Conceptualizing Formative Blended Assessment (FBA) in Saudi EFL

This chapter sets out a conceptual framework for the design and use of ‘blended assessments’ that seek to create formative activities that can be characterized by shifting modalities of presentation, variations in time and action, and moves from individual to group work. The study’s framing is built upon longitudinal participatory action research based on the research questions. In addition to auto-ethnographic observations, 13 Saudi participants—three course coordinators, seven instructors, and three students—were asked to participate in focus groups and individual interviews. Using qualitative data analysis software, three core characteristics of formative blended assessment were identified: (1) multi-modal activities, flexibility, and peer encouragement, for example, were seen to be an ‘advantage’; (2) alignment of pedagogies and assessment tasks were perceived in a ‘compatibility’ theme; and (3) the possibility of dishonest behaviors and administrative challenges were classed under ‘complexity

Online Learning Support in a Ubiquitous Learning Environment

The ubiquitous learning environment (ULE) is both an ontological and epistemological problem. For most scholars, ULE provides an interoperable, pervasive, and seamless learning architecture to connect, integrate, and share three major dimensions of learning resources: learning collaborators, learning contents, and learning services. Furthermore, ULE is described as an educational paradigm that mainly uses technology for curriculum delivery. Through reflection and exploration, this chapter argues that online learning support has a symbiotic relationship with ULE because the student, at some point, should move beyond the “text” level into concepts and conceptual organization schemes (ontologies). In line with this viewpoint, this chapter problematizes the gap created by real-world and digital-world resources—and argues that online learning support for teaching and learning processes have not yet emulated ULE as an important pedagogical resource.Institute for Open and Distance Learning (IODL

Low-cost videos for learning mathematics by teaching

Technology plays an important role in everyday life and can be used in education. Video is a source of material that can play an important role in the teaching and learning field. Using videos engages students, aids student retention of knowledge, motivates interest in the subject matter, and illustrates the relevance of many concepts. In this chapter, the authors describe two teaching experiences involving videos, where the students made a video about solving a concrete mathematical problem. In this video, the students should explain the problem resolution to their colleagues (playing the role of teacher). The results of the impact of this kind of project in the students' motivation are also presented.FEDER/COMPETE/-NORTE2020/POCI/FCT funds through grants UID/EEA/00147/2013; UID/ IEEA/00147/ 006933-SYSTEC, PTDC-EEI-AUT-2933-2014116858-TOCCATA, To CHAIR - POCI01-0145-FEDER-028247 and UPWIND- POCI -FEDER-FCT -31447. Financial support from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) in the framework of the Strategic Financing. UIDIFIS/04650/2013 is also acknowledged