On the Ambiguous Nature of Theory in Educational Design-based Research – Reflecting and Structuring from an IS Perspective

Background: The lack of commonly accepted models of educational Design-based Research (DBR) hinders the effectiveness of knowledge transfer and theory development in this field. Such models are well established in information systems (IS) research. The structured approaches to DBR in IS research have the potential to inform educational research practice for facilitating the interplay between theoretical and practical advancements. Method: We compare existing approaches to identify compatibility in terms of objectives and structured process designs in the two fields based on a literature review. Having established common ground, we examine the role of theory as a result of DBR and identify potential for synthesis of existing concepts. Finally, we transfer an DBR contribution types model from IS and evaluate its applicability by reflecting it against outcomes in educational DBR. Findings: We show a compatibility of the goals and characteristics of DBR in both disciplines and identify a common underlying understanding that enables a transfer of concepts and models. The nature of DBR outcomes in educational research is found to be ambiguous, in particular with respect to the role of theory. This hampers the development of generalizable and transferable findings. DBR in IS provides more coherent models of the role of theory and the processes that lead to its development and validation. We show that these models can inform the implementation of educational DBR. Contribution: The paper contributes to the advancement of educational DBR by transferring models from IS research after thoroughly examining the compatibility of DBR in both fields. The more structured approach to examine and assess DBR outcomes enables to improve the generalizability and transferability of findings in educational research

Designing Digital Work

Combining theory, methodology and tools, this open access book illustrates how to guide innovation in today’s digitized business environment. Highlighting the importance of human knowledge and experience in implementing business processes, the authors take a conceptual perspective to explore the challenges and issues currently facing organizations. Subsequent chapters put these concepts into practice, discussing instruments that can be used to support the articulation and alignment of knowledge within work processes. A timely and comprehensive set of tools and case studies, this book is essential reading for those researching innovation and digitization, organization and business strategy

Usage Patterns of an ePortfolio-Platform - On the Potential Conflict between Short- and Long-term Usage Scenarios of ePortfolios

ePortfolio-platforms are popular tools to facilitate and promote lifelong learning. One of their major usage scenarios is enabling users to document their learning outcomes in an institution-independent way beyond formal learning settings. Aside this, ePorfolios are also promoted as a way to facilitate qualitative assessment in courses. The latter scenario introduces a short-term usage perspective that can be counterproductive for establishing sustainable long-term usage practices. In this paper, we analyse the usage data of the ePortfolio-platform mahara.at with respect to the prevalent usage patterns. This instance was active from 2007 until 2019 and featured more than 22.000 users from nearly 200 different institutions. As part of the analysis, we reviewed the activity on the platform on the basis of users’ login behaviour and content creation activities. Activity data shows that ~ 50% of the users used the platform for only half a year and sustainable usage practices over longer durations of time can hardly be observed. Both logins and content creations show cyclic patterns which correspond to the academic year. Based on these indications we conclude that users used the instance mainly for course-based scenarios rather than as a lifelong-learning portfolio

Micro-Credential Development: Tools, Methods and Concepts Supporting the European Approach

Recently, the European Commission has presented their roadmap for the introduction of micro-credentials (MCs) in the European higher education sector. This approach is accompanied by an assortment of tools, methods and concepts (instruments) that are supposed to support the uptake of MCs. We analyzed whether instruments that are mentioned in concert with the European approach sufficiently support MC development through a scoping review of related publications and reports. We find that there are still visible gaps related to the implementation of feedback cycles specific to MCs. Through two illustrative cases, we also show that phases in the MC development process which show sufficient support on the face level may still need additional support. We close this article by suggesting that a digital solution such as a central platform for MCs in Europe could serve to resolve some of the identified issues

Contextual Process Digitalization

This open access book presents an overview and step-by-step explanation of process management. It starts with the individual participants’ perspectives on their work in a process and its structuring and harmonization, and then moves on to its specification in a model and how it is embedded in the organizational and IT environment of the company. Lastly, the book examines the joint processing of instances in the resulting socio-technical systems. A corresponding illustration, which expands with the overview, enables readers to gain a comprehensive understanding of business process management. The book presents various facets of business process management from the perspective of the participants, and introduces a selection of models that have proved useful in practice. The design of such models supports the transition from a more-or-less unstructured or unsatisfactory way of working to a structured process that corresponds to the ideas of the company and its customers. The book is intended for professionals in industry as well as students in the field of business information systems who are looking for guidelines on how to discover, create and implement real-world processes

Contextual Process Digitalization

This open access book presents an overview and step-by-step explanation of process management. It starts with the individual participants’ perspectives on their work in a process and its structuring and harmonization, and then moves on to its specification in a model and how it is embedded in the organizational and IT environment of the company. Lastly, the book examines the joint processing of instances in the resulting socio-technical systems. A corresponding illustration, which expands with the overview, enables readers to gain a comprehensive understanding of business process management. The book presents various facets of business process management from the perspective of the participants, and introduces a selection of models that have proved useful in practice. The design of such models supports the transition from a more-or-less unstructured or unsatisfactory way of working to a structured process that corresponds to the ideas of the company and its customers. The book is intended for professionals in industry as well as students in the field of business information systems who are looking for guidelines on how to discover, create and implement real-world processes

Lecturers’ and Students’ Experiences with an Automated Programming Assessment System

Assessment of source code in university education has become an integral part of grading students and providing them valuable feedback on their developed software solutions. Thereby, lecturers have to deal with a rapidly growing number of students from heterogeneous fields of study, a shortage of lecturers, a highly dynamic set of learning objectives and technologies, and the need for more targeted student support. To meet these challenges, the use of an automated programming assessment system (APAS) to support traditional teaching is a promising solution. This paper examines this trend by analyzing the experiences of lecturers and students at various universities with an APAS and its impact over the course of a semester. In doing so, we conducted a total number of 30 expert interviews with end users, including 15 lecturers and 15 students, from four different universities within the same country. The results discuss the experiences of lecturers and students and highlight challenges that should be addressed in future research

CodeAbility Austria – Digital gestützte Programmierausbildung an österreichischen Universitäten

Qualitativ hochwertige Programmierausbildung an Universitäten stellt aufgrund von stark steigenden Zahlen von Studierenden, knapp bemessenen Lehrebudgets und Mangel an Lehrkräften eine große Herausforderung dar. Ziel des Projekts „CodeAbility Austria“ ist es, diesen universitären Rahmenbedingungen gerecht zu werden und Programmierlernplattformen bereitzustellen. Im Rahmen dieses Beitrags stellen wir das Projekt näher vor, präsentieren Ergebnisse unserer empirischen Untersuchungen hinsichtlich der Erfahrungen und Herausforderungen im Umgang mit Programmierlernplattformen in der universitären Lehre und geben einen Ausblick auf zukünftige Arbeiten. Dieses Projekt wurde am 1. Juni 2023 im Rahmen einer Online-Veranstaltung des BMBWF präsentiert. Die Präsentationsunterlagen finden Sie hier

DigiFit4All – Kompetenzen als Basis für Digitalisierung in der Lehre

Digitale Technologien ermöglichen neue Lehr- und Lernformate in hybrider oder rein virtueller Form. Das Projekt „DigiFit4All“ zielt darauf ab, personalisierte, offene Onlinekurse in Informatik und digitaler Bildung auf Basis von Kompetenzmodellen und Testungen der Lernenden zu erstellen. Eine Herausforderung ist dabei der breite Umfang des Projekts, da zumindest folgende vier Zielgruppen berücksichtigt werden: Schüler:innen, Studierende, Lehrende und Verwaltungspersonal. Für jede Zielgruppe wird dazu ein spezifisches Kompetenzmodell ausgewählt, das die Grundlage für die Entwicklung von digitalen Lernmaterialien bildet. In diesem Beitrag werden die Zielgruppen, der Prozess der Inhaltsauswahl sowie die einzelnen Modelle beschrieben

Towards Intuitive Work Modeling with a Tangible Collaboration Interface Approach

Models of human work are well recognized means for representing multiple elements of an organization in a mutually tuned form. However, humans and systems tend to use different forms of representation when expressing their knowledge. Most of the widespread modelling approaches focus on a system designer's or software view rather than on intuitive and comprehensive (re)presentations of mental models of users