Metacognitive monitoring via strategies and judgments

Metacognitive monitoring is conceptualized as a situation-specific and context-dependent process that helps learners to regulate their learning. The current study builds on the idea that metacognitive monitoring can fulfil monitoring functions in different phases (when to monitor: during learning or during testing), and that it refers to several objects (what to monitor: processing or retrieval). The cross-sectional study with 184 higher-education students used a situation-specific approach and referred to students’ monitoring via monitoring strategies and monitoring judgments during test preparation and test processing. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that monitoring via strategies and judgments can be directed at different objects. In addition, monitoring different objects was more strongly correlated within the same phase than across different phases. The study results emphasize the need for an object-specific and comprehensive consideration of metacognitive monitoring via monitoring strategies and monitoring judgments

Emergency remote teaching in higher education: Mapping the first global online semester

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic that spread globally in 2020, higher education courses were subsequently offered in fully remote, online formats. A plethora of primary studies began investigating a range of topics exploring teaching and learning in higher education, particularly during the initial semester. In order to provide an overview and initial understanding of this emerging research field, a systematic mapping review was conducted that collates and describes the characteristics of 282 primary empirical studies. Findings reveal that research was carried out mostly descriptively and cross-sectionally, focusing predominantly on undergraduate students and their perceptions of teaching and learning during the pandemic. Studies originate from a broad range of countries, are overwhelmingly published open access, and largely focused on the fields of Health & Welfare and Natural Sciences, Mathematics & Statistics. Educational technology used for emergency remote teaching are most often synchronous collaborative tools, used in combination with text-based tools. The findings are discussed against pre-pandemic research on educational technology use in higher education teaching and learning, and perspectives for further research are provided

Methodological Approaches to Evidence Synthesis in Educational Technology: A Tertiary Systematic Mapping Review

Evidence synthesis methods are becoming increasingly popular in the social sciences, particularly in the field of educational technology, where secondary research has grown exponentially in recent years. Although review studies provide insight into these methods, questions have been raised about their methodological rigor and transparency. This tertiary review analyzed transparency and reproducibility in the reporting of evidence synthesis methods in the field of educational technology across different types of reviews indexed in the Web of Science, ERIC, Scopus, Google Scholar, Dialnet, and FIS. Reviews were included if they were published in English, German, or Spanish; if they synthesized the use of educational technology within formal teaching and learning settings; and if they contained a methods section. A sample of 446 evidence syntheses were included for data extraction and synthesis in EPPI Reviewer, with systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and literature reviews selected for deeper analysis as the most widely used review types in the corpus. Indicators of replicability at critical stages of the review were identified and analyzed in the sample by review type (research question, search strategy, data extraction, and synthesis). The results show significant room for improvement of methodological transparency in data extraction and synthesis, with certain types of reviews showing lower scores than others on some indicators. The article concludes with recommendations for improving the methodological transparency and rigor of evidence synthesis in the field of educational technology

Helplessness among university students: an empirical study based on a modified framework of implicit personality theories

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and within a very short period of time, teaching in the 2020 summer term changed from predominantly on-site to online instruction. Students suddenly faced having to adapt their learning process to new demands for which they may have had both insufficient digital skills and a lack of learning resources. Such a situation carries the risk that a substantial number of students become helpless. The aim of our empirical study was to test a hybrid framework of helplessness that includes both objective causes of helplessness and students’ subjective interpretations of them. Before lectures or courses began, students of a full-scale university were invited to participate in an online survey. The final sample consists of 1690 students. Results indicate that objective factors as well as their subjective interpretations contributed to the formation of helplessness

The webcam and student engagement in synchronous online learning: visually or verbally?

Given that video conferencing serves as a crucial means for remote teaching, the current study investigated higher education students’ (non)use of webcams and engagement in synchronous online courses. Three phases were studied: (1) A state of engagement; (2) antecedents that influence it; and (3) consequences of engagement. The cross-sectional online survey encompassed 3,610 students. Results indicated that visual and verbal engagement were only slightly related to each other. Structural equation modelling revealed different direct and indirect influences on either visual or verbal engagement in synchronous online higher education courses. Due to the novelty of the research scope, results of this study provide a foundation for further investigation

Verfügen Studierende über die Mittel und Wege, um während der Coronaviruspandemie zu lernen? Bedarfe für Online-Lehre in einer plötzlich digitalisierten Landschaft

Across the globe, 2020 terms began under conditions incited by the corona pandemic. Within a relatively short amount of time, universities started to develop and implement online courses for distance learning. The current study is about an online survey at a German university investigating the unique circumstances under which students began the digital 2020 summer term. Of approximately 38 500 students, N = 5563 students from across all institutional faculties took part in the survey. Results indicate how well students are equipped with devices for digital learning, what kind of experiences they have already made with online learning, and how competent they reported feeling regarding digital learning. The study provides important insights into digital higher education during the exceptional pandemic situation. The results are intended to feed into student counselling systems via support by way of access to devices or courses regarding digital skills, or through counselling for students with special social burdens. (DIPF/Orig.)Weltweit begann das Jahr 2020 unter dem Einfluss der Coronapandemie. Innerhalb sehr kurzer Zeit begannen Universitäten, Online-Kurse für den Fernunterricht zu entwickeln und implementieren. Die vorliegende Studie untersuchte anhand einer Online-Umfrage an einer deutschen Universität die besonderen Umstände, unter denen Studierende das digitale Sommersemester 2020 begannen. Von etwa 38 500 Studierenden nahmen N = 5563 Studierende aller Fakultäten an der Umfrage teil. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, wie gut die Studierenden mit Geräten für das digitale Lernen ausgestattet sind, welche Erfahrungen sie zuvor bereits mit dem Online-Lernen gemacht hatten und wie kompetent sie sich in Bezug auf das digitale Lernen fühlen. Die Studie liefert wichtige Einblicke in die digitale Hochschulbildung während der außergewöhnlichen Pandemiesituation. Die Ergebnisse können in studentische Beratungssysteme einfließen, sei es durch Unterstützung beim Zugang zu Geräten, durch Kurse zu digitalen Schlüsselkompetenzen oder durch Beratung von Studierenden mit besonderen sozialen Belastungen. (DIPF/Orig.