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To blog or not to blog: Student perceptions of blog effectiveness for learning in a college-level course

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Abstract

Blogs have the potential to increase reflection, sense of community and collaboration in undergraduate classrooms. Studies of their effectiveness are still limited. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the use of blogs in a large lecture class would enhance students' perceived learning. Students in an undergraduate nutrition course were required to engage in blog conversations over the course of the semester to promote reflective learning. Sixty-seven undergraduates responded to a survey with dimensions on perceived learning and sense of community. Sense of community and computer expertise were identified as significant predictors of perceived learning, when controlled for age, gender, and previous blogging experience. While a majority of the students reported that blogging enhanced their learning and led them to think about course concepts outside the classroom, fewer perceived value in peer comments. Implications for integrating blogging into undergraduate classrooms are discussed.

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... Blogs offer a unique platform for idea sharing and interaction (Nardi et al., 2004), and their use is widespread among engineers and professionals (Efimova & Grudin, 2007). Research has shown that blogs can enhance students' learning perceptions (Garcia et al., 2019), improve learning outcomes (Halic et al., 2010), and promote knowledge sharing (Li et al., 2013). Given these benefits, this study leverages a Natural Language Processing (NLP) course from the School of AI at Anhui University (AU-AI School) as a case study to design and implement an innovative AI course that incorporates blogs as the primary platform for assignment submission. ...
... An expanding body of research suggests that blogs have significant potential to enhance student learning outcomes. For instance, Ducate, Lomicka, and Churchill (Churchill, 2009;Halic et al., 2010) pointed out that blog writing enhances students' cognitive and perceptual learning abilities in various contexts. Blogs not only promote interactions among students but also strengthen communication and cooperation within groups, thereby facilitating the social construction of knowledge (Leslie & Murphy, 2008). ...
... Existing research has demonstrated that blogs can significantly enhance various aspects of student learning, including abilities, experiences, outcomes, and overall satisfaction. Specifically, studies have shown that blogs help students develop a deeper understanding of course materials, foster autonomous learning, promote critical thinking, and improve overall learning efficiency (Chu et al., 2012;Halic et al., 2010). In addition, students often report positive experiences when using blogs, including increased engagement, better comprehension of the material, and a heightened sense of achievement (Ellison & Wu, 2008;Williams & Jacobs, 2004;Xie et al., 2008). ...
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This study, grounded in constructivist theory, presents an innovative artificial intelligence (AI) course framework for undergraduate students from the School of Artificial Intelligence at Anhui University. This research focuses on students’ perceptions and explores the impact of blogs as a platform for assignment submission in an AI course. Data are collected using structured questionnaires and analyzed quantitatively using a partial least squares structural equation model. Additionally, interviews are conducted to provide nuanced insights and contextual explanations, thus supplementing the quantitative findings. This study explores the specific impacts of blogs on students’ learning abilities, learning experiences, academic outcomes, and overall satisfaction within the AI course. By leveraging blogs as pedagogical tools, this study highlights their potential to transform traditional teaching methods and promote active learning and knowledge sharing in higher education. The proposed course framework also offers a scalable model that can be adapted for other science and engineering disciplines in colleges and universities.
... Membership, influence, shared emotional connection, and reinforcement of need are four factors that contribute to the development of an individual's sense of community (McMillan & Chavis, 1986). Sense of community is associated with many positive outcomes (Cho et al., 2010;Sanchez et al., 2005;Top, 2012), and it is an important factor for students' successful learning experience (Halic et al., 2010;Sadera et al., 2009). Higher levels of sense of community are linked to improved student attainment, increased learner satisfaction, and reduced attrition rates (Kocdar et al., 2018;Peacock & Cowan, 2019;Rovai, 2002). ...
... American students who had a stronger feeling of belonging to a learning community or perceived more of the collaborative learning experience were more likely to have a positive learning experience in the Wiki-based environment. This finding is consistent with the results of previous studies where sense of community and collaborative learning experience were found to have a positive impact on learning experience through the use of web 2.0 tools (Kuo et al., 2017;Campbell & Ellingson, 2010;Halic et al., 2010;Top, 2012). For examples, the studies of Halic et al. (2010) and Top (2012) found sense of community to be a significant predictor of students' perceived learning with the use of web 2.0. ...
... This finding is consistent with the results of previous studies where sense of community and collaborative learning experience were found to have a positive impact on learning experience through the use of web 2.0 tools (Kuo et al., 2017;Campbell & Ellingson, 2010;Halic et al., 2010;Top, 2012). For examples, the studies of Halic et al. (2010) and Top (2012) found sense of community to be a significant predictor of students' perceived learning with the use of web 2.0. Kuo et al., (2017) and Top (2012) found that students' perceived collaborative learning significantly predicted students' perceived learning. ...
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This study examined the factors affecting minority students’ learning experience in Wiki-based environments. These factors included perceived collaborative learning, sense of community, Wiki self-efficacy, and perceived learning experience. The relationships of these factors were explored. The participants were 45 African American students enrolled in two undergraduate-level management courses in which Wiki was used to facilitate the process of group work. A mixed methods approach was applied to analyze the collected data. Results indicated that sense of community and collaborative learning significantly contributed to perceived learning in Wiki-based environments. However, Wiki self-efficacy was not a good predictor of perceived learning. Most of the minority students were positive about their group learning experience that involved collaborative processes as well as the development of knowledge and skills. Emotional support and support for cognitive or meta-cognitive processing were identified as factors that had potential influences on Wiki-based collaborative group learning.
... The content of blogs is usually arranged in reverse chronological order and usually includes texts, hyperlinks, images, video, and audio (Elega et al., 2020;Mansor, 2011). Since blogs can be used as a platform for information sharing, knowledge dissemination, interactive communication, reflection, peer feedback, and collaboration, they have the potential to be integrated as learning tools for helping students learn and reflect (Ajjan & Hartshorne, 2008;Blush et al., 2020;Halic et al., 2010;Kalk et al., 2019;Onete et al., 2020). Therefore, many educators have attempted to implement blogs to enhance their teaching and learning outcomes, and to encourage student interest and course participation in higher education settings (Blush et al., 2020;Halic et al., 2010;Y. ...
... Since blogs can be used as a platform for information sharing, knowledge dissemination, interactive communication, reflection, peer feedback, and collaboration, they have the potential to be integrated as learning tools for helping students learn and reflect (Ajjan & Hartshorne, 2008;Blush et al., 2020;Halic et al., 2010;Kalk et al., 2019;Onete et al., 2020). Therefore, many educators have attempted to implement blogs to enhance their teaching and learning outcomes, and to encourage student interest and course participation in higher education settings (Blush et al., 2020;Halic et al., 2010;Y. S. Wang et al., 2010;Zúñiga, 2009). ...
... However, studies conducted to empirically examine the effectiveness of blog use in education are rare (Deng & Yuen, 2011;Garcia et al., 2019;Halic et al., 2010;Sim & Hew, 2010;Top et al., 2010). Although some previous studies (e.g., Churchill, 2009;Y. ...
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Blogs have the potential to be integrated as learning tools to help students learn and reflect. Many educators have incorporated the use of teaching blogs to enhance teaching and learning outcomes in higher education settings. However, research conducted to empirically examine the effectiveness of blog use in education is rare. This study intends to help fill the remaining gaps in the research; there are two main purposes: (1) to examine, using a field quasi-experiment, whether the use of teaching blogs in university course instruction enhances student learning outcomes; and (2) to empirically understand the determinants and impacts of the extent of student blog use on university’s course learning via a questionnaire analysis. Two separate studies were conducted. The experimental results of Study 1 show that using teaching blogs not only enhances learner satisfaction, but also increases university students’ learning achievement. The Study 2 results show that higher quality teaching blogs positively influence the extent of student blog use, which in turn positively influences student learning satisfaction and achievement. This study extends our knowledge and insights regarding the use of teaching blogs within the higher education domain.
... Studies have revealed that acceptance of Glogster depends on the attitude of students and the instructors towards it Adeoye, (2013. Various studies have attempted to investigate learners' attitudes toward the use of blogs in higher education (Coutinho, 2007;Ellison and Wu, 2008;Halic et al., 2010;William and Jacobs, 2004). William and Jacobs, (2004) reported that a majority of MBA students at the Harvard Law School and Queensland University of Technology indicated a positive attitude toward the use of blogs in teaching and believed that the use of blogs contributed to their learning.Teachers and pre-service teachers also show a positive attitude toward the use of blogs in teaching and learning. ...
... Moreover, students had a favorable perception of weblog use. Halic et al., (2010) found that the majority of the participants believed that blogs created a sense of community, which in turn enhanced their learning. Ellison and Wu, (2008) conducted a study that investigated students' attitudes toward blogging in the classroom and its effect on comprehension. ...
... Students will then act in accordance with their attitude towards educational Glogster. Adedoye, et al., (2013) noted that the acceptance of Glogster depends on the attitude of students and the instructors towards it various studies attempted to investigate learners' attitudes toward the use of Glogster in higher education (Coutinho, 2007;Ellison and Wu, 2008;Halic et al., 2010;William and Jacobs, 2004 (2004) reported that a majority of MBA students at the Harvard Law School and Queensland University of Technology indicated a positive attitude toward the use of blogs in teaching and believed that the use of blogs contributed to their learning. Teachers and pre-service teachers also show a positive attitude toward the use of Glogster in teaching and learning. ...
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This study examined the Effect of Glogster on students’ Academic Achievement in Selected Basic Technology Concepts in Ilorin Metropolis. The study adopted a quasi-experimental type, of pre-test, post-test, non-randomized, control group design. The design is a 2 x 2 factorial design. The sample for the study comprised of 24 males and 20 females (44) students selected from JSS II classes of selected two schools. School A was assigned as the experimental group, while School B was the control group. The purposive sampling technique was used to select intact classes used for the study. Four research questions were raised and answered, while two research hypotheses were formulated and tested. Descriptive and Inferential statistics were used to answer the research question and test the stated hypotheses with the aid of statistical product and service solution (SPSS) version 20.0 at a 0.05 level of significance. The findings indicated that there was no significant difference in the mean scores’ performance of male and female students that were exposed to Glogster and there was no significant difference between male and female students’ attitudes towards the use of Glogster for learning. The study concluded that learning can be enhanced among secondary school’ students if appropriate technology like Glogster is deployed for learning. Therefore, it was recommended that secondary school students be encouraged to deploy Glogster for learning irrespective of their gender.
... We adapted five items from the work of Halic et al. (2010) to measure "Perceived AI learning" (α = 0.801). We adapted four items from the work of Jaramillo et al. (2007) to measuring "Intrinsic motivation" (α = 0.707). ...
... Perceived AI-learning (Halic et al., 2010) Computational thinking (Keller, 1987) 1. I believe that I can solve the AI problem possible to occur when I encounter with a new situation. ...
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The concept of Artificial Intelligence (AI), born as the possibility of simulating the human brain's learning capabilities, quickly evolves into one of the educational technology concepts that provide tools for students to better themselves in a plethora of areas. Unlike the previous educational technology iterations, which are limited to instrumental use for providing platforms to build learning applications, AI has proposed a unique education laboratory by enabling students to explore an instrument that functions as a dynamic system of computational concepts. However, the extent of the implications of AI adaptation in modern education is yet to be explored. Motivated to fill the literature gap and to consider the emerging significance of AI in education, this paper aims to analyze the possible intertwined relationship between students’ intrinsic motivation for learning Artificial Intelligence during the COVID-19 pandemic; the relationship between students’ computational thinking and understanding of AI concepts; and the underlying dynamic relation, if existing, between AI and computational thinking building efforts. To investigate the mentioned relationships, the present empirical study employs mediation analysis based upon collected 137 survey data from Universidad Politécnica de Madrid students in the Institute for Educational Science and the School of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering during the first quarter of 2022. Findings show that intrinsic motivation mediates the relationship between perceived Artificial Intelligence learning and computational thinking. Also, the research indicates that intrinsic motivation has a significant relationship with computational thinking and perceived Artificial Intelligence learning.
... Blogs have been recognized as a valuable, flexible and easyto-use web 2.0 technology tool for teaching and learning (Halic et al., 2010;Ifinedo, 2017). According to Yang (2009), the study found that students' communication ability and reflection of learning has been enhanced by using blogs for learning. ...
... According to Yang (2009), the study found that students' communication ability and reflection of learning has been enhanced by using blogs for learning. Researchers found that students recognize that blogs are a useful tool for their learning (Halic et al., 2010;Chen et al., 2015;Ifinedo and Usoro, 2016). In light of this, the present study focused on implementing social comparison, and used blogs as a writing and interactive tool for students to refer to compositions, and post comments on the writings. ...
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Social comparison is a mind-altering determinant that affects students’ learning behavior. To understand the effect, three instructional approaches to teaching Chinese writing skills were designed and implemented in this study: (1) The No Comparison Group (NCG): students were asked to complete compositions on their own; (2) The Upward Comparison Group (UCG): superior composition examples were provided and the students were asked to write compositions on the same topics; and (3) The Downward Comparison Group (DCG): inferior examples were provided for students to critique. Taiwanese junior high school ninth graders participated in three groups, and wrote compositions on six themes. The results revealed that the Chinese composition writing (CCW) skills of the students in the UCG and DCG improved significantly more than those of the students in the NCG. Composition-prompted cognitive anxiety in the DCG declined substantially. The results imply that adopting upward and downward comparisons for students to practice Chinese composition is worth adopting in writing lessons.
... Teaching with the help of a blog is more efficient than traditional teaching, and students are more motivated for teaching that includes digital technologies, which is in line with the previous research on the application of the blog in teaching (Churchill, 2009). Many authors have proven that blogs have the effect of improving learning performance (Ching, 2012;Chou, 2011;De Andrés Martínez, 2012;Goktas and Demirel, 2012;Halic, et al, 2010;Hramiak et al, 2009;Mansor, 2011;Tang and Lam, 2014). For example, Halic et al. (2010) state that the interaction of teaching materials in class with combining teaching with the help of a blog significantly contributes to a better understanding of the material. ...
... Many authors have proven that blogs have the effect of improving learning performance (Ching, 2012;Chou, 2011;De Andrés Martínez, 2012;Goktas and Demirel, 2012;Halic, et al, 2010;Hramiak et al, 2009;Mansor, 2011;Tang and Lam, 2014). For example, Halic et al. (2010) state that the interaction of teaching materials in class with combining teaching with the help of a blog significantly contributes to a better understanding of the material. Previous research (Norrby et al., 2015) has also shown that students who use computer animations or videos understand the material better, compared to students who only read about it from textbooks. ...
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Innovations in technology are rapid and workers' roles in the virtual environment have changed. Due to the great need to educate professionals who need to adapt quickly, the modernization of teaching is gaining momentum. Blog is one of the internet tools that can be effectively implemented in education. The aim of the research is to experimentally test the effects of the application of the blog Biosoikoslogos in biology teaching in relation to traditional teaching and to evaluate the attitudes of first-grade high school students (15-16 years of age) towards the characteristics of the blog. The theoretical method, descriptive method, experimental method with parallel groups, and methods with pedagogical statistics were applied in the research. The results of the study showed that the students who used the blog achieved statistically significantly better results than the students who did not use the blog. The results also showed that the most important features of the blog are those that are the most helpful for students to directly facilitate learning. The analysis of the results shows that blog-based biology teaching is significantly more effective than traditional teaching, should be applied more frequently in practice, and students should evaluate blog features differently.
... Ajewole & Fashola (2012) identified active learning, collaborative learning, higher-level thinking, and flexibility in course delivery as benefits of weblogs. Halic et al (2010) conducted a study on the perception of students on blogging. They stated that blogging improved students' learning outcome and it was also revealed that students with private blogs were more interested in blogging than students who did not have blogs. ...
... Pi, Liao, Liu, & Hseih (2010) reported that interaction has positive impact on users of blog's perception. Churchill (2009) & Halic et al (2010 reported that blogging influences the perception of knowledge of learners in diverse backgrounds. Goktas and Demirel (2012) revealed out that the integration of blogs influence the students' Information and Communication Technology (ICT) perception positively in addition to the acquisition of ICT competencies. ...
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The aim of this paper was to evaluate students’ views toward the usage of weblogs for educational purposes in Ondo state tertiary institutions. Three research questions were designed to guide the study. The population consisted of all undergraduates in three selected tertiary institutions in Ondo state. The sample of the study consisted of 358 respondents who were selected using convenience and purposive sampling techniques. A self-structured questionnaire was used to collect data. The result of the findings revealed that students are aware of the usage of weblogs for educational purposes. The findings revealed that students show a positive perception toward the weblog. It was also revealed that Blogs help to provide solutions to Group assignments through enhanced interaction, promote reflective learning, and enhance interaction between teachers and students. Lastly, the results of the study revealed that constraints such as inadequate electricity, bad internet facility, lack of mobile phones and personal computers, lack of relevant software, and insufficient knowledge are the constraints toward the usage of weblogs. Based on the findings of this study, it was recommended among other things that administrators of tertiary institutions should create an enabling environment for intellectual exchange, aligning with tertiary institutions' curriculum to promote the use of weblogs for educational purposes. It was also recommended that Governments should install robust and reliable Internet (Wi-Fi) facilities through the Department of ICT Directorate in the tertiary institutions.
... The collaborative-constructivism approaches suggest an improvement in how students can read better together and support reading skills (Halic et al., 2010). By collaborating with a student who reads better, i.e., through peer scaffolding strategy, a student can collaborate and read better (Wan et al., 2017). ...
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Although the positive effects of the use of technology for students with learning disabilities (LD) have been reported, there is a lack of both theory and practice in terms of integrating technology with the appropriate strategy in accordance with the student, content and purpose. Both teaching materials developed with qualified strategies and the active involvement of the target audience in the process are a need to design effective and sustainable learning materials and processes for LD. This study involved both the production of a material with the common views of stakeholders related to LD (individuals diagnosed with LD, special education teachers, academics working on LD) and the examination of the effectiveness of this material. The focus of the study is primarily on the fact that human being is a social being and learning, language and reading are social phenomena. In this context, within the framework of social constructivist perspective, an e-book design based on context based teaching (CBT) strategy and its effectiveness on reading performance were analysed. The study involved a two-stage process. In the first phase, design-based research was conducted and a CBT-supported e-book (DIJIKIT) was developed. In the second stage, DIJIKIT and an e-book were compared in an adapted alternating implementation design. The participants of the study in the CBT process consisted of researchers, three special education teachers, academicians and two primary school students diagnosed with learning disabilities. In each cycle of the DBR, the participants provided feedback on the material. Semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, video recordings and a researcher's diary were used as data collection tools in the DBR. As a result of the DBR, DIJIKIT design and content features were determined. In the experimental process, DIJIKIT was used by three primary school students diagnosed with learning disabilities. In the experimental process, efficacy (the informal reading invetory), reliability (treatment integrity, interobserver agreement) and social validity (social validity forms) data were collected. The reading comprehension performances and reading levels of all three students increased. Social validity data supported the experimental process data and clearly demonstrated the need for effective instructional technologies for both parents and teachers. The study offers practical implications and recommendations for future researchers in terms of exemplary design features and greater visibility of the relationship between instructional technologies and special education.
... To encourage the effective use of blogs, it is crucial to address these challenges and foster an environment conducive to reflection (Kalk et al., 2019). Motivation and the level of challenge offered by blogs are critical to their success (Cakir, 2013), as is fostering a sense of community (Halic et al., 2010). External factors, such as engaging content, a supportive atmosphere, and prompt feedback, also play a significant role in student participation (Huang & Lo, 2012). ...
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This case study examines the use and possibilities of blogging as reflective practice journals by student teachers during their practicum. The blog serves as a tool for the construction of their teacher identity through the encouragement of daily reflection on school experiences. The study investigates how the blog, as a digital tool, facilitates peer interaction, reflective thinking, and collaborative knowledge construction. Conducted with participants from primary and secondary education programs at the University of Valencia the research employs a qualitative, instrumental case study methodology. The researcher acted as the teacher-tutor of the internships and students shared their impressions by sharing their experiences within the group. Findings suggest that blogs function as effective platforms for fostering reflective writing, enhancing peer support, and promoting collaborative knowledge construction, ultimately contributing to the development of professional identity among student teachers. Self-censorship is identified as the main limitation, especially when sharing perceived shortcomings in the school system and teaching practice. The study concludes that the blog provides an interactive space that enriches personal writing expression and collaborative learning, highlighting also their value in teacher education.
... As experiências de ensino sobre o uso didático de blogs no Ensino Superior têm sido estudadas tanto no contexto espanhol como no internacional (Halic et al., 2011;Huang;Chen, 2013;Valenciano;Valencia-Peris, 2015;Lizandra, 2021). Esses estudos coincidem em apontar sua contribuição para a aprendizagem ativa e participativa, para a melhor compreensão dos conteúdos, para o aprimoramento das habilidades de escrita, para a comunicação e interação entre os alunos ou para o desenvolvimento do pensamento crítico, independentemente do edublog utilizado (Figura 1). ...
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Atualmente, a diminuição gradual do interesse e da presença das mulheres nos estudos da família da educação física, da atividade física e do esporte, reflete um problema estrutural e cultural de uma perspectiva de gênero, na definição e caracterização dos estudos ligados às Ciências da Atividade Física e do Esporte, que se agrava ano após ano. A participação de estudantes do sexo feminino em todos esses cursos é menor do que a dos estudantes do sexo masculino em todos os casos, apresentando um desequilíbrio acentuado: em Ciências do Esporte, a porcentagem de mulheres é de 17%, no Bacharelado com 20,6%, e na Educação Esportiva com 32,2%, em média, e diminui à medida que o nível de educação aumenta, sendo de 15,7% na Educação Superior (Ministerio de Educación y Deporte, 2021).Portanto, embora um grande setor acadêmico e profissional acredite que a igualdade já tenha sido alcançada, devido ao que Valcárcel (2008) chama de "miragem da igualdade", os dados revelam uma dura realidade: em vez de avançar, ela regrediu. A igualdade teórica na educação ainda não levou à igualdade real, muito pelo contrário. Como resultado, o campo da educação no setor esportivo está sendo cada vez mais construído como um campo masculino. O problema é muito mais complexo do que incorporar as mulheres ao mundo do esporte, pois se trata de repensar a própria configuração do campo do conhecimento e feminizar a cultura esportiva, incorporando novos valores (Rietti; Maffía, 2005) que não se baseiem no sexismo e no androcentrismo das teorias científicas do século XIX, que procuravam demonstrar a inferioridade "natural" das mulheres, fundamentalmente em inteligência ou habilidades (García Dauder; Pérez Sedeño, 2017; Valls, 2008). O objetivo deste capítulo é apresentar uma proposta de inovação educacional no Ensino Superior que aborde a igualdade de oportunidades de homens e mulheres no campo da Educação Física e do Esporte, a partir de uma competência transversal e crítica, com base em uma disciplina do Mestrado em Ensino Fundamental, na Universidade de Valência.
... • The holistic understanding of teaching AI. Martín-Núñez et al. (2023) use survey question items from the work of (Jaramillo et al., 2007) to measure "Intrinsic motivation", (Korkmaz & Xuemei, 2019) to measure "Computational thinking", and (Halic et al., 2010) to measure "Perceived AI learning". Self-reported data bias is checked via Harmon's one-factor test (Harmon's single-factor test) by using IBM SPSS. ...
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Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been around for nearly a century, yet in recent years the rapid advancement and public access to AI applications and algorithms have led to increased attention to the role of AI in higher education. An equally important but overlooked topic is the study of AI teaching and learning in higher education. We wish to examine the overview of the study, pedagogical outcomes, challenges, and limitations through a systematic review process amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and public access to ChatGPT. Twelve articles from 2020 to 2023 focused on AI pedagogy are explored in this systematic literature review. We find in-depth analysis and comparison of work post-COVID and AI teaching and learning era is needed to have a more focused lens on the current state of AI pedagogy. Findings reveal that the use of self-reported surveys in a pre-and post-design form is most prevalent in the reviewed studies. A diverse set of constructs are used to conceptualize AI literacy and their associated metrics and scales of measure are defined based on the work of specific authors rather than a universally accepted framework. There remains work and consensus on what learning objectives, levels of thinking skills, and associated activities lead to the advanced development of AI literacy. An overview of the studies, pedagogical outcomes, and challenges are provided. Further implications of the studies are also shared. The contribution of this work is to open discussions on the overlooked topic of AI teaching and learning in higher education.
... The rise of the internet gave scholars the opportunity to learn the language through fun and fun activities. According to Halic et al., (2010); (Deng & Yuen, 2010); Hameed (2016); Albahlal (2019) YouTube is an online education platform that makes it easy for students to keep content and push them to learn by means of videos, film and images can improve student's language skills. The challenges face relating to instructors, strategy and facilities most of English teachers are still repetitive in teaching English; instead of teaching materials they give too much attention to the topic of what they teach. ...
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This research concentrates to analyze student’s engagement in learning English in online environment amid Covid 19. Mr. Bean film used in this study to help students understand English tenses for EFL classroom. A random choice of English subject was made with 21 students from Technique Information of Computer Science faculty at Universitas Al Asyariah Mandar Indonesia. The English tenses content and language level difficulty based on a Mr. Bean film was chosen in teaching were: simple present tense, present continuous, Present perfect, past simple. They looked at the Mr. Bean film, analyze the tenses, re write the tenses in sentences then create their own tenses. After the film, the participants replied to material understanding and questions by retelling on their video. The collected data were subject to descriptive qualitative. The findings showed that Mr. Bean film have a positive effect on English understanding of tenses content. It can be argued that the participants better understand the English tenses with film. In addition, it is found in this study student’s engagement increase and they were motivated to learn English tenses. The teacher's pedagogy is to use a certain Mr. Bean film to enhance the student’s motivation, engagement and help to be easier to understanding tenses.
... When essential features, such as commenting, replying, post archiving, blogrolls, and 'follow' and 'like' buttons are utilised, students can create a community space, fostering social interaction, receiving notifications, and minimising the time needed to find specific blogs and posts (Rettberg, 2014). In this manner, students gain access to specific information, allowing them to co-construct understanding (Halic et al., 2010), resolve conflicting ideas (Wang & Hsua, 2008), and establish new connections between ideas (Buasuwan, 2018;Noel, 2015). ...
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Despite the growing interest in reflection, there is an issue regarding how to fortify the linkages between a learning experience and the reflection activity that follows it, as experience on its own is not the key to learning. In addition, studies have also shown that students are not able to transfer the newly acquired knowledge through experience into a new situation. Besides that, it is revealed that students have a generally poor learning performance in computer-supported courses. This can be attributed to the difficulty in comprehending lessons. These problems then bring to the fore the question of what specific elements are needed to turn experience into learning and enable educators to enhance students' learning performance through reflection activities. Therefore, this study was undertaken to design the reflection environment through educational blogging and examine its effect on students' learning performance in a computer-supported course; that is, an Authoring System course. Background Incorporating reflection as an integral part of the curriculum and learning process can be challenging. It involves dedicating time and effort to foster a reflective culture. Therefore, a reflective blogging environment needs to be designed by incorporating structured and interactive reflective thinking activities. This learning environment should also be able to integrate theoretical and practical aspects while encouraging active engagement in social collaborative learning to build knowledge and comprehension in learning computer-supported courses. Furthermore, leveraging blogging technology by embedding it with effective
... Además, en los mencionados países anglófonos se han llevado a cabo estudios centrados en una o más herramientas específicas, como blogs, wikis o redes sociales, a menudo en relación a su uso concreto en una o más asignaturas. En este sentido, se han destacado las ventajas de blogs y/o wikis como herramientas participativas y colaborativas (Bonk et al., 2009;Halic et al., 2010;Philip y Nicholls, 2009), aunque, al mismo tiempo, se ha remarcado la importancia del diseño y de la implementación de las actividades, así como la necesidad del seguimiento por parte del docente (Bennett et al., 2012;Judd, Kennedy y Cropper, 2010). Además, se han puesto de manifiesto algunas dudas sobre su utilidad expresadas por los propios estudiantes, sobre todo relativas a la percepción de esas herramientas como una imposición (Reupert y Dalgarno, 2011) y a potenciales conflictos entre los alumnos durante el proceso colaborativo (Naismith, Lee y Pilkingtont, 2011). ...
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Se presentan los resultados de una investigación sobre la opinión de los estudiantes relativa al uso de los medios de comunicación social (MCS) como recurso docente en la universidad presencial. Se realizó una encuesta a 244 estudiantes del área de Comunicación (M=20.67) y cuatro focus groups con 30 participantes. Mayoritariamente, los estudiantes se muestran a favor de la implementación de los MCS como recurso docente en la universidad. No obstante, se identifican los siguientes temores entre los estudiantes: pérdida del contacto cara a cara entre alumnos y profesores, saturación mediática, dependencia de internet y conflictos de privacidad. Emplear los MCS para incentivar la participación (creación de foros de debate) y como soporte de contenidos y material docente (blogs, servidores multimedia y grupos en redes sociales) son las prácticas que mejor se valoran mientras que las tutorías virtuales son las que más rechazo suscitan.
... There has been a gradual shift in education towards the use of Web 2.0 tools such as blogs and wikis, and despite all the research and surveys into the use of blogs for educational purposes, there is still a dearth of cohesive body of knowledge about the quality and effectiveness of blogging that can be used to guide practice and education (Yang & Chang, 2012). Similarly, blogging practices in the field of teaching EFL/ ESL have remained the object of inconclusive and mixed research findings (Halic et al., 2010;Kim, 2008), thus a more systematic review is likely to provide a clear and comprehensive evidence on blogging practices in teaching EFL/ESL (O'Hagan et al., 2018), revealing research trends and gaps in the field (Eagly & Wood, 1994). This review accordingly aims to discuss whether use of blogs is effective in developing 21st century skills and English language skills in students, with studies retrieved from inception to 31st August 2021 in the light of the following research questions. ...
Article
In 21st century knowledge society, educators are naturally expected to be accountable for both creating innovative learning environments and designing educational facilities that enable students to gain 21st century skills in novel and appealing ways, in keeping with recent advances in ICT. Incorporating technological tools into EFL/ESL as a means to develop 21st century skills and English language skills in students has been a popular research topic in recent years. This review presents the first comprehensive qualitative analysis of whether the use of blogs is conducive to improving students’ 21st century skills, coupled with English language skills. Qualitative analysis of 53 reviewed articles reveals that blogging practices in EFL/ESL enhance collaborative, reflective thinking, and autonomous learning skills that are directly pertinent to 21st century skills. Although the implementation of blogging activities into EFL/ESL makes considerable contributions to students’ interpersonal, affective, and cognitive skills, it imposes such challenges as feedback concerns, teacher support, and arousal of negative emotions in English language students. Furthermore, given the research paradigm of the analysed articles, further research with undergraduate, graduate, and K-12 students based on more experimental research designs is warranted in terms of the effectiveness of blogging practices in the field. Key words: blogging; English language skills; 21st century skills; systematic review---SažetakU društvu znanja 21. stoljeća, od odgajatelja se prirodno očekuje da budu odgovorni ne samo za stvaranje inovativnih okružja za učenje, već i za osmišljavanje obrazovnih objekata koji omogućuju učenicima stjecanje vještina 21. stoljeća na nove i privlačne načine, u skladu s nedavnim napretkom u IKT-u. Uključivanje tehnoloških alata u EFL/ESL kao sredstava za razvoj vještina 21. stoljeća i vještina engleskoga jezika kod učenika popularna je tematika istraživanja posljednjih godina. Ovaj pregled prikazuje prvu sveobuhvatnu kvalitativnu analizu je li upotreba blogova pogodna za poboljšanje vještina učenika 21. stoljeća, zajedno s vještinama engleskoga jezika. Kvalitativna analiza 53 pregledana članka pokazuje da prakse blogiranja u EFL/ESL poboljšavaju suradničke, reflektirajuće razmišljanje i samostalne vještine učenja koje su izravno relevantne za vještine 21. stoljeća. Iako implementacija aktivnosti blogiranja u EFL/ESL daje značajan doprinos međuljudskim, afektivnim i kognitivnim vještinama učenika, nameće izazove kao što su briga o povratnim informacijama, podrška učitelja i izazivanje negativnih emocija kod učenika engleskoga jezika. Osim toga, s obzirom na istraživačke paradigme analiziranih članaka, daljnja istraživanja s diplomantima, poslijediplomantima i učenicima K-12 temeljena na eksperimentalnijim istraživačkim dizajnima opravdana su u smislu učinkovitosti praksi blogiranja u tom području. Ključne riječi: blogiranje; vještine engleskoga jezika; vještine 21. stoljeća; sustavni pregledÂ
... When considering the findings of this study, we conclude that student teachers demonstrated critical thinking at the lower levels of Bloom et al.'s (1956) Taxonomy when blogging in an electronic CoP. Student teachers were anticipated to utilize higher-order thinking skills since blogs promote thoughtful reflection and a CoP serves as an environment in which these skills can be enhanced (Garrison et al., 2001;Gilbert & Dabbagh, 2005;Halic et al., 2010;Killeavy & Moloney, 2010;Vonderwell, 2002;Wenger & Snyder, 2000;Yang, 2009). However, knowledge, comprehension, and application represented 89.5% (f=843) of the total blog posts, accounting for approximately ten percent more blog postings at lower-order thinking levels than findings by Garrison et al. (2001) and Gilbert and Dabbagh (2005). ...
Article
Technology is becoming increasingly popular in higher education in the way students are asked to communicate and collaborate. The student teaching experience is an integral part of developing critical thinking skills in pre-service teachers. During this experience, it is important that student teachers practice the theory they have been taught in their preparatory programs. This study determined the frequency in which student teachers at Iowa State University posted blogs in an electronic community of practice at each level of critical thinking, the relationship between the number of blogs posted by each student teacher and student teachers’ average level of critical thinking displayed in those blog posts. The Florida Taxonomy of Cognitive Behavior was used to code student teacher blog posts. Six levels of critical thinking, according to Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, were present. Of the student teachers’ blog posts (n=942), 89.5% (f = 843) were at lower-order levels of critical thinking, consistent with prior research. The results did not indicate a significant relationship between the number of posts per student teacher (N=21) and student teachers’ average level of critical thinking. Teacher preparation programs should focus on modeling critical thinking in order for student teachers to incorporate and practice problem-solving, evaluating, creating, and many other critical thinking skills during the student teaching experience.
... Incorporating digital storytelling activities into English language education encourages active participation in creating stories using technology, resulting in increased learner autonomy and, as a result, individual ownership (Heo, 2009;Hur and Suh, 2012;Liu, Huang, & Xu, 2018). Furthermore, multimedia processes such as auditory or visual stimulation motivate some learners, contributing to increased motivation (Halic et al., 2010;Kukulska-Hulme and Shield, 2008). ...
Article
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The study delves into how digital storytelling can improve learners’ engagement in language learning while offering value by improving literacy skills. A mixed-methods approach using questionnaires, interviews, and classroom observations was used on a varied sample to examine its efficacy. The findings illustrate that learners had various levels of experience with digital storytelling tools, as well as encountering technological difficulties or preferring other ways for creative writing opportunities. Despite the challenges learners face when participating in in-class activities such as digital storytelling, the results showed significant advantages, such as increased motivation for class participation and the development of critical thinking abilities and public speaking or writing skills. Learner satisfaction in these areas leads to promising opportunities for teachers interested in implementing learner-centered teaching strategies utilizing this methodology. However, some learners expressed disengagement from courses, which might be attributed to topics exceedingly complex and created by linguistic challenges faced by users. The study demonstrates that the insights revealed are valuable evidence confirming success stories illustrating beneficial effects when adopting digital technology, such as narrative approaches in language education programs worldwide.
... With a sharp increase in the post-pandemic period of the use by education providers of online teaching and learning environments, such as Google Classroom and Canvas (see for example, GlobeNewswire, 2022) university students are routinely engaging in computer-mediated course communications using online discussion forums and blogs. These new forms of academic communication can encourage deeper learning through debate, reflection and peer feedback (Aderibigbe, 2021;Aloni and Harrington, 2018;Bloch, 2007;Halic et al., 2010) and create a clearer sense of audience, authorship and artefact (Warschauer and Grimes, 2007). Combined with a vast range of sources of information freely available online (e.g., webpages, communities of practice, databases and research repositories and social software platforms), these new forms of academic communication may be changing students' and educators' understanding of what constitutes evidence in academic writing and how it may be used. ...
Article
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Following Hyland's model of metadiscourse, evidential is defined as an expression that references information from other texts. Evidence in traditional academic writing may include peer-reviewed articles, published books and personal communication with field experts. With a sharp increase in the use of online teaching and learning environments by education providers, such as Google Classroom and Canvas, and a vast range of sources of evidence available in non-traditional forms, are types of evidence in students' academic writing changing and, if yes, how? In this study, we analysed the use of evidentials in course discussion forums by students at the Universiti Brunei Darussalam, revealing the types of evidence included in the writing. Our findings show that students' academic writing in online teaching environments expands what is traditionally considered academic evidence to some extent, but more targeted teaching intervention may be needed to broaden the range and quality of evidentials used by students.
... In an interesting article using socio-technical system theory he considered blogs as an effective replacement for all CMC applications in English learning. Later, Halic et al. (2010) also published his investigation in the same area. ...
Article
Technology in the classroom today offers novel ways for enhancing the learning experience in ways that also engage the learners. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of Blog writing in engaging and motivating Saudi EFL learners in the writing class to boost their writing output. The participants are 12 EFL learners at Qassim University, Saudi Arabia, who undertake a blog writing five-week support exercise. The instruments of data collection are pre and post-tests, writing evaluation, and interviews. Results of the paired sample-t test indicated that there is a significantly large difference between before (M = 2.04) and after (M = 3, 0.5), p =.032 phases of testing due to the five-week blogging intervention, with organization of ideas being the faculty most developed at the end of the experiment, followed by presentation, vocabulary, grammar, content, context, and audience appropriacy. Interviews reveal learners’ enhanced engagement and motivation after the intervention. The study concludes with recommendations that will be useful for teachers, curriculum planners, and learners.
... Similarly, Pinho et al. (2021) examined Portuguese university students and discovered that Moodle LMS's favorable features positively impacted its usage, as Rogers (2003) proposed. In addition to LMS, blogging has become a popular tool for students (Halic et al., 2010), with teachers and students increasingly using blogs worldwide (Sim & Hew, 2010). Perceived compatibility positively affects students' attitudes toward blog usage. ...
Preprint
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This study explores the adoption and societal implications of an emerging technology such as ChatGPT in higher education students. By utilizing a mixed-method framework, this research combines Rogers' diffusion of innovation theory with sentiment analysis, offering an innovative methodological approach for examining technology adoption in higher educational settings. It explores five attributes—Relative Advantage, Compatibility, Ease of Use, Observability, and Trialability—shaping students' behavioral intentions toward ChatGPT. Sentiment analysis offers qualitative depth, revealing emotional and perceptual aspects, and introduces a gender-based perspective. The results suggest that five innovation attributes significantly impact the adoption rates and perceptions of ChatGPT, indicating its potential for transformative social change within the educational sector. Gen Zs viewed ChatGPT as innovative, compatible, and user-friendly, enabling the independent pursuit of educational goals. Consequently, the benefits provided by ChatGPT in education motivate students to use the tool. Gender differences were observed in the prioritization of innovation attributes, with male students favoring compatibility, ease of use, and observability, while female students emphasized ease of use, compatibility, relative advantage, and trialability. The findings have implications for understanding how technological innovations such as ChatGPT could be strategically diffused across different societal segments, especially in the academic context where ethical considerations such as academic integrity are paramount. This study underscores the need for a demographic-sensitive, user-centric design in generative AI technologies.
... Various authors [10] have also argued that blogging enables students and individuals to come together in small groups to overcome the anonymity of large classrooms and together form a learning community. One study found that interaction positively impacts a blog user's perceived value [11]. ...
Article
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Living in today's age of technology, we have witnessed great and rapid changes in the world of online learning for different purposes and in different industries. In this review, 3 theories were examined-the Community of Investigative (CoI) model established by Anderson, Garrison & Archer (2000), Online Collaborative Learning (OCL) being a proposed theory by Linda Harasim (2004) and Terry Anderson (2011) models, and 20 literatures to assess their influence on learning and the learners' community. All theories focused on the learner and the learning environment. Based on these theories, blogging can bring purification and release stress, depression, and emotional challenges in everyday life while studying, building strong bonds with each other. Additionally, participating in a blog can provide a sense of belonging and community; it allows us to share our deepest beliefs and feelings about a particular issue because we know they will be better understood and accessible to hard-to-reach offenders. People who face educational, logistical or temporal barriers geographically, want to remain anonymous, or need the convenience of learning new things.
... The collaborative-constructivism method of reading remediation teaches students how to work together and engage with other students in a positive way in order to increase their reading comprehension (Halic et al., 2010). Students work largely in small groups in a constructivist classroom, where learning and knowledge are interactive and dynamic (Sasan, 2021). ...
Article
The study focused on the students' reading challenges, the techniques, methods, and strategies used, as well as the changes seen following the mentoring sessions. The study's output was the formulation of a plan for peer mentoring. On the second grade non-readers in Toledo City's division, a study was done. The cases consisted of eight students. They all came from low-income homes, and three of them were Pantawid Pampamilyang Pilipino (4Ps) participants. The study was qualitative in character and using the multiple case study methodology. Employed Approaches, Methods, and Strategies Constructivist approaches were applied. Think, Pair and Read, find the underpinning, and Mix Mine were the collaborative learning tactics employed. Adjacent elementary schools inthe district or in other districts should be made aware of the proposed peer mentoring plan. The following subjects are suggested for additional research: Developing Teachers' Creativity in the Mentoring Program Coaching and Mentoring as Realistic Ways toEnhance Learning. A management intervention program called mentoring.
... Wang & Ma, 2008)(Y. S. Wang et al., 2016) (Halic et al., 2010). Adapun peserta webinar ini adalah para pendidik dan tenaga kependidikan di Sekolah Kalam Kudus Bandung. ...
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Situasi Pandemi COVID-19 telah memaksa banyak sekolah, universitas, dan banyak organisasi pendidikan di Indonesia memasuki situasi yang tidak terduga. Mengingat lockdown, pembatasan kegiatan sosial, dan pemberlakuan social distancing oleh pemerintah Indonesia, banyak institusi pendidikan yang berjuang untuk menyesuaikan diri dengan adaptasi kebiasaan baru. Sebagai salah satu institusi pendidikan dengan fasilitas yang tergolong mumpuni, Fakultas Teknologi Informasi (FTI) melaksanakan program pengabdian kepada masyarakat dengan memberikan pelatihan-pelatihan bagi para guru pendidik di tingkat Sekolah Menengah maupun Sekolah Dasar untuk dapat mempersiapkan materi-materi pembelajaran yang menarik dengan menggunakan unsur kreatifitas pada Slides, Video, Blog, maupun Vlog dan menanamkan unsur Gamification for Learning pada materi pembelajarannya. Pelaksanaan pengabdian pada masyarakat ini dinilai telah dapat memperkaya pengetahuan para guru dan meningkatkan kepercayaan untuk mendidik para siswa di era adaptasi kebiasaan baru yang menggabungkan metode pembelajaran daring dan luring. Kegiatan yang terlaksana untuk sebuah sekolah swasta di Bandung telah terlaksana dengan baik dan menerima umpan balik dari para peserta program pengabdian pada masyarakat ini.
... In some studies, it has been determined that online courses lead to better academic performance (Lee & Lee, 2008), provide learning effectiveness and satisfaction (Wan, Wang, & Haggerty, 2008), and positively affect perceived learning (McGill & Klobas, 2009). In addition, in some studies, it has been stated that blogs as social media tools affect the development of perceived learning (Churchill, 2009;Halic, Lee, Paulus, & Spence, 2010). Hsieh and Cho (2011) determined that there is a strong relationship between satisfaction and e-learning. ...
Article
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In this research, it was aimed to determine the predictive power of academic motivation and attitudes towards mobile learning on perceived learning in sports science students. 416 (197 female+219 male) sports science students were included in the research, which was conducted in accordance with the correlational survey model. In the research, "Perceived Learning Scale", Academic Motivation Scale" "Mobile Learning Attitude Scale" and "Personal Information Form" were used as data collection tools. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation and Regression analysis. When the findings of the study were examined, positive moderate and significant relationships were found between perceived learning and academic motivation in sports science students (p<.05), and positive low-level significant relationships were found with mobile learning (p<.05). In addition, it was determined that academic motivation and attitude towards mobile learning positively predicted learning (p<.05). As a result, if perceived learning is desired to increase in a positive way, this research has shown that academic motivation and mobile learning are important variables that can affect this.
... For this format, quantitative data was collected through a questionnaire. This questionnaire was adapted from Halic, et al (2010). The questionnaire consisted of 25 items which were scored on 5 point Likert scale as 1. ...
Article
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Blogs are widely used in education since their emergence particularly in higher education. This research study investigated the use of educational blogs by students at university level. 100 male and female university students were the sample of this study. Data was collected through a questionnaire and focused group discussions. Descriptive statistics i.e., frequency and percentages, were calculated for the analysis of quantitative data and the qualitative data was analyzed through thematic analysis. The results of the study indicated that students used blogs to get educational ideas and communicate with other people. They used educational blogs and commented on relevant course related posts. In this way, students get knowledge of different subjects through blogs. Students and teachers also used educational blogs to get to know each other better by visiting and reading blogs. Educational blogs help teachers to teach and students to learn. It is suggested that at university and college level there should be workshops and awareness programs for the use of modern technology into education. Teachers should offer blogs related courses at university and college levels. This study also creates awareness among university students about the use of blogs for educational purposes.
... In a virtual setting, perceived interactivity has been identified as one of the critical antecedents to build PSoC regardless of temporal and spatial constraints (Carlson et al., 2008;Dawson, 2006). Since the perception of available content and controllability of information in a virtual world encourages users to be more involved, it can cultivate a stronger sense of community (Halic et al., 2010). This study adopts PSoC as a critical determinant among the SMP users since PSoC explains relationship building from a user's perspective. ...
Article
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Media consumption has expanded through the popularity of the internet and one-person media channels such as YouTube and Instagram. The present study attempts to deepen our understanding of media consumption behavior. In particular, we explore how consumers’ activities within social media platforms and motivations to use the venues lead to further brand-relevant behaviors such as purchase intention through various channels (i.e., brick-and-mortar, eCommerce, mobile apps). Theoretically grounded in the theory of psychological sense of community, this study examines consumers’ motives for using media and perceived interactivity as antecedents of developing attitudinal/behavioral intention through the psychological sense of community. Data were collected through a quantitative survey (n = 277), and structural equation modeling was used to examine the suggested relationships. The findings of this study provide implications for digital marketing managers and fashion and beauty brand managers in the under-researched area of transactional commerce activities.
... The interactive nature of blogs 'brings … learners' thoughts and arguments into the open and allows for discussion and restructuring of knowledge to occur' (Gardner & Ladyshewsky, 2008, p. 242). Through inter-blogging discussion, collaborative production and peer review (Allen, 1999;Halic et al., 2010;O'Neill et al., 2011), students are given the opportunity to learn, assess, and receive an evaluation from their peers and improve their evaluative judgement. These foster students' development of holistic competencies like communication skills and self-refection, while upholding the spirit of experiential learning at the same time (Fessakis et al., 2008;Gardner & Ladyshewsky, 2008). ...
Book
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Chan’s book explores the challenges in assessing experiential learning, deepens our understanding and inspires readers to think critically about the purpose of assessment in experiential learning. Experiential learning has been studied and proven to be effective for student learning, particularly for the development of holistic competencies (i.e. 21st cen-tury skills, soft skills, transferable skills) considered essential for individuals to succeed in the increasingly global and technology-infused 21st century society. Universities around the world are now actively organising experiential learning activities or programmes for students to gain enriching and diversifed learning experiences; however, the assessment of these programmes tends to be limited, unclear and contested. Assessment plays a central role in education policies and students’ approach to learning. But do educators know how to assess less traditional learning such as service learning, entrepreneurship, cross-discipline or cross-cultural projects, internships and student exchanges? While the current assessment landscape is replete with assessments that measure knowledge of core content areas such as mathematics, law, languages, science and social studies, there is a lack of as-sessments and research that focus on holistic competencies. How do we as-sess students’ ability to think critically, problem solve, adapt, self-manage and collaborate? Central to the discussion in this book is the reason students are assessed and how they should be assessed to bring out their best learning outcomes. Offering a collection of best assessment practice employed by teachers around the world, this volume brings together both theoretical and empirical research that under-pins assessment; and perceptions of different stakeholders – understanding of as-sessment in experiential learning from students, teachers and policymakers. The idea of assessment literacy also plays an important role in experiential learning, for example, refection is often used in assessing students in experiential learning but how refection literate are educators, are they aware of the ethical dilemmas that arise in assessing students? These questions are discussed in detail. The volume also introduces a quality assurance programme to recognise student de-velopment within experiential learning programmes.
... The interactive nature of blogs 'brings … learners' thoughts and arguments into the open and allows for discussion and restructuring of knowledge to occur' (Gardner & Ladyshewsky, 2008, p. 242). Through inter-blogging discussion, collaborative production and peer review (Allen, 1999;Halic et al., 2010;O'Neill et al., 2011), students are given the opportunity to learn, assess, and receive an evaluation from their peers and improve their evaluative judgement. These foster students' development of holistic competencies like communication skills and self-refection, while upholding the spirit of experiential learning at the same time (Fessakis et al., 2008;Gardner & Ladyshewsky, 2008). ...
Chapter
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Following the big-picture discussions in the previous chapters, this chapter serves as a detailed guide to assessment design in experiential learning. The chapter begins with a list of essential questions for educators to ask oneself when deciding on assessment types and when designing the actual tasks in their programmes. Enriched with real-life examples and thinking prompts, I present nine common assessment tasks in experiential learning and their respective strengths, weaknesses, effective design tips and sample rubrics. This is followed by eight experiential learning activities, from capstone, internships, to residential education, and concrete ways in which their learning outcomes can be assessed.
... The interactive nature of blogs 'brings … learners' thoughts and arguments into the open and allows for discussion and restructuring of knowledge to occur' (Gardner & Ladyshewsky, 2008, p. 242). Through inter-blogging discussion, collaborative production and peer review (Allen, 1999;Halic et al., 2010;O'Neill et al., 2011), students are given the opportunity to learn, assess, and receive an evaluation from their peers and improve their evaluative judgement. These foster students' development of holistic competencies like communication skills and self-refection, while upholding the spirit of experiential learning at the same time (Fessakis et al., 2008;Gardner & Ladyshewsky, 2008). ...
... The interactive nature of blogs 'brings … learners' thoughts and arguments into the open and allows for discussion and restructuring of knowledge to occur' (Gardner & Ladyshewsky, 2008, p. 242). Through inter-blogging discussion, collaborative production and peer review (Allen, 1999;Halic et al., 2010;O'Neill et al., 2011), students are given the opportunity to learn, assess, and receive an evaluation from their peers and improve their evaluative judgement. These foster students' development of holistic competencies like communication skills and self-refection, while upholding the spirit of experiential learning at the same time (Fessakis et al., 2008;Gardner & Ladyshewsky, 2008). ...
Chapter
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... PUIGDELLÍVOL, 2015, p. 13). Além disso, diferentes autores endossaram as vantagens do uso educacional dos blogs, entre as quais se destaca a ampliação das possibilidades de interação e debate, que supera as barreiras espaço-temporais da sala de aula (HALIC et al., 2011); a troca multidirecional de informações, experiências e ideias  "Práticas escolares na pandemia". Nessa semana, convidamos os alunos a comentarem as mudanças ou adaptações vivenciadas em relação à pandemia: rotinas ou protocolos nas sessões de Educação Física, conteúdos diferentes ou trocados etc. ...
Article
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A Tecnologia de informação e comunicação (TIC) revolucionou o processo ensino-aprendizagem. O uso de blogs no campo educacional é uma realidade crescente que levou ao desenvolvimento de um gênero específico, o edublog. Dessa forma, as práticas escolares na Educação Física, também denominadas Practicum III, realizadas no último ano do Curso de Licenciatura de Professores do Ensino Básico em Espanha são um momento chave para o futuro professor desta especialidade. Por isso, o monitoramento contínuo e a comunicação direta e fluída entre os alunos e o tutor universitário favorecem uma tutoria de qualidade. O objetivo deste projeto de boas práticas e inovação consiste em projetar e implementar um edublog como ferramenta acessível para publicação de conteúdo curricular na web. Apresenta-se a experiência "Prácticum III 2020-2021", desenvolvida na Faculdade de Educação na Universidade de Valência, durante este curso acadêmico. Foi posto em prática com 10 alunos de 4º ano com uma duração de 10 sessões. Os resultados mostraram que as tutorias das práticas escolares por meio do edublog fomentam a comunicação tutor-alunos; o acompanhamento das próprias práticas curriculares e o conhecimento de outras realidades educativas compartilhadas por outros colegas, aspectos que completam e melhoram a aprendizagem dos alunos. Palavras-chave: Edublog. Práticas escolares. Inovação educacional. Educação superior. Educação Física.
... Many writing assignments such as lab reports and research papers in biology and other science-based curricula are intended for expert audiences (Krest & Carle, 1999;Pechenik, 2007;Simmons et al., 2014). Conversely, writing assignments aimed for general audiences, such as blogging, are still at the initial stage of deployment in educational contexts (Alsamadani, 2017;Montero-Fleta & Pérez-Sabater, 2010;Wang et al., 2010) despite the societal and career benefits they can provide (Batts et al., 2008;Deng & Yuen, 2009;Halic et al., 2010;Lenhart & Fox, 2006). Thus, this article makes an important contribution to science education by providing an example of a complete, science blogging-based writing assignment to supplement learning and develop science communication skills. ...
Article
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Societal Impact Statement The practice of writing science blogs benefits both the scientist and society alike by providing professional development opportunities and delivering information in a format that is accessible to large and diverse audiences. By designing a project that introduced upper‐level undergraduate students to science blog writing with a focus on plant biology, we piqued students' interest in science writing and the content of a popular plant science blog website. If adopted more widely, this work could broaden the scope of science education and promote the development of effective science communication skills for the next generation of scientists. Summary Successful scientists must communicate their research to broad audiences, including distilling key scientific concepts for the general public. Students pursuing careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields benefit from developing public communication skills early in their careers, but opportunities are limited in traditional biology curricula. We created the “Plant Science Blogging Project” for a Plant Biology undergraduate course at the University of Pittsburgh in Fall 2018 and 2019. Students wrote blog posts merging personal connections with plants with plant biology concepts for the popular science blogs Plant Love Stories and EvoBites. By weaving biology into their narratives, students learned how to share botanical knowledge with the general public. The project had positive impacts on student learning and public engagement. In post‐assignment surveys, the majority of students reported that they enjoyed the assignment, felt it improved their understanding of plant biology, and piqued their interest in reading and writing science blogs in the future. Approximately one‐third of the student‐authored blogs were published, including two that rose to the top 10 most‐read posts on Plant Love Stories. Some dominant themes in student blogs, including medicine and culture, differed from common story themes published on the web, indicating the potential for students to diversify science blog content. Overall, the Plant Science Blogging Project allows undergraduate students to engage with plant biology topics in a new way, sharpen their scientific communication skills in accordance with today's world of mass information sharing, and contribute to the spread of scientific knowledge for public benefit.
... The following section discusses some of the research done so far on the impacts of blogging on developing the writing skill of the EFL students. It has been observed that blogs encourage student interaction with their teachers and peers through written language, greater students' engagement in online writing activities in relation to the traditional forms of writing, and thus significantly augment writing prowess of learners (Arslan, 2013;Blau, Mor, & Neuthal, 2013;Halic, Lee, Paulus, & Spence, 2010). Moreover, feedback from peers help blog members develop critical thinking skills. ...
Article
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In contrast to the product approach to writing, the process approach entails planning, drafting editing and revising stages. Blog an online platform for practicing process approach has long been used by EFL teachers to develop their students’ writing skill. But in Bangladeshi rural higher education context, its efficacy is yet to be investigated. Hence, the aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of using blogs to enhance student writing skills at tertiary level at a private university located in a rural area of Bangladesh. It focuses on the advantages of incorporating blogs as a virtual writing platform for teaching writing to a group of students used to the traditional product approach. Research participants were 98 undergraduate level stu�dents of third semester in the Department of English at a private university in Bangladesh. The research method is mixed based on primary and secondary data. Online survey was conducted on 98 participants and the test scores of 25 samples were seen through random sampling techniques. The primary numerical data were analyzed through the Google form and the secondary data were manually analyzed. We found students’ attitude to writing in blogs more positive in comparison with the traditional way of writing. Students felt writing in blogs to be more effective and motivating due to its continuous interactive feedback and correction and editing facilities. The test score also indicates gradual development of writing skill. It indicates that in spite of being a new platform to the participants, it can be effective to develop the rural students’ writing skill.
... This process could be beneficial for teachers to find and think what are the difficulties in teaching and learning procedure, how to let students understand some key language points better and what are students really interested in and it may contribute to improving the teaching effect. Blogs used in language teaching could increase the interaction between teachers and students or learners and learners which would enhance students' language skills [4][5][6] . Moreover, students write their opinions in blogs which also practice their writing skills. ...
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In the era of rapid development of information technology, an increasing number of educators involve blog sites in their language teaching process. Although blogs are incredibly effective in language teaching and learning, there is still space for growth. Students may be able to choose helpful learning content and share their thoughts with teachers and other language learners. Furthermore, as compared to traditional educational methods, blogs encourage students to communicate with their professors or other students in written form more frequently. As a result, it may help pupils enhance their reading and writing skills, as well as their learning initiative and vocabulary. Finally, it may allow students to track their learning progress, which may be beneficial in developing students’ self-assessment, self-management, and self-education skills.
... Nuestras lecturas de un vasto número de publicaciones sobre aprendizaje basado en tecnología nos convencieron de que la reticencia estudiantil a la interacción activa en Internet no es exclusiva de nuestro contexto, sino que se la puede considerar universal. Muchos autores han resaltado la importancia clave de las interacciones entre estudiantes (Brinkley, 2018;Clement, Vandeput y Osaer, 2016;Halic et al., 2010), especialmente en lo referido a la eficacia de la docencia, el diseño de cursos y las potencialidades de las herramientas tecnológicas de los programas de BL. ...
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Actualmente, se asume que el riesgo o incertidumbre (Beck, 1998; Bauman, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2010) caracteriza todos los espacios de desarrollo humano, entre ellos, fundamental es el ámbito educativo, donde parece necesario instalar la discusión en torno a la resignificación de la noción de aprendizaje dado que ella está a la base de las propuestas didácticas, a la toma de decisiones de profesores/as en su práctica pedagógica y en la formación inicial profesor. En las condiciones actuales de la educación, la noción de aprendizaje no se reduce a una definición de diccionario, sino que sintetiza una compleja red de significados contextualizados en torno a quién, qué, cómo y para qué se aprende, así como en torno a quién, qué, cómo y para qué se enseña. Este trabajo de revisión bibliográfica se enfoca en determinar nociones de aprendizaje para una sociedad de la incertidumbre caracterizadas en términos de un listado de proposiciones representativas que permitan elaborar un constructo teórico. Para ello se utilizó la Teoría Fundamentada como diseño de investigación cualitativa, que consiste en la selección de un corpus textual focalizado, a través de procesos de recolección, codificación y análisis de los datos. Los resultados de este estudio esperan aportar a una resignificación de la noción de aprendizaje, que favorezca los procesos educativos tanto de quienes tienen la responsabilidad de la formación de los futuros profesores como para quienes ya están en las aulas implementando sus prácticas pedagógicas para lograr procesos de desarrollo humano que se ajusten a los nuevos tiempos.
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In higher education in recent years the educational value of blog journals for facilitating student engagement, reflection and learning has been emphasized (Chu, Kwan, & Warning, 2012; Ellison & Wu, 2008; Richardson, 2005; Yang, 2009). According to Williams and Jacobs (2004), blogs are seen as a ‘transformative educational tool', which assists in the development of ‘reflective and critical thinking skills' (Joshi & Chugh, 2009). This chapter critically analyzes the reflective and collaborative value of two different systems of blog journaling used by postgraduate student to reflect on their arts industry internships. Firstly Blogger (https://www.blogger.com), used between 2008 and 2012 and secondly, journal blogging in the Learning Management System (LMS) of Moodle (2014) are critiqued in terms their ability to promote student engagement, reflection, connection and collaboration. There is particular emphasis on how recent blog journals (2014) reflect how students' confidence, awareness and understandings evolve as they develop professional expertise.
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Since the middle of the 20th century, science and technology have unleashed profound changes in all areas of society. Social, economic, and political changes spread at great speed, thanks, among other factors, to the birth of the Internet in 1966 and its rapid development to become a space to host information. Blogs are easy-to-create tools that do not require very specific knowledge to use; however, like any other tool, the result of its use depends, to a great extent, on the methodology and the objectives with which it is introduced into the blog, the educational program, and therefore, the original activity that is proposed will be accompanied by the appropriate framework for its introduction into the classroom resources. The choice of the students of the last year of compulsory secondary in Spain for the field study has not been something casual. Creating and maintaining a blog requires text production and information processing skills that are not always available in the first years of CSE, especially if it has to be done in a foreign language.
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The article justifies the relevance of the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in a foreign language and professional disciplines teaching of future engineers in quarantine conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis of scientific sources in the context of the use of ICT in education was carried out. One of the most difficult and acute pedagogical problems of foreign language training of students of technical universities in general is to ensure individualization of training and stimulation of students' motivation for self- development. According to the authors of the article, a possible effective means of solving these problems in distance learning is the use of educational blogging technology. The purpose of the article is to highlight and analyze the organization of the educational process in modern conditions with the help of educational ICT during a foreign language and professional disciplines teaching of future engineers, in particular, an educational blog and online exercises of the LearningApps service. The article highlights the main issues of organizing online foreign language teaching for technical students. The method of blogging is partially similar to the project method and the “portfolio” methods. On the one hand, an educational blog should be considered as a project: its creation and regular content requires a pragmatic focus on a result that can be comprehended and applied in real-life practice. In blogging, just like in the project method, students are engaged in a cultural dialogue and have the opportunity to receive feedback from professional linguists and native speakers based on the comment function built into the blog platform. On the other hand, an educational blog serves as an electronic "portfolio" - a means of monitoring and evaluating the quality of a student's independent work and his/her progress in developing professional foreign language competence, which are revealed by comparing the first and last blog post. The blog is also a specific student report, which presents the results of the analysis of English-language materials on professional topics. The article presents a survey of future engineers regarding their assessment of the modern teaching of foreign languages and professional disciplines in higher technical educational establishments. The study was conducted at the Faculty of Electronics at the National Technical University of Ukraine "Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute". A distance learning process based on online classes using an educational blog, mind maps and interactive exercises of the LearningApps service was proposed for consideration. In the course of the study, the insufficient level of students’ knowledge and practical skills of a foreign language was determined. The shortcomings of the professional training of future engineers during the study of a foreign language and professional disciplines have been revealed, in particular, the traditional nature of training and the limited use of ICT. It is concluded that the use of ICT in the educational process significantly improves the quality and effectiveness of education, brings students closer to the real conditions of the professional environment, and allows them to qualitatively improve their practical skills. Taking into account the results of the study, it is possible to determine the prospects for further research on the implementation of the above ICT in the study of humanities and science disciplines in the current conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic and martial law in Ukraine.
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Over the last decade, we have seen an increasing trend in the development, and adoption of self-paced learning systems in both formal and informal sectors. Our Learning Management system is one such web-based interactive learning system that facilitates the acquisition of structured query language skills. In this pilot study, we extended our LMS teams environment to support more collaborative interactions, and knowledge sharing between learners with a blog feature. Thus allowing learners share their insights and learning experiences and further receive feedback from other learners within the course. To evaluate the effectiveness of our approach, we employed a survey research method and its corresponding evaluations on a selected student population. The evaluation shows that blogs are more effective at conveying one’s learning experience compared to the use of chat rooms as learners could progressively restructure, and develop their understanding of every task. Also, the blogging environment allows them understand other students’ points of view, thus making them convenient for knowledge acquisition and distribution.KeywordsCollaborative learningEducational blogsKnowledge sharing
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У статті обґрунтовано актуальність застосування інтернет-технологій у медичних закладах освіти в умовах карантину під час пандемії COVID-19. Здійснено аналіз наукових джерел у контексті застосування інтернет-технологій в освіті. Метою статті є визначення результативності організації освітнього процесу за допомогою освітніх інтернет-технологій, зокрема освітнього блогу, ментальних карт та онлайн-вправ сервісу LearningApps, під час підготовки майбутніх лікарів і фахових молодших медичних бакалаврів під час вивчення фахових дисциплін. Висвітлено основні питання організації онлайн навчання студентів-медиків, також перевірено ефективність запропонованого підходу. Описано результати опитування майбутніх лікарів і молодших медичних фахових бакалаврів стосовно їх оцінювання сучасного викладання фахових дисциплін у медичних закладах освіти. Дослідження проводилось у Вінницькому національному медичному університеті та медичних коледжах Вінницького регіону в 2017-2020 роках. Освітній процес у дистанційному режимі охоплював онлайн заняття з використанням освітнього блогу Blogger, ментальних карт Mindomo та інтерактивних вправ сервісу LearningApps. На початковому етапі дослідження було визначено недостатній рівень професійних знань і практичних навичок студентів-медиків. Виявлено недоліки професійної підготовки майбутніх медиків під час вивчення фахових дисциплін, зокрема традиційність підготовки та обмежене використання ІКТ у медичних закладах освіти. Емпіричну базу на формувальному етапі педагогічного експерименту склали 247 студентів та 70 викладачів фахових дисциплін Вінницького національного медичного університету та медичних коледжів Вінницької області. На формувальному етапі педагогічного експерименту студенти контрольної групи навчалися за традиційною методикою, а їхні викладачі фахових дисциплін використовували традиційні технології навчання. Студенти експериментальної групи навчалися за інноваційними методиками, а їхні викладачі використовували сучасні інтернет-технології. У результаті майбутні медики експериментальної групи показали кращі результати, ніж студенти контрольної групи. Зроблено висновок, що використання Інтернет-технологій в освітньому процесі значно покращує якість та ефективність навчання, наближає студентів до реальних умов клінічного середовища, дає змогу якісно вдосконалювати свої практичні навички. Ефективність використання блогів, ментальних карт та онлайн-вправ LearningApps під час викладання фахових дисциплін була перевірена шляхом проведення комплексного клінічного оцінювання. Статистична перевірка також підтвердила ефективність впровадження інтернет-технологій. Перспективи подальших досліджень зумовлені необхідністю використання педагогічного досвіду онлайн-технологій в організації ізольованого дистанційного навчання в медичній освіті під час вивчення природничих, соціально-економічних та гуманітарних дисциплін у сучасних умовах воєнного стану в Україні.
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This study examines how social and motivational attributes may influence students' online learning experiences. Based on a review of social theories of learning and research about individual characteristics associated with motivation four constructs were included: social ability, learning goal orientation, perceived task value, and self-efficacy. A model was generated to depict the dynamic relationships among these constructs and the outcome measure of learning satisfaction. Factor analyses highlight four dimensions of social ability: social presence-students, social presence-instructors, social navigation, and written communication skills. The results of applying structural equation modeling to data from a sample of 110 online students show the importance of students' perceived task value, self efficacy, and social ability for satisfaction in online learning.
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Researchers typically focus on the defining features of learning communities and frequently examine how those features influence student achievement. Occasionally, researchers evaluate whether structural and programmatic variations across different types of learning community programs have an effect on academic and social outcomes. In this study, the focus is on differences among the sections within one first-year learning community program and the associations between these differences and measures of student achievement. These learning community sections vary considerably, and persistence and grades are higher for first-year students from learning communities that provide a strong sense of community, in which instructors are engaged and approachable, and where a strong and visible linkage exists between instructors, subject matter, and course organization.
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Contends that community psychology has failed in its efforts at social reform. The adverse consequences of segregating the mentally ill, aged, and others in residential institutions are discussed. A new community psychology is proposed which emphasizes a sense of belonging and responsibility among community members. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
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Research has demonstrated that social presence not only affects outcomes but also student, and possibly instructor, satisfaction with a course [1]. Teacher immediacy behaviors and the presence of others are especially important issues for those involved in delivering online education. This study explored the role of social presence in online learning environments and its relationship to students' perceptions of learning and satisfaction with the instructor. The participants for this study were students who completed Empire State College's (ESC) online learning courses in the spring of 2000 and completed the end of semester course survey (n=97). A correlational design was utilized. This study found that students with high overall perceptions of social presence also scored high in terms of perceived learning and perceived satisfaction with the instructor. Students' perceptions of social presence overall, moreover, contributed significantly to the predictor equation for students' perceived learning overall. Gender accounted for some of the variability of students' overall perception of social presence, while age and number of college credits earned did not account for any of the variability.
Article
Abstract We report on a study involving Masters-level students who blogged as a part of a distance-learning course at the Open University, UK. We present an empirically-grounded framework that can be used to guide educators when they are considering blogging as part of their courses, and can be used by students' whose courses include blogging activities. In our analysis of semi-structured interviews with students, we identified six factors that influenced their blogging: perceptions of, and need for, an audience; perceptions of, and need for, community; the utility of, and need for comments; presentational style of the blog content; overarching factors related to the technological context; and the pedagogical context of the course. The students' blogging behaviours were varied and depended upon the way in which they addressed each of the six factors. These factors, along with the associated questions in the proposed framework, provide insights about the activity of blogging from a student's perspective. Therefore, the framework can guide the design of blogging activities in courses.
Article
Although prior research has shown sense of community in schools to be related to many positive student characteristics, effective interventions that can create or enhance this sense have not been demonstrated. In this paper we describe a comprehensive elementary school program, implemented by teachers, that was successful in creating a sense of community in the classrooms, as perceived by students. The program was implemented in three elementary schools in a suburban school district; three additional schools in the same district served as a comparison group. The program, which emphasized cooperative learning, the importance of democratic and prosocial values, student autonomy and self-direction, and a child-centered approach to teaching and classroom management, was experienced by a cohort of students from kindergarten through Grade 4, and by a subset of that cohort through Grade 6. Sense of community was assessed—by questionnaire—in Grades 4, 5, and 6; various student outcomes were assessed via questionnaire and interview. Results indicated that the program was successful in heightening students’ sense of community, and that the sense of community—by itself and in combination with program status—related positively to a number of student outcomes. There was also suggestive evidence that students who experienced their classroom as a community attempted to abide by its norms and values, and that the authority structure of the classroom was an important determinant of students’ experience of community and of some of its observed effects.
Article
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships of the students’ perceived levels of collaborative learning, social presence and overall satisfaction in a blended learning environment. This research studied the relationship of these three variables and identified critical factors related to them. The participants were 48 graduate students who took a blended-format course in health education and worked on a collaborative group project related to the development of a comprehensive HIV-AIDS prevention plan. Data was collected from the Student Perception Questionnaire and face-to-face interviews. The analysis of quantitative data indicated that student perceptions of collaborative learning have statistically positive relationships with perceptions of social presence and satisfaction. This means that students who perceived high levels of collaborative learning tended to be more satisfied with their distance course than those who perceived low levels of collaborative learning. Similarly, students with high perceptions of collaborative learning perceived high levels of social presence as well. Surprisingly, the relationship between social presence and overall satisfaction was positive but not statistically significant. Interview data revealed that (a) course structure, (b) emotional support, and (c) communication medium were critical factors associated with student perceptions of collaborative learning, social presence, and satisfaction. Explanations about findings and implications for instructional design are discussed in the conclusion.
Article
Many educators have attempted to implement a blog in educational contexts to enhance the communication environment among students and teachers. However, it is uncertain as to why traditional computer-mediated communication (CMC) applications should be replaced with blogs. It is time to comprehensively explore the effects of educational blogs by considering the CMC tools. This paper reviews prior studies and develops a model for the use of blogs in educational contexts by taking into account socio-technical systems theory. The model contributes to interactivity, an open system, a visualization tool, and a decentralized environment of online communication circumstance.
Article
A multiple case study was used to evaluate hypotheses on the critical success factors for on-line course resources in a tertiary setting. The evolution of educational media and methods leading up to the usage of such resources are also briefly discussed. The findings show that in order for on-line course resources (such as discussion forums) to be used (as compared to implemented) successfully, the critical factors that need to be considered are: human factors pertaining to the instructors; the instructors' and students' technical competency; the instructors' and students' mindset (about learning); the level of collaboration intrinsic in the course; and the level of perceived IT infrastructure and technical support.The study shows that it is essential for all these factors to be considered in a holistic fashion; the inadequacy of even one of these factors would have an immensely detrimental affect on the overall success of the on-line resource. Any institution intending to invest in such resources or any instructor wishing to use such resources should deliberate these factors holistically.
Article
Higher education has been impacted significantly by the proliferation of online instruction. Despite this trend, empirical investigations of this delivery method have lagged. Many have documented the need for research on online student characteristics, yet current literature consists of personal teaching experiences and anecdotal observations. To address these issues the authors conducted three studies. The goals were to describe how the new measure of online student characteristics (i.e., TOOLS — Test of Online Learning Success) was constructed and validated, outline the contributions the measure has made to our knowledge of online learners, and review the research literature that supports the findings. The results demonstrated the measure's simple and stable structure, construct validity, criterion validity, internal reliable, and test–retest reliability. The measure, administration guidelines, scoring procedures, and outcome interpretations are provided in the public domain. The different purposes for which the measure may be used are discussed. The paramount student characteristics that emerged are presented and discussed in regards to other research findings.
Article
This article presents an initial snapshot, based on an online survey of weblog authors, of bloggers' subjective sense of privacy, and of their perceptions of liability. The findings suggest that the social norms of bloggers are emergent and self-imposed. When confronted with questions of defamation and legal liability, respondents in the survey expressed contradictions between their actions and their knowledge of how the technology works. They generally believed that they were liable for what they published online, although they were not concerned about the persistence of their entries. In general, bloggers do not feel as if they know their audiences. For the most part, blog authors have no control over who accesses their entries, and this inability to define their audiences leads them to make a number of assumptions about who their readers are.
Article
The outcome of a small inquiry exploring the use of blogs with a class of post-graduate students is presented. The exploration of blog uses was conducted in the class of postgraduate students over the period of one semester. The fundamental guiding question was that in what ways does a blog environment supplement classroom teaching and lead to an improved learning experience. The class under study was attending a course of the Master in Information Technology in Education program. Data was collected through observations and analysis of blog activities and artifacts, continuous teacher-reflection, interviews with selected students and a questionnaire. Student blogs, their posts, comments and learning artifacts presented also provided useful data contributing to an understanding of issues and activities. The study demonstrated that blogs can be effective educational technology and useful blog-based activities for learning include reading blogs of others , receiving comments and previewing tasks of others.
Article
How widespread is student disaffection with school in different education systems? What policies and practices are most effective in fostering students’ sense of belonging and participation in school? These questions are of great concern to educators in many countries, not only because of the interrelationship between student engagement at school and learning outcomes, but also because student engagement represents a valued outcome in itself. The OECD PISA provides not only information on students’ literacy skills, but also on their attitudes and values, their social backgrounds, and on important features of the schools they attend.
Article
This chapter reflects on recent experience in guiding students in the use of Weblogs as formative assessment in two university courses. Taking the social constructionist framework for learning as a starting point, the chapter reflects specifically on the problem of integrating the literacies and social communication skills that are peculiar to effective blogging into the preexist-ing "elaborated systems" of higher education.
Bloggers: A portrait of the internet's new storytellers. Pew Internet & American Life Project
  • A Lenhart
  • S Fox
Lenhart, A., & Fox, S. (2006). Bloggers: A portrait of the internet's new storytellers. Pew Internet & American Life Project Retrieved March 20, 2009 from http://www. pewinternet.org/Reports/2006/Bloggers.aspx.
Building a social and motivational framework for understanding satisfaction in online learning Scale development The psychology research handbook
  • Y.-M Lin
  • G.-Y Lin
  • J M Laffe