Exploring the Effectiveness of Differentiated Instruction in University Settings: A Text and Sentiment Analysis Approach

This study aims to examine the influence of gender on the adoption of a virtual learning environment (VLE) in higher education in Ghana during COVID-19 restrictions. A survey approach was used, with a total sample of 488 responses from the University of Professional Studies, Accra. To reveal gender differences, both male and female respondents were subjected to a multi-group analysis. The factors impacting students’ intention to use VLE were determined using the structural equation modeling approach employing SmartPLS 3.3.3 software. Accordingly, both gender groups show that subjective norm elements significantly influence intention to adopt VLE; however, the male group (β = 0.873, p = 0.000) reports more significant influences than the female group (β = 0.571, p = 0.000). The study establishes that the newly incorporated construct in the theory of planned behavior, attitudes towards social distancing, significantly affects males’ behavioral intention to use VLE more than their female peers. This result demonstrates the robustness of the theory of planned behavior for evaluating technology acceptance research.

PurposeThis study concentrates on South Korean university students' attitude towards cooperative learning by utilizing the “Student Attitudes toward Group Environments” survey (n = 427–181 female and 246 male) originally developed by Kouros and Abrami (2006).Design/methodology/approachThe purpose of this study is to unfold what factors affect the cooperative learning environment in the Higher Education context of South Korea, which is known as a collectivist society, and conduct comparative analysis on gender, department type, GPA level and school year as variables in the perception of cooperative learning. The factor analysis findings demonstrated that there are four factors influencing students' attitude about cooperative learning environments in South Korean higher education; “frustrations with group members”, “peer support”, “fairness” and “quality of product and process”. Moreover, the gender, type of department, school year and GPA variables were yielded statistically differentiating results.FindingsThe overall results showed that effective cooperative learning strategies depend on the type of culture and other demographic variables including learner's gender, department type and school year. In South Korea, known to have a collectivist culture, fairness has appeared as a new criteria needing to be considered when designing a cooperative learning environment, which is a different case than in individualistic cultures. Thus, when employing cooperative learning strategies in South Korea, educators should take learners' culture into consideration. For this, educators might utilize the final instrument of this study as a guideline or criteria to establish an effective cooperative learning environment.Originality/valueThis article provides an example from South Korea which is known as both a collectivist and high-tech country.

This article reports on the findings of senior leadership interviews in a nationally funded project on distributed leadership in the quality management of online learning environments (OLEs) in higher education. Questions were framed around the development of an OLE quality management framework and the situation of the characteristics of distributed leadership at the core of the framework. The project’s premise is that distributed leadership is a descriptive reality of managing OLEs given the various leadership parties involved and the complexities of the contemporary technological landscape. Leaders’ understandings of distributed leadership were examined—its nature, value and potential for advancing the quality management of OLEs. There was confirmatory evidence of its reality, but its meaning and value were not uncritically accepted. It can be concluded that building distributed leadership must start through deliberative formal leadership commitment and action starting at the highest levels of the institution.

This paper explores the way to apply ChatGPT to mitigate the side effects of Personal Learning Environments (PLEs) in higher education from the perspectives of teachers and teaching. An interview with six university professors and two Information and Communication Technology (ICT) experts was conducted. The thematic analysis reveals two main categories of side effects, including educational philosophy and teaching skills. The data analysis also contends that ChatGPT offers a valuable tool to aid educators in overcoming these challenges by improving the personalization of PLEs, aligning PLEs with formal education requirements, and designing innovative assessments and enhancing learning engagement in PLEs. This study provides insights beneficial to practitioners, researchers, and policymakers by elucidating the challenges and opportunities associated with integrating ChatGPT with PLEs in higher education.

The development of effective learning environments in higher education (HE) appears to become increasingly prioritised by HE institutions. This approach reflects an increasingly ‘consumer’ focused student body, and HE attempt to further quantify the quality of their products. However, all too often attempts to build more effective learning environments are hampered by the structures and processes that have historically existed in HE. The traditional lecture-seminar approach is increasingly been seen as not supporting effective student learning. As a result, the quality of the student learning experience is being compromised. This paper explores some of the factors currently limiting the development of effective learning environments and considers relevant questions and possible solutions. In particular, this paper explores the degree to which University interactions with student groups are driven by quality assurance processes rather than for maximising student learning.

This study aims to examine: (1) differences in Calculus learning achievement between students using mobile learning with differentiated instruction (DI) and those using modules, (2) differences in achievement based on students' learning styles, and (3) the interaction between instructional methods and learning styles on learning outcomes. The participants were 112 Informatics Engineering students at Universitas Darussalam Gontor in the 2023/2024 academic year, divided into two groups: 59 students in the experimental group (using mobile learning) and 53 in the control group (using modules). The study was conducted over five sessions on the topic of Absolute Value Equations and Inequalities. A quasi-experimental method with a 2x3 factorial design was used. The research instruments included an achievement test and a learning style questionnaire. Data were analyzed using two-way ANOVA after confirming normality and homogeneity assumptions. The results showed that: (1) mobile learning with DI is more effective than modules, (2) learning styles significantly affect learning achievement, and (3) there is no interaction between instructional method and learning style. These findings suggest that mobile learning with DI can be effectively implemented regardless of students' learning styles and supports the development of inclusive digital learning environments in higher education.

The main purpose of this paper is to discover gender spaces in virtual learning environments at the tertiary level. A considerable study has been done in the global north and global south on gender spaces in virtual learning environments. This study has been conducted using qualitative and review-based studies. It portrays a widespread analysis of published research documents from various speculative contexts. This study blends findings from the past few decades to examine gender spaces and virtual learning environments in higher education. The review emphasizes that such activities serve as vital platforms for virtual learning in higher education. The analysis is based on 116 peer-reviewed research published documents retrieved from reputable digital databases such as Web of Science, Google Scholar, Taylor & Francis, SAGE, Emerald Insight, and Springer Nature. Data collection has been continued until thematic permeation has been reached. A thematic analysis approach has been employed to present and interpret the qualitative nature of data. The study findings indicated that gender spaces shape participation in virtual learning environments in higher education. The study findings have been based on the empirical review of the published research documents on gender spaces and virtual learning environments in higher education. The study reveals that gender plays a noteworthy role in determining students' experiences, participation, and outcomes within virtual learning environments in higher education.

The smart learning environment is a technology-supported learning environment that is enriched with digital resources, context-aware and adaptive devices, and can provide appropriate support to meet the learning style and abilities of diverse students to promote better and enhances learning process in higher education. It is a student-centered learning environment that has the capacity to engage students and offers an effective learning process. It is characterized by the ability to provide interactions between students and facilitators, and personalized and inclusive learning experiences to anyone, anytime and anywhere using smart mobile devices. However, despite the increasing use of smart learning environment in higher education, there is no well-defined model with a set of educational requirements for developing and evaluating self-regulated smart learning environment which considers both instructional and evaluation design. Therefore, this article explores instructional design and learning evaluation process to propose a new set of educational requirements referred to as smart learning environment pedagogical and educational requirements model (SLE-PERM) for developing and evaluating self-regulated smart learning environment. Next, the article presents the application of the educational requirements on three common learning management system (LMS) namely: Moodle, Blackboard and Schoology which can be used to evaluate the suitability of LMS to guide stakeholders on the critical issues that require pedagogical and educational requirements for developing a self-regulated smart learning environment in higher education.

Ubiquitous learning and the use of ubiquitous learning environments heralds a new era in higher education. Ubiquitous learning environments enhance context-aware and seamless learning experiences available from any location at any time. They support smooth interaction between authentic and digital learning resources and provide personalized learning opportunities. The research area surrounding the ubiquitous learning phenomenon is highly specific and the criteria for ubiquitous learning environments have not been systemically described. The aim of this scoping review was to identify criteria for ubiquitous learning environments, and to summarize the relevant knowledge in this research area. The purpose was to identify research gaps and help map the scope of ubiquitous learning environments in higher education use. A systematic literature search was conducted in 2016 by searching nine international databases and grey literature. The searches retrieved 889 original studies. After filtering the titles, the abstracts (n = 78) and full texts (n = 30) were screened. Seven eligible studies were included in the final review. The study meets high scientific quality standards and guidelines for scoping literature reviews. The data was extracted and key themes were formalized. The original extracts were listed under sub-categories and final categories were defined. An inductive content analysis was used for the analysis. The results defined the criteria for ubiquitous learning environment as context-awareness, interactivity, personalization and flexibility supported by learning management systems, functional objects, wireless networks and mobile devices. All the studied learning environments were developed for specific purposes to support learning in specific contents. Components and outcomes varied between the environments. The results of the scoping review summarize the knowledge in this narrow research area, and have identified gaps in the existing literature. The review illustrates the scope of used ubiquitous learning environments in higher education contexts. It also raises the need for transparent research presenting practical implications for generalizability of future development processes.

A lack of unified instructional design strategies to mitigate cognitive overload in higher education necessitated this study to explore how instructional design could mitigate cognitive overload in first-year commerce students. Grounded in the Cognitive Load Theory (CLT), which posits that excessive information impedes conducive student learning experiences and metacognition. The research is situated within a South African private higher education institution (PHEI) and explores a qualitative analysis using a three-pronged approach. Firstly, a literature review on CLT and its application in instructional design impacting students' learning experiences was conducted. Secondly, the researchers evaluated the institution’s 2023 instructional design of modules and their presentation through the learning management system (LMS) using multimedia learning. The purposive sample consisted of eight first-year modules within the Bachelor of Commerce degree program to assess the learning design elements against the principles of CLT. The researchers, being three instructional designers used secondary data and peer-reviewed the module evaluations to validate the findings and verify the impact of CLT on students' learning based on the institution's existing instructional design strategy. By evaluating the PHEI’s current instructional design practices against CLT principles, this study aimed to identify effective strategies to manage cognitive load and enhance the student learning experience within the higher education context. The research findings of this study indicated that the integration of CLT into instructional design could mitigate cognitive overload, thereby improving the student learning experience, and metacognition and providing guidelines for the refinement of instructional design strategies. The value of the research outcomes was anticipated to contribute to the development of improved instructional design strategies using multi-media learning to address cognitive load. The value of the research outcomes was anticipated to contribute to the development of improved instructional design frameworks and strategies that addressed cognitive load, enabling effective and conducive learning environments in higher education. These insights aimed to guide future research in curriculum design and teaching and learning practices in higher education and to recommend instructional design strategies to manage cognitive load thus mitigating the challenges of cognitive overload experienced by students and enhancing the student learning experience.

We study project-based, technology-enhanced learning environments in higher education, which should produce, by means of specific mechanisms, learning outcomes in terms of transferable knowledge and learning-, thinking-, collaboration- and regulation-skills. Our focus is on the role of objects from professional practice serving as boundary objects and the authentic mechanisms they are to activate. We identify three sets of features of boundary objects: (1) facilitation of the interaction between actors enacting various roles; (2) handling in diverse physical and digital spaces; and (3) usage across certain timeframes. Data from an in-depth case study show that these features help to activate authentic mechanisms, namely, using expert performances, enacting multiple roles and perspectives, collaboratively constructing knowledge, reflecting and articulating. The identification of boundary objects and the way they trigger authentic mechanisms for learning, provide concrete guidance for the design of project-based, technology-enhanced learning environments in higher education.

This study evaluated the acceptance and use of a virtual learning environment in higher education by using the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model. Study data were collected by means of a questionnaire form, completed by 1032 students receiving undergraduate education in Turkey and the United Kingdom, who currently use similar virtual learning environments. The role of performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence and facilitating conditions were evaluated and tested for both countries. The study results demonstrated that the behavioral intention and use behavior regarding the utilization of a virtual learning environment in higher education differed between the two countries, and that the level of impact of the factors that shape behavioral intention and use behavior also differed from one factor to another.

British Journal of Educational TechnologyVolume 39, Issue 4 p. 765-765 Authentic learning environments in higher education – By Herrington, Tony & Herrington, Jan First published: 03 July 2008 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8535.2008.00870_23.xCitations: 3Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume39, Issue4July 2008Pages 765-765 RelatedInformation

The rapidly evolving landscape of higher education demands innovative approaches to engage learners effectively within Learning Management Systems (LMS). This article presents a conceptual framework of gamification explicitly designed for higher education to enhance learner engagement within LMS platforms. Drawing inspiration from game design elements, principles, and motivational theory support, the framework strategically integrates points, badges, and leaderboards to create an interactive and motivating learning environment. The primary objective is to leverage intrinsic motivation, fostering active participation and a deeper understanding of course material. By implementing this framework, higher education institutions can enhance the educational experience for learners, improve retention rates, and cultivate a passion for lifelong learning. This article discusses the gamification framework's theoretical foundation, practical implementation, and potential benefits. It provides insights for educators and administrators seeking to transform their LMS into engaging and effective learning environments in higher education.

Under the influence of education for sustainable development, active learning classrooms, as the new learning environment in higher education, have become increasingly diversified and flexible, with a greater emphasis on student experience and engagement. Most research on these learning environments is centered on formal learning analysis and discussion, whereas empirical research on the perception of informal learning in active learning classrooms outside of class time is lacking. Based on informal learning perceptions, this study explored the strengths and weaknesses of active learning classroom spatial environments using a mixed quantitative and qualitative research approach. Through a questionnaire survey of 154 students and one-on-one semi-structured interviews with 15 students, this study found that most students were satisfied with the informal learning experience in active learning classrooms, comfortable and flexible space perception and humanized learning support facilities in active learning classrooms were critical spatial factors influencing students’ informal learning, the private environment and positive learning atmosphere in active learning classrooms could promote students’ informal learning behaviors, and for active learning classrooms, better resource management could help them develop a better quality full-time learning environment. Based on these findings, this study makes recommendations for optimizing the environment design and management of active learning classrooms.