A co-creation blended KM model for cultivating critical-thinking skills

Both critical thinking (CT) and knowledge management (KM) skills are necessary elements for a university student’s success. Therefore, this study developed a co-creation blended KM model to cultivate university students’ CT skills and to explore the underlying mechanisms for achieving success. Thirty-one university students participated in this study. Findings from the 17-week training program suggest that scaffolding university students through knowledge sharing, internalization, and co-creation processes in a blended KM environment can effectively enhance their CT skills. Moreover, the attribute–treatment interaction (ATI) analysis suggests that judicial thinking style which relates to a deep learning approach may facilitate KM and help improve CT skills. Notably, the complex underlying mechanisms and paths of influence found in this study attest to the highly dynamic nature of the proposed KM processes.     

A co-creation blended KM model for cultivating critical-thinking skills

Both critical thinking (CT) and knowledge management (KM) skills are necessary elements for a university student’s success. Therefore, this study developed a co-creation blended KM model to cultivate university students’ CT skills and to explore the underlying mechanisms for achieving success. Thirty-one university students participated in this study. Findings from the 17-week training program suggest that scaffolding university students through knowledge sharing, internalization, and co-creation processes in a blended KM environment can effectively enhance their CT skills. Moreover, the attribute–treatment interaction (ATI) analysis suggests that judicial thinking style which relates to a deep learning approach may facilitate KM and help improve CT skills. Notably, the complex underlying mechanisms and paths of influence found in this study attest to the highly dynamic nature of the proposed KM processes.     

microLESSONS in teacher education: Examining pre-service teachers’ pedagogical beliefs

It is a challenge for teacher educators to shift pre-service teachers away from traditional pedagogical beliefs towards constructivist ones. At the National Institute of Education in Singapore, microLESSONS is introduced into the instructional technology course of the teacher education program to provide pre-service teachers with opportunities to adopt constructivist instructional approaches towards the design of multimedia learning packages. Based on a class of pre-service teachers in the Diploma in Education program, this paper examines how participation in the microLESSONS series changes pre-service teachers’ pedagogical beliefs. Although the study shows that the beliefs of pre-service teachers are resistant to change and are unlikely to be affected by a short, one-off constructivist-based practical experience provided by the microLESSONS series, the series may have enhanced their confidence in designing and developing multimedia learning packages based on constructivist principles. The series has also given them a better understanding of the diverse use of technology for enhancing teaching and learning.     

Using Wiki in teacher education: Impact on knowledge management processes and student satisfaction

The current study reports on the use of Wiki as an online didactic tool to develop knowledge management (KM) processes in higher education. This study integrates social constructivist principles to learning where learners are pro-active and collaborative through higher order cognitive processes. The study was administered in two countries, namely Egypt and Italy, to close a gap in the literature with an aim to introduce KM processes in teacher educational programmes. These processes are seen as necessary for teachers’ professional skills. Such processes are claimed to enable teachers and therefore schools to evolve in a networked information-driven global society, especially as the complexity of subject knowledge is increasing. It is also a learning experience where teachers learn how to provide their students with educational settings where technology is enabled.     

Teachers’ attitudes toward web-based professional development,with relation to Internet self-efficacy and beliefs about web-based learning

This study was conducted to explore the relationships between teachers’ Internet self-efficacy, beliefs about web-based learning and attitudes toward web-based professional development. The sample of this study included 421 teachers, coming from 20 elementary schools in Taiwan. The three instruments used to assess teachers’ Internet self-efficacy (ISS), beliefs about web-based learning (BWL), and attitudes toward web-based professional development (AWPD) revealed high reliability. In this study, the results supported that teachers’ Internet self-efficacy and beliefs about web-based learning were important predictors of their attitudes toward web-based professional development. The belief for the positive consequences of web-based learning is very important for the favorable attitudes toward web-based professional development.     

The impact of synchronous inter-networked teacher training in Information and Communication Technology integration

This paper summarises the outcomes of research that recorded and interpreted change in pre-service teachers’ pedagogical beliefs when immersed in unique synchronous networked collaboration. The pre-service teachers were involved in the design and implementation of synchronous networked tasks, supported by the theoretical and pragmatic application of ‘informed’ Information and Communications Technology (ICT) integration. The pre-service teachers’ use of digital technology graduated from a didactic, broadcast delivery of information to more constructivist strategies that involved interaction, collaboration and ‘good’ learning. Moreover, the pre-service teachers gained competencies during a 12-week programme that led to the development of a suggested framework for ICT task development able to effectively promote and support improvements in learning.     

Developing situated knowledge about teaching with technology via Web-enhanced Case-based activity

Situated, case-based approaches, featuring virtual teachers’ activity and reasoning in university classrooms, may provide a viable alternative to immersive field-based apprenticeships. Despite widespread advocacy on situated teacher education, research on preservice teachers’ situated learning remains rare. This study examined how preservice teachers gain situated knowledge about teaching with technology by engaging the experiences of practicing teachers through Web-enhanced, Case-based activity (CBA). Situated knowledge of exemplary teachers often espouses a constructivist epistemology and a student-centered pedagogy when they use computers for teaching. Also, their knowledge for teaching with technology requires linking computer skills with associated curriculum and pedagogical strategies. Based on this initial framework, in this study, preservice teachers’ changes in perceptions and understanding about teaching with technology were documented over the course of a semester. A qualitative case study was used, and constant comparative methods were used to continually compare emerging themes and refine categories. Web-enhanced CBA helped most preservice teachers to both understand appropriate uses of technology and refined their perspectives by using experienced teachers’ captured knowledge and practices. Research is needed to refine our understanding of situated case-based approaches’ potential to promote both meaningful technology integration knowledge and skill and to address a range of everyday classroom teaching and learning issues, decisions, and practices.     

Assessing pre-service English language teachers’ learning using e-portfolios: Benefits, challenges and competencies gained

Assessment in learning is always of interest to practitioners, academics and researchers, and is always evolving with new implications. Alternative forms of assessment such as e-portfolios have gained recognition in documenting students’ learning, as it is synchronous with both product and process. Vast amount of literature narrates the relative advantages of e-portfolios across disciplines, institutions, and applications. In Malaysia, such alternative assessment practices are less explored so far in teacher education. In this study, 55 pre-service TESOL teachers from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) are required to create and maintain a personal e-portfolio. The aim of the study is to ascertain the future teachers’ practices with e-portfolios in their learning and to determine if these practices lead to teaching competencies. In addition, the study also aims to identify the benefits and challenges of using an e-portfolio as a tool for learning and self-assessment. Findings indicate that participants are appreciative of e-portfolios, as their performance and achievements are traced over time. It is also found that e-portfolios function as a monitoring tool, which helps the teachers recognize their learning and identify their strengths and weaknesses. Challenges are also noted, which include validity and reliability, interrupted Internet connection, negative attitudes participants, time constraints, workload and ethical issues. In terms of teacher competencies, it is found that six competencies emerge from the teachers’ practices of e-portfolios - (1) developing understanding of an effective teacher’s role; (2) developing teaching approaches/activities; (3) improving linguistic abilities; (4) comprehending content knowledge; (5) gaining ICT skills and; (6) the realization of the need to change mindsets.     

Modeling primary school pre-service teachers’ Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) for meaningful learning with information and communication technology (ICT)

Within the field of educational technology, Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) has been theorized as a seven-factor construct to describe teacher’s integration of information and communication technology (ICT) in their teaching. However, this framework has yet to be successfully validated through survey instruments. This paper examines the construct validity of a TPACK survey that was contextualized for the pedagogical approaches employed in a 12-week ICT course designed with reference to the TPACK framework for Singaporean primary school pre-service teachers. Using this framework, the researchers were able to uncover five of the seven TPACK constructs which were a better model fit as compared with several extant studies of TPACK surveys. Using these results, pre and post-course structural equation models were constructed to explain the relationships amongst the different constructs of teachers’ TPACK perceptions. It was found that pedagogical knowledge had a direct impact on TPACK at the beginning of the course. As teachers made connections between their technological knowledge and pedagogical knowledge to form technological pedagogical knowledge during the course, the direct relation between pedagogical knowledge and TPACK became insignificant where as the relations between pedagogical knowledge and technological pedagogical knowledge, and technological pedagogical knowledge and TPACK were strengthened. The comparison between the pre and post-course models also revealed that the pre-service teachers’ perceived relations between content knowledge and TPACK changes from insignificant to significant. The implications of these findings and suggestions to improve the construct validation of the TPACK framework are discussed in this paper.     

Discussing teaching videocases online: Perspectives of preservice and inservice EFL teachers in Taiwan

This study investigated the application of an online videocase discussion community into fostering preservice and inservice EFL (English as a foreign language) teachers’ professional development in Taiwan. This investigation further revealed the nature and development of discussion discourse and the participating teachers’ perceptions of this online learning experience. Also included were potential concerns or difficulties encountered by these community members. There were 21 preservice teachers, 7 secondary school teachers, and 4 university teachers involved in this study. Multiple data collection methods included teaching videos, online discussion messages, interviews, reflection journals, and an open-ended questionnaire. The findings showed that the preservice and inservice teachers appeared to respectively play different roles in discussing teaching videocases online. Yet, what they noticed in the teaching events shifted from diverse to similar focuses after engaging in online videocase discussion for almost one year. These teachers further perceived professional learning opportunities in this community, albeit several issues might hinder some of them from joining the discussion frequently. Pedagogical implications and research suggestions are offered for teacher educators and researchers to further codify and document teacher professional development in various online videocase discussion contexts.     

Computer-supported collaborative learning with digital video cases in teacher education: The impact of teaching experience on knowledge convergence

Case-based learning is ascribed high potential with respect to the education of pre-service teachers as well as the further education of experienced in-service teachers, as it can provide opportunities for the application of professional knowledge to authentic classroom situations. In addition to the application and acquisition of knowledge, the aspect of knowledge convergence (i.e., increasing similarity of collaborative learners with respect to their knowledge) should be taken into account when homogeneous benefits are desired for all participants of a case-based training. A field study with 29 pre-service teachers and 24 in-service teachers from adult education was conducted to examine effects of different levels of teaching experience on knowledge application, knowledge acquisition, and knowledge convergence in a computer-supported collaborative case-based learning environment. An innovative approach to measuring knowledge convergence was introduced, using the positions of annotations (i.e., flags placed on the timeline of the case video) made by learners during their case analyses as an indicator of their shared focus of attention. This measure was found to positively correlate with the application and acquisition of professional knowledge. Teaching experience affected both processes and outcomes of case-based learning, suggesting different means of instructional support for pre-service and in-service teachers.     

Aptitude-treatment interactions in preservice teachers’ behavior change during computer-simulated teaching

Adapting training methods to specific teacher traits to best facilitate the training effects for preservice teachers is an important, yet neglected, topic in aptitude-treatment interaction research. This study investigated interactions between four personal traits (CT-dispositions, thinking styles, CT-skills, and intrapersonal intelligence) and two designed treatments on preservice teachers’ behavior change during a computer-simulated teaching experience. One hundred and seventy-eight preservice teachers participated in this study. The CS-TGCTS simulation program was employed to measure the preservice teachers’ actual use of effective teacher behaviors, as well as the four targeted personal traits which were measured by three Likert-scale inventories and one multiple-choice test. The results suggest that preservice teachers with high levels of CT-dispositions, CT-skills, and intrapersonal intelligence – as well as those with judicial or legislative thinking styles – are mindful, analytical, and reflective in their teaching practices and therefore more likely to continually improve their teaching skills.     

Investigating models for preservice teachers’ use of technology to support student-centered learning

The study addressed two limitations of previous research on factors related to teachers’ integration of technology in their teaching. It attempted to test a structural equation model (SEM) of the relationships among a set of variables influencing preservice teachers’ use of technology specifically to support student-centered learning. A review of literature led to a path model that provided the design and analysis for the study, which involved 206 preservice teachers in the United States. The results show that the proposed model had a moderate fit to the observed data, and a more parsimonious model was found to have a better fit. In addition, preservice teachers’ self-efficacy of teaching with technology had the strongest influence on technology use, which was mediated by their perceived value of teaching and learning with technology. School’s contextual factors had moderate influence on technology use. Moreover, the effect of preservice teachers’ training on student-centered technology use was mediated by both perceived value and self-efficacy of technology. The implications for teacher preparation include close collaboration between teacher education program and field experience, focusing on specific technology uses.     

Evaluating an online pharmaceutical education system for pharmacy interns in critical care settings

Incorporating electronic learning (eLearning) system into professional experimental programs such as pharmacy internships is a challenge. However, none of the current systems can fully support the unique needs of clinical pharmacy internship. In this study we enhanced a commercial eLearning system for clinical pharmacy internship (The Clinical Pharmacy Internship eLearning System, CPIES). The KAP questionnaire was used to evaluate the performance of group A with the traditional teaching model and group B with the CPIES teaching model. The CPIES teaching model showed significant improvement in interns’ knowledge and practice (p = 0.002 and 0.031, respectively). The traditional teaching model only demonstrated significant improvement in practice (p = 0.011). Moreover, professionalism, such as attitudes on cooperating with other health professionals, is developed by learning from a good mentor. The on-line teaching and traditional teaching methods should undoubtedly be blended in a complete teaching model in order to improve learners’ professional knowledge, facilitate correct attitude, and influence good practice.     

The influence of students and teachers characteristics on the efficacy of face-to-face and computer supported collaborative learning

In this paper we compared the efficacy of face-to-face and computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL) in increasing academic knowledge and professional competences. We also explored how students’ personality characteristics and learning strategies and teachers’ characteristics were associated with better learning outcomes in online or face-to-face contexts. One hundred and seventy students participated in 10 community psychology seminars, five online and five face-to-face. Academic and professional learning increased for participants in both settings. Tutors’ characteristics did not influence students’ learning. Students who performed better in online and in face-to-face contexts differed in some psychological variables and in their learning strategies. Overall results show that asynchronous collaborative learning online can increase professional competences normally learnt only in small face-to-face educational settings, and that CSCL can be used to provide innovative educational opportunities that fit particular needs of students with low anxiety, high problem solving efficacy, who have time management problems in their learning strategies.     

The effects of practice teaching sessions in second life on the change in pre-service teachers’ teaching efficacy

The purpose of this research was to investigate the effect of practice teaching in Second Life on the change of preservice teachers’ teaching efficacy, and the difference of changes between individual teaching practice and collaborative teaching practice in their teaching efficacy. Participants were placed into the individual teaching practice or collaborative teaching practice group as a part of a teaching methods and educational technology course. Both groups completed practice teaching sessions twice in Second Life and an instrument adopted for measuring of pre-service teachers’ teaching efficacy beliefs was administered after each of three stages. The researcher collected data from both groups before the first practice teaching, after the first practice teaching session, and after the second session. Results from a Repeated Measure ANOVA indicated that the practice sessions influenced changes in participants’ personal teaching efficacy but not teaching outcome expectancy. In addition, the results indicated significant difference between groups on their personal teaching efficacy after the second practice session, but not on teaching outcome expectancy. The difference between the two groups is attributed to the different methods in preparing for the practice session, practicing the teaching, and the reflection methods posed to each group of participants. This research suggests that pre-service teachers can gain valuable teaching practice in Second Life, and furthermore that collaborative practice teaching is more effective way than individual approaches to practicing teaching.     

A study of high school English teachers’ behavior,concerns and beliefs in integrating information technology into English instruction

This study investigates the current trends and patterns of teachers’ concerns and teaching behavior with respect to technology integration. The following concerns of English teachers are addressed: teaching practice, perceive barriers of technology integration in the English instruction and the technology deployed in the classroom. Participants in this study were 332 junior and senior high school English teachers from Taipei and Kaohsiung Cities. The study found that despite pressure on schools to increase the application of technology, the adoption of teaching and learning practices using new technologies has been limited in terms of teachers’ SoCQ (The Stages of Concerns Questionnaire), their teaching behavior as well as their use of technology. Teachers’ concerns are generally oriented toward Personal and informational issues. English teachers’ technology-mediated English teaching behaviors are modest, and most teachers used technology to prepare their teaching activities instead of structuring higher levels of usage. As identified in the literature, higher levels of computer training, computer literacy, well-supported school environment, creative teaching practices and positive beliefs about technology integration among teachers result in higher task intensity, impact concerns and more technology-mediated teaching behaviors in the classroom. In terms of the difficulties affecting teachers’ technology integration into English instruction, this study identified significant relationships between first and second-order barriers. Implications for teachers’ technology integration are proposed.     

The design and implementation of a holistic training model for language teacher education in a cyber face-to-face learning environment

This study reports a qualitative investigation that examines the design and implementation of a holistic teacher training model in a cyber face-to-face language learning context. To this end, this study first proposes an e-training model called the Practice, Reflection and Collaboration (PRC) model, and discusses the rationale and theoretical framework underpinning each key component of the model. This is followed by the discussion of how the model was implemented in a 12-week e-teacher training program with the participation of trainee teachers and real distance students. This analysis focuses on how each component of the proposed model worked in our case, and what mechanisms were employed to nurture the trainees’ professional and personal development to become competent and confident e-teachers.     

The influence of the instruction of visual design principles on improving pre-service teachers’ visual literacy

This study investigated whether the instruction of visual design principles had an influence on pre-service teachers’ perception and analysis (interpretation) of visual materials. In addition, the relationships between pre-service teachers’ visual intelligence and their perception and analysis (interpretation) of visual materials were also explored. Participants were 86 pre-service teachers who took a one-credit required educational technology course at a mid-western university in the United States. Some participants were absent in the weeks when data were collected, resulting in a total of 59 responses included in data analysis. Findings implied that the instruction of visual design principles could possibly improve pre-service teachers’ visual literacy. Suggestions for future research were discussed.