A literature review of the use of Web 2.0 tools in Higher Education

This review focuses on the use of Web 2.0 tools in Higher Education. It provides a synthesis of the research literature in the field and a series of illustrative examples of how these tools are being used in learning and teaching. It draws out the perceived benefits that these new technologies appear to offer, and highlights some of the challenges and issues surrounding their use. The review forms the basis for a HE Academy funded project, ‘Peals in the Cloud’, which is exploring how Web 2.0 tools can be used to support evidence-based practices in learning and teaching. The project has also produced two in-depth case studies, which are reported elsewhere (Galley et al., 2010, Alevizou et al., 2010). The case studies focus on evaluation of a recently developed site for learning and teaching, Cloudworks, which harnesses Web 2.0 functionality to facilitate the sharing and discussion of educational practice. The case studies aim to explore to what extent the Web 2.0 affordances of the site are successfully promoting the sharing of ideas, as well as scholarly reflections, on learning and teaching

Social media in collaborative learning in higher education : a qualitative case study of teachers’ and students’ views

In this study, it was investigated how social media are used in collaborative learning in higher education and also how it can be better used in teaching and learning according to the students and teachers. The research questions of this study were: 1) How social media are used in collaborative learning by the teachers and students in higher education for educational purposes? 2) How could social media be used in collaborative learning process in higher education, according to the students and teachers? Qualitative interviews were conducted to collect the data from ten students and five teachers from the different faculties of University of Lapland and Lapland University of Applied Sciences. In conclusion it was found that, social media were not much used in collaboration with teachers by the students of both institutions. In case of teachers, it was found that all of them were using social media in their collaborative ways of teaching design and they have found social media as useful tool to deliver their teaching. Most of the students and all the teachers found social media to be useful in their teaching and learning. But there were also some challenges faced and areas of improvements identified by them. Thus the higher educational institutions should understand the importance of using social media in teaching and learning and take initiatives to overcome the current challenges identified by the students and teachers

Quality Assessment for E-learning: a Benchmarking Approach (Third edition)

The primary purpose of this manual is to provide a set of benchmarks, quality criteria and notes for guidance against which e-learning programmes and their support systems may be judged. The manual should therefore be seen primarily as a reference tool for the assessment or review of e-learning programmes and the systems which support them. However, the manual should also prove to be useful to staff in institutions concerned with the design, development, teaching, assessment and support of e-learning programmes. It is hoped that course developers, teachers and other stakeholders will see the manual as a useful development and/or improvement tool for incorporation in their own institutional systems of monitoring, evaluation and enhancement

Blogs in Higher Education : encouraging self-reflective learning in group assessments for Business Students

This article analyses and assesses the inclusion of blogs in higher education learning and teaching, and its use as an enabler for reflective learning, particularly in the context of group work. The research reports on findings from existing literature and from an isolated ob-servation of a class of 130 business students at undergraduate level. Two main areas for discussion have been defined: the impact of blogs on group work and the impact of blogs on student engagement. It has been found that the use of blogs in teaching and assessment deepens students’ individual learning experience and increases group performance through the application of Kolb’s Learning Cycle. Kolb’s theory has been used as guidance in tailoring blog tasks and activities. Overall, blog activities have minimised issues between group members and allowed for a more flexible and positive learning experience throughout the duration of group work; it was also found that students engaged in blog writing were able to motivate their peers to write on their own blogs too. Moreover, a relation between blog writing and better overall achievement in learning has been found.Peer reviewe

Virtual pedagogical model: development scenarios

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Social Media for Cities, Counties and Communities

Social media (i.e., Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube) and other tools and services with user- generated content have made a staggering amount of information (and misinformation) available. Some government officials seek to leverage these resources to improve services and communication with citizens, especially during crises and emergencies. Yet, the sheer volume of social data streams generates substantial noise that must be filtered. Potential exists to rapidly identify issues of concern for emergency management by detecting meaningful patterns or trends in the stream of messages and information flow. Similarly, monitoring these patterns and themes over time could provide officials with insights into the perceptions and mood of the community that cannot be collected through traditional methods (e.g., phone or mail surveys) due to their substantive costs, especially in light of reduced and shrinking budgets of governments at all levels. We conducted a pilot study in 2010 with government officials in Arlington, Virginia (and to a lesser extent representatives of groups from Alexandria and Fairfax, Virginia) with a view to contributing to a general understanding of the use of social media by government officials as well as community organizations, businesses and the public. We were especially interested in gaining greater insight into social media use in crisis situations (whether severe or fairly routine crises, such as traffic or weather disruptions)

Overcoming isolation in distance learning: Building a learning community through time, space and sector

The rise in popularity of distance education programmes, taught through web-based media, belies the difficulty in preparing, delivering and studying on such programmes. Preparing and providing quality material and a rich learning experience are key challenges. The physical and temporal separation of tutor and student, and between students themselves, can lead to feelings of isolation. The lack of interaction and discussion between students on non-cohort based courses lessens the richness of the learning experience and omits a significant element of the constructivist approach to learning. In order to provide maximum flexibility for students to study at a time, pace and subject issue of their choosing, the University of the West of England’s (UWE) MA Spatial Planning programme is delivered entirely online at a distance and asynchronously.This research investigates this pedagogic problem through examining the experiences of distance learning students at UWE, exploring issues and barriers to collaborative study, and exploring student isolation. Recommendations are generated for building a learning community on a non-cohort asynchronous programme of study. These include: providing service level agreements to clarify expectations; designating ‘staging points’ to encourage and motivate; developing student generated content as footprints ‘buried’ in the material; humanising the material; and introducing mechanisms to provide students with their peer’s thoughts/views on course material

Investigating Pedagogical Value of Wiki Technology

This exploratory study investigates the potential of Wiki technology as a tool for teaching and learning. Wikis are a component of Web 2.0 technology tools that provide collaborative features and active learning opportunities in a web-based environment. This research study sought to empirically determine the pedagogical value of using Wiki technology in university courses. An instrument comprised of four constructs: Learning/Pedagogy, Motivation, Group Interaction, and Technology was developed and tested using reliability and validity as being capable of assessing student perceptions of value of Wiki technology. Hypotheses were tested to determine if factors such as age, gender, work experience, and web development experience influence students’ satisfaction with Wiki technology. Best practices for using Wikis in the classroom, student concerns, and lessons learned by the researchers when implementing Wikis for instruction are discussed in this study. The authors hope that understanding the use of Wiki technology will provide practitioners and researchers an opportunity to develop pedagogically effective Wiki learning environments