Virtual Leadership Matters: Capturing its Role in Facilitating Knowledge Sharing in Virtual Learning Environment

Many educational institutions and organizations have attempted to encourage knowledge sharing by implementing virtual learning communities. During the Coronavirus pandemic, how to utilize virtual communication technologies to effectively facilitate knowledge sharing among geographically dispersed learners (specifically in education institutions) has become an extremely urgent issue. Our study investigated 88 undergraduate students (nested in 10 groups) from a University in Southwest China. The research results reveal that self-presence and virtual member trust are the primary determinants in facilitating knowledge sharing (explicit vs tacit) in a virtual learning environment. Additionally, considering the challenges of forming effective collaborations in VLE (e.g., a great number of participants, environmental uncertainty, and one-way oriented communication), virtual leadership for improving the coordination of joint activities was developed. Virtual leadership improves the climate of a virtual learning environment by strengthening the relationships between self-presence/virtual member trust and knowledge sharing. Finally, the positive inter-relationship of explicit/tacit knowledge sharing and team performance is confirmed in our research

Developing study skills through technology supported learning

Report of a CELT project on supporting students through innovation and researchThe project described in this paper sought to develop generic study skills materials for a wide constituency of students. The learning materials defined in the project brief were to be technology rich and transferable to schools and departments beyond the School of Education (SEd). At the time of initial conception SEd was planning the creation of a set of 5 inter-related and self-supporting WOLF topics ��� WOLF is the University of Wolverhampton���s (UoW) virtual learning environment (VLE). WOLF topics (a discrete unit within the VLE framework), at that time, tended to be module specific; those planned by SEd were intended to provide an overarching resource for the variety of subject and professional routes within the school. Where micro topic describes module level and meso topic describes subject level then the intention was to create 5 macro topics one of which contained technology rich resources concerned with the development of students��� study skills

Innovative Food Systems Teaching and Learning:overcoming disciplinary and teaching silos to fix the food system

[EN] While inter-university and interdisciplinary research projects are very common in Higher Education (HE), inter-university and interdisciplinary teaching programmes are still very rare. This paper reflects on the first year of the Innovative Food Systems Teaching and Learning (IFSTAL) programme. IFSTAL is a three-year project funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) with the aim of bringing together postgraduate students from very different programmes to learn about food and farming beyond their own disciplines. IFSTAL creates learning environments and activities that encourage students to think systemically about the transdisciplinary challenges facing the food system. IFSTAL combines both face to face events and an inter-university virtual learning environment (VLE) that was created from scratch for this project. At the end of its first year, a survey was carried out to evaluate the programme and inform the structure for year two (Y2). Survey data revealed students preferred interacting at face to face events over the shared VLE. The programme for Y2 was re-designed to incorporate more flipped classroom features with an andragogy-based approach.Ajates Gonzalez, R. (2017). Innovative Food Systems Teaching and Learning: overcoming disciplinary and teaching silos to fix the food system. En Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Higher Education Advances. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 503-510. https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAD17.2017.5271OCS50351

Designing Heritage Itineraries in Trainee Teachers Through Virtual Inter-University and Collaboration Groups: The Examples of Barcelona and La Laguna in Social Sciences Teaching

In the following paper, we present some general results of an innovative teaching experience carried out by the University of La Laguna (ULL) and the University of Barcelona (UB). The project took place during a 6-week period by applying for cooperative work among early childhood (n = 109) and primary (n = 86) education trainee teachers in a selected virtual environment (ULL). One of the key aspects was the inter-university student's grouping among both bachelor programs (early childhood and primary). The project had two main aims, which are as follows: (1) to familiarize students with heritage itineraries as key tools for the teaching of Social Sciences and (2) to develop professional competencies related to the coordination of teachers among educational levels, teaching, and learning strategies when using historical heritage and improving digital competencies. To achieve these aims, a three-phase intervention was designed (planning, design, and evaluation), all including active learning and the use of local environments as a teaching resource. To investigate the outcomes of the project, two sources of data were analyzed, namely, the results of a rubric and an opinion questionnaire (Cronbach's α = 0.693), applied pre- (n = 185), and post- (n = 152) intervention. The descriptive statistical analysis was carried out with the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS; v. 22) showing the positive learning outcomes of the participants. The rubric's results showed that collaborative work and skills development scored higher, while contents of Social Sciences and the handling of heritage itineraries as teaching strategies were correct but lower than the other parameters analyzed. The questionnaire showed a positive perception of working together in consecutive educational levels and of the uses of digital technology for collaborative work but also indicated some difficulties regarding group organization, especially in the first weeks. The main results of the project highlight several aspects. (1) The need to apply pedagogical, technological, and educational resources to promote active and meaningful learning in future teachers. (2) The need to use virtual environments as learning and communication spaces in inter-university contexts, and (3) the importance of using local environments as scenarios for teaching Social Sciences

COVID-19 pandemic providing a window of opportunity for higher education: Case study of a three-country teaching-learning experience

Aim: Since March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has been causing unprecedented challenges to higher education by disrupting traditional face-to-face teaching as well as international mobility of students, faculty and staff. The factual knock-out of established modes of teaching and learning and the restriction of international travel called for rapid action and a shift towards remote learning and teaching. Methods: Within the framework of a pragmatic approach, global health faculty from Fulda University of Applied Sciences in Germany and York University in Canada, including a small group of public health students from Cluj in Romania, established a globally networked learning environment. Between November and December 2020, a total of 147 students participated in joint virtual lectures and international collaborative group projects. To capture the acceptance and effectiveness of the innovative didactic experience, a semi-structured student survey was conducted directly after the last session. Results: The overall rating of internet-based cross-university teaching-learning was positive: Students reported benefits of an enriched learning experience through the sharing of different perspectives, approaches and debates with international professors and peers. Success and overcoming challenges for collaboration among students depended strongly on the level of coordination relating to time differences and expectations. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed that transnational inter-university teaching-learning is feasible, provides a beneficial pedagogic option and points promising ways to the future.   Conflict of interest: None declared.   Acknowledgements: We gratefully acknowledge the contributions of Prof. Dr. Kai Michelsen and Prof. Dr. Marius I. Ungureanu to the development of the three-country teaching-learning experience

COVID-19 pandemic providing a window of opportunity for higher education: Case study of a three-country teaching-learning experience

Aim: Since March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has been causing unprecedented challenges to higher education by disrupting traditional face-to-face teaching as well as international mobility of students, faculty and staff. The factual knock-out of established modes of teaching and learning and the restriction of international travel called for rapid action and a shift towards remote learning and teaching. Methods: Within the framework of a pragmatic approach, global health faculty from Fulda University of Applied Sciences in Germany and York University in Canada, including a small group of public health students from Cluj in Romania, established a globally networked learning environment. Between November and December 2020, a total of 147 students participated in joint virtual lectures and international collaborative group projects. To capture the acceptance and effectiveness of the innovative didactic experience, a semi-structured student survey was conducted directly after the last session. Results: The overall rating of internet-based cross-university teaching-learning was positive: Students reported benefits of an enriched learning experience through the sharing of different perspectives, approaches and debates with international professors and peers. Success and overcoming challenges for collaboration among students depended strongly on the level of coordination relating to time differences and expectations. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed that transnational inter-university teaching-learning is feasible, provides a beneficial pedagogic option and points promising ways to the future. Conflict of interest: None declared. Acknowledgements: We gratefully acknowledge the contributions of Prof. Dr. Kai Michelsen and Prof. Dr. Marius I. Ungureanu to the development of the three-country teaching-learning experience

The role of the “Inter-Life” virtual world as a creative technology to support student transition into higher education

The shape of Higher Education (HE) in the UK and internationally is changing, with wider access policies leading to greater diversity and heterogeneity in contemporary student populations world-wide. Students in the 21st Century are often described as “fragmented”; meaning they are frequently working whilst participating in a full time Degree programme. Consequently, those in the HE setting are required to become “future ready” which increasingly involves the seamless integration of new digital technologies into undergraduate programmes of teaching and learning. The present study evaluated the effectiveness of the “Inter-Life” three-dimensional virtual world as a suitable Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) tool to support the initial stages of transition from school into university. Our results demonstrate that Inter-Life is “fit for purpose” in terms of the robustness of both the educational and technical design features. We have shown that Inter-Life provides a safe space that supports induction mediated by active learning tasks using learner-generated, multi-modal transition tools. In addition, through the provision of private spaces, Inter-Life also supports and fosters the development of critical reflective thinking skills. However, in keeping with the current literature in the field, some of the students expressed a wish for more training in the functional and social skills required to navigate and experience the Inter-Life virtual world more effectively. Such findings resonate with the current debate in the field which challenges the notion of “digital natives”, but the present study has also provided some new evidence to support the role of virtual worlds for the development of a suitable community to support students undergoing transition to university

The future of information systems-using social systems to create protocols for the virtual environment (systems analysis through social analysis)

Information is the medium for communication, power-play, politics, and the building block for knowledge systems. It is associated with social interaction, and can be mediated by technology use. The paper argues that the key to understanding the impact of future technologies lies in the interaction between the social and technical environment. It suggests that future technologies such as virtual reality make necessary a move away from traditional methods of systems analysis and design. The interactive nature of such technology requires a validation in the social environment. The paper proposes the creation of protocols (a set of universally applicable standards) for the virtual environment. It suggests that information systems are split into three protocols: physical, learning, and cultural protocols. Finally it illustrates that their influence over each other can be understood by applying structuration theor