Digital communities: context for leading learning into the future?

In 2011, a robust, on-campus, three-element Community of Practice model consisting of growing community, sharing of practice and building domain knowledge was piloted in a digital learning environment. An interim evaluation of the pilot study revealed that the three-element framework, when used in a digital environment, required a fourth element. This element, which appears to happen incidentally in the face-to-face context, is that of reflecting, reporting and revising. This paper outlines the extension of the pilot study to the national tertiary education context in order to explore the implications for the design, leadership roles, and selection of appropriate technologies to support and sustain digital communities using the four-element model

How to design for persistence and retention in MOOCs?

Design of educational interventions is typically carried out following a design cycle involving phases of investigation, conceptualization, prototyping, implementation, execution and evaluation. This cycle can be applied at different levels of granularity e.g. learning activity, module, course or programme. In this paper we consider an aspect of learner behavior that can be critical to the success of many MOOCs i.e. their persistence to study, and the related theme of learner retention. We reflect on the impact that consideration of these can have on design decisions at different stages in the design cycle with the aim of en-hancing MOOC design in relation to learner persistence and retention, with particular attention to the European context

Technical and didactic knowledge of the moodle LMS in Higher Education: beyond functional use

Higher education institutions at the international level have seen the need to adopt and integrate information and communication technologies to meet the opportunities and challenges of innovation in teaching and learning processes. This logic has led to the implementation of virtual learning environments called ‘Learning Management Systems’, the functionalities of which support flexible and active learning under a constructivist approach. This study measured didactic and technological use of Moodle and its implications in teaching from a quantitative approach by administering a questionnaire to a sample of 640 higher education teachers. Some guiding questions were as follows: Are teachers using the Moodle platform for didactic purposes? What strategies, resources and tools are teachers using, and what do they contribute to student-centred teaching? Are teaching strategies that are focused on collaboration, interaction and student autonomy promoted? The results coincide with those of other studies, confirming an instrumental and functional use of the platform, which is mainly being used as a repository for materials and information, while its pedagogical use remains limited. This is becoming a problem in higher education institutions, something that requires debate and reflection from a systemic perspective on the adoption and integration of technology in the classroo

Effects of Students\u27 multiple Intelligences on Participation Rate of Course Components in a Blended Secondary Family and Consumer Sciences Course

This study investigated students\u27 learning style participation rate within a blended Family and Consumer Sciences Exploring Childhood constructivist secondary course using an exploratory quantitative approach with descriptive analysis, ANOVA testing, and contingency tables. Howard Gardner\u27s multiple intelligence inventory was used to determine students\u27 learning styles. The learning styles were compared with the participation rate of four course components: individual assignments, group projects, assessment, and discussion. Students\u27 perception of the course components were also examined for the opportunity of the students to use prior knowledge to build concepts. The literature review brought insight on studies focusing on learning style participation rate within course components. The data analysis indicated students participate more in the group projects course component than assessment, individual assignments and discussions. Findings determined there was no significance to students\u27 learning style and the participation rate of the course components. Learning styles were not related to student participation in various blended learning course components. Further research is recommended to determine factors of students\u27 participation within a blended course