D8.6 Dissemination, training and exploitation results

Mauerhofer, C., Rajagopal, K., & Greller, W. (2011). D8.6 Dissemination, training and exploitation results. LTfLL-project.Report on sustainability, dissemination and exploitation of the LtfLL projectThe work on this publication has been sponsored by the LTfLL STREP that is funded by the European Commission's 7th Framework Programme. Contract 212578 [http://www.ltfll-project.org

Об эволюции терминов, обозначающих дистанционное обучение, с помощью сервиса Google Books Ngram Viewer

Рассмотрена эволюция терминов в области дистанционного, открытого и онлайнового образования и обучения. Анализ проведен с применением сервиса Google Books Ngram Viewer для выявления частоты встречаемости терминов во временном периоде по шести языковым корпусам публикаций. Определены тенденции применения терминов в сфере образования (сравниваются языковые группы), установлена взаимосвязь использования терминов в области образования с экономическими, социальными, политическими, технологическими факторам

The student experience of a blended learning accounting course: a case study in Hong Kong

The research is an inquiry into students’ learning experiences within a blended learning Accounting course in a sub-degree programme at a university in Hong Kong. In this course, the students were required to attend face-to-face classes and to participate in learning activities in the online platform. A case study research approach was adopted that involved 2 classes of 2 teachers and 80 students. Qualitative data were generated through classroom observations, online participation observations, student learning logs and reflections, student focus group interviews, student individual interviews, individual teacher interviews and an individual interview with the course leader. Thematic data analysis was used and a Community of Inquiry (CoI) model was used as a theoretical framework. The analysis showed that the students engaged in learning by integrating traditional and online learning activities and many of these were located within the social, cognitive and teaching presences within the CoI model. However, the students were found to be involved actively in non-prescribed activities that included the use of social network applications. The active learning exploration driven by students’ intrinsic motivation and the consequent collaborative learning among students using social media tools were not reflected in the CoI model. Hence, a new element of autonomy is proposed as an addition to the framework, to reveal the link of autonomous learning to the learning community. By extending the CoI framework, the contribution of this research is to provide a holistic model for the successful design and implementation of blended learning in higher education institutions

The student experience of a blended learning accounting course: a case study in Hong Kong

The research is an inquiry into students’ learning experiences within a blended learning Accounting course in a sub-degree programme at a university in Hong Kong. In this course, the students were required to attend face-to-face classes and to participate in learning activities in the online platform. A case study research approach was adopted that involved 2 classes of 2 teachers and 80 students. Qualitative data were generated through classroom observations, online participation observations, student learning logs and reflections, student focus group interviews, student individual interviews, individual teacher interviews and an individual interview with the course leader. Thematic data analysis was used and a Community of Inquiry (CoI) model was used as a theoretical framework. The analysis showed that the students engaged in learning by integrating traditional and online learning activities and many of these were located within the social, cognitive and teaching presences within the CoI model. However, the students were found to be involved actively in non-prescribed activities that included the use of social network applications. The active learning exploration driven by students’ intrinsic motivation and the consequent collaborative learning among students using social media tools were not reflected in the CoI model. Hence, a new element of autonomy is proposed as an addition to the framework, to reveal the link of autonomous learning to the learning community. By extending the CoI framework, the contribution of this research is to provide a holistic model for the successful design and implementation of blended learning in higher education institutions

Educational Technology and Related Education Conferences for June to December 2011

This potpourri of educational technology conferences includes gems such as “Saving Your Organisation from Boring eLearning” and “Lessons and Insights from Ten eLearning Masters”. And, if you wish, you can “Be an Open Learning Hero”. You will also find that the number of mobile learning conferences (and conferences that have a mobile learning component) have increased significantly. Countries such as China, Indonesia, Japan, and Thailand have shown a keen interest in mobile learning. It would be impossible for you to be present at all the conferences that you would like to attend. But, you could go to the conference website/url during and after the conference. Many conference organizers post abstracts, full papers, and/or videos of conference presentations. Thus, you can visit the conference virtually and may encounter information and contacts that would be useful in your work. The list below covers selected events focused primarily on the use of technology in educational settings and on teaching, learning, and educational administration. Only listings until December 2011 are complete as dates, locations, or URLs are not available for a number of events held after December 2011. But, take a look at the conference organizers who planned ahead in 2012. A Word 2003 format is used to enable people who do not have access to Word 2007 or higher version and those with limited or high-cost Internet access to find a conference that is congruent with their interests or obtain conference proceedings. (If you are seeking a more interactive listing, refer to online conference sites.) Consider using the “Find” tool under Microsoft Word’s “Edit” tab or similar tab in OpenOffice to locate the name of a particular conference, association, city, or country. If you enter the country “Australia” or “Singapore” in the “Find” tool, all conferences that occur in Australia or Singapore will be highlighted. Or, enter the word “research”. Then, “cut and paste” a list of suitable events for yourself and your colleagues. Please note that events, dates, titles, and locations may change; thus, CHECK the specific conference website. Note also that some events will be cancelled at a later date. All Internet addresses were verified at the time of publication. No liability is assumed for any errors that may have been introduced inadvertently during the assembly of this conference list. If possible, do not remove the contact information when you re-distribute the list as that is how I receive updates and corrections. If you mount the list on the web, please note its source

Two-Year and Four-Year Tertiary Education: Measuring Human Capital Effects on Economic Growth in Developing and Developed Countries with the Uzawa-Lucas Model

Tertiary education is believed to be a driver of economic development through the relationship between human capital development and economic output. Global massification efforts of tertiary education have led to increased global demand. Countries with limited tertiary education systems, like developing countries, have employed policies to increase domestic tertiary education opportunities instead of sending students abroad. Many tertiary education policies have focused on importing tertiary education from countries with established tertiary education systems. Import efforts first emphasized university models, but limited success prompted the import of more flexible short-cycle education modeled after the United States’ community college system. Limited empirical research has studied the relationship between tertiary education and economic growth. Currently, there has been no research on the effect of importing U.S. four-year and two-year tertiary education models in other countries and the effect on economic growth. The purpose of this study was to examine differences between two- and four-year U.S. university models implemented in developing countries by examining changes in economic growth. Utilizing country level economic and tertiary education data spanning 1970 to 2013 from The World Bank and the United National Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization Institute for Statistics in the Uzawa-Lucas model with a General Method of Moments (GMM) estimation of an autoregressive distribution lag model to take into account the lagged effect of tertiary education on economic indicators

An exploratory factor analysis and reliability analysis of the student online learning readiness (SOLR) instrument

The purpose of this study was to develop an effective instrument to measure student readiness in online learning with reliable predictors of online learning success factors such as learning outcomes and learner satisfaction. The validity and reliability of the Student Online Learning Readiness (SOLR) instrument were tested using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and reliability analysis. Twenty items from three competencies, i.e. social competencies, communication competencies, and technical competencies, were designated for the initial instrument based on the Student Online Learning Readiness (SOLR) Model as a new conceptual model. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) revealed that four factor-structures of the instrument of student readiness in online learning explained 66.69% of the variance in the pattern of relationships among the items. All four factors had high reliabilities (all at or above Cronbach\u27s alpha\u3e .823). Twenty items remained in the final questionnaire after deleting one item which cross-loaded on multiple factors (social competencies with classmates: five items, social competencies with instructor: five items, communication competencies: four items, and technical competencies: six items). The four-factor structure of the Student Online Learning Readiness (SOLR) has been confirmed through this study. Educators can use the Student Online Learning Readiness (SOLR) instrument in order to discover a better understanding of the level of freshmen college students\u27 online learning readiness by measuring their social, communication, and technical competencies. In addition, this study was looking at two factors of social integration in Tinto\u27s SIM and has introduced the Student Online Learning Readiness (SOLR) conceptual model with the purpose to extend Tinto\u27s social integration to online learning environmen

Thermal Performance Evaluation of TIM Combined with Residential Windows in Different Climatic Regions in Iran

Windows play a significant role in the increase and loss of heat from the building envelope and determine the quantity, quality, and distribution of daylight. A strategy that involves incorporating transparent insulating materials into a double-glazed window offers the potential to provide combined improvements in thermal and daylighting performance. The thermal properties of transparent insulation materials in windows depend on various factors, such as the type of insulation material, thickness, geometry and insulation structure, location, and orientation of the window, among others. The aim of this research is to optimize three criteria: "thickness," "location of transparent insulation relative to window layers," and "direction of the wall with transparent insulation of the building window." The goal is to minimize thermal loads and reduce energy consumption in residential buildings. To achieve this, a real model was selected, and Design Builder software was used to measure the "heating load," "cooling load," and the sum of these two loads as the "total thermal load" for all three criteria in three cities of Iran with different climates: Tehran (moderate climate), Ahvaz (warm climate), and Tabriz (cold climate). The results of the research showed that for the city of Tehran, 3-inch insulation in the middle of the double-glazed window and the south front is optimal. For the city of Tabriz, 5-inch insulation on the inner surface of the window and the western front is optimal. And for the city of Ahvaz, 3-inch insulation on the outer surface of the window and the eastern front is optimal. It is worth noting that the annual heating load and total annual heating load for all three criteria have the highest values in Tabriz city. Therefore, it is recommended to use HSNPS insulation in transparent windows to reduce energy consumption in Tabriz (cold climate)

User interaction in Iraqi blended massive open online course model

Despite the evidence of Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) didactic values, most scholars do not emphasize user interaction (UI), user experience (UX), and MOOC design technique that accommodate the interrelated key components and design methods of MOOC based on different learners’ cultures and languages. As a result, there is a tendency to present MOOC as a challenging and impractical approach. Essentially, there is a lack of conceptual models and methods that comprehensively structure the crucial theories, components, techniques, technologies, and systematic processes of MOOC design. Within this context, this study proposes a blended MOOC (bMOOC) model in order to design, implement, and evaluate the Iraqi-bMOOC platform. To accomplish this, a number of sub-objectives are formed: (1) to determine the current limitations and challenges of MOOC in the higher education context from the perspective of Iraqi students, (2) to identify the design dimensions and components of a bMOOC model, (3) to construct and develop bMOOC model based on objective 2, and (4) to evaluate the user interaction of a bMOOC prototype based on the user experience. This study adopts the Design Science Research methodology as the framework of the research process. Activities of Iraqi-bMOOC model construction include a literature review, a comparative study and content analysis of the existing models, and an expert’s consultation. The proposed model is evaluated through an expert’s review, an experimental test, and user interaction. The results reveal that the majority of users are satisfied with the learning activities in the Iraqi-bMOOC platform. The results from the user interaction testing conclude that the proposed Iraqi-bMOOC model is perceived as significantly providing quality interactive learning as a blended learning resource for university students. This study also finds that the proposed model is well-accepted by the experts. Four major theoretical, practical, empirical, and educational contributions are obtained from this study: (i) collecting and analyzing the literature that has been conducted on MOOCs between 2008 and 2016 to get a deep and better understanding of the MOOC stakeholders and their behaviors, (ii) analytically providing a new understanding of the main components and criteria (Design Dimensions) of effective bMOOC environments that would be of value for developers to construct blended MOOC in the higher education context, (iii) increasing the interaction of Iraqi learners with the learning materials in a higher education environment via the Iraqi-bMOOC, and (iv) breaking down obstacles of traditional education and MOOC for anyone, anywhere, and anytime. In conclusion, it is hoped that this study does not only demonstrate the potential and impact of blended MOOC in technology-enhanced and student-centred learning, but it also provides a capstone for bMOOC research in the higher education context