Manipulating Interface Design Features Affects Children's Stop-And-Think Behaviours in a Counterintuitive-Problem Game

The human–computer interaction (HCI) design of educational technologies influences cognitive behaviour, so it is imperative to assess how different HCI strategies support intended behaviour. We developed a neuroscience-inspired game that trains children's use of “stopping-and-thinking” (S&T)—an inhibitory control-related behaviour—in the context of counterintuitive science problems. We tested the efficacy of four HCI features in supporting S&T: (1) a readiness mechanic, (2) motion cues, (3) colour cues, and (4) rewards/penalties. In a randomised eye-tracking trial with 45 7-to-8-year-olds, we found that the readiness mechanic increased S&T duration, that motion and colour cues proved equally effective at promoting S&T, that combining symbolic colour with the readiness mechanic may have a cumulative effect, and that rewards/penalties may have distracted children from S&T. Additionally, S&T duration was related to in-game performance. Our results underscore the importance of interdisciplinary approaches to educational technology research that actively investigates how HCI impacts intended learning behaviours.

Facebook as Data: A Primer for Educational Technology Researchers Using Public Internet Data Mining Methods

Digital trace data has helped us understand teaching and learning on social media sites other than Facebook. Moreover, while we know a few things about the educational uses of Facebook, that knowledge has been limited because Facebook has not—until recently—been open to researchers. This paper introduces how Facebook can serve as a data source for educational technology researchers. It provides a walkthrough, from developing research questions and identifying public pages of interest, considering ethics, accessing and downloading historical data through the CrowdTangle platform, and analyzing that data. An example list of pages is provided with code for the open-source statistical software to analyze the data. Future directions for the use of Facebook for research on teaching, learning, and educational systems and their intersection with educational technologies are discussed.

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Educational Programs in the Field of HR Management: Challenges and New Aspects

The authors of the article, analyzing the experience of the implementation of educational programs for bachelor's, master's and programs of additional professional education in the field of personnel management, focus on the assessment of learning processes and its new aspects, the emergence of which is associated both with the development of learning formats and technologies, and with changes in regulatory and legal requirements for the content and conditions for the implementation of educational programs. The study made it possible to determine the main contours of the assessment of educational programs in the field of personnel management, including indicators and criteria of efficiency, subjects of assessment, the possibility of increasing the level of innovation, as well as to highlight a number of areas for further development and refinement of assessment elements, including the integration of formats and assessment results the effectiveness of educational programs conducted by various subjects and having a different nature of the obligation (state accreditation, independent professional and public accreditation), reflected in the criteria and procedures for assessing the increase in the use of new educational technologies, taking into account delayed learning outcomes.

Intentional Connection

This chapter details how learning-based course design promotes meaningful student connections with course content, course goals, and connections with peers, faculty, and student self-awareness. No matter the modality, the learning-based course design model provides a pathway for faculty and instructional designers to use backward design to create courses that embrace significant learning, valuable practice, and feedback opportunities. With an emphasis on authentic activities that are aligned to learning outcomes, learning-based course design avoids busywork and reduces rote memorization of facts and figures. Educational technologies can strengthen the faculty and student course experience, provided that these are purposefully integrated into the course. Courses designed with close attention to student learning provide skill growth that strengthens students' professional lives. Course feedback data allows faculty to refine the course and programs and institutions to develop stronger alignment to their stated goals.