Web-enhanced learning scenarios

AbstractThere are various perspectives on how to blend face to face with on line experiences as well as on the rationale for blending face-to-face learning with technology. In this paper we focus on how collaborative scripts may inform the design of blended learning with specific cognitive and meta-cognitive objectives. To this end, we present several web-enhanced learning scenarios that combine individual and collaborative activities, involve various e-learning tools aiming to provide a supporting blended learning context at higher education. The description of the scenarios includes activity sequencing, type of activities, role distribution, objectives, and available tools/resources

A Case Study on How Distance Education May Inform Post-Pandemic University Teaching

Higher education recently found itself in the unprecedented situation of being forced to rapidly switch to online education as a demand of the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this article is to compare and contrast the experiences of university tutors who teach in two distance education universities with those who teach in a traditional university concerning their online lessons during lockdown. Forty university tutors participated in a survey to capture their teaching experiences. The survey was based on the transactional distance theory. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected from both groups. Analysis of the quantitative data indicates no significant differences between the two groups in scores regarding course structure flexibility and the degree of student autonomy; however, significant difference with a high effect size was found regarding instructional dialogue, in favor of the distance tutors’ group. Thematically analyzing the qualitative data allowed the researchers to group the data into three main themes focused on how the instructional dialogue was manifested in the classes of both groups: (a) the learning design approach adopted, (b) the tutor-led interaction for student support, and (b) learner-to-learner communication and the sense of an online community. Ensuing recommendations involve adopting social-constructivist approaches that can sustain high-quality instructional dialogue in online learning settings and creating distance education faculty development programs in traditional universities that will help tutors support dialogical forms of online pedagogy

Web-based adaptive educational hypermedia systems

In this PhD Thesis a comprehensive framework for the design and development of Web-based adaptive educational hypermedia systems is proposed. This framework aims at providing personalized instruction and it is based on theories from the areas of instructional design and learning styles. It unifies several processes which formulate system adaptation and relates to the modelling of system. Building units domain model learner MCDCL adaptive engine also. A method that exploits ideas from the fields of fuzzy logic and multi criteria decision making has been proposed for the dynamic diagnose of learners knowledge level during the interaction. A prototype system named INSPIRE (Intelligent System for Personalized Instruction in a Remote Environment) has been developed based on the above ideas. INSPIRE based on learners learning games generates lessons that accommodate their learning style, knowledge level and progress. Several levels of adaptation are supported providing learners control over the system.Στο πλαίσιο της παρούσας διατριβής προτείνεται ένα ολοκληρωμένο πλαίσιο σχεδιασμού και ανάπτυξης διαδικτυακών προσαρμοστικών εκπαιδευτικών συστημάτων υπερμέσων. Το προτεινόμενο πλαίσιο στοχεύει στην παροχή εξατομικευμένης διδασκαλίας και αξιοποιεί αρχές από την περιοχή του εκπαιδευτικού σχεδιασμού και των μαθησιακών στυλ. Επίσης ενσωματώνει διαδικασίες που διαμορφώνουν την προσαρμογή του συστήματος και αφορούν στην μοντελοποίηση των δομικών του μονάδων, πεδίο γνώσης, μοντέλο εκπαιδευόμενου, προσαρμοστική μηχανή. Αντιμετωπίστηκε το πρόβλημα της διάγνωσης του επιπέδου γνώσης του εκπαιδευόμενου με μεθόδους από τις περιοχές της ασαφούς λογικής και της πολυκριτιριακής λήψης απόφασης, δίνοντας αποτελέσματα παρόμοια με αυτά της διάγνωσης εκπαιδευτή. Ως εφαρμογή και πρόταση αναπτύχθηκε το σύστημα INSPIRE (Intelligent System for Personalized Instruction in a Remote Environment) το οποίο παρέχει μαθήματα προσαρμοσμένα στο μαθησιακό στυλ. Το επίπεδο γνώσης και την πρόοδο του εκπαιδευμένου υποστηρίζονται διάφορα επίπεδα προσαρμογής παρέχοντας στον εκπαιδευόμενο τον έλεγχο του συστήματος

Critical Thinking for Personalization in Communities of Inquiry

This paper describes a study that investigates the relation between critical thinking and the metacognitive element of cognition monitoring in asynchronous discussions adopting the Community of Inquiry framework. The aim of this study is to propose measurements reflecting the cognitive development of the community through an asynchronous discussion. These measurements will be integrated in an adaptable visualization learning analytics tool to enhance personalized interaction. The results of the study show moderate positive significant relation between learners' critical thinking and learners' monitoring of the inquiry process whilst the linear regression analysis indicated critical thinking as a significant predicting measurement for learners' monitoring of the inquiry process

Learning design as a vehicle for developing TPACK in blended teacher training on technology enhanced learning

Abstract This paper presents a framework for constructivist pre-service teacher training in Technology Enhanced Learning, adopting a view of teachers as designers of innovative content, working individually and/or collaboratively, discussing and interacting with the instructor, technology and their peers. In such a context, a challenging issue is the content and structure of appropriate activities for cultivating various types of synthetic knowledge combining technology, pedagogy and content through asynchronous collaboration. In this paper, we elaborate on the social orchestration of a training course around collaborative design activities and on the emerging challenges from two successive cycles of implementation. We highlight the elements used to expand and augment online interaction, drawn from two known approaches in teacher training and online learning, the TPACK (Technological, Pedagogical and Content Knowledge) framework and the CoI (Community of Inquiry) model. We specifically examine a) the impact of synthetic design activities to the development of pre-service teachers’ synthetic knowledge (of Technology, Pedagogy and Content) and b) the relationships among specific elements of TPACK and CoI. Findings drawn from the examination of pre-service teachers’ perspectives through two structured questionnaires reveal important potential of synthetic activities for teachers’ TPACK development and highlight specific connections among elements of the TPACK and CoI frameworks

Flipping The Classroom to Increase Students’ Engagement and Interaction in a Mechanical Engineering Course on Machine Design

This paper focuses on engaging students in engineering education and provides a case study to exemplify one way of doing this proposing wikis as the main technology for delivering the content and collaborative problem solving as the main approach for working in class. In particular, we flipped part of an undergraduate course on Machine Design following specific design principles. The pre-course content was consisted of existing material, videos, texts and appropriate URLs. This was delivered through a wiki on the wikispaces platform. In class students worked individually and in groups on several types of problems, participating also in a peer review activity. We analysed interaction data recorded by the wiki as well as questionnaires exploring students' perspectives on the particular educational experience. Preliminary results of this pilot study provide evidence about the potential of the flipped classroom in activating students and in increasing interaction within the class