Kwong Nui Sim’s research while affiliated with Central Queensland University and other places
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In an era where digital technologies penetrate every aspect of education and a growing body of research examining various aspects of digital safety, there exists a significant research gap concerning the overarching (holistic) influence of digital activities on the schooling of 10 to 13 year olds. This paper presents a comprehensive review that untangles the complex relationship between digital safety, literacy, and wellbeing in this context based on 24 papers appearing in international peer-reviewed journals published from 2010 to 2023, and critically examines the impact of digital safety protocols on online student activities, the role of digital literacy in enhancing learning outcomes, and the intricate interplay between digital wellbeing and academic engagement, taking into account the changes created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings showed that the online engagement of students between Year 6 and Year 8 is deeply impacted by factors like digital literacy, digital communication/relationships, digital well-being, and digital habits; that COVID-19 put a spotlight on health; but that in general more research into digital safety needs to be conducted from a holistic and longitudinal viewpoint. Through careful analysis of the literature, this study provides insight into the challenges faced by 10 to 13 year olds, providing valuable directions for educators, policymakers, and researchers striving to create a safe, supportive, and empowering learning environment.
23 Things International (23T) is a 14-week, online, self-directed course for doctoral researchers, supervisors and early career researchers. It provides the basis of engagement with 23T to promote building academic and research networks, increase familiarity with resources underpinning research, and establish professional profiles. The programme, first launched in 2020 as a collaboration between UK and NZ universities, initially attracted 250 participants. In 2021 the collaboration grew, and it attracted 400. The following years, 2022 and 2023, the number of collaborating institutions grew again, reaching about 550 participants. This year there were more than 1000 participants. Adopting a socio-technical framework (Bostrom & Heinen, 1977), this paper draws on end-of-programme evaluation data from participants in 23T, delving into perspectives on whether and how they connected with peers during this course. Within a broadly interpretive approach (Erickson, 2012), the analysis involved the refinement of major and common ideas (Mayring, 2000) held by participants. Two themes emerged from the 2020 to 2023 end-of-programme evaluation: opportunities to network with the diversity of peers need to be better engineered in; and explicit pedagogical guidance is required to develop deeper partnerships among participants. Apart from grouping participants into pods based on research interests, the course includes mechanisms of support, including an engagement mentor and live networking events. However, the networking and partnership opportunities were still viewed as insufficient by participants, and the number of participants attending live events was low (average of 5 per session). One of the participants commented, “Given the lack of engagement I found within my pod, I would have preferred a much bigger facilitated session for discussions and sharing of ideas”. While it is argued that intentionally designed spaces, pedagogies and technologies can lead to enhanced learning and teaching experiences (Dron, 2023), many 23T participants did not agree. Not only was engagement in the created spaces lower than hoped, it seemed that the digital learning and teaching pedagogies (e.g., the creation of communities of practice via pods) were not as effective as intended either. The design of the spaces has been revised over the last 4 years, yet outcomes appear to be similar. The adoption of ‘proven’ pedagogies found in the literature was also in vain. The integration of digital technologies into networking and partnership opportunities seems limited. Given that the participants of 23T are in their highest qualification status, we face a conundrum about why the spaces, pedagogies and technologies within the programme appear to be not interconnected when it comes to networking and partnership opportunities as we enter the so-called “post digital learning spaces of higher education” (Lamb, et. al., 2022). We now think that building digital literacy prior to the commencement of the programme and providing explicit digital literacy support during the programme might be a key to addressing this conundrum. It is hoped that this development will increase future participants’ understanding of the networking opportunities built into the course and stimulate them to engage actively and with purpose.
The Community of Inquiry (CoI) (Garrison, Anderson & Archer, 1999; 2010) is well-established, widely accepted, and practical framework. It highlights social, cognitive and teaching presences in effective online learning communities. 23 Things International (23T) is an online, flexible course for research students and early career researchers. The course is self-directed and promotes the building of academic and research networks, familiarity with resources underpinning research, and establishing professional profiles. It was first implemented in 2020 and has been refined annually to better meet needs of participants. One of the features of the programme is the ‘pod group’ arrangement. Participants are connected to each other in groups (the pods) based on research interests. The size of the pods is kept to about ten, so to facilitate manageable and meaningful communication and discussion of topics within the programme. Each year, 23T participants have reported pleasing satisfaction levels. Using the CoI, this investigation examined possible reasons why. The study aimed to: (a) identify practices and structural mechanisms that seem to underpin the experienced success of 23T; and (b) articulate plans for more targeted evaluation-review-development. Data sources included: annual reports (2020-2023) on the course containing integrated analyses of participant evaluation data; the outline and structure of 23T, showing the fabric of the course, how it is organised and arranged and how it implemented; facilitators’ knowledge and experiences of conducting 23T. Data were organised using a simple matching process (Garrison et al, 1999). CoI elements were matched with practice examples from implementation, and evidence from the data. Positives, negatives, possibilities and conclusions were drawn about gaps and potential. Examples of evidence drawn the from the data sources about the 23T programme include: Teaching Presence: including the use of prompts built into the material presented online and the facilitators’ spoken and written interactions with participants through live activities and through blogs (boosting authentic participant application of their learning); Social Presence: pod groups and how they were arranged and supported; Cognitive Presence: range of topics covered and the participant activity surrounding the topics. To build on theoretical work investigating 23T (Stein, Sim & Rose, 2023), this study is helping us to pinpoint concrete elements that seem to be influencing online course effectiveness and enabling identification of ways to strengthen 23T’s future flexibility and attractiveness. This is pertinent because of the uniqueness of 23T, namely, that it is online, flexible and self-guided and has no formal assessment expectations and does not provide formal credit. Gauging what counts as effectiveness and success is quite different therefore from award courses normally offered by higher education institutions. Similar application of the CoI using our matching approach may be helpful for others in different contexts and settings who are planning and/or implementing online courses.
The AI-Teacher Teaching Tasks Spectrum (AITTTS) was conceived as a way to understand the relationship between human teachers and the ever-evolving AI technologies in education. This study demonstrates how the AITTTS framework can be operationalised into a tangible intervention, showcasing the design models and practical applications of the AITTTS in real-world educational settings. By categorising teaching tasks into a spectrum, the AITTTS delineates the roles that AI and human teachers can play, providing a structured and nuanced understanding of their collaboration. As a result of the practical application of the AITTTS, a design model was birthed in this study. It highlights various aspects of holistic student outcomes such as positive electronic nonverbal communication (eNVC) cues, adaptive learning paths, and interactive learning responses as elements by which AI should be designed. By providing a structured approach for educators to incorporate AI tools and interventions in their learning environments, this research lays the groundwork for further exploration of the synergistic relationship between AI and human teachers in modern education. This framework can serve as a guide for educators to develop and implement AI-enhanced teaching strategies, fostering a more dynamic and responsive educational landscape.
Higher education (HE) institutions have been transforming dramatically since the pandemic started late 2019 and early 2020. After an initial period of emergency online teaching and learning, HE educators have focused our energy on supporting students' learning in a complex dynamic learning environment, where digital/online - material/physical - social elements are interwoven and interrelated. Networked learning can be a useful medium for us in this complex context. This paper explores a case study of design for networked learning in a health science postgraduate course. The course was designed in the context of a New Zealand university. The paper will examine how the course design reflects the eight principles of design for networked learning, and proposes some recommendations on design for networked learning at a course level. It links practice and theories, and illustrates how networked learning is unpacked in the context of the course design. While the current paper focuses on the design of the course, it is suggested that future research should conduct an evaluation of the design and develop empirical studies on students' and teacher's experience.
This symposium is the result of a broad effort by the authors to consider the applicability of networked learning to our work to support learning and teaching across our institution. We, the authors, work in a central learning and teaching support unit within Auckland University of Technology (AUT), in Auckland, Aotearoa/New Zealand. We are concerned with how networked learning is applicable to our efforts to support learning and teaching at AUT-specifically- to operationalise the institution’s strategic commitments to learner success. Our focus on supporting learning and teaching operates at various levels, from the ‘local’ level of individual courses to the intermediate level of supporting degree programmes to the more ‘global’ level associated with developing institutional policy that supports effective academic teaching practices and the ongoing evolution of a technology infrastructure that enables and supports productive learning and teaching activity. Moreover, our work deals with questions and challenges which range from specific, situated practical challenges to broad, philosophical questions which affect learning and teaching across the institution. This symposium represents our efforts to synthesise our understandings of networked learning and connect general ideas about networked learning with specific, situated aspects of our work to support learning and teaching across the institution.
This conceptual paper proposes a design approach for implementing networked learning at a course level at a University in New Zealand (Aotearoa). Networked learning has been noted to have many benefits for learners in the growing body of literature. However, the principles could be implemented differently depending on the institutional context, strategic goals and current practices. The objective of this paper is to propose an institutional approach to design for networked learning at the course level. The implementation approach should be systematic not uniform. This paper outlines the institutional context and rationale, evaluates each of the eight principles of networked learning to institutional context and suggests implementation ideas. A tiered approach to implementing design for networked learning at a course level is proposed, along with future work needed for the implementation across our institution.
Auckland University of Technology (AUT) is a young university in Aotearoa New Zealand, focusing on the student experience. This paper looks at the learning environment in that context and questions where networked learning principles could contribute to the strategic goal of student-directed learning. The paper explores central notions in networked learning as strengths and weaknesses, and redefines student-directed learning for the context of AUT.
This short paper describes a proposed case study which aims at exploring to what extent Networked Learning enhances classroom experiences at the authors’ institution and how the authors’ institution could adopt networked learning in producing Great Graduates, the authors' institution mission. The case study is significant with the re-definition of Networked Learning within an institutional context. The study employs an interpretivist research approach (Erickson, 1998) with a combination of direct observation and interview-like methods to understand the experiences of students and teaching academics in on-campus Networked Learning situations among all 15 study options at the authors' institution. Participants will include volunteered students and academics from various disciplines. The literature review indicates that the adoption of Networked Learning in classroom boosts students’ self-efficacy for social networking and professional development, enhances student-centred experiences with a community focus (e.g., social presence) and provides opportunities for students to further develop their critical thinking. The changing landscape of higher education, especially in this post global pandemic era, warrants the development of a case study approach within a particular context in order to further investigate the adoption of Networked Learning in enhancing teaching and learning processes. The findings will gain insights into achieving the strategic goal of student-directed learning at the authors' institution and could be applicable to higher education in general in order to improve teaching and learning experiences further. In short, it is an iterative process of developing one’s own Networked Learning application through the affordance of the Networked Learning principles and the practical accomplishment of teaching and learning practices at the course as well as the programme level. Limitations and possible future study are being identified from this proposal.
... To build on theoretical work investigating 23T (Stein, Sim & Rose, 2023), this study is helping us to pinpoint concrete elements that seem to be influencing online course effectiveness and enabling identification of ways to strengthen 23T's future flexibility and attractiveness. This is pertinent because of the uniqueness of 23T, namely, that it is online, flexible and self-guided and has no formal assessment expectations and does not provide formal credit. ...
... As tecnologias da informação, como os sistemas de gerenciamento de aprendizagem e os programas de desenvolvimento profissional providos por videoconferência, facilitam a comunicação e a interação entre orientadores e estudantes. Esses instrumentos promovem uma orientação mais dinâmica e flexível [14,15] , melhorando as habilidades de comunicação e interação dos orientadores. ...
... When technology takes over some of the tasks that were previously the responsibility of the teacher, the balance in the classroom's ecosystem may change. Some might argue that access to an AI resource can help redefine the teacher's role (Koh et al., 2023) from being the sage on the stage to the guide at the side. However, it is difficult to say that there is solid research-based evidence that this is beneficial for learning progress (Sweller et al., 2023). ...
... Educators play a pivotal role in this transformation because online education demands that educators not only understand but also effectively implement digital pedagogies. It is further essential that the technologies used for learning and teaching are thoughtfully integrated to engage virtual learners at a deep cognitive level (Lai & Markauskaite, 2023;Sim & Huijser, 2023). This includes leveraging interactive and adaptive learning tools, promoting active learning strategies, and continuously refining teaching methods based on feedback and learning analytics. ...
... More recently, however, it has been recorded that DTs, particularly social media, are involved in various scientific tasks, including data analysis, peer collaboration, academic networking, dissemination of research findings, etc. (e.g. Gouseti 2017;Osimo et al., 2017;Limna, 2023;Silberzahn & Uhlmann, 2016;Stein et al., 2022;Stewart, 2015). In fact, based on in-depth interviews with twelve PhD students, Gouseti (2017) has shown a shift from paper to online resources and tools in the research practices of doctoral students. ...
... However, although Discussion Forums have been a mainstay of LMS use for more than two decades, there is limited functionality that mimics social media. Many institutions instead have opted for tools to associate with the LMS, such as Microsoft Team or Slack, that are seen to be tools for collaboration primarily, and it is these tools many universities in Australia are turning to (Norman et al., 2022). ...
... To make sense of these various roles that AI and teachers play, the AI-Teacher Teaching Tasks Spectrum (AITTTS) was proposed. First proposed and conceptualised in 2022 (Koh et al., 2022), prior to the release of ChatGPT in November 2022, and further expounded upon in 2023 ,this theoretical model aims to provide a more structured and nuanced understanding of the multifaceted ways in which AI can augment and enhance teaching practices. The AITTTS framework recognizes that AI systems can assume varying degrees of responsibility and autonomy in executing different teaching tasks, ranging from simple, repetitive administrative activities to support the teachers in more complex, higher-order cognitive functions. ...
... Moreover, COVID-19 has forced educational developers to adapt to unprecedented circumstances, putting immense stress on individuals, communities, institutions and the higher education industry (Huijser and Nui Sim, 2022) as well as the need for relational teaching to foster care and connection between all (Su and Wood, 2023). ...
... Online learning is predicated on student's digital literacy, because that determines the student's autonomy in their learning. This also harks back to the CoI model where the context, and the medium of communication on which the communication happens ,is important to the educational experience (Koh et al., 2022). The technology acceptance model has also been linked to positive educational experiences (Mulwa et al., 2012). ...
... Studying the history of Ukraine allows us to reveal the rich cultural heritage and important stages of the struggle for independence, which in turn will influence the formation of civic consciousness and critical thinking among students. Within the modern educational paradigm, information technology in the process of learning and teaching history allows us to expand the scope of students' historical knowledge and resolve the issue of lack of interest or rejection of complex historical material (Brennan, 2018;Cowling et al., 2022). ...