Interactive and collaborative blended learning for undergraduates

This is an ESCalate research project from 2008 led by the University of Exeter. The aim of this project was to investigate ways of using new technologies for collaborative online learning in a blended learning context. A variety of interactive online learning tasks and e-learning tools such as wikis, discussion forums and concept maps were used for both independent learning and assessment purposes. The research was intended to show whether a more flexible approach to the use of these new technologies could promote engagement and raise the perceived quality of the learning experience of students leading to an improved e-learning confidence for the undergraduate group with better participation in online critical discussion and collaborative work. An additional outcome was the development of online tutoring skills for tutors and the opportunity to trial a range of blended learning materials and methodologies. The project involved 92 first year undergraduates from Education Studies and Childhood and Youth Studies degree programmes following a newly constructed blended learning modul

Virtual Collaboration in the Online Educational Setting: A Concept Analysis

This study was designed to explore the concept of virtual collaboration within the context of an online learning environment in an academic setting. Rodgers’ method of evolutionary concept analysis was used to provide a contextual view of the concept to identify attributes, antecedents, and consequences of virtual collaboration. Commonly used terms to describe virtual collaboration are collaborative and cooperative learning, group work, group interaction, group learning and teamwork. A constructivist pedagogy, group-based process with a shared purpose, support and web-based technology are required for virtual collaboration to take place. Consequences of virtual collaboration are higher order thinking and learning to work with others. A comprehensive definition of virtual collaboration is offered as an outcome of this analysis. Clarification of virtual collaboration prior to using it as a pedagogic tool in the online learning environment will enhance nursing education with the changes in nursing curriculum being implemented today. Further research is recommended to describe the developmental stages of the collaborative process among nursing students in online education and how virtual collaboration facilitates collaboration in practice

An experimental study of satisfaction response: Evaluation of online collaborative learning

On the one hand, a growing amount of research discusses support for improving online collaborative learning quality, and many indicators are focused to assess its success. On the other hand, thinkLets for designing reputable and valuable collaborative processes have been developed for more than ten years. However, few studies try to apply thinkLets to online collaborative learning. This paper introduces thinkLets to online collaborative learning and experimentally tests its effectiveness with participants' responses on their satisfaction. Yield Shift Theory (YST), a causal theory explaining inner satisfaction, is adopted. In the experiment, 113 students from Universities in Beijing, China are chosen as a sample. They were divided into two groups, collaborating online in a simulated class. Then, YST in student groups under online collaborative learning is validated, a comparison study of online collaborative learning with and without thinkLets is implemented, and the satisfaction response of participants are analyzed. As a result of this comparison, YST is proved applicable in this context, and satisfaction is higher in online collaborative learning with thinkLets

Using Smartphones and Mobile Web 2.0 to Create a Mobile Computing Platform for Tertiary Education.

Today’s smartphones are mobile multimedia computers, in Nokia’s words: “It’s what computers have become”. Smartphone manufacturers have seen the potential to partner with online social software (Web2.0) sites (e.g. Flickr, YouTube, Vox, Ovi etc…) to produce a mobile computing platform to capture and share our daily lives with friends and family, anywhere, anytime. These tools can be utilized within tertiary education to create context independent collaborative learning environments. Pedagogical design of learning experiences using mobile web2.0 allows a tutor to create rich learning environments for students beyond the classroom or lecture theatre. This paper illustrates this by analysing students responses to a third year Product Design project that transformed a traditionally paper-based learning journal into an interactive, collaborative, online eportfolio using mobile web2.0 technologies facilitating an explicit social constructivist pedagogy. Students were provided with a Nokia N95 smartphone, a bluetooth folding keyboard, and a 1GB 3G data account. They created an online eportfolio, and used the smartphones to capture and record learning events and ideas from a variety of contexts. The learning outcomes included the development of a far more media rich and critically reflective collaborative experience than was previously possible using traditional approaches

Collaborative Learning in an Asynchronous Online Introductory Statistics Course

Collaborative learning has been shown to improve student learning and performance; however, the influence of collaboration has not yet been examined in the context of an online introductory statistics course. Often the influence of collaborative learning is measured using only one outcome variable, typically course achievement. This study will contribute a more thorough examination of the influence collaboration has on student learning by operationalizing the learning construct with the use of multiple measures: academic performance, perceived learning, and growth in statistical knowledge. In addition, this study will provide a model for incorporating collaborative learning in an asynchronous online course

Learning Spanish online : emotions and identity in role-play settings : a thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Second Language Teaching, Massey University

This study focuses on the dynamic interaction between the learner, the context, and the target language using as its framework the learner-context interface model (White 1999, 2003, 2005; White, Direnzo & Bortolotto, 2016). The research considers the online learning context as social, collaborative, interactive and dynamic. Using Spanish as the target language, the analysis is guided by one research question: How do emotions and identity contribute to the construction of the learner-context interface in online Spanish role-plays? Data for this research was gathered from a series of voluntary, non-assessed Adobe Connect online technology role-play sessions for Intermediate Spanish distance students at Massey University in New Zealand, and from two Stimulated recall interviews, where the use of the web-cam became significant for the analysis. The data set consisted of Stimulated recall sessions, students’ questionnaires and diaries, and a teacher’s journal. The four role-play sessions took place over a period of two weeks: two sessions of one hour duration each week. Four students participated and all of them had at least an intermediate level of competence in the Spanish language, as well as previous experience in online learning settings. Making use of the rich data collected the study records and analyses the moment-by-moment interactive emergence of emotions -with salience of humour- and identities and how these impact L2 (second language) learning in a technology-mediated L2 classroom. Insights from this research will offer a contribution to the growing study of emotions in L2 learning, as well as to the study of the complex dynamics of identity and language learning, particularly in relation to role-play settings

Collaborative virtual gaming worlds in higher education

There is growing interest in the use of virtual gaming worlds in education, supported by the increased use of multi‐user virtual environments (MUVEs) and massively multi‐player online role‐playing games (MMORPGs) for collaborative learning. However, this paper argues that collaborative gaming worlds have been in use much longer and are much wider in scope; it considers the range of collaborative gaming worlds that exist and discusses their potential for learning, with particular reference to higher education. The paper discusses virtual gaming worlds from a theoretical pedagogic perspective, exploring the educational benefits of gaming environments. Then practical considerations associated with the use of virtual gaming worlds in formal settings in higher education are considered. Finally, the paper considers development options that are open to educators, and discusses the potential of Alternate Reality Games (ARGs) for learning in higher education. In all, this paper hopes to provide a balanced overview of the range of virtual gaming worlds that exist, to examine some of the practical considerations associated with their use, and to consider their benefits and challenges in learning and teaching in the higher education context

Can Online Collaborative Works Offer a Solution to the Over Crowded Classes in Egyptian Universities?

This study investigates tutors’ perception towards students’ group work when they learn online as a proposed solution for overcrowded classes. The study context is the Egyptian Higher Education (HE) system and the research participants were 20 HE tutors who either teach in a blended learning environment or virtual classroom. This research adopted a phenomenological qualitative approach and data were collected through focus groups and one-to-one interviews. The study concluded that online collaborative learning offers opportunities for studying outside the standard brick-and-mortar classroom and potentially overcoming the problem of overcrowded classes. Although such option has certain advantages, it also presents its own challenges. Tutors acknowledged the benefits of online collaborative learning; however, the tutors also raised some cultural and pedagogical concerns they deemed as hindrances to the learning effectiveness as a whole. Recommendations concerning the effective implementation of online collaborative learning are given

Discourses Influencing OU Students' Participation In, and Engagement With, Online Collaborative Learning

Constructivist learning theories have inter-subjectivity at their core, and collaborative learning, where learners work together to build knowledge, is widely considered good pedagogy. In distance learning, collaboration usually occurs online. The Open University includes online collaborative learning across the curriculum, but there is evidence of non-participation, and some students report they do not wish to collaborate. There is little published data on student attitudes towards collaborative learning. This study investigated Open University students' talk and practice around online collaborative learning, and placed it in the context of learning discourses within the University and elsewhere. It was conducted using focus groups, quantitative analysis of social presence during online collaborative learning activities, discourse analysis of University scholarship texts, and evaluation of policy and practice in UK education. Identified issues included lack of trust in other students, cost-benefit analysis including expectation of extrinsic reward through assessment, and reluctance to both share knowledge and value knowledge of other students. Collaborative activities were viewed as discrete tasks to be completed, and to demonstrate transferable skills rather than as learning processes. There was little social presence during the activities, which it is argued indicates lack of engagement with the community. It is suggested that presenting knowledge as bounded within a tightly defined and assessed curriculum conflicts with the exploratory nature of collaborative learning, and can discourage student participation and engagement. There is also conflict between the employability agenda and collaboration as a constructive learning tool. It is recommended that learning collaboratively is presented as an ethos rather than as discrete, formal, product-focused and assessed activities. Group trust and cohesion should be fostered. These recommendations are not limited to the Open University or to online learning