Designing Connected Learning: Emerging learning systems in a craft teacher education course

This socioculturally informed study aims to apply learning by collaborative designing (LCD) as an instructional model for the creation and studying of new kinds of connected learning systems in teacher education. A case study was organized at the University of Eastern Finland in the context of an information and communication technology (ICT) course aimed at craft student teachers’ (N=13). A qualitative content analysis was used to describe the kind of learning systems that emerged when the students collaboratively designed an extended network of people, objects, and tools for their own learning and teaching. The results reveal that the student teams were active in designing and self-organising the learning environment in the pursuit of shared objects, and in using diverse tools and technologies for thinking and for collecting, organising and sharing information. Implications for designing connected learning and teaching across spaces and communities are also discussed

The effect of functional roles on perceived group efficiency during computer-supported collaborative learning

In this article, the effect of functional roles on group performance and collaboration during computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) is investigated. Especially the need for triangulating multiple methods is emphasised: Likert-scale evaluation questions, quantitative content analysis of e-mail communication and qualitative analysis of open-ended questions were used. A comparison of fourty-one questionnaire observations, distributed over thirteen groups in two research conditions – groups with prescribed functional roles (n = 7, N = 18) and nonrole groups (n = 6, N = 23) – revealed no main effect for performance (grade). Principal axis factoring of the Likert-scales revealed a latent variable that was interpreted as perceived group efficiency (PGE). Multilevel modelling (MLM) yielded a positive marginal effect of PGE. Most groups in the role condition report a higher degree of PGE than nonrole groups. Content analysis of e-mail communication of all groups in both conditions (role n = 7, N = 25; nonrole n = 6, N = 26) revealed that students in role groups contribute more ‘coordination’ focussed statements. Finally, results from cross case matrices of student responses to open-ended questions support the observed marginal effect that most role groups report a higher degree of perceived group efficiency than nonrole groups

Designing for interaction

At present, the design of computer-supported group-based learning (CS)GBL) is often based on subjective decisions regarding tasks, pedagogy and technology, or concepts such as ‘cooperative learning’ and ‘collaborative learning’. Critical review reveals these concepts as insufficiently substantial to serve as a basis for (CS)GBL design. Furthermore, the relationship between outcome and group interaction is rarely specified a priori. Thus, there is a need for a more systematic approach to designing (CS)GBL that focuses on the elicitation of expected interaction processes. A framework for such a process-oriented methodology is proposed. Critical elements that affect interaction are identified: learning objectives, task-type, level of pre-structuring, group size and computer support. The proposed process-oriented method aims to stimulate designers to adopt a more systematic approach to (CS)GBL design according to the interaction expected, while paying attention to critical elements that affect interaction. This approach may bridge the gap between observed quality of interaction and learning outcomes and foster (CS)GBL design that focuses on the heart of the matter: interaction

Asiakastyytyväisyys Rantasalmen Alkossa

Opinnäytetyön aiheena oli asiakastyytyväisyyskysely Alko Oy:n Rantasalmen myymälälle. Myymälä luokitellaan myymälätyypiltään sesonkimyymäläksi. Tutkimuksessa selvitettiin asiakkaiden tyytyväisyyttä ja avointa palautetta asiakaspalvelun, valikoiman ja myymälän tilojen osalta. Kyselytutkimus toteutettiin tammikuussa 2013 puolistrukturoituna lomakekyselynä. Kyselyyn osallistui 141 asiakasta. Opinnäytetyöraportti koostuu johdannosta, toimeksiantajan esittelystä, teoriaosuudesta, tutkimuksen toteuttamisesta, tutkimustuloksista ja lopuksi tulosten analysoinnista sekä oman työn arvioinnista. Toimeksiantajan esittelyssä kerrotaan Rantasalmen Alkosta sekä Alko Oy:stä. Teoriaosuus käsittelee asiakastyytyväisyyteen ja palveluun liittyviä osa-alueita. Tutkimustuloksia on selitetty kirjallisesti ja havainnollistettu erilaisilla kuvioilla ja taulukoilla. Tutkimuksen tuloksista selvisi, että asiakkaat ovat todella tyytyväisiä Rantasalmen Alkoon. Mielipidekysymysten vastauksista vain kahden kysymyksen keskiarvo oli alle 3,5:n asteikolla 1-4. Nämä olivat parkkipaikat ja valikoiman laajuus. Nämä ovat valitettavasti sellaisia asioita, joihin myymälän henkilökunnalla ei ole mahdollisuutta vaikuttaa. Eniten positiivista palautetta saivat kassa-asiointi myymälässä, myymälän siisteys ja henkilökunnan positiivisuus. Parannusehdotuksia myymälän toimintaan on vaikea keksiä tämän tutkimuksen tulosten perusteella. Jatkotutkimuksena olisi mielenkiintoista selvittää, eroavatko tutkimustulokset toisistaan, jos kysely toteutettaisiin kesäsesongin aikana.The subject of this thesis was customer satisfaction survey for Alko Ltd Rantasalmi. This shop is classified as season sales shop. This survey examined the level of customer satisfaction and written feedback by asking about customer service, product range and shop’s premises. The survey was executed in January 2013 by using half structured forms. There were 141 people who answered the survey. The thesis report consists of introduction, presentation of client organization, theoretical part, executing the research, research results and in the end research results and my own work are analyzed. Presentation of the client organization part presents Alko Ltd Rantasalmi and Alko Ltd. The theoretical part deals with sectors of customer satisfaction and service. Research results are described with various charts and tables. The research results revealed that customers are really satisfied with Alko Ltd Rantasalmi. Only two opinion questions were below 3,5 average value in scale 1-4. These questions were about parking lots and product range. Unfortunately the employees can’t affect these things. The customers were really satisfied with fluency of purchasing events, tidiness of the shop and positivity of the employees. It is really hard to come up with any development ideas to make Alko Ltd Rantasalmi better especially after these research results. As a further investigation it would be interesting to find out if research results were different by executing this survey in summer

Horizon - Utopian visualization of the stage

Tässä opinnäytteessä käsittelen utopiaa draamallisessa nykyteatterissa. Tarkastelen aihetta kahden Teatterikorkeakoululla tekemäni produktion kautta tutkien sitä, miten utopia näkyi teosten tekoprosessissa, ja miten se vaikutti lavastuksen ja puvustuksen lopputulokseen. Esimerkkiteokseni ovat Tunkio, joka käsittelee abstraktia haaveiden paratiisia, sekä konkreettisempaa ekoutopiaa, ja Young Blood, jonka kautta tarkastelen yhteisön utopiaa. Utopia yleensä määritellään joksikin ihanteelliseksi tilaksi tai yhteiskunnaksi, joka ei ole vielä toteutunut. Utopiat pyrkivät herättämään toivoa tulevaan ja näyttämään mielikuvituksemme ja haaveidemme rajat nykyhetkestä käsin. Itseäni utopiassa kiinnostaa sen moninaisuus ja yhteiskunnallisuus. Utopiat leikittelevät eri ajan- ja todellisuuden tasoilla kuten nykyisyys—tulevaisuus ja todellisuus—fiktio, mutta samalla utopiat aina peilaavat ja kommentoivat sitä yhteiskuntaa, jossa ne ovat luotu. Tuon utopian tähän päivään nostamalla sen rinnalle myös feministiset praktiikat. Feministiset praktiikat voivat valjastaa haaveilun voiman vastareaktiona yhteiskunnassa vallitseviin normeihin. Feministiset praktiikat myös muovaavat ja pyrkivät uudelleen määrittelemään sitä mitä olemme tottuneet näkemään esityksissä, joten pidän utopiaa, etenkin tuotettuna feminististen praktiikoiden kautta, tärkeänä osana nykyteatteria. Tutkin utopiaa teoreettisesta näkökulmasta käyttäen apunani muun muassa Peter G. Stillmanin artikkelia 'Nothing is, but what is not': Utopias as Practical Political Philosophy (2001), joka käsittelee utopiaa yleisellä tasolla, sekä Natasha Tripneyn Imagining a better world: The challenges and paradoxes of exploring utopian themes on stage (2021) sekä Jill Dolanin Utopia in Performance: Finding Hope at the Theater (2005), jotka taas vievät aiheen teatterin piiriin

Videopelin vaikeustaso ja sen arviointi

Videopelien vaikeustasoa ei ole helppo arvioida kehityksen aikana, varsinkaan ilman pelitestaajia. Opinnäytetyössä selvitetään mitä vaikeustaso videopeleissä tarkoittaa ja miten sitä voidaan arvioida. Näitä tietoja käytetään arvioimaan oman videopeliprojektin vaikeustasoa ja tehdään kaavio kuvastamaan, miten se muuttuu pelin edetessä. Kaavioon lisätään myös pelaajan arvio, jota voidaan verrata tehtyyn arviointiin

Occupational justice and injustice in persons with mental disorders – a scoping review

Background: Approximately 20-25 % of people experience mental health disorders globally and, therefore, have a higher chance of meeting occupational injustices in their everyday lives. Occupational injustice includes occupational deprivation, imbalance, alienation, marginalization and apartheid. The purpose of this study was to explore the current knowledge of occupational justice or injustice in persons with mental disorders. Method: Scoping review methodology by Peters et al. (2020) was used for mapping evidence. For inclusion criteria, there was no age restriction. Also, mental disorders or mental illnesses or diagnoses for that had to be stated. The time span for the literature search was between 2006 and 2021. The data was searched from AMED, CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycINFO and Scopus. Hand searching in the Journal of Occupational Science was also conducted, and the citations and reference lists were screened. Results: Seven articles met the criteria and were included for qualitative synthesis, and all were related to working-aged adults. Three main themes were found in relation to (1) engagement in occupations, (2) social relations, and (3) participating in work-life. Conclusion: Occupational injustice was related to environmental barriers, a lack of opportunities for engaging in meaningful activities, developing positive identity and self-esteem and to having a stigma. Participation in work-life was noted to be affecting occupational justice positively. There may also exist knowledge gaps regarding other age groups than persons of working age with mental disorders and from countries with weak health care and insurance systems. Further research about occupational injustice in persons with mental disorders is needed

Application of a digraph model based approach to system fault diagnostics

The issue of fault diagnostics is a dominant factor concerning current engineering systems. Information regarding possible failures is required in order to minimise disruption caused to functionality. A method proposed in this research utilises digraphs to model the information flow within an application system. Digraphs are comprised from a set of nodes representing system process variables or component failure modes. The nodes are connected by signed edges thus illustrating the influence, be it positive or negative, one node has on another.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Design-Oriented Pedagogy for Technology-Enhanced Learning to Cross Over the Borders between Formal and Informal Environments

In this paper, we introduce an instructional model for technology-enhanced learning in the framework of a design-oriented pedagogy. The model is based on the collaborative designing of learning objects representing real objects in nature and culture environments. Project-based learning, whole task approach, object-oriented learning, multiple perspectives and semantically rich objects constitute the framework for a collaborative design process to articulate, build and share knowledge constructed in a community of learners, teacher and experts with the support of social media and mobile technologies. The co-development process supported by socially shared tools will provide possibilities for working with knowledge objects related to the physical, conceptual or cultural artefacts, so that the constructed learning objects can serve as starting points for others to adapt, integrate and develop them further to represent the phenomenon in question. In the paper, the theoretical background of the pedagogy, the instructional model designed and the development of the model will be introduced. Four design experiments demonstrate the applicability of the model in different educational contexts