Exploring mobile learning opportunities and challenges in Nepal: the potential of open-source platforms

With the increasing access to mobile devices in developing countries, the number of pilots and projects embracing mobile devices as learning tools is also growing. The important role it can play in improving education is also positively received within education communities. But, providing a successful mobile learning service is still significantly challenging. The considerable problems arise due to existing pedagogical, technological, political, social and cultural challenges and there has been a shortage of research concerning how to deploy and sustain this technology in a resource constrained educational environment. There are studies mainly conducted in sub-Saharan countries, India, and Latin America, which provide some guidelines for incorporating technology in the existing educational process. However, considering the contextual differences between these regions and other countries in Asia, such as Nepal, it requires a broader study in its own challenging socio-cultural context. In response to this difficulty, the aims of this exploratory research work are to study the distinct challenges of schools’ education in Nepal and evaluate the use of open-source devices to provide offline access to learning materials in order to recommend a sustainable mobile learning model. The developmental study was conducted in University of West London in order to assess the feasibility of these devices. The main study in Nepal explored i) the overall challenges to education in the challenging learning environment of schools with limited or no access to ICT, ii) how ICT might be helping teaching and learning in the rural public schools, and iii) how an offline mobile learning solution based on the open source platforms may facilitate English language teaching and learning. Data collection primarily involved interviews, questionnaires, observations and supplemented by other methods. This thesis presents the sustainable model for deploying and supporting mobile technology for education, which is based on the findings emerging from completed exploratory studies in Nepal. It highlights all the aspects that need to be addressed to ensure sustainability. However, to translate this understanding to a design is a complex challenge. For a mobile learning solution to be used in such challenging learning contexts, the need is to develop simple and innovative solutions that provide access to relevant digital learning resources and train teachers to embed technology in education. This thesis discusses these findings, limitations and presents implications for the design of future mobile learning in the context of Nepal

A etnografia como método de pesquisa em Informática na Educação: Revisão Sistemática de Literatura

Etnografia é um método de pesquisa qualitativa pouco citado em pesquisas na área de informática na educação no Brasil. Com o objetivo de demonstrar o potencial de utilização deste método e sua aplicação para a comunidade da área no Brasil, foi realizada uma Revisão Sistemática da Literatura (RSL) na base da Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), avaliando artigos publicados entre 2015 e 2016. O método etnográfico é muito relevante para pesquisas onde o foco está no fator humano, inclusive pesquisas em educação. Assim, consideramos que os resultados deste trabalho podem contribuir para que grupos de pesquisa da área no Brasil conheçam a aplicação do método no contexto internacional, assegurando a assertividade da abordagem etnográfica afim de incentivar sua apropriação pelos pesquisadores área de Informática na Educação, amplificando a confiabilidade dos resultados das pesquisas, e por consequência, beneficiando a prática educacional em seus vários níveis e modalidades

Massive Open Online Courses in Higher Education Institution. Example of the Course “Introduction to Programming”

Viimastel aastatel on vaba juurdepääsuga e-kursuste ehk MOOCide kaasamine kõrgharidusse järjest kasvav nähtus. Käesolevas bakalaureusetöös uuritakse, millised on erinevad võimalused arvutiteaduse alaste MOOCide käsitlemiseks kõrgkoolides. Selleks, et hinnata üliõpilaste kokkupuudet ja suhtumist MOOCidesse, viiakse antud töö raames läbi pilootküsitlus Tartu Ülikooli üliõpilaste seas. Töö teises pooles analüüsitakse kursust “Programmeerimise alused” ning vastava kursuse lõpuküsitlust, mille tulemusena pakutakse välja soovitusi, kuidas võiks kursust läbi viia järgnevatel õppeaastatel.In recent years, the involvement of massive open online courses in higher education is a growing phenomenon. The purpose of this Bachelor Thesis is to research, what are the different options to use computer science MOOCs in higher education institutions. In order to assess university students previous contact and attitude towards MOOCs, the author will carry out a survey among the students of the University of Tartu. On the second part, the course “Introduction to programming” and its end poll will be analysed. As a result, the author will provide suggestions, how to adjust the course for coming academic years

Examining Interventions and Cognitive Load Factors in Online Learning Experiences

Since the beginning of the development of massive open online courses (MOOCs), these and other online learning environments have been considered as potential partial solutions to some persistent problems in higher education. These learning environments, while they have great educational value, have not been as effective as they could be, because they have largely been built with little or no foundation in the cognitive processes (e.g., the conversion of items from short-term to long-term memory) required for effective and efficient online learning. Many innovative online learning approaches are in development, such as personalized learning (learning experiences tailored to address particular information that students need) using adaptive learning systems (machine learning techniques used by computers to recommend materials). However, these approaches would also benefit from being grounded in cognitive theory to better reveal how learning occurs in these systems. Furthermore, crucial features of interventions in online learning, such as supplementary elements designed to fill in gaps or reinforce knowledge, have not been thoroughly examined in conjunction with the insights of cognitive theory and the concept of desirable difficulty (i.e., the notion that the addition of difficulty to a task can improve learning and increase retention). In this exploratory work, I experimentally examine five different types of interventions and their effects on undergraduate engineering students’ learning gains and experience. This study presents quantitative research along with detailed qualitative thematic analysis. Its objective is to provide critical insights into how to better design online learning environments and how we can create more effective interventions that promote students’ online learning gains. The research questions for this work are: (1) What factors in online learning environments affect learning gains (i.e., measured difference between post- and pre-test scores) for undergraduate engineering students?; (2) What factors in online learning environments affect the learning experience for undergraduate engineering students, and, specifically, what factors produce desirable difficulty?; and (3) What factors in online learning affect undergraduate engineering students’ self-reported memory? The experimental results, examined within the framework of cognitive theory, showed quantitatively that levels of frustration with interventions were correlated with learning gains while qualitative analysis results revealed instances that both confirmed and contradicted aspects of the quantitative results. A number of practical design guidelines emerged from the analysis: for example, in specific circumstances, one type of intervention is likely to be more effective than another, or that particular sorts of additional difficulties should be avoided. These recommendations may provide researchers with a better understanding of how to challenge students in more efficient and productive ways in online learning environments.PHDIndustrial & Operations EngineeringUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/162900/1/seokjook_1.pd

Análise do modelo pedagógico do ECOiMOOC : estudo de caso sobre o design instrucional do Boot Camp

Com a evolução dos meios tecnológicos e da mutabilidade da educação face à era digital surgiram os Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). Estes cursos online, de cariz massivo e gratuito e que acolhem todos aqueles que pretendam fazer parte desta experiência educativa, obrigam a repensar os princípios pedagógicos e as ferramentas a disponibilizar para fazer com que os participantes adquiram e desenvolvam competências quer ao nível do tema abordado, quer ao nível digital. Face a esta realidade educacional, há necessidade de estudar este tipo de curso de forma a compreender em que medida estes podem assumir um papel preponderante enquanto fomentadores da criação de conhecimento e ampliação do conceito de educação, na medida em que permitem a todos aqueles que possuam um computador e que tenham ligação à internet terem acesso à educação sem restrições. A literacia digital assume-se como um pilar para que os participantes possam desenvolver e acompanhar todas as atividades propostas ao longo do MOOC. Contudo, há muitos elementos que acabam por promover a desmotivação dos participantes, dos quais é possível destacar: a falta de tempo, a falta de pré-requisitos digitais, a sensação de “solidão” uma vez que o curso se desenvolve num ambiente online, o desconhecimento da plataforma e das ferramentas a utilizar, o volume de informação disponibilizada, assim como o domínio e o desenvolvimento de um cronograma desenvolvido pelo participante para direcionar a sua participação ao longo do curso. A identificação destes fatores permite colocar várias questões: Como será possível reduzir a desmotivação e o abandono? Haverá algum elemento diferenciador que poderá desde do primeiro instante promover a empatia dos participantes em relação ao MOOC? Assim surgiu a necessidade de avaliar em que medida o Módulo de Ambientação pode assumir um papel de destaque. Esta dissertação teve o seu foco no Módulo de Ambientação dos cursos MOOC ministrados pela Universidade Aberta e teve como propósito encontrar uma resposta às seguintes questões investigativas: Quais os parâmetros/características que o Módulo de Ambientação deverá abarcar? Será o Módulo de Ambientação capaz de funcionar como um catalisador para o sucesso dos MOOCs? Permitirá o Módulo de Ambientação aumentar os rácios de sucesso destes cursos? Terá este módulo algum contributo para que mais do que uma comunidade dentro do MOOC possa emergir uma comunidade para além do curso em questão? A importância deste estudo deve-se ao facto de se tratar do primeiro contacto do participante com o MOOC e ainda na particularidade de se tratar de um Módulo de Ambientação pensado e desenvolvido segundo o modelo virtual pedagógico da UAb com vista ao desenvolvimento de um modelo pedagógico de referência desenvolvido para MOOCs. A metodologia utilizada para realizar o Estudo de Caso foi desenvolvida com base na recolha de dados provenientes da aplicação de questionários, na realização de entrevistas e na análise de conteúdo das interações desenvolvidas pelos participantes ao longo do Módulo de Ambientação. Os questionários foram aplicados em dois projetos (EMMA e ECO), enquanto a aplicação das entrevistas e a análise de conteúdo das interações, só foram desenvolvidas no âmbito do ECO. Esta escolha prende-se com facto que o curso desenvolvido no âmbito deste projeto foi elaborado segundo um modelo pedagógico virtual desenvolvido pela UAb especificamente para cursos MOOC, nomeadamente o iMOOC. Após a análise exaustiva dos dados recolhidos é possível concluir que o Módulo de Ambientação desenvolvido foi francamente bem aceite pelos participantes, que o consideraram como uma peça-chave quer no que concerne à parte motivacional dos participantes, quer como elemento impulsionador para promover a continuidade dos participantes no MOOC, quer como ponto de partida para a criação de comunidades de prática. Foi ainda identificado como essencial para permitir a familiarização com a plataforma, com a própria dinâmica do curso e como promotor do código de conduta /etiqueta da convivência online.The Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) appeared as consequence of the evolution of technological resources and the changes in education in the digital era. These online courses are massive and free and that welcomes all those who wish to be part of this educational experience. These characteristics impose rethinking the pedagogical principles and the tools available to make the participants not only to acquire, but also, to develop skills both in terms of issues as well as in terms of digital literacy. Given this educational reality, it is necessary to develop studies on MOOCs and try to identify how they can take a leading role as promoters of knowledge creation and extension of the concept of education, in the sense that it allows to all those who have a computer and have an internet connection can have access to education without restrictions. Digital literacy is assumed as a pillar allowing the participants develop and monitor all the proposed activities throughout the MOOC. However, there are many elements that end up promoting the demotivation, from that list we can highlight: the lack of time, lack digital prerequisites, the feeling of "loneliness" because de course is developed in an online environment, lack of knowledge of the platform and the tools to be used, the volume of available information, as well as, the domain and the development of a schedule that provides the possibility the organize the effectiveness of participation interventions throughout the course. Taking into account these considerations, it is possible to think in different questions, namely: how can we reduce the demotivation and abandonment? It is possible to find a differentiator element that can, from the first moment, promote empathy of the participants concerning the MOOC? It is why it was necessary to mesure in what way the Boot Camp can play a key role. So, this work has its focus on the MOOC Boot Camp concerning the MOOCs offered by the Portuguese Open University and his goals are to find an answer to the following questions: What are the parameters / characteristics that Boot Camp should cover? Bootcamp will be able to function as a catalyst for the success of MOOCs? Can the Boot Camp increase the success ratios of these courses? This module will give some contribution to the creation of communities inside of the MOOC that could emerge beyond the course? Boot Camp was selected as the focus issue to this study because it is the first participant's contact with the MOOC as well as the Boot Camp was developed according to the UAb’s educational virtual model developed specifically to MOOCs, called iMOOC. The case study was developed based in a methodology which includes the data collected from the questionnaires, interviews and from the content analysis of the Interactions developed along the setting module. Questionnaires were applied in two projects (EMMA and ECO), while the application of interviews and the content analysis of the interactions, were only made in ECO project. The MOOCs in ECO project had a prominent role in this study, once this MOOCs was thought and developed according to the know-how of UAb in distance learning education using the iMOOC model. After a thorough analysis of the data collected, it is possible to conclude that the Boot Camp developed was openly welcomed by the participants who considered it as a key element, both as what concerns to the motivational part, that moves participants to interact, either as a catalyst element to sustain the continuity of participants in the MOOC, or as starting point for creating communities of practice. It was also identified as essential to allow the familiarization with the platform, with the course dynamic and as a promoter of the conduct code / rules of online coexistence in an online learning environment

Evaluating MOOCs' Long-Term Impact: A Theory of Change Approach

MOOCs are increasingly positioned as helping achieve educational equity in the Global South (Laurillard & Kennedy, 2017), often in connection with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4: “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.” However, some argue that MOOCs strengthen the dominant academic culture of the West, to the exclusion of alternative voices, “exacerbating existing educational divisions” (Czerniewicz et al., 2014, p. 122). Consequently, there have been calls for more locally relevant MOOCs in the Global South with respect to both pedagogy and content. There has also been demand for rigorous evaluation of MOOCs’ long-term impact on learners and other stakeholders in diverse contexts, in order to ascertain whether such courses are achieving their intended outcomes.This chapter details a new approach to evaluating MOOCs’ long-term impact on participants and other stakeholders, across diverse contexts. The approach, which adapts the “theory of change” (ToC) model, common for planning and evaluating international development interventions, is particularly suitable for evaluating professional development-focused MOOCs