Attracting student participation in asynchronous online discussions: A case study of peer facilitation

Previous research studies on how to promote student participation in asynchronous online discussions have largely focused on the role of the instructor or tutor as facilitators. Not many investigated student facilitation. This article reports a qualitative study examining the facilitation techniques used by student facilitators to attract their course mates to participate in asynchronous online discussions. Data were collected from the students’ reflection logs and students’ online postings. To explore the extent to which student participation in an online discussion forum is successful, we looked at the depth of discussion threads. We deemed a student facilitator to have successfully attracted other students to participant if the discussion threads had a depth of six or more levels of students’ postings. We then examined in detail and reported the facilitation techniques that were exhibited by the student facilitators. Results showed that seven facilitation techniques were employed; the most frequently used were Socratic questioning and sharing personal opinions or experiences. We end by exploring potential implications for practice and for future research.     

A CAL-based undergraduate genetics course

A second year undergraduate practical course in Quantitative Genetics and Biometrics, based mainly upon computer-assisted learning, is described. The educational benefits of the course, some of the problems encountered and some implications of the extensive use of CAL are discussed.     

Monitoring student progress using virtual appliances: A case study

The interactions that students have with each other, with the instructors, and with educational resources are valuable indicators of the effectiveness of a learning experience. The increasing use of information and communication technology allows these interactions to be recorded so that analytic or mining techniques are used to gain a deeper understanding of the learning process and propose improvements. But with the increasing variety of tools being used, monitoring student progress is becoming a challenge. The paper answers two questions. The first one is how feasible is to monitor the learning activities occurring in a student personal workspace. The second is how to use the recorded data for the prediction of student achievement in a course. To address these research questions, the paper presents the use of virtual appliances, a fully functional computer simulated over a regular one and configured with all the required tools needed in a learning experience. Students carry out activities in this environment in which a monitoring scheme has been previously configured. A case study is presented in which a comprehensive set of observations were collected. The data is shown to have significant correlation with student academic achievement thus validating the approach to be used as a prediction mechanism. Finally a prediction model is presented based on those observations with the highest correlation.     

Understanding lurkers in online communities: A literature review

In internet culture, lurkers are a special group of website users who regularly login to online communities but seldom post. This study aims to provide an overall understanding of lurkers by explaining the definition of lurkers, discussing the reasons for lurking and providing suggestions on de-lurking. To understand the reason for lurking, this study first explains why people participate in online communities by building an integrated model of motivational factors of online behaviors. This model classifies motivational factors into four categories: the nature of the online community, individual characteristics, the degree of commitment and quality requirement. Based on this model, four types of lurking reasons are identified: environmental influence, personal preference, individual-group relationship and security consideration. Finally, several strategies for motivating participation in online communities are provided, including external stimuli, improved user-friendliness, encouragement of participation and guidance for newcomers.     

Technological adaptation of the student to the educational density of the course. A case study: 3D architectural visualization

The main objective of this study was to assess the degree of students’ adaptation to two types of courses on applications of architectural spatial representation. With the same semester lengths, the first proposal involved lectures on 4–5 applications, whereas the second covered approximately 20 applications, all of which were focused on the three-dimensional (3D) representation of the architectural project. Both proposals were based on applications and technological innovations that allow better use of active learning, which is the basis of architectural education. After an initial study of the students’ profiles and motivations, both courses were implemented (throughout the 2014–2015 academic year), and quantitative and qualitative data were collected. This mixed approach provided us with a better understanding of the results of students’ motivation and satisfaction. It also allowed us to evaluate the extent to which they adapted to the designed proposals and how our proposal affected the pace and number of the applications presented throughout the two courses.     

Parametric virtual laboratory development: A hydropower case study with student perspectives

In order to take advantage of trends such as genetic-design students need to be familiar, and comfortable, with the concept of parametric computer models and how their parameters relate to physical-forms. Virtual learning software can aid in creating that understanding and help support studies at all undergraduate levels in engineering design disciplines. As an example, hydropower rotors are complex and largely rely on computational analysis of geometries for single rotor types. That problem can be significantly overcome using a parametric algorithm capable of creating an almost-infinite variety of computer models. Therefore, this paper investigates the shared parametric properties of common crossflow hydropower rotor geometries, resulting in a generic model that is then used to illustrate application in real-time interactive virtual learning software capable of producing accurate stereoscopic images and stereolithography files for 3D printing, as well as linking to constructive solid geometry software for slower, but more detailed, analysis. A pilot survey of student attitudes to the virtual learning prototype and resulting geometries is then discussed, illustrating the potential for 3D graphics as an effective addition to virtual learning of parametric design methods, and giving initial direction for future work.     

The effects of computer simulation and animation (CSA) on students' cognitive processes: A comparative case study in an undergraduate engineering course

This study focuses on the investigation of the effects of computer simulation and animation (CSA) on students' cognitive processes in an undergraduate engineering course. The revised Bloom's taxonomy, which consists of six categories in the cognitive process domain, was employed in this study. Five of the six categories were investigated, including remember, understand, apply, analyze, and evaluate. Data were collected via a think‐aloud protocol involving two groups of student participants: One group learned a worked example problem with a CSA module, and the other group learned the same problem with traditional textbook‐style instruction. A new concept called frequency index was proposed for use in qualitative research that involves the quantitative comparison of the overall popularity of a particular mental activity performed by two groups of students. The results show that as compared to traditional textbook‐style instruction, CSA significantly increases students' activities in the understand category of the revised Bloom's taxonomy during learning and significantly increases students' activities in the understand, apply, analyse, and evaluate categories during subsequent problem‐solving. That learning via CSA has a profound impact on subsequent problem‐solving is attributed to intensive human–computer interactions built in the CSA learning module.     

Playful public participation in urban planning: A case study for online serious games

The aim of this paper is to study the implementation of online games to encourage public participation in urban planning. Its theoretical foundations are based on previous work in public participatory geographical information systems (PP GISs), play and games, with a special focus on serious games. Serious games aim to support learning processes in a new, more playful way. We developed the concept of playful public participation in urban planning, including playful elements such as storytelling, walking and moving, sketching, drawing, and games. A group of students designed an online serious public participatory game entitled NextCampus. The case study used in NextCampus was taken from the real-world question of a possible move of a university campus to a new location in the city of Hamburg, Germany. The development of the serious public participatory game NextCampus resulted in a physical prototype, user interface design, and a computational model of the game. The NextCampus game was tested with the help of two groups of urban planning students and presented to three external experts who provided valuable recommendations for further development. The critical comments questioned the level of complexity involved in such games. The positive comments included recognition of the potential for joy and the playfulness a game like NextCampus could evoke.     

Understanding student simultaneous smartphone use in learning settings: A conceptual framework

Smartphone use in learning settings is a common behaviour amongst college students. Building on the theory of consumerism, self-efficacy and addictive behaviours, the current study developed a three-component conceptual framework to understand college students' smartphone use in organizational as well as self-directed learning settings. One thousand and thirty-three students in Shenzhen completed an online survey that measured their frequency of using smartphones in learning settings, motivation for using smartphones in learning settings, behavioural control self-efficacy, smartphone use time, problematic smartphone use, multitask habit and impulsiveness. Regression and configurational analytical approaches were used to examine linear and nonlinear relationships. Results support the use of the proposed framework to explain students' smartphone use behaviour in learning settings.     

Increasing participation in online communities: A framework for human–computer interaction

Online communities are becoming an accepted part of the lives of Internet users, although participation in these communities is dependent on the types of people that form them. Some of the online community’s members do not participate, people referred to as lurkers, whereas others who have been in the community for a long time, referred to as elders, participate regularly and support others. Understanding what drives these individuals and how they chose whether or not to participate will lead to online communities that thrive. This paper proposes a conceptual framework to describe what drives such individuals to carry out actions such as posting messages and adding content (level 1), the cognitions they use to determine whether or not to take such actions (level 2) and the means by which they go about carrying out the action in the environment (level 3). Finally, the framework is applied to the problem of encouraging members to participate by discussing the methods by which people can be persuaded to participate by changing the way they interpret their desires and their environment.     

User participation in context: a case study in a UK bank

Abstract

This paper describes a case study of user-participation focusing on the introduction of a new computer-based system in a large UK bank. We use Wall and Lischeron's (1977) characterization of participation as consisting of three interrelated elements (i.e., interaction, information, and influence) and Gowler and Legge's (1978) contextual interpretation exploring user participation as a ‘dependent’ rather than an ‘independent’ variable. The study examines the process of participation using a range of research methods. We argue that user participation in systems development can only be properly understood through consideration of the nature of the organizational context (e.g., structures and processes), the system and its users, and by analysis of the interactions between these elements.     

User participation in context: a case study in a UK bank

This paper describes a case study of user-participation focusing on the introduction of a new computer-based system in a large UK bank. We use Wall and Lischeron's (1977) characterization of participation as consisting of three interrelated elements (i.e., interaction, information, and influence) and Gowler and Legge's (1978) contextual interpretation exploring user participation as a 'dependent' rather than an 'independent' variable. The study examines the process of participation using a range of research methods. We argue that user participation in systems development can only be properly understood through consideration of the nature of the organizational context (e.g., structures and processes), the system and its users, and by analysis of the interactions between these elements.     

Explaining members' proactive participation in virtual communities

Understanding members' proactive participation in virtual communities is important to both academics and practitioners. This study extends virtual community research by proposing and testing a model that outlines the antecedents of members' proactive participation behavior and incorporates mediating mechanisms and moderating effects. The findings, based on both qualitative and quantitative data, reveal that social, hedonic, and utilitarian community attributes significantly influence proactive participation through community identification and relationship satisfaction. Furthermore, the conversion of community identification into proactive participation behavior depends on the public recognition of contributions. The authors conclude with some managerial and research implications.     

Cloud based management and control system for smart communities: A practical case study

In this study, the implementation of cloud based smart community management and control system was undertaken. SmartComunity.in is a flexible platform to manage and control the affairs of a condominium or society with thorough participation, visibility and transparency. Our research is the first attempt to study one such real life system of cloud based control and management in a smart housing community in India. There is a dearth of exploratory studies that explain the diffusion and adoption of cloud computing in different contexts and from a multiple stakeholder perspective. So, the main contribution of our research is to understand the framework of cloud computing based smart community services in India and the emerging cloud computing ecosystems. This research has wide ranging implications on the future of Internet of Things, and can be extended to elderly health and support, energy efficient systems and smart cities.     

Bridges and barriers to hardware-dependent software ecosystem participation – A case study

BackgroundSoftware ecosystems emerged as means for several actors to jointly provide more value to the market than any of them can do on its own. Recently, software ecosystems are more often used to support the development of hardware-dependent solutions.ObjectivesThis work aims at studying barriers and bridges to participation in an ecosystem with substantial hardware dependencies.MethodWe conducted an interview-based case study of an ecosystem around Axis’ network video surveillance systems, interviewing 10 internal experts and 8 external representatives of 6 companies, complemented by document studies at Axis.ResultsMajor bridges to the ecosystem include end customer demands, open and transparent communication and relationship, as well as internal and external standardizations. Barriers include the two-tier business model, entry barriers and execution performance issues. Approximately half of the identified bridges and barriers could be considered hardware-dependent ecosystems specific.ConclusionOur results suggest that ecosystem leaders should share their sales channels with the ecosystem participants and focus on good communication and relationships as the dominant factors for the ecosystem participation. Moreover, we report that internal and external standardization can play a dual role, not only ease the development but also enable additional sales channels and new opportunities for the ecosystem participants. At the same time, the business model selected by the ecosystem leaders and performance, are identified as the main barriers to ecosystem participation. We believe that the business model barrier may be much more important for similar hardware-dependent software ecosystems.     

A heuristic approach to simultaneous course/student timetabling

Many approaches have been taken in academic environments to address the problem of student and course timetabling. Typically, student scheduling and course scheduling have been treated as separate tasks. Our approach is to build the schedule and place the students into classes simultaneously. That is, to collect all constraints and requirements, quantify them, and build a schedule based on heuristic functions, as we populate it with students. Heuristic functions are also used to order the processing of students. After the schedule is built, we endeavour to further optimise it using additional heuristic-based operations. An initial parallel implementation of the system was performed alongside the manual system followed by live runs in recent semesters. The system has been successfully adopted by the United Arab Emirates University's University General Requirements Unit since the semester starting February 2001. The schedules created have been well accepted by the students and the administration as they have made good use of the students’ time while making near-optimal use of the University's physical and human resources. The scheduling system is written in Visual Basic with embedded SQL.     

A Community of Practice among tutors enabling student participation in a seminar preparation

Educators who are prepared to make use of CSCL can find themselves restricted in their space for maneuvering regarding educational innovation. As a supportive context can be very important for them, the study presented here describes and analyzes a related case of a Community of Practice (CoP) among tutors contributing to the development and conduction of an educational in situ experiment. The paper describes the emergence of the CoP, its dissolving impact on limiting context factors and the empowerment of student participation in a MOO-mediated preparation of a Computer and Law seminar. It shows that a CoP among tutors can be beneficial for educational innovation and is a promising model to support the implementation of CSCL.     

Understanding reuse of software examples: A case study of prejudice in a community of practice

ContextThe context of this research is software developers’ perceptions about the use of code examples in professional software development.ObjectiveThe primary objective of this paper is to identify the human factors that dominate example usage among professional software developers, and to provide a theory that explains these factors.MethodTo achieve this goal, we analyzed the perceptions of professional software developers as manifested on LinkedIn online community. We analyzed the data qualitatively using adapted grounded theory research procedures.ResultsThe research yields an initial framework of key factors that dominate professional developers’ perception regarding example usage. We use the theoretical lens of prejudice theory to put these factors in a broader context, and outline initial recommendations to address these factors in professional organizational context.ConclusionThe results of this work, in particular the use of qualitative techniques – allowed us to obtain rich insight into key human factors that affect professional software developers, and enrich the body of literature on the issues of reuse. These factors need to be taken into account as part of an organizational reuse strategy.     

Structuring an undergraduate accounting information systems course: Alternate strategies

Enrollments in the basic undergraduate accounting information systems course are rapidly increasing. Paralleling this growth is the increasing growth in degree programs in management information systems or business information systems. Hence many schools of business offer a variety of information systems courses to their undergraduate students, including accounting students. This paper considers the alternate strategies in structuring an undergraduate accounting systems course (1) when accounting majors complete systems-related courses prior to completion of the accounting systems course and (2) when accounting majors do not complete any other systems-related courses. Results of a study suggest that the latter approach presently dominates in the accounting community, i.e. accounting majors complete a general purpose as opposed to a specific-purpose accounting systems course. Accordingly, this paper presents a suggested outline for a general-purpose systems course.     

Consumer participation in the development of modular computing in-service training: a case study

Abstract Technological and curricular developments place great demands upon school teachers and need to be underpinned by appropriate in-service training (INSET). The introduction of a new funding mechanism for INSET (Grant-related in-service training — GRIST) seems, inter alia, to recognize a role for class-room practitioners in the identification of specific training needs. The paper describes how one institution (Lancashire Polytechnic) has involved teachers and lecturers in INSET course development in the domain of Computing. This has been an attempt to more finely tune courses to meet their in-service training needs. Consideration is given to the product(s) of these efforts.