Community model of online pedagogical inquiry and mediation: necessary perceptions

This study analyzes the process of online pedagogical mediation in a Distance Education undergraduate Pedagogy course based on the students’ perception of the learning experience in a virtual learning environment (VLE). Online pedagogical mediation is understood in this study as an educational and communicational process that aims at collective and collaborative construction of knowledge involving multiple mediators (human and non-human). To analyze this process, the community of inquiry (CoI) theoretical model played a central role in our study, especially in the interaction between online pedagogical mediation and the elements that constitute this model, considered interdependent and crucial for a successful higher educational experience: teaching presence, social presence, and cognitive presence. Data was collected with a questionnaire survey, which allowed us to identify the student’s conception of online pedagogical mediation and to assess the perception on the development of the presences of the CoI model in the pedagogical mediation used in the course VLE. The results suggest that most students share the perception that online pedagogical mediation is related to the role played by teachers and tutors. Regarding student’s perception of the learning experience, the results show that they positively perceive the development of the presences of the model, while also suggesting aspects of the online pedagogical mediation process that can be improved, aiming at the constitution of a community of inquiry more focused and effective in the development of learning

Understanding learner engagement on a blended course including a MOOC

The authors would like to acknowledge the work of the large team behind the MOOC ‘Africa: Sustainable Development for All?’ which was led by Professor Hilary Homans. Thanks are also due to the students who participated in the UKES, and particularly those who contributed to the focus groups.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

HOW MALAYSIAN LECTURERS VIEW MOOC AND ITS CHALLENGES

This study addresses a relatively new phenomenon in the Malaysian higher education (Massive Open Online Courses) MOOCs and explored the perception of the Malaysian lecturers on the emerging online learning environment. A qualitative case study was adopted and fifteen lecturers were interviewed from a higher education institution in Malaysia. These lecturers are familiar with the blended learning approach. The in-depth interviews were further transcribed and thematic analysis were considered to identify the emerging themes. The study identified themes related to educational change, design of the instruction, motivational and challenging issues. The findings demonstrated that the lecturers were aware of the transition from traditional classroom teaching to the teaching in the virtual platform. The investigation also contributes to greater understanding of challenges of integrating MOOCs in Malaysian higher institutions. Based on the findings, pedagogical implications are discussed on how workshops should integrate certain aspects related to MOOCs that can be useful for the Heads of Higher Institutions and policy makers. It is hoped that these strategic workshops will increase the effectiveness of MOOC implementation in Malaysian higher institutions.   Keywords: Higher education, MOOC, online learning, technology adoption   Cite as: Annamalai, N. (2019). How Malaysian lecturers view MOOC and its challenges. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 4(2), 144-167. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol4iss2pp144-16

Social presence in massive open online courses

The capacity to foster interpersonal interactions in massive open online courses (MOOCs) has frequently been contested, particularly when learner interactions are limited to MOOC forums. The establishment of social presence-a perceived sense of somebody being present and "real"-is among the strategies to tackle the challenges of online learning and could be applied in MOOCs. Thus far, social presence in MOOCs has been under-researched. Studies that previously examined social presence in MOOCs did not account for the peculiar nature of open online learning. In contrast to the existing work, this study seeks to understand how learners perceive social presence, and the different nuances of social presence in diverse MOOC populations. In particular, we compare perceptions of social presence across the groups of learners with different patterns of forum participation in three edX MOOCs. The findings reveal substantial differences in how learners with varying forum activity perceive social presence. Perceptions of social presence also differed in courses with the varying volume of forum interaction and duration. Finally, learners with sustained forum activity generally reported higher social presence scores that included low affectivity and strong group cohesion perceptions. With this in mind, this study is significant because of the insights into brings to the current body of knowledge around social presence in MOOCs. The study's findings also raise questions about the effectiveness of transferring existing socio-constructivist constructs into the MOOC contexts.System Engineerin

Investigating the reliability and validity of the Community of Inquiry framework : an analysis of categories within each presence

In online or blended environments, the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework sets that a meaningful educational experience derives from the interrelation of teaching, social and cognitive presences. Each presence is subdivided, resulting in a structure in ten categories at the basis for the CoI survey instrument. Although the survey structure in three presences was repeatedly validated in the literature, the categories within presences were not and were consequently investigated in this study. High internal consistencies between items of each category demonstrated that the structure is reliable. Its convergent and discriminant validity were confirmed using multi-group confirmatory factor analyses, that further allowed to reinforce the construct validation by evaluating its factorial invariance across independent samples collected in two universities and varying in gender and age (n1 = 343; n2 = 420). To assess its discriminant validity and because high estimated correlations between categories were observed, alternative structures in eight, seven and six factors were also compared to the original ten-category structure. They were all valid despite yielding inferior fits. The partial structural invariance of CoI structures in categories were also confirmed across groups. Next, a CoI structure in three presences resulted in an insufficient fit to data across independent groups. Much more conclusively, a second-order structure including both presences and categories demonstrated a very good fit to the data, highlighting the importance of categories to reflect students' perceptions. This paper, although presented at a conceptual level, enlightens the potential of studying the influence of categories on each other, learning outcomes, or to identify areas of improvement in online and blended courses by relying on meaningful and trustful categories that further characterize the well-known presences

Findings from a Case Study on Refugees Using MOOCs to (Re)enter Higher Education

This paper presents a case study evaluating the online learning experience of ten refugees on MOOCs. Qualitative data were collected from the learners, generating a set of 43 statements depicting the learners’ experience of learning, which were analysed using an augmented Community of Inquiry (CoI) theoretical framework. The key findings show that learners particularly desired teaching presence in terms of facilitation and feedback on their progress; they viewed online social presence as being important but generally not well managed in MOOCs; and they expressed cognitive presence mainly in terms of the selection and use of information sources. Learning presence (the additional element of the “augmented” CoI framework) was described primarily in terms of the importance of goal-setting and planning. The implications for organisations supporting refugees and other learners in disadvantaged circumstances on MOOCs are discussed

Curso aberto, online e massivo como estratégia de educação na saúde para enfermeiros

Introdução: Os Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC), modalidade de Educação a Distância (EaD), contribuem para aquisição de competências e habilidades técnicas e relacionais dos enfermeiros, além de abrangerem objetivos de aprendizagem e conhecimentos prévios de cada participante. A Educação Permanente em Saúde (EPS), modelo de educação na saúde em que os processos de ensino e aprendizagem se incorporam ao cotidiano do ambiente de trabalho, torna significativa a agregação de novos conhecimentos e possibilita a transformação das práticas profissionais. Pesquisadores da Escola de Enfermagem da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) desenvolveram o MOOC “Avaliação de Enfermagem”, disponibilizado na Plataforma LUMINA da Universidade com fluxo contínuo desde 2017. O estudo pretendeu compreender como enfermeiros avaliam o MOOC bem como as características das atividades de Educação na Saúde que participam. Objetivo: Analisar a avaliação realizada por enfermeiros participantes do MOOC “Avaliação de Enfermagem” enquanto estratégia de educação na saúde. Metodologia: Estudo de abordagem quantitativa e transversal, sendo recorte da pesquisa “Avaliação da participação de estudantes de enfermagem e enfermeiros em um curso online, aberto e massivo (MOOC)” (CAAE 56280516.7.0000.5347). A população de participantes egressos do MOOC “Avaliação de Enfermagem” foi de 2201 no período de setembro de 2017 a abril de 2019. A amostra por conveniência foi de 79 enfermeiros participantes. A coleta de dados foi realizada com o envio de formulário online para todos os egressos. A análise dos dados ocorreu pela estatística descritiva. Resultados: Dos 79 enfermeiros participantes, 63 (79,75%) estavam atuando no momento, principalmente nas áreas de atenção hospitalar (29,1%) e atenção básica (19%). A média de idade foi de 35,9 anos (±9,4). Dos atuantes, 39 (61,05%) referiram realizar somente atividades presenciais em suas instituições, enquanto 16 (25,4%) participavam de atividades EaD e Presenciais. Os 74 (93,6%) enfermeiros que realizaram cursos externos de aperfeiçoamento, o fizeram majoritariamente na modalidade EaD (84,8%). Sobre a preferência metodológica das atividades de educativas que participaram, 59 (74,7%) referiram que a simulação e o vídeo sobre situações cotidianas são os recursos que despertam seu interesse. Sobre o MOOC, 62 (78,4%) concordaram que o conteúdo pode ser utilizado como educação na saúde para enfermeiros, bem como 57 (72,15%) acreditaram que o MOOC tem conteúdo necessário para seu trabalho. Considerações Finais: O estudo demonstrou que o MOOC pode ser utilizado como estratégia educativa para enfermeiros, por possuir atributos que contribuem na sua formação. Recomenda-se o desenvolvimento de novos estudos sobre a utilização de MOOC, compreendendo-o como alternativa para agregar conhecimentos e habilidades aos profissionais da área da saúde

Validación de la versión en castellano del cuestionario 'Community of Inquiry'

We present the study of the reliability and validity of the 'Community of Inquiry' (CoI) survey in its Spanish version. The CoI model conceives teaching-learning in on-line environments as a process of inquiry, through which the participants collaborate in the discourse and critical reflection to build personal knowledge and reach a mutual understanding. Consequently, the CoI model identifies the presence of three dimensions: a) the cognitive presence, referred to the degree to which the participants are capable of constructing meaning and knowledge through continuous communication, reflection and discussion; b) the social presence, defined as the ability of participants to identify with the community, communicate and develop interpersonal relationships; c) the teaching presence, referred to the design, guidance and direction, on the part of the faculty, of cognitive and social processes with the purpose of achieving significant learning results in the students. The validation of the survey in the context of Spanish distance learning shows satisfactory results from the point of view of construct validity and reliability as internal consistency, confirming the usefulness and interest of this instrument in investigations that seek to analyze and improve the development of educational processes through communities of inquiry.Presentamos el estudio de la fiabilidad y validez del cuestionario 'Community of Inquiry' (CoI) en su versión española. El modelo CoI concibe la enseñanza-aprendizaje en entornos on-line como proceso de indagación, a través del cual los participantes colaboran en el discurso y reflexión crítica para construir conocimiento personal y llegar a un entendimiento mutuo. Consecuentemente, el modelo CoI identifica la presencia de tres dimensiones: a) la presencia cognitiva, referida al grado en que los participantes son capaces de construir significado y conocimiento a través de la comunicación continua, la reflexión y la discusión; b) la social, definida como la habilidad de los participantes de identificarse con la comunidad, comunicarse y desarrollar relaciones interpersonales; c) la docente, referida al diseño, guía y dirección, por parte del profesorado, de procesos cognitivos y sociales con el propósito de lograr resultados de aprendizaje significativos en los estudiantes. La validación del cuestionario en el contexto de enseñanza a distancia español muestra resultados satisfactorios desde el punto de vista de la validez de constructo y la fiabilidad como consistencia interna, confirmando la utilidad e interés de este instrumento en investigaciones que pretendan analizar y mejorar el desarrollo de procesos educativos a través de comunidades de indagación

How gamers experience informal digital learning of English within video games and online affinity spaces

Abstract. This study aims to investigate how English language learning occurs within the experiences of playing online video games and interacting in related online affinity spaces. Although there have been past studies that have researched language learning in video games, both in formal and informal contexts, none have specifically explored how players experience language learning in both online video games and online affinity spaces. This study used the concepts of informal learning, implicit learning, informal language learning, informal digital learning of English, affinity spaces, communities of inquiry and communities of practice as a guide for the research process. It also used qualitative content analysis as a method of data analysis. The participants of this study consisted of 6 Finnish males who currently attend upper secondary school in Finland. The data was gathered via semi-structured interviews. The findings reveal that most participants experienced English language learning through playing video games incidentally and unconsciously. Essentially, most participants were unaware of language learning occurring while playing video games, and they did not intend to learn English while playing. Moreover, they learned mostly through interacting with the video game space itself while some also learned through playing with others. In regard to online affinity spaces, most participants learned English incidentally. Most participants experienced English language learning through interacting with the content within the online affinity spaces. More, specifically, when inquiring about new knowledge related to gaming, players were able to learn English at the same time. These finding reveal the potential for online video games and online affinity spaces to help gamers learn English. The implications of this study include the potential for educators to utilize online video games and online affinity spaces in formal learning. This study is important to the field of digital language learning research as it presents a glimpse into the specific processes that occur within informal digital language learning