Design Of Online Learning Environments Research Articles

From engagement to performance: the role of effort regulation in higher education online learning

ABSTRACT Online learning democratizes and provides flexibility in accessing education, but it also places greater demands on students’ self-regulated learning strategies. Previous studies have explored the important impact of effort regulation on academic performance. However, there remains more to explore on the dynamics of effort regulation among undergraduates and their group differences. This study investigates how the effort regulation of the learning process varies between achievement categories in an online learning environment using a sample of 240 undergraduates. Findings suggest that students in the high-achieving group had significantly higher effort regulation throughout the semester than their low-achieving counterparts on three dimensions: conversation, navigation, and click-through events. However, there were no significant differences in task time. Further test results also show that the high-performing students had significantly higher levels of engagement in all behaviours compared low-performing students during anaphase. Surprisingly, all students significantly lowered their effort levels near the final exam period. Results herein ultimately provide insight into the design of online learning environments.

Bias in online classes: Evidence from a field experiment

Asynchronous, online interactions are increasingly common, particularly in education, but relatively little is known about the influence of social identity in these environments. We test for the presence of race/place-of-origin and gender biases among students and instructors in asynchronous online post-secondary classes by measuring responses to discussion comments posted in the discussion forums of 124 different massive open online courses (MOOCs). Each comment was randomly assigned a student name connoting a specific race/place of origin and gender. We find evidence that assumed identities influenced the likelihood of both instructor and peer responses. The comparative effects by identity indicate that instructor responses consistently privileged White males who were, on average, 94% more likely to receive a response than other students. We also find that White female students were particularly likely to receive a peer response. We discuss the implications of these findings for understanding social-identity dynamics in classrooms and the design of online learning environments.

Creative students in self-paced online learning environments: an experimental exploration of the interaction of visual design and creativity

Creativity is an increasingly recognized construct in technology-enhanced learning. However, our understanding of how creativity interacts with the design of online learning environments to affect learning experiences is still limited. For example, do creative students benefit from different learning environment designs than those benefitting their less creative peers? This experimental study (N = 187) explores this question by investigating the visual design of a self-paced online learning environment, specifically the degree of visual structure, in relation to students' creativity. Creativity was measured in different ways, along the lines of vocational/study choice, self-reported personality and behavior, and creative production. Students were randomly assigned to either a visually unstructured (experimental group) or a visually highly structured (control group) learning environment. They reported their preference, impulse for activation, and situational motivation after the learning experience. Results indicate interaction effects consistent with the role of creativity in perception and learning. More specifically, creative students reported more motivation after learning in an unstructured environment, whereas non-creative students reported relatively better learning experiences in the highly structured condition. These results contribute to resolving previous conflicting findings from separated studies, yet some ambiguities remain. Results and implications are discussed, and recommendations for future research are laid out.

SELF-DIRECTED ONLINE LEARNING AND SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: A CASE STUDY

Self-directed online learning (SDOL) is emerging as an important tool for teacher professional development, especially during a time of physical and social distancing. This may be even more appealing for special education teachers, who are tasked with bridging the gap between research and practice to meet students' diverse needs within their unique classroom contexts. The purpose of this case study was to explore two special education teachers' professional learning goals, thought processes, and web-based behaviors and actions over the course of three SDOL sessions. Participants' professional learning goals and thought processes were analyzed thematically, whereas their web-based behaviors and actions were the subject of a time sampling analysis. Findings revealed that the special education teachers included in the study had four types of goals for their SDOL: those that were (i) student focused, (ii) classroom focused, (iii) literacy focused, and (iv) pedagogy focused. Their thought processes were characterized by five themes: metacognitive awareness, monitoring learning, self-efficacy, challenges specific to special education, and reflecting on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. While both participants engaged in several different web-based behaviors, video-viewing and skimming stood out as important processes characterizing SDOL. The implications of these findings for professional development are explored both broadly and as they relate to the optimal design of online learning environments for special educators.

Cognitive versus behavioral learning analytics dashboards for supporting learner’s awareness, reflection, and learning process

ABSTRACT Several governments across the world have temporarily closed educational institutions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, numerous universities have seen a growing trend towards online learning scenarios. Thus, learning takes place not just within a person, but within and across the networks. However, the current implementations of open learning scenarios are facing many challenges, including: a) there is no systematic feature to track, evaluate and report the online learning activities of students; b) lack of immediacy and personal feedback; and c) lack of self-reflection. Consequently, Learning Analytics (LA) is one of the most distinguished solutions to address these challenges. In this study, the two kinds of LA dashboard, behavioral and cognitive, have been investigated. The methodological approach taken in this investigation was adopted from a design-based research framework, which blends empirical educational research with the theory-driven design of online learning environments. The initial sample consisted of 320 undergraduate nursing students. The cohort was divided into two groups according to the two types of LA dashboard. The findings have argued that behavioral dashboards took precedence over data evaluation items, while cognitive dashboards had the advantage in achieving the goals of LA – e.g., awareness, self-reflection, and impact on learning process.

Üniversite Öğrencilerinin Oyunlaştırma ile Zenginleştirilmiş Çevrimiçi Öğrenme Deneyimine Dayalı Görüşleri

The aim of this study is to examine the opinions of students who have a gamification-enhanced online learning experiences to find clues about the design of online learning environments based on gamification. For this purpose, the opinions of students who took courses through gamification-enhanced online learning for eight weeks were examined through the case study method. The participants consisted of 12 students, who voluntarily and consented to participate in the study, from 36 students who took the Educational Films course at the Sakarya University Faculty of Education in the fall semester 2019-2020. The interview form created by the researchers was used as a data collection tool. The results of the study showed that according to the students, the learning process was efficient with this method and they used the online learning system without any technical problems. Students stated that learning in this way provides a comfortable learning experience that provides flexibility in learning and it seems that they have a positive attitude towards gamification. As some of the important results of the research in terms of instructional design, points, restricting access and curiosity have increased the number of entries into the system. Moreover, the discussion platform contributes to motivation and the leader board contributes to the course success.

Students’ motivation and engagement in higher education: the importance of attitude to online learning

The emergence of online environments has changed the landscape of educational learning. Some students thrive in this learning environment, but others become amotivated and disengaged. Drawing on self-determination theory, we report the findings of a study of 574 undergraduate business students at an Australian higher education institution on their attitude toward online learning, and its impact on their motivation and educational engagement. Data was collected via an e-mail survey and analysed using structural equation modelling and the Hayes’ bootstrapping method. The results of the study were mixed. Attitude to online learning mediated the relationships of both intrinsic motivation to know and extrinsic motivation with engagement, indicating that the design of online learning environments can play a role in enhancing learning experiences. However, attitude to online learning was not found to mediate the intrinsic motivation to accomplish and engagement relationship. A negative mediation effect was partially supported between amotivation and engagement, with study mode found as a moderated mediator to this effect, being stronger and significant for online students as opposed to on-campus students. These results have implications for how students can be engaged online, and the need for educators to design online learning environments that support the learning experience for all students.

4468 Evaluating the Emerging Investigators Website as an Educational Resource for Early Career Researchers

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: The aim of this project is to assess the usability and acceptance of a web-based educational resource for early career researchers. The Emerging Investigators website is designed to bring together resources, provide educational support and foster a community of early career researchers throughout the Mount Sinai Health System (MSHS). Locally designed and built, this web-based platform is developed using the principles of Community of Inquiry (COI), which considers how the design of online learning environments might best create and sustain a sense of community among learners. Developing a resource that meets the needs of this cohort of researchers requires an iterative implementation strategy guided by user feedback. A formal website roll-out strategy and accompanied evaluation aims to determine the design, navigability, content, relevance and educational value of this online resource from a user perspective. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: In order to ensure this resource effectively meets the needs of this cohort of researchers, a mixed process of evaluation and design was utilized. An initial phase 1 survey was conducted with TL1 and KL2 scholars. Surveys consisted of standardized questions with answers arranged as Likert-type scales and additional written responses to collect valuable qualitative data. A convenience sample of early career researchers at Mount Sinai were contacted for initial survey participation (N = 10). A total of 3 junior faculty KL2 scholars, 3 TL1 post-doc and 4 TL1 pre-doc scholars responded to the survey. Participants were initially asked to comment on design, functionality and usefulness of content on a Likert scale with qualitative comments to support the given scores. They were subsequently asked to consider what key topics or resources were missing from the website. Based on the initial survey, changes were made to the format and content of the Emerging Investigators website to improve content relevance and usability. For phase 2, an evaluation rubric was developed to assess design, navigability, content, relevance, along with three key COI criteria to determine the educational value of this online resource. The rubric will be utilized to collect feedback in the wider phase 2 roll out of the website. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: The first phase of survey feedback shaped overall design of the resource. The second phase will comprehensively evaluate the value of the website in the context of teaching and learning for emerging investigators. Ten surveys were captured in the first phase. Data collection is ongoing for the second phase. Phase 1 feedback was primarily qualitative, and valuable in informing overall design choices and content. Overall the website was well received, with participants commenting on the value of the resource in terms of content and educational value. Participants particularly appreciated the regularly updated calendar function and the links provided to a wide range of resources. Functionality issues, such as broken links, were reported by participants and repaired for phase 2. Further topics of content were identified, and additional links and multimedia resources were added to address this feedback. The second phase evaluation is ongoing with data collection being conducted via an evaluation rubric. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: The Emerging Investigators website, developed using the principles of COI provides key learning, reading and resources for early career investigators in a format that is well received by a sample group of early career researchers at Mount Sinai. The website has aimed to address the reported need for communication, collaboration and social interaction with peers and other researchers across the MSHS through the addition of further web-based resources such as a LinkedIn page, a blog to feature research and provide a sounding board for research efforts, and a calendar of events targeted specifically at early career researchers. These were highlighted as areas of particular value by the participants. We anticipate the results of phase 2 rubric-based evaluations will provide actionable data that will lead to further refinement of the website, an optimized interface, and improved usability.

Fostering collaborative problem solving skills in science: The Animalia project

Collaboration might not always be the best approach for problem solving in classroom learning setting. The purpose of this study is to determine what collaborative learning behaviors contribute to learning outcomes in collaborative learning environment as one of the essential steps for future adaptive collaborative learning systems. Students from five countries participated in Animalia online mini-course designed to foster students' collaborative problem solving skills in the context of complex ecosystems. Students worked in teams with assigned scientific roles to explore cause-effect relationships in Animalia. Each team member have had access to role-relevant information about the overall situation so that determining the root cause of the problems in Animalia requires each team member to share his/her information with the others. Digital tools such as shared documents, virtual labs, videoconference and forums were used in support of collaborative problem solving. The study found two distinctive collaborative patterns across the 45 groups that could serve as indicators for learning gains. The paper provides rationale and methodological considerations for collaborative learning, presents key findings and discusses implications for research and design of online learning environment aimed to foster collaborative problem solving skills.

How do Freshman Engineering Students Reflect an Online Calculus Course

Improved access to technology has led to an increase in the number of online courses and degree programs in higher education. Despite continuous progress, little attention is paid to ‘understanding’ students prior to implementation of learning and teaching processes. Being a valuable input for design of online learning environments and student satisfaction, its neglect may result in frustration and resistance by students. This study focused on investigating preferences of on-campus engineering students to contribute designing a fully online calculus course in a Turkish university. A qualitative design was used to achieve in-depth information about students’ reflections on online calculus sessions. Findings opened the floor for discussion about must-have characteristics of online learners, orientation of on-campus students to online learning environment, challenging nature of mathematics as a discipline to be taught online, and the necessity of considering human and instructional perspectives in online learning rather than following a mere technological path.

Pedagogy and Design of Online Learning Environment in Computer Science Education for High Schools

This paper reviews literature about evolving and classical theories to understand pedagogical assumptions that inform concept of instructional strategy framework in optimizing online computer science education for high schools. Exploring these areas of research is valuable for understanding instructional practices that are needed for computer science educators to implement K-12 online computer science education. The study reveals that for students to achieve varying needs in computer science education, an online learning environment or management systems should adopt multiple pedagogical approaches. The researcher assertion is that, creating learning environment or augmenting learning management systems with plugins based on these pedagogical assumptions should for instance feature automatic feedback on programming exercises, visualization of algorithms and representation of concepts in animations or physical activities which are extremely important to incorporate computing principles in online education for K-12 students.

Research Papers in Online Learning Performance and Behaviour

Successful learning requires that students be motivated to achieve the desired learning goals (Lee, & Hao, 2015). However, not all students can develop an effective path that is beneficial to learning on their own (Lee, Cheng, Rai, & Depickere, 2005). The increasing popularity and number of online programs and course in higher education require continued attention to the design of instructional environments to enhance students’ learning (Trespalacios, & Rand, 2015). As there is a continuing debate about effective design of online learning environments (Azevedo, 2005) and effective teaching methods (Tsai, 2011a), researchers in the field of online learning and online pedagogy suggest that educators could integrate other innovative teaching methods into online courses and examine their effects on improving students’ learning in online learning environments (Tsai, 2011b; Tsai, 2015). In this regard, this special issue was conceived to span pedagogical, theoretical, practical, and technical issues in online learning performance and behaviour.

The Givenness of the Human Learning Experience and Its Incompatibility with Information Analytics

The rise of learning analytics, the application of complex metrics developed to exploit the proliferation of ‘Big Data’ in educational work, raises important moral questions about the nature of what is measurable in education. Teachers, schools and nations are increasingly held to account based on metrics, exacerbating the tendency for fine-grained measurement of learning experiences. In this article, the origins of learning analytics ontology are explored, drawing upon core ideas in the philosophy of computing, such as the general definition of information and the information-theoretic account of knowledge. Drawing upon a reading of Descartes Meditatio II, which extends the phenomenology of Jean-Luc Marion into a pedagogy of intentionality, the article identifies a fundamental incompatibility between the subjective experience of learning and the information-theoretic account of knowledge. Human subjects experience and value their own information incommensurably with the ways in which computers measure and quantify information. The consequences of this finding for the design of online learning environments, and the necessary limitations of learning analytics and measurement are explored.

Disentangling the Threads: Analysing Synchronous Online Discussions

This paper investigates features of synchronous chat-communication within a postgraduate e-learning programme that is rooted communities of enquiry (Lave & Wenger, 1991). This project, funded by the Scottish Government, was to provide staff development for teachers throughout Scotland. The paper considers approaches to making sense of disparate threads of online chats between tutors and students and methodological issues in identifying the appropriate unit of analysis. The framework for analysis was derived from promotion of a community of enquiry perspective (Garrison, 2007; Garrison & Vaughan, 2008) which emphasises the importance of the intersection of social, cognitive and teaching presence for achieving shared learning goals. A quantitative content analysis of transcripts from tutor led group chats was used to determine frequencies of teaching presence, social presence, and cognitive presence indicators. Results show that overall, 70% of the contributions were coded as facilitating cognitive discourse. This finding builds on previous research by Ortiz-Rodriguez et al. (2005) which suggests that instructors can influence cognitive presence within synchronous chat. It is suggested that the community of learning enquiry has the potential to help identify critical points for encouraging cognitive presence within synchronous chats. In addition, the study has implications for the growing number of guidelines for the design of online learning environments, particularly in terms of the extent to which synchronous chats have potentially underestimated the value of synchronous learning environments in supporting deeper, critical thinking and shared reflection among learners.

Soft systems methodology for personalized learning environment

There are two sides to a coin when it comes to implementing technology at universities; on one side, there is the university using technologies via the virtual learning environment that seems to be outdated with the digital needs of the students, and on the other side, while implementing technology at the university learning environment the focus is primarily on the technology more than the learning process students undergo. This paper looks at using soft systems methodology as a ‘potential approach’ towards (a) bringing the two sides of the coin together by working with different stakeholders at the university and (b) identifying the needs and requirements for a personalized learning environment that would satisfy the learning needs and styles of learners, thereby shifting the paradigm from institution/tutor-centric to a learner-centric approach. This paper also highlights some criticisms towards the existing e-learning system in place at universities, and the role a systems approach could play in the design of online learning environments.

Using Randomized Experiments as a Methodological and Conceptual Tool for Improving the Design of Online Learning Environments

Although there is often a convoluted pipeline from educational research to practice, a commonly touted benefit of MOOCs and online learning is the opportunity to bridge this gap. Drawing on theory and methodology from cognitive science and education research, this paper proposes that experimental comparisons – which evaluate how target learning outcomes are influenced by changing the components of an online resource – can play a special role in bringing together research and practice. Three examples of experiments in online environments (MOOCs) are presented and explained, spelling out the logic and considerations in embedding experiments in MOOCs. We also consider how and why the conceptual tool of experiment-focused design – considering hypothetical experiments during the process of designing online instruction – is valuable from a practical perspective, because it can guide decisions about instructional design, provides a basis for evidence-based improvements to students’ outcomes, and supports iterative improvement of online educational resources.

Pedagogy-driven design of digital learning ecosystems

In most cases, the traditional Web-based learning management systems (e.g. Moodle, Blackboard) have been designed without any built-in support for a preferred pedagogical model or approach. The proponents of such systems have claimed that this kind of inherent "pedagogical neutrality" is a desirable characteristic for a LMS, as it allows teachers to implement various pedagogical approaches. This study is based on an opposite approach, arguing for designing next-generation online learning platforms - so called digital learning ecosystems - with built-in affordances, which promote and enforce desirable pedagogical beliefs, strategies and learning activity patterns while suppressing others. We propose a conceptual and process model for pedagogy-driven design of online learning environments and illustrate it with a case study on development and implementation process of a digital learning ecosystem based on Dippler platform. We also describe the pedagogical foundation of Dippler that was guided by a combination of four contemporary pedagogical approaches: self-directed learning, competence-based learning, collaborative knowledge building and task-centered instructional design.

The Intersection of Social Presence and Impression Management in Online Learning Environments

In our day-to-day routines, we are being asked to extend ourselves into virtual environments that capture mere glimpses of who we are and what we think. As education focuses on the development of online learning environments, we are once again asked to recreate ourselves for another environment. This article explores aspects of social presence and impression management within formal and informal online learning environments. It will examine the point of intersection between the theories of social presence and impression management as they relate to social network and learning sites and discursive practices. Social presence is understood as a key component of the constructivist and situated learning that can take place in online learning environments. An individual's impression management, which might be understood as their ability to send/read, recognize and be recognized through those cues they choose to present, becomes intertwined with their learning experience. At what point do these two theories intersect, and what implications does this have for the design of online learning environments?

Connecting social perspectives on mathematics teacher education in online environments

This article explores theoretical issues underpinning the design and use of online learning environments in mathematics teacher education. It considers the contribution of social theories of learning to conceptualising technology-mediated interaction, focusing specifically on community of practice models and the notion of digital mathematics performance. The article begins by introducing social perspectives on collaboration. Because of the diversity of theories within this broad research paradigm, the next section outlines networking strategies that have been proposed for connecting theoretical approaches. There follows a discussion of studies that illustrate the community of practice and performance-based approaches to research into online mathematics teacher education. The main purpose of the article is to show how these approaches could be connected by examining the same teaching and learning scenarios through different theoretical lenses. The final section identifies implications of this exploration for the design of online learning environments in mathematics teacher education to capitalise on the affordances of Web-based technologies.

Beyond instructional design: Making learning design a reality

The paper is based on the keynote presentation to the Online Learning and Teaching Conference held in Brisbane on September 23rd 2005. The theme of the conference, Beyond Delivery, was extremely timely as it marked the assertion that it was time to put the simple digitisation of materials behind us and focus on the active, engaging learning opportunities that effectively put the learning back into e-learning to take advantage of collaborative tools, learning communities and mediated conversation for new millennial learners. More importantly the statement that we are beyond delivery also suggests that it is time to embrace change and reflect on new ways to conceptualise the design of online learning environments.