Developing sustainable business models for institutions’ provision of open educational resources: Learning from OpenLearn users’ motivations and experiences

Universities across the globe have, for some time, been exploring the possibilities for achieving public benefit and generating business and visibility through releasing and sharing open educational resources (OER). Many have written about the need to develop sustainable and profitable business models around the production and release of OER. Downes (2006), for example, has questioned the financial sustainability of OER production at scale. Many of the proposed business models focus on OER’s value in generating revenue and detractors of OER have questioned whether they are in competition with formal education. This paper reports on a study intended to broaden the conversation about OER business models to consider the motivations and experiences of OER users as the basis for making a better informed decision about whether OER and formal learning are competitive or complementary with each other. The study focused on OpenLearn - the Open University’s (OU) web-based platform for OER, which hosts hundreds of online courses and videos and is accessed by over 3,000,000 users a year. A large scale survey and follow-up interviews with OpenLearn users worldwide revealed that university provided OER can offer learners a bridge to formal education, allowing them to try out a subject before registering on a formal course and to build confidence in their abilities as learners. In addition, it was found that using OER during formal paid-for study can improve learners’ performance and self-reliance, leading to increased retention and satisfaction with the learning experience

Open educational resources for all? Comparing user motivations and characteristics across The Open University’s iTunes U channel and OpenLearn platform.

With the rise in access to mobile multimedia devices, educational institutions have exploited the iTunes U platform as an additional channel to provide free educational resources with the aim of profile-raising and breaking down barriers to education. For those prepared to invest in content preparation, it is possible to produce interactive, portable material that can be made available globally. Commentators have questioned both the financial implications for platform-specific content production, and the availability of devices for learners to access it (Osborne, 2012). The Open University (OU) makes its free educational resources available on iTunes U and via its web-based open educational resources (OER) platform, OpenLearn. The OU’s OER on iTunes U reached the 60 million download mark in 2013; its OpenLearn platform boasts 27 million unique visitors since 2006. This paper reports the results of a large-scale study of users of the OU’s iTunes U channel and OpenLearn platform. A survey of several thousand users revealed key differences in demographics between those accessing OER via the web and via iTunes U. In addition, the data allowed comparison between three groups: formal learners, informal learners and educators. The study raises questions about whether university-provided OER meet the needs of users and makes recommendations for how content can be modified to suit their needs. As the publishing of OER becomes core to business, we reflect on reasons why understanding users’ motivations and demographics is vital, allowing for needs-led resource provision and content that is adapted to best achieve learner satisfaction, and to deliver institutions’ social mission

Pre-tertiary engagement with online learning : Exploring uses of online learning environments and digital technology for progression into and through Higher Education

This report outlines work undertaken by the Institute of Education to explore how pre-tertiary experiences of online learning influences students’ successful transitions into and through Higher Education. The work was commissioned by Pamoja Education, and the studies that were undertaken focused on the experiences of students and staff taking part in Pamoja Education courses offered as part of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. The work involved reviewing previous literature about the role of technology in preparing students for University study; undertaking a survey of International Baccalaureate students (including Pamoja Education alumni) to explore their experiences; interviewing Pamoja Education alumni as a way of explaining and elaborating these patterns of experience; and asking teachers to reflect on how they worked with learners to support them online. Each of these areas of work is reported in a separate section of this report

Pre-tertiary engagement with online learning : Exploring uses of online learning environments and digital technology for progression into and through Higher Education

This report outlines work undertaken by the Institute of Education to explore how pre-tertiary experiences of online learning influences students? successful transitions into and through Higher Education. The work was commissioned by Pamoja Education, and the studies that were undertaken focused on the experiences of students and staff taking part in Pamoja Education courses offered as part of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. The work involved reviewing previous literature about the role of technology in preparing students for University study; undertaking a survey of International Baccalaureate students (including Pamoja Education alumni) to explore their experiences; interviewing Pamoja Education alumni as a way of explaining and elaborating these patterns of experience; and asking teachers to reflect on how they worked with learners to support them online. Each of these areas of work is reported in a separate section of this report

Introductory programming: a systematic literature review

As computing becomes a mainstream discipline embedded in the school curriculum and acts as an enabler for an increasing range of academic disciplines in higher education, the literature on introductory programming is growing. Although there have been several reviews that focus on specific aspects of introductory programming, there has been no broad overview of the literature exploring recent trends across the breadth of introductory programming. This paper is the report of an ITiCSE working group that conducted a systematic review in order to gain an overview of the introductory programming literature. Partitioning the literature into papers addressing the student, teaching, the curriculum, and assessment, we explore trends, highlight advances in knowledge over the past 15 years, and indicate possible directions for future research

Investigating design features of a computer-mediated communication system

Computer-mediated communication (CMC) is increasingly used in higher education, but it is not without problems. The effectiveness of CMC depends on many factors, including the characteristics of CMC systems themselves. The research reported here therefore aimed to investigate how an educational CMC system might be improved, in order to support learning more effectively. The main context for the research was distance learning at the UK Open University (OU). A two-stage, mixed methods research approach was adopted. In the first stage, interviews and observations were carried out to explore the benefits and problems experienced by users. This revealed two major issues: information overload and lack of social presence. Information overload relates to users’ problems dealing with large numbers of messages. Social presence relates to the need for users to feel connected with each other. The second stage investigated system features aimed at addressing these issues, implemented in a prototype computer conferencing system. Features to address overload included branched message threading and user recommendations. Features to address social presence were ‘résumés’ and instant messaging. These features were evaluated using questionnaires, with several cohorts of students in an OU course. Students expressed approval of the features, although some features were not widely used. Students preferred branched threading to chronological threading because branching helped them to follow ‘conversations’. Students were uncomfortable recommending messages, feeling that the value of a message would vary between people. They were also uncomfortable using instant messaging to contact others whom they did not know. However, the awareness aspect of instant messaging provided a sense of solidarity. The research demonstrated that the problems of overload and lack of social presence are significant, and each has social aspects which must be addressed. Students’ relationships with each other affect whether and how they use the features of CMC systems. We can conclude that particular attention must be paid to the social aspects of online communication, both when designing educational CMC systems and when considering how they are used. To maximise the benefits for learning, students need to feel comfortable with each other online, and there are few short cuts to achieving this

Analyses on tech-enhanced and anonymous Peer Discussion as well as anonymous Control Facilities for tech-enhanced Learning

An increasing number of university freshmen has been observable in absolute number as well as percentage of population over the last decade. However, at the same time the drop-out rate has increased significantly. While a drop in attendance could be observed at the same time, statistics show that young professionals consider only roughly thirty percent of their qualification to originate in their university education. Taking this into consideration with the before mentioned, one conclusion could be that students fail to see the importance of fundamental classes and choose to seek knowledge elsewhere, for example in free online courses. However, the so acquired knowledge is a non-attributable qualification. One solution to this problem must be to make on-site activities more attractive. A promising approach for raised attractiveness would be to support students in self-regulated learning processes, making them experience importance and value of own decisions based on realistic self-assessment and self-evaluation. At the same time, strict ex-cathedra teaching should be replaced by interactive forms of education, ideally activating on a meta-cognitive level. Particularly, as many students bring mobile communication devices into classes, this promising approach could be extended by utilising these mobile devices as second screens. That way, enhanced learning experiences can be provided. The basic idea is simple, namely to contribute to psychological concepts with the means of computer science. An example for this idea are audience response systems. There has been numerous research into these and related approaches for university readings, but other forms of education have not been sufficiently considered, for example tutorials. This technological aspect can be combined with recent didactics research and concepts like peer instruction or visible learning. Therefore, this dissertation presents an experimental approach at providing existing IT solutions for on-site tutorials, specifically tools for audience responses, evaluations, learning demand assessments, peer discussion, and virtual interactive whiteboards. These tools are provided under observation of anonymity and cognisant incidental utilisation. They provide insight into students\' motivation to attend classes, their motivation to utilise tools, and into their tool utilisation itself. Experimental findings are combined into an extensible system concept consisting of three major tool classes: anonymous peer discussion means, anonymous control facilities, and learning demand assessment. With the exception of the latter, promising findings in context of tutorials are presented, for example the reduction of audience response systems to an emergency brake, the versatility of (peer) discussion systems, or a demand for retroactive deanonymisation of contributions. The overall positive impact of tool utilisation on motivation to attend and perceived value of tutorials is discussed and supplemented by a positive impact on the final exams\' outcomes.:List of Definitions, Theorems and Proofs List of Figures List of Tables Introduction and Motivation Part I: Propaedeutics 1 Working Theses 1.1 Definitions 1.2 Context of Working Theses and Definitions 2 Existing Concepts 2.1 Psychology 2.1.1 Self-Regulation and self-regulated Learning 2.1.2 Peer Instruction, Peer Discussion 2.1.3 Learning Process Supervision: Learning Demand Assessment 2.1.4 Cognitive Activation 2.1.5 Note on Gamification 2.1.6 Note on Blended Learning 2.2 Computer Science 2.2.1 Learning Platforms 2.2.2 Audience Response Systems (ARS) 2.2.3 Virtual Interactive Whiteboard Systems (V-IWB) 2.2.4 Cognisant Incidential Utilisation (CIU) 2.3 Appraisal 3 Related Work 3.1 Visible Learning 3.2 auditorium 3.3 Auditorium Mobile Classroom Service 3.4 ARSnova and other Audience Response Systems 3.5 Google Classroom 3.6 StackOverflow 3.7 AwwApp Part II: Proceedings 4 Global Picture and Prototype 4.1 Global Picture 4.2 System Architecture 4.2.1 Anonymous Discussion Means 4.2.2 Anonymous Control Facilities 4.3 Implementation 4.3.1 The Prototype 5 Investigated Tools 5.1 Note on Methodology 5.2 Anonymity 5.2.1 Methodology 5.2.2 Visible Learning Effects 5.2.3 Assertion 5.2.4 Experiments 5.2.5 Results 5.2.6 Conclusions 5.3 Learning Demand Assessment 5.3.1 Methodology 5.3.2 Visible Learning Effects 5.3.3 Tool Description 5.3.4 Assertion 5.3.5 Experiments 5.3.6 Results 5.3.7 Conclusions 5.4 Peer Discussion System 5.4.1 Methodology 5.4.2 Visible Learning Effects 5.4.3 Tool Description 5.4.4 Assertion 5.4.5 Experiments 5.4.6 Results 5.4.7 Conclusions 5.5 Virtual Interactive Whiteboard 5.5.1 Methodology 5.5.2 Visible Learning Effects 5.5.3 Tool Description 5.5.4 Assertion 5.5.5 Experiments 5.5.6 Results 5.5.7 Conclusions 5.6 Audience Response System and Emergency Brake 5.6.1 Methodology 5.6.2 Visible Learning Effects 5.6.3 Tool Description 5.6.4 Assertion 5.6.5 Experiments 5.6.6 Results 5.6.7 Conclusions 5.7 Evaluation System 5.7.1 Methodology 5.7.2 Visible Learning Effects 5.7.3 Tool Description 5.7.4 Assertion 5.7.5 Experiments 5.7.6 Results and Conclusion 6 Exam Outcome 7 Utilisation and Motivation 7.1 Prototype Utilisation 7.2 Motivational Aspects Part III: Appraisal 8 Lessons learned 9 Discussion 9.1 Working Theses’ Validity 9.2 Research Community: Impact and Outlook 9.2.1 Significance to Learning Psychology 9.3 Possible Extension of existing Solutions 10 Conclusion 10.1 Summary of scientific Contributions 10.2 Future Work Part IV: Appendix A Experimental Arrangement B Questionnaires B.1 Platform Feedback Sheet B.1.1 Original PFS in 2014 B.1.2 Original PFS in 2015 B.2 Minute Paper B.3 Motivation and Utilisation Questionnaires B.3.1 Motivation 2013 and 2014 B.3.2 Motivation 2015 B.3.3 Utilisation 2014 B.3.4 Utilisation 2015, Rev. I B.3.5 Utilisation 2015, Rev. II C References C.1 Auxiliary Means D Publications D.1 Original Research Contributions D.2 Student Theses E Glossary F Index G Milestones AcknowledgementsÜber die vergangene Dekade ist eine zunehmende Zahl Studienanfänger beobachtbar, sowohl in der absoluten Anzahl, als auch im Bevölkerungsanteil. Demgegenüber steht aber eine überproportional hohe Steigerung der Abbruchquote. Während gleichzeitig die Anwesenheit in universitären Lehrveranstaltungen sinkt, zeigen Statistiken, dass nur etwa ein Drittel der Berufseinsteiger die Grundlagen ihrer Qualifikation im Studium sieht. Daraus könnte man ableiten, dass Studierende den Wert und die Bedeutung universitärer Ausbildung unterschätzen und stattdessen Wissen in anderen Quellen suchen, beispielsweise unentgeltlichen Online-Angeboten. Das auf diese Art angeeignete Wissen stellt aber eine formell nicht nachweise Qualifikation dar. Ein Weg aus diesem Dilemma muss die Steigerung der Attraktivität der universitären Lehrveranstaltungen sein. Ein vielversprechender Ansatz ist die Unterstützung der Studierenden im selbst-regulierten Lernen, wodurch sie die Wichtigkeit und den Wert eigener Entscheidung(sfindungsprozesse) auf Basis realistischer Selbsteinschätzung und Selbstevaluation erlernen. Gleichzeitig sollte Frontalunterricht durch interaktive Lehrformen ersetzt werden, idealerweise durch Aktivierung auf meta-kognitiver Ebene. Dies ist vielversprechend insbesondere, weil viele Studierende ihre eigenen mobilen Endgeräte in Lehrveranstaltungen bringen. Diese Geräte können als Second Screen für die neuen Lehrkonzepte verwendet werden. Auf diese Art kann dann eine verbesserte Lernerfahrung vermittelt werden. Die Grundidee ist simpel, nämlich in der Psychologie bewährte Didaktik-Konzepte durch die Mittel der Informatik zu unterstützen. Ein Beispiel dafür sind Audience Response Systeme, die hinlänglich im Rahmen von Vorlesungen untersucht worden sind. Andere Lehrformen wurden dabei jedoch unzureichend berücksichtigt, beispielsweise Tutorien. Ähnliche Überlegungen gelten natürlich auch für bewährte didaktische Konzepte wie Peer Instruction oder Betrachtungen in Form von Visible Learning. Deshalb präsentiert diese Dissertation einen experimentellen Ansatz, informationstechnische Lösungen für vor-Ort-Übungen anzubieten, nämlich Werkzeuge für Audience Response Systeme, Evaluationen, Lernbedarfsermittlung, Peer Discussion, sowie virtuelle interaktive Whiteboards. Die genannten Werkzeuge wurden unter Beachtung von Anonymitäts- und Beiläufigkeitsaspekten bereitgestellt. Sie erlauben einen Einblick in die Motivation der Studierenden Tutorien zu besuchen und die Werkzeuge zu nutzen, sowie ihr Nutzungsverhalten selbst. Die experimentellen Ergebnisse werden in ein erweiterbares Systemkonzept kombiniert, das drei Werkzeugklassen unterstützt: anonyme Peer Discussion, anonyme Kontrollwerkzeuge und Lernbedarfsermittlung. Für die ersten beiden Klassen liegen vielversprechende Ergebnisse vor, beispielsweise die notwendige Reduktion des Audience Response Systems auf eine Art Notbremse, die Vielseitigkeit von (Peer-)Discussion-Systemen, oder aber auch der Bedarf für eine retroaktive Deanonymisierung von initial anonymen Beiträgen. Der allgemein positive Einfluss der Werkzeugnutzung auf die Motivation an Tutorien teilzunehmen sowie den wahrgenommenen Wert der Tutorien werden abschließend diskutiert und durch verbesserte Abschlussklausurergebnisse untermauert.:List of Definitions, Theorems and Proofs List of Figures List of Tables Introduction and Motivation Part I: Propaedeutics 1 Working Theses 1.1 Definitions 1.2 Context of Working Theses and Definitions 2 Existing Concepts 2.1 Psychology 2.1.1 Self-Regulation and self-regulated Learning 2.1.2 Peer Instruction, Peer Discussion 2.1.3 Learning Process Supervision: Learning Demand Assessment 2.1.4 Cognitive Activation 2.1.5 Note on Gamification 2.1.6 Note on Blended Learning 2.2 Computer Science 2.2.1 Learning Platforms 2.2.2 Audience Response Systems (ARS) 2.2.3 Virtual Interactive Whiteboard Systems (V-IWB) 2.2.4 Cognisant Incidential Utilisation (CIU) 2.3 Appraisal 3 Related Work 3.1 Visible Learning 3.2 auditorium 3.3 Auditorium Mobile Classroom Service 3.4 ARSnova and other Audience Response Systems 3.5 Google Classroom 3.6 StackOverflow 3.7 AwwApp Part II: Proceedings 4 Global Picture and Prototype 4.1 Global Picture 4.2 System Architecture 4.2.1 Anonymous Discussion Means 4.2.2 Anonymous Control Facilities 4.3 Implementation 4.3.1 The Prototype 5 Investigated Tools 5.1 Note on Methodology 5.2 Anonymity 5.2.1 Methodology 5.2.2 Visible Learning Effects 5.2.3 Assertion 5.2.4 Experiments 5.2.5 Results 5.2.6 Conclusions 5.3 Learning Demand Assessment 5.3.1 Methodology 5.3.2 Visible Learning Effects 5.3.3 Tool Description 5.3.4 Assertion 5.3.5 Experiments 5.3.6 Results 5.3.7 Conclusions 5.4 Peer Discussion System 5.4.1 Methodology 5.4.2 Visible Learning Effects 5.4.3 Tool Description 5.4.4 Assertion 5.4.5 Experiments 5.4.6 Results 5.4.7 Conclusions 5.5 Virtual Interactive Whiteboard 5.5.1 Methodology 5.5.2 Visible Learning Effects 5.5.3 Tool Description 5.5.4 Assertion 5.5.5 Experiments 5.5.6 Results 5.5.7 Conclusions 5.6 Audience Response System and Emergency Brake 5.6.1 Methodology 5.6.2 Visible Learning Effects 5.6.3 Tool Description 5.6.4 Assertion 5.6.5 Experiments 5.6.6 Results 5.6.7 Conclusions 5.7 Evaluation System 5.7.1 Methodology 5.7.2 Visible Learning Effects 5.7.3 Tool Description 5.7.4 Assertion 5.7.5 Experiments 5.7.6 Results and Conclusion 6 Exam Outcome 7 Utilisation and Motivation 7.1 Prototype Utilisation 7.2 Motivational Aspects Part III: Appraisal 8 Lessons learned 9 Discussion 9.1 Working Theses’ Validity 9.2 Research Community: Impact and Outlook 9.2.1 Significance to Learning Psychology 9.3 Possible Extension of existing Solutions 10 Conclusion 10.1 Summary of scientific Contributions 10.2 Future Work Part IV: Appendix A Experimental Arrangement B Questionnaires B.1 Platform Feedback Sheet B.1.1 Original PFS in 2014 B.1.2 Original PFS in 2015 B.2 Minute Paper B.3 Motivation and Utilisation Questionnaires B.3.1 Motivation 2013 and 2014 B.3.2 Motivation 2015 B.3.3 Utilisation 2014 B.3.4 Utilisation 2015, Rev. I B.3.5 Utilisation 2015, Rev. II C References C.1 Auxiliary Means D Publications D.1 Original Research Contributions D.2 Student Theses E Glossary F Index G Milestones Acknowledgement

Learning by Doing: Preparing Student Activists for Democratic Engagement

This study explores how college students\u27 experiences with co-curricular social justice advocacy activities supports capacity-building for progressive, democratic, civic engagement. Given the increasing and widening of economic inequality in the U.S. (Hernandez Kent & Ricketts, 2020), exploring how co-curricular experiences in higher education settings can support students to gain capacities for progressive, democratic, civic engagement. While there is a significant amount of scholarship on how diversity education and service-learning contribute to college students\u27 civic engagement, the literature on student involvement in campus activism on progressive, democratic, civic engagement is sparse (Kezar & Maxey, 2014) Using a mixed methods approach, this study explores the learning experiences of undergraduate students involved in a student organization—Center for Education Policy and Advocacy—that uses a multi-year curriculum to build capacities to prepare and mobilize students to challenge issues of economic inequality. This study consisted of two phases, an online survey to gather background information about the students and their experiences and a one-hour follow-up semi-structured interview. Two significant findings emerged from the study: First, in this learning context, supporting students to gain capacity for progressive, democratic, civic engagement is accomplished through a comprehensive multi-year curriculum structure that is of quality, is expansive, and centers a peer-led active learning critical pedagogy. Second, progressive, democratic, active learning pedagogy that supports the development of knowledge/awareness and skill capacities through continuous learning and engagement with social justice issues, in real time, holds promise for effective civic preparation for a robust democracy. Thus, higher education has the potential to provide college students with learning opportunities that build capacities and fosterdispositions necessary to advance progressive change within our democracy

Program and Book of Abstracts: 2019 Undergraduate Research Celebration

The Ramaley Celebration is a highly anticipated event that features student presentations of their research accomplishments. At Winona State, undergraduate research is highly valued as an integral part of the educational process and the Ramaley Celebration is one way we recognize and affirm this. Furthermore, the wonderful diversity of the student presenters, the research projects, and the disciplines represented all provide a strong reminder of the distinctiveness and breadth of research across the entire WSU community. For our purposes, we define “research” very broadly as “an inquiry or investigation that makes an original intellectual or creative contribution to the discipline” (Council on Undergraduate Research).https://openriver.winona.edu/urc2019/1000/thumbnail.jp