Reflections of Researchers Involved in the Evaluation of Pedagogical Technological Innovations in a University Setting

It is widely assumed that developments in information and communication technologies are fundamentally transforming and improving higher education. As a part of an ongoing evaluation of technology-supported pedagogy in one university, our three-year research project was designed, on the one hand, to determine if and how selected technologies were beneficial for learning and, on the other hand, to offer professional development for faculty members. In this paper, we reflect on our participation in a pedagogy and technology (referred to as PedTech) pilot project, describe some of the relationships that developed between ourselves as researchers and evaluators and our faculty collaborators, and share what we have learned from this experience. We suggest that a scholarship of teaching approach to evaluating innovations in teaching and learning is one way to support institution-wide adoption.Présumons que les développements dans les technologies de l'information et de la communication transforment et améliorent l'éducation postsecondaire. Par une évaluation continue de technologies pédagogiques dans une université, notre projet de recherche avait deux objectifs de base. Le premier objectif était de déterminer si les technologies choisies amélioreraient l'apprentissage. Le deuxième était d'offrir le développement professionnel aux professeurs ciblés. Dans cet article, nous réfléchissons sur notre participation dans ce projet pilote de nature techno-pédagogique. Nous décrivons les relations développées entre nous, les chercheurs-évaluateurs, et les professeurs collaborateurs, pour partager les leçons et les pratiques de réussite. Nous croyons qu'une approche institutionnelle d'évaluation des technologies pédagogiques innovatrices est un moyen d'étendre cette application

Information technology and distance learning aspects of materials databases

Distance learning is a flourishing area, with the number of programs, provided via remote delivery, increasing daily. At the same time, however, progress in the field of accessibility and support for learners, who want to pursue education and training in the area of materials science and engineering, has not always kept pace. An individual interested in taking a materials course, or in simply finding out what is available, may find himself/herself forced to locate and then plough through many unwieldy online course listings. This may discourage many learners from pursuing the distance learning option. In recent years, more and more distance learning databases have been developed and made available on the World Wide Web. These distance-learning databases are aimed to offer an information pool on many courses and programs that are available online and to cater for users' specific needs of locating information. This need is equally applicable to the area of materials science and engineering. The purpose of this current research has been to explore Information and Technology aspects of materials databases and closely study distance learning aspects. [Continues.

Student perceptions of online peer learning in preservice music teacher education: motivation, social-emotional learning, and classroom climate

2021 Spring.Includes bibliographical references.Music instruction has historically depended upon a master-apprentice model in which teacher-determined goals serve as the focal point of the classroom and reduce opportunities for collaboration among peers (Allsup, 2003; Green, 2008; Wis, 2002). However, collaborative learning practices, such as peer-assisted learning (PAL), have been established as effective instructional methods in a variety of music learning contexts (e.g., Alexander & Dorow, 1983; Duran et al., 2020; Goodrich, 2007; Johnson, 2013). Recently, scholars have extended investigations of collaborative learning practices into the realm of online learning environments (Altinay, 2017; Biasutti, 2011; Raymond et al., 2016; Shawcross, 2019; Thorpe, 2002). Peer-assisted learning experiences have been identified as one of many successful strategies for meeting the diverse needs of students in online contexts (Altinay, 2017; Keppell et al., 2006; McLuckie & Topping, 2004; Raymond et al., 2016; Razak & See, 2010); however, there is a lack of scholarly literature surrounding online PAL in the context of preservice music teacher education Though online learning is not new in the realm of formal education, rapidly developing technologies have increased the impact and prevalence of online learning in many educational settings, including preservice music teacher education (Dumford & Miller, 2018; Statti & Villegas, 2020; Sandrone & Schneider, 2020). Specifically, growing health and safety concerns related to the spread of disease in a global pandemic have necessitated a shift in the delivery of instruction from face-to-face settings to online classroom environments. Given the increasing demand for flexible online learning solutions, music educators would benefit from context-specific knowledge about the interaction of PAL solutions with online music learning environments. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore student perceptions of an online PAL experience in a preservice music teacher education course through the self-reported lenses of student motivation (Elliot, 1999), social-emotional learning (CASEL, 2003), and classroom climate (Dwyer et al., 2004; Moos, 1979). Quantitative data were collected via questionnaire measures (Coryn et al., 2009; Elliot & Muarayama, 2008; Kaufmann et al., 2016; Kaufmann & Vallade, 2020) and follow-up interviews were conducted with four participants who were selected using a maximum variation sampling approach (Jones et al., 2013; Raymond et al., 2016). Data revealed that student perspectives were likely influenced by their individual motivation orientation, capacity for social-emotional learning, and perception of the online classroom climate. Interview participants provided further context to these findings by sharing their individual experiences with group interactions, peer feedback, student connectedness, and course structure

Subject: talk.to/reflect - reflection and practice in nurses' computer-mediated communications

This study is situated within the everyday practice of nurses around the world, engaged in discourse with colleagues through listserv discussion forums, and immersed in Schon's swampy lowlands of important problems. Taking computer-mediated communications (CMC) to be an integral part of nursing informatics, the study begins by examining the literatures on CMC and nurses' reflection on and in practice.The study is congruent with emerging mixed method research approaches within both nursing and the study of CMC, and comprises an electronic ethnography, coupled with the development of a model of reflection within nursing listerv discussions. Using a corpus of discussion threads from the NURSENET list, together with questionnaires,interviews and Virtual Focus Group discussions, all conducted by CMC over a six-year period, a tapestry ofa virtual community, united through discussion of shared practice issues, emerges. The narratives of everyday discussions dispel some of the urban myths of CMC and show the possibility of real social engagement.A model of reflection derived from Kim's phases of critical reflective inquiry and Johns'framework for reflection on action is used to examine a pilot sample of NURSE NET discussion threads. This pilot version of the model is shown to be insufficient to describe the reality of reflective discussion in this forum, and a revised model is developed, essentially inductively, from the data. This new model, tested against a larger sample of discussion threads, demonstrates a qualitatively different form of reflection from that encountered offline. The online reflection is a group, as opposed to an individual, process, is action-oriented, and shows a form of 'online reflection around action' as nurses engage in ongoing practice situations, as well as post hoc reflection on-action. It also provides evidence of nurses using the reflective discussions to change practice, and so illustrates reflection akin to that envisaged by Kemmis

The English as a foreign language writing classroom and weblog :the effect of computer-mediated communication on attitudes of students and implication for EFL learning

PhD ThesisInnovative forms of communication technology have generated new educational models and learning environments. Existing literature includes much discussion concerning the consequences of using communication technology in the context of second language learning. However, recent research has not reached any convincing conclusion about the effects of communication technology in EFL teaching and learning. There are still many variables that need to be accounted for when the use of technology occurs in real-life educational environments, particularly when the adoption of a newly developed communication technology - the Weblog - could / may work better for language learners under specific circumstances. This empirical study focused on whether the use of Weblogs positively changes the learners' attitudes towards EFL writing and their informal use of the English language. Once the focus of this study had been established, the research questions and hypotheses were then addressed as a means of examining the effect of Weblogs. A quasi-experimentarl esearchd esignw as applied with a mixed-methodsa pproacht o elicit data from 119 EFL students in two universities in Taiwan. The collected data included 112p re- and 102 post- GEPT exam papers,1 19 questionnairer esponsesa nd the qualitative data of interviews with 24 research participants. These data were then analysed using inductive (qualitative logic) and deductive (quantitative logic) methods to find out the consequences of the research assumptions. The results corroborate the theoretical findings on the significance of computer-mediated communication in learners' affective learning. In other words, the use of Weblogs influenced the learners' attitudes towards EFL writing. The combination of quantitative and qualitative findings suggested that Weblog technology engages learners in active reading and encourages learners' reflectivity, collaboration, and participation in EFL writing. Finally, the results also echo the theoretical concerns about the learners' self-efficacy and language register in the context of second language writin

Informācijas tehnoloģijas pētnieciskajā darbībā Vidzemes augstskolā kā studentu radošās pieredzes veidošanās līdzeklis

The environment has become the center of attention in recent years. The world is at the brink of several interrelated ‘green’ crises: environmental degradation, climate change, peak oil, food crisis, and various natural disasters. Hence, there is a viable threat to society. This essay aims to explore the significance of the environment for societal collapse—with a Western world city focus. The method of choice is a literature-based critical instance case study. In this thesis, the environmentally focused collapse theories of Jared Diamond and Clive Ponting are tested on the empirical example of the city of New Orleans, USA. In 2005, New Orleans was wrecked by Hurricane Katrina. As a result, 80% of New Orleans was flooded, almost 1,800 people lost their lives, and the infrastructural systems suffered lengthy breakdowns. Consequently, the supply of basic services such as water, food, sewage, electricity, heating, communications, transportation and shelter was severely compromised.   The study shows that in the specific case of New Orleans, the underlying reasons for collapse cannot be explained by ‘green’ collapse theories alone. In fact, poor wetlands management was the only environmental issue of importance. Contributing causes were various managerial flaws (including lack of financing) on all levels in terms of emergency prevention, preparedness and response, as well as long-term structural implications for social justice. Thus, the environmentally related theories of Diamond and Ponting do not prove a perfect match. Instead, the collapse of New Orleans had better been explained by a ‘root cause mix’ theory, which takes political, economic, social and environmental aspects into consideration.Miljöfrågor har hamnat allt mer i fokus de senaste åren. Världen står på tröskeln till ett flertal miljörelaterade kriser: miljöförstöring, klimatförändring, peak oil (oljeproduktionstoppen), global matkris samt diverse naturkatastrofer. Detta medför sammantaget ett allvarligt hot mot samhället. Examensarbetet syftar till att belysa miljöns betydelse för samhällskollaps – med fokus på den västerländska staden. Den metod som tillämpas är en litteraturbaserad fallstudie. I uppsatsen testas Jared Diamonds och Clive Pontings miljöinriktade teorier om samhällskollaps på det empiriska exemplet New Orleans, USA. År 2005 ödelades New Orleans av orkanen Katrina. Så mycket som 80 % av staden drabbades av översvämning, 1 800 invånare omkom och hela infrastrukturen bröt samman. Katastrofen fick därmed allvarliga konsekvenser för grundläggande samhällsfunktioner som försörjningen av vatten, livsmedel, avlopp, elektricitet, värme, kommunikationer, transporter samt boende.   Studien visar att miljöorienterade teorier om samhällskollaps inte fullt ut kan förklara grundorsakerna till det sammanbrott som skedde i New Orleans. Den enda miljörelaterade orsaken av betydelse var inadekvat skötsel av våtmarkerna. Bidragande faktorer var istället bristande politisk styrning (inklusive otillräcklig finansiering) på alla nivåer vad gäller förebyggande, beredskap och hantering av kriser, samt långvariga strukturella hinder för social rättvisa. Slutsatsen blir därför att varken Diamonds eller Pontings miljöinriktade teorier träffar helt rätt. För större träffsäkerhet, borde New Orleans’ sammanbrott förklaras med en teori som förutom miljöfaktorer även innefattar politiska, ekonomiska och sociala aspekter

Freirian and postcolonial perspectives on the development of information and communication technology (ICT) in African higher education institutions :a case study

Information and communication technology (ICT) is seen as great opportunity for\ud higher education institutions, and considerable efforts and resources are invested\ud worldwide in promoting its use. As with other institutions in the world, African\ud higher education institutions have invested considerable resources in ICT\ud development. However, it has been reported repeatedly that the continent\ud experiences problems with ICT development. A review of the literature has\ud identified internal and external factors that limit ICT development as well as\ud problems associated with bringing technology into local practices. Broadly, the\ud thesis examines the extent to which African higher education institutions have\ud benefited from technology. The specific aim is to investigate whether universities'\ud decision makers have given due consideration to staff development for ICT use.\ud To explore issues of technology adoption, studies were undertaken. Empirical\ud research has been conducted focusing on a single university in Uganda as a case\ud study. Qualitative research methods were used including data collection techniques\ud such as document analysis, observations, open-ended questionnaires and in-depth\ud interviews. Theoretically, the study used Freirian and postcolonial theories to guide\ud data collection and analysis. Freirian theory was also used to guide data collection,\ud with the problem-posing approach developed by Freire being adapted to interview\ud participants. This proved to be a valuable technique to collect data.\ud The study findings confirm the enormous benefits that African higher\ud education institutions can gain from technology. The benefits that were identified\ud included more efficient communication, teaching, and research. However, it was\ud feared that costs and possible cultural impact would arise as negative aspects of\ud technology adoption. ICT staff development approaches were found to be mainly\ud ineffective and, to some extent, dehumanising. Humanistic approaches would result\ud in more relevant, more engaging staff development that may transform ICT\ud development within Africa