Direction of collaborative problem solving-based STEM learning by learning analytics approach.

The purpose of this study was to explore the factors that might affect learning performance and collaborative problem solving (CPS) awareness in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. We collected and analyzed data on important factors in STEM education, including learning strategy and learning behaviors, and examined their interrelationships with learning performance and CPS awareness, respectively. Multiple data sources, including learning tests, questionnaire feedback, and learning logs, were collected and examined following a learning analytics approach. Significant positive correlations were found for the learning behavior of using markers with learning performance and CPS awareness in group discussion, while significant negative correlations were found for some factors of STEM learning strategy and learning behaviors in pre-learning with some factors of CPS awareness. The results imply the importance of an efficient approach to using learning strategies and functional tools in STEM education

Re-imagining Professional Development: A Study of Teacher Educators’ Integration of a Web Seminar Series as a Component of University-based Teacher Education

Internet platforms such as Blackboard Collaborate, Desire2Learn, and Moodle have revolutionized how educators communicate by creating collaborative opportunities once limited only to the face-to-face settings (King, 2001; LaJoie, Garcia, Berdugo, Márquex, Espíndola, & Nakamura, 2006). Using computer-mediated communication tools, teachers can now participate in quality, ongoing, collaborative, and situated learning. While an abundance of research exists pertaining to teacher professional development, little is known about the use of a web seminar as a venue for online professional development. Even less is known about teacher educators’ integration of a professional development web seminar as a component of the courses they teach. The purpose of this qualitative study, then, was to understand teacher educators’ use of an open access web seminar, Global Conversatiions in Literacy Research (GCLR), whose goal is to disseminate cutting-edge literacy research and improve literacy practices within their language and literacy teacher education courses. This qualitative study sought to answer the following: (a) Why do literacy teacher educators use online professional development web seminars within their courses? (b) How do literacy teacher educators use online professional development web seminars within their courses, especially those presented by Global Conversations in Literacy Research? and (c)What value do literacy teacher educators see in working with the web seminars in their classes, especially those presented by GCLR? This study was grounded in critical situated learning, which includes theories of critical literacy (Janks, 2000), situated learning (Brown, Collins, & Duguid, 1989), collaborative learning (Borko, 2004; Brown et al., 1989; Lave & Wenger, 1991), and legitimate peripheral participation (Brown et al., 1989). Within an interview study design, the constant comparative method (Glaser & Strauss, 1967; Merriam, 2009) was used to analyze data collected from semi-structured interviews and documents, namely teacher educators’ course syllabi. INDEX WORDS: Online teacher professional development, web seminars, teacher collaboration, online learning communitie

Traditional Versus Nontraditional Instructional and Assessment Differences in 8th-Grade History-Social Science Achievement

In southern California school districts, 8th grade students in history-social science (H-SS) classes did not perform well on the California Standards Test (CST). To improve student performance, middle school H-SS teachers in some districts received staff development in the use of authentic assessment, the understanding and application of multiple intelligences theory, and the application of a student centered focus in lesson design and instruction. The purpose of this comparative pretest/posttest study was to determine if there was significant achievement difference between 2 8th-grade U.S. H-SS classes taught in 2 districts. The research question addressed a significant difference in CST H-SS achievement scores between 8th-grade students taught using multiple intelligences strategies and authentic assessments (n = 28) and those who were taught using traditional strategies and curriculum assessments (n = 31). The theoretical foundation for this study was constructivism. Post-data from archived student scores on the CST H-SS test were collected and analyzed using an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), controlling for varying differences in CST pre-test H-SS scores. There was a statistically significant difference in posttest CST H-SS scores between the 2 groups (F = 10.491, p \u3c .002), with the nontraditional group scoring higher. Based on the findings, it is recommended that district leaders provide professional development opportunities for teachers in nontraditional constructivist instructional strategies that support student-centered instruction. These endeavors may lead to positive social change if H-SS teachers change instruction and assessment methods to improve student achievement, thus, meeting graduation requirements and enhancing citizenship development

Teacher Beliefs on Personal Learning, Collaboration, and Participation in Virtual Communities of Practice

Virtual communities of practice have been used to improve teachers\u27 instructional practice; yet, many of these communities do not take into account the effect of teachers\u27 personal learning and collegial collaboration beliefs on engagement within this model. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine if teaching was enhanced through participation in virtual communities of practice and determine if teachers\u27 personal beliefs prior to entering these communities influenced their engagement. Wenger\u27s social learning theory served as the conceptual framework. The research questions asked how teachers\u27 beliefs on personal learning and their beliefs on collaboration influenced their engagement in virtual communities of practice and how personal learning networks facilitated extended technology-based learning in the classroom. Data were collected through 2 semi structured interviews with 9 teacher participants and analysis of digital records from the Classroom 2.0 and Flat Connections Nings. Manual, open-coding of the data revealed themes which explained the use of personalized learning networks for instructional growth and social networking for collaborative practice. Findings indicated that while teachers\u27 previously held ideas were not significantly altered, the social, supportive environments created through virtual learning communities made a suitable setting for professional development. These findings may effect positive social change as virtual communities of practice for teachers evolve into professional development environments that challenge teacher beliefs, use progressive technologies, and engage teachers in collaborative activities

Facilitating Authentic Learning Experiences in Distance Education: Embedding Research-Based Practices into an Online Peer Feedback Tool

Authentic learning in online education is feasible with intentional instructional strategies and appropriate educational technologies, yet as a learning approach, barriers to implementation still exist. We argue that authentic learning in online education can be successfully supported when the characteristics of authentic learning are (a) intentionally applied and (b) supported through research-based tools that facilitate the learning process seamlessly for students. To address this challenge, we developed a research-based online application that supports authentic learning. In this article, the theoretical foundations and empirical support for the tool are described, along with critical design decisions that support suggested characteristics of authentic activities. The authors overview formative research conducted during a four-year development process. Several case studies conducted at research-intensive universities are provided to describe how student motivation, metacognition, and strategic behaviors were facilitated through the tool and to encourage readers to apply similar research-based strategies in their own authentic learning contexts

Learning analytics of humanities course: reader profiles in critical reading activity

This study investigates learner’s reading behaviors in a critical reading task in humanities course using learning analytics techniques. A Critical Analysis of Literature and Cinema course was selected as a context. The course activities evolved over 10 years, and for this instance, some face-to-face classroom critical reading activities were migrated to online mode by using BookRoll, a learning analytics enhanced eBook platform. Students (n=22 out of the 50 registered) accessed Hayavadana, an Indian play uploaded on BookRoll, and attempted to identify performative elements and cultural references in the text and highlight them. In this study, we analyze learner’s reading logs gathered in the learning record store linked to BookRoll during that activity. We extend our previous work where we identify four online reading profiles: effortful, strategic, wanderers, and check-out, based on learner’s clickstream interactions and time spent with the content. We validate the profiles with qualitative interview data collected from the learners and illustrate the quantified learning behaviors of each of those profiles based on an engagement metric. Our work aims to initiate further discussion related to the application of learning analytics in humanities courses both to probe into the learning behaviors of the students and thereby enhance the experiences with the use of interactive learning environments and data-driven services

Online Laboratory Introductions to Promote Student Interactions with Two Science and Engineering Practices of the Next Generation Science Standards

Online science courses are becoming increasingly available to K-12 students in the United States. With the utilization of these courses, it is important to facilitate student completion of laboratories as well as student interest in and use of the science and engineering practices (SEPs) of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). This exploratory research provided online laboratory introductions to help students interact with the content and the instructor. The research studied if the laboratory introductions led students to ask questions about laboratories, complete laboratories, and think about and use two NGSS SEPs, specifically analyzing and interpreting data and constructing explanations and designing solutions. Archived data provided information for the background of the study. The intervention class experienced introductions to the content, procedures, and focus NGSS SEPs for online laboratories. The researcher studied qualitative and quantitative data and determined there was an increase in student completion of the laboratories in general as well as identifiable impacts on student questions and thoughts about and use of the NGSS SEPs of focus. Data included pre- and post-course surveys, student laboratory questions, laboratory completion rates, laboratory scores, and laboratory answer analyses

Peningkatan Hasil Belajar Siswa Sekolah Dasar Melalui Penerapan Model Problem Based Learning

Pada masa pandemi Covid-19 ini banyak sekali hambatan-hambatan yang dirasakan pada proses kegiatan pembelajaran. Berdasarkan observasi yang telah dilakukan di SDN Talagakulon V Kecamatan Talaga Kabupaten Majalengka ditemukan permasalahan bahwa hasil belajar peserta didik pada subtema  komponen ekosistem masih rendah. Untuk menyikapi permasalahan tersebut, maka peneliti berinisiatif dengan mencoba menerapkan model pembelajaran Problem Based Learning (PBL). Penelitian ini  merupakan PTK dengan 2 siklus. Subyek penelitian ini sebanyak 33 siswa. Hasip Penelitian menunjukkan bahwa adanya peningkatan hasil belajar peserta didik dari siklus 1 ke siklus 2. Pada siklus 2 hanya terdapat 5 siswa saja yang tidak tuntas. Dengan demikian dapat disimpulkan bahwa model Problem Based Learning (PBL) dapat meningkatkan hasil belajar siswa

Supervision of cyber teachers: Examining U.S. based cyber school policy and practice

This study extends the body of knowledge in the field of K-12 teacher supervision through an investigation of contemporary literature on supervision in traditional and cyber schools; an inventory of current cyber school supervisory practices, procedures, policies, needs, and issues; and a review of related supervisory documents. The results of the outreach effort yielded an effective response rate of 9% resulting in an unintended, but important finding, in that a better mechanism is needed for identifying, categorizing and reaching cyber schools. The study supports contemporary beliefs related to the necessity and importance of a quality supervisory program and that multiple considerations and approaches are available. Participating schools report substantially lower teacher to supervisor ratios than the national average and that supervision practices have a positive impact on quality of instruction. Respondents indicate that the principal is primarily responsible for supervision however; many call upon other individuals such as peer mentors, instructional supervisors, and team leaders to assess and support the teacher. Most participating schools incorporate the use of classroom observations using archived data and report that email is most widely used and most useful supervisory tool. Student work/test scores, input from students, teacher self-reflection, and input from parents are reported to be the most widely used sources of data. Professional development needs and a lack of time for supervision are reported to be the biggest supervisory challenges facing cyber school administrators