scholarly journals Investigating the educational value of social learning networks: a quantitative analysis

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 305-322 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgios Dafoulas ◽  
Azam Shokri
Keyword(s):  
Social Learning ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Technology Enhanced Learning ◽  
Learning Networks ◽  
Educational Value ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Learning Network ◽  
Moderation Model ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Enhanced Learning

Purpose The emergence of Education 2.0 enabled technology-enhanced learning, necessitating new pedagogical approaches, while e-learning has evolved into an instrumental pedagogy of collaboration through affordances of social media. Social learning networks and ubiquitous learning enabled individual and group learning through social engagement and social distribution of knowledge. Nevertheless, these developments have not been supported with extensive studies focusing on quantifying the impact of technology-enhanced learning on students’ progress and achievement. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how a quantitative overview of Facebook’s influence on students’ progress can be incorporated in a proposed e-moderation model of teaching and learning. Design/methodology/approach The approach is based on extending Salmon’s (2003) e-moderation model, which provides an emphasis on the theoretical perspectives that support socially situated learning environments of social networks such as Facebook. The findings revealed that students’ grades were positively influenced by the complementary use of Facebook on their courses of study. Findings The use of a social learning network also triggered a significant increase in student participation in learning activities delivered over Facebook. Research limitations/implications The main research limitations were due to the fact that a single social network was chosen for conducting the experiments. Furthermore, the investigation was narrowed down to a selected range of sessions offered to college and university students as part of their course. Originality/value The paper’s contribution is twofold, as it offers an original set of guidelines for conducting social learning network experiments and provides valuable quantifiable findings on the educational value of such networks.

Towards a resilient strategy for technology‐enhanced learning

2011 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 234-249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Hall
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Higher Education ◽  
Shared Values ◽  
Technology Enhanced Learning ◽  
Peak Oil ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Strategic Implementation ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Enhanced Learning

PurposeThis paper sets out to argue that the strategic implementation of technology is implicated in a range of crises or socio‐economic disruptions, like peak oil, climate change and the rising environmental costs of energy consumption. It aims to argue that institutional technological implementation is contested, complex and should not be treated deterministically, but that technologists might usefully consider the impact of these disruptions on their practices. The paper seeks to amplify how a focus on resilience, rather than marketised outcomes, can enable higher education to use technology to overcome or adapt to disruption and crises.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is a critique. A conceptual analysis of the place of current research into the use of technology‐enhanced learning in higher education is critiqued in light of peak oil and climate change, in order to align strategic developments with disruptions and potential responses. The strategic response of one institution is outlined as a programme‐of‐work, and is related to a second university's approach.FindingsThe paper highlights five areas that require strategic responses to the use of technology in and for HE. These are: the place of TEL in the idea of the University; complexity in the use of technology, linked to shared values; adapting to disruption; institutional planning; and competing priorities for the use of technology.Originality/valueThe paper highlights the educational connections that are made between the politics of technology, shared values and socio‐environmental disruption. It also analyses a programme of work that is designed to engage with and adapt to disruption.

EMERGENT SOCIAL LEARNING NETWORKS IN ORGANIZATIONS WITH HETEROGENEOUS AGENTS

2011 ◽  
Vol 14 (02) ◽  
pp. 169-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
MYONG-HUN CHANG
Keyword(s):  
Social Learning ◽  
Individual Learning ◽  
Learning Networks ◽  
Learning Mechanisms ◽  
Learning Skills ◽  
Learning Mechanism ◽  
Learning Network ◽  
Decentralized Search ◽  
The Common ◽  
The Impact

Two distinct learning mechanisms are considered for a population of agents who engage in decentralized search for the common optimum. An agent may choose to learn via innovation (individual learning) or via imitation (social learning). The agents are endowed with heterogeneous skills in engaging in the two modes of learning. When the agents choose imitation, they also choose whom to learn from. This leads to the emergence of a social learning network among agents in the population. This paper focuses on the impact the endowed learning skills have on the individual's choice of learning mechanism as well as the micro and macro structure of the evolving network. Finally, it explores the impact the degree of environmental volatility has on the structure of such networks.

scholarly journals A High-promising Inquiry-based Lab Experience in Electronics Using Remote Labs for Higher Education Students

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 418-424
Author(s):  
Michail Gargalakos ◽  
◽  
Sofoklis Sotiriou ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Positive Impact ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Technology Enhanced Learning ◽  
Learning Tools ◽  
Teaching Process ◽  
Educational Value ◽  
Remote Labs ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Enhanced Learning

Technology enhanced learning applications are used more and more in terms of curriculum in primary and secondary education as it has been shown that they have a positive impact to the learning outcome of youngsters. However, for tertiary education this is not the case, since more traditional methods of teaching are still dominant. Despite this fact, there are cases in which e-tools have been proven to be valuable for tertiary education, especially when the shortage of personnel and adequately equipped laboratories can become a serious obstacle for the teaching process. The recent pandemic has proven that technology can offer a unique channel for keep delivering lessons, seminars, and organizing meetings. Innovative interfaces can offer access to remote labs and offer the opportunity to deliver laboratory classes. The impact of the implementation of such e-tools has been carefully investigated using a large number of tertiary students (n > 100) and useful conclusions have been drawn, highlighting that the educational value of technology enhanced learning tools is generally underestimated in the field of tertiary education, especially, nowadays, that the pandemic has highlighted the added value of remote laboratories in the teaching process.

The role of public libraries in the development of social capital in local communities – a theoretical study

2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 184-196
Author(s):  
Maja Dorota Wojciechowska
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Social Needs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Impact

PurposeSocial capital, understood as intangible community values available through a network of connections, is a factor in the development of societies and improving quality of life. It helps to remove economic inequalities and prevent poverty and social exclusion, stimulate social and regional development, civic attitudes and social engagement and build a civic society as well as local and regional identity. Many of these tasks may be implemented by libraries, which, apart from providing access to information, may also offer a number of services associated with social needs. The purpose of this paper is to present the roles and functions that libraries may serve in local communities in terms of assistance, integration and development based on classical social capital theories.Design/methodology/approachThe paper reviews the classical concepts of social capital in the context of libraries. It analyses the findings of Pierre-Félix Bourdieu, James Coleman, Francis Fukuyama, Robert Putnam, Nan Lin, Ronald Stuart Burt, Wayne Baker and Alejandro Portes. Based on their respective concepts, the paper analyses the role of the contemporary library in the social life of local communities. In particular, it focuses on the possible new functions that public libraries may serve.FindingsA critical review of the concept of social capital revealed certain dependencies between libraries and their neighbourhoods. With new services that respond to the actual social needs, libraries may serve as a keystone, namely they may integrate, animate and engage local communities. This, however, requires a certain approach to be adopted by the personnel and governing authorities as well as infrastructure and tangible resources.Originality/valueThe social engagement of libraries is usually described from the practical perspective (reports on the services provided) or in the context of research on the impact of respective projects on specific groups of users (research reports). A broader approach, based on original social theories, is rarely encountered. The paper draws on classical concepts of social capital and is a contribution to the discussion on possible uses of those concepts based on an analysis of the role of libraries in social life and in strengthening the social capital of local communities.

College students' readiness for connectivist learning: the development and validation of a scale

2021 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 230-242
Author(s):  
Bulut Atay ◽  
Evren Sumuer
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Technology Enhanced Learning ◽  
Learning Networks ◽  
Good Reliability ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Readiness Level ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Online Learning Readiness

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the components of college students' readiness for connectivist learning in technology-enhanced learning environments through the development of the readiness for connectivist learning scale (RCLS).Design/methodology/approachAfter the constructs of the scale had been identified, their items were created based on the relevant literature. In order to ensure the content validity of the items, a sorting procedure was implemented and they were reviewed by experts in the field. The construct validity of the scale was tested using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with data from 718 students from a university in Turkey.FindingsThe findings of the current study indicated a four-factor solution, which includes information and communication technology (ICT) self-efficacy (seven items), autonomous learning (seven items), information literacy (eight items) and learning networks (five items). A significant, strong and positive correlation of students' scores on the RCLS with those of the online learning readiness scale (Hung et al., 2010) supported the criterion-related validity of the scale. The value of Cronbach's alpha coefficients for the RCLS showed good reliability for the scale.Originality/valueWith the assessment of college students' readiness level for connectivist learning, it is possible for them to anticipate their success in connectivist learning environments themselves and thereby to improve the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary for their success in these environments.

From philanthropy to broader social engagement

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 423-440 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Nickerson ◽  
Valerie Priscilla Goby
Keyword(s):  
Social Engagement ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Advertising Campaign ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social Commitment ◽  
Corporate Commitment ◽  
Corporate Social Marketing ◽  
Willingness To Purchase ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the potential effectiveness of using corporate social marketing (CSM) as part of an advertising campaign targeting local Muslim consumers in Dubai. It aims to assess whether Dubai’s local Muslim community’s construal of corporate commitment has evolved beyond philanthropy toward receptiveness to a more embedded corporate societal engagement. Design/methodology/approach The examination is based on the framework of corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication that postulates a relationship between internal outcomes, such as the awareness of a cause, and external outcomes, such as the likelihood that a consumer will purchase a product. The authors designed a questionnaire using authentic advertisements for the same product, one with a CSM message and one without, and queried respondents’ opinions of the advertisements, their willingness to purchase the product and their perceptions of the company. Complete responses were collected from 245 Emirati women. Findings Significant differences in response to the CSM versus the non-CSM advertisement emerged. The product advertised via the CSM strategy engendered enhanced perceptions of the company among respondents, coupled with a heightened willingness on their part to purchase the product. This indicates that Emirati consumers have gone beyond the simple expectation of philanthropy, which is frequently associated with Muslim consumer loyalty, and value more evolved corporate social commitment. Originality/value While Muslim groups have been investigated extensively from various marketing perspectives, the present study is the first to investigate the impact of incorporating CSR into an authentic advertising campaign targeted at Muslim consumers.

ICT and Web 2.0 Technologies as a Determinant of Business Performance

2013 ◽  
pp. 243-268
Author(s):  
Tanja Arh ◽  
Vlado Dimovski ◽  
Borka Jerman Blažic
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Learning ◽  
Web 2.0 ◽  
Business Performance ◽  
Structural Model ◽  
Technology Enhanced Learning ◽  
Strong Impact ◽  
Web 2.0 Technologies ◽  
Impact Of Technology ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Enhanced Learning

This chapter aims at presenting the results of an empirical study, linking the fields of technology-enhanced learning (TEL), Web 2.0 technologies and organizational learning, and their impact on the financial and non-financial business performance. The chapter focuses on the presentation of the conceptualization of a structural model that was developed to test the impact of technology-enhanced learning and Web 2.0 technologies on the organizational learning and business performance of companies with more than 50 employees. The paper provides detailed definitions of technology-enhanced learning, Web 2.0 technologies and technical terms related to it, its scope and the process of organisational learning, as well as a method for business performance assessment. Special attention is given to the findings related to the observed correlations between the aforementioned constructs. The results of the study indicate a strong impact of ICT and technology-enhanced learning on organizational learning and the non-financial business performance.

Does Facebook Provide Educational Value?

2014 ◽  
pp. 311-336 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefania Manca ◽  
Maria Ranieri
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Management System ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Technology Enhanced Learning ◽  
Educational Value ◽  
Research Areas ◽  
Emerging Trends ◽  
Educational Paradigms ◽  
Enhanced Learning

Facebook has received considerable attention in a number of research areas. However, its educational value has not been fully confirmed and results from the mainstream educational paradigms are contradictory. A number of experiences related to the educational use of Facebook as a technology-enhanced learning environment are also flourishing. In these, Facebook has been used as a unique, or at least as one, learning management system tool, or as a platform for educational purposes. This chapter focuses on these issues, providing a wide overview of the current literature on the educational value of Facebook considering both theoretical positions and empirical findings. Furthermore, a few preliminary guidelines about Facebook usage are provided, pertaining to pedagogical, institutional, technological, and ethical issues. The chapter finally provides some hints about emerging trends and areas that deserve further research, such as professional development, academic practice, and location-based learning.

A Theory-Practice Research Framework for Video-Enhanced Learning, Assessment, and Feedback

2020 ◽  
pp. 100-126
Author(s):  
James McDowell
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Theory ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Learning Assessment ◽  
Practice Research ◽  
First Year ◽  
Technology Enhanced Learning ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Educational Applications ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Enhanced Learning

This chapter discusses a two-year project that explored the impact of video-enhanced learning, assessment, and feedback on undergraduate first-year students in higher education. Underpinned by a pragmatist epistemology, and arguing the case for a design-based methodological approach within a theoretical framework embracing the cognitive theory of multimedia learning, the community of inquiry, and the conversational framework, the chapter explores contemporary research into assessment and feedback, uses of technology-enhanced learning to promote inclusivity, and educational applications of asynchronous video.

scholarly journals A review of learning theories and models underpinning technology-enhanced learning artefacts

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 341-354
Author(s):  
Rawad Hammad ◽  
Zaheer Khan ◽  
Fadi Safieddine ◽  
Allam Ahmed
Keyword(s):  
Hybrid Approach ◽  
Learning Theories ◽  
Bibliographic Databases ◽  
Technology Enhanced Learning ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Key Characteristics ◽  
Main Driver ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Learning Software ◽  
Enhanced Learning

PurposeVarious technology-enhanced learning software and tools exist where technology becomes the main driver for these developments at the expense of pedagogy. The literature reveals the missing balance between technology and pedagogy in the continuously evolving technology-enhanced learning domain. Consequently, e-learners struggle to realise the pedagogical value of such e-learning artefacts. This paper aims to understand the different pedagogical theories, models and frameworks underpinning current technology-enhanced learning artefacts to pave the way for designing more effective e-learning artefacts.Design/methodology/approachTo achieve this goal, a review is conducted to survey the most influential pedagogical theories, models and frameworks. To carry out this review, five major bibliographic databases have been searched, which has led to identifying a large number of articles. The authors selected 34 of them for further analysis based on their relevance to our research scope. The authors critically analysed the selected sources qualitatively to identify the most dominant learning theories, classify them and map them onto the key characteristics, criticism, approaches, models and e-learning artefacts.FindingsThe authors highlighted the significance of pedagogies underpinning e-learning artefacts. Furthermore, the authors presented the common and special aspects of each theory to support our claim, which is developing a hybrid pedagogical approach. Such a hybrid approach remains a necessity to effectively guide learners and allow them to achieve their learning outcomes using e-learning artefacts.Originality/valueThe authors found that different pedagogical approaches complement rather than compete with each other. This affirms our recommended approach to adopt a hybrid approach for learning to meet learners' requirements. The authors also found that a substantive consideration for context is inevitable to test our evolving understanding of pedagogy.

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