Learning in Social Networks: Rationale and Ideas for Its Implementation in Higher Education

The internet has fast become a prevalent medium for collaboration between people and social networks, in particular, have gained vast popularity and relevance over the past few years. Within this framework, our paper will analyse the role played by social networks in current teaching practices. Specifically, we focus on the principles guiding the design of study activities which use social networks and we relate concrete experiences that show how they contribute to improving teaching and learning within a university environment

Effective online interaction: mapping course design to bridge from research to practice

Quantitative and qualitative research of a case study course confirmed that the course achieved a highly interactive learning experience, associated with more effective student support and high student retention. Computer conferencing achieved high participation from the beginning and evidence of dialogue and argumentation within online tutor groups. This was achieved not by active tutor moderation but by a sequence of structured tasks. Compendium mind mapping software has been used to represent the design of this sequence of tasks and this has refined interpretation of the research findings. The positive outcomes identified relate not purely to computer conferencing but to an integration of individual and group tasks feeding forward into a well-designed assignment. The usability of case study data relates to the ability of practitioners to compare their own context with that of the case. The visual representation of the design of the task sequence is providing a better bridge from the research to the practice context than the use of general description of findings alone. This is particularly important in an area which has generated a range of sometimes conflicting findings, with weak links to the challenges of course design

Homogeneous Spiking Neuromorphic System for Real-World Pattern Recognition

A neuromorphic chip that combines CMOS analog spiking neurons and memristive synapses offers a promising solution to brain-inspired computing, as it can provide massive neural network parallelism and density. Previous hybrid analog CMOS-memristor approaches required extensive CMOS circuitry for training, and thus eliminated most of the density advantages gained by the adoption of memristor synapses. Further, they used different waveforms for pre and post-synaptic spikes that added undesirable circuit overhead. Here we describe a hardware architecture that can feature a large number of memristor synapses to learn real-world patterns. We present a versatile CMOS neuron that combines integrate-and-fire behavior, drives passive memristors and implements competitive learning in a compact circuit module, and enables in-situ plasticity in the memristor synapses. We demonstrate handwritten-digits recognition using the proposed architecture using transistor-level circuit simulations. As the described neuromorphic architecture is homogeneous, it realizes a fundamental building block for large-scale energy-efficient brain-inspired silicon chips that could lead to next-generation cognitive computing.Comment: This is a preprint of an article accepted for publication in IEEE Journal on Emerging and Selected Topics in Circuits and Systems, vol 5, no. 2, June 201

A qualitative assessment of providing quality electronically mediated feedback for students in higher education

Abstract: The subject of feedback for students is one of the most important contributors to the student experience and attracts one of the lowest responses within the National Union of Students survey. This paper reports on the feasibility of providing feedback on written assignments by marking electronically using the comments function on Microsoft Word and also providing verbal feedback via use of a hand held digital voice recorder. The students (post graduate part-time business students) were surveyed as to their response to this feedback. The paper reports the feedback from both the tutor and the student perspective and examines the impact on the experience of both groups. The results were positively in favour of the use of audio feedback but are different to results in other studies in that it is concluded that a combination of both typed and verbal feedback was preferred by the students. Keywords: audio-feedback; feedback; written feedback; electronically mediated feedback; recorded feedback; online submission; assessment; student experience; National Student Survey; NSS

Solving Case Studies through Asynchronous Learning Networks: Possibilities and Limitations

Business Schools have been using case studies to present real or hypothetical situations to bridge the gap between knowledge and action. New communication technologies can be incorporated into the case method of teaching, allowing participants to be in different locations and to work at their own convenience. An Asynchronous Learning Network is a Computer-Mediated Communication System to support "anytime/anywhere" interaction by providing a combination of database and conferencing system. A field experiment was conducted to test the effectiveness of an ALN vs. traditional manual methods at both the individual and group level for the solution of a case study. Findings indicate that groups working in an asynchronous networked environment produced better and more complete solutions to the case study, but were less satisfied with the interaction process. Further research in the implementation of ALN's promises to enhance the quality of education and to provide future managers with essential expertise in new communication technologies.Information Systems Working Papers Serie

The role of social networks in students’ learning experiences

The aim of this research is to investigate the role of social networks in computer science education. The Internet shows great potential for enhancing collaboration between people and the role of social software has become increasingly relevant in recent years. This research focuses on analyzing the role that social networks play in students’ learning experiences. The construction of students’ social networks, the evolution of these networks, and their effects on the students’ learning experience in a university environment are examined

Communities of practice and virtual learning communities : benefits, barriers and success factors

A virtual Community of Practice (CoP) is a network of individuals who share a domain of interest about which they communicate online. The practitioners share resources (for example experiences, problems and solutions, tools, methodologies). Such communication results in the improvement of the knowledge of each participant in the community and contributes to the development of the knowledge within the domain. A virtual learning community may involve the conduct of original research but it is more likely that its main purpose is to increase the knowledge of participants, via formal education or professional development. Virtual learning communities could have learning as their main goal or the elearning could be generated as a side effect. Virtual communities of practice (CoPs) and virtual learning communities are becoming widespread within higher education institutions (HEIs) thanks to technological developments which enable increased communication, interactivity among participants and incorporation of collaborative pedagogical models, specifically through information communications technologies (ICTs) They afford the potential for the combination of synchronous and asynchronous communication, access to -and from- geographically isolated communities and international information sharing. Clearly there are benefits to be derived from sharing and learning within and outwith HEIs. There is a sense of connectedness, of shared passion and a deepening of knowledge to be derived from ongoing interaction. Knowledge development can be continuous, cyclical and fluid. However, barriers exist in virtual CoPs and these are defined by the authors and illustrated with quotes from academic staff who have been involved in CoPs. Critical success factors (CSFs) for a virtual CoP are discussed. These include usability of technology; trust in, and acceptance of, ICTs in communication; a sense of belonging among members; paying attention to cross-national and cross-cultural dimensions of the CoP; shared understandings; a common sense of purpose; use of netiquette and user-friendly language and longevity. The authors recognise the enormous potential for the development of CoPs through e-mail discussion lists and discussion boards but have themselves experienced the difficulties inherent in initiating such a community. These are corroborated and illustrated with text from interviews with academic staff. Much of the literature on CoPs emanates from outside Europe, despite the fact that e-learning articles have a large diffusion around Europe. The authors suggest further exploration of this topic by identifying and studying CoPs and virtual learning communities across EU countries