A Case Study of Student Use of Asynchronous Bulletin Board Systems (BBS) to Support Reflection and Evaluation

2002 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 365-377 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan M. Land ◽  
Michele M. Dornisch
Keyword(s):  
Collaborative Learning ◽  
Bulletin Board ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Computer Supported Collaborative Learning ◽  
Communication Tools ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Recent Interest ◽  
Face To Face Instruction

Recent interest in computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) has prompted educators to incorporate communication tools into their courses. This article reports findings of students' use of two Web-based discussion forums across two semesters to supplement face-to- face instruction. By tracking the discussions, we discovered that when students initiated reflection and integration of perspectives, they did so through concessions and oppositions to the postings of their peers. Findings point to the importance of explicit scaffolding of conversations to encourage student sharing and evaluation of perspectives.

Teaching Statistics and Operations Research Online

2010 ◽  
pp. 298-311 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Juan ◽  
J. Faulin ◽  
P. Fonseca ◽  
C. Steegmann ◽  
L. Pla ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Operations Research ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Face To Face Instruction ◽  
Based Instruction

This chapter presents a case study of online teaching in Statistics and Operations Research (OR) at the Open University of Catalonia (UOC). UOC is a purely online university with headquarters in Barcelona, Spain, with students from many countries. As common to most math-related knowledge areas, teaching and learning Statistics and OR present difficult challenges in traditional higher education. These issues are exacerbated in online environments where face-to-face interactions between students and instructors as well as among students themselves are limited or non-existent. Despite these difficulties, as evidenced in the global growth of online course offerings, Web-based instruction offers comparative benefits to traditional face-to-face instruction. While there exists a plethora of literature covering experiences and best practices in traditional face-to-face instruction in mathematics, there is a lack of research describing long-term successful experiences in Statistics and OR online courses. Based on the authors’ experiences during the last decade, this chapter aims to share some insights on how to design and develop successful online courses in these knowledge areas.

The Effectiveness of Online and Blended Learning: A Meta-Analysis of the Empirical Literature

2013 ◽  
Vol 115 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Means ◽  
Yukie Toyama ◽  
Robert Murphy ◽  
Marianne Baki
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Blended Learning ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Classroom Instruction ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Learning Models ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Learning Conditions ◽  
Face To Face Instruction

Background/Context Earlier research on various forms of distance learning concluded that these technologies do not differ significantly from regular classroom instruction in terms of learning outcomes. Now that web-based learning has emerged as a major trend in both K–12 and higher education, the relative efficacy of online and face-to-face instruction needs to be revisited. The increased capabilities of web-based applications and collaboration technologies and the rise of blended learning models combining web-based and face-to-face classroom instruction have raised expectations for the effectiveness of online learning. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study This meta-analysis was designed to produce a statistical synthesis of studies contrasting learning outcomes for either fully online or blended learning conditions with those of face-to-face classroom instruction. Population/Participants/Subjects The types of learners in the meta-analysis studies were about evenly split between students in college or earlier years of education and learners in graduate programs or professional training. The average learner age in a study ranged from 13 to 44. Intervention/Program/Practice The meta-analysis was conducted on 50 effects found in 45 studies contrasting a fully or partially online condition with a fully face-to-face instructional condition. Length of instruction varied across studies and exceeded one month in the majority of them. Research Design The meta-analysis corpus consisted of (1) experimental studies using random assignment and (2) quasi-experiments with statistical control for preexisting group differences. An effect size was calculated or estimated for each contrast, and average effect sizes were computed for fully online learning and for blended learning. A coding scheme was applied to classify each study in terms of a set of conditions, practices, and methodological variables. Findings/Results The meta-analysis found that, on average, students in online learning conditions performed modestly better than those receiving face-to-face instruction. The advantage over face-to-face classes was significant in those studies contrasting blended learning with traditional face-to-face instruction but not in those studies contrasting purely online with face-to-face conditions. Conclusions/Recommendations Studies using blended learning also tended to involve additional learning time, instructional resources, and course elements that encourage interactions among learners. This confounding leaves open the possibility that one or all of these other practice variables contributed to the particularly positive outcomes for blended learning. Further research and development on different blended learning models is warranted. Experimental research testing design principles for blending online and face-to-face instruction for different kinds of learners is needed.

How to Design an Active E-Course?

2020 ◽  
pp. 197-224
Author(s):  
Lilia Cheniti Belcadhi ◽  
Sonia Ayachi Ghannouchi
Keyword(s):  
Instructional Design ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Student Attitudes ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Teaching Method ◽  
Online Version ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Instructional Design Process

Active Learning improves student attitudes and develops thinking and writing skills. It is increasingly recommended as a teaching method to improve learning. In this paper the authors are interested in the transformation of a face-to-face active course into a web-based active course. An instructional design approach based on meta-models for transforming active-based courses into online courses is proposed. This approach provides a detailed description of meta-models and processes of instructional design for active e-courses as well as the main involved actors. In order to evaluate and validate the proposed meta-models a case study has been carried out. It concerned the transformation of an entrepreneurship active course into an online version and its deployment. The proposed instructional design process constitutes the kernel of an authoring tool for the design of an active e-course, which permits to support the instructional designer in the production of active e-courses.

Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning in Higher Education

2005 ◽  
pp. 1-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim S. Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Collaborative Learning ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Computer Supported Collaborative Learning ◽  
Traditional Methods ◽  
Web Based ◽  
University Courses ◽  
The Common ◽  
Common Problems ◽  
Computers In Education

The rapidly increasing use of computers in education, and in particular the migration of many university courses to web-based delivery, has caused a resurgence of interest among educators in non-traditional methods of course design and delivery. This chapter provides an introduction to the field of computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL). First, some of the major benefits are listed. Then, some of the common problems are described, and solutions are either given or pointed to in the literature. Finally, pointers are given to some of the more recent research in this area.

Drawing on Design to Improve Evaluation of Computer Supported Collaborative Learning

2004 ◽  
pp. 281-310
Author(s):  
John B. Nash ◽  
Christoph Richter ◽  
Heidrun Allert
Keyword(s):  
Social Context ◽  
Collaborative Learning ◽  
Human Computer Interaction ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Program Theory ◽  
Computer Supported Collaborative Learning ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
Design Learning ◽  
Evaluative Thinking

This chapter addresses theoretical frameworks for the evaluation of computer-supported learning environments. It outlines the characteristics and obstacles this evaluation must face with regard to projects that design learning experiences, stressing the notion that human-computer interaction is imbedded in social context that is complex and dynamic. The authors examine how scenario-based design and program theory can contribute to the design and evaluation of computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) and present a case study in which both approaches are applied. Based on the revealed complementary frameworks, a compelling approach is drafted that combines both of them. Our goal is to make CSCL designers more aware of the benefits of evaluative thinking in their work and to introduce two tangible approaches to evaluation that, when implemented as a design step, can strengthen CSCL initiatives.

Supporting Collaborative Project Teams Using Computer-Based Technologies

2004 ◽  
pp. 1-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sue Bennett
Keyword(s):  
Collaborative Learning ◽  
Postgraduate Education ◽  
Project Teams ◽  
Computer Supported Collaborative Learning ◽  
Student Teams ◽  
Online Tools ◽  
Computer Based ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Practical Implications

This chapter considers computer-supported collaborative learning within the context of a technology-supported project-based subject offered to advanced-level students in a postgraduate education program. The subject was the focus of a qualitative case study investigation that revealed how student teams worked together on an authentic project task and the role online tools play in supporting their collaboration. This chapter discusses the research and conceptual literature that informed the design of the learning environment, the nature of the research study and the relevant findings, and some of the practical implications for teachers and designers in selecting online tools to support collaborative learning.

The Hybrid Course; Facilitating Learning through Social Interaction Technologies

2010 ◽  
pp. 540-552
Author(s):  
Lorraine D. Jackson ◽  
Joe Grimes
Keyword(s):  
Social Interaction ◽  
Web 2.0 ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Higher Learning ◽  
Discussion Boards ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Institutions Of Higher Learning ◽  
Face To Face Instruction ◽  
Data Mashups

This chapter surveys the benefits and challenges of hybridcourses, which blend face-to-face instruction with onlinelearning, and opportunities provided by the introduction of web-based social interaction technologies. It discusses thepedagogical implications of various Web 2.0 tools; that is, asynchronous discussion boards, blogs, wikis, podcasts, RSS, e-portfolios, folksonomies, educational gaming, data mashups, and simulations. The authors argue that ashybrid courses continue to evolve to meet the needs of students, instructors, and institutions of higher learning,the integration of Web 2.0 applications in a hybrid model requires thoughtful course design, clear educational objectives, and carefully planned activities.

Collaborative Learning in Dynamic Group Environments

2011 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kamen Kanev ◽  
Shigeo Kimura
Keyword(s):  
Collaborative Learning ◽  
Computer Supported Collaborative Learning ◽  
Joint Work ◽  
Educational Materials ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Group Management ◽  
Dynamic Group ◽  
Surface Code ◽  
Printed Materials ◽  
Printed Educational Materials

This chapter is dedicated to Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) employing dynamic groups, where at different stages students work independently, interact with each other in pairs, and conduct joint work in larger groups with varying numbers of participants. A novel Dynamic Group Environment for Collaborative Learning (DGE/CL) that supports students in making informed and intelligent choices about how, when, and with whom to collaborate is introduced. A face-to-face collaborative scenario, where all students are in the same room and can move freely around and interact with each other while using digitally enhanced printed materials with direct point-and-click functionality is considered. Flexible and efficient support for dynamic group management is ensured through the adopted Cluster Pattern Interface (CLUSPI) technology, which, while preserving the original touch-and-feel of printed educational materials, supports additional affordances and allows employment of new, non-traditional paper-based interactions. Possibilities for DGE/CL enhancements with specialized surface code readers and laser-based digital surface encoding being developed by the authors are outlined and references to recent projects are given.

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