scholarly journals Community of Inquiry on Facebook in a Formal Learning Setting in Higher Education

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masood Nazir ◽  
Natasa Brouwer
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Community Of Inquiry ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Formal Learning ◽  
Group Approach ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Student Community ◽  
Treatment Control Group

This study demonstrates an application of Facebook for higher education in science (STEM), and it clarifies its impact on students’ learning in a formal online learning setting. A combined qualitative and quantitative approach was used. Messages posted on Facebook were classified by qualitative transcript analysis. The perception and experience of students with Facebook were recorded by means of pre- and post-tests, using a treatment/control group approach. The results show that an integral Community of Inquiry (CoI) was formed on Facebook within the regular online course, encompassing all relevant CoI interactions leading to a powerful educational experience. Additionally, a type of CoI interaction “student–community” is observed, which was not reported before. The results show that the use of Facebook had positive effects on students’ learning, only when the activities on Facebook were constructively integrated in a course design, and a moderator was present. More research is needed to include larger group sizes and other course designs.

Taking a Hard Look at the Soft Skills of Online Course Design and Online Teaching in Higher Education

2017 ◽  
pp. 158-181
Author(s):  
Kevin P. Gosselin ◽  
Maria Northcote ◽  
Kristi D. Wuensche ◽  
Trudy Stoddard
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Soft Skills ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Online Course Design ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Online Educators

Over the past few decades, substantial growth has occurred in online education in general, and this has been particularly true of the higher education sector. Most universities and post-secondary institutions now offer students the opportunity to enroll in online pre-tertiary, vocational, undergraduate and/or postgraduate courses. While some of these courses are successful for the learners who enroll in them, others have been found somewhat deficient, often criticized for their lack of humanization, interaction, communication and online presence. This chapter examines the role of the so-called soft skills of online course design and online teaching that are seen as vital for online educators who are responsible for the facilitation of high quality online learning. Along with a review of relevant literature about the soft skills of online teaching, the chapter presents three institutional case studies from which a set of practically-focused recommendations for promoting the design of humanized online learning environments has been developed.

Facilitation of Web-Based Courses Designed for Adult Learners

2011 ◽  
pp. 918-921
Author(s):  
Bonnie McCall Ordonez
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Adult Learners ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Online Course ◽  
University Faculty ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Professional Students ◽  
College And University

Web-based courses have currently surpassed all other forms of distance education in the higher education field. One of the main reasons in growth is the demand from adult and professional students looking for a convenient yet quality education (Kearsley, 2000). College and university faculty members are a key component in the development and delivery of online courses. Many studies have been conducted on effective course design, and student achievement and outcomes (Kearsley, 2000, p. 46), but less research is available on the instructional techniques necessary to facilitate an online course.

scholarly journals Effect of Instructionally Embedded Formative Assessment on Students' Motivation to Learn at Higher Education Level

2020 ◽  
Vol V (I) ◽  
pp. 488-499
Author(s):  
Shumaila Hameed ◽  
Mumtaz Akhter
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Formative Assessment ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Education Level ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Control Group Design ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Positive Effect ◽  
Experimental Group

Formative assessment is known for its positive effects it has on students' achievement. This study was designed to find out the effect of formative assessment on students' motivation at the higher education level. This study was experimental in nature; intact pre-test post-test control group design was used for data collection purpose. Sample of the study was selected conveniently, which comprised of undergraduate students. Students belonging to the experimental group were taught with instructional embedded formative assessment, whereas students belonging to the control group were taught with formal teaching methods. Students of both groups were required to fill a motivation questionnaire at the start and end of the study to check the level of intervention. Data collected through pre-test and post-test were analyzed using SPSS. The findings of the current study had suggested that instructional embedded formative assessment had a significant positive effect on students' motivation towards learning at the higher education level.

scholarly journals Teaching Presence Influencing Online Students’ Course Satisfaction at an Institution of Higher Education

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohd Khalid M. N. ◽  
Don Quick
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Community Of Inquiry ◽  
Discussion Forum ◽  
Online Discussions ◽  
Course Satisfaction ◽  
Teaching Presence ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Online Students ◽  
Satisfaction Scale

<p class="apa">This paper discusses the association between online students’ interaction through the Learning Management System (LMS) discussion forum and their reported course satisfaction. The participants in the study reported here were selected from several faculties in one university in Malaysia who were enrolled in at least one hybrid or fully online course. The Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework, its instrument and satisfaction scale were employed in this study via a Qualtrics online survey. Teaching presence in the CoI was used to find out how strong it correlated with students’ course satisfaction. The results showed that both variables were significantly positively associated with each other; indicating that students who enjoyed a relatively high teaching presence in online discussions were very likely to report higher course satisfaction.</p>

Phases, Scaffolds, and Technology

2017 ◽  
pp. 450-473
Author(s):  
Julia Parra
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Public Access ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Student Collaboration ◽  
Course Materials ◽  
Learning Plans

With ubiquitous Internet and the related tools, including computational devices and cloud-based technology, has come public access to a world of information literally at one's fingertips. This has led to the increased use of cloud-based student collaboration as a key strategy for engaging students as responsible, creative, and productive participants in the learning process. For the purpose of this qualitative study there are three objectives: 1) update and revise a course design model for cloud-based student collaboration that uses phases and scaffolds, and includes an optimal cloud-based collaboration toolkit identified by graduate students, 2) describe an online course wherein this model has been applied, and 3) share exemplar course materials including guides, learning plans and directions, and content scaffolds in the form of templates, that support this model and can be repurposed by anyone using cloud-based student collaboration in higher education.

scholarly journals Applying the Community of Inquiry e‑Learning Model to Improve the Learning Design of an Online Course for In‑service Teachers in Norway

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Krystyna Krzyszkowska ◽  
Maria Mavrommati
Keyword(s):  
Instructional Design ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Community Of Inquiry ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Learning Model ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Learning Design ◽  
Digital Competence ◽  
E Learning

: Education authorities in Norway endorse online courses for in‑service teachers to raise education standards and to promote digital competence. Naturally, these offerings present teachers with opportunities to integrate new theoretical perspectives and their professional experience in an online learning community. The inquiry into one's professional practice, enhanced by critical reflection in a group of fellow professionals, is considered essential for a lifelong learning practitioner, however, the emerging examples of instructional design tend to prioritise content delivery rather than professional discourse. In this paper, we demonstrate how the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework could be adopted to transform learning design, which prioritises the delivery of individual assignments, into a more collaborative learning experience. Using the CoI instructional design principles and the associated questionnaire, we have investigated student perceptions of learning via an online course and formulated recommendations about how the course design can be refined to promote learning in the community. Despite the modest evidence, this investigation can serve as an example of how a concrete learning design can be improved based on this validated e‑learning model.

Phases, Scaffolds, and Technology

2016 ◽  
pp. 193-216
Author(s):  
Julia Parra
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Public Access ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Student Collaboration ◽  
Course Materials ◽  
Learning Plans

With ubiquitous Internet and the related tools, including computational devices and cloud-based technology, has come public access to a world of information literally at one's fingertips. This has led to the increased use of cloud-based student collaboration as a key strategy for engaging students as responsible, creative, and productive participants in the learning process. For the purpose of this qualitative study there are three objectives: 1) update and revise a course design model for cloud-based student collaboration that uses phases and scaffolds, and includes an optimal cloud-based collaboration toolkit identified by graduate students, 2) describe an online course wherein this model has been applied, and 3) share exemplar course materials including guides, learning plans and directions, and content scaffolds in the form of templates, that support this model and can be repurposed by anyone using cloud-based student collaboration in higher education.

Mapping pedagogical touchpoints: Exploring online student engagement and course design

2021 ◽  
pp. 146978742199084
Author(s):  
Eseta Tualaulelei ◽  
Katie Burke ◽  
Melissa Fanshawe ◽  
Cathy Cameron
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Data Analysis ◽  
Student Engagement ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Learning Needs ◽  
Online Course Design ◽  
Online Student ◽  
Design Students

Online learning has been widely adopted in higher education but there is a need to better understand the nature of student engagement with online courses. For example, there are questions about whether students engage with courses as educators intend and what features of online courses engage students to enhance learning. Bringing together student and educator perspectives, this article reports on a study that identified ‘pedagogical touchpoints’ – opportunities within online courses for student engagement – to ascertain whether a better understanding of these could improve online course design and student engagement. Data were collected across three undergraduate online courses. Data analysis produced three key findings: mapping pedagogical touchpoints against dimensions of engagement reveals patterns that may inform enhanced course design, students’ engagement with pedagogical touchpoints varies according to their learning needs and desires, and mapping pedagogical touchpoints can inform course design at both conceptual and practical levels. Discussion of the findings highlights that purposeful design of online courses, including strategic planning for pedagogical touchpoints, can maximise the potential for student engagement and consequent learning.

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