scholarly journals A REVIEW OF RECENT PAPERS ON ONLINE DISCUSSION IN TEACHING AND LEARNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Hammond
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Curriculum Design ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Online Forums ◽  
Computer Communication ◽  
Asynchronous Online Discussion ◽  
Design Software ◽  
Additional Value

This paper presents a review of a sample of recent case studies on the use of asynchronous online discussion in higher education. These studies are analyzed in terms of curriculum design, assumptions about teaching and learning, and claims and reported conditions for using online discussion. The claims made for asynchronous online discussion—in particular the opportunities for interaction between learners, and permanent access to these interactions—are found to be frequently based on social constructivist principles. Asynchronous online discussion is seen as offering additional value by providing learners with experience of computer communication tools and opportunities for taking part in group work. Several constraints on participation within online forums are described. These are discussed in relation to the nature of curriculum design, software design, tutor support, and learners’ attitudes and previous experience. The conditions under which asynchronous online discussion may best support learning are set out, and avenues for future research are suggested.

Međunarodni naučni skup na Pedagoškom fakultetu u Užicu (2011–2021): hronološki pregled i buduća perspektiva

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jelena Stamatović ◽  
◽  
Mirjana Stakić
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Professional Development ◽  
Elementary Education ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Educational Assessment ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Assessment And Evaluation ◽  
Professional Development Of Teachers ◽  
The Future

The paper is based on the overview and description of ten monographs from in- ternational scientific conferences held in the period between 2011 and 2021 at the Facul- ty of Education in Uţice, and is aimed at recording topics and issues discussed in them, and making suggestions for future research of problems, goals and perspectives in the teaching and learning process. The review of the monographs from these international scientific conferences showed that the interest of theoreticians and practitioners is firmly focused on general questions of education and rearing, teaching and learning, as well as questions of educational assessment and evaluation, textbook quality, and education and professional development of teachers. Topics in the field of elementary education are predominant, so in the future, it would be worth paying more attention to the current topics in the field of preschool and higher education.

Adult Learner Characteristics Important for Successful Learning in Cross-Cultural Web-Based Learning Environments in Higher Education

2021 ◽  
pp. 436-469
Author(s):  
Joseph George M. Lutta
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Learning ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
Web Based Learning

For more than 40 years, cognitive psychological perspectives have dominated pedagogical frameworks and models for designing technology-mediated teaching and learning environments. Social learning perspectives are increasingly becoming viable or even desirable frames for research and practice as pertains to teaching and learning, particularly in web-based learning environments (WBLEs). The author considers these social learning perspectives and how they relate to the design and implementation of curricula that are delivered in web-based learning environments in higher education. The author further reviews the foundational theories of adult learning that enhance adult learners' experiences in cross-cultural web-based learning environments. This review and analysis of the research related to social learning perspectives on WBLEs have three implications for future research and practice: (1) examining learners' individual characteristics in WBLEs, (2) identifying strategies for promoting social interaction in WBLEs, and (3) developing effective design principles for WBLEs. The author presents recommendations for future research.

scholarly journals Research into practice: Vocabulary

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Nation
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Curriculum Design ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Extensive Reading ◽  
Personal View ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Deliberate Learning ◽  
Current Content

Editorial noteThis new strand in the journal provides a space for contributors to present a personal stance either on future research needs or on the perceived current applications of research in the classroom. Like much of our current content, it echoes the historical uniqueness of this journal in terms of its rich and expert overview of recent research in the field of L2 teaching and learning. However, this new strand takes such research as its starting point and attempts to look forward, using these findings both to debate their application in the language learning classroom and also to suggest where research would be best directed in the future. Thus, the objective of both types of paper is eminently practical: contributors to the research agenda will present suggestions for what research might usefully be undertaken, given what is currently known or what is perceived to be necessary. In the research into practice papers there will be critical appraisal both of what research is, and is not, getting through to the language learning classroom, policy making, curriculum design, evaluation of teaching and/or assessment programmes, and practical suggestions made for improving such outcomes.This article is a personal view of the application of research on vocabulary to teaching and how there are three different types or categories of relationship between that research and the teaching to which it is applied: first, where the research is not applied or not applied well, second, where it is reasonably well applied, and third, where it is over-applied. For each of these three categories, I look at what I consider to be the most important areas of research and suggest why they fit into that category. The topics covered include planning vocabulary courses, distinguishing high frequency and low frequency words, extensive reading, the deliberate learning of vocabulary, academic vocabulary and vocabulary teaching.

scholarly journals Developing a rubric to assess critical thinking in a multidisciplinary context in higher education

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 6
Author(s):  
Sadia Muzaffar Bhutta ◽  
Sahreen Chauhan ◽  
Syeda Kausar Ali ◽  
Raisa Gul ◽  
Shanaz Cassum ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Classroom Practice ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Field Testing ◽  
Qualitative Description ◽  
Fine Tuning ◽  
Academic Disciplines ◽  
Future Research

Critical thinking (CT) is a generic attribute that is greatly valued across academic disciplines in higher education, and around the globe. It is also defined as one of the graduate attributes of higher education for the sample private university where this research was conducted, as it is perceived that CT helps the graduate to become ‘engaged citizens’ in the twenty-first century. Despite the well-documented importance of CT, its assessment remains a challenge. This study addresses this challenge through the systematic development and field-testing of a rubric for assessing critical thinking in a multidisciplinary context in higher education. A multidisciplinary group of faculty (i.e. education, nursing, medicine) from the sample university partnered with a policy research group in Canada to translate this plan into action. The development of the assessment tool followed a multi-step process including: (i) identification of the main elements of CT; (ii) choice of a rubric format; (iii) adaptation of the currently available relevant rubrics; and, (iv) field testing and establishment of the reliability of the rubric. The process resulted in the development of a holistic template, the Assessment of Critical Thinking (ACT) rubric. Two versions of the rubric have been field tested on a sample (n=59) of students drawn from different entities of the sample university. The data collected was subjected to psychometric analysis which yielded satisfactory results. This was a modest attempt to develop an assessment tool to guide multidisciplinary faculty members in teaching and assessing CT by assisting them to make decisions about the level of their students’ CT skills through a combination of numerical scores and qualitative description. It may also empower them to make self-initiated, conscious efforts to improve their classroom practice with reference to CT. The ACT rubric provides an anchoring point to start working on the daunting yet doable task of developing and fine-tuning both the assessment measures of CT and interventions to promote CT based on the assessment findings. Future research may not only provide robust evidence of the reliability and validity of the ACT rubric for a larger and varied sample but also help in making informed decisions to enhance teaching and learning of CT across entities of the sample university.   How to cite this article:  BHUTTA, Sadia Muzaffar; CHAUHAN, Sahreen; ALI, Syeda Kausar; GUL, Raisa; CASSUM, Shanaz; KHAMIS, Tashmin. Developing a rubric to assess critical thinking in a multidisciplinary context in higher education. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in the South. v. 3, n. 1, p. 6-25, Apr. 2019. Available at: https://sotl-south-journal.net/?journal=sotls&page=article&op=view&path%5B%5D=69&path%5B%5D=34   This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

scholarly journals BRIDGES AND BARRIERS TO TEACHING ONLINE COLLEGE COURSES: A STUDY OF EXPERIENCED ONLINE FACULTY IN THIRTY- SIX COLLEGES

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Shea
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
The United States ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Education Student ◽  
Online Faculty ◽  
Teaching Online ◽  
Barriers To Teaching

This paper reports on initial findings from a research study of factors that enable and constrain faculty participation in online teaching and learning environments. It is noted that demand for higher education continues to grow in the United States. It is argued that the nature of the higher education student population will likely continue to transform towards a non-traditional profile. These two trends drive an increased demand for alternative routes to a college degree and have fueled dramatic growth in online learning recently. The study identifies faculty acceptance of online teaching as a critical component for future growth to meet this demand and ensure quality. Through analysis of data from 386 faculty teaching online in 36 colleges in a large state university system, the most significant factors that support and undermine motivation to teach online are identified. The top motivator is a more flexible work schedule. The top demotivator is inadequate compensation for perceived greater work than for traditionally delivered courses, especially for online course development, revision, and teaching. However, respondents in this study chose to teach online for a wide variety of reasons many of which were associated with demographic and contextual differences. These distinctions are reviewed in light of their implications for future quality of online education. Additionally, through factor analysis, underlyingconstructs for online faculty motivations are identified. Finally, recommendations are made for policy, practice, faculty development and future research.

scholarly journals Produção científica em MOOCs no contexto do ensino superior: Uma abordagem de análise de redes sociais

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
pp. 63
Author(s):  
Dora Simões
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Training Model ◽  
Graphical Analysis ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Massive Open Online ◽  
Social Barriers ◽  
Research Guidelines ◽  
Interactive Network

The MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses) is the latest training model offered by higher education institutions. As a teaching and learning approach that is free, and therefore devoid of economic or social barriers at the onset, it looks quite promising. But is it so? In order to gain greater understanding of the focus of current research and to indicate future research guidelines that may provide answers to some pertinent questions, this study aims to analyze the scientific production based on SCOPUS and carried out under the keywords “Massive Open Online Course” and “Higher Education”. Using the methodology of social network analysis in order to get a “picture” of relations between authors who publish in this field, the results of the analysis show that interest in this issue was first expressed in 2013 and is currently on the rise, raising more and more interest. The graphical analysis of the interactive network reveals little interaction among authors, but most publications are co-authored by four researchers. Also, the network indicators analysis reveals that the density and centrality are very low.

scholarly journals South African universities in a time of increasing disruption

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Johan Coetzee ◽  
Brownhilder Neneh ◽  
Karlien Stemmet ◽  
Jana Lamprecht ◽  
Constance Motsitsi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South African ◽  
Curriculum Design ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
African Students ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
South African Universities ◽  
The Impact

Background: The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) have disrupted the higher education environment in unprecedented ways.Aim: This article identifies the impact of increasing disruption driven by the 4IR and COVID-19 on the content and curriculum design of degree programmes in economic and management sciences offered by South African universities.Setting: Six South African and five top-tier US and UK universities.Methods: The study used a non-positivist qualitative research design and specifically the case-study approach. A document analysis of the information in university yearbooks and prospectuses was conducted, using a purposive sampling design.Results: An online presence will become more important due to increased disruption, and will not only ensure an additional revenue stream, but also promote continuity in operations and mitigate threats from competitors. COVID-19 has accelerated the extent of this disruption and expedited the migration to online teaching and learning platforms.Conclusion: Since science, technology, engineering and mathematics are integral to the majority of 4IR-related modules, South African universities must not shy away from degree programmes that ignore inter- and multi-disciplinary curriculum designs. Coupled with the challenges facing the majority of South African students to access electronic devices, data and the internet, COVID-19 has thrust this challenge to the forefront in the South African higher education landscape. By comparing the developments in South African universities with those in trendsetting, top-tier, global universities, management can assess the extent to which they are internationally competitive and adapting to the demands of the 4IR.

Scaffolding Argumentation in Asynchronous Online Discussion

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 29-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyun Song Kim ◽  
Eunjung Grace Oh
Keyword(s):  
Online Discussion ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Qualitative Inquiry ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Inquiry Approach ◽  
Asynchronous Online Discussion ◽  
Education Courses ◽  
Activity Design ◽  
Wide Usage

Despite its wide usage and pedagogical benefits, asynchronous online discussion in higher education courses does not necessarily lead to students' knowledge-constructing discourse and reflective learning. Integrating argumentation into online discussion can facilitate meaningful learning. In this article, the authors present a framework of Scaffolded Online Dialogic Argumentation (SODA) that they created for designing an asynchronous online discussion. Based on the design framework, the authors developed and implemented an argumentation activity in a graduate-level online course. They then examined participants' perceptions of the pedagogical components of SODA using a qualitative inquiry approach. Findings indicate that students perceive a positive influence of the scaffolded argumentation activity on their learning engagement in online discussion. Implications include suggestions for researchers and practitioners in refining and using SODA for future research and discussion activity design.

Technology versus Quality Education in an Underdeveloped Region: A Case Study of UNISA Students in Former Ciskei Homeland in Eastern Cape

10.28945/3780 ◽  
2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agyei Fosu
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Curriculum Design ◽  
Cost Reduction ◽  
Rate Of Change ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Regional Economies ◽  
Underdeveloped Countries ◽  
Underdeveloped Region

Aim/Purpose: This paper seeks to show how University of South Africa (UNISA) is using technology to connect lecturers, tutors and students of [UNISA] in an underdeveloped region in South Africa (SA) to reduce cost and time of travelling to access information, tutorials and help [available] in designated centers, hence making quality and higher education more accessible and less costly. Background: This empirical study gives evidence to back the effectiveness, helpfulness and cost reduction of using technology as a medium of making quality and higher education accessible to under developed regions. Methodology Quantitative and purposeful sampling was deemed appropriate for the study, whereby 200 questionnaires was developed and specifically distributed to UNISA students from former Ciskei towns at East London Tutorial Center. Contribution: The paper is about the usage of mobile technology for knowledge creation and dissemination, instruction and learning, The data generated and presented add to the knowledge base about underdeveloped countries. This data and the conclusions reached based the analysis could be of interest to researchers, university administrators, politicians, planners and policy makers in underdeveloped countries. Findings: Evaluation of the overall effectiveness, helpfulness and cost reduction of e-tutorials show a slight advantage over the face-face tutorials. Recommendations for Practitioners: In the quest for ways and means of making quality and higher education accessible to underdeveloped regions, no matter which medium is chosen, the periodic measurement of success in terms of effectiveness, helpfulness, and cost implication in relation to the learner cannot be over looked. Recommendation for Researchers: More work needs to be done to check the effectiveness of technology as an efficient medium to provide access to quality and higher education to underdeveloped regional economies. Impact on Society The results could have significant implications for raising the level of education and advancing employment equity by improving the delivery and accessibility to quality and higher education to underdeveloped regional economies. Future Research: The analysis of cost efficiency and effectiveness done in this work is just representative of one point of view: the student one of accessibility and cost. There is, however, need in future work to research the implications for the institutions of higher education (in terms teaching design, curriculum design, knowledge of individual learning types, need for change in and rate of change in knowledge view, learning philosophies), individual stakeholders, and the competitive repositioning of society.

Do I Know My Learners…?

2019 ◽  
pp. 77-102
Author(s):  
Anna Liza Daunert ◽  
Linda Price
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Curriculum Design ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Learning Experiences ◽  
Digital Learning ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Digital Curriculum ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Digital Environments

As digital technologies become an integrated part of our everyday lives, we need to consider how to harness their educational potential in higher education. However, despite considerable research into the use of technology in higher education, there still remains a gap between what teachers might perceive as valuable digital curriculum design and what students perceive as valuable digital learning experiences. One key component is how ubiquitous technologies can be harnessed to support students' learning experiences. In this chapter, the authors examine the implications of students' preferences and usage of u-technologies for designing teaching and learning curricula that positively exploit technology. This chapter builds on the research conducted by Daunert and Harteis that investigated pre-service teachers' preferences and experiences of u-technologies. The results of this cross-sectional survey are considered in relation to designing curricula in digital environments.

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