E-Learning

This paper investigates a method for increasing the involvement of marketing fourth year learners in academic research, by encouraging greater participation in, and commitment to, their research project in the Applied Marketing IV subject. It is assumed that greater involvement will result in a greater pass rate. The main reasons for this lack of interest were found to be a sense of incompetence and a lack of resources which were the main objectives of a research project. These objectives were addressed by using learner centered methodologies with the research method Action Research. This research method with the slow resolution of problems was used together with a teaching methodology whose objectives supported the resolution of the learners' inadequacies. Formative assessment was used at the start of the measuring of the learners' progress and was found useful with its quick and positive feedback in supporting the learners' confidence. An eClassroom was structured for the implementation of the Applied Marketing IV course. It was designed in such a way that it facilitated the learners' use of the more commonly used devices such as surfing the web, email and Internet over and above the chosen course material. Although it was not possible to complete the main intervention of the project it was possible to use the participants' experiences in the navigation of the course material in the eClassroom, to further develop future follow-up courses.

Quality Assurance in Transnational Education Management

This chapter deals with quality assessment for interdisciplinary university curricula. As a case study, it analyses the recently established “Global Studies” (GS) developmental curriculum at Graz University, Austria. After reviewing literature on concepts of quality for curricula, key concepts for multi-disciplinarity, inter-disciplinarity, and trans-disciplinarity, approaches for their monitoring, and necessary ingredients for multi-paradigmatic inputs, processes, and outputs, this chapter applies these criteria to the ethically and globalization-oriented curriculum Global Studies at Graz University, Austria. A practical set of criteria assessing quality in curricula and in courses is identified, a list of assessment exercises that have been performed so far is provided, and assessment of academic performance and suggestions for future improvements are given. Recommendations focus on the implementation of inter-paradigmatic mutual understanding and include setting up a regular, peer-oriented discourse among all stakeholders and founders of the curriculum and the inclusion of expertise into the curricula commission. All such concrete measures shall underpin the key capability of inter-paradigmatic studies, namely to see complex phenomena as perceived by other stakeholders, friend or foe.

Triumphs and Tribulations of the Flipped Classroom

This chapter focuses on the experiences of a Social Studies teacher who has recently introduced the concept of the flipped classroom to his students at an inner city school in Buffalo, NY. Despite his technological issues and struggles with homework completion, his perseverance throughout this process provides valuable lessons for educators seeking to implement similar initiatives in their own classrooms. Ideas for improving student engagement and literacy in the flipped classroom as well as first hand accounts from his ninth grade students are discussed.

Prioritization of Design Requirements for Quality Engineering Education

The educational institutions must strive to impart quality education and have to create greater satisfaction in their customer group. Quality Function Deployment (QFD) which is a customer driven tool in implementing Total Quality Management (TQM) helps to accomplish this task. One of the phases in QFD methodology is known as House of Quality (HoQ), which is concerned with translating the voice of customer into design requirements by stakeholders. Design requirements will determine how the customer needs are to be fulfilled. This paper presents an integrated methodology (HoQ-ANP) to translate Voices of Customer (VoC) or customer needs (CNs) into design requirements (DRs) and to determine the importance weights of DRs by considering the complex dependency relationships between and within Customer needs and DRs for total quality in engineering education. In order to deal with the vagueness, uncertainty and diversity in dependency relationships fuzzy set theory and group decision-making technique are used to determine the priority structure of CNs, inner dependence among Customer Needs (CNs), Inner dependence among DRs and inter-relationship between CNs & DRs. Prioritization of design requirements for quality engineering education is determined through a case study by employing HoQ-ANP methodology.

Blended Course Design

Blended or hybrid course design is generally considered to involve a combination of online and classroom activities. However defining blended courses solely based on delivery mode suggests there is nothing more to a blended course than where students meet and how they use technology. Ultimately there is a risk that blended courses defined in this way will not utilize effective strategies that have proven to improve learning for students. This study investigates pedagogical strategies or designs that have reported success in higher education coursework as published in articles that address blended pedagogy. A qualitative meta-interpretive analysis identified eight themes: definitions of blended design, meetings for the learner, online priority, technology with a purpose, focused e-interactions, active learning, distribution of time, pedagogical chunking, and outliers and omissions.

A Blended Course to Teach Graphical Programming Using LabVIEW

In this chapter, the authors introduce a blended learning approach where LabVIEW, an e-learning environment, was integrated into a traditional graphical programming course for engineering students to teach advanced topics and to increase the programming skills of the students. In this course, the students were required to design projects using technology. The students designed small projects and frequently accessed the e-learning system to build real-world applications. The projects that students designed stimulated them to use the e-learning system. The impact of blended learning was evaluated on the basis of student surveys and certification test results. Experimental studies show that blended learning produced higher results in the students' self-assessment and certification test.

Factors Related to Students' Performance of Hybrid Learning in an English Language Course

Redesigning a course along the lines of a hybrid format that blends face-to-face and online learning brings about changes in instructional practice. This paper introduces hybrid teaching that uses multiple web-based tools to supplement the students' face-to-face learning environment in a difficult situation in Thailand. In order to examine factors related to student learning achievement in the hybrid teaching course, data regarding learning achievement score, amount of participation, comfort with technology, and course satisfaction were collected from 182 students enrolled in an English course and analyzed by using correlation coefficients and multiple regression analysis. The findings indicated that students had a moderate level of satisfaction with the hybrid course and comfort with technology use, and previous experience of hybrid courses did not have an effect on their satisfaction. Student learning achievement was positively correlated with how much participation students had, but was negatively correlated with students' comfort with technology. There were no correlations between student learning achievement and how satisfied they felt with the hybrid course. In addition, an analysis of benefits and drawbacks of this hybrid course allowed teachers insights into what changes were needed when adjusting the hybrid course for language teaching.

Blended and Online Learning in Virtual K-12 Schools

Since 2000, there has been an increasing rate of online learning directed toward K-12 schools in the United States. The need for online courses has become evident as schools are searching for ways to meet student's learning needs. Online and blended courses provide options for schools with limited curricular offerings, scheduling conflicts, or find it difficult to provide highly qualified teachers. In the 2010/2011 school year, it was estimated that approximately 1.5 million students in K-12 schools across the United States were enrolled in an online course (Wicks, 2010). However, a literature search indicates that not much is known about K-12 blended and online learning instruction in virtual K-12 schools. Various issues such as types of instructional delivery, optional management skills, current trend of blended learning, the academic impact on K-12 education are critical areas for teachers and administrators to consider (iNACOL, 2011). This chapter seeks to demonstrate the growing trend of blended and online learning in the United States, analyze instructional implications of blended and online learning to students, discuss major obstacles to blended and online learning in K-12 schools, address possible solutions, and provide recommendations for further studies.

The Future of Curriculum Development in Distance Education

Today, extremely fast developments take place in science and technology. These changes and developments reflect upon all systems and give rise to changes in some concepts and processes. Lifelong learning is one of the concepts affected by these changes. Educational institutions are considered to be responsible for spreading knowledge through e-learning, virtual university, Web-based education, distance education, which offer professional development. Therefore, distance education institutions have an important place in the education system of the future. However, innovations and developments have to be followed closely and operationally used for adaptation to the education system of the future within the distance education system as well. A scientific and realistic way of adapting to these developments is possible only if program development efforts are constant. Looking from this framework, teaching design, internationalization, entrepreneurship have given rise to differentiation in the program development of distance education. This is explored in this chapter.

Preparing to Teach with Flipped Classroom in Teacher Preparation Programs

The chapter outlines best practices in the use of Flipped Classroom to promote active and meaningful learning in higher education, specifically preservice teacher preparation courses. The theoretical foundation supporting the use of Flipped Classroom is reviewed as well as issues related to its use. Recommendations as to how to integrate Flipped Classroom are examined as well. Linkage to the goals of teacher preparation programs are made to assure the reader's understanding of the recommendations that follow.