Authors: Silvia Di Marco, António Maneira, Paulo Ribeiro, Manuel J.P. Maneira
The core of our work was to identify critical points and recommendations concerning the use of e-learning and project-based learning in an Applied Optics course where laboratory activities are a relevant part of the curriculum.
DisCo 2013: Keynote presentation - Francesco Pisanu: Educational innovation a...8th DisCo conference 2013
Francesco Pisanu is a research fellow in educational research at IPRASE (Provincial Institute of Educational Research and Experimentation ), in the Province of Trento, Italy. He studies, among other topics, psychosocial aspect related to the use of technology in education and training, special educational needs and inclusion, innovation in teaching practices and organizational issues in educational context. He has always been interested in research methodology, mostly in computer mediated environments. He has studied (work and organizational) Psychology and he got a Ph.D. in Information Systems and Organization at the University of Trento. He taught Social Psychology of groups and he is currently teaching Educational and Guidance Psychology at the Faculty of Cognitive Sciences, University of Trento.
Abstract of presentation: Educational innovation and technology: a need for integration
The presence of technology in learning environments (school, university, vocational education and training, professional development, etc.) does not necessarily entail a direct change in pedagogical vision or teaching practices. The mere placing of computers, video projectors and IWBs in classrooms does not mark the ultimate attainment of a teaching innovation. For this reason, I believe it is important to discuss the concept of technology-based pedagogical innovation, connect this concept to a learning theory, clarify the role of technology as far as teachers and learning results are concerned and, thus, reflect on the different levels of analyses in the study of the relationship between technologies and development of competences, digital competences included.
Jef is an enthusiastic beginning teacher interested in integrating ICT into his teaching. The document discusses various studies and strategies to help teachers like Jef develop skills and experience with educational technology. These include teacher education programs, internships, school support, and collaborative design teams. The goal is to provide teachers a multidimensional approach to successfully integrating innovative teaching methods using technology.
Teacher design teams can be an effective way to promote the (re)design of curriculum materials in the context of blended learning in higher education. In this workshop, participants (educators, department heads, researchers,…) are introduced to the four-step procedure to blended learning. This procedure was developed during a professional development project by a community of practitioners (see www.ictdesignteams.be for more information). The workshop consists of three parts: first a short introduction of the project and the ICT design teams; then TDT's will be formed (under the guidance of the workshop leaders). Each TDT redesigns a particular case of 'traditional' learning into a blended design. The workshop will end with a group-reflection on the four-step approach and working in TDT's. No prior experience is expected from the workshops participants. The workshop should be interesting for any stakeholder in higher education involved in the process of integrating blended learning into the curriculum.
Visual data-enriched design technology for blended learningLaia Albó
Presentation at Tallinn University.
Archimedes Foundation fellow - Research visit during 3 months at TLU.
Learning analytics is the most known type of data collected from specific technological environments that allow educators to evaluate how students are learning within a learning context. However, there are more types of data available, less-explored, that may contribute to better design educational practices. These include design analytics, which are the metrics of design decisions and related aspects that inform learning designs. Laia Albó, from Universitat Pompeu Fabra, will talk about how visual representations, authoring support, and design analytics can aid teachers in designing for learning in complex scenarios that blend the use of different spaces for learning and different types of technological tools and resources, e.g. Massive Open Online Courses. This presentation is based on her PhD thesis work, defended in November 2019.
Educational research and innovation:
the case of technology integration
I am currently working as a researcher at Ghent University (Belgium) where I have been member of the Department of Educational Studies since 2003. My research interests are in the field of instructional design and educational innovation. Most of my work focuses on ICT integration in teaching and learning processes and how this can be associated with teacher and school characteristics. This encompasses the idea that innovations should be situated within the wider
field of school improvement. In more recent work, I am especially interested in exploring the interplay between (ICT) innovations and professional development. Also in this area I investigate themes at the individual level, e.g. educational beliefs, and at school level, e.g. leadership. You can find more information on my Academia profile: http://ugent.academia.edu/JoTondeur
During the presentation I will focus on the multidimensional interaction of both teacher and school characteristics in developing a richer understanding of the complex process of technology use in education. Differential types of technology use will be considered and how they are related to variables such as teacher attitudes, educational beliefs, and school policies. Moreover I would also like to discuss the interplay between pre/in-service training and ICT-integration in education.
Organised by the Institute of Education and Society (InES)
For further information please contact Post-doc Research associate: frederik.herman @uni.lu
1) The study explored how teacher training institutions (TTIs) support pre-service teachers' development of technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) through various strategies.
2) A survey of 688 pre-service teachers found that while they perceived receiving support through the strategies, feedback was seen as the least apparent. The strategies were also found to significantly relate to perceptions of TPACK.
3) Interviews with 17 participants revealed that authentic experiences and feedback from mentor teachers most impacted skills, but not all strategies were fully addressed during training. Both quantitative and qualitative evidence suggest TTIs can influence TPACK through strategic support, but challenges remain in fully implementing all strategies.
EMMA Summer School - O. Firssova, M. Laanpere - Workshop – Elaborating your M...EUmoocs
This document outlines the program and design considerations for a workshop on elaborating MOOC approaches. The workshop will introduce a task-based design approach for MOOCs and have participants apply it. It will begin with a discussion of the differences between traditional courses and MOOCs from the perspectives of learner, teacher, curriculum and environment. Participants will then work in groups to identify implications for each perspective and map them on a Venn diagram. Next, the task-based design approach will be introduced and participants will specify a progression of 3 tasks, identifying concepts and procedures for each. Results will be presented before getting feedback in a later session. The document lists many design considerations that must be addressed for a MOOC from perspectives of
Univirtual Lab is an e-learning center that provides learning and instructional design support through various functions and areas. It was founded in 1999 to develop online teacher education courses and has since expanded its scope. Today, Univirtual Lab supports learning and instructional design with an innovative approach to educational technologies in collaboration with CIRDFA. It carries out functions like needs analysis, course design, trainer development, and more to build specific tools and methods for different educational scenarios and needs.
DisCo 2013: Keynote presentation - Francesco Pisanu: Educational innovation a...8th DisCo conference 2013
Francesco Pisanu is a research fellow in educational research at IPRASE (Provincial Institute of Educational Research and Experimentation ), in the Province of Trento, Italy. He studies, among other topics, psychosocial aspect related to the use of technology in education and training, special educational needs and inclusion, innovation in teaching practices and organizational issues in educational context. He has always been interested in research methodology, mostly in computer mediated environments. He has studied (work and organizational) Psychology and he got a Ph.D. in Information Systems and Organization at the University of Trento. He taught Social Psychology of groups and he is currently teaching Educational and Guidance Psychology at the Faculty of Cognitive Sciences, University of Trento.
Abstract of presentation: Educational innovation and technology: a need for integration
The presence of technology in learning environments (school, university, vocational education and training, professional development, etc.) does not necessarily entail a direct change in pedagogical vision or teaching practices. The mere placing of computers, video projectors and IWBs in classrooms does not mark the ultimate attainment of a teaching innovation. For this reason, I believe it is important to discuss the concept of technology-based pedagogical innovation, connect this concept to a learning theory, clarify the role of technology as far as teachers and learning results are concerned and, thus, reflect on the different levels of analyses in the study of the relationship between technologies and development of competences, digital competences included.
Jef is an enthusiastic beginning teacher interested in integrating ICT into his teaching. The document discusses various studies and strategies to help teachers like Jef develop skills and experience with educational technology. These include teacher education programs, internships, school support, and collaborative design teams. The goal is to provide teachers a multidimensional approach to successfully integrating innovative teaching methods using technology.
Teacher design teams can be an effective way to promote the (re)design of curriculum materials in the context of blended learning in higher education. In this workshop, participants (educators, department heads, researchers,…) are introduced to the four-step procedure to blended learning. This procedure was developed during a professional development project by a community of practitioners (see www.ictdesignteams.be for more information). The workshop consists of three parts: first a short introduction of the project and the ICT design teams; then TDT's will be formed (under the guidance of the workshop leaders). Each TDT redesigns a particular case of 'traditional' learning into a blended design. The workshop will end with a group-reflection on the four-step approach and working in TDT's. No prior experience is expected from the workshops participants. The workshop should be interesting for any stakeholder in higher education involved in the process of integrating blended learning into the curriculum.
Visual data-enriched design technology for blended learningLaia Albó
Presentation at Tallinn University.
Archimedes Foundation fellow - Research visit during 3 months at TLU.
Learning analytics is the most known type of data collected from specific technological environments that allow educators to evaluate how students are learning within a learning context. However, there are more types of data available, less-explored, that may contribute to better design educational practices. These include design analytics, which are the metrics of design decisions and related aspects that inform learning designs. Laia Albó, from Universitat Pompeu Fabra, will talk about how visual representations, authoring support, and design analytics can aid teachers in designing for learning in complex scenarios that blend the use of different spaces for learning and different types of technological tools and resources, e.g. Massive Open Online Courses. This presentation is based on her PhD thesis work, defended in November 2019.
Educational research and innovation:
the case of technology integration
I am currently working as a researcher at Ghent University (Belgium) where I have been member of the Department of Educational Studies since 2003. My research interests are in the field of instructional design and educational innovation. Most of my work focuses on ICT integration in teaching and learning processes and how this can be associated with teacher and school characteristics. This encompasses the idea that innovations should be situated within the wider
field of school improvement. In more recent work, I am especially interested in exploring the interplay between (ICT) innovations and professional development. Also in this area I investigate themes at the individual level, e.g. educational beliefs, and at school level, e.g. leadership. You can find more information on my Academia profile: http://ugent.academia.edu/JoTondeur
During the presentation I will focus on the multidimensional interaction of both teacher and school characteristics in developing a richer understanding of the complex process of technology use in education. Differential types of technology use will be considered and how they are related to variables such as teacher attitudes, educational beliefs, and school policies. Moreover I would also like to discuss the interplay between pre/in-service training and ICT-integration in education.
Organised by the Institute of Education and Society (InES)
For further information please contact Post-doc Research associate: frederik.herman @uni.lu
1) The study explored how teacher training institutions (TTIs) support pre-service teachers' development of technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) through various strategies.
2) A survey of 688 pre-service teachers found that while they perceived receiving support through the strategies, feedback was seen as the least apparent. The strategies were also found to significantly relate to perceptions of TPACK.
3) Interviews with 17 participants revealed that authentic experiences and feedback from mentor teachers most impacted skills, but not all strategies were fully addressed during training. Both quantitative and qualitative evidence suggest TTIs can influence TPACK through strategic support, but challenges remain in fully implementing all strategies.
EMMA Summer School - O. Firssova, M. Laanpere - Workshop – Elaborating your M...EUmoocs
This document outlines the program and design considerations for a workshop on elaborating MOOC approaches. The workshop will introduce a task-based design approach for MOOCs and have participants apply it. It will begin with a discussion of the differences between traditional courses and MOOCs from the perspectives of learner, teacher, curriculum and environment. Participants will then work in groups to identify implications for each perspective and map them on a Venn diagram. Next, the task-based design approach will be introduced and participants will specify a progression of 3 tasks, identifying concepts and procedures for each. Results will be presented before getting feedback in a later session. The document lists many design considerations that must be addressed for a MOOC from perspectives of
Univirtual Lab is an e-learning center that provides learning and instructional design support through various functions and areas. It was founded in 1999 to develop online teacher education courses and has since expanded its scope. Today, Univirtual Lab supports learning and instructional design with an innovative approach to educational technologies in collaboration with CIRDFA. It carries out functions like needs analysis, course design, trainer development, and more to build specific tools and methods for different educational scenarios and needs.
EMMA Summer School - Maria Perifanou - Language Massive Open Online CoursesEUmoocs
This presentation was given during the EMMA Summer School, that took place in Ischia (Italy) on 4-11 July 2015.
More info on the website: http://project.europeanmoocs.eu/project/get-involved/summer-school/
Follow our MOOCs: http://platform.europeanmoocs.eu/MOOCs
Design and deliver your MOOC with EMMA: http://project.europeanmoocs.eu/project/get-involved/become-an-emma-mooc-provider/
EMMA Summer School - António Teixeira - MOOC PEDAGOGIES xMOOCs, cMOOCs and iM...EUmoocs
Combining openness and scalability, MOOCs have been spearheading the dramatic expansion of online education in recent years. However, very different pedagogical approaches can be found in this new form of education delivery. Apart from the more typical xMOOC model and the original connectivist cMOOC alternative pedagogical approaches have been developing in Europe, pioneered by the iMOOC model. In this workshop we will analyze the theoretical foundations and principles of MOOC design and explore the different pedagogies being mostly used in these courses.
This presentation was given during the EMMA Summer School, that took place in Ischia (Italy) on 4-11 July 2015.
More info on the website: http://project.europeanmoocs.eu/project/get-involved/summer-school/
Follow our MOOCs: http://platform.europeanmoocs.eu/MOOCs
Design and deliver your MOOC with EMMA: http://project.europeanmoocs.eu/project/get-involved/become-an-emma-mooc-provider/
EMMA Summer School - Rebecca Ferguson - Learning design and learning analytic...EUmoocs
This hands-on workshop will work with learning design tools and with massive open online courses (MOOCs) on the FutureLearn platform to explore how learning design can be used to influence the choice and design of learning analytics. This workshop will be of interest to people who are involved in the design or presentation of online courses, and to those who want to find out more about learning design, learning analytics or MOOCs. Participants will find it helpful to have registered for FutureLearn and explored the platform for a short time in advance of the workshop.
This presentation was given during the EMMA Summer School, that took place in Ischia (Italy) on 4-11 July 2015.
More info on the website: http://project.europeanmoocs.eu/project/get-involved/summer-school/
Follow our MOOCs: http://platform.europeanmoocs.eu/MOOCs
Design and deliver your MOOC with EMMA: http://project.europeanmoocs.eu/project/get-involved/become-an-emma-mooc-provider/
11 ways of looking at technology adoption in theclassroom (Invited talk @ ITD...lprisan
In this talk, I look quickly at several studies we've done over the years, which deal with the gap between research-driven educational technology proposals and what is actually used every day in our classrooms. It focuses especially on one of our latest studies at EPFL, in which we examine the effects, pros and cons of using a social media app (SpeakUp) in a face-to-face university lecture.
Marianne Georgsens presentation "Exploring new pedagogies" at CAL11ellwordpress
The document discusses integrating ICT into teaching practices to build teacher competencies. It summarizes three phases of ICT development in Danish schools and identifies what is still missing - ways to develop teacher qualifications in pedagogical ICT use closely related to teaching practice. Two studies of teacher ICT projects are described that find reflection space is important, support from others crucial, and teachers progress differently depending on circumstances. The document concludes more conceptual work is needed to create a model for school-based competence building using ICT.
NL Teacher ICT competence framework presented at Ankara Conference 2013Ton Koenraad
This document summarizes instruments that support the integration of ICT in education, as developed through collaboration between Faculties of Education in the Netherlands. It describes the Dutch ICT standards for teachers, which were collaboratively developed to describe the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed as well as define performance criteria. It also discusses models like the 4 in Balance Model, TPACK framework, and examples of how these standards and models have been applied in teacher education programs in the Netherlands.
This document discusses obstacles to effectively using information and communication technology (ICT) as a teaching and learning tool. It identifies two major culprits that create obstacles: implementation failure and lack of teacher support. Implementation failure can occur due to an absence of a shared vision between policymakers and teachers, variances in objectives between technology initiatives and curriculum goals, and lack of proper planning and leadership. Lack of teacher support also hinders effective technology integration due to inadequate teaching conditions, lack of technological skills among teachers, and insufficient accountability measures. The document provides recommendations to address these obstacles, such as developing shared goals, providing teacher support and training, and allowing time for teachers to experiment with technology.
The document discusses using document cameras effectively in the classroom. It outlines a project to create a handbook with research-based document camera activities and provide websites with implementation ideas. The handbook and websites were distributed to teachers and the activities were modeled in staff trainings. The document discusses frameworks for integrating technology effectively, like TPACK, which emphasizes the need for teachers to have knowledge of technology, pedagogy, and content and how they intersect.
The eLearning Club as a Support Strategy in Technology Integrationrexcris
The document discusses the establishment of e-Learning Clubs (ELCs) in schools in the Philippines as a strategy to support technology integration. The goals of the ELCs are to better prepare students and teachers for ICT-based learning, design and implement curriculum-based learning activities using ICTs, and enhance students' ICT skills through peer-to-peer learning. ELCs have student and teacher coordinators who plan ICT activities, provide technical support, and ensure activities align with curriculum goals. Both students and teachers observed benefits including increased student motivation, specialized skill development, and opportunities for authentic learning. Challenges included classroom management, scheduling, and lack of focus on curriculum.
This document provides an overview of using document cameras in the classroom. It discusses the pedagogical benefits of integrating technology and describes how to select technologies that align with specific lesson activities. The document then provides details on the anatomy and functions of document cameras, as well as examples of direct instruction, assessment, inquiry, and problem-based activities that can be done using a document camera for science lessons.
This document summarizes Polish educational policy regarding the integration of information and communication technologies (ICT) in schools. It discusses standards for teacher training in ICT, the introduction of ICT elements across all education levels and subjects, and several projects aimed at improving ICT infrastructure and skills in schools. Key projects mentioned include E-School, Innovative Vocational School, E-Academy of Future, and School 2.0. However, the document also notes that there are still problems to overcome, such as a lack of clear legal regulations, insufficient funding, outdated equipment and internet access, and inadequate teacher training.
H nathalie gettliffe_sig_eurocall2010lyon[1]nickyjohnson
The document describes a study that assessed the effectiveness of using reflective teaching methodology to train pre-service and in-service teachers for online tutoring tasks. The study involved teachers completing an online tutoring course where they designed and implemented online tutoring scenarios. The teachers then used reflective portfolios to evaluate their experiences based on student feedback and research. The analysis found that reflective teaching helped teachers identify areas for improvement like being more proactive, giving clearer feedback, and distributing roles, but that they still needed additional feedback to fully reflect on their practices.
The document summarizes a research project called CCC-M (Creating, Collaborating and Computing in Math) from 2013-2017 that aimed to enhance teachers' capacity to integrate technology into math teaching and improve student success. It involved collaboration between a university and school board. Key aspects included teacher professional development, communities of practice, lesson study, and using student data to evaluate progress. The project engaged teachers in hands-on technology training and video reflection of lessons to develop skills in areas like formative assessment and problem solving.
Using ePortfolio as Web 2.0 tool to foster reflective learning sbeliga
This document discusses using ePortfolios and Web 2.0 tools to foster reflective learning. It describes how an ePortfolio course at the University of Rijeka had students create various digital artifacts and reflections using tools like Mahara, Moodle, CmapTools and GoAnimate. Students were satisfied with how the ePortfolio organized their work and allowed sharing and feedback. The authors plan to introduce more Web 2.0 tools to further support collaboration and reflective learning.
Using e-learning for social sciences: practical lessons from the Free Univers...eLearning Papers
Author:Katharina Schiederig.
Lessons can be drawn from the e-learning pilot project that was successfully implemented in the Department of Political Science at the Free University of Berlin, Germany, between 2004 and 2006. In the framework of the university-wide ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) strategy, the Blackboard platform was used to explore opportunities for blended learning in the field of political and social science.
This document proposes 10 innovations in teaching, learning, and assessment:
1. Massive open social learning aims to engage thousands of learners in online discussions and projects to build shared knowledge.
2. Learning design informed by analytics uses data on learner activities to evaluate and improve course design in an iterative process.
3. Flipped classroom moves direct instruction outside the classroom, using class time for activities that develop critical thinking skills.
4. Bring your own devices changes the relationship between students and teachers as students bring their own technologies and learning networks to school.
5. Learning to learn teaches students to become effective, self-determined learners who can manage their own learning processes and reflect on how to improve.
The document summarizes the e-Learning activities at Macerata University in Italy. It discusses the university's e-Learning center called CELFI, which provides online and blended learning resources and technologies to support over 10,000 students across 17 degree programs. CELFI focuses on strategic modeling of online learning, teacher training, setting up online learning environments, and coordinating international projects. It utilizes various learning management systems and intelligent tutoring technologies to deliver a flexible, non-neutral pedagogical model centered around instruction, collaboration, and personal reflection.
IMUSA se estableció en 1934 en Colombia y se ha convertido en líder en la fabricación de utensilios para el hogar. A lo largo de su historia ha recibido varios premios nacionales por su calidad. En 2011 fue adquirida por el Grupo SEB como parte de su expansión en América Latina. Ofrece una amplia variedad de productos para la cocina y el hogar diseñados para satisfacer las necesidades de las amas de casa colombianas.
Este documento explica los conceptos básicos de las ondas portadoras y la modulación. Explica que una onda portadora es una onda sinusoidal de alta frecuencia que es modulada por una señal de menor frecuencia para transmitir información. La información se incorpora variando la amplitud de la portadora (modulación de amplitud) o su frecuencia (modulación de frecuencia). Esto permite multiplexar varias señales y transmisiones más eficientes.
This 3 page document provides testing information across 3 pages. Page 1 contains initial test data, Page 2 continues the testing with additional details, and Page 3 concludes the testing process. The document covers a test from start to finish across its 3 pages.
La Web 2.0 se refiere a sitios web que facilitan el compartir y editar información de forma colaborativa entre usuarios, a diferencia de sitios estáticos. Algunos ejemplos son wikis, donde las páginas pueden ser editadas por múltiples voluntarios; blogs, donde autores publican artículos de forma cronológica; y mashups, que combinan contenido de distintas fuentes para crear nuevos servicios.
EMMA Summer School - Maria Perifanou - Language Massive Open Online CoursesEUmoocs
This presentation was given during the EMMA Summer School, that took place in Ischia (Italy) on 4-11 July 2015.
More info on the website: http://project.europeanmoocs.eu/project/get-involved/summer-school/
Follow our MOOCs: http://platform.europeanmoocs.eu/MOOCs
Design and deliver your MOOC with EMMA: http://project.europeanmoocs.eu/project/get-involved/become-an-emma-mooc-provider/
EMMA Summer School - António Teixeira - MOOC PEDAGOGIES xMOOCs, cMOOCs and iM...EUmoocs
Combining openness and scalability, MOOCs have been spearheading the dramatic expansion of online education in recent years. However, very different pedagogical approaches can be found in this new form of education delivery. Apart from the more typical xMOOC model and the original connectivist cMOOC alternative pedagogical approaches have been developing in Europe, pioneered by the iMOOC model. In this workshop we will analyze the theoretical foundations and principles of MOOC design and explore the different pedagogies being mostly used in these courses.
This presentation was given during the EMMA Summer School, that took place in Ischia (Italy) on 4-11 July 2015.
More info on the website: http://project.europeanmoocs.eu/project/get-involved/summer-school/
Follow our MOOCs: http://platform.europeanmoocs.eu/MOOCs
Design and deliver your MOOC with EMMA: http://project.europeanmoocs.eu/project/get-involved/become-an-emma-mooc-provider/
EMMA Summer School - Rebecca Ferguson - Learning design and learning analytic...EUmoocs
This hands-on workshop will work with learning design tools and with massive open online courses (MOOCs) on the FutureLearn platform to explore how learning design can be used to influence the choice and design of learning analytics. This workshop will be of interest to people who are involved in the design or presentation of online courses, and to those who want to find out more about learning design, learning analytics or MOOCs. Participants will find it helpful to have registered for FutureLearn and explored the platform for a short time in advance of the workshop.
This presentation was given during the EMMA Summer School, that took place in Ischia (Italy) on 4-11 July 2015.
More info on the website: http://project.europeanmoocs.eu/project/get-involved/summer-school/
Follow our MOOCs: http://platform.europeanmoocs.eu/MOOCs
Design and deliver your MOOC with EMMA: http://project.europeanmoocs.eu/project/get-involved/become-an-emma-mooc-provider/
11 ways of looking at technology adoption in theclassroom (Invited talk @ ITD...lprisan
In this talk, I look quickly at several studies we've done over the years, which deal with the gap between research-driven educational technology proposals and what is actually used every day in our classrooms. It focuses especially on one of our latest studies at EPFL, in which we examine the effects, pros and cons of using a social media app (SpeakUp) in a face-to-face university lecture.
Marianne Georgsens presentation "Exploring new pedagogies" at CAL11ellwordpress
The document discusses integrating ICT into teaching practices to build teacher competencies. It summarizes three phases of ICT development in Danish schools and identifies what is still missing - ways to develop teacher qualifications in pedagogical ICT use closely related to teaching practice. Two studies of teacher ICT projects are described that find reflection space is important, support from others crucial, and teachers progress differently depending on circumstances. The document concludes more conceptual work is needed to create a model for school-based competence building using ICT.
NL Teacher ICT competence framework presented at Ankara Conference 2013Ton Koenraad
This document summarizes instruments that support the integration of ICT in education, as developed through collaboration between Faculties of Education in the Netherlands. It describes the Dutch ICT standards for teachers, which were collaboratively developed to describe the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed as well as define performance criteria. It also discusses models like the 4 in Balance Model, TPACK framework, and examples of how these standards and models have been applied in teacher education programs in the Netherlands.
This document discusses obstacles to effectively using information and communication technology (ICT) as a teaching and learning tool. It identifies two major culprits that create obstacles: implementation failure and lack of teacher support. Implementation failure can occur due to an absence of a shared vision between policymakers and teachers, variances in objectives between technology initiatives and curriculum goals, and lack of proper planning and leadership. Lack of teacher support also hinders effective technology integration due to inadequate teaching conditions, lack of technological skills among teachers, and insufficient accountability measures. The document provides recommendations to address these obstacles, such as developing shared goals, providing teacher support and training, and allowing time for teachers to experiment with technology.
The document discusses using document cameras effectively in the classroom. It outlines a project to create a handbook with research-based document camera activities and provide websites with implementation ideas. The handbook and websites were distributed to teachers and the activities were modeled in staff trainings. The document discusses frameworks for integrating technology effectively, like TPACK, which emphasizes the need for teachers to have knowledge of technology, pedagogy, and content and how they intersect.
The eLearning Club as a Support Strategy in Technology Integrationrexcris
The document discusses the establishment of e-Learning Clubs (ELCs) in schools in the Philippines as a strategy to support technology integration. The goals of the ELCs are to better prepare students and teachers for ICT-based learning, design and implement curriculum-based learning activities using ICTs, and enhance students' ICT skills through peer-to-peer learning. ELCs have student and teacher coordinators who plan ICT activities, provide technical support, and ensure activities align with curriculum goals. Both students and teachers observed benefits including increased student motivation, specialized skill development, and opportunities for authentic learning. Challenges included classroom management, scheduling, and lack of focus on curriculum.
This document provides an overview of using document cameras in the classroom. It discusses the pedagogical benefits of integrating technology and describes how to select technologies that align with specific lesson activities. The document then provides details on the anatomy and functions of document cameras, as well as examples of direct instruction, assessment, inquiry, and problem-based activities that can be done using a document camera for science lessons.
This document summarizes Polish educational policy regarding the integration of information and communication technologies (ICT) in schools. It discusses standards for teacher training in ICT, the introduction of ICT elements across all education levels and subjects, and several projects aimed at improving ICT infrastructure and skills in schools. Key projects mentioned include E-School, Innovative Vocational School, E-Academy of Future, and School 2.0. However, the document also notes that there are still problems to overcome, such as a lack of clear legal regulations, insufficient funding, outdated equipment and internet access, and inadequate teacher training.
H nathalie gettliffe_sig_eurocall2010lyon[1]nickyjohnson
The document describes a study that assessed the effectiveness of using reflective teaching methodology to train pre-service and in-service teachers for online tutoring tasks. The study involved teachers completing an online tutoring course where they designed and implemented online tutoring scenarios. The teachers then used reflective portfolios to evaluate their experiences based on student feedback and research. The analysis found that reflective teaching helped teachers identify areas for improvement like being more proactive, giving clearer feedback, and distributing roles, but that they still needed additional feedback to fully reflect on their practices.
The document summarizes a research project called CCC-M (Creating, Collaborating and Computing in Math) from 2013-2017 that aimed to enhance teachers' capacity to integrate technology into math teaching and improve student success. It involved collaboration between a university and school board. Key aspects included teacher professional development, communities of practice, lesson study, and using student data to evaluate progress. The project engaged teachers in hands-on technology training and video reflection of lessons to develop skills in areas like formative assessment and problem solving.
Using ePortfolio as Web 2.0 tool to foster reflective learning sbeliga
This document discusses using ePortfolios and Web 2.0 tools to foster reflective learning. It describes how an ePortfolio course at the University of Rijeka had students create various digital artifacts and reflections using tools like Mahara, Moodle, CmapTools and GoAnimate. Students were satisfied with how the ePortfolio organized their work and allowed sharing and feedback. The authors plan to introduce more Web 2.0 tools to further support collaboration and reflective learning.
Using e-learning for social sciences: practical lessons from the Free Univers...eLearning Papers
Author:Katharina Schiederig.
Lessons can be drawn from the e-learning pilot project that was successfully implemented in the Department of Political Science at the Free University of Berlin, Germany, between 2004 and 2006. In the framework of the university-wide ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) strategy, the Blackboard platform was used to explore opportunities for blended learning in the field of political and social science.
This document proposes 10 innovations in teaching, learning, and assessment:
1. Massive open social learning aims to engage thousands of learners in online discussions and projects to build shared knowledge.
2. Learning design informed by analytics uses data on learner activities to evaluate and improve course design in an iterative process.
3. Flipped classroom moves direct instruction outside the classroom, using class time for activities that develop critical thinking skills.
4. Bring your own devices changes the relationship between students and teachers as students bring their own technologies and learning networks to school.
5. Learning to learn teaches students to become effective, self-determined learners who can manage their own learning processes and reflect on how to improve.
The document summarizes the e-Learning activities at Macerata University in Italy. It discusses the university's e-Learning center called CELFI, which provides online and blended learning resources and technologies to support over 10,000 students across 17 degree programs. CELFI focuses on strategic modeling of online learning, teacher training, setting up online learning environments, and coordinating international projects. It utilizes various learning management systems and intelligent tutoring technologies to deliver a flexible, non-neutral pedagogical model centered around instruction, collaboration, and personal reflection.
IMUSA se estableció en 1934 en Colombia y se ha convertido en líder en la fabricación de utensilios para el hogar. A lo largo de su historia ha recibido varios premios nacionales por su calidad. En 2011 fue adquirida por el Grupo SEB como parte de su expansión en América Latina. Ofrece una amplia variedad de productos para la cocina y el hogar diseñados para satisfacer las necesidades de las amas de casa colombianas.
Este documento explica los conceptos básicos de las ondas portadoras y la modulación. Explica que una onda portadora es una onda sinusoidal de alta frecuencia que es modulada por una señal de menor frecuencia para transmitir información. La información se incorpora variando la amplitud de la portadora (modulación de amplitud) o su frecuencia (modulación de frecuencia). Esto permite multiplexar varias señales y transmisiones más eficientes.
This 3 page document provides testing information across 3 pages. Page 1 contains initial test data, Page 2 continues the testing with additional details, and Page 3 concludes the testing process. The document covers a test from start to finish across its 3 pages.
La Web 2.0 se refiere a sitios web que facilitan el compartir y editar información de forma colaborativa entre usuarios, a diferencia de sitios estáticos. Algunos ejemplos son wikis, donde las páginas pueden ser editadas por múltiples voluntarios; blogs, donde autores publican artículos de forma cronológica; y mashups, que combinan contenido de distintas fuentes para crear nuevos servicios.
The document compares the average annual cost of public school education to homeschooling, showing homeschooling to be significantly cheaper. It notes some unhappy college graduates who are unable to find work in their field of study or unable to change the world as they had hoped. The document advocates for innovation in education to address an increasingly complex world where knowledge becomes outdated faster and emphasizes the importance of life-long learning and hiring based on passion over specific training.
Diseñando la Experiencia de los Usuarios - Facultad de Informática - UNLPPaola Amadeo
Este documento describe las tecnologías de Business Intelligence (BI) y la importancia de la visualización de datos. Explica que BI involucra convertir datos en información y conocimiento para la toma de decisiones mediante herramientas como data warehousing, reporting, dashboards y análisis. También destaca que una buena visualización a través de gráficos e infografías es fundamental para transmitir la información de manera clara y que pueda ser entendida rápidamente.
Autoevaluaciones de la guia didáctiva y evaluaciones del texto basico de CONTROL INTERNO Y AUDITORÍA DE SISTEMAS DE INFORMACIÓN. 3: DEPARTAMENTO DE AUDITORÍA DE SI - DASI - Y ÉTICA DEL AUDITOR DE LOS SI.
The document discusses issues related to integrating information and communication technology (ICT) into education. It notes that ICT application has become an important part of teaching and learning, and that the Ministry of Education has invested significant funds and training to equip teachers and students with ICT skills. However, there are challenges to consider, such as ensuring teachers and staff have expertise to handle ICT tools and addressing the potential for projects to be too expensive. The document outlines learning issues, challenges, and potential solutions, as well as an action plan for the group to further research and discuss the topic.
The document discusses changing perceptions of China and Chinese goods in the West from 1500 to present. In the 1500-1800 period, Europeans had a romanticized view of China and developed "Chinoiserie" styles inspired by Chinese goods. From 1978 onward, views shifted negatively as cheap Chinese imports were seen as a threat and "Made in China" goods faced criticism over poor quality, labor conditions, and environmental standards. The West now views China's national image with both positive associations from the past and new negative perceptions related to its economic rise.
El documento describe las características del sistema digestivo de diferentes organismos. En los vertebrados, el sistema digestivo varía según la dieta. En las aves, el buche almacena la comida y el estómago está dividido en dos cavidades. En los rumiantes, como las vacas, el estómago tiene cuatro cavidades. En los insectos, el aparato digestivo se divide en tres secciones y la digestión ocurre principalmente en el estómago. En otros invertebrados como las medusas, la digestión involucra células especializadas
Este documento habla sobre la prevención de riesgos eléctricos. Explica que la electricidad es ampliamente utilizada pero también conlleva peligros si no se toman precauciones. Detalla los efectos de los accidentes eléctricos en el cuerpo humano y las causas comunes. Finalmente, proporciona recomendaciones para un uso seguro de la electricidad e instalaciones eléctricas correctas.
Este documento resume los diferentes tipos de riesgos asociados al ambiente laboral, incluyendo riesgos físicos, químicos, biológicos, ergonómicos, psicosociales, mecánicos y ambientales. Explica que los empleadores tienen la obligación de proteger la seguridad y salud de los trabajadores mediante la planificación de la prevención de riesgos. La identificación, control y evaluación de los riesgos laborales permite que los empleadores tomen medidas correctivas oportunas.
Este documento discute as atividades desenvolvidas por uma bolsista do PIBID para trabalhar a ortografia com alunos do 5o ano. As atividades incluíram "Como se Fala e Como se Escreve", leitura de livros e discussões, e "Caixa Gramatical" para trabalhar questões gramaticais. O objetivo era fazer com que os alunos aprendessem a ortografia de forma significativa e prazerosa.
Este documento describe los diferentes tipos de sólidos geométricos, incluyendo sólidos de revolución como el cilindro, el cono y la esfera. Explica que los sólidos de revolución se generan haciendo girar una curva alrededor de un eje, y que el cilindro se crea girando una línea recta, el cono girando una línea que intersecta el eje, y la esfera girando un semicírculo alrededor de su diámetro. También describe los diferentes elementos de los poliedros como car
This document discusses internationalization in higher education from the perspective of the OECD. It provides the following key points:
1) Tertiary education enrollments are projected to increase substantially globally by 2025, driving greater internationalization.
2) The composition of the global talent pool is changing, with more people attaining tertiary education levels, especially in countries like China.
3) Internationalization impacts areas like quality, equity, and domestic demand. Managing internationalization strategies is now important.
4) Key data on the distribution of foreign students shows the US, UK, Australia, and Germany receive the most, while China is the largest source country of foreign students.
This document provides motivation secrets in 5 parts. It discusses how motivation comes from decisions about one's financial destiny and goals. It acknowledges the challenges of online business like failures and emotional ups and downs. It emphasizes embracing failure as learning, and taking time for important decisions to direct one's path and feed motivation. It also stresses the ability to transform negative thoughts by concentrating on positives and repeating goals.
Documentos técnicos y científicos diapositivamiguelsoad13
El documento habla sobre la escritura de documentos técnicos y científicos. Explica que estos documentos incluyen resúmenes, informes y ensayos. Describe los pasos para escribir estos documentos como seleccionar un tema, recopilar material, formular objetivos y redactar un borrador. También define cada tipo de documento y sus características principales.
Este documento describe las máquinas simples. Define una máquina simple como un artefacto mecánico que transforma un movimiento en otro diferente utilizando la fuerza aplicada. Explica que las máquinas simples incluyen la palanca, la polea, el plano inclinado, la cuña y otros. También describe brevemente cada máquina simple y cómo transforman la fuerza y el movimiento.
Fascination is a project for design students, developed jointly by the Technical University of Catalonia
(UPC) and the University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT), which works with two groups of students,
one group of participants in Spain and another group in Thailand where, hands-on activities, a range
of technologies are used to prepare students for the lessons, through learning activities and content.
This research paper presents the test of both a general model and a tool for measuring the
participants’ experiences in a course that uses a blended learning methodology, with the aim of
collecting empirical evidence to justify the effort of applying this methodology, based on the
participants’ satisfaction. The procedure used in the conceptualization of the survey, the generation of
topics, the collection of data, and the validation of the scale of various items are described here. The
information, provided by the 26 people surveyed about the course and the virtual environment that
was used, was analyzed to measure their perceptions and explore possible relations. Finally the
conclusions of the research and the future work are presented.
Authors: Pedro Leão Ramos Ferreira Neto, Margarida Amaral.
This case study was conducted by the senior lecturer in charge of the Computer Architectural Aided Design (CAAD) course, with the support and active collaboration of Instituto de Recursos e Iniciativas Comuns da Universidade do Porto (IRICUP). CAAD is an optional course for fifth-year students at the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Porto (FAUP).
Learning design twofold strategies for teacher-led inquiry and student active...davinia.hl
Hernández-Leo, D., Moreno, V., Peig, E., Learning design twofold strategies for teacher-led inquiry and student active learning. Workshop on Teacher-led Inquiry and Learning Design: The Virtuous Circle, Workshop at the 2013 Alpine Rendez-Vous, January 2013, Villard‐de‐Lans, Vercors, French Alps.
Abstract. This workshop paper states that fostering active student participation both in face-to-face lectures / seminars and outside the classroom (personal and group study at home, the library, etc.) requires a certain level of teacher-led inquiry. The paper presents a set of strategies drawn from real practice in higher education with teacher-led inquiry ingredients that promote active learning. These practices highlight the role of the syllabus, the importance of iterative learning designs, explicit teacher-led inquiry, and the implications of the context, sustainability and practitioners’ creativity. The strategies discussed in this paper can serve as input to the workshop as real cases that need to be represented in design and supported in enactment (with and without technologies).
OpenArchitecture (OA) is an initiative that aims to provide alternative architecture education options in South Africa. It collaborates with universities to offer recognized graduate and post-graduate programs through blended learning approaches. The OA program utilizes various virtual spaces like an online learning portal, Facebook group, and face-to-face sessions to facilitate studio-based learning. This includes asynchronous tools like an online design journal and synchronous activities like weekly virtual critiques. The blended model seeks to improve access and opportunities in architectural education.
Rapid e-learning, as an informal educational tool for advanced studentseLearning Papers
Author: Nicolò Antonio Piave.
This article deals with the possibility of introducing rapid e-learning software, usually used by teachers and content producers, into a hybrid learning paradigm and informal educational tool.
This document discusses computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) and how it uses instructional methods that encourage students to work together on learning tasks, as opposed to traditional teacher-centered approaches. CSCL is enabled by technologies like blogs, wikis, and cloud-based document sharing, which allow for nonlinear knowledge sharing between students and teachers. Collaborative learning environments provide benefits like developing higher-order thinking skills, but also present challenges for instructors and students in adjusting to more student-centered and group-focused methods.
1) Four higher education institutions in South Africa collaborated to design and facilitate a short course on teaching with emerging technologies across institutional boundaries.
2) The course aimed to address shared challenges around limited resources and promote sharing of best practices between institutions. It used cloud-based tools instead of individual institutional learning management systems.
3) Participants reported that the flexible design, emphasis on reflection and practice, and modeling of using technology for meaningful learning achieved the goals of empowering educators and transforming teaching practices. Areas for ongoing work include developing collaborative models that foster knowledge sharing while minimizing intellectual tensions.
A Proposed PST Model for Enhancing E-Learning ExperiencesMd. Shohel Rana
Md. Shohel Rana presented a proposed PST (Parents-Student-Teacher) model for enhancing e-learning experiences at the 2017 International Conference on Education and Distance Learning in Maldives. The model aims to allow teachers, students, and parents to collaborate on a single online platform from remote locations. It incorporates features like online lesson sharing, communication tools, assessment tools, and a smart board for interactive lessons. Diagrams show how the data and collaboration would flow within the proposed model. The presentation concluded by stating that the model could improve classroom efficiency and communication between all parties involved in education.
Talk from iPED 2010. Reviews how Open Context Model of Learning and the PAH Continuum can be applied to the craft of teaching. References sample courses and current debates such as Digital Literacies.
This document presents a conceptual framework for an online interactive module to teach computer programming courses. The framework is based on Mayer's learning model and includes three dimensions: materials to be learned, presentation methods, and learning strategies. The materials include concepts, techniques, simulations, and other multimedia. Presentation methods consider how content is delivered, such as through lectures, student interaction, or asynchronous learning. Learning strategies involve cooperative learning, e-learning, brainstorming, and problem-solving approaches. The framework is intended to address challenges in traditional teaching methods and better prepare students for computer-focused careers.
Facilitating Active Learning Utilizing the Online Environment of NfomediaMalinka Ivanova
The document discusses active learning strategies that can be facilitated using the online learning environment Nfomedia. It proposes using concept mapping, project-based learning, and personal learning environments to engage students in knowledge gathering, application, distribution, and analysis. The strategies aim to clearly track and motivate students by having them summarize, analyze, remember, create, explore, discuss and share information to document their progression. The document concludes that a prototype combining these active learning methods was tested successfully in Nfomedia over one semester.
The workshop is designed to educate 10 elementary teachers in project based lessons over 1.5 days. It will cover topics such as the principles of project based learning, applying it across disciplines, integrating standards, differentiated instruction, and the role of technology. Teachers will participate in hands-on activities, view student project videos, and create their own projects. Learning will be measured through pre and post assessments, observation of teachers implementing lessons, and evaluations during and after the workshop. The goal is for teachers to adopt project based approaches and for students to improve skills like critical thinking.
Task-based learning and ICT: creative activities in the context of a European...eLearning Papers
Authors: Manuela Delfino, Giuliana Dettori, Valentina Lupi.
The dissemination of innovation at school may be supported by favouring the exchange of educational materials and reflections, leading teachers to learn from each other’s experiences. This was the main goal of Efelcren, a Comenius 2.1 project which aimed to boost the creation and collection of inventive and effective ICT-based educational materials for all school levels.
The technology implementation team is responsible for installing and maintaining technology equipment and software in the school computer lab and media libraries. They provide ongoing training to classroom teachers on integrating technology into lessons. It is important for the team to discuss the "hidden curriculum", which refers to the unwritten social rules and behaviors implicitly taught. The team aims to model constructivist teaching methods using technology to improve student learning for teachers.
Facilitating staff to design in active learning opportunities for students th...RichardM_Walker
This presentation reflects on the approach that we are taking at the University of York to help teaching staff consider how the affordances of learning technologies may be applied to support active learning opportunities for students within programme design. We consider how learning technologies may support student work across various modes of engagement, ranging from interleaved practice (formative assessment) to student-led teaching and content creation.
E portfolios for distance learning in a postgraduate programmeveronamathews
The document discusses the implementation of eportfolios for students in a postgraduate public health program in Africa. It aims to enhance reflective learning and digital literacy among students and lecturers. Google sites was selected as the platform to develop eportfolios. Objectives include developing instructions for creating eportfolios, defining lecturer roles, and exploring assessment linkage. Research supports that eportfolios improve reflection, engagement, and problem-solving skills when integrated appropriately with support and clear guidelines.
Blended learning environments the effectiveness in developing concepts and th...Alexander Decker
This document discusses blended learning and its effectiveness in developing concepts and thinking skills. It defines blended learning as combining online and traditional learning, taking advantage of different learning theories. There are five key components of blended learning identified: teacher-led interactions, self-paced interactions, collaborative activities, pre-assessments, and supplemental materials. The philosophy of blended learning is to utilize technology to create new learning situations and simulate active, individualized, learner-centered education. It has advantages like flexibility, increased participation, and better communication compared to solely online or traditional approaches.
Rosanna De Rosa, Alessandro Bogliolo - Teaching to teachers. A MOOC based hyb...EUmoocs
EMMA poster at EDEN.
Coding has been recognized by the Italian National Plan for Digital School (PNSD) as one of fundamental disciplines to
be introduced at school level. In order to reach such an objective, the University of Urbino offered for free a MOOC on
Coding specifically devoted to school teachers through the European Multiple MOOC Platform (europeanmoocs.eu,
Emma for short). The objective of such aMOOC was to generate a highly scalable process of teaching/learning involving
a plethora of actors: school managers, ICTs experts, teachers, and pupils as final users. The MOOC was organized as a
hands-on experience course, based also on live webinars, illustrating how to organize coding activities using only freely
accessible online resources. This approach allowed teachers to learn the fundamental principles of coding together with
their pupils and to apply computational thinking to any topic, with a non secondary effect: converting role of the
teacher into an enabler factor, restoring their centrality, legitimation and social value. The poster highlights the
dimensions of such an experience, the relevance of pedagogies used, as well as the factors of its success.
Developing an online course on telecollaboration for teachers: A reflection o...Angelos Konstantinidis
This document describes the design and implementation of an online postgraduate course on telecollaboration for language teachers. The course was designed using an educational design research model. It aimed to introduce teachers to theories and practices of telecollaboration through a critical lens, build skills in organizing telecollaborative activities, and engage students in research. The syllabus covered introduction to telecollaboration, practical issues, and additional topics. Students completed three assignments and provided feedback, which showed increased engagement and that the course opened new perspectives on telecollaboration. Reflection on the process helped the designer question assumptions and beliefs about effective online course design.
Similar to Blended-learning in Science and Technology. A Collaborative Project-Based Course in Experimental Physics (20)
OER in the Mobile Era: Content Repositories’ Features for Mobile Devices and ...eLearning Papers
Learning objects and open contents have been named in the Horizon reports from 2004 and 2010 respectively, predicting to have an impact in the short term due to the current trend of offering open content for free on the Web. OER repositories should adapt their features so their contents can be accessed from mobile devices. This paper summarizes recent trends in the creation, publication, discovery, acquisition, access, use and re-use of learning objects on mobile devices based on a literature review on research done from 2007 to 2012. From the content providers side, we present the results obtained from a survey performed on 23 educational repository owners prompting them to answer about their current and expected support on mobile devices. From the content user side, we identify features provided by the main OER repositories. Finally, we introduce future trends and our next contributions.
Designing and Developing Mobile Learning Applications in International Studen...eLearning Papers
This paper reports on an international collaboration in which students from different universities designed and developed mobile learning applications, working together in interdisciplinary teams using social and mobile media. We describe the concept, process and outcomes of this collaboration including challenges of designing and developing mobile learning applications in virtual teams.
This paper reports on the current challenges the professional sector faces when going mobile. The report discusses the role of mobile devices in the workforce and addresses challenges like compatibility, security and training. It also provides a comprehensive review of the mobile landscape, and reviews current best practices in mobile learning.
Standing at the Crossroads: Mobile Learning and Cloud Computing at Estonian S...eLearning Papers
This paper studies the impact of mobile learning implementation efforts in Estonian school system – a process that has created a lot of controversy during the recent years. Best practices in mobile learning are available from the entire world, forcing schools to keep up the push towards better connectivity and gadgetry. Even in the best cases where the schools are provided with the necessary tools, the process has met a lot of scepticism from teachers who are afraid to implement new methods. Teachers are often cornered with the ‘comply or leave’ attitude from educational authorities, resulting in a multi-sided battle between involved parties.
We have surveyed students, teachers, parents and management at five Estonian front-runner schools to sort out the situation. The results show different attitudes among students, school leaders and staff – while all of them mostly possess necessary tools and skills, teachers almost completely lack motivation to promote mobile learning. We propose some positive and negative scenarios – for example, we predict major problems if teacher training will not change, e-safety policies are inadequately developed or authorities will continue the tendency to put all the eggs into one basket (e.g. by relying solely on closed, corporate solutions for mobile learning platforms).
M-portfolios: Using Mobile Technology to Document Learning in Student Teacher...eLearning Papers
We briefly analyse the enhancement of eportfolio processes defined by Zubizarreta (2009) with the introduction of mobile technology. We give some examples of appropriation of mobile device usage in eportfolio processes carried out by student teachers. These examples become the evidence of the enhancement possibilities of one of the portfolio processes defined by Zubizarreta (2009), that of documentation.
GGULIVRR: Touching Mobile and Contextual LearningeLearning Papers
1) Project GGULIVRR explores using mobile technologies like NFC tags and QR codes to link physical objects and locations to digital educational games.
2) The project aims to develop 21st century skills through creating and playing contextual mobile games on topics like a city's underground infrastructure.
3) Games are built in a generic framework that allows non-technical users to author new games by combining multimedia content and scripted gameplay rules.
Reaching Out with OER: The New Role of Public-Facing Open ScholareLearning Papers
Open educational resources (OER) and, more recently, open educational practices (OEP) have been widely promoted as a means of increasing openness in higher education (HE). Thus far, such openness has been limited by OER provision typically being supplier-driven and contained within the boundaries of HE. Seeking to explore ways in which OEP might become more needs-led we conceptualised a new ‘public-facing open scholar’ role involving academics working with online communities to source and develop OER to meet their needs.
To explore the scope for this role we focused on the voluntary sector, which we felt might particularly benefit from such collaboration. We evaluated four representative communities for evidence of their being self-educating (thereby offering the potential for academics to contribute) and for any existing learning dimension. We found that all four communities were self-educating and each included learning infrastructure elements, for example provision for web chats with ‘experts’, together with evidence of receptiveness to academic collaboration. This indicated that there was scope for the role of public-facing open scholar. We therefore developed detailed guidelines for performing the role, which has the potential to be applied beyond the voluntary sector and to greatly extend the beneficial impact of existing OER, prompting institutions to release new OER in response to the needs of people outside HE.
Managing Training Concepts in Multicultural Business EnvironmentseLearning Papers
Companies that need training and development services increasingly often operate in a context that consists of more than just one country, language and culture. While business operations are becoming international, companies expect their service providers being capable of catering them where needed. Succeeding in a very complex multinational customer-tailored training project takes more than a good concept. The concept must be flexible so that when language and cultural changes vary from country to country they do not endanger the content to be delivered. There can be several localised versions of the training concept under simultaneous delivery. Challenge is how to manage the concept.
Reflective Learning at Work – MIRROR Model, Apps and Serious GameseLearning Papers
This report discusses the initial results of a 4-year FP7 research project that developed a theoretical model and worked on the creation and evaluation of a range of ‘Mirror’ apps based on our Mirror reflection model. The findings divulge how the apps and serious games can facilitate reflectionº at work, by empowering employees to learn by reflection on their work practice and on their personal learning experiences.
SKILL2E: Online Reflection for Intercultural Competence GaineLearning Papers
The project SKILL2E aims to equip students on international work placements with intercultural competences. The model proposes a double loop learning cycle in which a shared online diary using guided questions is used for reflection. Preliminary results illustrate how this collaborative approach is conducive to the development of intercultural competences.
Experience Networking in the TVET System to Improve Occupational CompetencieseLearning Papers
This paper aims at considering the development and strengthening of networks in (T)VET systems as a means of improving employability and mobility of workers, through a system where occupational competences, required by the Labour Market, described in terms of Learning Outcomes that can be assessed and validated in all different contexts (formal, non formal and informal) developed following quality standards, will be abreast with changes and innovations of the global context requirements, in order to respond to those shortcomings that limit the potential growth of countries with serious implications for the participation in global markets, job growth, economical and social stability.
Leveraging Trust to Support Online Learning Creativity – A Case StudyeLearning Papers
The insights shared through this article build on data collected in real life situations. The work described here attempts to understand how trust can be used as leverage to support online learning and creative collaboration. This report explores this understanding from the teacher perspective. It examines trust commitments in an international setting within which learners from different European countries collaborate and articulate their learning tasks and skills at a distance. This research endeavour aims to recognize both individual and group vulnerabilities as opportunities to strengthen their cooperation and collaboration. We believe that by understanding how to assess and monitor learners’ trust, teachers could use this information to intervene and provide positive support, thereby promoting and reinforcing learners’ autonomy and their motivation to creatively engage in their learning activities.
The results gathered so far enabled an initial understanding of what to look for when monitoring trust with the intention of understanding and influencing learners’ behaviours. They point to three main aspects to monitor on students: (1) their perception of each others’ intentions, in a given context, (2) their level of cooperation as expressed by changes in individual and group commitments towards a particular activity; and, (3) their attitudes towards the use of communication mediums for learning purposes (intentions of use, actual use and reactions to actual use).
Innovating Teaching and Learning Practices: Key Elements for Developing Crea...eLearning Papers
This paper looks at how to innovate teaching and learning practices at system level. It describes the vision for ‘Creative Classrooms’ and makes a consolidated proposal for their implementation, clarifying their holistic and systemic nature, their intended learning outcomes, and their pedagogical, technological, and organisational dimensions for innovation. ‘Creative Classrooms’ (CCR) are conceptualized as innovative learning environments that fully embed the potential of ICT to innovate learning and teaching practices in formal, non-formal and informal settings.
The proposed multi-dimensional concept for CCR consists of eight encompassing and interconnected key dimensions and a set of 28 reference parameters (‘building blocks’). At the heart of the CCR concept lie innovative pedagogical practices that emerge when teachers use ICT in their efforts to organize newer and improved forms of open-ended, collaborative, and meaningful learning activities, rather than simply to enhance traditional pedagogies, such as expository lessons and task-based learning.
A preliminary analysis of two existing cases of ICT-enabled innovation for learning is presented in order to show (i) how the proposed key dimensions and reference parameters are implemented in real-life settings to configure profoundly diverse types of CCR and (ii) to depict the systemic approach needed for the sustainable implementation and progressive up-scaling of Creative Classrooms across Europe.
Website – A Partnership between Parents, Students and SchoolseLearning Papers
The website developed by the 1.b class at the Augusta Šenoa elementary school is, first and foremost, a pioneering work stemming from cooperation among teachers and parents. The purpose of the website is to inform, activate, and involve parents, students and teachers who work in the classroom. Each activity is documented, giving insight into the everyday activities, and making the classroom visible and transparent to everyone. The project uses new technology (forum, gallery of student work, class mail), and enlists a partnership of parents, who made parts of the website.
Academic Staff Development in the Area of Technology Enhanced Learning in UK ...eLearning Papers
This paper reports on a study on staff development in the area of technology enhanced learning in UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) that took place in November, 2011. Data for this study were gathered via an online survey emailed to the Heads of e-Learning Forum (HeLF) which is a network comprised of one senior staff member per UK institution, leading the enhancement of learning and teaching through the use of technology. Prior to the survey, desk-based research on some universities’ publicly available websites gathered similar information about staff development in the area of technology enhanced learning. The online survey received 27 responses, approaching a quarter of all UK HEIs subscribed to the Heads of e-Learning forum list (118 is the total number). Both pre-1992 (16 in number) and post-1992 Universities (11 in number) were represented in the survey and findings indicate the way this sample of UK HEIs are approaching staff development in the area of TEL.
The Ageing Brain: Neuroplasticity and Lifelong LearningeLearning Papers
The role of adult education is becoming increasingly important in the framework of policies to promote lifelong learning. Adult participation in training activities, however, is still rather low, despite the incentives and initiatives aimed at allowing all citizens access
to education and training at all ages in their lives.
Participation tends to decrease concomitantly with increasing age: the major difficulty that elderly people have in learning is due to a deterioration of brain function, causing a progressive weakening of concentration, memory and mental flexibility. Today, advanced
researches in neuroscience show that brain ageing may be reversible: the brain
is plastic in all stages of life, and its maps can restructure themselves through learning experiences.
Checklist for a Didactically Sound Design of eLearning ContenteLearning Papers
The design of elearning content requires several areas of educational psychology to be
integrated. In order to enhance the design process, checklists can be used as a means of formative evaluation. We present a checklist for the design and formative evaluation of elearning modules.
It covers the content, segmenting, sequencing and navigation, adaptation to target audience,
design of text and graphics, learning tasks and feedback, and motivation. In the context of a project on designing elearning modules on renewable energies, this
checklist was successfully used for providing formative feedback to the developers.
The International Student and the Challenges of Lifelong LearningeLearning Papers
The document discusses two cases of challenges faced by international lifelong learners.
1. Khan, an older student from India, struggled with the younger online group due to age differences and lack of computer/academic skills. A peer pairing with Mohammad helped Khan improve his skills and understanding of women's roles.
2. Hilary, an older female student from Africa, lacked confidence and felt disrespected by younger students. A Canadian student befriended Hilary and encouraged her to challenge herself, leading Hilary to change careers after graduation.
Both cases show how technology-enhanced learning can improve older international students' learning experiences and transform their lives by exposing them to new perspectives.
Fostering Older People’s Digital Inclusion to Promote Active AgeingeLearning Papers
Within the framework of the European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations, ECDL Foundation will partner with AGE Platform Europe to promote older people’s digital inclusion.
This collaboration involves the launch of an updated ICT training programme adapted to older people’s needs: a revised version of the ECDL Foundation’s accessible ICT training programme, EqualSkills.
eLearning and Social Networking in Mentoring Processes to Support Active AgeingeLearning Papers
Mentoring is a human resources development process often used to induct, introduce and guide staff into places of employment.
Training people on the job or using elderly people as mentors can be organised to address aspects like skill shortage in organisations, recruiting and retaining personal with the necessary knowledge and active involvement of older people. In this paper we present some aspects of mentoring, particularly the ICT support of such process and
give examples.
This presentation was provided by Racquel Jemison, Ph.D., Christina MacLaughlin, Ph.D., and Paulomi Majumder. Ph.D., all of the American Chemical Society, for the second session of NISO's 2024 Training Series "DEIA in the Scholarly Landscape." Session Two: 'Expanding Pathways to Publishing Careers,' was held June 13, 2024.
A Visual Guide to 1 Samuel | A Tale of Two HeartsSteve Thomason
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Blended-learning in Science and Technology. A Collaborative Project-Based Course in Experimental Physics
1. Blended-learning in Science and Technology. A Collaborative
Project-Based Course in Experimental Physics
Silvia Di Marco, Universidade de Lisboa (FCUL, Portugal)
António Maneira, Universidade Nova de Lisboa (FCT/UNL, Portugal)
Páulo Ribeiro, Universidade Nova de Lisboa (FCT/UNL, Portugal)
M.J.P. Maneira, Universidade Nova de Lisboa (FCT/UNL, Portugal)
Summary
This work describes a science and technology course in the Universidade Nova de Lisboa
(Portugal), and its evolution towards a blended-learning format and a constructivist instructional
design based on collaborative projects. The core of our work was to identify critical points and
recommendations concerning the use of e-learning and project-based learning in an Applied
Optics course where laboratory activities are a relevant part of the curriculum.
Asynchronous and synchronous e-learning tools and strategies were adopted in 2004
(interactive learning units, tests for self-assessment and online sessions for collaborative
problem-solving), and later on, in 2007, we reorganized the course around collaborative real-life
projects aiming for a constructivist teaching-learning model.
Overall, collaborative projects were positively rated by students, who appreciated experiencing
a real-life “R&D” situation, and said that it enhances knowledge acquisition. Professors
observed that this teaching method promotes stronger participation and a more proactive
attitude. Furthermore, it was confirmed that well designed e-learning tools and activities are
useful in supporting self-learning, a precondition for a creative approach to lab activities and
projects. Synchronous online sessions for problem-solving were highly appreciated, because
they allow software sharing and immersive remote communication. On the contrary, web-
forums did not reach the expected results.
Our conclusion is that e-learning and experimental collaborative activities can be successfully
combined to foster meaningful learning, although this is demanding in terms of effort and time.
Collaborative projects and rich learning environments are two key features in constructivist
instructional design and help students to develop a proactive attitude towards learning, as they
have to deal with many kinds of resources instead of receiving a closed set of information, and
this requires knowledge management skills. Furthermore, students need to put in place
knowledge and skills to implement the project within a group. This implies the possibility to
learn together with the others in a dynamic process, but also the need to explain, share and
possibly defend particular ideas within the work-group.
Keywords: University course, Portugal, Collaborative learning, Blended learning, Synchronous
e-learning, constructivist model, participation, e-learning tools
1 Introduction
This work describes the Applied Optics course of the Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia of
the Universidade Nova de Lisboa (FCT-UNL), and its evolution towards a blended-learning
format and a constructivist approach. It helps to identify key points and recommendations about
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2. the use of e-learning and project-based learning in experimental science and technology
courses, where practical laboratory activities represent a relevant part of the curriculum.
The evolution of this course occurred in two phases: the first one, started in 2004, was
characterized by the progressive introduction of e-learning for asynchronous and synchronous
activities, i.e. interactive Learning Units, tests and quizzes for self-assessment, online sessions
for collaborative problem-solving. In this phase the pedagogical approach was mainly
objectivist, with a first effort to avoid behaviourism (Ally, 2004) in lab activities. In the second
phase, implemented since the academic year 2007/2008, we made an effort to reinforce
constructivist learning, restructuring the course around collaborative real-life projects and
enriching the online environment through Java simulations and web forums.
The Applied Optics is a compulsory course for students of the of the second cycle (according to
the European Union Bologna system) leading to the Master’s degrees in Physics Engineering,
Biomedical Engineering and Teaching of Physics and Chemistry. It is also an optional course
for the students of the Master degree in Electrotechnical and Computers Engineering. The
transition from the traditional face-to-face teaching-learning system to the web enhanced
solution was introduced in order to reach different goals. For what concerns students these
goals are:
− To foster individual study and self-assessment as prerequisites for a more constructivist
approach to laboratory activities;
− To encourage them to become responsible for their own learning;
− To offer the opportunity to engage in online activities, synchronous and asynchronous,
acquiring experience in the use of different software tools;
− To offer them the opportunity to work collaboratively online, experiencing situations
similar to what they will probably meet in their future work;
− To facilitate meaningful learning through an improved graphical interface and interactive
learning units.
From the institutional and teacher perspective the goals are also:
− To test the efficiency and performance of the available e-learning tools in view of further
development of new online courses;
− To introduce progressively information and communication technologies (ICT) tools in
traditional courses, avoiding quality gaps in the learning-teaching process of different
academic years.
2 The applied optics course between 2004 and 2007
The Applied Optics course, attended on average by 50 students, lasts 14 weeks, i.e. 70 hours,
plus individual study and lab reporting. The class meets twice a week, with two-hour sessions of
in-class lecturing and two-hour sessions of collaborative laboratory activities or online
synchronous problem-solving. Since the academic year 2004/2005 the whole course has been
supported by the Learning Management System (LMS) Blackboard-Horizon Wimba that allows
synchronous and asynchronous activities, and where students find a variety of learning
resources. Learners are invited to read the interactive theoretical Learning Units (LUs) available
in the LMS before classes. As prerequisite to the lab activities they have to explore the
preparatory Experimental Learning Units (ELUs), which describe the objectives of the lab
activities, as well as experimental equipment and the tools. Students have to pass an
automated assessment test in order to be allowed to access the lab. More importantly, they can
use the ELUs as a guide to set up the experimental protocols. Lab protocols, in fact, are not
pre-constructed by the teachers, in order to discourage behaviourism. With the help of the LUs
and ELUs students have to search for theoretical laws, as well as for different methods and
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3. procedures, and then link all the elements, “constructing” and taking responsibility for their own
protocol 1 .
Two problem-solving 2 sessions are generally run in the last weeks of the course. They are
performed online using the Horizon Wimba “Live classroom”, which allows students and
teachers to share screen and applications, i.e. text editors and mathematical tools like
MathCad, and to communicate via written chat and audio. The instructor acts as a moderator. In
addition, participants can share and operate on drawings through the e-board and the teacher
can browse the Internet showing useful resources to the students. This learning architecture,
progressively implemented between 2004 and 2007, represents the first phase of the Applied
Optics course in the blended-learning format (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Representation of the blended-learning solution implemented
between 2004 and 2007
3 Combining e-learning and constructivism
At the end of 2007 we introduced further innovations aiming to reinforce “constructivist
collaborative learning”. In order to accomplish this goal we worked on four parallel lines:
analysis of the 2006/2007 edition of the course, definition of a theoretical framework concerning
mostly constructivism (Jonassen, 1999; Hannafin, 1999; Mayer, 1999; Watts & Pope, 1989;
Von Glaserfeld, 1990), search for experiences of other universities engaged in the promotion of
active learning in scientific field and analysis of e-learning features and models (Calvani, 2005;
Ranieri, 2005; Di Marco, 2008).
The exploration of the literature showed us that constructivism is an umbrella term, which
gathers different schools of thought, sometimes conflicting with each other. Supporters of
“radical” constructivism assert that it offers an insight into human learning, but it says little about
pedagogy and didactics, because a teacher cannot control learning (Towers, 2002). Others
defend “trivial” constructivism, claiming that as any other epistemology it can be pragmatically
used to design sophisticated learning environments (Jonassen, 1999; Hannafin, 1999) and
contents (Mayer, 1999). According to this view constructivism has many overlapping features
1
In this case the main constructivist element resides in putting into action the experimental method, formalized in the
experimental protocol, entirely prepared by students before accessing the lab. The collaborative experimental
activities in laboratory and the corresponding report are a consolidation and test of this process.
2
Problems presented in these sessions are “traditional” physics problems, i.e. well-defined and well-structured, and
they have a unique numerical and graphical solution.
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4. with objectivism and both can be used as complementary theoretical frameworks for
instructional design. In practice we chose to follow the operational definition of constructivism
given by Calvani and Rotta, who say that a constructivist teaching-learning process should
endorse: construction and not reproduction of knowledge; contextualization rather than
abstraction (through authentic tasks and real-life cases); presentation of multiple and complex
visions of reality aimed to stimulate reflection and metacognition; emphasis on cooperative
building of knowledge (Calvani and Rotta, 1999 in Ranieri, 2005). The viability of this
pedagogical approach was reinforced by the analysis of the problem-based learning approach
of the University of Delaware 3 , which puts together the cognitivist principles of learning of Merril
(2001) with a strong emphasis on collaboration and real life problems, two key features of
constructivism.
3.1 Collaborative project for problem-based learning
The introduction of a collaborative project to be developed along the semester was the most
significant innovation for the 2007/2008 edition of the Applied Optics course. The projects were
designed taking as reference the problem-based learning approach of the University of
Delaware: they were engaging but relatively simple, embedded in a realistic scenario but
feasible mastering the concepts presented in two or three Learning Units. They were introduced
at the very beginning of the semester speculating that it would be motivating for students to
know what kind of problems they would be able to solve by the end of the course (Merril, 2001).
We assumed that this instructional strategy would be effective because the students enrolled in
this course are already at their fourth college year, and they are familiar with lab activities;
furthermore, as they had the whole semester to develop the project, they would have enough
time to develop the knowledge and skills required to realize it 4 .
In practice, three R&D (Research and Development) topics were proposed, and the rules of the
simulated Research Program “contract bid” were presented in the LMS. The projects to be
delivered to hypothetical industrial clients were:
− Apparatus and quality control process of track-to-track distance in a CD;
− Complete Optical designs of two magnifying glasses for office and for precision works;
− Complete Optical designs of mirrors for aesthetics and for street corner vision.
Students organised themselves in seven groups of seven, and each group proposed itself
through the LMS to carry on one project, indicating the order of preference among the three
options. Taking into account submission dates and preferences, each project was assigned to
two or three groups. Each group wrote a Project Proposal to achieve the project objectives. The
proposals had to obey to a template provided by the “Program Manager” (the professor). Once
approved, the project was executed and a Final Project Report was delivered. As final activity
there was a seminar, where all groups presented their works and defended the solutions
implemented in a thirty minutes communication. Communications were delivered by one
spokesperson elected by the group and three other elements of the team, randomly selected by
the professor during the seminar, obliging all students to be present and prepared for the
presentation. A committee assisted to the discussion, which was moderated by one of the
professors.
To prepare the project proposal, practical work and final report, students had rules, templates,
resources and conceptual maps available in the LMS. The conceptual maps (Figure 2) help to
visualise the theoretical knowledge needed to achieve specific objectives, linking each project
to specific LUs and to additional resources, as selected bibliography and web sites. The real life
3
Our projects have been inspired by some problems available in the web site of the University of Delaware,
www.udel.edu/inst/ (retrieved on 28.11.07); www.physics.udel.edu/~watson/scen103/colloq2000/main.html (retrieved
on 28.11.07)
4
Antonio Calvani (2000; in Ranieri, 2005) remarks that the use of problem-solving, in the forms suggested by the
Gestalt concept of insight or by Bruner’s discovery learning, requires a considerable expenditure of time, and it is
viable only in specific contexts, with learners already familiar with the domain of knowledge.
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5. project replaced three of the seven laboratory assignments present in the previous editions of
the Applied Optics course.
Blue squares - Learning
Units;
Red squares -
Experimental Learning
Units, i.e. experimental
activities;
Yellow hexagons -
Synchronous/asynchrono
us online activities;
White squares - activities
related to the
collaborative project
Figure 2. Representation of the blended-learning solution adopted in the academic year
2007/2008
Comparing the new structure of Applied Optics course (Figure 2) with the one reported in figure
1, we can see the passage from a rather linear pathway, fitting a quite objectivist paradigm, to a
networked structure, more consistent with a constructivist model. The whole course process,
from the initial project introduction to the final presentation, represents a good approximation to
the five principles of learning theorized by Merril (2001): the problem is presented in a realistic
context, offering students the proper instruments for activation and demonstration. At the same
time they are required to apply the knowledge to a practical objective and in the end they have
to publicly show and defend their work. Learning units and laboratory activities continue to be
the backbone of the learning and teaching process, but instead of marking a sequence of
almost fixed steps, they shape a relatively flexible scaffold, aimed to help students to find
solutions for the collaborative project, acquiring the necessary concepts and skills. Anyway, it is
important to emphasize that also in the previous versions of the course the program was
adapted to students’ needs, because teachers modulated the work pace accordingly with
identified student’s difficulties, dwelling longer on some topics and omitting others. This attitude
was further developed by the endeavours of the projects, and the professor’s role gradually
shifted from that of a person who possesses the knowledge and transmits it, to that of an expert
mentor and consultant, who supports learners in the process of knowledge construction.
3.2 Java simulation of a spherical diopter
Given its theoretical and experimental nature, the learning environment of the Applied Optics
course has always been quite rich and can satisfy different ways of learning. Nevertheless the
professor in charge of the course pointed out the need for more interactive LUs and
simulations, in particular for what concerns a pivotal topic of geometrical optics, the spherical
diopter. This system relates to image formation and is fundamental to the understanding of
lenses. However, as it does not find many practical applications, students often understand it
from the geometrical and mathematical perspective, but do not actually come to visualize the
optical phenomena implied. That is why it was decided to introduce in the LMS an applet
simulating a spherical diopter, which could be manipulated by students varying parameters in
three different virtual experimental activities. This simulation, which was supposed to be the first
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6. step toward the creation of a Virtual Laboratory, was accompanied by a multiple-choice test
with automated score evaluation, designed to stimulate an accurate manipulation of the
parameters and the observation of the response of the virtual equipment displayed by the
applet. Questions had the aim to assure that students would manipulate the simulation in all the
possible ways; in some cases the answer comes from the observation of the images, in others it
requires taking note of values and drawing graphs.
3.3 Web forums
In order to promote alternative ways of communication among learners and between learners
and professors we decided to start to use web forums. We assumed that they would help to
enhance interaction among students and teachers (Cristini & Nestani, 2003), and would
contribuite to the creation of one-to-one communication, which is normally scarce in traditional
courses 5 (Uggeri, 2003). Furthermore, one of our objective was to set up asynchronous online
activities (e-tivities), that are supposed to offer students the possibility to explore information at
their own pace and react to it before hearing the views and interpretations of others (Salmon,
2002). As the course has about 50 students and two teachers (one professor and one assistant
professor), we thought that we could create two parallel forums with each professor moderating
a group of 25. Two web forums were designed: one called “Forum for doubts”, was devoted to
students’ questions regarding any issue related to the course. It was presented as a supporting
service, substituting the traditional office time for one-to-one explanations, but also as a
community space, where students were invited to help each other in a sort of peer tutoring. Of
course, it is very common for students to study in pairs or groups, comparing notes, “repeating”
lessons, solving problems and trying to answer doubts. Through the forum we wanted to
encourage this practice and increase the number of beneficiaries of any question/answer
exchange. Furthermore, as stated in the introduction, we thought that the use of a variety of
online communication tools would be an asset by itself, because it helps students to become
confident with a medium that they could use in future courses, namely post-graduation, and in
future jobs. This forum was also supposed to be used to introduce students to a communication
system that many of them still did not know, so they would be confident enough with it by the
time the discussion forum would be introduced.
The second forum was devoted to an e-tivity connected to the simulation. It was introduced by a
short text written in informal style, which invited students to take part into the e-tivity, paying
attention to their colleagues’ answer and to all the comments posted by professors. The
invitation stressed the advantages of participating in the forum to learn from others’ ideas and to
gain “bonus” grades and the formative nature of this activity. The description of the e-tivity was
introduced by an intriguing question and then instructions were detailed; some organizational
tips were also reported, and the formative nature of the activity was stressed once again,
inviting students to report to the instructor for any question concerning both the problem and the
underlying physical and geometrical concepts.
3.4 Students’ assessment and grading
At the beginning of the course students were informed that the assessment and grading would
include the collaborative project (35%, with 10% for the R&D proposal, 10% for the report and
15% for the final presentation), the activities related to the simulation (10%), the participation in
synchronous problem-solving (10%), the laboratory activities (practical work and final reports
20%) and the final exam (25%). However, due to technical problems and professors’ difficulties
in following e-tivities, and in order to promote fair grading, new percentages were attributed to
the main items of the course: 40% to project; 30% lab activities; 30% to final written
examination (Figure 3).
5
Matteo Uggeri (2003) remarks that in traditional face-to-face classes only two or three students react to the
standard teacher sentence “If you didn’t understand something or want to deepen any topic, feel free to ask”, while in
distance learning the number of questions per student asked to the instructor, via forum or e-mail, is much higher.
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7. Figure 3. Representation of the students’ assessment and grading scheme
adopted in the academic year 2007/2008
4 Results: students reactions and opinions
At the end of the course students were asked to answer an anonymous online questionnaire
aimed to evaluate the whole teaching-learning process. The enquiry included 21 multiple-
choice questions, related to the general quality and organization of the course, to the
collaborative project and to the online synchronous/asynchronous activities, and two open
questions for comments on positive and negative features of the course. Overall 25 students
out of 51 answered to all questions.
4.1 On the collaborative project
Most of students really appreciated the new format of the Applied Optics course, namely in
what concerns the project: they took it very seriously and they seemed to feel involved not only
in collaborative problem-solving, but also in role playing, acting as real members of a company:
they created company logos, referred to themselves using the name they had chosen for the
company, and put quite a lot of effort in producing R&D projects and reports scientifically
coherent and visually appealing. In general, the effort they put in the collaborative project was
not detrimental for the other components of the course (theoretical classes, traditional
laboratory activities, and synchronous online problem solving and simulation exploration) albeit
not everybody was able to participate in all the synchronous sessions and to complete the
simulation’s test because of technical problems. The web forums did not catch their attention,
for reasons that we will analyse hereafter.
In the group of students who answered to the enquiry, 72% said that they were satisfied or very
satisfied with the Applied Optics course organization, 12% said they were not satisfied and 16%
was neither satisfied, nor unsatisfied. The collaborative project was considered a very positive
experience by 44% of students and positive by 52%, while 4% said that it was neither positive
nor negative (Figure 4).
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8. Figure 4 – Students’ answer to the general question about the project.
All students said that they agreed with the statement that “Knowledge acquisition was
enhanced through project development” and almost everybody found that it was motivating
(16% very motivating, 52% motivating, 32% had no opinion). That notwithstanding, not all
students seem willing to have more courses based on collaborative projects: having been
asked to “grade” the statement “I would like to have other courses based on group projects”,
20% said that they “completely agreed”, 52% agreed, 16% neither agreed nor disagreed and
12% disagreed.
These differences could be related to the fact that for some of them the collaborative project
made the Applied Optics heavier than other courses, namely for what concerns time
expenditure: 36% of students said that time needed for project development made the course
heavy and 8% very heavy (48% said that it was neither heavy nor light and 8% said it was light).
This could be partially related to the fact that, not surprisingly, not all groups had good internal
dynamics nor an equal participation to the work: commenting upon the statement “All group
elements participated actively in the project development”, 20% of students said that they
completely disagree, 16% said they disagree, 12% said that they neither agreed nor disagreed,
32% said that they agreed and 20% completely agreed. Nevertheless, only one person in the
group who answered the enquiry said that working in group had been a negative experience. It
is also worth to point out that one of the students’ most frequent comments was that groups
were too big, and that the ideal number of members per group would be of three or four.
Someone noted, anyway, that having to work in big groups was an asset, as it gave the chance
or obligation to undertake a challenging task. Somebody else remarked that “the project
allowed a real-life experience regarding organization, research and development” and other
student pointed out that “the project allowed to acquire new skills, many of which are not even
[formally] thought”.
4.2 On e-learning
We also had a positive feedback from students on what concerns contents made available in
the LMS: having been asked to comment the statement “Contents available match well my
learning needs”, 84% of students said that they agreed or completely agreed, and 16% said
that neither agreed nor disagreed. These answers are consistent with those given by
participants to previous editions of the course (Maneira et al., 2007), and confirm that the
availability of high quality contents, resources and interfaces, produced in collaboration by
teachers, instructional designers and graphic designers, is pivotal for successful e-learning in
science and technology (Maneira et al., 2008). The evaluation of the synchronous online
problem-solving and of the simulation with questionnaire is less clear. This is due to the fact
that many students experimented technical problems with the LMS and this hindered them from
participating to the online sessions and from completing the simulation. It would be one
possible explanation for the wide range of opinions about these activities: when asked to rate
the statement “Taking part in the online problem-solving class was useful” 66% of students said
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9. that they agreed or strongly agreed, 20% neither agreed nor disagreed, 16% disagreed, 4%
said that it was not applicable and 4% did not answer.
Nevertheless we are prone to assume that for students who did not experiment technical
problems the synchronous activities were positive: in the free comments, some learners pointed
out that having more of these classes would improve the course, someone commented that the
synchronous sessions are “very dynamic and this helps paying attention through the whole
class” and someone else highlighted as an advantage of working online the fact that “it allows
to draw schemes together, with each student adding parts during the exercise”. These
observations, together with results from previous surveys among Applied Optics students
(Maneira et al., 2007), reinforce our opinion that online synchronous problem solving is a
valuable strategy to foster learning in sciences. The situation was somewhat similar for the
virtual diopter: technical problems remained unsolved during many days, prevented students
from exploring the simulation and answering to the related test. As only two students posted
positive free comments about the virtual diopter and as we lack of data from previous editions
of the course, it is difficult to draw a conclusion about the usefulness of this specific simulation
and about the efficacy of a questionnaire to guide its exploration. That notwithstanding, given
the general consensus surrounding the benefits of simulations (Ranieri, 2005), when properly
designed and used (Landriscina, 2005), we think that it is important to repeat this experience
and to go forward in the implementation of a “virtual laboratory”.
4.3 On web forums
As previously detailed, we had quite high expectations about the added value that web forums
would represent for communication and learning, but by the end of the course we had realized
that they were much more time consuming than we had supposed, that the majority of students
could not be convinced to use them and that, in a course as complex and rich in activities as
this one, they caused an overload both for students and teachers. Eventually the discussion
forum did not even started, while the questions forum had a very low participation. Nevertheless
we think that it is worth to analyse it and to report students’ opinions, because they can drive to
interesting observations and to important learning points.
Only 15 students out of 51 and one of the two professors posted at least one message in the
forum, for a total of 33 posts; the professor posted a “welcome message” with instruction on
how to use the system, but then he answered only once to the questions posted by students.
We can see at least two reasons to explain this “failure”. On one hand the
stimulation/moderation of the forum had not been carefully planned in advance (Salmon, 2002;
Ranieri & Rotta, 2005), the professors had not previous experience in forum moderation and
they had very little time for it; furthermore the assistant professor had not really been involved in
the design of this activity and this, added up to the lack of time, has probably induced scarce
motivation. On the other hand we should consider that students spend on campus many hours
a week, so they have plenty of occasions to interact directly, and they reasonably do not feel
very much the need to communicate through a web forum. Still, twelve students (48% of those
who answered the enquiry) said that they agreed with the statement that the “Forum for doubts”
was useful, 36% said that they neither agreed nor disagreed and 12% said that disagreed. Six
students (24%) said that the web forum helped in communicating with teachers, while 56% had
no opinion, and 44% claimed that the forum helped communication among students. Even if we
assume that students who answered favourably to the questions about the forum were the
same who participated in it, it seems that there is a gap between the real use of the web forum
and the positive assessment given by students. One hypothesis is that some of them are aware
of the potential usefulness of forums, independently from the actual implementation reached in
the Applied Optics course, because they are already used to this communication tool 6 .
6
A prerequisites survey run among students of the Applied Optics course 2007-2008 showed that 15% of them
regularly participate in discussion web forums, 53% do it seldom and 32% never did it; 26% use web chats regularly,
47% seldom and 26% never used it. Virtually no one ever took part in an Internet community. These results are very
close to those recorded in the prerequisite surveys run among students of the Applied Optics and Physics II in
academic year 2006-2007.
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10. It is interesting to notice that in spite of the lack of answers by professors and of the low
interaction among learners in the web forum, a student commented: “[the web forum is useful
because] when we have a last minute doubt and we have no time to go to the professor’s office,
we can post the doubt in the forum, so that another student or the professor can answer”. At the
other range of the spectrum of feelings towards computer mediated communication (CMC) we
find the comment of a student afraid of the idea that online communication could replace face-
to-face interaction. He/she wrote: “One thing that I find very good is the [face-to-face]
communication between teacher and student existing nowadays […]. If you (the teacher)
remember well, most students did not take part actively to the web forum and preferred to talk
to you directly. And I think it is excellent! I think that we should not loose face-to-face
communication. Forum and e-mails, in my opinion, are very good when we cannot talk directly”.
Both observations make sense and may reflect different perceptions about CMC: some people
see it as a way to improve communication, i.e. interaction among human beings, as it offers
additional ways to exchange information; others showed their concern about jeopardizing
communication and interaction, probably because they experience online communication as a
poor surrogate of face-to-face conversations. In a blended-learning course it is desirable that
students get to feel comfortable in both situations, and it could be helpful to state clearly since
the beginning that the online communication tools are not supposed to substitute face-to-face
interaction, but, on the contrary, they are meant to facilitate teacher-class and student-student
collaboration. Additionally, it is interesting to record that, while in previous years nobody
showed up during professor’s office time, this year due to the challenges presented by the
collaborative project students looked very often for the professor out of classes. Gathering
together all these observation we concluded that even if in our experience the “Questions
forum” had low participation, it is worth to include it in all courses supported by a LMS. It does
not require a deep training and, once they get the habit to check it regularly and to write short
posts, both professors and students can use it as a fast and valuable communication tool.
We cannot draw the same conclusions about the discussion forum (e-tivities), because it is
much more demanding at all levels: organization, moderation and participation. In the light of
this experience we think we can learn at least two important lessons:
− in a blended-learning course you have to carefully balance in-class/in-lab work and
online activities, in order to avoid students’ and instructors’ overload;
− an instructor can be engaged in complex forum moderation only after proper training
and careful planning of the web forum discussion: timing for questions and feedbacks,
support and motivation strategies (Rotta and Ranieri, 2005; Salmon, 2002).
4.4 On students’ assessment and grading
In the formal teaching-learning process, assessment and grading represent an important and
tricky issue. In the Applied Optics course we made an attempt to articulate an assessment
scheme that would account for the different activities (collaborative project, laboratory reports,
synchronous problem-solving, simulation test and final exam). We did not ask specific
questions about assessment in the final survey, but many students talked about it in the free
comments, and seemed to appreciate the fact that the final grade did not depend only on tests
and final exams. Nevertheless there were some complaints about the weight of the project in
the composition of the final grade: as it was a quite demanding activity, someone suggested
that it should have more relevance.
5 Professors’ opinions and observations
Professors were very satisfied with the project-based teaching approach, because it promoted
stronger participation and proactive attitude among students, both during laboratory activities
and theoretical classes. They observed that, in contrast with what happens in the traditional
experimental lab works, where learners tend to merely execute a protocol, when engaged in a
real life project they switch to a different attitude, more creative and problem-solving oriented.
As a consequence, students in the Applied Optics course developed a different relationship with
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11. the laboratory: they asked permission to use the installations out of scheduled time and clearly
showed interest and enjoyment in using laboratory equipment; they felt that the lab was their
own place, where they could develop their own project, and they started to work as real
engineers. Furthermore, professors observed a healthy competition among groups, and they
noted that many students felt proud for the work they were making and were eager to show it
and to get due recognition. As a result, the quality of the final projects was generally good, with
some groups presenting excellent works, denoting professional engagement and
entrepreneurial attitude. The interaction between teachers and learners was also positively
affected by the project, in fact, while in previous years nobody showed up during professors’
office time, the challenges presented by the collaborative project pushed students to look very
often for the professors out of classes, and to consider them consultants or advisors. For what
concerns synchronous on-line activities, instructors confirmed the positive opinion expressed in
previous years (Maneira et al., 2007): they found that this system, besides making easier the
sharing of mathematical and graphical applications and allowing participants to attend the class
from any place, helps the teacher to follow directly the work of each student without giving them
the feeling of being “controlled”. Instructors also noticed that the remote voice communication
ensures a good human contact and a more “anonymous” participation which puts students at
ease to talk freely.
On the whole professors were very satisfied with the results obtained with the constructivist
pedagogical approach (table 1). Compared to the previous academic year there was no
significant difference in the average final grade (summative assessment), which reflects the
performance in the area of theoretical knowledge and cognitive objectives related to lab
activities. Our assessment system was not designed to evaluate attitudes, so this variable did
not influence the grade. Nevertheless professors observed a major improvement in attitudes,
compared to the previous years (i.e. ability to design an experimental protocol out of standard
conditions, information search, proactive attitude, creativity in problem-solving, ability to cope
with team-work).
Table 1. Results obtained in relation to the constructivist approach
As final remark professors pointed out that, although very positive under the pedagogical
perspective, the project-base teaching approach was really demanding for them, for their time is
divided into other courses, scientific work and management activities.
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12. 6 Conclusions
Collaborative projects and rich learning environments are two key features of constructivist
instructional design. In the AO course students had to deal with many kinds of resources,
instead of receiving a closed set of information, and this required knowledge management
skills. Additionally, they needed to put in place knowledge, skills and attitudes for implementing
the project within a group. This implied the possibility to learn together with the others, in a
dynamic process, but also the need to develop a reflexive attitude towards one’s own
knowledge, in order to be able to explain, share, and possibly defend, one’s ideas within the
group. What is at stake in this teaching-learning approach is not only the ability to apply
theoretical knowledge to a practical problem, which could be very well done in an individual
assignment, but the chance/challenge to discuss different points of view and then make the
best choice. Team-work promoted the distribution of responsibilities and roles within the team,
which led to self-commitment in tasks according to each student’s personality and capabilities.
In most cases this led to enthusiastic engagement in self-learning and research activities.
Collaborative learning, although highly demanding in terms of time and interpersonal
interactions, was welcomed by most of students, and even those who found it very heavy
acknowledged its value and appreciated the opportunity to experience a real-life “R&D”
situation. In the AO course e-learning and collaborative project-based learning were
successfully combined, so that students could experience real-life situations. The good quality
of the final projects shows that collaborative work was effective and that well designed
interactive Learning Units offered a good scaffold for self-learning, precondition for proactive
and creative approach to classes and laboratory work. As a whole, on-line resources and
synchronous online sessions for problem-solving were highly appreciated. On the contrary, web
forums activities did not catch students’ attention, even though the use of this tool for “doubts
solving” showed to have a good potential.
Recommendations:
− Collaborative project-work should be carefully planned, with milestones and objectives
clearly stated since the beginning;
− Groups should not be bigger than four persons;
− Project reports must be written according to a specific format;
− Before opening a web forum, professors should be trained to moderate it and they
should be aware that this activity can be very time-consuming;
− All the professors and assistants of a course should be involved in its design or at least
to be introduced to its philosophy;
− E-learning staff should ensure necessary support and assistance to teachers and
students;
− In any Department the assignment of management tasks should take into account that
professors engaged in pedagogical innovations need extra time to develop teaching
activities.
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14. Authors
Silvia Di Marco, Researcher, Faculdade de Ciências Universidade de Lisboa (FCUL, Portugal)
António Maneira, Researcher, Lab.eLearning - Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologias,
Universidade Nova de Lisboa (FCT/UNL, Portugal)
Páulo Ribeiro, Assistant Professor, Physics Dep. - FCT/UNL
M.J.P. Maneira, Senior Researcher, Center of Physics and Technological Research-FCT/UNL
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