A Case Study of Instructor Scaffolding Using Web 2.0 Tools to Teach Social Informatics

In the 21st century, also known as the digital era, higher education needs to face the changing technological contexts and to adopt pedagogies and tools for more engaging forms of learning. Despite much publicized enthusiasm about new media and its role in transforming learning in ways aligned with advances and contemporary socio‐cultural perspectives, limited changes have occurred. Nevertheless demand for eLearning worldwide is pushing the boundaries of education and professional activity systems. The central aim of this article is to gain a deeper understanding of how to create successful learning environments with technology-based tools. A model of scaffolded e‐learning, based on current thinking and constructivist learning theory, was adopted for teaching social informatics in a university context. The focus was on evidence-based pedagogies including: (1) authentic learning by applying Pedagogy 2.0 tasks and social media (2) the adoption of scaffolded pedagogy by the instructor to achieve learning outcomes. The methodology used was qualitative, based on teacher pedagogical tasks and activities designed for students in order to establish the success of the types of scaffolding offered and student perceptions of their effectiveness in promoting collaboration and learning. The research demonstrates that technological innovations which are accompanied by pedagogical scaffolding promote effective teaching of social informatics. The research concludes that while Web 2.0 tools can enable engaged, self-regulated learning, students may not always be familiar with the tools or cognitive strategies to support their learning processes. Digital tools such as Twitter and blogs were found to engage students’in real-world activities to learn key concepts, and that task scaffolding was an effective pedagogical approach

STUDENT’S EXPERIENCE OF E-LEARNING, LEARNING PROCESS AND PERCEIVED LEARNING OUTCOMES IN ECONOMIC MATH COURSE

This paper reveals research findings about the effect of E-learning experiences on student learning outcomes felt for Mathematics Economics courses. This study examines perceived learning outcomes in terms of effectiveness, number and productivity of learning in the context of E-learning. The participants were undergraduate students at the School of Economis EKUITAS. The results are interpreted using quantitative and verification research approaches. The results show that the E-learning experience of students is significantly correlated with learning process, and have indirect effect on perceived learning outcomes. This study uses a learning model developed by Biggs and Moore. Specific recommendations for practitioners are also given, and their implications for educators are discussed. Finally, suggestions for further research on E-learning are provided

What Drives Students' Loyalty-Formation in Social Media Learning Within a Personal Learning Environment Approach? The Moderating Role of Need for Cognition

Our study analyzes an educational experience based on the integrated use of social media within a higher education course under a personal learning environment approach and investigates the factors that determine students' loyalty to social media learning. We examined the moderating role of need for cognition (NFC) in students' formation of attitudes, satisfaction, and loyalty toward this learning experience. The results indicate that NFC has an influence on these variables, significantly moderating how loyalty toward social media learning is formed. For high-NFC students, satisfaction with the learning experience is the most important variable to explain loyalty; whereas for low-NFC students, attitudes have a stronger effect. Different strategies are suggested, according to the learners' NFC levels, for increasing the use of social media in personal learning environments. Practical implications for improving the integration of such informal resources into formal education are discussed.Junta de Andalucía – Programa Andaluz de I + D P12 SEJ 259

Online Learning Readiness Among International Students

The United States holds a commanding 22% of the market share of international students, more than double that of the second leading country (United Kingdom). The number of international students studying at U.S. institutions has had a steady incline for decades and these students now make up approximately 5% of all higher education students in the U.S. Even still, there have been previous examinations of international students’ perceptions of online learning readiness. As online and blended learning elements are an integral part of nearly every degree program, and, indeed, nearly every course, it is imperative that we gain a better understanding of what international students perceive to be important, how confident they view themselves on those same items, if there is a difference between what they perceive as important and their confidence, and the effect of demographic factors on these perceptions. This study examines these questions through the Student Readiness for Online Learning instrument developed by Martin et al. (2020) across four subscales: online student attributes, time management, technological competency, and communication competency. Data were gathered from currently enrolled residential international students at U.S. institutions. There were 117 valid respondents. Descriptive statistics, repeated measures ANOVAs, and correlation matrices were used to address the research questions. Data analysis revealed that the average student viewed all four subscales as being between somewhat to very important and themselves as being somewhat to very confident. Demographic variables did not interact with the dependent variables, though there were correlations for GDP per capita ppp and internet users % per capita. This study shed much needed light on the perceptions of international students online learning readiness. Results indicate the need for further study as well as the development of more comprehensive assessments

Challenges in Developing Adaptive Educational Hypermedia Systems

Traditional educational hypermedia systems afford learners the “one size fits all” approach to learning (Brusilovsky, 2003, 2004; Chatti, Jarke, & Specht, 2010; Hsieh, Lee, & Su, 2013). In the “one size fits all” approach to learning each student in every cohort of students is given access to the same learning objects in the same way as every other student who is studying the same course. The learning objects or learning content stays static regardless of the learning requirements of different students

Critical connections: personal learning environments and information literacy

Personal learning environments (PLEs) and critical information literacies (CILs) are two concepts that have been presented as responses to the challenges of the rich and complex information landscape. While both approaches support learners’ critical engagement with new information environments, each was developed within a different field. This paper connects and contrasts PLEs and CILs in order to explore the design of pedagogical responses to the information environment. Through a careful examination of PLE and CIL literature, the paper demonstrates that information literacy education intersects with the concepts and goals of PLEs. As such, the authors suggest that PLE scholarship informed by CIL scholarship, and vice versa, will yield a deeper understanding of modern learning contexts as well as a more holistic and responsive learner framework. The example of the research assignment will be used to demonstrate the viability of this approach. With these propositions, the authors invite educators, librarians and information technologists to engage in a dialogue about these concepts and the potential for pedagogical change

Personal learning network clusters : a comparison between mathematics and computer science students

Personal learning environments (PLEs) and personal learning networks (PLNs) are well-known concepts. A personal learning network cluster is a small group of people who regularly interact academically and whose PLNs have a non-empty intersection that includes all the other members. At university level PLN clusters form spontaneously among students and are known to last over an extended period of time. Little is known regarding the workings of these PLN clusters of students. The claim is that these PLN clusters are at the heart of student learning and are aligned with the current trend of a knowledge-pull community of learning. In this paper we investigate the activities and characteristics of PLN clusters in two different fields of study at a South African university, namely mathematics and computer science. We discuss the benefits that these clusters offer, investigate the mashup of activities and tools and we contrast experiences in the two fields of study. It is the commonalities rather than differences that are striking between the two groups of students. Although computer science students lean more towards digital communication, both groups impress with the pride they take in their PLN clusters and are vocal in describing the benefits that these clusters offer.http://www.ifets.infoam201

Challenges Encountered in Creating Personalised Learning Activities to Suit Students Learning Preferences

This book chapter reviews some of the challenges encountered by educators in creating personalised e-learning activities to suit students learning preferences. Technology-enhanced learning (TEL) alternatively known as e-learning has not yet reached its full potential in higher education. There are still many potential uses as yet undiscovered and other discovered uses which are not yet realisable by many educators. TEL is still predominantly used for e-dissemination and e-administration. This chapter reviews the potential use of TEL to provide personalised learning activities to suit individual students learning preferences. In particular the challenges encountered by educators when trying to implement personalised learning activities based on individual students learning preferences

Hacia una visión aglutinadora del concepto de PLE

In the field of educational technology, in recent years the concept of personal learning environment (PLE), which is approached both from a pedagogical and technological perspective, has gained considerable prominence. Given the disparity of conceptions associated with the PLE, this paper proposes a qualitative analysis of reference documents dedicated to this concept and establishes categories that allow the analysis to be decomposed and deepened. From this analysis, we arrive at a more agglutinating view of the PLE that can be used by universities at the service of active methodologies centered on the student.En al ámbito de la tecnología educativa, en los últimos años ha adquirido considerable protagonismo el concepto de entorno personal de aprendizaje (PLE), que se aborda tanto desde una perspectiva pedagógica como tecnológica. Ante la disparidad de concepciones asociadas a los PLE, este artículo propone un análisis cualitativo de documentos de referencia dedicados a este concepto, y establece categorías que permiten descomponer el análisis y profundizar en él. A partir del análisis, se llega a una visión más aglutinadora del PLE que puede ser aprovechada por las universidades al servicio de metodologías activas centradas en el estudiante

Entornos personales de aprendizaje y conectivismo en salud

En el presente documento se definen y desarrollan las bases establecidas en la teoría de aprendizaje conectivista, desarrollada por George Siemens donde se describe el aprendizaje del ser humano en contacto con las redes sociales e internet. Así mismo se desarrollan los conceptos de entorno personal de aprendizaje y redes de aprendizaje en profesionales de la salud, así como una evolución en la teoría conectivista denominada teoría de redes (Modelo LaaN).Documento de 21 páginas en formato pd