Gender issues in computer‐supported learning

Contemporary research identifies significant gender‐related differences in performance and interaction style in computer‐supported learning (CSL) environments. Evidence suggests that initial perceptions of these environments as democratic and offering equal opportunities to all students were flawed because interactions that take place through electronic channels lose none of the sociocultural complexity or gender imbalance that already exists within society. This paper presents a summary of gender‐related issues identified by international research and academic practice together with the opinions expressed by participants in a discussion forum staged at Alt‐C in 2001. Two main questions were addressed during the conference forum. Firstly, if computer access and literacy levels are assumed to be equalizing as the literature suggests, how can educational designers using CSL technologies best serve all student groups? Secondly, does the existence of gender‐based differences in behaviour and interaction style in CSL environments mean that any student group is disadvantaged? The paper concludes with suggestions about how educational designers might increase the flexibility of CSL courses to offer equal opportunities to all students. A number of issues for further research are also identified

Editorial ‐ Time for an experiment

This issue of the journal contains six very different papers exploring the issues around the use of learning technologies, which reflect the growing diversity of research interests and activities in this area. Oliver, Bradley and Boyle describe a project that is concerned with the development of online courses as part of a pan-European virtual university. The issues raised by the paper are timely given the current national initiative to develop a UK euniversity. McSporran and Young consider the impact of gender issues on online learning and contend that there is evidence to suggest that women achieve better results than men and that it is the loner male that is disadvantaged by distance learning. Condron reports on a TLTP (Teaching and Learning Technology Programme) 3 project and in particular on the use of electronic resources to support dialogue in small-group teaching. Campbell, Littlejohn and Duncan also look at resources but from the perspective of encouraging the reuse of academic resources as part of an initiative to develop a Scottish electronic staff development library. Shaikh and Macaulay report on a study of the use of groupware to support collaborative learning. Finally, Davies and Denning identify six conceptual areas which they suggest are of relevance and significance for online behaviour

Gender approach and use of ICT in education

Information systems are now an integral part of corporate management techniques. As information and communication technologies, they are social objects whose acceptance or rejection strongly depends on the learning context. The aim of our research is to clarify the main user behavior factors related to information and communication technologies for education, taking into account the gender approach in the specific context of higher education.This paper reviews theoretical issues related to gender and ICT in light of views developed by feminist studies

Gender differences in students’ preferences using communication technologies to support learning: the case of Portuguese Higher Education

The main goal of the research project presented in this paper is to contribute towards a wider understanding about the use of Communication Technologies in Portuguese Public Higher Education Institutions, with a special focus on gender related issues regarding the students' perception and evaluation of the use of these technologies in supporting learning activities. Within this project this paper focuses on the results obtained about gender related differences in the activities that students prefer to carry out in learning contexts. The project already mentioned is an descriptive and exploratory study and the data was collected using an online questionnaire made available to students of all Portuguese Public Higher Education Institutions. A validated sample of 2207 students (865 boys and 1342 girls) from 36 Higher Education Institutions participated in this study. The findings indicate gender differences in student preferences using Communication Technologies in learning contexts. Female students seem to prefer learning using text-based conversation over e-mail more than male students do, and boys prefer to use programs they can control, such as video games. Significant differences between males and females are found in activities such as: contributing to websites, blogs or wikis and in learning through the creation or listening podcasts. In both cases, we noticed, through collected data analysis, that male students seem to prefer these activities more than female students. On the other hand, no gender differences were found in students preferences concerning the use of social networking applications and in the use of instant messaging in learning contexts. The results of this study are expected to be helpful for Portuguese Higher Education Institutions for they may allow a better understanding of the students' perceptions about the use of Communication Technologies in supporting learning processes

Responsible research and innovation in science education: insights from evaluating the impact of using digital media and arts-based methods on RRI values

The European Commission policy approach of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) is gaining momentum in European research planning and development as a strategy to align scientific and technological progress with socially desirable and acceptable ends. One of the RRI agendas is science education, aiming to foster future generations' acquisition of skills and values needed to engage in society responsibly. To this end, it is argued that RRI-based science education can benefit from more interdisciplinary methods such as those based on arts and digital technologies. However, the evidence existing on the impact of science education activities using digital media and arts-based methods on RRI values remains underexplored. This article comparatively reviews previous evidence on the evaluation of these activities, from primary to higher education, to examine whether and how RRI-related learning outcomes are evaluated and how these activities impact on students' learning. Forty academic publications were selected and its content analysed according to five RRI values: creative and critical thinking, engagement, inclusiveness, gender equality and integration of ethical issues. When evaluating the impact of digital and arts-based methods in science education activities, creative and critical thinking, engagement and partly inclusiveness are the RRI values mainly addressed. In contrast, gender equality and ethics integration are neglected. Digital-based methods seem to be more focused on students' questioning and inquiry skills, whereas those using arts often examine imagination, curiosity and autonomy. Differences in the evaluation focus between studies on digital media and those on arts partly explain differences in their impact on RRI values, but also result in non-documented outcomes and undermine their potential. Further developments in interdisciplinary approaches to science education following the RRI policy agenda should reinforce the design of the activities as well as procedural aspects of the evaluation research

E-access, e-maturity, e-safety: a learner survey

The report explored young people's access to technology in school and at home and the skills, knowledge and confidence of learners when using technology for learning.In addition, the project has sought to identify any links between learner attitudes, school characteristics, and learners' technological skills, e-confidence and levels of e-maturity. The NFER conducted a large-scale national survey with primary and secondary school learners in England. The survey was administered between November and December 2008, and was completed by over 4,000 learners: 1,990 learners in primary schools (in Year 6) and 2,061 learners in secondary schools (in Year 10)

Game based assessments of cognitive ability in recruitment: Validity, fairness and test-taking experience

Gamification and machine learning are emergent technologies in recruitment, promising to improve the user experience and fairness of assessments. We test this by validating a game based assessment of cognitive ability with a machine learning based scoring algorithm optimised for validity and fairness. We use applied data from 11,574 assessment completions. The assessment has convergent validity (r = 0.5) and test–retest reliability (r = 0.68). It maintains fairness in a separate sample of 3,107 job applicants, showing that fairness-optimised machine learning can improve outcome parity issues with cognitive ability tests in recruitment settings. We show that there are no significant gender differences in test taking anxiety resulting from the games, and that anxiety does not directly predict game performance, supporting the notion that game based assessments help with test taking anxiety. Interactions between anxiety, gender and performance are explored. Feedback from 4,778 job applicants reveals a Net Promoter score of 58, indicating more applicants support than dislike the assessment, and that games deliver a positive applicant experience in practise. Satisfaction with the format is high, but applicants raise face validity concerns over the abstract games. We encourage the use of gamification and machine learning to improve the fairness and user experience of psychometric tests

Gender Aware Approaches in Agricultural Programmes: International Literature Review

This document presents gender aware approaches in agricultural programmes. In response to the persistent inequalities of women in farming despite decades of development assistance, Team Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security at Sida headquarters has initiated a thematic evaluation of how gender issues are tackled in Sida-supported agricultural programmes. The purpose is to increase understanding of how Sida's development assistance in agriculture should be designed, implemented and funded to ensure that female farmers are reached, that their needs as producers are met, and that they are able to benefit from the support to achieve a positive impact on their livelihoods. As part of this, the study also aims to understand the ways in which particular aid modalities impact upon the ability of programmes to reach women farmers effectively. The ILR aims to address the following questions: * Which methodologies and instruments have been used by donors to widen the scope of women's agency in agricultural development programmes? * To what extent has the work of programmes on involving female farmers impacted upon overall agricultural outcomes? * What are the most important lessons? What is working well and what is working not so well (effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability)? Below are recommendations to increase understanding of how Sida's development assistance in agriculture should be designed, implemented and funded to ensure that female farmers are reached, that their needs as producers are met, and that they are able to benefit from the support to achieve a positive impact on their livelihoods