Design of Electronic Learning Courses for IT Students Considering the Dominant Learning Style

Methods of using e-learning courses to support learning activities of students at higher educational institutions is the subject of a large number of scientific and educational studies. In particular, much attention is paid to the structure, content and format of educational resources of e-learning courses. However, the problem of dependency of their efficiency on the learning styles of students still needs to be further researched. This paper deals with the learning styles characteristic for IT students on the basis of determining their leading modality; designs the structure of e-learning courses for IT students considering the dominating learning styles and provides the results of pedagogical experiment by measuring the performance and satisfaction in learning activity

Gender issues in computer‐supported learning

Contemporary research identifies significant gender‐related differences in performance and interaction style in computer‐supported learning (CSL) environments. Evidence suggests that initial perceptions of these environments as democratic and offering equal opportunities to all students were flawed because interactions that take place through electronic channels lose none of the sociocultural complexity or gender imbalance that already exists within society. This paper presents a summary of gender‐related issues identified by international research and academic practice together with the opinions expressed by participants in a discussion forum staged at Alt‐C in 2001. Two main questions were addressed during the conference forum. Firstly, if computer access and literacy levels are assumed to be equalizing as the literature suggests, how can educational designers using CSL technologies best serve all student groups? Secondly, does the existence of gender‐based differences in behaviour and interaction style in CSL environments mean that any student group is disadvantaged? The paper concludes with suggestions about how educational designers might increase the flexibility of CSL courses to offer equal opportunities to all students. A number of issues for further research are also identified

Addressing the learners' needs for specific and constructive feedback

This paper discusses an on-going project which proposes to make feedback to students more personal, explicit and more useful as a method of further engaging students. It addresses an issue that has recently been identified by the researchers where students on an Engineering programme were not recognising the presence of feedback on their assessed work. Feedback is central to the process of learning. However it has been widely accepted, through tools such as the UK National Student Survey, that students are still relatively dissatisfied with the feedback they have received. There is therefore a need to ensure that feedback given to students is specific and constructive in terms of helping them move their own learning forward. A pilot is being carried out with two Engineering classes, offering students the option to request specific feedback on their class tests. The students are asked to identify the areas of their work they require feedback on through the completion of a ‘feedback request label’. Staff can then respond to the feedback requests and issue students with personal and relevant feedback. Initial findings from the project have shown students to have clear expectations regarding the type of feedback they want. Students identified that they expect clear and legible feedback, which draws together feedback comments from throughout their work and provides a summary of how they could move forwards. Findings have also identified some differences in expectations and perceptions of feedback between the Level 3 and Level 4 students involved in the project

Negotiating cultures in cyberspace

In this paper we report findings of a multidisciplinary study of online participation by culturally diverse participants in a distance adult education course offered in Canada and examine in detail three of the study's findings. First, we explore both the historical and cultural origins of "cyberculture values" as manifested in our findings, using the notions of explicit and implicit enforcement of those values and challenging the assumption that cyberspace is a culture free zone. Second, we examine the notion of cultural gaps between participants in the course and the potential consequences for online communication successes and difficulties. Third, the analysis describes variations in participation frequency as a function of broad cultural groupings in our data. We identify the need for additional research, primarily in the form of larger scale comparisons across cultural groups of patterns of participation and interaction, but also in the form of case studies that can be submitted to microanalyses of the form as well as the content of communicator's participation and interaction online

Reflecting on the 'international group working experience': a study of two MBA programmes

This study explores students' experiences of group working in an internationalising MBA context using the research perspectives of postcolonialism (Spivak 1993, Prasad 2003) and critical management education (Reynolds 1997, 1999, Currie and Knights 2003). Data are drawn from interviews with 30 full-time MBA students at two leading UK business schools. Students' perceived gains from the international group-working experience and areas of concern, such as practices of exclusion and domination that occur in the group-working process and a reluctance to talk about and reflect on their group-work experiences, are identified. By comparing international group-working experiences at the two case-study institutions helpful practices concerning organisation of group-work and induction are identified. The paper considers ways in which group work could be made more inclusive and how students can make the most of being in an international environment. Recommendations are made for future course design, including more induction focusing on modes of participation and cultural differences, specific induction to group working including the examination of language and behaviours and the use of critical dialogue and debriefing in making sense of the experience. The paper concludes that assumptions around the benefits of group working need re-visiting within the international context and training is needed of students and staff alike on how to make group work a more beneficial and enjoyable experience for all concerned

Adaptation for a Changing Environment: Developing learning and teaching with information and communication technologies

This article examines the relationship between the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) and learning and teaching, particularly in distance education contexts. We argue that environmental changes (societal, educational and technological) make it necessary to adapt systems and practices that are no longer appropriate. However, the need to adapt can be perceived as being technology-led and primarily concerned with requiring academic staff to develop their skills in using ICT. We provide a critique of continuing professional development (CPD) for using ICT in teaching and learning that does not entail examining the impact of environmental changes upon the assumptions, goals and strategies which underlie and shape an organisation's educational practices. In particular, we oppose CPD that concentrates on the individual teacher and their use of ICT. Instead, we contend that professional development should focus upon the scholarship of teaching and learning and must also reflect the wider organisational context within which ICT is managed and used

Gamification in higher education and stem : a systematic review of literature

In recent years, gamification, the use of game elements in non-game contexts, has drawn the attention of educators due to the possibility of making learning more motivating and engaging; this led to an increase of research in the field. Despite the availability of literature reviews about gamification and its effects, no work to this date has focused exclusively on Higher Education (HE). Next, worldwide there is an increasing demand for skilled Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) professionals that meet the challenges related to scientific and technological innovations of the 21st Century. This lead to the need of strengthening STEM Higher Education. This brings us to the purpose of this work: presenting a systematic literature review of empirical studies about gamification STEM related Higher Education. This review study started from a systematic mapping design of 'Web of Science' articles, with following inclusion criteria: empirical gamification studies set up in HE, published between 2000 and 2016; focusing on undergraduate or graduate students; in the STEM knowledge field, and set up in authentic settings. An initial search resulted in 562 potentially relevant articles. After applying all selection criteria, only 18 studies could be retained. 12 additional articles were included by analyzing references from earlier literature reviews, resulting in 30 studies to be included. Analysis results show how a combination of game elements (e.g. leaderboards, badges, points and other combinations) positively affects students' performance, attendance, goal orientation and attitude towards mostly computer science related subjects. The analysis results also point at a lack of studies in certain STEM areas, a lack of studies that identify the particular game element associated with the positive differential impact on student performance; a lack of validated psychometric measurements, and lack of focus on student variables that could/should be taken into account as mediating/moderating variables clarifying the impact of gamification in the HE focus on STEM learning and teaching

Adaptive Educational Hypermedia based on Multiple Student Characteristics

The learning process in Adaptive Educational Hypermedia (AEH) environments is complex and may be influenced by aspects of the student, including prior knowledge, learning styles, experience and preferences. Current AEH environments, however, are limited to processing only a small number of student characteristics. This paper discusses the development of an AEH system which includes a student model that can simultaneously take into account multiple student characteristics. The student model will be developed to use stereotypes, overlays and perturbation techniques. Keywords: adaptive educational hypermedia, multiple characteristics, student model

Reviews

John Stephenson (ed.), Teaching and Learning Online: Pedagogies for New Technologies, Kogan Page, London, 2001. ISBN: 0–7494–3511–9. Softback, xi + 228 pages. £19.99