Supporting graduate teaching assistants in two STEM areas

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Developing e-assessment using the quiz activity within Moodle: empowering student learning

Using formative assessment within Moodle has been shown to encourage self-directed learning (Bromham & Oprandi, 2006). Our experience of using formative assessment quizzes as stand alone entities, as well as within Moodle lessons, has been used to introduce Moodle assessment quizzes over the past year in Level 1 and Level 2 Life Sciences courses. This experience has been distilled to inform the content of this workshop. Some advantages of incorporating assessments in the form of Moodle quizzes are that they allow for quick, reproducible and flexible assessment with a relatively small initial set-up cost, and substantial long-term staff and administration savings. One significant advantage is that staff and room pressures can be reduced as students can attempt the assessment at a time and location of their choice within a specified time period. This flexibility can help to reduce student stress associated with completion of a continuous assessment for their course. It is also a relatively simple process to account for students entitled to extra time during assessments. Providing clear instructions beforehand and at the start of the quiz ensures that students understand their responsibilities for completion of this assessment and ultimately the course. There are some disadvantages and limitations to the system as it currently exists, for example there is the perceived ability for students to “cheat” by completing the assessment as a group, accessing books and the internet. Strategies to account for these can be put in place and will be discussed in detail during the workshop. This workshop aims to take the participants through the initial set up of a quiz, highlighting the various question types and how these can be used to create a challenging assessment that can be quickly graded and prove informative for staff and course development. Reference Bromham L. & Oprandi P. (2006) Evolution online: developing active and blended learning by using a virtual learning environment in an introductory biology course. Journal of Biological Education 41 (1): 21-25

Collaborative trails in e-learning environments

This deliverable focuses on collaboration within groups of learners, and hence collaborative trails. We begin by reviewing the theoretical background to collaborative learning and looking at the kinds of support that computers can give to groups of learners working collaboratively, and then look more deeply at some of the issues in designing environments to support collaborative learning trails and at tools and techniques, including collaborative filtering, that can be used for analysing collaborative trails. We then review the state-of-the-art in supporting collaborative learning in three different areas – experimental academic systems, systems using mobile technology (which are also generally academic), and commercially available systems. The final part of the deliverable presents three scenarios that show where technology that supports groups working collaboratively and producing collaborative trails may be heading in the near future

Collaborative Learning Models on Distance Scenarios with Learning Design: A Case Study

6 págs, 1 fig.-- Publicado en la Sección: "Artículos seleccionados de IEEE ICALT" (ICALT'2008 - Eighth IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies, Santander, Cantabria, Spain, Jul 1-5, 2008).Previamente publicado como ponencia (en inglés) en: Proceedings ICALT'08 - Eighth IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies, 2008, p. 278-282, http://e-archivo.uc3m.es/handle/10016/8964Collaborative learning models are widely used in educational institutions. These models require a high interaction level among students and are mainly oriented towards in-class scenarios. But when collaborative models are deployed in a distant scenario, user expressiveness is significantly reduced thus creating a gap that hinders the effectiveness of this collaboration. A computer-supported model provides a set of tools to compensate for the distant scenario and reduce this gap. This paper presents the issues and solutions derived from the design and deployment of a complex collaborative model in a distant scenario. The course structure was captured using the Learning Design specification, and an architecture based on Virtual Network Computing was used to provide the required collaborative tools. The course was included as part of a regular undergraduate program in three higher educational institutions.Trabajo parcialmente financiado por el Programa Nacional de Tecnologías de la Información y de las Comunicaciones, Proyectos MOSAIC (TSI2005-08225-C07-02/04) y LEARN3 (TIN2008-05163/TSI).Publicad

Student-Centered Learning: Impact Academy of Arts and Technology

This case study is one of four written by SCOPE about student-centered practices in schools. The case studies address the following questions:1. What are the effects of student-centered learning approaches on student engagement, achievement of knowledge and skills, and attainment (high school graduation, college admission, and college continuation and success), in particular for underserved students?2. What specific practices, approaches, and contextual factors result in these outcomes?The cases focus on the structures, practices, and conditions in the four schools that enable students to experience positive outcomes and consider the ways in which these factors are interrelated and work to reinforce each other

InstanceCollage: a tool for the particularization of collaborative IMS-LD scripts

Current research work in e-learning and more specifically in the field of CSCL (Computer Supported Collaborative Learning) deals with design of collaborative activities, according to computer-interpretable specifications, such as IMS Learning Design, and their posterior enactment using LMSs (Learning Management Systems). A script that describes such collaborative activities is typically designed beforehand in order to structure collaboration, and defines the features that determine the behavior of the LMS, for instance, the sequence of activities or the groups/role distribution. In CSCL settings, group management and composition are especially relevant and affect the chances of achieving the expected learning outcomes. This paper presents a software tool, named InstanceCollage, which aims at facilitating the configuration and population of groups for IMS-LD scripts created with the authoring tool Collage, and discusses the implications of the IMS-LD specification with respect to this task. InstanceCollage is designed to process collaboration scripts based on CLFPs (Collaborative Learning Flow Patterns). Using this type of patterns, InstanceCollage focuses on the importance of understanding the function of groups within the learning strategy of the script. This paper describes the approach taken in InstanceCollage to facilitate this understanding for non-expert users. Additionally, two case studies are presented, which represent complex authentic collaborative learning scenarios, as a proof of concept of the functionality of this tool. The case studies are also used to illustrate the requirements of group configuration tools and to show that InstanceCollage complies to such requirements

ANALYSIS OF STAD AND JIGSAW COOPERATIVE LEARNING : A RECOMMENDATION FOR CLASSROOM PRACTICES

Cooperative learning, especially through Jigsaw and STAD methods, is widely employed to enhance student engagement and academic achievement. This research reviews the effectiveness of implementing Jigsaw and STAD cooperative learning in high school English classrooms in Indonesia. The qualitative approach involves library research, analyzing 40 studies spanning 2013 to the present. Findings indicate that both strategies can be applied to all English skills, with STAD more suited for receptive skills and Jigsaw for productive skills. The flexibility of these strategies allows adaptation to diverse student conditions, learning topics, and objectives. Theoretical benefits include insights into implementing these cooperative learning models, aligning with government initiatives like MBKM and the Merdeka curriculum. Practical benefits include guiding educators and researchers in utilizing these strategies effectively. The research underscores the need for proper application and favorable conditions, emphasizing the importance of resources and educator oversight in cooperative learning success

The effect of teaching socioscientific issues with cooperative learning model on pre-service teachers’ argumentation qualities

In this study, the effect of teaching socioscientific issues with cooperative learning model on the argumentation qualities of pre-service teachers was investigated. The study group consisted of 40 primary school pre-service teachers studying at Muş Alparslan University. Exploratory sequential research design was used in this study. In the quantitative dimension of the study, quasi-experimental design with pretest-posttest control group was carried out. In this context, a control and 2 experimental groups were formed. Jigsaw and learning together methods were implemented with the experimental groups and activities suitable for group works were carried out with the control group. In the qualitative dimension, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the pre-service teachers. At the end of the study, the argumentation qualities of the pre-service teachers were evaluated with descriptive analysis and semi-structured interviews were evaluated with content analysis. Findings revealed that cooperative learning methods, especially jigsaw method, positively affect the pre-service teachers' arguments.In this study, the effect of teaching socioscientific issues with cooperative learning model on the argumentation qualities of pre-service teachers was investigated. The study group consisted of 40 primary school pre-service teachers studying at Muş Alparslan University. Exploratory sequential research design was used in this study. In the quantitative dimension of the study, quasi-experimental design with pretest-posttest control group was carried out. In this context, a control and 2 experimental groups were formed. Jigsaw and learning together methods were implemented with the experimental groups and activities suitable for group works were carried out with the control group. In the qualitative dimension, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the pre-service teachers. At the end of the study, the argumentation qualities of the pre-service teachers were evaluated with descriptive analysis and semi-structured interviews were evaluated with content analysis. Findings revealed that cooperative learning methods, especially jigsaw method, positively affect the pre-service teachers' arguments

Analyzing how emotion awareness influences students' motivation, engagement, self-regulation and learning outcome

Starting from Volume 17 Issue 4, all published articles of the Journal of Educational Technology & Society are available under Creative Commons CC-BY-ND-NC 3.0 license.Considering social and emotional competence in learning, emotion awareness aims to detect the emotions that students show during their learning interactions and make these emotions explicit to them. Being aware of their emotions, students become more conscious of their situation, what may prompt them to behavioral change. The main goal of this work is to analyze the effects of emotion awareness, supported by specific teaching strategies, on students’ motivation, engagement, self-regulation and learning outcome in long-term blended collaborative learning practices. A bilateral goal also involves an initial study that explores the way emotion awareness affects teacher’s attitude and feedback as well as the competencies that teachers need to have in order to achieve a positive change on students’ affective and cognitive state. To this end a quasi-experimental study was designed with high school students. The results of this study show that when students are aware of their emotions and guided by specific teaching strategies, their learning performance improves in relation to their motivation, engagement and self-regulation. Likewise, when teachers are conscious of students’ emotional state their attitude and feedback become more effective and timely.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version