New methods for collaborative experiential learning to provide personalised formative assessment

Supporting diverse and rapidly changing learning styles of new digital age generations is one of the major hurdles to higher education in the age of massification of education markets. Higher education institutions must now utilize unprecedented network speed and mobile technology to create stimulating learning environments for new digital age generations. This paper presents a new learning and teaching model that combines dynamic learning space (DLS) and mobile collaborative experimental learning (MCEL) for supporting diverse learning styles of students. DLS assists students with stateof-art modern wireless network technologies in order to support fast-paced, multi-tasking, data and content intensive collaborative learning in class. The model further extends student learning activities beyond classroom by allowing students to continue their learning anywhere and anytime conveniently using their mobile devices. MCEL provides automated continuous personalized formative-feedback 24/7. The main objectives of the model are to improve student engagement and to provide ownership of their learning journey, experiential learning, contextualized learning, and formative assessment at low cost. The model employs three factors that influence collaborative experiential learning and formative assessment. The three factors are: - The use of learning space within the classroom - Wireless learning technology - Mobile learning system (m-Learning) Pilot studies of the model are conducted and evaluated on two groups of postgraduate students. Their participation is observed, and a survey is conducted. The results show that (1) DLS encourages high-level learning and diverse learning styles to move away from passive low-level knowledge intensive learning activities; (2) MCEL supports Bigg's constructive alignment in curriculum design, contextualized experimental learning, and personalized formative learning

The Virtual Design Studio on the Cloud: a Blended and Distributed Approach for Technology-mediated Design Education

Cataloged from PDF version of article.The studio is widely accepted as the core in design education because it aims to integrate many curricular topics within its scope. However, learning environments in studio teaching have not been explored and exploited as a response to developing technology and changing socio-cultural context, yet. In order to alleviate the problem, this paper presents an innovative model for a virtual design studio which utilizes social networking media and cloud computing. The virtual design studio is conceptualized as a socio-technical system where intelligence is distributed across people and tools. The study proposes several means of augmenting intelligence in such a studio. The application of the theoretical framework is demonstrated in a real-life case study. The results of an empirical survey show that the proposed model was well accepted by the students. In the paper, the opportunities and challenges of this approach are discussed and suggestions are made for further studies

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

AI-Driven Decision Support Systems in Management: Enhancing Strategic Planning and Execution

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming strategic decision-making processes across various industries. Organizations increasingly rely on AI-driven decision support systems that leverage massive amounts of data and real-time analytics to enable more informed planning and predictive capabilities. However, less focused research has explored the integration and impact of such tools specifically within managerial strategy and execution contexts. This study conducts qualitative and quantitative analysis on the deployment of machine learning-based recommendation systems aimed at enhancing the strategic capabilities of management teams. Results indicate that AI decision tools led to improved analytic capacities, competitive response times, and reimagined vision planning, yet also posed transparency and trust challenges around advanced automation techniques. Findings provide novel implications into AI’s emerging role in augmenting and extending higher-level organizational strategy design and enactment by key decision-makers and leaders. Future directions are discussed related to addressing responsible development issues as adoption continues accelerating

Educational Innovation with Learning Networks: Tools and Developments

Professional Development is ill served by traditional ways of learning. It can profit from a Learning Networks approach, which emphasizes logistic, content and didactic flexibility. Learning Networks are online, social networks that have been de- signed and tooled to foster informal learning. Three European projects are discussed – idSpace, LTfLL, Handover - which have developed tools befitting networked learning. Each in its own way, the projects illustrate the benefits of a networked learning ap- proach. This goes for all three flexibilities but in particular for the need to be didactical- ly flexible. Finally, it is argued that formal education could profit from the tools dis- cussed

Student Services In A Networked World

Details changes in support for distance students afforded by the Ne

Twelve years of iPads and apps in schools : what conditions support effective practices in K-6 classrooms?

Since their release in 2010, iPads and their associated apps have been touted as ‘game changers’ for schools struggling with technology provisioning issues, that limited their ability to fully leverage the educational potential of digital devices on a ‘whole class’ basis. Since then, a variety of schemes have been implemented such as ‘Bring Your Own Device’ (BYOD) and portable ‘device pods’, as systems for improving access to, and utilisation of, mobile technologies in classroom curriculum. In many schools, concurrent to these initiatives have been improvements in technology infrastructure, including upgrades to external connectivity via the advent of high-speed fibre-based broadband, and internally through the establishment of school wifi networks and associated online security systems. Aligned with these developments has been a growing body of research exploring how teachers at all levels of education systems have incorporated these new resources into their curriculum, and examining what, if any, benefits have resulted. This article is an analysis of key findings from four published studies undertaken by the author between 2015 and 2021 in New Zealand K-6 schools, to build understanding of factors that contributed to the effective practices with mobile devices witnessed in the research classrooms. While numerous separate studies have been undertaken exploring specific outcomes from the use of iPads and other mobile technologies in different educational contexts, the analysis presented in this article attempts to identify common factors existing across four purposively selected studies, that contributed to their success. The studies were deliberately chosen to provide a broad overview of applications of this technology in different K-6 classrooms for different purposes, supporting deeper understanding of the factors that underpin effective teaching and learning with and through mobile devices, in schools. This is important, as it builds knowledge of the fundamental foundations to effective educational use of mobile devices, regardless of the learning context in which they are used, and could assist teachers in designing, implementing and assessing curricular that optimises the learning potential of these devices. Copyright © 2023 Falloon

Innovation Model in Human Resources Capacity Development in Supporting Universitas Terbuka as A Cyber University

Cyber University is a generic term used by several higher-education institutions, including Universitas Terbuka (UT), which contribute to reinforcing higher-education systems by the means of Internetbased distance learning. UT has provided fully-online programs at postgraduate degrees since 2013 and at undergraduate degrees since 2016. The success of UT as a cyber university is heavily reliant on a strategic model in increasingly important areas of capacity building for employees and teachers to develop and sustain an adequate supply of skilled professionals, qualified staffs and adept technical resources. This study aims to shed light on this model, i.e., a model to foster continuous innovation development of human resources capacity (based on the notion of leadership and mindset, work culture and learning organization) with specific reference to its impact on work performance as a means to promote UT as a cyber university. We choose a questionnaire that deals with 50 respondents of employees and lecturers at UT for data collection. The data is described and explained, in terms of the relationship between a dependent variable and independent variables, using multiple linear regression. Our result indicates that human resources capacity development (e.g., leadership and mindset, work culture and learning organization) within innovation model has both partial and simultaneous effect on employee performance in ways that foster an environment where cyber university is constantly adaptable and evolving within UT. We have attested that innovation model can be attributed to factors that emphasize the positive and significant link between cyber university sustainability and human resources capacity development specifically in areas of leadership and mindset, work culture and learning organizatio

Designing for the Ubiquitous Computing era: towards the reinvention of everyday objects and the creation of new user experiences

Researchers of the Ubiquitous Computing community (Ubicomp) have been pursuing the vision of a world where technologies and services permeates every object of our lives for years. With components getting smaller, cheaper and more powerful, it has become possible to manufacture connected objects capable of interacting with resources of the World Wide Web. This opens up the possibility for researchers and practitioners to consider information as a design material and objects as platforms for services. By allowing users to personalize, complement or repurpose the functions of their objects, such services have a great impact on the way artifacts are designed. Designing for the Ubiquitous Era requires modifying our practice and reinforcing collaboration between disciplines at every steps of the creation process. In this article, we discuss the need to reinvent objects and to investigate the tools supporting the creation of rich services’ experiences