Qualitative findings of students’ perception on practice of self-regulated strategies in online community discussion

With rapid emergence to the birth of the knowledge era, an active and interactive learning environment is fundamental to any teaching and learning process. Over time, negative implications of traditional learning environment are mounting, and measures must be taken to challenge it. With extensive research on available learning tools, it has become more feasible to provide our students with better learning opportunities. Such was the anticipation in the Malaysian educational context. Hence, this paper aims to address qualitative findings of a study on self-regulated learning strategies conveyed through the proposed interactive e-learning community (iELC). In duration of eight weeks, students (n = 50) from regular national secondary schools were subjected to online learning tasks aimed to advance strategies on self-regulated learning. To date, strategies of self-regulated learning have been perceived as key to learner to succeed academically and after the schooling years. By means of semi-structured interview, data were collected from small group and one-to-one perception. Results were directed at the overall development of self-regulated learning strategies and its diffusion in the iELC discussion platform. Conclusively, these findings add significantly to the understanding of self-regulated learning strategies in an online learning environment.     

Which social elements are visible in virtual groups? Addressing the categorization of social expressions

Learning is a social process. That is why it is extremely important to understand how students interact socially in online courses and how it affects the learning process. However, social aspects, understood as those expressions or comments that go beyond strictly academic interaction, i.e. the need to carry out group work, are not clearly defined. Researchers have proposed different models of categories to observe or measure social aspects. This paper contributes to this field through addressing the categorization of social expression in online groups through a qualitative research procedure. Specifically, 19 indicators have been identified and organized into 4 categories: formal, attitudinal, emotional and informal. The findings suggest that those indicators related to formal and attitudinal aspects appear more often than emotional and informal ones. Different profiles (Psychology or Computer Engineering) as well as different levels of experience in online learning (beginners or experts) have also been analyzed, concluding that Psychology students turn to social expressions more often than Computer Engineering ones. As students progress in their undergraduate studies, social expressions are perceived and used to the extent that they ease the learning process.     

网络教学在动态网页程序设计教学中的应用

本文从实际教学工作出发,以动态网页程序设计为例,构建一个网络教学平台,总结出网络教学在动态网页程序设计课程中的重要作用。     

Examining online teaching,cognitive, and social presence for adult students

Drawing on the Community of Inquiry model (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, 2000), this mixed-method case study examined the nature and interactions of teaching, cognitive, and social presence created by online instructors and adult students in diverse course contexts. The study results indicated online instructional design and teaching elements that are crucial prerequisites for a successful online higher educational experience for adult students. The study also informed e-learning designers on the relations between online teaching, cognitive, and social presence.     

Promoting self-regulated learning in web-based learning environments

Self-regulated learning with the Internet or hypermedia requires not only cognitive learning strategies, but also specific and general meta-cognitive strategies. The purposes of the Study2000 project, carried out at the TU Dresden, were to develop and evaluate authoring tools that support teachers and students in web-based learning and instruction. This paper presents how the authoring tools of the Study2000 project can implement psychologically sound measures to promote (a) active and elaborated learning activities and (b) meta-cognitive activities in a web-based learning environment. Furthermore, it describes a study involving 72 university students in the use of such a web-based learning environment in a self-regulated learning setting at the university level. Results show that students spent almost 70% of their study time with texts, 11% with learning tasks and 12% with the active and elaborated learning tools, whereas meta-cognitive aids where hardly used (<1%).     

基于复合神经网络的学习风格动态分析与研究

近年随着慕课（MOOC）等新兴教育教学手段的快速发展,大量的学习者学习行为可以被系统所记录和分析,从而为个性化教学奠定了重要基础。在Felder-Silverman学习风格模型的理论基础上,通过引入智能分析算法动态地分析和识别学习者学习风格,构建了一套融合了卷积神经网络和循环神经网络的“识别-推理”复合模型,通过学习者的线上学习行为、社区交互行为、学习内容浏览行为、点击拖动行为等学习过程识别其学习行为特征,并使用基于门控循环单元（Gated Recurrent Unit,GRU）的循环神经网络处理和预测其可能的学习风格及对学习内容形式的偏好,以更高效地为学习者提供适应于其学习风格的学习内容和路径,优化学习体验,为大规模、个性化和高质量的下一代学习平台提供技术支撑。     

Paying attention to adult learners online: The pedagogy and politics of community

Our article profiles the evolution of a fully online writing course designed for adult learners in our university's Prior Learning Assessment Program. Based on our own observations and experiences teaching adult learners online, we question if the virtual learning environment presents different challenges and prospects for the adult learner versus the traditional student learner, along with an extension and complication of the more social metaphors of “virtual community.” Moreover, because of the changing demographic from traditional to adult students, we argue that this change also fosters a change in the relationship between teachers and students. In chronicling this relationship, we note problems when the labor of adult education becomes invisible to those supervising online instructors. Because of these “invisible” labor issues, we argue that successful online instruction must include a range of interactions between students and instructors that extend the more public concept of community to better acknowledge the importance of personal, private interaction. Thus, we conclude with a call to rethink our online writing pedagogies to be more flexible to adult learner needs and learning styles, simultaneously recognizing the impact of adult online education on faculty workload.     

The learning kit project: Software tools for supporting and researching regulation of collaborative learning

Computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) is a dynamic and varied area of research. Ideally, tools for CSCL support and encourage solo and group learning processes and products. However, most CSCL research does not focus on supporting and sustaining the co-construction of knowledge. We identify four reasons for this situation and identify three critical resources every collaborator brings to collaborations that are underutilized in CSCL research: (a) prior knowledge, (b) information not yet transformed into knowledge that is judged relevant to the task(s) addressed in collaboration, and (c) cognitive processes used to construct these informational resources. Finally, we introduce gStudy, a software tool designed to advance research in the learning sciences. gStudy helps learners manage cognitive load so they can re-assign cognitive resources to self-, co-, and shared regulation; and it automatically and unobtrusively traces each user′s engagement with content and the means chosen for cognitively processing content, thus generating real-time performance data about processes of collaborative learning.     

Designing support to facilitate learning in powerful electronic learning environments

This special issue reflects current developments in instructional design for powerful electronic learning environments. It presents a compilation of contributions to a combined special interest group (SIG) meeting (2006) of Instructional Design and Learning and Instruction with Computers. Both SIGs are part of the European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction (EARLI). The SIG-meeting focused on the design of powerful electronic learning environments for complex learning. The articles in this issue describe how to design support to help learners during complex individual or collaborative learning. This introduction provides the context for the issue and a short overview of the contributions.     

Recognizing and measuring self-regulated learning in a mobile learning environment

With the realization that more research is needed to explore external factors (e.g., pedagogy, parental involvement in the context of K-12 learning) and internal factors (e.g., prior knowledge, motivation) underlying student-centered mobile learning, the present study conceptually and empirically explores how the theories and methodologies of self-regulated learning (SRL) can help us analyze and understand the processes of mobile learning. The empirical data collected from two elementary science classes in Singapore indicates that the analytical SRL model of mobile learning proposed in this study can illuminate the relationships between three aspects of mobile learning: students’ self-reports of psychological processes, patterns of online learning behavior in the mobile learning environment (MLE), and learning achievement. Statistical analyses produce three main findings. First, student motivation in this case can account for whether and to what degree the students can actively engage in mobile learning activities metacognitively, motivationally, and behaviorally. Second, the effect of students’ self-reported motivation on their learning achievement is mediated by their behavioral engagement in a pre-designed activity in the MLE. Third, students’ perception of parental autonomy support is not only associated with their motivation in school learning, but also associated with their actual behaviors in self-regulating their learning.     

Students’ perceptions of collaboration, self-regulated learning, and information seeking in the context of Internet-based learning and traditional learning

This study aims to investigate students’ perceptions of three aspects of learning - collaboration, self-regulated learning (SRL), and information seeking (IS) in both Internet-based and traditional face-to-face learning contexts. A multi-dimensional questionnaire was designed to evaluate each aspect in terms of perceived capability, experience, and interest. The analyses explore (1) potential differences of students’ perceptions between Internet-based and face-to-face learning environments and (2) potential differences in the three aspects in relation to learners’ attributes and the use of the Internet and enrollment in online courses. This study surveyed students in a higher education institute who had had experiences with Internet-based and face-to-face learning. The results showed that students perceived higher levels of collaboration (capability only), SRL (capability and experience) and IS (capability, interest, and experience) in Internet-based learning than in traditional learning environments. In terms of students’ education level, graduate students perceived higher levels of capabilities and interests in some of the aspects, than undergraduate students. In addition, for Internet-based learning, significant differences in collaboration and SRL were found derived from time spent on the Internet related to learning; and students’ perceptions of collaboration, SRL, and IS were all positively correlated to students’ online course-taking experience. Implications for online learning practices and instructor’s facilitation are discussed.     

Perspectives on personal learning environments held by vocational students

This article focuses on personal learning environments (PLEs). The idea with PLEs is to put students in a more central position in the learning process by allowing them to design their own learning environments and by emphasising the self-regulated nature of the learning. This study describes the structure, functions and challenges of PLEs made by 33 students from vocational and polytechnic level schools in Eastern Finland after the first year of using them. Document and artefact analysis revealed that students built their PLEs for: mirroring the conventional learning environment; as an environment for reflection; as an environment to showcase skills; and as an environment for collaboration and networking. Student reflections indicate that building and using a PLE is a challenging task which requires specific teacher and pedagogical support. Designing a PLE demands both ICT skills and an awareness of one’s own learning methods.     

Self-regulated learning strategies and software training

We investigated one aspect of the growing trend towards self-management within organizations by examining the learning processes that individuals use when learning computer software alone in a web-based training environment, and found that individuals learn in different ways. Software training in any context requires individuals to apply self-regulated learning strategies to achieve their learning objectives. Self-regulated learning strategies are the processes that they use to manage their own learning. As self-guided training gains popularity, self-regulated learning strategies become increasingly important, because the learner typically has more control of their training. We found that self-regulated learning strategies led to better outcomes in our study of managers and professionals learning to use an ERP system. We also gained insights into the most popular learning strategies. This work enhanced our understanding of user processes when learning computer software. It should assist organizations in maximizing the return from their investment in training employees and managing knowledge.     

Can the use of cognitive and metacognitive self-regulated learning strategies be predicted by learners’ levels of prior knowledge in hypermedia-learning environments?

Research on self-regulated learning (SRL) in hypermedia-learning environments is a growing area of interest, and prior knowledge can influence how students interact with these systems. One hundred twelve (N = 112) undergraduate students’ interactions with MetaTutor, a multi-agent, hypermedia-based learning environment, were investigated, including how prior knowledge affected their use of SRL strategies. We expected that students with high prior knowledge would engage in significantly more cognitive and metacognitive SRL strategies, engage in different sequences of SRL strategies, spend more time engaging in SRL processes, and visit more pages that were relevant to their sub-goals than students with low prior knowledge. Results showed significant differences in the total use of SRL strategies between prior knowledge groups, and more specifically, revealed significant differences in the use of each metacognitive strategy (e.g., judgment of learning), but not each cognitive strategy (e.g., taking notes) between prior knowledge groups. Results also revealed different sequences of use of SRL strategies between prior knowledge groups, and that students spent different amounts of time engaging in SRL processes; however, all students visited similar numbers of relevant pages. These results have important implications on designing multi-agent, hypermedia environments; we can design pedagogical agents that adapt to students’ learning needs, based on their prior knowledge levels.     

A cellular learning automata-based deployment strategy for mobile wireless sensor networks

One important problem which may arise in designing a deployment strategy for a wireless sensor network is how to deploy a specific number of sensor nodes throughout an unknown network area so that the covered section of the area is maximized. In a mobile sensor network, this problem can be addressed by first deploying sensor nodes randomly in some initial positions within the area of the network, and then letting sensor nodes to move around and find their best positions according to the positions of their neighboring nodes. The problem becomes more complicated if sensor nodes have no information about their positions or even their relative distances to each other. In this paper, we propose a cellular learning automata-based deployment strategy which guides the movements of sensor nodes within the area of the network without any sensor to know its position or its relative distance to other sensors. In the proposed algorithm, the learning automaton in each node in cooperation with the learning automata in the neighboring nodes controls the movements of the node in order to attain high coverage. Experimental results have shown that in noise-free environments, the proposed algorithm can compete with the existing algorithms such as PF, DSSA, IDCA, and VEC in terms of network coverage. It has also been shown that in noisy environments, where utilized location estimation techniques such as GPS-based devices and localization algorithms experience inaccuracies in their measurements, or the movements of sensor nodes are not perfect and follow a probabilistic motion model, the proposed algorithm outperforms the existing algorithms in terms of network coverage.     

Setting the stage for the metacognition during hypermedia learning: What motivation constructs matter?

Think-aloud and self-report data from 85 undergraduates were used to examine the relationship between motivation constructs and metacognition during hypermedia learning. Participants used hypermedia for 30 min to learn about the circulatory system. Think-aloud data were collected during this 30-min learning task to determine the extent to which participants used metacognitive processes related to monitoring: their understanding, the environment, and goals. Additionally, participants completed a self-report questionnaire, which measured various motivation constructs. Results from stepwise regressions indicated that self-efficacy significantly predicted the extent to which participants monitored emerging understanding and relevancy of content in the environment. Additionally, results indicated that extrinsic motivation significantly predicted the extent to which participants monitored their learning task goals with hypermedia. Lastly, results indicated a significant, positive relationship between self-efficacy and prior domain knowledge.     

Effects of visual feedback on medical students’ procrastination within web-based planning and reflection protocols

Procrastination is a very common problem among students that results from ineffective selfregulation. In two field-experimental studies (N = 18 and N = 49), we investigated whether visual feedback on students’ previous procrastination was effective in provoking a decrease in students’ future procrastination as well as improvements in self-regulated learning. The visual feedback was implemented as a dynamic line chart in a web-based planning and reflection protocol used once a week by medical students to record their class preparation and homework once a week. In the protocols, the students planned and reflected on their personal learning processes and they estimated retrospectively their inclination to procrastinate. The results of both studies consistently showed that presenting students a line chart that adaptively visualizes the course and extent of their self-reported previous procrastination led to a statistically significant and practically relevant decrease in their future procrastination. Furthermore, the visualization had positive effects on other variables central to self-regulated learning. The studies provide converging evidence that the inclination to procrastinate can successfully be counteracted both by a parsimonious and easy-to-implement method. They are suggestive of ways how Internet technology can be used support students’ self-regulated learning.