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1.
A review is undertaken of what different commentators have written about the evaluation of educational courseware in higher education. Speculation is made on the reasons for the lack of such evaluations. The role of checklists for evaluating online courseware is discussed despite the acknowledged limitations. Checklists have been developed at Edith Cowan University specifically for assessing aspects of online pedagogical learning materials in higher education. These checklists are intended to be useful indicators of the areas where online learning materials are strong and identify areas that may be deficient rather than to arrive at a numeric score. The form of checklist proposed is a valuable screening device to use before undertaking a context‐bound evaluation of courseware. Contextual evaluations are a complementary and valuable alternative to traditional forms of evaluation of educational courseware, such as checklists. A case is also made in this article for using a checklist developed for assessing aspects of online pedagogical learning materials in higher education. It is argued that, when used in conjunction with a context‐bound approach, such checklists may be more useful in indicating the pedagogical quality of online learning materials. Quality of the instructional design remains an important consideration in evaluating courseware. Continuing comments and dissent are invited on the value of contextual evaluations of educational courseware to reinvigorate the debate over appropriate ways of evaluating online courseware that will provide helpful information for higher education.  相似文献   

2.
This article provides an overview of issues of practice and research relating to the use of collaborative online learning in distance education (DE). It begins with an examination of the traditional problems of DE. Following that is a discussion of what collaborative online learning encompasses and a review of the primary instructional design issues that relate to it. These are: (a) course preparation; (b) creating a good social climate and sense of community; (c) the role of the instructor; (d) encouraging true collaboration; and (e) the effective use of technology. As well some of the literature relating to problem‐based learning is referenced and its application to collaborative online learning is discussed. The authors conclude that using new technologies in combination with a collaborative online learning approach in DE may prove to be highly effective when learner characteristics and the learning context are considered carefully. Recommendations for future areas of research are also provided, along with a matrix of variables that may be combined to conceptualise further study in the area.  相似文献   

3.
Globally, universities today are attracting students from widely diverse language and cultural backgrounds. However, whilst there are many well‐intentioned and supportive institutional endeavours under way, in most cases, it is still apparent that students with certain background characteristics are more successful than others. Disparities that exist in perceptions of institutional provision and expectations are problematic for certain students and, indeed, for the universities themselves. An examination of students’ learning behaviours and attitudes may give indications as to where solutions lie. The writing centres of these institutions are ideally placed to explore such factors, due to the individual nature of their work with students and the data kept with regard to this work. In an analysis of consultants’ reports on their observations of students’ behaviours and difficulties arising in consultations at one writing centre, I examine aspects of students’ management of and relationships within their learning, and how these affect control of their texts. Through an understanding of students’ practices and needs, I highlight implications for development of students’ learning in the broader institution.  相似文献   

4.
Abstract

The notion of ‘openness’ in terms like open distance learning (ODL) is sometimes rather carelessly used, for example in the work-integrated learning (WIL) of distance learners (such as the teaching practice of UNISA's education students, where schools and UNISA form a partnership). We indicate that there is very little ‘openness’ in this type of learning, and that ODL and WIL are in fact two irreconcilable concepts. Yet, when WIL is considered in relation to distance education (DE) there is no problem, because DE is a clear and generally understood concept, indicating a particular mode of education provision, within which WIL can be neatly and meaningfully accommodated. We conclude, also on the basis of empirical evidence, that WIL and DE (and not ODL) constitute the proven, established and ideal conceptual frameworks for the design and implementation of inter alia teaching practice (as WIL) in distance teacher training. In closing, we briefly reflect on the implications of our conclusion for institutional identity.  相似文献   

5.
Student Motivation to Learn via Computer Conferencing   总被引:1,自引:0,他引:1  
This study investigates why some university students appear motivated to learn via computer conferencing (CC) whereas others do not, exploring the correlations of three key aspects of student motivation—reasons for engaging in academic learning (goal orientation), beliefs that they can acquire the ability to use CC (self-efficacy), and beliefs that learning to use CC will help them learn the course material (outcome expectations)—with satisfaction and with the frequency of CC contributions. Participants (n = 79) came from 4 graduate-level face-to-face courses and 1 undergraduate DE course. The results suggest that students who believe that CC will help them learn the course material are more likely to express satisfaction and to be active online, that students who believe that they are capable of learning how to use CC are more likely to be active online, and that students who are concerned about their relative performance compared to others tend to send fewer messages to conferences where online activity is not graded. Practical implications for instructors and suggestions for future research are described.  相似文献   

6.
Group social structure provides a comfortable and predictable context for interaction in learning environments. Students in face‐to‐face learning environments process social information about others in order to assess traits, predict behaviors, and determine qualifications for assuming particular responsibilities within a group. In online learning environments, however, negotiating social information and maintaining social connectedness can pose challenges for participants. Nonverbal strategies one typically uses for enhancing communication and overcoming ambiguity – such as an approving smile or a questioning brow – must be approached differently while learning online where fewer sensory communication channels are typically available. We present the theoretical foundation for how social information processing and group structure theories may be combined to assist instructional designers in further examining the social system perceived by the online learner. We propose a framework for thinking more systematically about the development of group social structure in online learning environments.  相似文献   

7.
Abstract

Innovation is a key goal of many tertiary education and distance learning providers. This research explores how teachers and educational designers across three New Zealand tertiary institutions worked to innovatively achieve teaching goals. A longitudinal design using the Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) framework explored the influence of individual and institutional factors on innovation in online course design. Data included interviews, observations of practice, and publicly available institutional documents, which were coded using a grounded theory approach. Peer relationships and institutional technologies were significant in enabling staff to work innovatively. Constraining factors included high workload, research pressures, lack of time to experiment, and limited technological support. Contradictions between institutional policies and teachers’ goals in innovating were noted. This research has relevance to those working in a variety of educational settings due to the increasing influence of institutional and government policy on teaching practice.  相似文献   

8.

While online learning resources are proliferating in all education delivery modes, from traditional classes to distance learning, institutions may have not recognized their potential for addressing diverse student populations, providing them online with learning experiences according to their individual needs. If teachers embrace online learning and customize their approaches to make online resources accessible to students, the interactive and collaborative nature of online learning may help reduce the lack of interaction in large classes and isolation in distance education. Research reports the need to examine the accessibility of online learning through the lenses of the digital divide dependence on factors related to physical access, skills and motivational factors. The circumstances of the pandemic have revealed inequality in access to education caused by access to technology and online delivery in which teaching approaches may not necessarily address the student voice with appreciation of their culture. Discussion address Kuo and Belland (Educ Technol Res Dev 64:661–680, 2016) article which reports experiences of minority students (e. g., African-American) in continuing education indicating that there has been little study of minority students' use of online learning resources. Authentic learning is highlighted by critical pedagogy as a means of engaging students in real-life problems and giving meaning to their real-life contexts as sources of learning and among which digital spaces play a prominent role in students’ meaning-making.

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9.
A case is made in this paper for using checklists and context‐bound evaluations of online learning materials in higher education. Context‐bound evaluations complement traditional forms of evaluation of educational courseware, such as checklists. Context‐bound approaches are useful for indicating the pedagogical quality of online learning materials that may be productively used in conjunction with checklists to evaluate online learning. Edith Cowan University has developed a framework and checklists for assessing aspects of online pedagogical learning materials in higher education. These checklists, which are intended to be useful indicators of the areas where online learning materials are strong and to identify areas that may be deficient, and are a valuable screening and information gathering device to use when undertaking a context‐bound evaluation of learning materials. As such, the quality of the instructional design remains an important consideration in evaluating courseware, and such information needs to be presented in a form that is accessible and useful for educational developers and researchers. Comment and dissent is invited on the value of contextual evaluations to reinvigorate the debate over appropriate ways of evaluating online learning materials in higher education.  相似文献   

10.
This article discusses whether the very act of accessing online students’ experiences of teaching may itself foster students’ sense of belonging to a learning community. The article reports and reflects on the application of Brookfield’s critical incident questionnaire (CIQ) in postgraduate courses delivered online in 2008–2010 through the University of Newcastle in Australia. The anonymous CIQ is designed in part to access students’ views of teaching practice, and was deployed as part of an ongoing interest in quality teaching. The article makes recommendations for deploying the CIQ in online learning spaces and concludes with some reflections on unexpected opportunities thoughtful CIQ deployment may provide. The practice of sharing students’ anonymous responses may have helped to foster students’ sense of a shared learning community. This may be particularly valuable in an asynchronous online learning context where students are typically geographically isolated from one another.  相似文献   

11.
Chinese classrooms, whether on school grounds or online, have long suffered from a lack of interactivity. Many online classes simply provide recorded instructor lectures, which only reinforces the negative effects of passive nonparticipatory learning. At Shanghai Jiaotong University, researchers and developers actively seek technologic interventions that can greatly increase interactivity in large blended classes. They developed a cutting-edge mobile learning system that can deliver live broadcasts of real-time classroom teaching to students with mobile devices. Their system allows students to customise means of content-reception based on when and where they tune into the broadcast. The system also supports short text messaging and instant polls. Through these venues, students can ask questions and make suggestions in real time, and the instructor can address them immediately. This article describes this system in detail, and also reports results from a formal implementation of the system in a blended English classroom of 1000 students (with about 800 being online). As the data reveal, m-learning activities can much better engage students in the learning process. Students in this class changed from passive learners to truly engaged learners who are behaviourally, intellectually and emotionally involved in their learning tasks.  相似文献   

12.
Universities have a long history of change in learning and teaching to suit various government initiatives and institutional priorities. Academic developers now are frequently required to address strategic learning and teaching priorities. This paper asks how, in such a context, academic developers can ensure that work they do in relation to one specific institutional priority can support future learning and teaching strategies. Two examples of efforts to integrate research and teaching are discussed to demonstrate the length of time needed to develop institutional understanding and how to create sustainable resources to meet the needs of changing initiatives. The paper highlights the importance of a sustainable approach to ever-changing learning and teaching priorities, suggesting that resources and other work developed to meet institutional initiatives should be structured so that they can be readily reused or adapted when policies change. The paper concludes by drawing out some implications for academic development.  相似文献   

13.
This article reports on a case of participatory self-directed online learning within the context of a graduate-level instructional technology course. The course was about online learning environments and relied on both asynchronous and synchronous technologies. In this case, the instructor and students engaged in collaborative course design through one of the assignments where student teams and the instructor led one week’s worth of course activities and discussions. This article begins with a discussion of the literature on participatory self-directed online learning. Then, the article presents an overview of the course design, detailed discussion of the assignment that framed student participatory self-directed learning and two examples of student assignments. The framing question for organising this case was as follows: What lessons can a team of graduate students and the instructor learn about self-directed participatory online learning from a collaborative design project? The article ends with the overall lessons learned from the case and implications to future design of online activities.  相似文献   

14.

Distance education requires an instructional design approach that can lead to educational transformation. This is characterised by advanced flexibility, learner autonomy and extensive use of digital technologies to enhance learning outcomes. The main feature of such methodology is the physical distance between teaching staff, peers and educational institutions. Various technological tools are used to bridge this distance and improve communication and interaction. This article attempts to review the literature in the field, with the aim of highlighting strategies for enhancing communication and interaction in online learning environments. After discussing the theoretical framework for online communication and interaction, the authors outline the factors involved in creating well-structured, interactive and dynamic online courses and programmes for higher education students. The article explores the multi-dimensional aspects of communication in online learning environments and the differing forms of interaction involved. Using qualitative methods, the authors’ aim is to produce a framework to help tutors and instructional designers develop more effective online courses in higher education. In addition, this article may be of value to researchers and scholar-practitioners interested in communication issues, to online learning designers, and to institutional managers recruiting teaching staff for online educational courses.

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15.
This article reports on a collaborative effort amongst scholars from ODL institutions across Asia that resulted in an analysis of the status of online learning. Eleven leading open universities participated in this project, each having representatives join the project team. The exchange among team members and data collection was conducted solely online and comprised the following three stages: (1) continuous email exchange; (2) institutional profile survey; and (3) student perception survey of online learning. Altogether, 1906 students returned valid questionnaires. The results reveal an array of methodologies used to design, implement and deliver online learning and include the perceptions of users on the advantages, disadvantages and barriers to learning online from an ODL perspective in Asia.  相似文献   

16.
Understanding safe food practice is important for home‐based food operators to prevent foodborne illness. Earlier work has found that home‐based food operators lack food safety knowledge and may benefit from training that is specifically tailored to their needs. Unfortunately, home‐based food operators may be deterred from enrolling in traditional educational formats due to their busy schedules. The objective of this study was to pilot and evaluate the effectiveness of an online food safety education module for home‐based food operators in Iowa through three learning assessments. Twenty‐one participants enrolled in a blended workshop in which participants completed one online module before attending a face‐to‐face session where they completed the remaining five modules. The effectiveness of the online module was measured by examining the first‐attempt average scores on learning assessments, the number of assessment attempts required to achieve 100%, and the first‐attempt performance by question type. The three learning assessment tools resulted in first‐attempt averages of approximately 86%, 90%, and 83%, surpassing our standard of effectiveness of 75% and showing good potential for the online format. The learning assessment attempt numbers of 4.65, 1.67, and 3.81 showed difficulty with knowledge transfer for some topics. Comprehension and analysis‐style questions had first‐attempt success rates of approximately 85% and 88%, respectively. Scores on knowledge and application‐style questions were lower with first‐attempt success rates of approximately 80% and 75%, respectively. These findings were used to improve the first online module and guide the transition of the remaining five modules to the online format.  相似文献   

17.
ABSTRACT

Digital education, now common in higher education, is particularly evident in the expansion of blended and fully online offerings at universities. Central to this expansion are educational developers, staff who support teaching and learning improvement in courses they do not themselves teach. Working closely with staff, students, and the curriculum, educational developers see first-hand how the digital learning agenda is both implemented and experienced. This article reports on findings from a national study of three educational development groups: academic developers, academic language and learning developers, and online educational designers, from 14 Australian universities. Although their institutional settings, roles, and work practices varied considerably, a central theme was the tension arising from a perceived shift in institutional priorities from ‘people development’ to ‘product development’: that is, from building human (educator) capacity towards curriculum resource development, particularly for the online environment. Participants reported a decline in autonomy, with institutional strategy and targeted projects increasingly directing both the work that gets done, and the skill sets required to do it. Their observations have implications for how universities conceptualise the development and support of the educational process.  相似文献   

18.
More and more educational institutions are moving towards online distance learning. Although asynchronous online learning overcomes the constraints of time, place and pace, online distance learners feel isolated due to the lack of real-time communications. One possible solution for overcoming this sense of isolation is regulating student online behavior by assigning specific roles and protocols for participation to learners in order to stimulate online learning activities. This qualitative study explored the use of such a technique in a fully online class in order to find out how the interdependence of roles and role rotation support a sense of community among learners. Data was collected through observations, discussion archives, surveys, and interviews. The results indicate that interdependent roles and role rotation provide students diverse learning experiences and interdependence in different ways. Students’ tendency to depend on their classmates and to participate is enhanced when using the starter-wrapper with roles technique.  相似文献   

19.
MOOCs are promising opportunities for lifelong learning, but as promising as these learning opportunities seem, many learners do not succeed in pursuing their personal learning goals. Barriers to learning are the main reason for not finishing the intended (parts of the) MOOCs. This study addressed the question whether the factors age, gender, educational level, and online learning experience affect barriers faced while learning in MOOCs. The results show that it is challenging to combine work and family life with lifelong (online) learning activities, especially for learners in their early adulthood and mid-life. However, more experience with online learning positively affects individuals’ ability to cope with these challenges. Also, learners with a lower educational level may experience a lack of knowledge or difficulties with the course content. These findings may serve as input to inform potentially vulnerable learners about these issues and support them in successfully achieving their personal learning goals.  相似文献   

20.
This article examines the developments and challenges of higher education in developing countries. Using a thorough qualitative interview of deans, directors and heads of Department of the University of Ghana, this paper draws on their analysis to discover unexplored issues that affect the universities in developing countries. The study identifies weakness in institutional policies and infrastructure deficiency of higher education in Ghana as key challenging factors. Findings also show congestion of students in academic facilities of learning, teaching overloads and lack of research facilities as key factors hampering academic development in higher education. Therefore, the work advocates for the development of policies that take into account the institutional realities in the field of higher education. Governmental policies aimed at enhancing higher education in developing economies must first improve the existing institutional set up for their chance of success.  相似文献   

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