Computer-supported Education Research Articles

Incorporating Collaborative and Active Learning Strategies in the Design and Deployment of a Master Course on Computer-Assisted Scientific Translation

This research aims to address the current gaps in computer-assisted translation (CAT) courses offered in bachelor’s and master’s programmes in scientific and technical translation (STT). A multi-framework course design methodology is proposed to support CAT teachers from the computer engineering field, improve student engagement, and promote computer-supported education, together with a balanced coverage of the most relevant topics in the CAT domain. STT is currently in high demand in many fields, requiring translators with sector-specific language skills and considerable computer literacy in order to manage translation projects with complex structures, and format heterogeneity. However, many STT curricula often lag behind current market demands, focusing primarily on language and translation theory, with less emphasis on CAT technologies and tools. Moreover, the lack of shared course design guidelines hinders the introduction of innovative teaching approaches based on collaborative learning. A novel multi-framework CAT course design methodology, named CATDeM, is proposed, based on the integration between an official European translation competence framework, real-life-mimicking laboratorial activities, and computer-supported collaborative learning, enriched with discussion case studies and role-playing experiences. A real-life case study is examined to illustrate and evaluate the implementation of CATDeM in two consecutive editions (2020/2021 and 2021/2022) of a one-semester compulsory CAT course in a M.A. degree in STT at the University of Salento (Italy). Students’ perceptions of translation technology and role-plays, as well as their attitudes towards the proposed CAT course are evaluated through a post-grading self-assessment questionnaire. Achieved results indicated successful student engagement and self-assessed improvement in translation, technical, and interpersonal skills. The importance given by students to role-playing experiences mimicking professional scenarios was also highlighted, paving the way for CATDeM to be adopted in similar contexts.

Digital literacy, technological literacy, and internet literacy as predictors of attitude toward applying computer-supported education.

Even though there is an abundance of research on computer supported education (CSE), digital literacy (DL), technological literacy (TL), and internet literacy (IL), the correlation between them and their effect on each other have not been analyzed in the literature. However, no study has been conducted on the correlation between and effect of CSE, DL, TL, and IL and which additionally explains their relationship to each other. This study aims to analyze the effect levels among the latent variables of DL, TL, and IL, and the attitude toward applying CSE and these latent variables' ratios to each other. For this purpose, eight hypotheses were developed after reviewing the literature. A relational descriptive model is used to detect the presence and extent of covariance. The participants of this study were 510 prospective teachers. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis of the scales were performed. The hypotheses of the research were tested with the structural equation model. As a result, it was revealed that DL, TL, and IL together significantly affect and explain the attitude towards CSE. Different suggestions have been developed based on the results of the research.

Computer supported collaborative learning in Greek inclusive secondary education

Computer-assisted collaborative learning is known to challenge and motivate students with Learning Disabilities. The present paper therefore intends to briefly present the benefits of computer-supportive collaborative learning activities as well as demonstrate specific practices and paradigms concerning the inclusion of students with Special Educational Needs in Secondary Education in Greece. To reach this target, the researchers proceed to an ICT literature review associated with computer-mediated collaborative and inclusive learning methods in Greek Secondary Education. According to literature review findings, these learning methods are considered beneficial in terms of learning purposes directed to students with learning disabilities since they do raise students’ interest and engagement in the learning procedure, enhance their cognitive abilities and assist them to develop self-esteem, problem-solving strategies and, finally, a solid collaborative attitude. Therefore, this paper concludes that there has been a lack of significant progress with respect to establishing collaborative inclusive learning environments in Greece. Key words: Collaborative learning; computer-supported education; Inclusive education; Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities; SEND

The Effect of Computer-Supported Education on Student Attitudes: A Meta-Analytical Comparison for the Period 2005-2015

The Effect of Computer-Supported Education on Student Attitudes: A Meta-Analytical Comparison for the Period 2005-2015

Message from editor

From the Editors
 Huseyin Uzunboylu, Cigdem Hursen
 Dear Colleagues
 It is a great honour for us to welcome you as Editors of Cypriot Journal of Educational Sciences which has accepted publications indexed in qualified databases since 2006. Our main aim is to increase the quality of the journal day by day. We are ready to publish the new issue of Cypriot Journal of Educational Sciences which has 4 articles written by authors from Cyprus.
 The aim of this issue is to give the researchers an opportunity to share their academic studies. First of all, I would like to thank all authors who have contributed to this issue. There are different focuses in the articles. For example, Gul Kahveci and Nerguz Bulut Serin discusses 4th year pre-service school counsellors’ specific knowledge related to self-confidence and skills to execute the prevention and support processes on the topic of sexual abuse in children with learning disabilities. Qualitative research data from the questionnaire answers received from 80 pre-service school counsellors were analysed using thematic analysis with an action research format. The results demonstrated that their preparation program was inadequate and needed more content relating to child sexual abuse. On the other hand, Ahmet Dogan and Ayse Bengisoy were conducted with the purpose of finding out the opinions of teachers working at special education centers about inclusive education. According to research findings, teachers working at the special education center stated that there was no special education and inclusion law in Northern Cyprus, that the law should be passed at once, that inclusive education should be regulated with this law and arbitrary practices should be ended and that uncertainties should be eliminated. They emphasized that school managers and teachers were inadequate and ignorant about inclusive education, that especially teachers were unable to prepare and implement BEP programs, and that both teachers and managers should be subjected to compulsory on-the-job training on inclusive education. Another study conducted by Gulsum Asıksoy and Fezile Ozdamli. They aim of this research is to determine the trends of education technology researches on Constructivist Learning Approach, which were published on database of ScienceDirect between 2010 and 2016. It also aims to guide researchers who will do studies in this field. According to the research results, computer-supported education was the most addressed subject in the articles. It was found out that the most frequently used tool was the computer and the most frequently used software was learning management systems in the studies. Finally, Emine Kosucu and Cigdem Hursen aimed to specify the effect of creative drama activities on candidate teachers’ self-directed skills. The results obtained from the research showed that creative drama activities are effective on candidate teachers’ self-directed skills. In this respect, it can be assumed that creative drama activities improved candidate teachers’ self-directed learning skills. It has also been noted that the participant candidate teachers were satisfied with the applications in which creative drama activities were carried out.
 
 
 I would like to express my thanks to all authors preferring Cypriot Journal of Educational Sciences to publish their articles, and also all reviewers working seriously in this process.
 Best regards,
 Editor-in-Chief
 Prof. Dr. Huseyin Uzunboylu
 
 Executive Editor
 Assoc. Prof. Dr. Cigdem Hursen

An overview to research on education technology based on constructivist learning approach

The aim of this research is to determine the trends of education technology researches on Constructivist Learning Approach, which were published on database of ScienceDirect between 2010 and 2016. It also aims to guide researchers who will do studies in this field. After scanning the database, 81 articles published on ScienceDirect’s data base from January 2010 to December 2016 were examined considering the following criteria in order to serve the purpose of the study; the concepts they deal with, instruments, software, education techniques used in the research, research methods, research designs, data collection instruments, types and sizes of samples, data analysis, the country where it takes place, number of authors, common studies done by researchers from different countries and number of sources. According to the research results, computer-supported education was the most addressed subject in the articles. It was found out that the most frequently used tool was the computer and the most frequently used software was learning management systems in the studies. Cooperative learning technique was the most preferred in terms of the used educational techniques. Quantitative method and survey design came into prominence in the studies. It was figured out about the data collection procedures that questionnaire as a data-collecting tool, university students as the subjects or the participants and descriptive analysis as data analysis method were mostly preferred. It is thought that results obtained will lead other future studies. Keywords: Constructivist learning, constructivist approach, education technology, content analysis

Pre-service English Teachers’ Attitudes and Self-efficacy Levels on Computer Assisted Instruction

The main purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between attitude and perceived self-efficacy of pre-service English teachers on computer-assisted instruction. Besides, the attitude and perceived self-efficacy of pre-service English teachers on computer-assisted instruction according to their gender and class level were also examined within the context of this study. Correlational research model was conducted in the process of the study. The research was conducted with 195 pre-service English teachers studying English Language Teaching at the education faculties of Anadolu University and Eskisehir Osmangazi University in 2014-2015 academic year. Convenience sampling method was used to form the participants of the study. The data of the study was collected by using “The Attitude Scale Toward Making Computer-Supported Education” and “Self-efficacy Scale in relation to Computer-Based Education” developed by Arslan (2006). The findings of the study showed that there was a significant positive relation at a medium level between the attitude and perceived self-efficacy of the participants on computer assisted instruction. It was also revealed that pre-service English teachers had positive attitudes toward computer-assisted instruction and they showed high self-efficacy on the subject. Moreover, their attitude and perceived self-efficacy did not change according to gender and class level variables. Key words: pre-service English teacher, attitude, self-efficacy, computer assisted instruction.

Teacher self-efficacy, academic self-efficacy, and computer self-efficacy as predictors of attitude toward applying computer-supported education

There is a large body of research regarding teacher self-efficacy, academic self-efficacy, computer self-efficacy, and attitude toward applying computer-supported education of teachers and prospective teachers. However, no study has been conducted on the correlation among the effects of teacher self-efficacy, academic self-efficacy, computer self-efficacy, and attitude toward applying computer-supported education and which additionally explains their relationships to one other. This research is conducted in order to test the effect levels among the latent variables of teacher self-efficacy, academic self-efficacy, computer self-efficacy, and attitude toward applying computer-supported education and these latent variables' ratios to each other. For this, eight hypotheses were developed in light of theoretical information by reviewing the literature. This research is done by using Academic Self-Efficacy Scale, Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale, Computer Self-Efficacy Scale, and The Attitude Scale Toward Applying Computer-Supported Education. The participant group of the research consists of 323 prospective teachers. Exploratory factor analyses of scales were analyzed via SPSS 16.0 software. For the confirmatory factor analyses of scales and the structural equation modeling, AMOS 20.0 software was used. The most significant finding of this study is that teacher self-efficacy, academic self-efficacy, and computer self-efficacy are important predictors of prospective teachers' attitude toward applying computer-supported education.

Can we predict success from log data in VLEs? Classification of interactions for learning analytics and their relation with performance in VLE-supported F2F and online learning

Learning analytics is the analysis of electronic learning data which allows teachers, course designers and administrators of virtual learning environments to search for unobserved patterns and underlying information in learning processes. The main aim of learning analytics is to improve learning outcomes and the overall learning process in electronic learning virtual classrooms and computer-supported education. The most basic unit of learning data in virtual learning environments for learning analytics is the interaction, but there is no consensus yet on which interactions are relevant for effective learning. Drawing upon extant literature, this research defines three system-independent classifications of interactions and evaluates the relation of their components with academic performance across two different learning modalities: virtual learning environment (VLE) supported face-to-face (F2F) and online learning. In order to do so, we performed an empirical study with data from six online and two VLE-supported F2F courses. Data extraction and analysis required the development of an ad hoc tool based on the proposed interaction classification. The main finding from this research is that, for each classification, there is a relation between some type of interactions and academic performance in online courses, whereas this relation is non-significant in the case of VLE-supported F2F courses. Implications for theory and practice are discussed next.

To develop an education system for secure internet banking: GIBES

The innovations in the banking system which have been in parallel with the technological developments have presented the clients with different alternatives. One of the alternatives, internet banking, is considered very important especially for customers whose working hours coincide with those of the banks.In internet banking, even though the banks have taken the necessary precautions as to the security matter, the most important point to provide the continuity of a secure environment is the literacy of internet users. For this reason, the banks should not only secure their systems but they should also direct their users to education as to how to be conscious internet literate. In this study, why Secure Internet Banking Education System (it is named as GIBES), which is designed for internet banking users and prepared as a module for Computer Supported Education (CSE) is needed has been explained, and how the system is modeled with UML has been illustrated and GIBES is described.

A computer-supported learning system to help teachers to teach Fuzzy Information Retrieval Systems

This paper describes a computer-supported learning system to teach students the principles and concepts of Fuzzy Information Retrieval Systems based on weighted queries. This tool is used to support the teacher's activity in the degree course Information Retrieval Systems Based on Artificial Intelligence at the Faculty of Library and Information Sciences at the University of Granada. Learning of languages of weighted queries in Fuzzy Information Retrieval Systems is complex because it is very difficult to understand the different semantics that could be associated to the weights of queries together with their respective strategies of query evaluation. We have developed and implemented this computer-supported education system because it allows to support the teacher's activity in the classroom to teach the use of weighted queries in FIRSs and it helps students to develop self-learning processes on the use of such queries. We have evaluated the performance of its use in the learning process according to the students' perceptions and their results obtained in the course's exams. We have observed that using this software tool the students learn better the management of the weighted query languages and then their performance in the exams is improved.

A short review of information and communication technologies and basic education in LDCs—what is useful, what is sustainable?

Information and communication technologies such as radio and television have long been used in education. The advent of the technology of the Internet has created pressure for Internet access in primary and secondary schools across the world. This paper reviews some of the available evidence on the impact and cost of such technologies in developing countries. It concludes that while there is strong evidence for the efficacy and efficiency of interactive radio instruction, the evidence on the impact of computer-supported education remains mixed, and costs are prohibitive for many LDCs (less developed countries).

Computer-Supported Education

Computer-Supported Education

Section 7 Computer-Supported Education

Section 7 Computer-Supported Education

Section 6: Computer-Supported Education

Section 6: Computer-Supported Education

Medical Imaging Informatics and Medical Informatics: Opportunities and Constraints

The Yearbook of Medical Informatics is published annually by the International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA) and contains a selection of recent excellent papers on medical informatics research (http://www.yearbook.uni-hd.de). The 2002 Yearbook of Medical Informatics took as its theme the topic of Medical Imaging Informatics. In this paper, we will summarize the contributions of medical informatics researchers to the development of medical imaging informatics, discuss challenges and opportunities of imaging informatics, and present the lessons learned from the IMIA Yearbook 2002. Medical informatics researchers have contributed to the development of medical imaging methods and systems since the inception of this field approximately 40 years ago. The Yearbook presents selected papers and reviews on this important topic. In addition, as usual, the Yearbook 2002 also contains a variety of papers and reviews on other subjects relevant to medical informatics, such as Bioinformatics, Computer-supported education, Health and clinical management, Health information systems, Knowledge processing and decision support, Patient records, and Signal processing.

Shared reflection by email: its role in new information technology education and training

Examines the role of shared reflection by electronic mail in the development and management of Internet training courses for adults. Effective shared teacher reflection contributes to effective international student activities. Through content analysis of email sent by a trainer during 3 years of development and delivery of introductory Internet courses, the authors: identify aspects of teaching about the Internet and new technologies to which reflection by email contributes; and assess the potential for computer-mediated communication between a teacher and an interlocutor in computer-supported education and training. Shared reflection through email provides opportunity and incentive to reflect on course development and management. It assists with course development and with management of stress associated with development and presentation of new and innovative courses. It is a simple but valuable tool for timely recording of reflections. It provides ready access to an interested colleague who can provide timely feedback, regardless of geographical proximity.

WWW環境を用いた電力系統解析のための教育支援システムの試作

WWW環境を用いた電力系統解析のための教育支援システムの試作

Computer-Supported Education Gets Spotlight in College Park

Computer-Supported Education Gets Spotlight in College Park

Construing and testing explanations in a complex domain

Explanations were construed for an expert system in the domain of protein purification and based upon the multiple-explanation construction model (MEC model). Various explanations were construed covering different relevant aspects of the explanation space, expert-level explanations (quantitative representation), low-level explanations (qualitative representation), grounds explanations (background knowledge) and backing explanations (general abstract principles). These were tested on laboratory staff working at Pharmacia LKB Biotechnology AB in Uppsala, Sweden. The variables being tested were learning, understanding, usability, and novelty of the explanation types. The results indicate that the model is valuable in construing explanations with different “knowledge levels” with the purpose of fulfilling the needs of experts as well as “less-experts” covering different important aspects of the explanation space. In the context of learning, the results show that experts prefer expert-level explanations and low-level explanations whereas less-experts prefer a combination of all explanation types. A multiexplanation perspective has to be taken, where explanations covering different aspects of the explanation space on different levels have to be available to less-experts to facilitate learning from explanations in a specific complex domain. These results can have strong implications for learning, for example in the context of computer-supported education.