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

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

The impact of digital in learning spaces: an analysis on the perspective of teachers in higher education

Proceedings of Informing Science & IT Education Conference (InSITE) 2013The generalized use of Communication Networks and Information Technologies is nowadays a global phenomenon. It has multiple impacts on how to teach/learn and on the contexts in which this process takes place (the Learning Environments). These areas include Physical Learning places, Virtual Learning sites, Collaborative Learning Spaces, among others. These proposals provide new scenarios for the teaching/learning process, but their outlines are not well defined yet. A Learning Space requires a complex set of materials and human resources. Further and continued research is significant and justified by the relevance of Higher Education Institutions.The overall objective of the present research is to understand the perceptions of the Professors in their Learning Environments. In this context it has been considered relevant to gather opinions on the needs/priorities, utility, quality and sustainability, as a result of the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in the teaching/learning spaces

Managing investment in teaching and learning technologies

Information and communications technologies are radically changing the way that teaching and learning activities are organised and delivered within HE institutions. A wide range of technologies is being deployed in quite complex and interactive ways, including virtual learning environments (VLEs), mobile communication technologies, digital libraries and on-line resources. A key challenge for university leaders is to maximise the benefits derived from these investments for all institutional stakeholders (not just teachers and learners), while at the same time minimising cost and risk (Ford et al, 1996). This requires not only co-ordinated strategies for change management but also new approaches to decision-making and to the evaluation of changes resulting from these decisions

Technical and didactic knowledge of the moodle LMS in Higher Education: beyond functional use

Higher education institutions at the international level have seen the need to adopt and integrate information and communication technologies to meet the opportunities and challenges of innovation in teaching and learning processes. This logic has led to the implementation of virtual learning environments called ‘Learning Management Systems’, the functionalities of which support flexible and active learning under a constructivist approach. This study measured didactic and technological use of Moodle and its implications in teaching from a quantitative approach by administering a questionnaire to a sample of 640 higher education teachers. Some guiding questions were as follows: Are teachers using the Moodle platform for didactic purposes? What strategies, resources and tools are teachers using, and what do they contribute to student-centred teaching? Are teaching strategies that are focused on collaboration, interaction and student autonomy promoted? The results coincide with those of other studies, confirming an instrumental and functional use of the platform, which is mainly being used as a repository for materials and information, while its pedagogical use remains limited. This is becoming a problem in higher education institutions, something that requires debate and reflection from a systemic perspective on the adoption and integration of technology in the classroo

Impact of e-learning on learner participation, attainment, retention, and progression in further education : report of a scoping study

Recent and ongoing work has assessed progress in the provision of Information and Learning Technologies (ILT) to support e-learning in the UK further education (FE) sector. On the whole, this indicates that a strong infrastructure is in place with targets for student and staff access to Internet enabled computers being met in most colleges. Some investigations have been undertaken to review the extent of use of ILT for learning and teaching. These have, however, been at a relatively basic level, for example purely quantifying use of virtual learning environments (VLEs) for storing course documentation. The Scottish Centre for Research into Online Learning and Assessment (SCROLLA) and the SCRE Centre at the University of Glasgow undertook a scoping study of the impact of e-learning on participation, attainment, progression and retention in further education. This study was intended to inform the development of a research design for a later large study of impact

Evolution of virtual learning environments in chemistry education

Visual information plays a central role in chemistry. The evolution of computational technologies in the last decade brought new opportunities to develop virtual learning chemistry environments to education that might change the ways of presenting and visualizing the chemistry knowledge. In this paper we present ten virtual learning environments related to chemistry teaching, and we compare them in terms of functionalities of visualization, virtual manipulation and possibility of creating new chemical structures

The impact of digital in learning spaces: an analysis on the perspective of teachers in higher education

Abstract:&nbsp;The generalized use of Communication Networks and Information Technologies is nowadays a global phenomenon. It has multiple impacts on how to teach/learn and on the contexts in which this process takes place (the Learning Environments). These areas include Physical Learning places, Virtual Learning sites, Collaborative Learning Spaces, among others. These proposals provide new scenarios for the teaching/learning process, but their outlines are not well defined yet. A Learning Space requires a complex set of materials and human resources. Further and con- tinued research is significant and justified by the relevance of Higher Education Institutions.The overall objective of the present research is to understand the perceptions of the Professors in their Learning Environments. In this context it has been considered relevant to gather opinions on the needs/priorities, utility, quality and sustainability, as a result of the use of Information and Com- munication Technologies (ICT) in the teaching/learning spaces.Authors:&nbsp;Pedro Silva,&nbsp;Escola Superior de Tecnologias&nbsp;de Castelo Branco, Instituto&nbsp;Politécnico de Castelo Branco,&nbsp;Castelo Branco, PortugalLuis Borges Gouveia,&nbsp;Universidade Fernando&nbsp;Pessoa, Porto, Portugal Proceedings of Informing Science &amp; IT Education Conference (InSITE) 2013CopyrightMaterial published as part of this publication, either on-line or in print, is copyrighted by the Informing Science Institute. Permission to make digital or paper copy of part or all of these works for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that the copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage AND that copies 1) bear this notice in full and 2) give the full citation on the first page. It is per- missible to abstract these works so long as credit is given. To copy in all other cases or to republish or to post on a server or to redistribute to lists requires specific permission and payment of a fee. Contact [email protected] to request redistribution permission

A Web-based Teaching and Training Network in Neurosurgery

In: A.J. Kallenberg and M.J.J.M. van de Ven (Eds), 2002, The New Educational Benefits of ICT in Higher Education: Proceedings. Rotterdam: Erasmus Plus BV, OECR ISBN 90-9016127-9The era we are living in is often referred to as the “information age” because new information and communication technology (ICT) has had an enormous influence and a revolutionary impact to change the way we do business, live and learn. New educational concepts, technologies and course contents will be required with consideration of topics, e.g. - Teaching/learning strategies, - E-learning environments, - Development and production of learning modules, - Web-based learning resources/tools, - Virtual learning labs/classrooms in conventional universities, - Collaborative learning in small groups, - Policies, ethics, worldwide (EU) standards. These new ICT systems open up new forms and ways of learning. In the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) granted project "Teaching and Training Network in Neurosurgery" (TT-Net), modern multimedia and information technology is used in the hospital in order to leverage it for the training of students and physicians. The aim is to compose web-based course modules for a virtual education system for neurological diseases. The TT-Net is being realized in a very well equipped and highly competent learning environment in the Hannover Medical School campus network

Aprendizaje cooperativo a través de las nuevas tecnologías : Una revisión

Information Communication Technologies have brought a revolution in education, causing structural changes in the way we teach and how we learn. Currently, the existence of a wide variety of virtual teaching-learning environments enables teachers and students to interact synchronously or asynchronously using computers and mobile devices. This has led to the implementation of active teaching-learning methodologies with proven pedagogical effectiveness, such as cooperative learning, that encourage students to acquire skills and improve their academic performance. Despite the importance of the subject, almost no papers have analysed the state-of-the-art on educational experiences that promote cooperative learning using new technologies. In order to respond to this demand, this paper presents a comprehensive review of the related bibliography that include a large number of papers written in Spanish in which new technologies are used to implement cooperative learning activities in different subjects and educational levels. From the analysis of these papers, it can be concluded that there is a growing interest by teachers and researchers in implementing cooperative learning using virtual teaching-learning environments and computer applications, as well as social networks or MOOC. Further, these experiences receive positive feedback from teachers and students involved