scholarly journals A MOOC-BASED COMPUTER SCIENCE PROGRAM FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL: RESULTS, CHALLENGES, AND THE COVID-19 EFFECT

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shai Perach ◽  
Giora Alexandron
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Blended Learning ◽  
Computer Science ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
School Closure ◽  
Preliminary Evaluation ◽  
Learning Program ◽  
Self Regulated Learning ◽  
K 12

In an attempt to pave the way for more extensive Computer Science Education (CSE) coverage in K-12, this researchdeveloped and made a preliminary evaluation of a blended-learning Introduction to CS program based on an academicMOOC. Using an academic MOOC that is pedagogically effective and engaging, such a program may provide teacherswith disciplinary scaffolds and allow them to focus their attention on enhancing students' learning experience and nurturingcritical 21st-century skills such as self-regulated learning. As we demonstrate, this enabled us to introduce an academiclevel course to middle-school students.In this research, we developed the principals and initial version of such a program, targeting ninth-graders in science-trackclasses who learn CS as part of their standard curriculum. We found that the middle-schoolers who participated in theprogram achieved academic results on par with undergraduate students taking this MOOC for academic credit. Participatingstudents also developed a more accurate perception of the essence of CS as a scientific discipline.The unplanned school closure due to the COVID19 pandemic outbreak challenged the research but underlined theadvantages of such a MOOC-based blended learning program above classic pedagogy in times of global or local crises thatlead to school closure. While most of the science track classes seem to stop learning CS almost entirely, and the end-of-yearMoE exam was discarded, the program's classes smoothly moved to remote learning mode, and students continued tostudy at a pace similar to that experienced before the school shut down.

Study of Blended Learning in Higher Education and the Role of Social Media Applications With Special Reference to Vietnam

2021 ◽  
pp. 293-306
Author(s):  
Thanh Hong Lam ◽  
Jaheer Mukthar K. P. ◽  
Lanh Thanh Le ◽  
Hien Thanh Le ◽  
Nam Duy Nguyen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Blended Learning ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Traditional Education ◽  
Learning Context ◽  
Learning Program ◽  
Blended Courses ◽  
It Resources ◽  
Media Applications

The present study aims to examine the effect of the combination of learning methods, in which diverse IT resources are applied to facilitate study activities of Vietnamese undergraduate students. The main focus of this study is that in the blended learning context of Vietnam education, the combination of various communication means such as F2F and traditional education technologies can enable the level of engagement of students with the blended courses. The study measured the level of students' engagement in the blended learning program, in which physical classrooms and different IT resources are implemented. The authors distinguish two kinds of IT resources: traditional education technologies and social media applications. It is proposed that while F2F classrooms and traditional education technologies can enable students' engagement, which leads to stronger satisfaction and motivation. Meanwhile, social media applications can intensify those relationships.

Reflective Practice, Professional Learning, and Educational Partnerships

2011 ◽  
pp. 188-203
Author(s):  
Chris Brook ◽  
Graeme Lock
Keyword(s):  
Blended Learning ◽  
Reflective Practice ◽  
Performance Management ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Classroom Practice ◽  
Classroom Practices ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Educational Partnerships ◽  
Learning Program

In light of current interest in teacher education, this chapter presents an outcome of a study that sought to explore ways that the classroom practices and status of teachers might be improved. The enquiry used a model of professional learning that incorporated blended learning, reflective practice, performance management processes, authentic experiences, and tertiary learning to encourage change in classroom settings. Teacher insights were explored and their classroom practices analysed to identify any change in teacher behaviours that might be attributed to participation in the learning program. Findings suggest that teachers are largely dissatisfied with conventional approaches to professional development believing them to be separate from the classroom experience and ineffective in bring about change. However, teachers in this study found that a blended learning setting that fostered an intentional connection between theory and practice and collaborative learning provided a strong learning experience that translated to change in classroom practice.

scholarly journals Educating Educational Leaders in a Blended Professional Doctorate Program: An Initial Action Research Inquiry

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn Strom ◽  
Bradley Porfilio ◽  
Bobbie Plough
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Blended Learning ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Educational Leaders ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Learning Program ◽  
Professional Doctorate ◽  
Initial Action ◽  
K 12 ◽  
The Impact

This paper describes the first cycle of an action research study investigating the impact of new blended learning courses in a professional doctorate program, the results of which will inform future course planning and pedagogy.  Specifically, core researcher-faculty members associated with the program were interested in understanding how a blended learning program impacted students’ learning experiences. In our findings from this initial inquiry, we detail both constraining and enabling elements of the hybrid experiences provided to students. We also describe the revised action plan created from these findings to improve our ability to utilize the online portion of our doctoral coursework to meet our larger goals of preparing educational leaders to fight for issues of social justice in K-12 settings and beyond.

scholarly journals Computational Thinking Integration Strategy for the Urban Middle School Classroom

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren Birney ◽  
Denise McNamara
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
New York ◽  
Computer Science ◽  
Science Teachers ◽  
Computational Thinking ◽  
Field Station ◽  
Science Project ◽  
Digital Platform ◽  
School Classroom ◽  
K 12

This article provides an overview of the work pioneered by the consortium of collaborators in the Billion Oyster Curriculum and Community Enterprise for Restoration Science Project (BOP-CCERS). The BOP-CCERS are working to support computational thinking in the New York City public school classrooms by creating curriculum which combines:1. The Field Station Research (Oyster Restoration Stations) and data collection2. The Billion Oyster Project Digital Platform and data input and storage 3. The New York State Science Intermediate Level Learning Standards. 4. The Computer Science Teachers Association K-12 Computer Science StandardsThe integration of computational thinking in the STEM middle school classroom is showcased through the intertwining of these dimensions into a trans-disciplinary learning experience that is rich in both content and practice. Students will be able to explain real-world phenomena found in their own community and design possible solutions through the key components of computational thinking.The Curriculum and Community Enterprise for Restoration Science Project digital platform and curriculum will be the resources that provide the underpinnings of the integration of computational thinking in the STEM middle school classroom. The primary functions of the platform include the collection and housing of the data pertaining to the harbor and its component parts, both abiotic and biotic and the storage of the curriculum for both the classroom and the field stations.

Minecraft Server Project

2017 ◽  
pp. 197-219
Author(s):  
Ugochi Acholonu ◽  
Jessa Dickinson ◽  
Dominic Amato ◽  
Nichole Pinkard
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
African American ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Blended Learning ◽  
Computer Science ◽  
Geographic Distribution ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Middle School Girls ◽  
Design Recommendations ◽  
School Girls

Opportunities to participate in computing-related informal programs are limited in terms of quantity and geographic distribution. This limitation is due, in part, to the dearth of adults who have the expertise to mentor youth on computational concepts. This chapter introduces the Digital Youth Network Minecraft Server Project, which aims to reduce the barriers to for non-expert adults to be able to provide informal, computing-related learning opportunities to diverse youth. Using Minecraft, an online multiplayer game, the authors investigate a blended approach to mentorship that diversifies who can lead informal computing opportunities. This study examines learner-mentor interactions in a Synchronous Blended Learning Environment (SBLE) focused on engaging African American and Latina middle school girls in computer science. The chapter concludes with design recommendations for SBLEs to better support the needs of mentors facilitating computing opportunities for African American and Latina middle-school girls.

Minecraft Server Project

2018 ◽  
pp. 818-836
Author(s):  
Ugochi Acholonu ◽  
Jessa Dickinson ◽  
Dominic Amato ◽  
Nichole Pinkard
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
African American ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Blended Learning ◽  
Computer Science ◽  
Geographic Distribution ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Middle School Girls ◽  
Design Recommendations ◽  
School Girls

Opportunities to participate in computing-related informal programs are limited in terms of quantity and geographic distribution. This limitation is due, in part, to the dearth of adults who have the expertise to mentor youth on computational concepts. This chapter introduces the Digital Youth Network Minecraft Server Project, which aims to reduce the barriers to for non-expert adults to be able to provide informal, computing-related learning opportunities to diverse youth. Using Minecraft, an online multiplayer game, the authors investigate a blended approach to mentorship that diversifies who can lead informal computing opportunities. This study examines learner-mentor interactions in a Synchronous Blended Learning Environment (SBLE) focused on engaging African American and Latina middle school girls in computer science. The chapter concludes with design recommendations for SBLEs to better support the needs of mentors facilitating computing opportunities for African American and Latina middle-school girls.

scholarly journals Improving the English skills of native Japanese using artificial intelligence in a blended learning program

2019 ◽  
pp. 327-333
Author(s):  
Hiroyuki Obari ◽  
Stephen Lambacher
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Blended Learning ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Private University ◽  
Business Majors ◽  
Learning Program

A constructivist approach to language learning can motivate students by activating their brains to create new knowledge and reflect more consistently and deeply on their language learning experience. The present study focused on assessing the use of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) speakers Google Home Mini and Amazon Alexa as part of a Blended Learning (BL) environment to improve the English skills of two groups of native Japanese undergraduates. The participants were 47 native speakers of Japanese, all third-year business majors at a private university in Tokyo. Pretest and posttest Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) scores, as well as results from a post-training survey, were used in evaluating the overall effectiveness of the program. Gains in TOEIC scores indicated the BL program incorporating AI speakers improved the students’ overall English skills, particularly listening comprehension. The results suggest the integration of AI, along with social media and 21st-century skills, may be an effective way to improve the English language proficiency of adult L2 learners.

scholarly journals An Inquiry into Students' Metacognition and Learning Achievement in a Blended Learning Design

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (21) ◽  
pp. 77
Author(s):  
Nurma Yunita Indriyanti ◽  
Sri Yamtinah ◽  
Dyah Muawiyah
Keyword(s):  
Blended Learning ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Chemistry Education ◽  
Quantitative Method ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Environmental Chemistry ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Cognitive Achievement ◽  
The Public ◽  
Use Of Technology

The use of technology blurred the borders between classroom learning and online platform as a blended design. This design is appropriately applied in higher education in the fourth industrial revolution era. The study aimed to investigate the progression of undergraduate students' metacognition of blended learning and their achievement in the environmental chemistry course. The study employed a quantitative method. The quantitative method used a quasi-experiment research method. A non-equivalent post-tests group control design was applied. The population was fifty-nine students who enrolled in the environmental chemistry course in the chemistry education department at one of the public universities in Indonesia. Twenty-nine students were randomly selected for experimental class and thirty students in the control class. The experimental class experienced the blended learning environment, while the control class had conventional learning. At the end of the course, both classes measured their metacognition using the Testlet instrument. The Testlet instrument can measure students' cognitive achievement in environmental chemistry courses, also students' metacognition. There is different progress regarding students' metacognition between two groups. However, students' cognitive achievement showed the same trend. This gap is caused by various factors, such as a difference in learning experience and unpreparedness of students in blended learning.

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