Engaging the Adult Learner: An Action Research Study on Delivering Effective Online Learning Experiences

Since the pandemic of 2020, there has been a vast increase of adults learning online. Today, online learning is the most popular learning approach among adult learners. However, many adults have faced obstacles and challenges when learning online, resulting in a poor learning experience. Online learning is a modality that has become the forefront of learning in our society and continues to grow more and more popular, which makes it a critically important research area. This paper discusses adult learners and their most common challenges and obstacles when learning online and suggestions on how to avoid them. A positionality statement of my own experience as an instructional designer is included as well as peer-reviewed literature on relevant methodologies and learning theories. Interviews were conducted using open-ended questioning with adult learners from different backgrounds and levels of computer skills to learn about their positive and negative online learning experiences. Instructional designers were surveyed to capture insight on their experiences on implementing online learning modalities. The paper concludes with a list of recommendations and best practices that instructional designers can utilize to assist them in producing effective online learning experiences for adult learners

La enseñanza del español como lengua extranjera en una clase de Reception Year

This Final Degree Project shows the work carried out in a Reception Year classroom in England on the teaching of Spanish as a foreign language. To this end, a search of sources and authors on the teaching of a foreign language in Early Years Education is conducted, which allows us to select a series of methodologies and strategies to be used during the classes to be carried out. Subsequently, the experience of designing this didactic proposal is documented to observe the progress of the pupils in the Spanish language and the success of the proposal in order, finally, to make an evaluation and draw some conclusions and lines of improvement on its implementation.El presente Trabajo de Fin de Grado muestra el trabajo realizado en un aula de Reception Year en Inglaterra sobre la enseñanza del español como lengua extranjera. Para ello se realiza una búsqueda de fuentes y autores en torno a la enseñanza de una lengua extranjera en la Educación Infantil, que permite seleccionar una serie de metodologías y estrategias para emplearlas durante las clases que se llevarán a cabo. Posteriormente se documenta la experiencia de diseñar esta propuesta didáctica con la finalidad de observar el progreso de los alumnos en el idioma español y el éxito de la propuesta para, finalmente, realizar una evaluación y concretar unas conclusiones y unas líneas de mejora sobre su ejecución.Grado en Educación Infanti

THE EFFECT OF DIGITAL STORYTELLING ON ATTITUDES OF THE 7TH GRADERS AT SECONDARY SCHOOL TOWARDS STORY WRITING

The purpose of this study was to seek into the effect of digital storytelling on the attitude towards story writing of 7th graders at secondary school. The quasi-experimental design among quantitative methods was employed and two groups were designed through simple random sampling. Since the pre-test was planned to be used before the experiment, the study was maintained with a pre-test/post-test matched control group design. The study group was composed of 35 students in Grade 7 at a private secondary school in the Central District of Kars. The study was carried out in Turkish lessons for 7th graders in the 2018-2019 education year. The experiment group consisted of the students in Class 7-A (18 students) in a private school in the Central District of Kars while the control group was of Class 7-B (17 students) in the same school. Before starting the research, permissions of the ethics committee and governorship were obtained for the scale to be used in the research. The purpose of the study and process of the study were explained in detail to the school administration and related teachers. Attitude Scale Towards Story Writing and personal information form were used as data collection tools. The data obtained was first recorded in the excel program, and then in the SPSS program. Because the data did not follow a normal distribution, Mann Whitney U-Test for intergroup analysis and Wilcoxon signed-rank test for intragroup analysis among non-parametrical statistics were used. As a result of analysis; it was found that there is a significant difference in favour of the experiment group in terms of post-test scores of attitude towards story writing among the groups after the experiment. At the same time; it was found that there is a significant difference in favor of the post-test between the pre-test and post-test scores of the experimental group. These findings revealed that the digital storytelling creation process contributed to the students' positive attitude towards story writing. Accordingly, it is suggested that the effects of digital storytelling at different grades of education can be investigated, different methods and techniques can be used, and digital storytelling can be included in curriculums. Article visualizations

An IDEA for design pedagogy: Devising instructional design in higher education 4.0

The purpose of the present study is to constitute a basis for integrating instructional design into higher education 4.0 curriculums, aiming at a design pedagogy approach. A conceptual model including the prominent concepts and characteristics of this distinction was suggested with rationales from recent literature. The proposed Instructional Design for Educational Actuality (IDEA) Model uses the dynamics of instructional design and curriculum development processes for higher education, and suggests a continuous evaluation and revision procedure. Centering the attention on design issues, the study seeks to advocate for the use of technology in all applicable phases of instructional design process, as is in education 4.0 contexts. Design, development and implementation are the crucial phases of this process, since a design pedagogy approach is followed. The rest of the process, namely analyze and evaluation phases are also subject to design pedagogy, however they are quite individualistic and requires a personalized approach. Following technological applications of a symbiotic relationship between instructional design and design pedagogy in higher education contexts, the study ends with a series of implications on stakeholders’ roles, concepts-technologies and pedagogical motives. &nbsp

Impactful Interactivity within Video Games

Despite half a centennial of existence and enticing artistic qualities, conclusive evidence does not exist as to if video games are beneficial to learning or costly. Exploring the notion of benefit versus cost, it is important to identify the value of video games when leveraged as tools for learning as traditional educational methodologies are not infallible. The video game project Alone demonstrates video games can generate psychological responses; therefore, one must conclude learning has occurred. Alone encompasses the following: meaningful interactivity within video games (regarding narrative and gameplay), video games as educational tools, video game development (including design), and potential emotional and psychological effects associated with their use. Through researching viewpoints from multiple disciplines, the potential for video games to impact players in significant ways is analyzed. As new educational mediums become available, they should be embraced if they can benefit learning. Video games having unique potential to other artistic mediums and learning methods is asserted

Utilizing Jicarilla Apache knowledge to enrich the watershed watch program curriculum for the benefit of the Jicarilla Apache youth

The thesis explores the notions of decolonization, Indigenous knowledge, and empirical knowledge of place as a foundation for implementing Jicarilla Apache knowledge into the Watershed Watch Program. Two lesson plans were created utilizing Jicarilla Apache stories and knowledge to teach Jicarilla Apache youth about the water cycle, plants, and culture. By connecting Indigenous teachings with western scientific teachings Jicarilla Apache youth will gain a greater understanding of the natural environment with relevance to their heritage

It’s Not Brain Science… Or Is It? How Early Second Language Learning Can Impact Future Achievement

Capstone paper from 2015 spring MPA program. Instructed by Allen Zagoren.We live in a global economy, yet U.S. citizens lag far behind in the knowledge of other countries’ languages, cultures, customs, geographies and peoples. Equipping the next generation with foreign language skills as well as knowledge of other cultures and customs will not only provide increased career opportunities for individuals but also aid in the future success of the U.S. economy. The U.S. educational system does not stress the learning of language beyond English: K-12 curriculum is rigidly mandated, budgets are tight, class time and teacher training is limited, and language programs are often among the first to be cut during budget crises. There is a time period when a child’s brain is developing and most receptive to learning, and that is early childhood. If the seed were planted in a child before he/she enters kindergarten to learn the basics of a foreign language and culture, perhaps that knowledge could be nourished throughout the rest of their lives, preparing those children to embrace cultural differences, live and compete more successfully in an evolving and diverse world, and be better equipped for later education. Besides examining the current state of foreign language education in the U.S. and how learning occurs, the benefits of foreign language learning in relation to business and human relations are examined in this paper. Multiple solutions to solving the foreign language deficit are mentioned including a proposal for an early-learning language program

Generation alpha at the intersection of technology, play and motivation

This paper considers the intersection of technology and play through the novel approach of gamification and its application to early years education. The intrinsic connection between play and technology is becoming increasingly significant in early years education. By creating an awareness of the early years adoption of technology into guiding frameworks, and then exploring the makeup of gaming elements, this paper draws connections for guiding principles in adopting more technology-focused play opportunities for Generation Alpha