Discussion forums in a blended learning approach for social studies: the influence of cognitive learning styles on attitudes towards asynchronous collaboration in a South East Asian university

To keep pace with ubiquitous computing in all aspects of society, universities have invested heavily in off-the-shelf or in-house learning management systems, and teachers are being encouraged to seek ways in which to optimize the role of information and communication technology to support their teaching and learning activities; both on the campus and beyond campus borders. However, many students in residential universities are resistant to embracing CMC-mediated activities as an integral part of their coursework, and this attitude underscores the importance of understanding how these students are affected by the implementation of the new teaching and learning strategies associated with a 'blended learning' approach. This study explores a particular context in which discussion forums were deployed as a replacement to traditional face-to-face tutorial discussions. Research subjects (n=147), health psychology students at a South East Asian university, completed a Felder Soloman Index of Learning Styles (ILS) questionnaire before being assigned to online discussion forum groups of 8 or 9 students per group. During the 9 weeks of the tutorial assignment activity, student interactions in the discussion forums were monitored and transcripts of their postings and replies were analysed and coded. Quantitative data from attitude survey MCQs, grades, peer ratings and usage statistics, as well as qualitative data from attitude survey open-answer questions and one-to-one interviews, were also gathered and analysed. The findings identified a number of weaknesses and drawbacks of using discussion forums: notably that students who felt uncomfortable about expressing their opinions in discussion forums also had difficulty understanding what was being communicated in the postings and didn't trust their group members; students who were identified as having a moderate to strong 'Sequential' cognitive learning style preference were more likely to indicate that they had a difficult time working in the discussion forums; and students who were identified as having a moderate to strong 'Active' cognitive learning style preference tended to make fewer forum postings. Nevertheless, since the scope of the information quoted, and opinions generated, in the discussion forum postings was noticeably greater than what was generally brought up in face-to-face discussions, and because the majority of students worked independently and responsibly, this particular blended learning approach was deemed a success by the course instructor. However, the author puts forward a number of recommendations to instructional designers, practitioners and students for designing, setting up and running a similar but more flexible approach as an alternative to traditional large-class face-to-face tutorial discussions

The impact of CAAD on design methodology and visual thinking in architectural education.

This thesis aims to explore the potential impact of Computer Aided Architectural Design (CAAD) as a conceptual design tool on the design methodology of final year students. Many design studies have focused on sketching and its relationship with creative thinking to validate CAAD programs as a design tool. On the contrary, this study argues that the continued primacy of traditional tools as the predominant conceptual tools needs more evidence in the contemporary design practices. That is to say, the relative importance of CAAD alongside other media, such as sketching, model making and verbalisation must be recognised before the forthcoming leap in CAAD programs development. To illustrate these ideas, the Scott Sutherland School of Architecture and Built Environment was used as a case study to explore CAADs role in the educational context, the studio in general and the final year studio in particular. A mixed methods approach was employed to carry out two studies: a case study and a protocol study. A case study approach was utilised to understand the modern context whereby CAAD is used by the students despite CAAD not being an integrated part of the project model. The case study was also used to document the reasons behind students tendency of using CAAD at the conceptual phases of the design process. Mixed methods were used to collect data at three different intervals of the two semesters; before starting the studio project, while working on the project and after submitting the final project. The methods used include a questionnaire survey, structured reflection interviews, and a focus group. A protocol study was conducted to understand the impact of CAAD on selfcommunication using the think aloud method under the same experimental conditions using CAAD program(s) as the only external representation. The case study findings clarified the effects of the traditional context of the studio and the project model on CAADs utility within students design processes and identified the lack of CAAD professional skills, and the integration of CAAD as a knowledge base. The protocol study findings provided a greater understanding of the cognitive processes in designing and design performance while using CAAD, as well as acknowledging the possibility of a cyclic conceptual process. The potential impact of CAAD on the design process was further categorised. The empirical exploration provides CAAD research with new insights, instigating more useful ways of teaching and learning by an appropriate integration of CAAD programs and design methods in a situated manner where students can enhance their design processes creatively. It is proposed that a more measured and disinterested approach is now required to investigate CAAD and their implications for education

Studies in the linguistic sciences. 08 (1978)

MLA international bibliography of books and articles on the modern languages and literatures (Complete edition) 0024-821

I\u27m Not Finished — Done

This paper examines the creation and performance of the piece Done, by the author, and tries to take a critical and analytic perspective as well as a reflective one, of interest largely to the author, but also to anyone interested in a documentation of the creative process. It is accompanied by a video recording and photographs of the performance and several appendices which document the majority of the textual material which represents the genesis of the piece and from which the piece was eventually built. (The paper, as it is, is best taken salted

The Classification of Arabic Dialects: Traditional Approaches, New Proposals, and Methodological Problems

The question of how to classify the different varieties of spoken Arabic is a long-standing problem in the fields of Arabic and Semitic linguistics, and it has been addressed by several authors and from a number of different perspectives. This collection of articles represents a further contribution to the vast collective effort of attempting to more effectively assess, organize, and understand the varieties of spoken Arabic, applying a classification of Arabic dialects in the broadest possible sense. The authors who contribute to this volume tackle this issue by examining varieties spoken from the Maghreb to the Mashreq and employing various approaches and perspectives, e.g., diatopic and diachronic, syntactical, and typological