Blended Learning - What Practitioners Can Learn From MOOCs

The rapid increase in the use of information technologies in third level education is changing the way courses are provided. Online multimedia have helped reduce the difficulties teachers face with a diversity of student profiles and a large number of students in a classroom. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) present an extreme with regard to student groups in relation to size and diversity and, therefore, many techniques and methods of overcoming the difficulties that this can present have been developed. Much of these methods can apply to online courses generally and to blended teaching environments. This study identifies four key areas where practitioners can learn from the large data set research provided by MOOCs. These are: methods of delivering content, dealing with the diversity of the group, providing for different learning preferences and assessment methods. Findings include the need for personalisation of the online environment, improving the use of peer assessment, the creation of more accessible learning content, and tailoring of the online environment to the pedagogical approach

Review of Self-Regulated Learning in Massive Open Online Course

  The research is financed by Chinese Production and Research Project (Project ID: 201901297003); Hubei Provincial Department of Education’s Research Project on Teaching Reform in Colleges and Universities (Project ID:2017376);Chinese University Students’ Project on Innovation and Entrepreneurship  Project ID:S201913256032);Hubei Normal University’s Research Project on Teaching Reform (Project ID: 2019013). Abstract Over the last decade, much attention has been paid the effects of self-regulated learning (SRL) in massive open online courses (MOOCs). However, a systematic understanding of the topic is rather limited. This study drew a general outline of important factors affecting the SRL in MOOCs. The study summarizes two important SRL modes as the theoretical basis. Then, the study analyses the motivational, metacognitive and cognitive regulation strategies, and behavioural regulation strategies which affect SRL in MOOCs. Finally, suggestions for future research in MOOCs are offered. Keywords: self-regulated learning , MOOCs, mode , SRL strategies DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-8-02 Publication date:March 31st 202

Dialogic possibilities of online supervision

When schools locked down owing to the spread of COVID-19, Danish upper secondary school students worked on the major written assignment that completes their studies. This assignment is interdisciplinary, and students receive up to twenty hours of supervision from two teachers. This year, supervision was reorganised into a virtual format. This article explores how and in what ways students benefited from this reorganisation. This article is based on a mixed-methods design that includes quantitative and qualitative data and investigates how various online supervision formats support dialogic interaction. This article focuses on the student’s experience of supervision. It finds that all the formats we investigated offer the opportunity for dialogue during supervision, but their potential varies significantly. Some formats seem to have great potential for supporting students’ academic development, whereas others support their psychosocial development. We conclude by addressing the importance of choosing the online format suited to a given purpose and recommend that supervisors be aware of the didactic purposes of the various formats

Virtuel vejledning under Corona-krisen

The article presents findings from research on the online supervision of Danish upper secondary school students writing their major assignment. Focus is on the didactical use of online formats in supervision and the negotiation between the involved agents. The investigation is based on analysis of the content of the supervision, how the supervision was formed and what kind of function the students attached to the supervision. Theoretically, the article is based on a communicative approach to didactics, and methodologically on a mixed method design with quantitative survey data and qualitative data. At the center of the analysis, we put the narratives of the students, and their experiences of the supervision. Based on the analysis we find that online supervision is practiced with the use of a variety of online formats, where different formats contribute with very different aspects to the students writing processes. The analysis stresses a discrepancy concerning the students’ conception of function attached to the use of different formats and practices of supervision. We conclude by addressing, that different conceptions of function are related to the lack of didactical knowledge of, how different online formats used in supervision contribute with very different aspects to the students writing processes.Artiklen præsenterer fund og resultater fra en undersøgelse af det virtuelle vejledningsforløb i forbindelse vejledningen af gymnasieelevers større tværfaglige opgave, studieretningsprojektet (SRP) eller studieområdet (SOP) under skolenedlukninger grundet Covid-19. Fokus retter sig mod, hvordan vejledningen didaktisk udmøntede sig i det virtuelle rum. Dette undersøges gennem en analyse af, hvad indholdet for vejledningen har været, hvordan den har formet sig, og hvilke formål der knytter sig dertil. Undersøgelsen tager elevernes perspektiv ift. de tre spørgsmål. Artiklen baserer sig metodisk på et mixed method-design med kvantitative data fra surveys og kvalitative data fra vejledningsobservationer og interviews med elever indsamlet i april 2020, dvs. midt under skolenedlukningerne. Gennem analyserne viser vi, at den virtuelle vejledning er præget af en mangfoldighed af virtuelle vejledningsformater. Analyserne peger på, et stort potentiale knyttet til brugen af de forskellige online vejledningsformater. Analyserne viser imidlertid også en uoverensstemmelse mellem de formål, eleverne knytter til de forskellige formater, og de praktikker vi kan udlede af vejledningshændelserne.  Et centralt fund er, at forskelligartede forståelser af vejledningsformaters funktion er forbundet med en manglende didaktisk bevidsthed om, hvad de forskellige virtuelle vejledningsformater kan bidrage med

Engaging Learners in Synchronous Online Training Using Facial Expression Analysis Technology

The rapid growth of digitalization and the rise in the number of remote work environments have amplified the importance of remote training using online learning platforms. The effectiveness of these online trainings heavily relies on various factors such as training content, methods and duration, trainer skills, and the technology platforms used in trainings. In addition to these internal, and generally, controllable factors, various uncontrollable factors also have a significant impact on the overall learning experience and outcomes. Consideration of cultural, generational, linguistic factors in addition to gender and race-related factors is essential in increasing the effectiveness of online training efforts. The purpose of this study is to investigate how facial recognition technology can aid in creating an engaging learning experience for diverse participants in online synchronous training. In particular, the study explores factors affecting the learning experience through an empirical analysis. Incorporating learners’ feedback, practical design methods are delineated to form a highly inclusive and engaging learning model using facial expressions analysis

Customizable Modality Pathway Learning Design: Exploring Personalized Learning Choices through a Lens of Self-Regulated Learning

Open online courses provide a unique opportunity to examine learner preferences in an environment that removes several pressures associated with traditional learning. This mixed methods study sought to examine the pathways that learners will create for themselves when given the choice between an instructor-directed modality and learner-directed modality. Study participants were first examined based on their levels of self-regulated learning. Follow-up qualitative interviews were conducted to examine the choices that participants made, the impact of the course design on those choices, and what role self-regulation played in the process. The resulting analysis revealed that participants desired an overall learning experience that was tailored to personal learning preferences, but that technical and design limitations can create barriers in the learning experience. The results from this research can help shape future instructional design efforts that wish to increase learner agency and choice in the educational process