2,086 research outputs found
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How to design for persistence and retention in MOOCs?
Design of educational interventions is typically carried out following a design cycle involving phases of investigation, conceptualization, prototyping, implementation, execution and evaluation. This cycle can be applied at different levels of granularity e.g. learning activity, module, course or programme.
In this paper we consider an aspect of learner behavior that can be critical to the success of many MOOCs i.e. their persistence to study, and the related theme of learner retention. We reflect on the impact that consideration of these can have on design decisions at different stages in the design cycle with the aim of en-hancing MOOC design in relation to learner persistence and retention, with particular attention to the European context
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Moving towards more participatory practice with Open Educational Resources: TESS-India Academic Review
The purpose of this academic review of TESS-India activity in three states (Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha) was to seek evidence for change brought about by TESS-India in teacher education in each of these states. The findings offer informed guidance on future trajectories for TESS-India activity and support discussions with key stakeholders in each of these states.
The overarching goal of TESS-India is to support delivery of quality pedagogic change in teacher education and school classrooms. TESS-India activity is designed to meet identified professional development needs of teachers and teacher educators in each state. Thus it takes a slightly different form in each state, appropriate to local priorities and conditions. The Review focus was similarly differentiated in each state to align to TESS-India activity in that state.
The review field work was carried out by academics from the Open University UK and the Head Academic, TESS-India Country Office, between 30 January and 4 February 2017. It adopted an essentially qualitative approach to understand educatorsâ (trainee teachers, teachers, local teacher educators and DIET faculty) experiences with the TESS-India resources and the influence of this engagement on their pedagogic practice. Data was generated from multiple sources including analysis of key documentation, semi-structured interviews with teachers, teacher educators and policy makers, and classroom observation. Teachers, teacher educators and SRG members were sampled at different locations within each state.
The focus of TESS-India activity to date has been to strengthen the existing government (state) educational system at the elementary stage - SCERT, SSA, DIETS, DEO, DPC (SSA), BEO, BRP, BRC, CRCC, HT, Teacher, Child â in alignment with national policies, frameworks and the RTE Act. The project aims at supplementing and complementing GoI and State specific efforts and activities. Although TESS-India has produced original Open Educational Resources (OER) to support educators working in the secondary stage, as yet there is very little evidence of sustained TESS-India activity with this phase of schooling or with the TESS-India School Leader OER. The review findings are therefore focussed on activity at the elementary stage and are reported at different levels of the system in line with the TESS-India theory of change.
The report found that use of TESS-India OER is contributing to quality change in classrooms with students and trainee teachers.
⢠SRG members met by the review team were using the TESS-India OER and described how this use was prompting them to experiment with more interactive and participatory practices.
⢠Teachers observed and / or interviewed by the review team were drawing on TESS-India OER to inform their lesson planning and subsequent teaching.
Evidence seen by the review team (learning journals and learning plans) indicates that the practices being developed by these teachers are shared by other teachers in the cohort of teachers participating in TESS-India focus district activity.
However the innovation in practice and transformation in pedagogy promised by TESS-India OER is still in the early stages and the evidence is highly emergent. But, critically, through engagement with the MOOC and other TESS-India learning resources, policy makers and lead teacher educators (for example SCERT Directors) are changing their thinking about teacher professional development, moving away from cascade models to a focus on continuous professional development and learning of teachers in their classrooms with support from teacher educators/ experts, either virtually or face-to face
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Extending the MOOC footprint: supporting capacity building in India
Higher education institutions across the world have enthusiastically embraced the MOOC phenomena for multiple motives; to advance the reach of their social justice missions; to promote their accredited provision; to experiment with new modes and styles of teaching, and so on.
Our ambition in using a MOOC was very different; we drew on the affordances of an established MOOC platform, Open EdX, to extend the reach and impact of a large scale open programme (TESS-India) focussed on improvements in teaching and learning in seven states in India (www.tess-india.edu.in). TESS-India aims for pedagogic transformation for teachers working in elementary and lower secondary schools through participation in the practices of the TESS-India OER. Within the design of TESS-India the MOOC was intended to play a critical role in supporting the capacity building of teacher educators to close the policy âpractice gap and support engagement of teachers with the OER.
This paper describes how we addressed the broader programme demands in the design and delivery of the TESS-India MOOC to attract over 10,000 registered participants and a completion rate of 51%. We draw on multiple sources of participant data to identify and examine features which stimulated a buzz around the MOOC and supported success in challenging contexts - many participants had little or no prior experience of online learning and a large number were based in rural areas without reliable internet access or power. Our analysis identifies features which contributed to successful participation; a focus on authentic activities in the learning design and assessment, appropriate use of technology, a three-way blended support model combining formal and informal interactions and the use of a pilot iteration of the MOOC to create local experts and champions who were then able to act as skilled facilitators in the large scale iteration of the MOOC
Gamification and Advanced Technology to Enhance Motivation in Education
This book, entitled âGamification and Advanced Technology to Enhance Motivation in Educationâ, contains an editorial and a collection of ten research articles that highlight the use of gamification and other advanced technologies as powerful tools for motivation during learning. Motivation is the driving force behind many human activities, especially learning. Motivated students are ready to make a significant mental effort and use deeper and more effective learning strategies. Numerous studies indicate that playing promotes learning, since when fun pervades the learning process, motivation increases and tension is reduced. Therefore, games can be very powerful tools in the improvement of learning processes from three different and complementary perspectives: as tools for teaching content or skills, as an object of the learning project itself and as a philosophy to be taken into account when designing the training process. Each contributions presented in this book falls into one of these categories; that is to say, they all deal with the use of games or related technologies, and they all study how playing enhances motivation in education
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