Designs on the Web: A case study of online learning for design students

The De Montfort University Electronic Campus initiative started in September 1999. Web‐based learning resources and support have been provided for over 3,000 students via a portfolio of thirty projects ranging across all levels of the university and within every faculty. This paper focuses on one aspect of this initiative: the development of online teaching and learning materials to support first‐year IT modules for students of art and design. An undergraduate module has been converted from traditional, face‐to‐face, delivery to a hybrid combination of Web‐based and studio‐based work in accordance with Laurillard's conversational framework. In the first year of use all the new material has been made available on a pilot basis to a group of 440 students in parallel with conventional lectures and seminars. All the students have had access to the online resources; some students have used them, but some have not. Data on student expectations collected prior to starting on the module are compared with student feedback gathered at the end of the module and student performance data across the two mode's of presentation are compared to establish the relative effectiveness of each approach. In addition the paper reviews the resource implications of developing, delivering and supporting online learning and discusses some of the barriers to implementation that were encountered and overcome

From Novices to Experts: User Performance, Confidence, and Satisfaction on the World Wide Web

This study focuses on two aspects of research findings from empirical studies on usability of user interfaces on the World Wide Web (WWW): (1) it examines the differences among users from novices to experts and their interactions with various user interfaces on the World Wide Web and (2) it compares task performance, confidence, and satisfaction among different types of user interface designs on the Web-based systems. Can we design user interfaces that are equally effective for all the subjects who have different levels of computer expertise? Implications of these results for various interfaces are discussed as well

Engagement with virtual learning environments : a case study across faculties

Original article can be found at: www.herts.ac.uk/blip Copyright University of HertfordshireThe Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) at the University of Hertfordshire (UH) not only supports institutional and national strategies in learning and teaching, but represents a significant investment in capital. Studies show that VLEs offer a variety of pedagogical benefits and usage of such systems can be effectively measured through the analysis of a system’s log files. However, although the increase in engagement with the VLE at UH as a whole has been considerable over recent years, there appears to be a wide variation in engagement across faculties, suggesting that tutors of some faculties could benefit from increased support to improve engagement. For example, during each of the academic years under study, the range of student engagement between two particular faculties dif-fered by at least 290%. Having identified faculties that show consistently low VLE engage-ment, we need to ask why this is, and ask whether there needs to be further investigation into the reasons behind this disparity.Peer reviewe

An introduction to learning technology in tertiary education in the UK.

Contents: 1. The Learning Technology Arena 2. The Learning Technology Community 3. Learning Technology Tools 4. Key issues and developments in the Learning Technology Field 5. Implementing Learning Technologies 6. Further Resource

Open, distributed and user-centered: Towards a paradigm shift in innovation policy

Today's innovation policies ignore that innovation is increasingly open, distributed and user-centered. In this paper we introduce the user-centered model as an alternative paradigm of how innovation 'works'. We discuss how it differs from traditional, linear producer-centered model, argue why it is legitimate to develop policies in support of it, and provide specific directions. �

Arduino — Enabling engineering students to obtain academic success in a design-based module

Published Conference ProceedingsA key graduate attribute for engineering students is the design and development of solutions for real-life problems. Enabling students to grasp engineering design principles often proves challenging, especially within the African context. The purpose of this paper is to highlight how the introduction of the Arduino microprocessor into a design-based module for undergraduate students has yielded outstanding results in this regard. Up until the end of 2014, students could choose their own microprocessor platform for designing electronic circuits required for specific applications. However, this led to several challenges, including the unavailability of components and the high costs of the microprocessors. Introducing the Arduino microprocessor as the preferred option in 2015 overcame many of these challenges, while at the same time leading to an improvement in the academic achievement of the registered students. A case study was used in this research along with descriptive statistics of the collected data. This data highlights that more than 90% of the students successfully completed this design-based module, while 70% felt that it really helped them to better understand the theoretical knowledge. This microprocessor has been recommended for future use in additional modules as it yielded positive results in 2015

Exploring the Dialectics Underlying Institutionalization of IT Artifacts

We examine the relationship between information and communication technology for development (ICT4D) and local historically embedded institutions. We argue that, to understand the process of implementing IT artifacts, one needs to consider not only technical feasibility and economic viability but also institutional permissibility. We present a novel theoretical framework based on dialectics and institutional theory and apply it to a case study that contributes a dialectics-centered framework illustrated with empirical data from the informal sector in Latin America. The analysis demonstrates the institutionalization of IT artifacts as a conflicted and contested process and that historical institutions may enable some forms of institutionalization while resisting others contrary to social norms. We examine the emergence of contradictions, active praxis, and the resulting outcomes before concluding that, for IT artifacts to contribute to development, one must emphasize the embedded institutional arrangements and contestation that historically embedded institutions present. We conclude the paper by discussing the theoretical and practical implications