Online and hybrid university-level courses with the utilization of Second Life: Investigating the factors that predict student choice in Second Life supported online and hybrid university-level courses

The radical restructure of hybrid and online learning course delivery methods at university-level held in Second Life has been widely and positively acknowledged from a large academic literature body. However, it is still absent the clarification of students’ socio-cognitive factors that predict their choice to attend at least in one of these course delivery methods. The main purpose of this study is to examine the relation between several personal factors and students’ choice to participate in these contemporary methods. A targeted sample of 325 voluntary students (170 who participated in hybrid sessions and 155 who participated in online sessions) completed a survey to assess socio-cognitive factors (self-efficacy, metacognitive self-regulation and task value), achievement-related emotions (pride, anger, relief and shame) in academic settings (before and after finishing various learning activities) and satisfaction levels of each method with also final grades from their examination processes to be included. Logistic regression confirmed higher levels of students’ self-efficacy and satisfaction in learning outcomes for those who took part in (fully) online rather than those who enrolled in hybrid courses. The study results revealed that students would prefer to take further courses in the online course delivery method. Conclusive remarks may provide meaningful information to the educational community in order to understand better how the socio-cognitive constructs of motivation are related to the students’ participation in future-driven educational activities held in Second Life by using the online or hybrid course delivery methods.     

Comparing grades in online and face-to-face writing courses: Interpersonal accountability and institutional commitment

In spite of benefits surrounding distance education programs, many online writing courses suffer from low student completion rates. Student retention has been identified as a concern in a number of studies of online education. We extend this discussion by examining the relationship of assessment of student work to retention, and comparing the grades students receive in online and face-to-face undergraduate writing courses. Our data point to what we call the “thrive or dive” phenomenon for student performance in online writing courses, which describes the disproportionately high percentage of students who fail or do not complete online courses compared to conventional, face-to-face courses. We extend this discussion on challenges related to student retention and propose instructional approaches for online learning that include the interpersonal accountability between teachers and students, as well as the institutional commitment necessary to ensure that students can succeed in online writing courses and programs.     

The design and application of technology-based courses in the mathematics classroom

It is difficult to examine the effectiveness of technology-based courses (TBC) without understanding the design and application in classrooms. There is evidence of disconnects among the theory for designing, the theory used to apply TBCs in classrooms, and the theory used to research and evaluate TBCs [Hickey, D. T. (1997). Motivation and contemporary socio-constructivist instructional perspectives. Educational Psychologist, 32(3), 175–193]. Comments provided by administrators, teachers and students may lead researchers to determine whether or not the original TBC course goals have been attained. In this paper, we first discuss examples of theoretical disconnects found in other technology-based research [Aleven, V. E., Stahl, E., Schworm, S., Fischer, F., & Wallace, R. (2003). Help seeking and help design in interactive learning environments. Review of Educational Research, 73(3), 277–320; Hickey, D. T., & McCaslin, M. (2001). A comparative, sociocultural analysis of context and motivation. In S. Volet, & S. Järvelä (Eds.), Motivation in learning contexts: Theoretical advances and methodological implications (pp. 33–55). Elmsford, NY: Pergamon Press]. Then, we describe the course design of the mathematics TBC used in this study, the reasons the principal and the teacher’s believe the software will benefit their mathematics students, and the perceptions of mathematics students regarding the effectiveness of the technology in their classroom. In conclusion, we will discuss how this preliminary qualitative data shaped our future research questions.     

孤立点挖掘在高等学校科技统计数据分析中的应用

孤立点挖掘是一项有价值的、重要的知识发现,研究孤立点的异常行为能发现隐藏在数据中有价值的信息。本文在介绍孤立点及其挖掘算法的基础上,讨论了基于距离和的孤立点挖掘算法,并将该算法创新地应用于高等学校科技统计数据分析中。结果表明,该算法可以有效地挖掘出高等学校科技统计数据中的异常现象,对数据的真实性的核对起到非常重要的作用。     

Gender differences and similarities in online courses: challenging stereotypical views of women

Abstract This paper considers gender differences in online contexts and examines current trends in women's performance, access and experience of online courses. It uses supportive case study examples and specific research into students' academic engagement, conceptions and perceptions of learning support in online environments. The analysis shows that women studying online are confident independent learners who may outperform their male counterparts. They do not have reduced computer and Internet access compared with men, nor are they disinclined to enrol on online courses. They attach greater value to the pastoral aspect of tutoring and have different interaction styles from men, which may have implications for online tutoring support. The gender debate needs to move on from access and performance to the differences and similarities in the degree of importance that men and women place on different interaction and tutoring styles online.     

全程设计与开发教学模式在《Java ME编程》中的应用

《Java ME编程》是一门实践性很强的课程,在教学过程中大力提高学生的实际编程应用能力,培养学生自主学习和创新的能力,是课程教学的主要目标之一。从教学实际出发,介绍一种在教学过程中摸索出的全程设计与开发教学模式,该模式采用启发式教学及任务驱动的教学方法,完全符合学生的认知水平,并能最大限度地调动学生学习的积极性。经过两年的教学实践证明,该教学模式的教学效果非常明显。     

A systematic approach for improving the quality of official statistics: Case of Korean information and telecommunication industry

With the rapid growth of information and communication technology (ICT) in Korea, there was a need to improve the quality of official ICT statistics. In order to do this, various factors had to be considered, such as the quality of surveying, processing, and output as well as the reputation of the statistical agency. We used PLS estimation to determine how these factors might influence customer satisfaction. Furthermore, through a comparison of associated satisfaction indices, we provided feedback to the responsible statistics agency. It appears that our model can be used as a tool for improving the quality of official ICT statistics.     

A 10-year assessment of information and communication technology tasks required in undergraduate agriculture courses

This study sought to assess required information and communication technology (ICT) tasks in selected undergraduate agriculture courses in a land-grant university during a 10-year period. Selected agriculture faculty members in the fall 1999 (n = 63), 2004 (n = 55), and 2009 (n = 64) semesters were surveyed to determine the ICT tasks they required of students. There were significant (p < .05) increases in the number of required Internet and electronic mail tasks between 1999 and 2009; but no significant changes in the number of word processing, computer graphics, spreadsheet, database, or miscellaneous ICT tasks required over the period. In 1999, three specific tasks (receive electronic mail, search the Internet, and type a lab or project report) were required in more than 50% of courses; in 2009, these three tasks plus three additional tasks (send electronic mail, submit assignments as attached electronic mail files, and use Blackboard^© to acquire course information) were required in a majority of courses. Faculty with higher levels of self-perceived ICT skills and those teaching higher-level courses tended to require larger and more diverse sets of ICT tasks than other faculty. Course level explained the largest proportion of unique variance in the number of required spreadsheet, word processing, computer graphics, and miscellaneous ICT tasks. Self-perceived ICT skills and course level explained approximately equal amounts of the unique variance in total ICT tasks required. Both the quantity and complexity of ICT in undergraduate agriculture courses should be increased.     

全程设计与开发教学模式在《Java ME编程》中的应用

《Java ME编程》是一门实践性很强的课程,在教学过程中大力提高学生的实际编程应用能力,培养学生自主学习和创新的能力,是课程教学的主要目标之一。从教学实际出发,介绍一种在教学过程中摸索出的全程设计与开发教学模式,该模式采用启发式教学及任务驱动的教学方法,完全符合学生的认知水平,并能最大限度地调动学生学习的积极性。经过两年的教学实践证明,该教学模式的教学效果非常明显。     

On the probabilistic-deterministic transition involved in a fragmentation process of brittle materials

Dynamic loadings produce high stress waves leading to the fragmentation of brittle materials such as ceramics, concrete, glass and rocks. The main mechanism used to explain the change of the number of fragments with stress rate is a shielding phenomenon. However, under quasi-static loading conditions, a weakest link hypothesis may be applicable. Therefore, depending on the local strain or stress rate, different fragmentation regimes are observed. One regime corresponds to single fragmentation for which a probabilistic approach is needed. Conversely, the multiple fragmentation regime may be described by a deterministic approach. The transition between the two fragmentation regimes is discussed for high performance concrete, glass and SiC ceramics.     

Channel choice and the digital divide in e-government: the case of Egypt

This paper examines channel choice and the digital divide in Egyptian electronic government or e-government. Citizens have access to a variety of service delivery channels when they initiate contact with their government, ranging from e-government to more traditional channels such as the phone and in-person visits to a government office. This paper examines the extent of use of both contact channels for citizens and the impact of the digital divide on channel use. A public opinion survey of Egyptian citizens was analyzed, and the results showed that there was a digital divide in the use of e-government by citizens. The digital divide also extended to other contact channels such as the phone and when citizens used multiple contact channels for public service delivery. The results of this study imply that for the development of e-government, especially in the context of a developing country such as Egypt, policy-makers need to understand that e-government is one of many channels that citizens can use when they initiate contact with their government. The results of this study should encourage policy-makers to recognize the importance of public service delivery in a multichannel environment. Shirin Madon is the accepting Associate Editor for this article. View all notes     

Applying the Practical Inquiry Model to investigate the quality of students’ online discourse in an information ethics course based on Bloom’s teaching goal and Bird’s 3C model

The goal of this study is to better understand how the study participants’ cognitive discourse is displayed in their learning transaction in an asynchronous, text-based conferencing environment based on Garrison’s Practical Inquiry Model (2001). The authors designed an online information ethics course based on Bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives and Bird’s 3C model (Content–Construction–Consolidation). The content analyzed included the participants’ message posts, the quality of the dialogue and the scaffolding strategies for mentoring used by group leaders and teachers.     

Towards the refinement of forum and asynchronous online discussion in educational contexts worldwide: Trends and investigative approaches within a dominant research paradigm

The growth of asynchronous online discussion (AOD) in primary, secondary, undergraduate, and post-graduate contexts and courses has resulted in a growing body of literature that provides valuable insights into the issues surrounding the use of online writing, online discussion, and distance and blended learning in formal education worldwide. This phenomenological critical literature review provides an overview of research focused on forum use and AOD published from 2008 to 2012. Papers were chosen based on a selection process suggested by Wu et al. (2012), where nine of the most influential e-learning education and educational review journals were searched according to year, 2008–2012, and the following keywords: forum, threaded discussion, and threaded chat. Three teachers/educational researchers, each with at least five years of experience using forum and AOD in university contexts, further filtered the corpus through following a detailed inclusion/exclusion procedure, which resulted in a refined corpus of 43 journal papers. Quantitative analyses of results reveal most AOD research in educational contexts from 2008 to 2012 was carried out through or on Learning Management Systems (LMS) platforms in university settings, within computer and education classes, with blended learning dominating distance learning contexts. Most research settings were based in Asia and Europe, while the three countries with the most AOD publications were Singapore, Taiwan, and the U.S. In addition, the journals dominating the field were Computers & Education, followed by Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, and Australasian Journal of Educational Technology. The refined corpus was also analysed qualitatively via phenomenological method (Smith, Flowers, & Larkin, 2009), in order to identify and contextualize meaningful statements and themes. Discussion focuses on the existence of a dominant research paradigm that we divide into four investigative impulses and discuss: argumentative, comparative, relational, and analytical. Specific representative examples of each investigative impulse are thoroughly discussed and critiqued, and as a result, should be of significant value to all stakeholders, including researchers, instructors, and students, involved in forum and AOD use in educational contexts globally.     

“教学做评合一”与高职计算机专业英语课程教学设计

针对目前高职计算机专业英语课程的特征,笔者分析了课程的性质和教学现状,将"教学做评"合一,融入到计算机专业英语的教学当中来,以提高教学质量,期待达到更好的教学效果。     

Development of predictive models for the estimation of the probability of suffering fear of falling and other fall risk factors based on posturography parameters in community-dwelling older adults

Falls pose an important problem for older adults. Balance training is one of the main prevention strategies, but there is a lack of objective measurement methods that would allow the effectiveness of the treatments employed to be assessed. This study aimed to analyse the relationship between posturographic parameters and risk factors associated with falling, including the fear of falling (FoF). Forty-one healthy community-dwelling older adults were surveyed on their perception of problems considered to be fall risk factors. Balance measurement with posturography was performed. The relationships between risk factors and falls and risk factors and posturography were analysed by means of cross-tabulation and logistic regression, respectively. Experimental results showed a significant relationship between some of the posturographic parameters and various fall risk factors. Stability limits were related to FoF, and results from the Romberg test with eyes closed with and without foam correlated with problems in kneeling/crouching. The results from the Romberg test with eyes closed and foam correlated with osteoarthritis. Equations were developed to estimate the probability of having such problems. In conclusion, posturography is useful for the estimation of fall risk conditions in relation to three important fall risk factors (FoF, osteoarthritis and problems in kneeling/crouching), and it could be used for targeting, training and studying progress after the use of different treatments.Relevance to industryPosturography can be used as an assessment tool to analyse the effects of those treatments aimed at preventing falls. Furthermore, the equations derived from our results can be used along with posturographic variables to assess patient progress.