1,372 research outputs found
Language learning and technology
By and large, languages, both as first, second or foreign languages remain one of the most important core subjects at every educational level. In early stages, their inclusion in the curriculum is intricately connected with (pre-)literacy practices, but also as a main driver for the successful integration of minority students learning a second language. In addition, the attainment of a certain level of a foreign language by the end of compulsory education is a common goal in most educational systems around the globe. Arguably, the key drivers of success in learning a language range from motivational to attitudinal, but ultimately they also have to do with the amount of target language use, the access to quality input, and especially language teachers' readiness to incorporate the latest educational trends effectively in the language classroom, educational technologies amongst them
Trialing project-based learning in a new EAP ESP course: A collaborative reflective practice of three college English teachers
Currently in many Chinese universities, the traditional College English course is facing the risk of being ‘marginalized’, replaced or even removed, and many hours previously allocated to the course are now being taken by EAP or ESP. At X University in northern China, a curriculum reform as such is taking place, as a result of which a new course has been created called ‘xue ke’ English. Despite the fact that ‘xue ke’ means subject literally, the course designer has made it clear that subject content is not the target, nor is the course the same as EAP or ESP. This curriculum initiative, while possibly having been justified with a rationale of some kind (e.g. to meet with changing social and/or academic needs of students and/or institutions), this is posing a great challenge for, as well as considerable pressure on, a number of College English teachers who have taught this single course for almost their entire teaching career. In such a context, three teachers formed a peer support group in Semester One this year, to work collaboratively co-tackling the challenge, and they chose Project-Based Learning (PBL) for the new course. This presentation will report on the implementation of this project, including the overall designing, operational procedure, and the teachers’ reflections.
Based on discussion, pre-agreement was reached on the purpose and manner of collaboration as offering peer support for more effective teaching and learning and fulfilling and pleasant professional development. A WeChat group was set up as the chief platform for messaging, idea-sharing, and resource-exchanging. Physical meetings were supplementary, with sound agenda but flexible time, and venues. Mosoteach cloud class (lan mo yun ban ke) was established as a tool for virtual learning, employed both in and after class. Discussions were held at the beginning of the semester which determined only brief outlines for PBL implementation and allowed space for everyone to autonomously explore in their own way. Constant further discussions followed, which generated a great deal of opportunities for peer learning and lesson plan modifications. A reflective journal, in a greater or lesser detailed manner, was also kept by each teacher to record the journey of the collaboration. At the end of the semester, it was commonly recognized that, although challenges existed, the collaboration was overall a success and they were all willing to continue with it and endeavor to refine it to be a more professional and productive approach
Music Learning with Massive Open Online Courses
Steels, Luc et al.-- Editors: Luc SteelsMassive Open Online Courses, known as MOOCs, have arisen as the logical consequence of marrying long-distance education with the web and social media. MOOCs were confidently predicted by advanced thinkers decades ago. They are undoubtedly here to stay, and provide a valuable resource for learners and teachers alike.
This book focuses on music as a domain of knowledge, and has three objectives: to introduce the phenomenon of MOOCs; to present ongoing research into making MOOCs more effective and better adapted to the needs of teachers and learners; and finally to present the first steps towards 'social MOOCs’, which support the creation of learning communities in which interactions between learners go beyond correcting each other's assignments. Social MOOCs try to mimic settings for humanistic learning, such as workshops, small choirs, or groups participating in a Hackathon, in which students aided by somebody acting as a tutor learn by solving problems and helping each other.
The papers in this book all discuss steps towards social MOOCs; their foundational pedagogy, platforms to create learning communities, methods for assessment and social feedback and concrete experiments. These papers are organized into five sections: background; the role of feedback; platforms for learning communities; experiences with social MOOCs; and looking backwards and looking forward.
Technology is not a panacea for the enormous challenges facing today's educators and learners, but this book will be of interest to all those striving to find more effective and humane learning opportunities for a larger group of students.Funded by the European Commission's OpenAIRE2020 project.Peer reviewe
On Data-driven systems analyzing, supporting and enhancing users’ interaction and experience
Tesis doctoral en inglés y resumen extendido en español[EN] The research areas of Human-Computer Interaction and Software Architectures have been traditionally treated separately, but in the literature, many authors made efforts to merge them to build better software systems. One of the common gaps between software engineering and usability is the lack of strategies to apply usability principles in the initial design of software architectures. Including these principles since the early phases of software design would help to avoid later architectural changes to include user experience requirements. The combination of both fields (software architectures and Human-Computer Interaction) would contribute to building better interactive software that should include the best from both the systems and user-centered designs. In that combination, the software architectures should enclose the fundamental structure and ideas of the system to offer the desired quality based on sound design decisions.
Moreover, the information kept within a system is an opportunity to extract knowledge about the system itself, its components, the software included, the users or the interaction occurring inside. The knowledge gained from the information generated in a software environment can be used to improve the system itself, its software, the users’ experience, and the results. So, the combination of the areas of Knowledge Discovery and Human-Computer Interaction offers ideal conditions to address Human-Computer-Interaction-related challenges. The Human-Computer Interaction focuses on human intelligence, the Knowledge Discovery in computational intelligence, and the combination of both can raise the support of human intelligence with machine intelligence to discover new insights in a world crowded of data.
This Ph.D. Thesis deals with these kinds of challenges: how approaches like data-driven software architectures (using Knowledge Discovery techniques) can help to improve the users' interaction and experience within an interactive system. Specifically, it deals with how to improve the human-computer interaction processes of different kind of stakeholders to improve different aspects such as the user experience or the easiness to accomplish a specific task.
Several research actions and experiments support this investigation. These research actions included performing a systematic literature review and mapping of the literature that was aimed at finding how the software architectures in the literature have been used to support, analyze or enhance the human-computer interaction. Also, the actions included work on four different research scenarios that presented common challenges in the Human-Computer Interaction knowledge area. The case studies that fit into the scenarios selected were chosen based on the Human-Computer Interaction challenges they present, and on the authors’ accessibility to them. The four case studies were: an educational laboratory virtual world, a Massive Open Online Course and the social networks where the students discuss and learn, a system that includes very large web forms, and an environment where programmers develop code in the context of quantum computing. The development of the experiences involved the review of more than 2700 papers (only in the literature review phase), the analysis of the interaction of 6000 users in four different contexts or the analysis of 500,000 quantum computing programs.
As outcomes from the experiences, some solutions are presented regarding the minimal software artifacts to include in software architectures, the behavior they should exhibit, the features desired in the extended software architecture, some analytic workflows and approaches to use, or the different kinds of feedback needed to reinforce the users’ interaction and experience.
The results achieved led to the conclusion that, despite this is not a standard practice in the literature, the software environments should embrace Knowledge Discovery and data-driven principles to analyze and respond appropriately to the users’ needs and improve or support the interaction. To adopt Knowledge Discovery and data-driven principles, the software environments need to extend their software architectures to cover also the challenges related to Human-Computer Interaction. Finally, to tackle the current challenges related to the users’ interaction and experience and aiming to automate the software response to users’ actions, desires, and behaviors, the interactive systems should also include intelligent behaviors through embracing the Artificial Intelligence procedures and techniques
On data-driven systems analyzing, supporting and enhancing users’ interaction and experience
[EN]The research areas of Human-Computer Interaction and Software Architectures have
been traditionally treated separately, but in the literature, many authors made efforts to
merge them to build better software systems. One of the common gaps between software
engineering and usability is the lack of strategies to apply usability principles in the initial
design of software architectures. Including these principles since the early phases of software
design would help to avoid later architectural changes to include user experience
requirements. The combination of both fields (software architectures and Human-Computer
Interaction) would contribute to building better interactive software that should include the
best from both the systems and user-centered designs. In that combination, the software
architectures should enclose the fundamental structure and ideas of the system to offer the
desired quality based on sound design decisions.
Moreover, the information kept within a system is an opportunity to extract knowledge
about the system itself, its components, the software included, the users or the interaction
occurring inside. The knowledge gained from the information generated in a software
environment can be used to improve the system itself, its software, the users’ experience, and
the results. So, the combination of the areas of Knowledge Discovery and Human-Computer
Interaction offers ideal conditions to address Human-Computer-Interaction-related
challenges. The Human-Computer Interaction focuses on human intelligence, the Knowledge
Discovery in computational intelligence, and the combination of both can raise the support
of human intelligence with machine intelligence to discover new insights in a world crowded
of data.
This Ph.D. Thesis deals with these kinds of challenges: how approaches like data-driven
software architectures (using Knowledge Discovery techniques) can help to improve the users'
interaction and experience within an interactive system. Specifically, it deals with how to
improve the human-computer interaction processes of different kind of stakeholders to
improve different aspects such as the user experience or the easiness to accomplish a specific
task.
Several research actions and experiments support this investigation. These research
actions included performing a systematic literature review and mapping of the literature that
was aimed at finding how the software architectures in the literature have been used to
support, analyze or enhance the human-computer interaction. Also, the actions included work
on four different research scenarios that presented common challenges in the Human-
Computer Interaction knowledge area. The case studies that fit into the scenarios selected
were chosen based on the Human-Computer Interaction challenges they present, and on the
authors’ accessibility to them. The four case studies were: an educational laboratory virtual world, a Massive Open Online Course and the social networks where the students discuss
and learn, a system that includes very large web forms, and an environment where
programmers develop code in the context of quantum computing. The development of the
experiences involved the review of more than 2700 papers (only in the literature review
phase), the analysis of the interaction of 6000 users in four different contexts or the analysis
of 500,000 quantum computing programs.
As outcomes from the experiences, some solutions are presented regarding the minimal
software artifacts to include in software architectures, the behavior they should exhibit, the
features desired in the extended software architecture, some analytic workflows and
approaches to use, or the different kinds of feedback needed to reinforce the users’ interaction
and experience.
The results achieved led to the conclusion that, despite this is not a standard practice in
the literature, the software environments should embrace Knowledge Discovery and datadriven
principles to analyze and respond appropriately to the users’ needs and improve or
support the interaction. To adopt Knowledge Discovery and data-driven principles, the
software environments need to extend their software architectures to cover also the challenges
related to Human-Computer Interaction. Finally, to tackle the current challenges related to
the users’ interaction and experience and aiming to automate the software response to users’
actions, desires, and behaviors, the interactive systems should also include intelligent
behaviors through embracing the Artificial Intelligence procedures and techniques
Supporting teachers in the design and implementation of group formation policies to carry out group learning activities in massive and variable scale on-line learning contexts
Los MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses, Cursos Abiertos Masivos en LÃnea), etiquetados como nuevo paradigma disruptivo en el entorno educativo, son criticados por un amplio sector de la comunidad educativa debido a sus altas tasas de abandono y a su baja calidad instruccional. La inclusión de pedagogÃas activas, tales como el aprendizaje colaborativo, en este tipo de cursos podrÃa mejorar su calidad instruccional, además de aumentar la motivación e implicación de los alumnos. Sin embargo, la escala masiva y sus variaciones durante el curso, dificulta la introducción de dichas pedagogÃas y en especial la formación y mantenimiento de grupos de trabajo de alumnos. El apoyo a los profesores en las tareas de gestión de estos grupos, podrÃa facilitar la adopción de diseños pedagógicos colaborativos. Para abordar esta meta y poder llevar a cabo el desarrollo de herramientas de apoyo a los profesores, es conveniente un conocimiento amplio y profundo del contexto y del problema a acometer, asà como una visión holÃstica del mismo. Por este motivo, este tesis propone como objetivo general, el dar apoyo a los profesores interesados en introducir actividades realizadas en grupo en este tipo de cursos, tanto en el diseño de las polÃticas de agrupación adecuadas para cada situación, como en la implementación de dichas polÃticas dentro de la plataforma educativa elegida. Para ello, se crea un marco conceptual que permita categorizar los factores relevantes a tener en cuenta para formar grupos de alumnos o equipos, en el contexto educativo MOOC, asà como las principales caracterÃsticas de este contexto que pueden influir en dichas agrupaciones. Tomando como base dicho marco, se desarrollan guÃas de diseño con recomendaciones y directrices que ayudan a los profesores a diseñar sus propias polÃticas de agrupación, asà como herramientas informáticas de apoyo, que permitan implementar dichas polÃticas de agrupación en las diferentes plataformas educativas.
A través de tres estudios en MOOCs reales y otras técnicas de investigación, tales como revisión de literatura y opinión de expertos, se han explorado propuestas de agrupación basadas en las analÃticas de aprendizaje y las dinámicas de los alumnos monitorizadas durante el curso. Además, se ha generado un modelo para la creación de guÃas de diseño, y una arquitectura para el desarrollo de herramientas informáticas, independientes de la plataforma educativa elegida, que sirvan para implementar las agrupaciones diseñadas. Tomando como base estos modelos, se han creado pruebas de concepto que han permitido comprobar su viabilidad y su utilidad.Departamento de Informática (Arquitectura y TecnologÃa de Computadores, Ciencias de la Computación e Inteligencia Artificial, Lenguajes y Sistemas Informáticos)Doctorado en Informátic
Indicators for enhancing learners’ engagement in massive open online courses: A systematic review
Massive open online courses (MOOCs) have paved a new learning path for the 21st-century world. The potential to reach a massive geographically dispersed audience is one of the major advantages of MOOCs. Moreover, they can be offered on a self-paced and self-regulated basis and have become an integral part of lifelong learning, especially in workplaces. However, one persistent problem is the lack of learners’ engagement. A harmonisation of studies providing a holistic view into aggregating indicators for enhancing learners’ engagement in MOOCs is lacking. The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated MOOC adoption, and learners’ engagement in MOOCs has become even more essential for the success of this educational innovation. We examine the existing literature to derive indicators important for enhancing learners’ engagement in MOOC learning environments. Using a systematic approach, 83 empirical studies were examined, and 10 indicators were identified as important considerations for enhancing learners’ engagement while designing MOOCs—from initiatives for individual learners to platform and instructional design perspectives. We also present a table describing these indicators and offer a structured discussion on each one. We believe the results provide guidelines for MOOC designers and instructors, educational policymakers, higher education institutions, and MOOC engagement researchers.Peer reviewe
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Developing sustainable business models for institutions’ provision of open educational resources: Learning from OpenLearn users’ motivations and experiences
Universities across the globe have, for some time, been exploring the possibilities for achieving public benefit and generating business and visibility through releasing and sharing open educational resources (OER). Many have written about the need to develop sustainable and profitable business models around the production and release of OER. Downes (2006), for example, has questioned the financial sustainability of OER production at scale. Many of the proposed business models focus on OER’s value in generating revenue and detractors of OER have questioned whether they are in competition with formal education.
This paper reports on a study intended to broaden the conversation about OER business models to consider the motivations and experiences of OER users as the basis for making a better informed decision about whether OER and formal learning are competitive or complementary with each other. The study focused on OpenLearn - the Open University’s (OU) web-based platform for OER, which hosts hundreds of online courses and videos and is accessed by over 3,000,000 users a year. A large scale survey and follow-up interviews with OpenLearn users worldwide revealed that university provided OER can offer learners a bridge to formal education, allowing them to try out a subject before registering on a formal course and to build confidence in their abilities as learners. In addition, it was found that using OER during formal paid-for study can improve learners’ performance and self-reliance, leading to increased retention and satisfaction with the learning experience
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