Mapping the open education landscape: citation network analysis of historical open and distance education research

The term open education has recently been used to refer to topics such as Open Educational Resources (OERs) and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). Historically its roots lie in civil approaches to education and open universities, but this research is rarely referenced or acknowledged in current interpretations. In this article the antecedents of the modern open educational movement are examined, as the basis for connecting the various strands of research. Using a citation analysis method the key references are extracted and their relationships mapped. This work reveals eight distinct sub-topics within the broad open education area, with relatively little overlap. The implications for this are discussed and methods of improving inter-topic research are proposed

OER Adoption in Higher Education: A Case Study of Stakeholders’ Perceptions at a Florida State College

The purpose of this case study was to document stakeholders’ perceptions of adopting and integrating OER materials in higher education. Specifically, this study sought to understand the perceptions of institutional faculty, librarians, instructional designers, and students with the adoption and use of OER at a state college in east Florida. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with institutional faculty, librarians, and instructional designers. A survey was distributed to students enrolled in OER integrated courses during the Spring semester. Theoretical perspectives on the adoption and diffusion of OER as an innovation were grounded in Roger’s Diffusion of Innovation theory. An analysis of the data revealed that stakeholder perceptions are a key factor in the rate of adoption and diffusion within the institution. Faculty perceptions of resource quality and time involved to curate the resources proved challenging for OER adoption and integration. Instructional designers perceived the resources as time consuming yet highly accessible. Librarians perceived the resources as beneficial, but a lack of awareness and understanding of licensing rules made adoption and integration challenging. Students perceived the resources as advantageous, above average in quality, and just as effective as traditional textbooks. Despite the challenges presented, stakeholders agreed that access to the resources and the cost savings for students were significant enough to outweigh the time involved to locate, adapt, implement, and utilize the resources

A New Ecology for Learning : An Online Ethnographic Study of Learners’ Participation and Experience in Connectivist MOOCs

This dissertation focuses on Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) which have emerged and heralded as new online learning environments able to serve large numbers of students. Identifying two main types of MOOCs known as connectivist MOOCs (cMOOCs) and instructivist MOOCs (xMOOCs), emphasis is placed on the learning ecology of connectivist MOOCs and how the format, with all of its attention on learner-centered pedagogy and social media invite collaboration and networking. The thesis provides detailed analysis and description of learners’ experiences and perceptions of participation and their use of online tools and resources in the process of learning and networking. CMOOCs promote the ideals of re-structuring the spaces of learning from classrooms to open networked ecologies that enable learners to have greater control over their learning experiences, content, and use of technologies. The study builds on the theoretical foundations of networked learning and connectivism that undergird the affordances of technology in promoting connectedness among learners, resources, networks and communities. The investigations into personalized learning and ecological learning design shed light on the significant role of learners and acknowledge their autonomy in creating their learning environments. The study employed and developed “online ethnography” to gain a better understanding of the dynamics of learning in cMOOCs from the perspectives of learners themselves. Data were gathered from several MOOCs over a five-year period through participant observation, interviews, open-ended questions, surveys, and online artifacts. The findings demonstrate that cMOOCs are learner-centered ecologies in which learners participate in the flow and generation of knowledge by creating and sharing content through networked technologies such as blogs, wikis, Twitter, and Facebook. Developing a personal learning environment (PLE) in cMOOCs enhances learner autonomy and creates a space for them to aggregate, remix, repurpose content, reflect, and share their learning experiences. Additionally, the results indicate that participation in cMOOCs requires learners to assume active roles in a spirit of openness in forming their learning experiences and networking activities; to develop digital competence to manage the abundance of resources. Theoretical understandings and empirical evidence of the sub-studies helped delineate cMOOCs as an open networked learning ecology that positions a learner at the intersection of personalized and networked situations to foster processes of self-directed learning and connectedness in open online contexts. The study contributes to the knowledge and pedagogy of open networked learning and provides insights to help universities, course designers, MOOC providers, instructors, and participants improve online learning experiences.Tämä väitöstutkimus käsittelee merkittäviksi uudenlaisiksi verkko-oppimisen ympäristöiksi muodostuneita massiivisia avoimia verkkokursseja (massive open online courses, MOOCs). MOOC-ympäristöjen kaksi päätyyppiä ovat vuorovaikusta ja yhteydenpitoa painottavat kurssit (connectivist MOOCs, eli cMOOCs) ja opetusta painottavat kurssit (instructivist MOOCs eli xMOOCs). Tutkimuksessa tarkastellaan, kuinka osallistujat hahmottavat ja jäsentävät cMOOCs-kurssien oppimisen ekologian. Tutki-mus tarjoaa yksityiskohtaisen analyysin ja kuvauksen oppijoiden osallistumisen kokemuksista ja havainnoista sekä heidän online-työkalujen ja resurssien käytöstä toimiessaan cMOOCs:ympäristössä. Siirtämällä oppimisen luokkahuoneista avoimiin verkostoituneisiin ekologioihin cMOOC-kurssit pyrkivät muuttamaan oppimisen tiloja mahdollistaen oppijoille suuremman vastuun oman oppimiskokemuksensa muodostumiseen. Ne tarjoavat myös oppijoille mahdollisuuden ottaa käyttöön laajan valikoiman teknologioita joiden avulla he valitsevat, luovat, jakavat sisältöä sekä tuottavat materiaalia tiedon virtaan. Tutkimuksen teoreettinen perusta on verkottuneessa oppimisessa sekä konnektivismissa, jotka korostavat teknologian käyttömahdollisuuksia oppijoiden, resurssien, verkostojen ja yhteisöjen välisen vuorovaikutuksen rakentamisessa. Keskeisiä ovat esimerkiksi henkilökohtaisen oppimisen (personalized learning) sekä ekologisen oppimisen (ecological learning) suunnittelu, jotka painottavat oppijoiden keskeistä roolia sekä tunnustavat heidän autonomiansa omien oppimisympäristöjensä luojina. Tutkimuksessa käytettiin ja samalla kehitettiin online-etnografiaa pragmaattisena tutkimusmetodina, jonka avulla voidaan paremmin ymmärtää oppimisen dynamiikkaa cMOOC-oppimisympäristöissä. Aineistoa kerättiin useilta verkkokursseilta osallistuvan havainnoinnin, haastattelujen, strukturoitujen ja avoimia kysymyksiä sisältävien kyselylomakkeiden sekä online-tuotosten avulla reilun viiden vuoden aikana. Tulokset osoittavat, että cMOOC-kurssit ovat oppijakeskeisiä ekologioita, joissa oppijat osallistuvat tiedon tuottamisen ketjuun luomalla ja jakamalla sisältöä verkottuneiden teknologioiden, kuten blogien, wiki-alustojen, Twitterin ja Facebookin avulla. Henkilökohtaisen oppimisympäristön (personal learning environment, PLE) kehittäminen cMOOC-kursseilla mahdollistaa oppijan autonomian sekä luo heille tilan, jossa voi koota, yhdistellä, uudelleen järjestellä ja suunnata sisältöä sekä reflektoida ja jakaa omia oppimiskokemuksia. Lisäksi tulokset osoittavat, että cMOOC oppimisympäristöihin osallistuminen edellyttää oppijoilta aktiivisen roolin omaksumista ja avoimuutta heidän oppimiskokemustensa ja verkostoitumista koskevien toimintojensa muodostamisessa. cMOOCs oppimisympäristöt edellyttävät oppijoilta myös digitaalisten kompetenssien kehittämistä, joilla tarjolla olevien resurssien runsautta on mahdollista hallita. Tutkimuksen tuottama teoreettinen ja empiirinen ymmärrys massiivisista avoimista verkkokursseista mahdollistaa viitekehyksen luomisen avoimen verkostoituneen oppimisen ekologialle (open networked learning ecology) joka asettaa oppijan henkilökohtaisten ja verkottuneiden tilanteiden risteyskohtaan sekä edistää itseohjautuvan oppimisen ja yhteyksien luomisen pro-sesseja avoimissa online-konteksteissa. Tutkimuksen tulokset hyödyttävät avoimia verkottunutta oppimista koskevaa tietoa ja pedagogiikkaa sekä tarjoavat näkökulmia, jotka auttavat, MOOC-ympäristöjen tarjoajia, opettajia ja osallistujia kehittämään online-oppimisen kokemuksia

Design model for integrating learning management systems and massive open online courses on a digital e-Learning platform: implications for Zimbabwean universities.

Doctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.Available affordances for learning provide opportunities for advanced technology-enhanced teaching and learning. Digital learning environments can make relevant learning content available to students using existing infrastructure. This creates an environment which requires different learning management systems (LMS) to interact with, and exchange information. Increasing use of mobile devices, digital learning platforms, LMS, and massive open online courses (MOOCs), has necessitated integration design approaches. However, ignorance of resources offered and discouragement and frustrations arising from the economic situation in Zimbabwe regarding regulated access to electronic services make automation of teaching processes a great challenge. In this thesis, a design model for integrating LMS and MOOCs on a digital learning platform is proposed. From an e-learning point of view, the study contributes to the working of e-learning management systems through automation process of uploading content to LMS. From a computer science point of view, the study contributes to software engineering principles where it puts together three different platforms; LMS, MOOCs and digital learning platforms under one design. Methodologically, the study uses design science research (DSR) framework with software modelling language to address challenges in teaching and learning. This study describes how the Technology Adoption Model (TAM) and Task-Technology Fit (TTF) model can be used together with DSR in relation to design model evaluation. A software modeling language was used to create the logical designs, which were evaluated using experimental design approach. Software engineering experts and lecturers were invited to validate proposed logical designs. The key deliverables of the study include requirements specifications for the design model for integrated learning management systems, as well as the logical designs for the design model. The design model, as per requirements specification and the evaluation thereof, are based on TAM and TTF. The hybrid model proposed was further validated using structural equation modeling via the partial least squares and path modeling. In our views, the interventions of integration work would support decision making, which influences choices made by policy makers when taking decisions about higher education technological infrastructure