The role of tasks and epistemological beliefs in online peer questioning

The current study examines the assertion that students are motivated and learn more by carrying out tasks consistent with their epistemological beliefs in web-based learning environments. In the study, 120 undergraduate students in an educational technology course participated as part of their coursework. Using a wiki, triads reciprocally asked and responded to questions as constructing either a group summary or a group argument. Students with less advanced epistemological beliefs more actively coordinated formats and procedures for group work and achieved higher comprehension of reading materials in the collaborative summary than in the collaborative argumentation. By contrast, these differences were not found for students with more advanced epistemological beliefs. However, the interaction effect between tasks and epistemological beliefs disappeared for the quality of argumentation on case problems. Independently of epistemological beliefs, collaborative argumentation promoted more constructive and interactive peer questioning activities and helped to construct higher quality arguments in case problems than collaborative summary. Therefore, the effects of matching tasks and epistemological beliefs varied depending on types of learning outcomes (comprehension vs. argumentation) in online peer questioning.     

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.     

Roles as a structuring tool in online discussion groups: The differential impact of different roles on social knowledge construction

This study focuses on stimulating social knowledge construction in e-discussions and examines the introduction of five roles: starter, summariser, moderator, theoretician, and source searcher. Asynchronous discussion groups of 10 1st-year students Instructional Sciences were organised to foster students’ processing of the learning content. Four successive authentic tasks of three weeks each were presented. Taking into account the moment of introduction of the role assignment (at the start of the discussions versus at the end), the differential impact of the roles on knowledge construction is studied through quantitative content analysis based on the interaction analysis model of Gunawardena, Lowe, and Anderson (1997). The results show a positive effect of role assignment on students’ social knowledge construction at the start of the discussions. This implies that roles should be introduced at the start of the discussions and can be faded out towards the end. With respect to the differential impact of the roles, the results show that messages from moderators, theoreticians, and summarisers reflect higher levels of knowledge construction at the start of the discussions. Even students without a role in role-supported groups benefit from the role introduction.     

When groups decide to use asynchronous online discussions: collaborative learning and social presence under a voluntary participation structure

The purpose of this study is to explore how groups decide to use asynchronous online discussion forums in a non-mandatory setting, and, after the group decision is made, how group members use online discussion forums to complete a collaborative learning project requiring complex data gathering and research processes. While a large body of research on computer-mediated communication (CMC) has documented successful intervention strategies to promote and sustain online discussion forums, little of the research has examined the use of online discussion forums in voluntarily contexts, wherein the decision to use online discussion forums is a personal decision and participation is not a graded component. This study approaches the research questions using a naturalistic case study of one graduate-level blended learning course with 55 students. Employing both student interviews and content analysis methods, this study revealed that the factors affecting the group decision to use online discussion forums are (1) successful or unsuccessful experiences during the first trial, (2) perceived affordances of CMC tools, and (3) the interplay between the nature of collaborative tasks and perceived efficiency. The content analysis of online postings in two voluntary groups revealed that when groups decided to use online discussion forums, participation levels were almost equal among individual group members, and discussion threads were sustained until the final completion of the collaborative project.     

Structuring asynchronous discussion groups: the impact of role assignment and self-assessment on students' levels of knowledge construction through social negotiation

This article examines the impact of the introduction of roles and the added value of self-assessment on students' level of knowledge construction in online asynchronous discussions in a first-year university course in instructional sciences. Students' postings in 20 discussion groups were used as the research data for this study. All messages, submitted during the 12-week discussion period and comprising four discussion themes of 3 weeks each, were analysed. Repeated-measures multilevel modeling was adopted to analyse the data from the content analysis. The results point at a significant positive impact of assigning roles to students. However, this positive impact depends on the moment of the introduction of the roles. Higher levels of social knowledge construction were found in discussion groups where roles were introduced right at the start of the discussions and faded out towards the end. The results further indicate that self-assessment has no significant added value.     

An investigation of the effects of reciprocal peer tutoring

This study investigated the effects of reciprocal peer tutoring (RPT) on student achievement, motivation, and attitudes. Four sections of an educational technology course were randomly assigned to one RPT and one non-RPT group. Participants in the RPT group were then randomly assigned to groups to tutor and support each other while participants in the non-RPT group worked individually. The results suggested that the RPT and non-RPT groups did not differ on student achievement and motivation. Findings concerning student attitudes revealed that what students liked about RPT were helpful group members, opportunities to work in groups, feedback from groups, the comfort that RPT provided, and knowledge sharing. What students disliked about RPT were the unnecessary work and lack of interaction.     

Learning in asynchronous discussion groups: a multilevel approach to study the influence of student, group and task characteristics

The research reported in the current article studies the impact of learning in asynchronous discussion groups on students' final exam scores and levels of knowledge construction. Multilevel analyses were applied to uncover the specific influence of student, group and task variables. The results indicate that the impact of student characteristics on both dependent variables is of higher significance than characteristics of the discussion group students are allocated to. With regard to levels of knowledge construction, task characteristics also appear to be of importance.

 With regard to final exam scores the analyses reveal a significant impact from student learning style, attitude towards task-based learning, the number of student contributions and the level of knowledge construction in these contributions. No significant group characteristics were observed.

 As to levels of knowledge construction, the analyses revealed that the amount of contributions and the attitude towards the online learning environment are significant predictors. The intensity of the interaction in a group had a significant impact. As to task characteristics, significant differences were found between consecutive themes. These disappeared when taking into account task complexity.     

Creating a community of inquiry in online environments: An exploratory study on the effect of a protocol on interactions within asynchronous discussions

The purpose of our research was to examine the influence of an online protocol on asynchronous discussions. A mixed-methods study compared two online graduate classes: one that used a protocol and one that did not use a protocol for the same discussion about a complex reading. Analysis of the data revealed that the online protocol more evenly distributed the presence of cognitive, social, and teaching elements necessary to create and sustain an online community of inquiry. Use of the protocol also promoted more shared group cognition and more student ownership of the discussion and empowered students to facilitate themselves, helping to reduce the instructor workload. These findings may enable educators to provide more dynamic interaction and richer learning experiences in asynchronous online environments.     

Cross-age peer tutors in asynchronous discussion groups: Exploring the impact of three types of tutor training on patterns in tutor support and on tutor characteristics

This study was conducted in an authentic university setting with fourth-year Educational Sciences’ students operating as online peer tutors to facilitate freshman tutees’ online collaboration and knowledge construction in a blended “Instructional Sciences” course. Taking into account prior research uncovering weaknesses in online peer tutor behaviour, the aim of the study was to explore the possibility to optimise the quality and the nature of online peer support. In this respect, the study examined the impact of three tutor training conditions (multidimensional support, model/coach, and control condition) on peer tutors’ actual tutor behaviour in asynchronous discussion groups and on tutors’ self-efficacy beliefs, perceived collective efficacy, and training evaluation. Quantitative content analysis was applied to study online peer tutor behaviour. More specifically, two coding schemes were used focusing respectively on the occurrence of different e-moderating activities and on the evolution from modeling to coaching behaviour. Tutors’ self-efficacy beliefs, perceived collective efficacy, and training evaluation were assessed by means of questionnaires.     

Cross‐age peer tutors in asynchronous discussion groups: studying the impact of tutors labelling their interventions

Cross‐age tutors were randomly assigned to one of the three tutor training conditions distinguished for the current study: (1) the labelling experimental condition, characterized by requirements to label their tutor interventions, based on the e‐moderating model of Salmon; (2) the non‐labelling experimental condition, focusing on tutor's acting upon the role of an e‐moderator without preliminary requirements with regard to labelling the phase of e‐moderating in their messages; and (3) a control condition, typified by all‐round information on online facilitation. The results indicated that tutors are not really capable in labelling their interventions accurately. Nevertheless, labelling did foster enhanced e‐moderating activities. Compared to tutors in the control condition, tutors in the experimental conditions performed at a higher level, implying that they adopted more balanced tutor support. Labelling did not result in a differential impact on self‐efficacy and perceived collective efficacy.     

Knowledge building in asynchronous discussion groups: Going beyond quantitative analysis

This contribution examines the methodological challenges involved in defining the collaborative knowledge-building processes occurring in asynchronous discussion and proposes an approach that could advance understanding of these processes. The written protocols that are available to the analyst provide an exact record of the instructional transactions at a given time in the online discussion. On the basis of a study of online discussion forums used in a higher education context, a model for the analysis of collaborative knowledge building in asynchronous discussion is presented. The model allows examination of the communication from the multiple perspectives of interaction, cognition and discourse analysis. The investigation was conducted using a qualitative case study approach and involved an in-depth examination of three cases. Content analysis of the discourse was done at a number of levels, focusing on the discussion forum itself, the discussion threads, the messages, and the exchanges and moves among the messages. As a result of correspondences found among the variables representing the different levels of the analysis, the most important being the relationship between type of interaction, phase of critical inquiry, and move in the exchange structure, it was possible to build a scheme for assessing knowledge building in asynchronous discussion groups. The scheme integrates the interactive, cognitive and discourse dimensions in computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL). The study represents a merging of quantitative analysis within qualitative methodology and provides both an analytic and a holistic perspective on CSCL.     

Mapping the study of learning analytics in higher education

ABSTRACT

In recent years, the application of technological innovation in higher education has become more and more widely spread, and technological innovation has been improving the level of education. In the research of higher education with innovation technology, one of the main focuses is on the dynamic data which can lay a foundation for the analysis of educational activities by learning analytics. The dynamic data created by technological innovation will become the key basis for analytical research and development in higher education. The methods and analysis results of learning analytics will directly affect decision-making and strategy about higher education. In this paper, we use bibliometric and visualisation methods to review the literature, in order to highlight the development of learning analytics in higher education. Using bibliometric analysis, our study depicts the development process of the main methods used in learning analytics, and summarises the current situation in this field, which increases the level of understanding provided by those studies. Finally, we summarise the research hotspots and study trends, which will be useful for future study in this field.     

Visualization of agreement and discussion processes during computer-supported collaborative learning

This study examined the effects of the shared space (SS) on students’ behaviors in a computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) environment. The SS visualizes discussion and agreement during online discussions. It was hypothesized the SS would increase the media richness of the CSCL-environment, would stimulate critical and exploratory group-norms, would lead to more positive perceptions of online collaboration, and would have an impact on students’ collaborative activities. In total, 59 students working in 20 groups had access to the SS visualization, while 58 students working in 20 groups did not. The results show that students with access to the SS visualization: (a) perceived higher media richness; (b) had a more exploratory group-norm perception; (b) perceived more positive group behavior; (c) perceived their group’s task strategies to be more effective; (d) engaged in different collaborative activities and (e) performed better on one part of the group task. These results demonstrate the potential benefits of visualizing agreement and discussion during CSCL.     

An online image analysis tool for science education

This paper describes an online image analysis tool developed as part of an iterative, user-centered development of an online Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) called the Education through Virtual Experience (EVE) Portal. The VLE provides a Web portal through which schoolchildren and their teachers create scientific proposals, retrieve images and other resources, and produce collaborative scientific papers summarizing their learning experiences. The VLE underwent substantive formative testing involving over 200 schoolchildren producing over 50 collaboratively written research papers. Detailed analysis of these research papers identified some shortfalls toward the goal of producing authentic scientific engagement. The absence of data collection and data analysis within these research papers was disappointing despite having scheduled time for this activity and having several professional imaging tools available. The post-evaluation analyses have enabled the development team to identify specific design flaws in the previous VLE and have shaped the design of the new custom-built tool. The success of the tool will be born out through content analysis of future collaboratively written student papers.     

International on-line reciprocal peer tutoring to promote modern language development in primary schools

The paper reports data from an on-line peer tutoring project. In the project 78, 9–12-year-old students from Scotland and Catalonia peer tutored each other in English and Spanish via a managed on-line environment. Significant gains in first language (Catalonian pupils) modern language (Scottish pupils) and attitudes towards modern languages (both Catalonian and Scottish pupils) were reported for the experimental group as compared to the control group. Results indicated that pupils tutored each other in using Piagetian techniques of error correction during the project. Error correction provided by tutors to tutees focussed on morph syntaxys, more specifically the correction of verbs. Peer support provided via the on-line environment was predominantly based on the tutor giving the right answer to the tutee. High rates of impact on tutee corrected messages were observed. The implications for peer tutoring initiative taking place via on-line environments are discussed. Implications for policy and practice are explored.     

Identifying a transition period at the midpoint of an online collaborative activity: a study among adult learners

This case study describes the group development in an online learning group. Adult learners enrolled in a MBA partially delivered at a distance were observed during fifteen weeks to better understand the group development of an online learning group. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used to capture the dynamic of social interactions within the group and some affective reactions of members. The results revealed a transition period at the midpoint of the collaborative activity showing a decline of task-oriented communications, motivation and positive mood from this period. Results were discussed through models of group development validated in face-to-face environments. Some implications were proposed to facilitate online activities in computer-supported learning groups.     

Using synchronous peer tutoring system to promote elementary students’ learning in mathematics

The face-to-face computer-supported collaborative learning has emerged as an important strategy to elementary students' learning. Few studies have explicitly incorporated the structured peer tutoring to the synchronous environment in mathematics. This study was aimed to explore the effects of the synchronous peer tutoring system on children's mathematics learning. In the project, there were 88 10-11-year-old students who peer tutored each other in mathematics in the face-to-face online environment for a year. Compared to the control group, students in the experimental group had significant gains in mathematics learning, especially in the arithmetic and application types of questions. This study demonstrated the positive effects of peer support via the online synchronous learning on students' self-concept and attitudes toward mathematics learning. The results indicated that the longer the vulnerable pupils engaged in peer tutoring online, the more they benefited from the process. The finding suggests that students demonstrate different mathematics reasoning skills when they are paired with peers at different levels of ability. These findings demonstrate that the synchronous peer tutoring system is an effective tool to enhance elementary students' learning in mathematics, as well as promote positive self-concepts.     

The nature, reception, and use of online peer feedback in higher education

This article focuses on the use of online interactive peer feedback in higher education and identifies the successful uptake of feedback as an important aspect. We investigate the link between the nature of students’ feedback, the way it is evaluated by the receiver, and its consecutive use for the revision of students’ products. Two separate studies were conducted to investigate the link between these three variables across different educational contexts and tools. Both studies showed a significant relationship between feedback containing concrete suggestions and a successful uptake of the feedback. Regarding the different tools that were used, these concrete suggestions were more often produced in the Annotation system than in the Blackboard discussion forum, the latter showing more evaluative forms of feedback. We also found significant relationships between elements of both the nature and the reception of feedback on the one hand, and the use of this feedback by the receiver on the other hand.