A web-based learning and assessment system to support flexible education

Abstract At a time where increased costs and resource constraints are experienced by many tertiary institutions globally, the pressure to find alternative methods to deliver teaching and assessment increases. Whilst the individual learning experience is paramount, the need to manage the numbers, resources and assessment provide an administrative overhead and headache to all teaching staff. With this predicament in mind a computer-supported learning system ( CECIL ) was developed. It is a web-based teaching and learning resource and administration system. This paper describes the CECIL structure and discusses the potential benefits that a university-wide resource management system may have in terms of the educational flexibility and resource sharing.     

A review of web-based collaborative learning: factors beyond technology

Abstract Web-based collaborative learning has a large potential for knowledge acquisition. However, it has different characteristics compared with conventional learning scenarios; especially with respect to the social communication situation, message exchange, cognitive load and participation of the learners. To cope with possible problems resulting from these characteristics suitable instructional means have to be considered, like collaborative learning methods, on-line moderation, appropriate learning tasks or computer-based visualisation tools.     

Implementing a CMC tutor group for an existing distance education course

Abstract ‘Artificial Intelligence for Technology’ (T396) is a distance learning course provided by the Open University of the UK using face‐to‐face tutorials. In 1997 a pilot study was undertaken of a computer‐mediated communication (CMC) tutor group which consisted of volunteers from around the UK. The student feedback raised a number of issues including: the need for a distinct function for the tutor group conference, the role of and demands on the tutor, and the benefits perceived by students. It is suggested that some issues arise from a conflict of cultures each with their own implicit assumptions. The traditional face‐to‐face tutorial model is sometimes at variance with the demands of the new CMC based tuition.     

Personal Digital Assistants in medical education and practice

Abstract This paper reports on a current project, KNOWMOBILE, that explores how wireless and mobile technologies, in this case how Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) may be useful in medical education and clinical practice, particularly to access net‐based information. KNOWMOBILE is a research collaboration involving academic and industrial partners which aims to support Problem‐Based Learning (PBL) and the integration of Evidence‐Based Medicine (EBM) in medical education reform in Norway. What does ‘just‐in‐time’ access to information mean in clinical settings? How can health professionals be helped with access to the most up‐to‐date medical information? From a preliminary analysis of the problems of Personal Digital Assistants in use — and nonuse — problems regarding information and communication infrastructure discussed that require work from a social historical interpretation of ‘infrastructures’ in order to enhance design perspectives and directions for future research. It is concluded that the PDAs should not be regarded as Personal Digital Assistants, but rather as gateways in complicated webs of interdependent technical and social networks.     

Web-based peer assessment: feedback for students with various thinking-styles

Abstract This study used aptitude treatment interaction design to examine how feedback formats (specific vs. holistic) and executive thinking styles (high vs. low) affect web-based peer assessment. An Internet-based (anonymous) peer-assessment system was developed and used by 58 computer science students who submitted assignments for peer review. The results indicated that while students with high executive thinking styles significantly improved over two rounds of peer assessment, low executive students did not improve through the cycles. In addition, high executive students contributed substantially better feedback than their low executive counterparts. In the second round of peer assessment, thinking style and feedback format interactively affected student learning. Low executive students receiving specific feedback significantly outperformed those receiving holistic feedback. In receiving holistic feedback, high executive thinkers outperformed their low executive counterparts. This study suggests that future web-based peer assessment adopts a specific feedback format for all students.     

Multimedia blogging in physical education: Effects on student knowledge and ICT self-efficacy

The main idea behind this study was to explore the educational potential of multimedia blogging for academic disciplines such as Physical Education (PE) that are not heavily based on written discourse and where multiple representations are important in learning. A class blog was utilized as a means for PE students to reflect on and showcase their performances of four specific basketball skills, through creating multimedia posts on these skills and receiving comments from their instructors, peers and an external expert. The effectiveness of multimedia blogging was evaluated, in terms of the acquisition of knowledge of the specific basketball skills and the self-efficacy in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), as compared to that of an equivalent multimedia website which lacked the blogging component. Students’ responses to the blogging activity were also investigated. The sample were 70 undergraduate PE students who were assigned to two groups, one of which used the class blog (Group A, N = 35) and the other one the website (Group B, N = 35), both for 11 weeks. The study followed a pretest/posttest experimental design, taking before and after measurements of each group through written questionnaires. Participation in the blogging activity did have a positive impact on students’ ICT self-efficacy, given that Group A students exhibited significant gains in Internet self-efficacy as well as in multimedia processing and blogging self-efficacy, whereas those of Group B did not. Students’ responses to the blogging activity were also positive. However, within both groups no significant increase was found in students’ knowledge of the basketball skills. The implications of the findings for higher education and future research are discussed.     

Scalability of assessments of wiki-based learning experiences in higher education

In recent years, the focus on higher education learning has shifted from knowledge to skills, with interpersonal skills likely being the most difficult to assess and work with. Wikis ease open collaboration among peers. A number of these skills can be objectively assessed by using wikis in an educational environment: collaborative writing, conflict resolution, group management, leadership, etc. However, when the number of students increases, their interactions usually increase at a higher rate. Under these circumstances, traditional assessment procedures suffer from scalability problems: manually evaluating in detail the information stored in a wiki to retrieve objective metrics becomes a complex and time-consuming task. Thus, automated tools are required to support the assessment of such processes. In this paper we compare seven case studies conducted in Computer Science courses of two Spanish universities: Cádiz and Seville. We comment on their different settings: durations, milestones, contribution sizes, weights in the final grade and, most importantly, their assessment methods. We discuss and compare the different methodologies and tools used to assess the desired skills in the context of each case study.     

Investigating factors that influence social presence and learning outcomes in distance higher education

There are many factors that influence distance learning especially in higher education where collaborative and communicative discourse is necessary for pursuing knowledge. Social presence, among other factors, is an important concept to be facilitated, developed and sustained in distance higher education as it promotes and supports discourse based learning. This study examines the relationship among demographic and other variables, social presence and learning satisfaction. Results showed demographic variables, such as gender, online learning experience and work status were not significant factors in terms of influencing on either social presence or learning satisfaction. While media integration and instructor’s quality teaching were significant predictors of both social presence and learning satisfaction, interactivity among participants was a predictor of social presence but not of learning satisfaction. Along with the study findings, some implications were discussed for online learning practitioners in higher education setting.     

Comparison of teaching and learning outcomes between video-linked,web-based,and classroom tutorials: An innovative international study of profession education in physical therapy

The influence of interactive videoconferencing (IVC) on health professional educational outcomes between Canada and Hong Kong students was examined. Three formats were compared with respect to the instruction of two circumscribed intensive care topics. The formats included international video-linked (VL) tutorials in combination with web-based tutorials (VL + WB), web-based tutorials only (WB), and conventional classroom tutorials (C). Physical therapy students were assigned to one of the three groups at each site. The learning outcomes included grades and evaluation of the learning experience. The instructors provided written feedback on their experience with the instructional formats. Grades were comparable across instructional groups at both sites with the exception of one question for the HK group. The VL + WB groups valued learning from international peers. VL learning outcomes appeared to be comparable to conventional formats and may augment students’ learning satisfaction. Modifications are recommended to accommodate differences in the language proficiency of students. The instructors acknowledged that preparation for VL tutorials was unique and challenging. Further research targeted at cross cultural interaction via IVC is needed to determine whether quality of learning outcomes are topic dependent. Cross cultural IVC appears to be both a distinct teaching as well as learning experience for health professional students.