Changes In Learning Environment Research Articles

Cooperative Learning Strategy with a Mobile Environment

Cooperative learning is one of main methods to achieve the educational goal of problem-solving and decision-making ability improvement. In line with the changing learning environment, offline cooperative learning has evolved to a web-based cooperative learning these days. However, in order to improve the educational use of the basic ideas of web–participation, sharing and openness, wireless network environment is indispensable. In this point of view, web-based cooperative learning strategies are designed under the wireless network environment and applied to verify their validity and effectiveness in line with educational needs. Also, in this study, how to utilize web-based online learning assistance system (WLS) was presented and teachers’ role model was developed for enhanced cooperative learning effectiveness.

Nursing students' perceptions of factors influencing their learning environment in a clinical skills laboratory: A qualitative study

The mastery of clinical skills learning is required to become a trained nurse. Due to limited opportunities for clinical skills training in clinical practice, undergraduate training at clinical skills laboratories (CSLs) is an essential part of nursing education. In a sociocultural learning perspective learning is situated in an environment. Growing student cohorts, rapid introduction of technology-based teaching methods and a shift from a teaching- to a learning-centered education all influence the environment of the students. These changes also affect CSLs and therefore compel nursing faculties to adapt to the changing learning environment. This study aimed to explore students' perceptions of their learning environment in a clinical skills laboratory, and to increase the knowledge base for improving CSL learning conditions identifying the most important environmental factors according to the students. An exploratory qualitative methodology was used. Nineteen second-year students enrolled in an undergraduate nursing program in Norway participated in the study. They took the same clinical skills course. Eight were part-time students (group A) and 11 were full-time students (group B). Focus group interviews and content analysis were conducted to capture the students' perception of the CSL learning environment. The study documents students' experience of the physical (facilities, material equipment, learning tools, standard procedures), psychosocial (expectations, feedback, relations) and organizational (faculty resources, course structure) factors that affect the CSL learning environment. Creating an authentic environment, facilitating motivation, and providing resources for multiple methods and repetitions within clinical skills training are all important for improving CSL learning environments from the student perspective.

Student attitudes to blogs: a case study of reflective and collaborative learning

The aim of this study is to evaluate the capacity of an e-learning tool (blog) to facilitate reflection among students as part of collaborative group learning. The paper provides insights into student attitudes towards blogs as an interactive and reflective learning tool. Additionally, the study highlights the differences between domestic and international student attitudes towards reflection as part of collaborative learning in groups. The results indicate that international students consistently viewed the use of e-learning tools more positively than domestic students. For educators, the results provide direction in terms of enhancements to assessment tasks incorporating e-learning, including the professional development of staff to address the rapidly changing learning environment.

Cell selection for open-access femtocell networks: Learning in changing environment

This paper addresses the problem of cell selection in dynamic open-access femtocell networks. We model this problem as decentralized restless multi-armed bandit (MAB) with unknown dynamics and multiple players. Each channel is modeled as an arbitrary finite-state Markov chain with different state space and statistics. Each user tries to learn the best channel that maximizes its capacity and reduces its number of handovers. This is a classic exploration/exploitation problem, where the reward of each channel is considered to be Markovian. In addition, the reward process is restless because the state of each Markov chain evolves independently of the user action. This leads to a decentralized restless bandit problem. To solve this problem, we refer to the decentralized restless upper confidence bound (RUCB) algorithm that achieves a logarithmic regret over time for the MAB problem (proposal 1). Then, we extend this algorithm to cope with dynamic environment by applying a change point detection test based on the Page–Hinkley test (PHT) (proposal 2). However, this test would entail some waste of time if the change-point detection was actually a false alarm. To face this problem, we extend our previous proposal by referring to a meta-bandit algorithm (proposal 3) to solve the dilemma between Exploration and Exploitation after the change-point detection occurs. Simulation results show that•our proposal come close to the performance of opportunistic method in terms of capacity, while fewer average number of handovers is required.•The use of a change point test and meta-bandit algorithm allows better performance than RUCB in terms of capacity particularly in a changing environment.

The objective structured clinical examination revisited for postgraduate trainees in general practice.

Objectives:To investigate if the psychometric qualities of an OSCE consisting of more complex simulated patient encounters remain valid and reliable in the assessment of postgraduate trainees in general practice.Methods:In this intervention study without control group, the traditional OSCE was formally replaced by the new, complex version. The study population was composed by all postgraduate trainees (second and third phase) in general practice during the ongoing academic year. Data were handled and collected as part of the formal assessment program. Univariate analyses, the variance of scores and multivariate analyses were performed to assess the test qualities.Results:A total of 340 students participated. Average final scores were slightly higher for third-phase students (t-test, p=0.05). Overall test scores were equally distributed on station level, circuit level and phase level. A multiple regression analysis revealed that test scores were dependent on the stations and circuits, but not on the master phase.Conclusions:In a changing learning environment, assessment and evaluation strategies require reorientation. The reliability and validity of the OSCE remain subject to discussion. In particular, when it comes to content and design, the traditional OSCE might underestimate the performance level of postgraduate trainees in general practice. A reshaping of this OSCE to a more sophisticated design with more complex patient encounters appears to restore the validity of the test results.

Scaffolding in Connectivist Mobile Learning Environment.

Social networks and mobile technologies are transforming learning ecology. In this changing learning environment, we find a variety of new learner needs. The aim of this study is to investigate how to provide scaffolding to the learners in connectivist mobile learning environment:  to learn in a networked environment,  to manage their networked learning process,  to interact in a networked society, and  to use the tools belonging to the network society. The researcher described how Vygotsky's “scaffolding” concept, Berge’s “learner support” strategies, and Siemens’ “connectivism” approach can be used together to satisfy mobile learners’ needs. A connectivist mobile learning environment was designed for the research, and the research was executed as a mixed-method study. Data collection tools were Facebook wall entries, personal messages, chat records; Twitter, Diigo, blog entries; emails, mobile learning management system statistics, perceived learning survey and demographic information survey. Results showed that there were four major aspects of scaffolding in connectivist mobile learning environment as type of it, provider of it, and timing of it and strategies of it. Participants preferred mostly social scaffolding, and then preferred respectively, managerial, instructional and technical scaffolding. Social scaffolding was mostly provided by peers, and managerial scaffolding was mostly provided by instructor. Use of mobile devices increased the learner motivation and interest. Some participants stated that learning was more permanent by using mobile technologies. Social networks and mobile technologies made it easier to manage the learning process and expressed a positive impact on perceived learning.

Learning and assessment credibility: The design of examination strategies in a changing learning environment

Learning environments for higher education have changed considerably in the last 20 years, especially since the advent of the internet. In addition to the change in learning technologies has come an increasing politicisation of higher education and in the UK a change from being virtually free in the 1980s to one where annual costs (Sheffield Press Release, 2012) can now be in excess of £9000 p.a. Since there are various routes to attaining higher education and commercialisation and competition are being introduced, the output of the systems, i.e. a student’s learning, is a factor which needs very careful attention and a moderating system is required, external to the educational providers, to ensure even quality. This should test a candidate’s learning, not the educational process. Academic skills are one measure of a candidate, but other qualities are often sought by employers, such as flexibility and breadth of learning to ensure that a company is able to respond to new market challenges and opportunities. Traditional examinations do not always test such skills. It is suggested in this paper, that in order to accommodate the wide variety of routes to education, some candidates might register only for examinations at a university and not the course itself. In addition some ways of obtaining more information about a candidate’s abilities are suggested.

From Cherry Picking to Convergence – Migrating E-Learning Delivery to an LMS (Learning Management System) – the COLeLIO Experience

The Commonwealth of Learning e-learning for International Organizations (COLeLIO) (www.col.org/colelio) Initiative engages appropriate technology to custom design and deliver just-in-time (JIT) workplace e-learning for adult learners based in field offices and headquarters of international organizations spread all over the world. To ensure reliable and easy access to learning, COLeLIO chooses appropriate technologies to underpin course design, development and delivery taking into consideration bandwidth and access issues. Responding to constantly changing learning environments and learners' needs, eLIO learning materials have evolved from print to digital over the last decade. In recent years, eLIO saw the need to streamline the delivery operation for their 1,000 learners annually, involving 40 tutors and teams of course administrators. Recognizing that the conduits supporting online learning have mushroomed in recent years and that more affordable and robust open source learning management platforms are available to support and sustain online learning for transparency, accountability and quality results, COLeLIO spent 12 months searching for and adapting a technology solution to create a one-stop access to resources, support, discussions, and records for learners, tutors and administrators. This paper captures the story of change management by eLIO and shares some key lessons learned.

Exploring the Changing Learning Environment of the Gross Anatomy Lab

The objective of this study was to assess the impact of virtual models and prosected specimens in the context of the gross anatomy lab. In 2009, student volunteers from an undergraduate anatomy class were randomly assigned to study groups in one of three learning conditions. All groups studied the muscles of mastication and completed identical learning objectives during a 45-minute lab. All groups were provided with two reference atlases. Groups were distinguished by the type of primary tools they were provided: gross prosections, three-dimensional stereoscopic computer model, or both resources. The facilitator kept observational field notes. A prepost multiple-choice knowledge test was administered to evaluate students' learning. No significant effect of the laboratory models was demonstrated between groups on the prepost assessment of knowledge. Recurring observations included students' tendency to revert to individual memorization prior to the posttest, rotation of models to match views in the provided atlas, and dissemination of groups into smaller working units. The use of virtual lab resources seemed to influence the social context and learning environment of the anatomy lab. As computer-based learning methods are implemented and studied, they must be evaluated beyond their impact on knowledge gain to consider the effect technology has on students' social development.

Changing Learning Environment Through Technology

Evolution of E-learning phenomenon exceeded all expectations in recent years.As a result of development of IT&C technologies and, on the other hand, due to support decision-makers at European level, the assimilation of virtual learning platforms in schools and universities hasbecome a normal phenomenon.The E-learning 2.0 concept seeks to revolutionize traditional learning methods and requires majorchanges in the perception of the educational process of teaching and learning.This article tries to create an overview of the main development directions and emphasizes the impactthat computer-assisted instruction technologies have on teaching and learning methods, with a directconnection to distance learning and blended learning concepts. Also, we have tried to open aperspective on the concept of e-Assessment and related technologies

Teaching osteopathic students technique; using research to identify good teaching practice

Higher education is a constantly changing learning environment where academic tutors utilise modern technology and developments in educational theory to enhance their lecture presentations while students are encouraged to use web based programmes to contribute to learning forums, communicate with lecturers and access lecture notes and course documentation. In contrast the teaching of osteopathic technique appears to be unchanging with little development or alteration to the tried and tested teaching methods. This commentary briefly discusses theories of learning that could underpin this teaching method and by focussing upon the recent research into the learning of motor skills recommends some practical applications that may add variety to the format, enhance the student experience and potentially raise the standards of osteopathic technique in new graduates.

Learning in a changing environment.

Multiple cue probability learning studies have typically focused on stationary environments. We present 3 experiments investigating learning in changing environments. A fine-grained analysis of the learning dynamics shows that participants were responsive to both abrupt and gradual changes in cue-outcome relations. We found no evidence that participants adapted to these types of change in qualitatively different ways. Also, in contrast to earlier claims that these tasks are learned implicitly, participants showed good insight into what they learned. By fitting formal learning models, we investigated whether participants learned global functional relationships or made localized predictions from similar experienced exemplars. Both a local (the associative learning model) and a global learning model (the Bayesian linear filter) fitted the data of the first 2 experiments. However, the results of Experiment 3, which was specifically designed to discriminate between local and global learning models, provided more support for global learning models. Finally, we present a novel model to account for the cue competition effects found in previous research and displayed by some of our participants.

A Platform for Actively Supporting e-Learning in Mobile Networks

The ubiquitous availability of wireless networks has opened new possibilities for individuals to learn from each other in open learning spaces like cities. Therefore, the changed learning environment must be understood by e-learning systems and technological facilities must be provided for knowledge sharing and construction. Such systems need to be pedagogically sound, yet adaptive to altered modalities. The teacher who was once the central entity to fulfill the learner’s needs may not always be available. Therefore, e-learning systems would fill the gap created by this teacher unavailability by actively participating in learning activities and performing some of the teacher’s roles. This article proposes an architecture designed to meet such challenges in a city-wide context. The authors outline the main components and services needed to fulfill the new requirements and provide the learners with tools, services and educational support for learning activities.

A novel intrusion detection mode based on understandable neural network trees

Several data mining techniques such as Hidden Markov Model (HMM), artificial neural network, statistical techniques and expert systems are used to model network packets in the field of intrusion detection. In this paper a novel intrusion detection mode based on understandable Neural Network Tree (NNTree) is presented. NNTree is a modular neural network with the overall structure being a Decision Tree (DT), and each non-terminal node being an Expert Neural Network (ENN). One crucial advantage of using NNTrees is that they keep the non-symbolic model ENN’s capability of learning in changing environments. Another potential advantage of using NNTrees is that they are actually “gray boxes” as they can be interpreted easily if the number of inputs for each ENN is limited. We showed through experiments that the trained NNTree achieved a simple ENN at each non-terminal node as well as a satisfying recognition rate of the network packets dataset. We also compared the performance with that of a three-layer backpropagation neural network. Experimental results indicated that the NNTree based intrusion detection model achieved better performance than the neural network based intrusion detection model.

How Librarians Shape Online Courses

Online course delivery can be a dynamic learning experience where information is used to shape and extend thinking. The challenge is creating a virtual classroom that combines evocative resources with tasks that enhance and stimulate student learning. New models are needed to reflect the changing learning environment that began with the advent of the Web. Librarians are experts in locating learning materials across the electronic landscape. They construct resource-based assignments that promote understanding of content and develop independent thinking skills. They bring a context for resource-rich learning environments and the necessary support mechanisms to ensure learners gain information literacy skills. This paper outlines how librarians can contribute to new course design models that maximize the effective use of online resources in support of student learning.

Transitions and Loss: Illuminating Parameters of Young Adults' Mental Health

Different disciplinary groups are increasingly questioning current conceptualisations of young adults' educational, social and personal lives after compulsory schooling. New perspectives are being advanced on the life trajectories of choice and complexity now experienced by school leavers. A consistent theme is the changed nature of young adults' lives, reflecting social and economic pressures on educational, work and personal life goals. This age group has the highest incidence of mental disorders of any age cohort (Andrews, Hall, Teesson, & Henderson, 1999). The changed learning environment in the move to university entails life and environmental events that create risk conditions for young adults. In these circumstances varying degrees of loss, challenge and personal growth exist. Concurrent personal losses, such as death of a peer or family member, broken love relationships, and failure to achieve the dream of a future career, can create particular vulnerabilities. Loss may interfere with the natural progression of intellectual–emotional–psychological growing up (Kastenbaum, 2001). In this article the mental health of young adults is viewed through the lens of loss experiences within a context of change in their life trajectory. Data is drawn from a mixed method study involving questionnaire completion and in-depth interviews of students in four university campuses in New South Wales.

Linear learning in changing environments

The decision maker receives signals imperfectly correlated with an unobservable state variable and must take actions whose payoffs depend on the state. The state randomly changes over time. In this environment, we examine the performance of simple linear updating rules relative to Bayesian learning. We show that a range of parameters exists for which linear learning results in exactly the same decisions as Bayesian learning, although not in the same beliefs. Outside this parameter range, we use simulations to demonstrate that the consumption level attainable under the optimal linear rule is virtually indistinguishable from the one attainable under Bayes’ rule, although the respective decisions will not always be identical. These results suggest that simple rules of thumb can have an advantage over Bayesian updating when more complex calculations are more costly to perform than less complex ones. We demonstrate the implications of such an advantage in an evolutionary model where agents “learn to learn.”

On-line learning in changing environments with applications in supervised and unsupervised learning

An adaptive on-line algorithm extending the learning of learning idea is proposed and theoretically motivated. Relying only on gradient flow information it can be applied to learning continuous functions or distributions, even when no explicit loss function is given and the Hessian is not available. The framework is applied for unsupervised and supervised learning. Its efficiency is demonstrated for drifting and switching non-stationary blind separation tasks of acoustic signals. Furthermore applications to classification (US postal service data set) and time-series prediction in changing environments are presented.

Metadata in the changing learning environment: Developing skills to achieve the blue skies

This short paper will examine the importance of metadata and its role in the changing learning environment, beginning with an introduction about what metadata is, and the benefits to be gained from applying it to all academic resources. Two Open University projects, Portfolio and the Reusable Educational Software Library, will be described and used to illustrate how the IMS Learning Resource Metadata scheme is being applied, and the issues that have been encountered by the Open University and how it is attempting to resolve them. The need for change in organizational culture so that metadata becomes part of the creation process, rather than an afterthought, will then be discussed The paper concludes with a glimpse into the blue skies of the future - where all resources will have metadata as standard practice, and institutions can share and utilize their resources effectively.DOI:10.1080/0968776020100108

Specialist gateways through chaos: a changing learning environment

The internationalisation of the labour market implies the need for any workforce to be equipped with multilingual and multicultural competencies. Increasingly, students recognise this fact and, in order to enhance their career prospects, they enrol in courses with a language option. For specialist foreign language learners, cultural competence also involves workplace-related skills. Here, content and target discourse need to be drawn from various sources to guarantee authenticity and to provide insight into the specialist target culture. The Web figures as a vital store of resources in this context. We shall critically assess its role as a provider of suitable source materials, paying particular attention to its successful integration into the learning process. In conclusion, we shall present an analysis of how students experience their encounters with this virtual learning facility and offer a model for learning and performance in specialist IT-enhanced environments.