Effects of computer-supported collaboration script and incomplete concept maps on web design skills in an online design-based learning environment

Web design skills are an important component of media literacy. The aim of our study was to promote university students’ web design skills through online design-based learning (DBL). Combined in a 2x2-factorial design, two types of scaffolding were implemented in an online DBL environment to support the students through their effort to design, build, modify, and publish web sites on processes and outcomes measures, namely collaboration scripts and incomplete concept maps. The results showed that both treatments had positive effects on collaborative (content-related discourse quality, collaboration skills, and quality of published web sites) and individual (domain-specific knowledge and skills related to the design and building of websites) learning outcomes. There was synergism between the two scaffolds in that the combination of the collaboration script and incomplete concept maps produced the most positive results. To be effective, online DBL thus needs to be enhanced by appropriate scaffolds, and both collaboration scripts and incomplete concept maps are effective examples

Instruction based on computer simulations

Excerpts available at Google Books. For integral text, see publisher's website : http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415804615/"Introduction : In the scientific debate on what is the best approach to teaching and learning, a recurring question concerns who should lead the learning process, the teacher or the learner (see e.g., Tobias & Duffy, 2009) ? Poistions takens vary from a preference for direct, expository, teacher-led instruction (Kirschner, Sweller, & Clark, 2006) to fully open student-centered approaches that can be called pure discovery methods (e.g., Papert, 1980), with intermediate positions represented by more or less guided discovery methods (e.g., Mayer, 2004). This discussion also is a recurring theme in this chapter." (http://books.google.fr/books?id=cCD_thHjuxEC&pg=PA446&lpg=PA446&dq=Instruction+based+on+computer+simulations+de+jong&source=bl&ots=tOJ7FdkZow&sig=s8W6OnyU3H7iRLm7wqISfu6CAYE&hl=fr&ei=AZGATviHDMuV0QXewI3KCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDoQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=Instruction%20based%20on%20computer%20simulations%20de%20jong&f=false

Directing, Orienting and Orienteering: Supporting Students to Engage Consequentially

It is often difficult for teachers to support students to engage at a consequential level. The purpose of this study is to explore how learners orient themselves in learning environments and how this can support consequential engagement. I report on analyses that focus specifically on orienteering and orienting framing of learners in new environments, and contrast this with a traditional classroom in which teacher directing dominated. This study includes four cases. The first case involves a teacher using a starter at the beginning of class to review a science concept. The second case involves students using manipulatives as a way to learn about compounds and molecular elements (n=4). The third case also uses manipulatives, but in this case the students learn how to balance chemical equations (n=4). Participants from the second and third cases include students from a university chemistry course that has been designed for students at-risk\u27 of failing. The fourth case involves a teacher using immersive, interactive projection technology to teach arithmetic and geometric sequences (n= 9). Participants include students from a math pre-service teacher education course at the university level. Interaction analysis of video records was conducted using the software program Comic Life 2. In this study I explore: • What frames of instructional and learning sequences support students to engage procedurally, conceptually, and consequentially? How might the metaphor of orienteering, orienting, and directing make these frames clear? • How might immersive, interactive technology disrupt a directing frame? This analysis revealed multiple frames of instructional and learning sequences, including directing, orienting and orienteering. Directing is teacher-led and has very little room for student input. Orienting is more student-led, where the teacher guides the students in their understanding. Orienteering is student-led, where the students work together to create their own understanding. As a comparison, videos from a traditional middle school science classroom demonstrate teacher directing. Based on analysis, I infer that orienteering invites generative activity and negotiating, but might not on its own result in learning. When followed up with orienting, however, the resultant engagement observed was conceptual. In contrast, directing tended to invite only procedural engagement. However, despite the use of directing in the immersive, interactive projection case, consequential engagement was observed; immersive, interactive projection provided a disruption — meaning it disrupted patterns of habituated practices-- that supported students to engage in a consequential manner. This study has implications for both instruction and curriculum design. If teachers want to see at least conceptual engagement, they should support students to first orienteer themselves and then later orient them. This study also has implications for further research. We don\u27t know why the immersive, interactive projection provided this disruption and further research is needed. Finally, the study has methodological implications for using Comic Life 2 for doing interaction analysis

Enhancing Free-text Interactions in a Communication Skills Learning Environment

Learning environments frequently use gamification to enhance user interactions.Virtual characters with whom players engage in simulated conversations often employ prescripted dialogues; however, free user inputs enable deeper immersion and higher-order cognition. In our learning environment, experts developed a scripted scenario as a sequence of potential actions, and we explore possibilities for enhancing interactions by enabling users to type free inputs that are matched to the pre-scripted statements using Natural Language Processing techniques. In this paper, we introduce a clustering mechanism that provides recommendations for fine-tuning the pre-scripted answers in order to better match user inputs

Using Technology to Support At-Risk Students' Learning

A new report finds that technology - when implemented properly -can produce significant gains in student achievement and boost engagement, particularly among students most at risk

Effects of differently sequenced classroom scripts on transformative and regulative processes in inquiry learning

Kooperatives Forschendes Lernen hat sich empirisch als ein effektiver Instruktionsansatz für die Förderung des naturwissenschaftlichen Denkens bewährt. Obwohl Forschung zur Orchestrierung von Sozialformen im Unterricht zeigt, dass diese einen wichtigen Einfluss auf die Qualität von Lernprozessen, wie Kommunikations- und Interaktionsprozessen, und damit auf die Lernergebnisse von Gruppe und einzelnen Lernenden hat, wurde im Bereich des Forschenden Lernens die Verteilung und Abfolge von individuellen und kooperativen Lernaktivitäten bislang jedoch kaum untersucht. Basierend auf Erkenntnissen zu Scaffolding, Fading, Productive Failure und dem ICAP-Rahmenmodell wird in der vorliegenden Arbeit der Einfluss zweier Unterrichtsskripts auf die transformativen und regulativen Prozesse des forschenden Lernens bei Individuen und Gruppen untersucht. Das eine Unterrichtsskript sieht die Abfolge „Plenum-Kleingruppe-Individuum“ vor (PKI-Skript), das andere wechselt vom Plenum über die individuelle Ebene zur Kleingruppenebene (PIK-Skript). Transformationsprozesse beziehen sich dabei auf wissensgenerierende Prozesse, während regulative Prozesse meta-kognitive Prozesse darstellen. Deskriptiv zeigten sich unterschieden zwischen den beiden Bedingungen: Lernende mit dem PKI-Skript zeigten mehr und intensivere individuelle transformative Prozesse, z.B. während bei der Datenauswertung und beim wissenschaftlichen Schlussfolgern. Lernende mit dem PIK-Skript zeigten hingegen mehr transformative und regulative Prozessen auf der Gruppenebene. Lernende, die mit diesem Skript arbeiteten, zeigten mehr und intensivere Grounding-Aktivitäten, die das gemeinsame Verständnis und das Entstehen eines Common Ground förderten. Dementsprechend zeigten sich hier auch häufiger intensivere transformative Prozesse auf der Gruppenebene.Collaborative inquiry learning has been empirically proven to be an effective instructional approach to foster students’ scientific literacy. However, there is little research on the coordination of individual and collaborative activities during inquiry learning which could shape the quality of communication and interaction, and consequentially, individual and group learning outcomes. Research has indicated that classroom orchestration (i.e., distribution and sequencing of activities) could have profound effect on learning processes and outcomes. Premised on theories of scaffolding, fading, productive failure and the ICAP (interactive, constructive, active and passive) framework on different activity types, this study investigates the effects of two differently sequenced classroom scripts on the individual and group transformative and regulative processes in inquiry learning. Transformative processes refers to processes that yield knowledge and regulative processes are meta-cognitive processes. Descriptive statistics suggest that the Plenary-Small Group-Individual (PSI) script transition facilitated better individual engagement in transformative processes such as generating of evidence and the drawing of conclusions, whereas the Plenary-Individual-Small Group (PIS) script condition fostered better transformative and regulative processes for the group. Establishing shared understanding and forging common grounds through grounding and high-level grounding was more prevalent in this script condition, which also accounted for more occurrences of high-level transformative processes at the group level

Instructional Scaffolding in STEM Education: Strategies and Efficacy Evidence

science education; educational technology; learning and instructio

AUGMENTED REALITY SYSTEMS AND USER INTERACTION TECHNIQUES FOR STEM LEARNING

Learning practices and crosscutting concepts in science, technology, engineering, andmathematics (STEM) subjects pose challenges to young learners. Without external support to foster long-term interest and scaffold learning, children might lose interest in STEM subjects. While prior research has investigated how Augmented Reality (AR) may enhance learning of scientific concepts and increase student engagement, only a few considered young children who require developmentally appropriate approaches. The primary goal of my dissertation is to design, develop, and evaluate AR learning systems to engage children (ages 5-11) with STEM experiences. Leveraging advanced computer vision, machine learning, and sensing technologies, my dissertation explores novel user interaction techniques. The proposed techniques can give learners chance to investigate STEM ideas in their own setting, what educators call contextual learning, and lower barriers for STEM learning practices. Using the systems, my research further investigates Human-Artificial Intelligence (AI) interaction—how children understand, use, and react to the intelligent systems. Specifically, there are four major objectives in my research including: (i) gathering design ideas of AR applications to promote children’s STEM learning; (ii) exploring AR user interaction techniques that utilize personally meaningful material for learning; (iii) developing and evaluating AR learning systems and learning applications; and (iv) building design implications for AR systems for education