The Effects of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning on Sense of Connectedness, Sense of Learning, and Overall Sense of Community among High School Students Enrolled in a Marketing Course

The purpose of this quantitative static group study was to determine the effects of computer-supported collaborative learning on sense of community, sense of connectedness, and sense of learning for students in a high school Marketing Principles course. Sense of community pertains to feelings of belonging and is important to the learning process because it can foster shared positive experiences in the classroom setting. Both collaborative learning and computer-based instruction have been researched extensively and their benefits noted; however, this study is important because it focuses on combining the two into what is known as computer-supported collaborative learning. The independent variable in this study was the type of learning environment, specifically, traditional instruction and computer-supported collaborative learning. The dependent variables were sense of classroom community, sense of connectedness, and sense of learning as measured by the Classroom Community Scale. A series of independent t-tests were conducted to determine any statistically significant differences among the groups. Mean scores for students taught using computer-supported collaborative learning were compared to the mean scores of students taught the same material using traditional lecture-based individualized learning. Results and findings, along with a conclusion are included

Enhancing Free-text Interactions in a Communication Skills Learning Environment

Learning environments frequently use gamification to enhance user interactions.Virtual characters with whom players engage in simulated conversations often employ prescripted dialogues; however, free user inputs enable deeper immersion and higher-order cognition. In our learning environment, experts developed a scripted scenario as a sequence of potential actions, and we explore possibilities for enhancing interactions by enabling users to type free inputs that are matched to the pre-scripted statements using Natural Language Processing techniques. In this paper, we introduce a clustering mechanism that provides recommendations for fine-tuning the pre-scripted answers in order to better match user inputs

Developing Supports for Conversations About Teaching: Negotiating Problems of Practice in Researcher-Practitioner Collaborations.

This is a study of the importance of “problem negotiation” in collaborations between teachers and researchers. The study presents contrasting cases of negotiation involving two different teacher networks in Chile, each of which was involved in using a web-based tool intended to facilitate conversation about teaching practice. The first phase of this research employs a Design-Based Research (DBR) approach, through which each network engaged with the researcher in iterative cycles of design to shape and improve the tool. In the second phase of the research, the features of problem negotiation in the first stage of the implementation were defined and analyzed using a Design-Based Implementation Research (DBIR) perspective. This study contributes to our understanding of DBIR by exploring the negotiation of a problem of practice employing qualitative methods. The analysis used interviews, observations, survey, and document data to investigate the process of negotiating a problem of practice and the evidence of commitment and/or differing views to understand how they affected the success of the intervention. The study took place in the context of a national reform initiative in Chile. In the first network, problem negotiation involved top-down coordination with policy-makers and a network coordinator. Teacher participation was not consistent, highlighting a potential misalignment on the “problem” being addressed through the intervention. In the second network, problem negotiation was more bottom-up, with all participants engaged in deciding that the intervention was something they wanted to explore in response to a particular problem. The tool use was more independent and involved active participation, suggesting a better understanding of the problem of practice being addressed. Other key findings of this study include the importance of exploring the contextual features of partners’ realities in researcher-practitioner collaborations. Overall, this study identified implications for negotiating problems of practice between researchers and practitioners that highlight the brokering role that some actors play. The study’s implications stress the relevance of negotiating access through key actors, involving different authority figures in problem negotiation, collectively defining goals for the endeavor upon which all partners have agreed, and anticipating expectations that can influence the process of negotiating problems of practice.PhDEducational StudiesUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/113367/1/fgomezz_1.pd

Eye on Collaborative Creativity : Insights From Multiple-Person Mobile Gaze Tracking in the Context of Collaborative Design

Early Career WorkshopNon peer reviewe

Best practices in developing global collaborations in education

This purpose of this study was to examine the best practices used by facilitators of global collaborations in education. Four research questions were examined to address this purpose, which included: (a) challenges faced by facilitators in developing online international collaborations in education (b) current strategies used by facilitators in developing online international collaborations in education (c) how success is measured and tracked (d) recommendations for future online international collaborations in education. This qualitative, phenomenological study utilized a purposive sample of 14 participants who were ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) award recipients or conference presenters between 2014 - 2017 affiliated with global collaboration. Data collection was done through a semi-structured interview protocol comprised of six questions. The recorded interviews were transcribed, coded and analyzed to determine 27 total themes that emerged from the data. With some themes reinforced by literature and some unique to the study, results led to establishing “dimensions of leading global collaboration.” This includes two primary dimensions: (a) the responsibilities dimension, which entails the tasks and logistical aspects needed in global collaboration efforts, such as planning, practices during the collaboration, and logistical considerations (b) the characteristics dimension, which refers to the qualities that characterize a good global collaboration leader and partner, such as empathy, accountability, and willingness to take risks. Additionally, this study highlights the importance of people and developing a peer to peer network in the dynamic among facilitators (who should be seen as leaders) of global collaboration

A literature review of the use of Web 2.0 tools in Higher Education

This review focuses on the use of Web 2.0 tools in Higher Education. It provides a synthesis of the research literature in the field and a series of illustrative examples of how these tools are being used in learning and teaching. It draws out the perceived benefits that these new technologies appear to offer, and highlights some of the challenges and issues surrounding their use. The review forms the basis for a HE Academy funded project, ‘Peals in the Cloud’, which is exploring how Web 2.0 tools can be used to support evidence-based practices in learning and teaching. The project has also produced two in-depth case studies, which are reported elsewhere (Galley et al., 2010, Alevizou et al., 2010). The case studies focus on evaluation of a recently developed site for learning and teaching, Cloudworks, which harnesses Web 2.0 functionality to facilitate the sharing and discussion of educational practice. The case studies aim to explore to what extent the Web 2.0 affordances of the site are successfully promoting the sharing of ideas, as well as scholarly reflections, on learning and teaching

Improving Hybrid Brainstorming Outcomes with Scripting and Group Awareness Support

Previous research has shown that hybrid brainstorming, which combines individual and group methods, generates more ideas than either approach alone. However, the quality of these ideas remains similar across different methods. This study, guided by the dual-pathway to creativity model, tested two computer-supported scaffolds – scripting and group awareness support – for enhancing idea quality in hybrid brainstorming. 94 higher education students,grouped into triads, were tasked with generating ideas in three conditions. The Control condition used standard hybrid brainstorming without extra support. In the Experimental 1 condition, students received scripting support during individual brainstorming, and students in the Experimental 2 condition were provided with group awareness support during the group phase in addition. While the quantity of ideas was similar across all conditions, the Experimental 2 condition produced ideas of higher quality, and the Experimental 1 condition also showed improved idea quality in the individual phase compared to the Control condition

Do we need teachers as designers of technology enhanced learning?

In this special issue, five teams of researchers discuss different aspects of the teacher as designer of technology enhanced learning situations. This final contribution critically discusses if and how teachers as designers of technology enhanced learning might (not) be feasible or even desirable. The premise underlying this critical view is that technology enhanced learning should not be seen as ‘special’ in comparison to other forms of learning in the teacher’s arsenal. Both practicing professionals and institutions for teacher education must understand and embrace the role of design in professional competencies if technology enhanced learning is ever to be fully integrated into teaching and learning processes.2017-01-0