Understanding online learning across cultures: The encounter between Confucius culture and Western culture

The purpose of this study is to understand how much the field knows about the role culture plays in online learning. Further, the question is situated in the interplay between online learning behaviors influenced by Confucius culture and Western teaching pedagogy. The shared understandings of Confucius culture and Western culture presented in current literature are reviewed and compared. The impact on online learning beliefs and behaviors of international student sojourners from Confucius culture is discussed from the following three dimensions: teacher-student relationship, curriculum development, and teaching and learning pedagogy. This study cautions that culture matters in online learning but its influence should neither be underestimated nor overestimated/stereotyped

A Report to The Commission of Professors of Adult Education (CPAE) Executive Committee

This online survey was developed to help the Commission of Professors of Adult Education (CPAE) Executive Committee better understand current CPAE community members’ social media habitus for professional networking and collaborations online. 126 CPAE community members completed the survey during the two-week window in February 2017. The major findings are: -97% of the survey respondents are on various social media platforms for professional networking and collaboration purposes. -Facebook (FB) and LinkedIn are the two most popular social media platforms used by the survey respondents with the popularity scores of 28% and 29% respectively. -63% of the survey respondents self-identified as FB users and 67% self-identified as LinkedIn users. -Among the survey respondents, 78% of the FB users and 40% LinkedIn users are on the corresponding social media platforms more than 3 times a week. -Based on the survey responses, a list of social media selection criteria is developed with 11 things to consider when selecting a social media platform(s) for professional networking and collaboration use

Revisioning information and communication technology for development (ICT4D) at the Comparative & International Education Society (CIES): a five-year account (2009 - 2013)

The purpose of this paper is to provide an account of how Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has evolved as a key topic and research area at the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) conference. The past five years’ CIES conference papers with an ICT component are reviewed for common development trends, opportunities, and challenges. The findings include: 1) ICT has a strong presence at CIES; 2) Countries from Asia, Africa and Northern America regions have been the major contributors to CIES; 3) Educational institutions, private and professional organizations and companies have been the key ICT4D players at CIES; 4) The interaction between ICT and other areas has been established; 5) ICT4D SIG is suggested to further claim its role of connecting, building, and strengthening ICT4D community of practice at CIES. Recommendations are also made for the development of a broad research agenda for the field to grow and mature in this connected global ICT context

Understanding online reading through the eyes of first and second language readers: an exploratory study

Utilizing eye-tracking technology and focusing on the “rapid”, “purposeful” and “comprehending” attributes of fluent reading, this study investigated first language (L1) and second language (L2) readers’ online reading patterns and comprehension. Eye movement data from nine L1 readers and nine L2 readers were collected, analyzed and compared. Post-experiment interviews were conducted to obtain demographic and background information. The results indicate that L1 and L2 readers are heterogeneous when language proficiency is considered but they are homogeneous in many other aspects when the focus is on their online reading patterns and comprehension. While L1 readers read much faster than L2 readers, their attention distribution and performance on reading comprehension test are similar to L2 readers’. This study concludes that the essential online reading competency factors are similar in L1 and L2’s online reading when the “rapid”, “purposeful” and “comprehending” attributes of fluent reading are under investigation. When the core vocabulary of a language is mastered, it is metacognitive reading skills that play a major role in fluent reading in the context of new literacy

Introducing critical elements of cross-cultural scholarship development: A discussion towards a model

Theorizing existing literature, we present a model outlining five essential elements to guide cross-cultural scholarship practices. A scenario showcases how to apply these elements to practical situations

Quantum Noise of Kramers-Kronig Receiver

Abstrac--Kramers-Kronig (KK) receiver, which is equivalent to heterodyne detection with one single photodetector, provides an efficient method to reconstruct the complex-valued optical field by means of intensity detection given a minimum-phase signal. In this paper, quantum noise of the KK receiver is derived analytically and compared with that of the balanced heterodyne detection. We show that the quantum noise of the KK receiver keeps the radical fluctuation of the measured signal the same as that of the balanced heterodyne detection, while compressing the tangential noise to 1/3 times the radical one using the information provided by the Hilbert transform. In consequence, the KK receiver has 3/2 times the signal-to-noise ratio of balanced heterodyne detection while presenting an asymmetric distribution of fluctuations, which is also different from that of the latter. More interestingly, the projected in-phase and quadrature field operators of the retrieved signal after down conversion have a time dependent quantum noise distribution depending on the time-varying phase. This property provides a feasible scheme for controlling the fluctuation distribution according to the requirements of measurement accuracy in the specific direction. Under the condition of strong carrier wave, the fluctuations of the component requiring to be measured more accurately can be compressed to 1 / 6, which is even lower than 1/4 by measuring a coherent state. Finally, we prove the analytic conclusions by simulation results

Table of contents and introductory materials for Vol. 43, no. 3, summer 2016

This content includes the front cover, the table of contents, editorial information and more, the special issue: Preparing and Developing Educational Leaders in International Contexts: From Policy and Theory to Preparation and Practic

Educational Considerations, Vol. 43(3), Summer 2016 Full Issue

Educational Considerations, Vol. 43(3), Summer 2016-Full Issu