A PROTOCOL FOR ANALYZING REPEATED MEASURES OF ONLINE GROUP BEHAVIOR

In this article, we feature a novel protocol that enables the analysis of repeated measures of online group behavior. The protocol accounts for (1) the nested hierarchy of the data with weeks nested in persons, and persons nested in weeks, and (2) the temporal nature of the behavior at the early, mid, and late periods of each week. To manage and analyze such data in a general way, we first give an illustration of the data structure. Thereafter, we propose a five-step Courtney-Fanguy-Costley protocol that (1) considers the data structure, (2) defines the levels of data, (3) considers variable variation, timing, and necessary aggregation, (4) ensures necessary variation, and (5) specifies null and mixed-effects models. We also provide exemplary R code for readers to replicate our approach. •A general five-step protocol for analyzing repeated measures of online group behavior is offered. •A description of the complex nested data structure is offered. •Users can simulate data in R to run through the protocol

Analyzing collaborative note-taking behaviors and their relationship with student learning through the collaborative encoding-storage paradigm

The present study (n = 357) investigates the effects of collaborative note-taking behaviors on learning performance and note quality. To conceptualize collaborative note-taking, the present study introduces the collaborative encoding-storage paradigm, where collaborative writing behaviors are viewed as types of collaborative encoding and the completeness or comprehensiveness of the notes is viewed as a measure of storage. The following collaborative behaviors were analyzed: volume of words written, edits of others’ writing, frequency of writing sessions, and turn-taking. Storage was evaluated by measuring the completeness of the notes the groups produced. Given the complex nature of the data, with individuals nested within groups, we used a two-level correlation analysis to identify correlations among variables. Between-person analysis suggested that volume of words, edits of others, and turn-taking behaviors were all positively associated with learning performance. Between-groups analysis suggested that volume of words and frequency of writing sessions were associated with the completeness of group notes. Overall, the results demonstrate meaningful relationships between the frequency of collaborative encoding behaviors and learning outcomes, showing differences in the impact that encoding and storage behaviors have on learner performance and suggesting the effectiveness of collaboration varies depending on variables investigated as well as the level of analysis

Jamie Costley's Quick Files

The Quick Files feature was discontinued and it’s files were migrated into this Project on March 11, 2022. The file URL’s will still resolve properly, and the Quick Files logs are available in the Project’s Recent Activity

Experiments into instructional sequence

This research looks at how instructional activities can be sequenced and what effect that sequence has on student learning and cognitive loa

The Effects of Instructor Control on Critical Thinking and Social Presence: Variations Within Three Online Asynchronous Learning Environments

In a world in which online interactions are becoming the norm, an understanding of how three fundamental aspects of online learning (teaching presence, social presence and cognitive presence) interact is important. This paper will look at how these three presences interact with each other in an online forum. More specifically it will describe the effects of instructional design on learners’ levels of critical thinking and social presence. The research involved taking 900 learner posts from differing experimental conditions and analyzing those posts for social presence and critical thinking. The experimental conditions varied in three different ways in regards to the level of instructor control over the learning environment. The first learning environment had a low level of instructor control while the second and third had progressively high levels of instructor control over the learners’ contributions to the forum. The results showed that increasing the amount of control an instructor has over a learning environment increases the amount of cognitive presence but decreases the amount of social presence within the learners’ posts. In general, these results are important because instructors must be aware of how their behavior may affect how learners interact (and therefore learn) online. More specifically, many instructors are interested in the types of discourse their learners create. Therefore, the ways instructors can manipulate learner discourse is of great importance

The Moderating Effects of Group Work on the Relationship Between Motivation and Cognitive Load

Semi-formal learning is used to describe learning that is directed towards the goals of a formal learning institution but outside of the learning structure of a specific class. Students studying online may form semi-formal groups to increase their knowledge of the content by interacting with other learners taking the same class. This study of cyber university students (n = 2042) involved looking at the relationship between semi-formal learning groups and levels of germane load.  Furthermore, this study sought to understand what role group work plays in moderating the relationship between motivation and germane load. This study found that highly motivated students had higher levels of germane load, and that group work negatively moderated that relationship. In other words, while all students benefited from group work, students with lower levels of motivation benefited more than students with high levels of motivation. This research fills an important gap by showing the value this type of group work can have for all learners, particularly those who may otherwise struggle

The Effects of Lecture Diversity on Germane Load

An important aspect of MOOCs is the way students interact with video lectures. Instruction provided through video lectures should focus on ways to increase germane cognitive load, which directly contributes to learning. One approach that may lead to an increase of germane load may be to use video lectures with diverse forms of media, including both auditory and visual aspects of multimedia. This study surveyed a group of students (n = 1602) who participated in MOOC-like courses in South Korea to investigate the relationship between delivery diversity and germane cognitive load. Additionally, the relationships between individual indicators of both audio and visual aspects of multimedia and germane load were examined. Results show a positive relationship between diverse media delivery (auditory, visual, and total media) and germane cognitive load. The implication of these results are important for instructors who wish to promote a better understanding of e-learning materials through the delivery of content by using diverse forms of media

Collaborative note-taking affects cognitive load:The interplay of completeness and interaction

Studies showing improved learning performances for students who take notes collaboratively have speculated that sharing this task among group members may reduce the extraneous cognitive burden placed on each member. Therefore, a study (n=171) was conducted in the context of a flipped scientific writing course to examine the effects of collaborative note-taking on student’s levels of cognitive load. Students in the course were divided into two groups, with members of the treatment group being directed to take collaborative notes in a shared online document and members of the control group receiving no such instructions. The study also measured the level of collaboration the collaborative note-takers engaged in, as well as the level of completeness of the notes that they produced. The results showed that, firstly, the treatment group reported higher levels of both germane and extraneous cognitive load compared to those of the control group, meaning that collaborative note-takers experienced higher levels of understanding of course content as well as increased confusion. Secondly, the level of collaboration was positively and significantly correlated with levels of germane load (understanding), but not with extraneous load (confusion). Thirdly, no correlation was found between completeness of notes and cognitive load. Accordingly, the authors suggest that collaborative note-taking is worthwhile, as the gains to students’ understanding of course content outweigh the disadvantages of increased confusion

Pinch Hitter: The Effectiveness of Content Summaries Delivered by a Guest Lecturer in Online Course Videos

Lecture videos have become an increasingly prevalent and important source of learning content. Lecturer-generated summaries may be used during a video lecture to improve student recall. Furthermore, the integration of a guest lecturer into the classroom may be a beneficial educational practice drawing the learner’s attention to specific content or providing a change of pace. The current study measures the effects of lecturer-generated summaries and the inclusion of a guest lecturer on students’ ability to recall online video lecture contents. Seven sections of a flipped scientific writing course were divided into three groups. The control group videos featured a lecturer speaking with PowerPoint slides in the background. The Summaries Only group viewed the same videos as those of the control, with the addition of lecturer-generated summaries spliced into the middles and ends of the videos, respectively, and these summaries were delivered by the same lecturers of the original video. The Summaries with a Guest Lecturer group viewed the same videos as the control, but with the addition of lecturer-generated summaries respectively spliced into the middles and ends of the videos, and these summaries were instead delivered by a guest lecturer. Student recall was measured through two online multiple-choice quizzes. The results of the study show that the Summaries Only group significantly outperformed the other two groups, while no significant difference was found between the performances of the control and the Summaries with a Guest Lecturer group. The results suggest that lecturer-generated summaries help to improve student recall of online video lecture contents. However, the introduction of a guest lecturer shown in a different setting may cause learners to lose concentration, nullifying the benefit of the summaries