Exploring Distance Education Research

This presentation summarizes a series of three studies to explore the field of distance education research. The aim of the first study was to develop a validated classification of research areas to organize the body of knowledge in distance education. The Delphi method was used to develop a consensus among a group of distance education experts and a set of 15 research areas was derived from a literature review and the expert's responses. In order to identify gaps and priority areas, 695 articles published in five prominent distance education journals between 2000 and 2008 were reviewed in the second study. Based on the same sample, an analysis of gender, methods and collaboration patterns among researchers in distance education was carried out in the third study.Elluminat

Mobile learning – a new paradigm shift in distance education?

During recent years, many distance teaching as well as residential institutions have started to experiment with mobile learning through pilot projects as part of their e-learning and technology enhanced learning environments. Mobile learning should not be regarded as a medium for distance learning. However, because of the similar affordances of distance learning technologies and online and mobile learning, the established field of distance education can provide valuable insight into strategies, approaches and practical experiences with regard to the conception and organization of this new medium for learning. Distance teaching institutions have a long history and much experience with media-based instruction. This affords them an advantage in the development and application of new information and communication technologies (ICTs) for teaching and learning. Student support systems have existed in traditional distance education for decades. ICTs – especially mobile devices – open up new paths for learning support and opportunities to reach a wider audience for (higher) education. However, will mobile learning bring about a paradigm shift in distance education? Or is it perhaps a new generation of distance education? Does it afford new opportunities for teaching and learning in terms of access and flexibility? This paper reports on an international survey that was conducted amongst distance educators in order to explore these questions

Zwischen Vielfalt und Einheit. Eine Expertenbefragung zu deutschsprachigen Zeitschriften der Erziehungswissenschaft

Der Beitrag stellt Ergebnisse einer mit Unterstützung der DGfE durchgeführten Studie vor, die sich mit der Frage auseinandersetzt, welche erziehungswissenschaftlichen Zeitschriften im deutschsprachigen Raum rezipiert und wie diese von Fachexperten (Sprecher/innen der Sektionen der DGfE) bewertet werden. Weitergehendes Ziel der Untersuchung ist es, zunächst Aussagen über die Reputation von Fachzeitschriften zu treffen, um ihre Qualität einzuschätzen. Es wird erwartet, dass sich daraus in Zukunft bessere Möglichkeiten ergeben, die Qualität von Zeitschriften zu beurteilen und diese zur Beurteilung wissenschaftlicher Leistungen heranzuziehen. Als Vorbild werden andere Disziplinen erwähnt, die aus dem sog. „impact factor“ Qualitätsaussagen ableiten. Die Autorin und die Autoren diskutieren die Schwachstellen solcher Verfahren kritisch und weisen darauf hin, dass die Erziehungswissenschaft ihrer Fachkultur angemessene Verfahren der Beurteilung entwickeln sollte. (DIPF/Orig.

Denn wir wissen nicht, was sie tun... Portfolios zur Dokumentation von Kompetenzen in einem weiterbildenden Masterstudiengang

Im vorliegenden Beitrag wird am Beispiel eines internetgestützten, weiterbildenden Studiengangs gezeigt, wie die Portfoliomethode als kompetenzbasierte Prüfungsleistung in ein Blended Learning Design integriert werden kann. Im Rahmen einer qualitativen Analyse von Projektportfolios wird untersucht, wie Studierende über ihren Kompetenzentwicklungsprozess reflektieren und welche Kompetenzen auf diese Weise dokumentiert werden

Editorial: Open Education im Kontext der Digitalisierung

Editoria

Mapping the Dropout Phenomenon for the New Digital Context

Open, distance, and digital education (ODDE) has a long history concerning dropout. With the new reality of the digital age, the terminologies and concepts that have been long adopted are inevitably subject to change. To understand dropout in the digital transformation, it is important to take an evidence-based approach and examine the literature. Therefore, this study applies the steps of a systematic literature review to retrieve relevant articles on dropout since 2010 and conducts a content analysis via text mining. The results indicate that student dropout and retention declined in publication during the pandemic despite remaining one of the critical issues in higher education. The main concepts indicate that most of the dropout studies focus on comparisons between face-to-face and online modalities; the learning environment and engagement; and support and motivation

Same same but different – eine Betrachtung der Sonderausgabe aus deutscher Perspektive

Der Kommentar versucht eine Betrachtung und Einordnung der Beiträge der vorliegenden Sonderausgabe aus der Perspektive der deutschen Hochschullandschaft. Dabei wird versucht, aktuelle Trends in Deutschland aufzugreifen und auf ähnliche Forschungsprojekte, Fördermaßnahmen und Publikationen hinzuweisen. Diese sind im besten Falle paradigmatisch für allgemeine Entwicklungstendenzen in der deutschen Hochschullehre, können aber ebenso anekdotische Evidenz besitzen oder prognostischen Charakter haben. Der Kommentar argumentiert, dass, obwohl in vielen Bereichen Gemeinsamkeiten existieren, einige Aspekte vorbildhaften Charakter für die Hochschullehre in Deutschland haben könnten

Exploring OER Awareness and Engagement of Academics from a Global South Perspective – a Case Study from Ghana

This study explored how academics in a Ghanaian university conceptualized and engaged with OER through a qualitative approach (in-depth interviews). “Access” emerged as the most dominant theme in how OER was conceptualized. Academics regarded OER positively; emphasizing its role in reducing the knowledge imbalances between the Global North and Global South and enhancing academic practices. Whilst some quality concerns about OERs were expressed, the reputation of sharing-institutions turned out as a significant factor in determining quality of the materials. Overall, the study revealed a deep-seated culture and practice of (re)use, revise, remix and redistribution of e-resources – akin to open practices, only that, this occurred locally among faculty, and at highly informal levels without the application of relevant open licences due to low awareness. In effect, the existing practices among faculty signal open-readiness

Systematic review of research on artificial intelligence applications in higher education – where are the educators?

According to various international reports, Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIEd) is one of the currently emerging fields in educational technology. Whilst it has been around for about 30 years, it is still unclear for educators how to make pedagogical advantage of it on a broader scale, and how it can actually impact meaningfully on teaching and learning in higher education. This paper seeks to provide an overview of research on AI applications in higher education through a systematic review. Out of 2656 initially identified publications for the period between 2007 and 2018, 146 articles were included for final synthesis, according to explicit inclusion and exclusion criteria. The descriptive results show that most of the disciplines involved in AIEd papers come from Computer Science and STEM, and that quantitative methods were the most frequently used in empirical studies. The synthesis of results presents four areas of AIEd applications in academic support services, and institutional and administrative services: 1. profiling and prediction, 2. assessment and evaluation, 3. adaptive systems and personalisation, and 4. intelligent tutoring systems. The conclusions reflect on the almost lack of critical reflection of challenges and risks of AIEd, the weak connection to theoretical pedagogical perspectives, and the need for further exploration of ethical and educational approaches in the application of AIEd in higher education