EXPERIENCES OF AND PREFERENCES FOR INTERACTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITIES IN ONLINE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

Thesis (PhD) - Indiana University, School of Education, 2006Given the lack of research on the pedagogical issues of online interactions, this study is conducted to deepen current understanding about student experiences of and preferences for instructional activities that promote learner-instructor, learner-learner, and learner-self interactions in online education. Four overarching research questions were examined in this study: (1) What instructional activities are used to promote online course interactions? (2)What are learner preferences for these instructional activities? (3) Is there a relationship between learner's gender, age, prior educational level, online experience, work status, marital status, or personality and preferences for the instructional activities that promote online class interactions? (4) Why do learners prefer some interactive activities over others? Using survey analyses from 188 online MBA students and 11 follow-up interviews, the study revealed findings at both the technological and pedagogical levels. For instance, learner preferences toward class-level asynchronous discussion ranked quite low even though it was used often in online learning. Results further revealed that the relatively low preferences toward class-level discussion were related to large class size, repetitive postings, and unclear rules and expectations. In general, online learners prefer to engage in all three types of interactions. The preferences decline in the order of learner-instructor, learner-learner, and learner-self interaction. Age is positively related to learner preferences for learner-self interactions, while raising kids is negatively related to learner preference for learner-learner interactions. Other individual characteristics (such as gender, work status, and personality traits) did not demonstrate a significant effect on learner preferences for all three types of interactions. The results of this research suggested the existence of other variables that could better predict learner preferences for online learning interactions

System upgrade: realising the vision for UK education

A report summarising the findings of the TEL programme in the wider context of technology-enhanced learning and offering recommendations for future strategy in the area was launched on 13th June at the House of Lords to a group of policymakers, technologists and practitioners chaired by Lord Knight. The report – a major outcome of the programme – is written by TEL director Professor Richard Noss and a team of experts in various fields of technology-enhanced learning. The report features the programme’s 12 recommendations for using technology-enhanced learning to upgrade UK education

RELEVANCE OF REAL ESTATE EDUCATION TO PRACTICE IN NIGERIA

Attempts to define a common body of knowledge for real estate education have generated a lot of debate in recent years. Some people see estate management as an academic discipline, while others see it as an environmental discipline. This study therefore seeks to research into complaints over the quality of estate management graduates being sent into the labour market yearly, the shortfalls of the current curriculum and effectiveness of the current teaching techniques. The target population was the stakeholders comprising practicing estate surveyors, lecturers and final year students in the Department of Estate Management of three federal tertiary institutions. Two sets of questionnaires were administered in addition to in-depth interviews. The study found out that young graduates of estate management are deficient in valuation, agency, feasibility and viability appraisal, and property management. The study recommended th

A protocol for multidimensional assessment in university online courses

This paper presents a protocol developed for multidimensional assessment for e-learning experiences based on socioconstructivist principles. First, we describe the structure of an e-learning course where the protocol as been developed and tested; second, we describe the protocol and how it has been used in that course. We believe this protocol is a useful tool for a twofold reason: on the one hand, it takes into account the complexity of the pedagogical architecture of socioconstructivist courses – where many teaching models and learning strategies are mixed, different individual and collaborative activities are proposed and students are asked to build a variety of final products. On the other hand, it promotes students’ assumption of responsibility and active role, with a particular reference to self-assessment competences. Instances of how we have applied the protocol will be described in the paper. The assessment protocol we present here is complex, nevertheless flexible. Therefore, although we have tested it in a specific course, it could also be used in similar or simpler course

Enhancing E-learning using Artifact-Based Collaboration

Given the increased focus on e-learning, educators are interested in finding new ways to incorporate techniques that foster active learning. To leverage the asynchronous nature of e-learning settings and provide collaborative learning opportunities for participants that go beyond mere information exchange, this paper proposes an integrated model of collaboration and elearning. This approach ties together two research streams, namely the distributed e-learning environment research and the information systems collaboration research. Further, descriptive categories of collaboration approaches are presented: solution-based collaboration and artifact-based collaboration. An artifact-based collaborative e-learning tool is developed and discussed with the aim to improve the collaborative, e-learning process

Learning to lead student achievement : a mixed methods study on the leadership practices of New Zealand primary school principals : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand

The study’s purpose was to contribute to the understanding of professional learning needs of primary school principals and to provide more information about effective leadership practices which raise student achievement in the context of New Zealand’s self-managing school system. This study employed a mixed methods research design to explore how a group of New Zealand primary principals used their direct and indirect influence to impact student achievement. The principals participated in a pedagogically-based leadership programme over 18 months as first-time principals in 2007. The study was situated within a pedagogical leadership discourse to explore how the principals developed their leadership practices over the decade to 2017. The research took place in two phases. In Phase One, a questionnaire was used to explore how 67 principals had developed their leadership practices during the decade 2007-2017. In Phase Two, 12 volunteer principals participated in interviews and contributed documents for analysis to investigate the influence of principals’ leadership practices on student achievement in New Zealand primary schools. Findings appeared to show that an influence of New Zealand’s self-managing schooling system was to increase principals’ work intensity and reduce principals’ focus on teaching and learning within their schools and the time for reflective practice. This work intensity was particularly noticeable for principals of small schools. Principals’ decision making was strongly linked to their theories of action. Theories of action based on pedagogical leadership better influenced student achievement. However, the findings suggested that principals also required time to influence practices within their schools. Extended time enabled principals to align pedagogical theories of action with learning and teaching activities, integrate new learning, develop relationships, promote dialogue about teaching and learning within the community of practice and embed self-improving processes for reflection and development of teaching practices. Principals’ participation in teachers’ professional development enabled principals to better act as a resource for teachers, engage more effectively in dialogue about teaching and learning, integrate new learning into school-wide practices, and enhance processes which facilitated learning within the community of practice. Establishment of structures which developed a safe and orderly environment and attended to the physical and psychological needs of students, appeared important prior to establishing structures which more directly emphasized classroom teaching and learning. Findings showed that New Zealand primary school principals’ professional learning is heuristic in response to contextual needs. Despite an emphasis on pedagogical leadership within New Zealand education policy and within the principal preparation programme attended by the principals in the study, not all the principals emphasized pedagogical leadership in their practice. Principals developed most of their pedagogical knowledge during their time as teachers. Principals, who continued to develop their pedagogical content knowledge by participating in teachers’ professional development, led high achieving schools. The New Zealand education system, while providing autonomy for principals, relies on a high level of unfunded, informal support from vicarious experts such as experienced principals, school community members or other personal contacts to apprentice the principal in a proportion of the knowledge, skills and dispositions required to fulfil the principal’s role. Local funding of principals’ professional learning leads to inequities of access to professional learning for principals of small and geographically isolated schools. The implications of the study are collaboration is required between practitioners, researchers and policy makers to advance solutions for problems of educational practice and that reduce contextual influences to principals’ workloads and better enable principals to focus on teaching and learning within their schools

Exploring the Leadership Necessary to Develop Teacher Efficacy for Working with Marginalized Students in Support of Improved Student Success: Helping Teachers Develop both the Skill and the Will to do so

My OIP examines the leadership essential for principals to develop teacher efficacy in working with marginalized student populations. Data suggests disconnects between a District vision of success for all and actual student success rates of marginalized students. Research shows that teacher self-efficacy (TSE) and collective teacher efficacy (CTE) correlates directly to student success. Ignoring efficacy as a construct when working to develop teachers is something that must not continue. Principals have a lead role to play. Research on efficacy identifies instructional and transformational leadership practices by principals as influential. Efficacy is a contextual construct. As such, I share an integrated approach to principal leadership building from the theories and practices of instructional, transformational, distributed and inclusive leadership, allowing leadership to be contextual as well. A comprehensive organizational analysis identifies three themes of focus, including principals working in a unionized environment, an absence of equity audits and systemic issues of bias towards marginalized students, and issues with communication practices within the District of focus. Plans for change include developing a shared understanding of Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) and means for developing efficacy through principal leadership between principals and the Teachers’ Union. I propose the development of School Leadership Teams as an overt means of distributing leadership while developing capacity in schools and between schools. Finally, I share plans for the implementation of a number of equity audit tools to inform practice and address issues of bias. The sharing of teacher success through professional learning communities and on-line collaboration platforms takes on increased importance in all three of these plans. My OIP is significant in that it provides a clear path to develop both TSE and CTE through an integrated leadership model for principals, utilizing SCT. I provide also provide a number of future recommendations to build efficacy across a number of other domains in support of increased student success

Influence Learning Tour on Salted Fish Processing Behavior in Product Development in Karangantu Nusantara Fishing Port (NFP)

In an effort to increase revenue, salted fish processors in Karangantu NFP should be able to change the behavior of production from quantity to quality orientation. The increase in revenue will be difficult to achieve if the salted fish products produced still monotonous and traditional and only sold in sacks or cardboard. Development of a quality product is a creative breakthrough to deal with the condition of availability of raw materials which are uncertain and increase revenue. Learning tour activities undertaken by Salted Fish Processing around Karangantu NFP Banten Province effect on their behavior changes in product development. Salted fish processors is quite confident and have high confidence that they are able to imitate the existing model in the city of Cirebon. The formation of the behavior seen in the interest and motivation are very high. Extension method with social learning approach through the learning tour very well developed by the Government in the formation of behavior and motivation. In addition, social communication, social interaction, and cultural contacts that occur through the sharing of information among communities led to the diffusion of innovation reciprocal, so that in case of adoption of innovation, there will be widespread social change. Keywords: learning tour, social learning, behavioral changes, adoption of innovation, social chang

Visualisation of Interactions in Online Collaborative Learning Environments

Much research in recent years has focused on the introduction of ‘Virtual Learning Environments’ (VLE’s) to universities, documenting practice and sharing experience. Communicative tools are the means by which VLE’s have the potential to transform learning with computers from being passive and transmissive in nature, to being active and constructivist. Attention has been directed towards the importance of online dialogue as a defining feature of the VLE. However, practical methods of reviewing and analysing online communication to encode and trace cycles of real dialogue (and learning) have proved somewhat elusive. Qualitative methods are under-used for VLE discussions, since they demand new sets of research skills for those unfamiliar with those methods. Additionally, it can be time-intensive to learn them. This thesis aims to build an improved and simple-to-use analytical tool for Moodle that will aid and support teachers and administrators to understand and analyse interaction patterns and knowledge construction of the participants involved in ongoing online interactions. After reviewing the strengths and shortcomings of the existing visualisation models, a new visualisation tool called the Virtual Interaction Mapping System (VIMS) is proposed which is based on a framework proposed by Schrire (2004) to graphically represent social presence and manage the online communication patterns of the learners using Moodle. VIMS produces multiple possible views of interaction data so that it can be evaluated from many perspectives; it can be used to represent interaction data both qualitatively and quantitatively. The units of analysis can be represented graphically and numerically for more extensive evaluation. Specifically, these indicators are communication type, participative level, meaningful content of discussion, presence of lurkers, presence of moderators, and performance of participants individually and as a group. It thus enables assessment of the triangular relationship between conversationcontent, online participation and learnin