A framework for developing and implementing an online learning community

Developing online learning communities is a promising pedagogical approach in online learning contexts for adult tertiary learners, but it is no easy task. Understanding how learning communities are formed and evaluating their efficacy in supporting learning involves a complex set of issues that have a bearing on the design and facilitation of successful online learning experiences. This paper describes the development of a framework for understanding and developing an online learning community for adult tertiary learners in a New Zealand tertiary institution. In accord with sociocultural views of learning and practices, the framework depicts learning as a mediated, situated, distributed, goal-directed, and participatory activity within a socially and culturally determined learning community. Evidence for the value of the framework is grounded in the findings of a case study of a semester-long fully online asynchronous graduate course. The framework informs our understanding of appropriate conditions for the development and conduct of online learning communities. Implications are presented for the design and facilitation of learning in such contexts

From participation to dropout

The academic e-learning practice has to deal with various participation patterns and types of online learners with different support needs. The online instructors are challenged to recognize these and react accordingly. Among the participation patterns, special attention is requested by dropouts, which can perturbate online collaboration. Therefore we are in search of a method of early identification of participation patterns and prediction of dropouts. To do this, we use a quantitative view of participation that takes into account only observable variables. On this background we identify in a field study the participation indicators that are relevant for the course completion, i.e. produce significant differences between the completion and dropout sub-groups. Further we identify through cluster analysis four participation patterns with different support needs. One of them is the dropout cluster that could be predicted with an accuracy of nearly 80%. As a practical consequence, this study recommends a simple, easy-to-implement prediction method for dropouts, which can improve online teaching. As a theoretical consequence, we underline the role of the course didactics for the definition of participation, and call for refining previous attrition models

A study of the relationship between regulatory systems, assessment e locomotion, and online learning groups

The present paper examines the relationship between assessment, locomotion and attitudes and learning outcomes in a Computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) framework. Results showed that regulatory mode predicted exam marks, numbers of tasks completed, messages sent and attitudes towards the course and the ingroup. The theoretical implications and some reflections about CSCL and Regulatory-mode Theory (RMT) are presented

Evaluating students pattern of interaction in online courses

The primary focus in the research of online learning is interaction, which is central to an educational experience (Garrison & Cleveland-Innes, 2005). Although interaction alone does not represent participation (Garrison, Anderson & Archer, 2000), however interaction could promote participation and engage students in learning (Hrastinski, 2009). Researchers have widely agreed that in an e-learning environment, students could learn better by participating (Hrastinski, 2009). As distinguished by Moore (1989) that there are three dimensions of interaction in an e-learning environment: learner-instructor, learner-content and learner-learner. It has been suggested that participation of a student can be measured by accumulating the interactions that occurred in an e-learning forum (Davies & Graff, 2005; Lipponen et al., 2003). One of the key challenges in e-learning is to encourage participation (Bento & Schuster, 2003), which means that students need to be encouraged to interact online. By participating, students will find themselves taking part in the learning process. Vonderwell and Zachariah (2005) noted that through interactions, students will become interdependent, able to share learning goals and information, creating path towards effective learning. Previous research had indicated that participation when measured as interaction with peers and instructors, stimulated and encouraged perceived learning (Hrastinski, 2008)

Learners on the periphery: lurkers as invisible learners

Lurkers, who are also known as silent learners, observers, browsers, read-only participants, vicarious learners, free-riders, witness learners, or legitimate peripheral participants (our preferred term), tend to be hard to track in a course because of their near invisibility. We decided to address this issue and to examine the perceptions that lurkers have of their behaviour by looking at one specific online learning course: CLMOOC. In order to do this, we used a mixed methods approach and collected our data via social network analysis, online questionnaires, and observations, including definitions from the lurkers of what they thought lurking was. We then analysed the data by using social network and content analyses and interpreted the research findings using the concept Community of Practice, with the Pareto Principle used to delimit types of learner. Our research findings revealed that lurking is a complex behaviour, or set of behaviours, and there isn’t one sole reason why lurkers act the ways that they do in their respective communities. We concluded that for a more participatory community the more active, experienced or visible community members could develop strategies to encourage lurkers to become more active and to make the journey from the periphery to the core of the community

Group Awareness, Learning, and Participation in Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL)

AbstractThe aim of this study is to analyze the relationship between student participation in Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) and the effects of this on learning outcomes. Within this context, we have taken into consideration the line of research called Group Awareness (GA) to facilitate the processes of interaction between teammates. Group Awareness Widgets (GAw) are tools based on the shared information displayed by the teammates throughout the course of collaboration. The theoretical results of this review demonstrate the need to determine how GA affects the facilitation of student interactions and the enhancement of the collaborative learning process. To this end, we have reviewed the current state of a line of research called GA, a research line that aims to facilitate the communication and coordination processes so as to help to increase the quality of work and the collaboration environments in CSCL. Next, we have briefly discussed the different conceptualizations of the GA focusing on the mechanisms used to support asynchronous GA in a CSCL Environment, and we haven then addressed some of the key dimensions considered, among which we can distinguish behavioral-awareness or participation, cognitive awareness, and social consciousness. The remainder of our work consists of analyzing the relationship between the GA, the students’ learning performance, and their participation

EFL Teachers' Experiences During the Pandemic: Stories From Rural Area in Tungkal Ilir District

ABSTRACTThis article explores the implementation of online learning by English teachers in the age of the coronavirus pandemic in the Tungkal Ilir district, West Tanjung Jabung Regency. This article examines two research questions: (1) How do EFL teachers describe their practices and perceptions of online learning during the pandemic, and (2) What challenges EFL teachers face while implementing online learning during the pandemic. In this small-scale qualitative study, three English teachers took part. Semi-structured interviews were used to gather information. The result revealed that teachers in remote areas used social media and digital platforms to carry out their online teaching. On the other hand, these teachers had some issues incorporating online learning. The problems can be divided into two categories: (a) unfamiliarity with the platforms and (b) inability to respond to students quickly. In addition, some suggestions are also given for further researchers to conduct a similar study. ABSTRAKArtikel ini membahas tentang implementasi pembelajaran online oleh guru bahasa Inggris di era pandemi virus corona di kecamatan Tungkal Ilir, Kabupaten Tanjung Jabung Barat. Artikel ini membahas dua pertanyaan penelitian: (1) Bagaimana guru EFL menggambarkan praktik dan persepsi mereka tentang pembelajaran online selama pandemi, dan (2) Apa tantangan yang dihadapi guru EFL saat menerapkan pembelajaran online selama pandemi. Tiga guru Bahasa Inggris diambil sebagai responden dalam studi kualitatif skala kecil ini.  Wawancara semi terstruktur digunakan untuk mengumpulkan informasi. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa guru di daerah terpencil telah menggunakan media sosial dan platform digital untuk melaksanakan pengajaran online mereka. Disisi lain, guru memiliki beberapa masalah dalam penerapan pembelajaran online. Masalah dapat dibagi menjadi dua kategori: (a) ketidaktahuan dengan platform dan (b) ketidakmampuan untuk merespon siswa dengan cepat. Selain itu, beberapa saran juga diberikan bagi peneliti selanjutnya untuk melakukan penelitian serupa

Використання сучасних засобів ІКТ у професійній підготовці майбутніх учителів: досвід Франції

The article studies the peculiarities of the introduction of modern means of information and communication technologies (ICT) and the possible links between ICT and educational relationship in the process of development of professional competences of future teachers in the universities of France. The issue of methods and means of using ICTs in the educational process in French higher educational institutions, the role of such key factors related to the subject-subject relations as power, authority, asymmetry or distribution of roles, conditions of interaction and transaction between the partners are covered in the use and updating of ICT.The purpose of the study is to generalize the introduction of modern ICT tools at the universities of France in the context of the professional development of future teachers, to identify and analyze the factors of the possible impact of ICT on subject-subject relations at the university.The thesis analyzes the results of the researches of French scientists concerning the place of ICT in university pedagogical practice and their influence on the relations between teachers and students, namely: the interaction of teachers and students in the use of ICT, the implementation of ICT and their impact on the educational relationship, differences between teachers and students, temporal subject-subject relations.The application of modern means of ICT in the educational process influences very differently on the teacher training and the development of pedagogical skills in particular, and is conditioned by the tendency to individualize student learning, disclosing the individual potential of each student, improving the quality of teaching materials, increasing the volume of independent work, providing quality educational information in a convenient time for a student anywhere.The prospect of further research is seen in the improvement of knowledge about the manifestation of the mechanisms of occurrence of relational models with the introduction of modern ICT tools, which is one of the aspects of the development of professional competences in the process of training future teachers.У статті розглянуто особливості впровадження сучасних засобів інформаційно-комунікаційних технологій (ІКТ) і можливі зв’язки між ІКТ та суб’єкт-суб’єктними відносинами в процесі розвитку професійних компетентностей майбутніх вчителів в університетах Франції. В праці висвітлюється питання методів та засобів використання ІКТ у навчальному процесі у французьких вищих навчальних закладах, роль таких основних факторів, пов’язаних з суб’єкт-суб’єктними відносинами, як влада, авторитет, асиметрія або розподіл ролей, умови взаємодії і транзакції між партнерами у використанні та оновленні ІКТ. Застосування сучасних засобів ІКТ в навчальний процес дуже по-різному впливає на підготовку вчителів та розвиток педагогічної майстерності зокрема. В роботі детально проаналізовано результати досліджень французьких вчених щодо місця ІКТ в університетській педагогічній практиці та їх впливу на відносини між викладачами та студентами