E-FACILITATION`S RIPPLE EFFECT ON EDUCATIONAL TRANSITION

The rapid evolution of the online learning environment has stimulated an increased reliance on effective e-facilitation to enhance the educational experience. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the data were collected from the observation of a virtual workshop and questionnaires distributed to the participants through an online survey tool. The research investigates how the quality of e-facilitation influences the psychological safety perceptions of participants and subsequently affects their willingness to share knowledge. The study suggests that e-facilitation acts as a catalyst, creating a ripple effect on the psychological safety climate within online learning communities. By fostering a supportive and inclusive digital atmosphere, e-facilitators contribute to learners' sense of security, encouraging open communication and collaboration. Furthermore, the research investigates into the impact on knowledge-sharing behavior, clarifying the mechanisms through which e-facilitation facilitates the exchange of ideas, experiences, and insights among participants. The findings of this study have practical implications for educators, instructional designers, and e-facilitators seeking to optimize online learning environments

Mastering Of Hypermedia Resources By Virtual Learning Communities: Possibilities And Constraints For Interaction, Communication And Construction Of Network Knowledge.

The purpose of this paper is to present the procedures and some of the results from the investigation on the use of hypermedia resources for the construction of network knowledge. These resources, available in a distance learning support environment, are used for the process of interaction and production of knowledge through a virtual learning community (VLC) under formation. This VLC aims at providing a collaborative environment equipped with multimedia resources focused on information, communication and continuing education for community health agents[1], as well as nurses, physicians, teachers and other people who work in public establishments which offer access to Information and Communication Technologies in the city of Pedreira in the countryside of São Paulo. In this context, collaborative learning situations are shaped where users/learners master procedures, strategies and multimedia resources available and make “products” using audiovisual aids.  The “products” are presented, discussed and revised by the group to be later distributed to and shared with the relevant community. Based on such activities, it was possible to understand that the use of audiovisual aids in virtual learning environments (i.e., tools which enable different forms of expression and the establishment of the distance communication among people on the Web through the joint use of visual and sound components) are able to boost the learning process by overcoming the training constraints typically found in traditional models and thus expanding the range of possibilities for the construction of knowledge.[1] In Brazil, a community health agent is a lay health care worker who is not certified to practice medicine or nursing, but has the primary task of gathering information on the health status of a small community by means of a close relationship with it.[pt]Este artigo tem como objetivo apresentar e discutir ideias, métodos, procedimentos e resultados relacionados à investigação sobre a utilização de recursos hipermidiáticos para a construção de conhecimentos em rede. Estes recursos, disponíveis em um ambiente de suporte de educação a distância são utilizados para o processo de interação e produção de conhecimentos por uma comunidade virtual de aprendizagem (CVA) em formação. Esta CVA pretende ser um espaço colaborativo, com recursos multimídia, voltada para a informação, comunicação e formação continuada de agentes comunitários de saúde, enfermeiros, médicos, professores e demais pessoas vinculadas aos espaços públicos de acesso as tecnologias de informação e comunicação do município de Pedreira-SP

Distributed Learning System Design: A New Approach and an Agenda for Future Research

This article presents a theoretical framework designed to guide distributed learning design, with the goal of enhancing the effectiveness of distributed learning systems. The authors begin with a review of the extant research on distributed learning design, and themes embedded in this literature are extracted and discussed to identify critical gaps that should be addressed by future work in this area. A conceptual framework that integrates instructional objectives, targeted competencies, instructional design considerations, and technological features is then developed to address the most pressing gaps in current research and practice. The rationale and logic underlying this framework is explicated. The framework is designed to help guide trainers and instructional designers through critical stages of the distributed learning system design process. In addition, it is intended to help researchers identify critical issues that should serve as the focus of future research efforts. Recommendations and future research directions are presented and discussed

INSPIRAL: investigating portals for information resources and learning. Final project report

INSPIRAL's aims were to identify and analyse, from the perspective of the UK HE learner, the nontechnical, institutional and end-user issues with regard to linking VLEs and digital libraries, and to make recommendations for JISC strategic planning and investment. INSPIRAL's objectives -To identify key stakeholders with regard to the linkage of VLEs, MLEs and digital libraries -To identify key stakeholder forum points and dissemination routes -To identify the relevant issues, according to the stakeholders and to previous research, pertaining to the interaction (both possible and potential) between VLEs/MLEs and digital libraries -To critically analyse identified issues, based on stakeholder experience and practice; output of previous and current projects; and prior and current research -To report back to JISC and to the stakeholder communities, with results situated firmly within the context of JISC's strategic aims and objectives

Managing evolution and change in web-based teaching and learning environments

The state of the art in information technology and educational technologies is evolving constantly. Courses taught are subject to constant change from organisational and subject-specific reasons. Evolution and change affect educators and developers of computer-based teaching and learning environments alike – both often being unprepared to respond effectively. A large number of educational systems are designed and developed without change and evolution in mind. We will present our approach to the design and maintenance of these systems in rapidly evolving environments and illustrate the consequences of evolution and change for these systems and for the educators and developers responsible for their implementation and deployment. We discuss various factors of change, illustrated by a Web-based virtual course, with the objective of raising an awareness of this issue of evolution and change in computer-supported teaching and learning environments. This discussion leads towards the establishment of a development and management framework for teaching and learning systems

Global Teamwork: A Study of Design Learning in Collaborative Virtual Environments

With the recent developments in communication and information technologies, using Collaborative Virtual Environments (CVEs) in design activity has experienced a remarkable increase. In this paper we present a collaborative learning activity between the University of Sydney (USYD), and the Istanbul Technical University (ITU). This paper shares our teaching experience and discusses the principles of collaborative design learning in virtual environments. Followed by a study on students’ perception on the courses and collaborative learning in both universities, this paper also suggests future refinements on the course structure and the main areas of collaborative design learning. Keywords: Collaborative Design; Collaborative Virtual Environments; Design Teaching And Learning</p

The evolving landscape of learning technology

This paper provides an overview of the current and emerging issues in learning technology research, concentrating on structural issues such as infrastructure, policy and organizational context. It updates the vision of technology outlined by Squires’ (1999) concept of peripatetic electronic teachers (PETs) where Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) provide an enabling medium to allow teachers to act as freelance agents in a virtual world and reflects to what extent this vision has been realized The paper begins with a survey of some of the key areas of ICT development and provides a contextualizing framework for the area in terms of external agendas and policy drivers. It then focuses upon learning technology developments which have occurred in the last five years in the UK and offers a number of alternative taxonomies to describe this. The paper concludes with a discussion of the issues which arise from this work

An Experimental Nexos Laboratory Using Virtual Xinu

The Nexos Project is a joint effort between Marquette University, the University of Buffalo, and the University of Mississippi to build curriculum materials and a supporting experimental laboratory for hands-on projects in computer systems courses. The approach focuses on inexpensive, flexible, commodity embedded hardware, freely available development and debugging tools, and a fresh implementation of a classic operating system, Embedded Xinu, that is ideal for student exploration. This paper describes an extension to the Nexos laboratory that includes a new target platform composed of Qemu virtual machines. Virtual Xinu addresses two challenges that limit the effectiveness of Nexos. First, potential faculty adopters have clearly indicated that even with the current minimal monetary cost of installation, the hardware modifications, and time investment remain troublesome factors that scare off interested educators. Second, overcoming the inherent complications that arise due to the shared subnet that result in students\u27 projects interfering with each other in ways that are difficult to recreate, debug, and understand. Specifically, this paper discusses porting the Xinu operating systems to Qemu virtual hardware, developing the virtual networking platform, and results showing success using Virtual Xinu in the classroom during one semester of Operating Systems at the University of Mississippi

The LAB@FUTURE Project - Moving Towards the Future of E-Learning

This paper presents Lab@Future, an advanced e-learning platform that uses novel Information and Communication Technologies to support and expand laboratory teaching practices. For this purpose, Lab@Future uses real and computer-generated objects that are interfaced using mechatronic systems, augmented reality, mobile technologies and 3D multi user environments. The main aim is to develop and demonstrate technological support for practical experiments in the following focused subjects namely: Fluid Dynamics - Science subject in Germany, Geometry - Mathematics subject in Austria, History and Environmental Awareness – Arts and Humanities subjects in Greece and Slovenia. In order to pedagogically enhance the design and functional aspects of this e-learning technology, we are investigating the dialogical operationalisation of learning theories so as to leverage our understanding of teaching and learning practices in the targeted context of deployment