formulation, analysis, optimization, design synthesis, system integration, and testing along with developing an ability to compare systems engineering life cycle models from INCOSE, Department of Defense, and NASA. To measure the student understanding and the ability to translate the concepts learning to real world applications, student teams were tasked to use CanSat 2021-22 competition as a case study. The survey instruments used over the course timeline to understand student learning experience are explained

Design and delivery of an online information systems management course for MBA programs

Aim/Purpose In this paper, we present our experience in design and delivery of a graduate Information Systems Management (ISM) course in an online MBA program. Also presented are a detailed examination of the design and delivery of the online course, survey results of students\u27 perceptions and backgrounds, course evaluation results, best practices and lessons learned, and potential changes and future actions. Background This graduate ISM course needs to not only cover a broad range of dynamic technology and business topics, but also strike a balance between the width and depth of the content. Effective course design and delivery are critical to improved teaching and learning, especially when the course is delivered online. Methodology We provided a comprehensive review of the related literature to develop guidelines for the design and delivery of our ISM course; we collected survey data to evaluate the students\u27 backgrounds and their perceptions of the course; we used data analysis and content analysis methods to assess the course evaluation results. Contribution A review of the related literature indicates that IS researchers and educators have not adequately studied online graduate education. Given the importance of the graduate ISM course in most MBA programs, and the lack of attention from the IS community, it is critical to address this gap in the research. We believe we have done so with this paper. Findings The paper\u27s major findings are embedded in a detailed examination of the de-sign and delivery of the online course, survey results of students\u27 perceptions and backgrounds, course evaluation results, best practices and lessons learned, and potential changes and future actions. Recommendations for Practitioners Even though our experience may not be fully applicable to other institutions, we hope our IS colleagues can learn from the design and delivery of this online course, as well as our best practices and lessons learned to improve the teaching and learning effectiveness in IS online graduate education, in general. Furthermore, we provide instructors with an actionable framework onto which they can map their current course offering, and compare their current pedagogical offering to literature driven best practices for ISM courses, in particular. Recommendations for Researchers It is our hope that the design and delivery of this online course, and our best practices and lessons learned can inspire our IS colleagues to search for innovative ways to improve the teaching and learning effectiveness in IS online graduate education. In addition, we distill a literature driven framework for ISM courses design and delivery that can help researchers frame their pedagogical research questions. Impact on Society The online course in this study prepares students for more efficiently and ef-fectively delivering IT systems in organizations. Many MBA students work for non-profits and other socially-focused organizations and are able to use the skills learned in the course for the betterment of society. Future Research We will continue to monitor the impact of the changes on student learning effectiveness and attempt to identify additional innovative ways to improve the design and delivery of this online ISM course

Student Participation and Grade Performance in the Tennessee College of Applied Technology Online Collaborative

The purpose of this quantitative correlation study was to determine whether a significantly statistical relationship exists between student participation and final grade performance within an online environment at Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology (TCAT) Regents Online Degree Program (RODP). The study used data retrieved from the Desire2Learn (D2L) course management system and the Student Information System (SIS) for the 2013-2014 academic year. The stratified sample consisted of 360 individual students enrolled in either one or more of the 43 TCAT RODP course sections randomly selected from a total of 217 course sections offered during 3 semesters. The courses were offered in an online setting and are representative of the following academic programs: academic areas of Business Systems Technology (BST), Computer Aided Drafting (CAD), and Computer Information Systems (CIS). The sample included 261 students from the BST program, 42 students from the CAD program, and 57 students from the CIS program. The gender demographics sample includes 273 females and 87 male students. The hypotheses in this study were tested through data analysis using the Spearman’s rho correlations test. The findings of the study revealed that no statistically significant relationships exist between discussion activity, course login activity, and course content interaction and final grade. The findings of the study indicated statistically significant relationships among course content interaction and final grade for students enrolled in the BST program, course login activity and final grade for students enrolled in the CAD program, and course login activity and final grade for female students

Predicting Student Success in Online Physical Education

Background/Purpose: Scholars have posited that the demand for online learning is not going away, and the question is no longer if online physical education (OLPE) is practical but rather, what are the most effective ways of administering OLPE to accommodate students (Daum & Buschner, 2012). Currently, limited data are available on student retention rates and attrition factors in OLPE courses. Several early OLPE studies (Brewer, 2001; Mosier, 2010; Ransdell et al., 2008) as well as the 2007 NASPE Initial Guidelines for Online Physical Education have suggested that certain prescreening efforts be in place prior to student enrollment in OLPE, however, at present no such empirically sound and theoretically based screening instruments exist. Screening and pre-screening systems can help identify students who are at risk of failing and/or not completing online coursework. The purpose of the study is to identify online student cognitive characteristics and environmental factors associated with success and/or failure within college online health-related fitness (HRF) courses. Methods/Analysis: Students (N=821) enrolled in Auburn University\u27s 16-week online HRF course---Active Auburn--- during the Fall 2017 participated in the study. At the beginning of the course, participants responded to two previously validated research instruments, the Educational Success Prediction Instrument Version-2 (ESPRI-V2; Roblyer, et al., 2008) and the Distance Learning Survey (DLS; Osborn, 2001). A Pearson\u27s Chi Square analysis was used for student demographic and environmental categorical data. Next, a one-way between subjects analysis of variance (ANOVA) was employed to compare completers and non-completers mean scores for each ESPRI-V2 and DLS cognitive factor (i.e. study environment). Lastly, a direct binary logistic regression was performed to assess the impact of significant factors from the previous analysis on the likelihood that student would complete or not complete an online HRF course. Results: The model contained 6 independent variables (GPA, class standing, hours worked outside of school, achievement, organization and study environment). The full model containing all predictors was statistically significant (&khgr; 2 (6, N=821) = 94.296, p\u3c.001), indicating that the model was able to distinguish between students who completed and did not complete the online HRF course. Four of the independent variables made a unique statistically significant contribution to the model: (1) GPA, (2) Class Standing, (3) Hours Worked Outside of School and (4) Organization. The strongest predictor of a course completion were student who reported entering the course with a GPA of 2.6- 4.0, recording an odds ratio of 3.96. This indicated that students who entered the course with a GPA above a 2.6 were almost 4 times more likely to complete an online HRF course than those who entered with a lower GPA, controlling for all other factors in the model. Conclusion: Upon course entry, students who did not complete the course generally reported a combination of the following factors: GPA below 2.6, worked more than 20 hours outside of school, underclassman class standing, and reported weak organizational beliefs. This analysis provides an initial understanding of the unique student characteristics affecting online HRF course completion

Using a Cloud Based Collaboration Technology in a Systems Analysis and Design Course

In order to effectively prepare the next generation of IT professionals and systems analysts, it is important to incorporate cloud based online collaboration tools into the coursework for developing the students' cooperative skills as well as for storing and sharing content. For these pedagogical and practical reasons, Google Drive has been used at a medium-sized institution of higher education in New Zealand during the Systems Analysis and Design course. Ongoing and successful use of any learning technology requires gathering meaningful feedback from students, and acting as a mentor during their learning journey. This study has been developed and implemented to help students enjoy the collaborative technology and to help increase their satisfaction and commitment. In order to overcome the obstacles that may prevent students from using Google Drive optimally, an initial survey has been conducted to better understand the influential factors and issues. Furthermore, this study aims at promoting various types of collaboration and sharing: seeing and learning from other students' work, receiving direct suggestions from others, and allowing others to edit documents that belong to them. Following the results of the first quantitative survey, numerous teaching strategies were formulated and implemented. A final qualitative survey was done at the end of the course for students to evaluate their project work. The results of this study also provide original practical and theoretical implications that may be of interest to other researchers, course designers, and teachers