Online Course Development Research Articles

CLOUD TECHNOLOGIES IN EDUCATION: THE BIBLIOGRAPHIC REVIEW

The paper considers the use of cloud technologies in education through the prism of bibliographic analysis. The article characterizes the current state of cloud technologies in education, summarizes the trends, and forecasts the directions of recent scientific research. The leading research methods were bibliographic (visual and quantitative) analysis of keyword networks and qualitative discussion. The bibliographic analysis is based on publications indexed by the scientometric database Web Of Science over the past 20 years. The sample for analysis was formed by searching for the words cloud technology, education, learning, and teaching. The results of the study showed: a significant increase in the popularity of cloud technologies in education in recent years; an increase in the number of studies related to various aspects of educational activities under the influence of Industry 4.0; a gradual increase in the number of studies on the virtualization of the educational process and the use of artificial intelligence in education; dissemination of research on the effectiveness of various types of training using cloud services and teaching methods based on artificial intelligence; the relevance of the trend of visualization of educational material and visual analysis in education. The qualitative discussion provided grounds to identify general trends regarding future research directions.: development of mass online courses and learning technologies (immersive, the use of virtual, augmented, and mixed reality, gaming learning technologies, BYOD approach); further virtualization of universities; development of inclusive education, educational analytics, and assessment (formative and adaptive computer assessment); early training of teachers to use cloud technologies and specialized services in subject learning; research related to visualization (big data, design, simulation, simulation of various processes, etc.) and the designing of relevant new academic disciplines; research of STEM and STEAM education.

Methodological approach for developing online courses: a case study

Online courses are becoming more popular and accessible, but they require careful design and development of their structure and content. This paper presents a methodological approach for creating online courses by analysing existing practices and learner feedback. The paper focuses on the case study of the online course “Methods for Teaching Mathematics to Students in Technical Universities”, developed and tested by the authors. The paper discusses the main aspects of online course development, such as weekly planning, testing subsystem, video and PDF content, forum and survey subsystems, and assessment of learning outcomes. The paper also evaluates the quality of the online course and identifies some areas for improvement. The paper concludes that online course quality depends on various factors and provides recommendations for online course developers.

Development, Feasibility, and Knowledge Impact of a Massive Open Online Course on Radiation Safety: A Multicentre Prospective Cohort Study

This study reports the development of an innovative, interactive Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) teaching radiation safety principles in the vascular workplace, using stepwise e-learning with multiple choice question tests (MCQs), educational videos, and a serious game. The aim was to study the MOOC impact on radiation safety knowledge and assess its feasibility and acceptability. An international multicentre prospective study included team members active in the hybrid operating room. The MOOC was offered voluntarily via a secure online learning platform. A standardised MCQ test (15 questions) assessed radiation safety knowledge pre- and post-course (range 0 - 100%). Acceptability and feasibility were tested via the previously validated, Evaluating e-learning system success (EESS) model, using five point Likert scales. In eight centres across four countries, 150 of 203 invited endovascular team members consented. Over a seven week study period, surgeons (28%, including vascular surgery trainees and consultants), nurses (27%, including scrub, circulating and anaesthetic nurses), anaesthetists (43%, including trainees and consultants), and radiographers (3%) participated. Of those, 67% completed the course. The average radiation knowledge improved by 22.8% (95% CI 19.5 - 26.0%; p < .001) after MOOC completion, from 48% to 71% (standard deviation [SD] 14 and 15% respectively), requiring a mean time investment of 169 minutes (SD 89 minutes). In centres with a radiographer, mean knowledge gain after MOOC completion was significantly smaller (14%, SD 19% vs. 24%, SD 16%, p= .036). The course was deemed feasible and acceptable according to the EESS model with a total mean score of 3.68/5. This newly developed, multimodal MOOC was deemed feasible and effective across multiple international centres. The MOOC significantly contributes to radiation safety education of the entire endovascular team, improving radiation safety knowledge. The course may optimise workplace radiation safety behaviour and therefore enhance team and patient safety.

Building a new online platform

This poster will give insights into the Instructional Designer team's journey in evolving its methods for developing online courses. It will cover the transition from academic support to designing MOOCs on external platforms and developing courses for an in-house Learning Management System. A key aspect is the focus on targeting a different kind of learner moving beyond the traditional university student. The poster will look at the challenges, successes, and lessons learned throughout this transformation, underlining the processes, pedagogical approaches, partnerships involved as well as the challenges yet to come.

Leveraging a Peer-to-Peer Approach to Mitigate Vaccine Misinformation and Improve Vaccine Communication During a Pandemic: Experiences From the Development of a Massive Open Online Course.

The COVID-19 pandemic has not only led to massive global mortality and morbidity, but it has also fueled an infodemic of false and misleading information about COVID-19 and vaccines. The spread of misinformation and disinformation on vaccine safety and efficacy has contributed to vaccine hesitancy and distrust of public health institutions and has undermined the public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Because communication plays a monumental role in pandemic preparedness, a promising approach to countering the COVID-19 infodemic is empowering peers to serve as trusted messengers to provide accurate information using evidence-based communication approaches. With this in mind, we developed a massive open online course (MOOC) to provide the general public with the knowledge, skills, and resources to effectively navigate potentially contentious vaccine conversations with their peers, with a specific focus on parents. Within the first year of the course launch, 29,000 people had enrolled. Learners appreciated the information related to vaccine development, communication tips and techniques, and identifying and responding to vaccine misinformation. Over 1,000 learners who completed the course participated in an online evaluation survey. To address public distrust in healthcare providers, government, and science, our survey results indicate that peer-to-peer approaches to addressing vaccine hesitancy can empower community members to educate others and promote vaccine acceptance at scale.

Perception of Space in the Traditional and Virtual Classroom

The paper presents the study of the educational context and its characteristics to achieve the most effective learning process.The aim of the research is to examine the perception of physical space in the traditional classroom and virtual space in online learning. The study of this issue is based on the psychological approach to the perception of virtual space as a model of physical space and on understanding the importance of this research area due to the development of distant forms of learning: though, the problems of virtual space functioning in the perception of students and its impact on learning efficiency still remain unexplored. Meanwhile, understanding the mechanism of space perception can help to adapt the learning process to the form of learning in choice: learning in a traditional classroom, where students work in a real physical space, learning in a virtual environment or in a hybrid form.Materials and methods. The theoretical basis for comparing the characteristics of physical and virtual space is the studies that focus on the importance of spatial organization in the process of learning. The psychological approach to the perception of space makes it possible to rely on the mechanism of transferring the physical characteristics of space into a virtual environment and to determine the possibility of comparison, primarily in an axiological sense. The study was carried out in the context of university education. Students of a higher educational institution were offered a questionnaire, the results of which were processed using a statistical method. Quantitative trends were then interpreted in the application to the learning process. The experiment was carried out in three stages (questionnaire, statistical processing, interpretation of the results), each of which revealed new aspects of the problem under study.Results. The study shows that there is a metaphorization mechanism that allows the learner to perceive the space of the virtual classroom in the same terms as the physical space of the traditional classroom. At the same time, the comparison of statistical data indicates the obvious differences in the perception of the student's space in the traditional and virtual classrooms. This is especially true for such parameters as openness, freedom of movement and the ratio of participants in the educational space, which indicates different learning conditions that determine the choice of teaching methods and techniques in the traditional context and in the virtual educational environment. Discussion of the results of statistical analysis allows us to draw conclusions about the difference of educational potential of the virtual and physical classroom spaces, the importance of socialization and various methods of its creation in the educational process.Conclusion. The conducted research shows the need for further study of space in the educational context, the need to take into account its parameters for developing virtual courses. Also, the results of the study show the importance of spatial characteristics for the success of learning, for creating a comfortable educational environment. The data obtained can be used in the development and improvement of online courses; it will help to avoid mistakes when in planning.

The Changing Landscape of Technical Services Education

Technical Services (TS) has been undergoing many changes in response to societal, technological, and institutional shifts as are many areas within LIS. In addition to understanding changes in cataloging standards, technical services staff must have cultural and behavioral competency to meet the needs of increasingly diverse user populations. To prepare LIS students effectively, technical services educators must continually adapt and update their courses. &#x0D; The Technical Services Education SIG session will include a panel of three educators who will discuss current areas of importance in TS education: innovative online pedagogy, EDI (equity, diversity, and inclusion), and core competencies.&#x0D; Susan Rathbun-Grubb will report on the development of a new online course supported by a University of South Carolina Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) Innovative Pedagogy Grant. This includes collaborating with a CTE instructional designer in preparation for teaching the course in Spring 2024. This presentation will describe the creative process and the proposed course plan including objectives, topical coverage, pedagogical strategies, and assessments. Dr. Rathbun-Grubb is interested in having a conversation with attendees about their best practices for teaching TS management online in a student-centered seminar format.&#x0D; Lesley Farmer will present on the incorporation of EDI into the Organization of Information course in California State University Long Beach's Teacher (school) Librarian program. An explicit EDI strand was developed for the course, including readings/videos for each module and corresponding learning activities. Students have responded very favorably by actively identifying and addressing EDI issues and by seeing themselves as necessary change agents for social justice. This presentation explains the process, the results, and useful resources.&#x0D; Karen Snow is leading an effort to revise the American Library Association’s 2017 Core Competencies for Cataloging and Metadata Professional Librarians and will report on the status of the endeavor. This includes determining if the 2017 Competencies are sufficient for current cataloging and metadata professionals. Dr. Snow will discuss how TS educators help provide a good foundation of cataloging and metadata competencies that best prepares our students for such a rapidly-changing field. &#x0D; After the presentations, audience members will be encouraged to ask questions and offer their own experiences and ideas concerning this area of LIS education. These presentations align well with the ALISE 2023 conference theme of “Bridge the Gap: Teaching, Learning, Practice, and Competencies.”

Teaching Inclusive Social Work Leadership and Supervision Online and In-Person: A Learning Case

ABSTRACT Teaching social work students through both online and in-person formats is highlighted in the description of two mandatory graduate social work courses on leadership and supervision across two Canadian university institutions. Relevant themes gathered through multiple years of online student surveys were analyzed thematically. The summary of findings arises from a previous research study (Vito & Schmidt Hanbidge, 2021) and emphasizes strengths, challenges and considerations for educators. Varying course approaches, topics, assignments and organizational contexts are described, along with integrating macro courses for social work educators. Multiple discussion questions are posed to engage readers in dialogue to implement or revise online social work courses. Practice implications for development and delivery of online courses and instructor adaptability may be fruitful for instructors and educational institutions to help mitigate future educational disruptions.

The Coach Developer as a Learning Designer: An Insight Into the Development of the ICOACHKIDS Massive Open Online Courses

The role of the coach developer (CD) has broadened over the last two decades. Today CDs fulfil multiple functions, such as tutor, facilitator, expert, or mentor. They also play a significant part as learning designers. CDs are normally not trained to perform this role. This practical advances paper provides an overview of the role and required skills of learning designers, specifically in the context of the creation of an online coach development resource: the ICOACHKIDS massive open online courses. The paper offers a novel description of the development process. It describes four stages, including: (a) agreeing on target audience and learning outcomes, (b) choosing the pedagogical model, (c) selecting technological solutions and partners, and (d) content development. For each stage, the working parameters, associated challenges, and the learning gained by CDs are described. Each of these phases presents unique challenges and requires different competences. We conclude that learning design, especially in relation to massive open online courses (and perhaps, more broadly, online), must become part of the CD development curriculum going forward.

Thoughts of Courses Construction of Graduate Student with Master of Medicine Based on Online Open Courses

Under the “double-track integration” training model, there are problems with short learning time, scattered locations, and inconsistent schedules for master of medicine. The traditional method of face-to-face teaching in a centralized setting cannot meet the new training requirements. The standardized training for resident physicians strictly requires a 33-month period for clinical skills training. How can we reform the teaching methods while maintaining the same length of the curriculum, in order to balance the standardized training for resident physicians and course learning? Online open courses have the characteristics of fragmented knowledge, abundant resources, diverse formats, flexible choices, and unrestricted learning time and location. They can effectively resolve the conflict between course learning and standardized training for master of medicine under the “double-track integration” training model. How to successfully develop online courses has become a key issue in the reform of course teaching for master of medicine. Based on the experience of course teaching management for master of medicine, this article discusses some considerations for the construction of online open courses.

基于网络课程的中国大学生网络学习行为分析

The rapid development of online courses has promoted the transformation of educational and teaching concepts, the updating of teaching content and the reform of teaching methods, but it also increases the difficulty of teaching organization management and learning effect evaluation. Based on the monitoring data of “probability theory and mathematical statistics” course of Pingdingshan University’s learning network platform, this paper studies the online learning behaviors of college students, analyzes the correlation between various monitoring data on the learning platform and learning effects, and the existence of online learning behaviors of college students. Finally reasonable improvement suggestions are given to provide strong support for teachers to scientifically guide college students’ online learning behaviors, so as to achieve the purpose of improving learning effects.

INTERACTIVE LEARNING PLATFORM WITH GAMIFICATION ELEMENTS

In the modern world, the main source of learning and other information is the Internet, as a result of whichthe demand for online education is constantly growing in the digital space. The development of modern informationtechnologies in Ukraine creates conditions for the development of online courses and powerful learning platforms. Themain element of online learning is a high-quality and effective learning platform. The transfer of learning courses fromthe real world to the virtual one requires specialized platforms and services that allow the structuring of learning contentand changing the format of the presentation of learning material. Based on the analysis of existing learning platforms, itwas found that among students there is a demand for the use of game technologies during lessons, which, according tothe results of scientific research, enrich the learning process. Therefore, the development of a learning platform withelements of gamification is relevant. An interactive learning platform with elements of gamification and artificialintelligence was demonstrated. This platform will contribute to the development of e-learning, conducting online classesby teachers for students at a new level.

Thematic and Sentiment Analysis of Learners’ Feedback in MOOCs

In recent years, sentiment analysis has gained popularity among researchers in various domains, including the education domain. Sentiment analysis can be applied to review the course comments in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), which could enable course designers’ to easily evaluate their courses. The objective of this study is to explore the influential factors that affect the completion rate of MOOCs and unravel the sentiments of dropout learners by evaluating learners’ feedback. In the present study, sentiment analysis was performed using Python programming and NVivo tools on the feedback of the learners enrolled in three MOOCs entitled Introduction to Cyber Security, Digital Forensics and Development of Online Courses for SWAYAM, which was hosted on the SWAYAM platform (www.swayam.gov.in). Two instruments were used for data collection: (1) a structured questionnaire using a 5-point Likert scale was administrated using Google Forms — the questionnaires have also some additional open-ended questions — and (2) semi-structured interview schedules with the domain experts. The feedback was collected using Google Forms and a total of 324 responses were received between April 23, 2022 to May 31, 2022. The non-probability sampling method served as the sampling approach in the quantitative phase in this study. During analysis, the findings of the feedback uncovered important dimensions of some peculiar factors that may be responsible for retention of learners, i.e., content localisation, credit mobility and latest trend courses that were less explored in the earlier literature.

Student Perceptions of Online Engagement

This paper reports on research that extends knowledge about higher education students’ perceptions of online engagement. In particular, the study aimed to identify what students thought engagement was and how they experienced it. Understanding students’ views about online engagement will provide a more comprehensive understanding of the topic and should assist instructional designers to support academic staff to develop online courses that are more likely to engage their students. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study found that students felt most engaged with learning when doing practical, hands-on activities. Additional findings from the qualitative and quantitative data are highlighted, with some differences between the students’ perceptions in the different types of data, particularly concerning social engagement. This suggests that further research is warranted. The paper offers several practical implications for student learning.

Using the fsQCA approach to investigate factors affecting university students' satisfaction with online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic: A case from China.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, higher education institutions have been forced to switch their teaching mode to online education. There has been limited in-depth exploration of the factors affecting students' satisfaction with online learning, and no consensus has been reached among these studies' results. Students' satisfaction is essential for realizing effective online education practices and meaningful to promoting the sustainable development of online courses, and it cannot be fully explained by one single factor. Research exploring the configuration of factors affecting students' satisfaction with online learning has been rare. This study adopted a novel data analysis method, the fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) method, to explore collocations of different factors affecting higher education students' satisfaction with online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. This research surveyed 357 university students in Mainland China during the second semester of the 2021-2022 academic year using a structured questionnaire. The study identified that when students were satisfied with assignments and had a higher level of internet self-efficacy, or they were satisfied with their instructors and assignments, they were satisfied with online classes. Additionally, internet self-efficacy is indispensable to explaining students' higher level of satisfaction with online learning. This study contributes to our understanding of university students' satisfaction with online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic by using a novel method to explore the configuration of influential factors, and it provides implications for administrators and policymakers in the education field who seek to improve students' satisfaction with online learning.

Accumulating and communicating research: Development of a Massive Open Online Course on ash

Based on 30 years of research on ash and deposit formation, corrosion and trace element transformations in utility boilers fired with solid fuels covering the entire range from coal via biomass to waste fuels, a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on this was launched ultimo July 2020.The basic idea behind the Ash MOOC, is to present recent data on fuel characterization, ash formations, slagging, fouling, and corrosion, in a course that can be readily provided for students and industry people.The Ash MOOC consists of a number of modules covering: 1) course introduction, 2) fuel and ash chemistry and characterization, 3) release of critical ash-forming elements, 4) formation of fly ash and aerosols, 5) transport and adhesion of ash particles, 6) deposit build-up, consolidation and shedding, 7) high-temperature Cl-corrosion, 8) use of additives to minimize deposit formation and high-temperature corrosion, and, last but certainly not least, 9) Danish case-studies on ash and deposit formation.This paper provide a brief introduction to how the idea of an Ash MOOC was born, what it takes to make such a MOOC, how to direct such knowledge toward a very wide range of receiving audience, and, some sorts about future development of this.

Investigation of instructors’ massive open online course experiences: Actions and outputs

Instructors are the most important component for the development of a Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) because of many MOOCs have been developed by instructors and offered free of charge. In this study we examine the benefits of sharing and course design actions during the enforcement of a MOOC. In this study a qualitative research design, case study, was used. Interviews were made with 12 instructors who have offered MOOC on AtademiX in Turkey to understand their gains while developing and teaching MOOCs. The data obtained through semi-structured interviews were subjected to content analysis and the gains of instructos were revealed in an inductive manner. According to the results of the research, instructors have made professional development and achieved new academic outcomes such as tendency of material sharing, satisfaction, recognition, self-confidence, and effectiveness in face-to-face lessons. As a result, it can be said that MOOC contributes professionally and academically to instructors.

Scaling Automated Programming Assessment Systems

The first automated assessment of student programs was reported more than 60 years ago, but this topic remains relevant and highly topical among computer science researchers and teachers. In the last decade, several factors have contributed to the popularity of this approach, such as the development of massive online courses, where large numbers of students can hardly be assessed manually, the COVID-19 pandemic with a strong online presence and physical relocation of students, and the ever-increasing shortage of personnel in the field CS. Modern Automated Programming Assessment Systems (APASs) are nowadays implemented as web applications. For such web applications, especially those that support immediate (on-demand) program assessments and feedback, it can be quite a challenge to implement the various system modules in a secure and scalable manner. Over the past six years, we have developed and actively deployed “Edgar”—a state-of-the-art APAS that enables immediate program evaluation and feedback in any programming language (SQL, C, Java, etc.). In this article, we look at the APAS web application architecture with a focus on scalability issues. We review fundamental features such as dynamic analysis and untrusted code execution, as well as more complex cases such as static analysis and plagiarism detection, and we summarize the lessons learned over the previous six years of research. We identify scalability challenges, show how they have been addressed in APAS Edgar, and then propose general architectural solutions, building blocks and patterns to address those challenges.

Development and evaluation of a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) for healthcare professionals on malnutrition in older adults

BackgroundEducation about malnutrition in older adults is often lacking in the curricula of healthcare professionals. Massive open online courses (MOOCs) are an innovative form of education that can potentially improve the knowledge of healthcare professionals. Objectives(1) to describe the development of a MOOC on malnutrition in older adults and (2) to evaluate the MOOC on the basis of knowledge gained. DesignThe MOOC was developed by following a structured approach. For the evaluation of the MOOC, a cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted. ParticipantsOverall, 1288 nurses, dietitians, medical doctors and other healthcare professionals participated in the evaluation study. MethodsAfter performing a comprehensive literature review, two dietitians specialised in geriatrics developed a summary of potentially important content of the MOOC. Nine European malnutrition experts from different professional areas were then asked to contribute their expertise. The specific MOOC content was developed based on the recent literature and evidence-based guidelines. For the evaluation of the MOOC, a questionnaire with 41 questions was developed. Results were analysed using descriptive statistics and chi-square tests. ResultsThe final MOOC consists of five modules with 15 learning videos and supplementary material. The percentage of persons with good malnutrition knowledge increased from 76.1 % to 89.9 % (p < 0.001), while the percentage of persons with fair or little malnutrition knowledge decreased (p < 0.001). The course significantly improved the participants' knowledge of specific malnutrition topics, namely, methods and instruments to determine the nutritional status of older people, interventions to improve oral intake, medical nutrition and multidisciplinary cooperation (p < 0.001). Overall, 91.5 % of the participants rated the quality of the course as very good or good. ConclusionMOOCs may be an effective tool that can be used to improve knowledge in healthcare professionals. This provides new opportunities for successful multidisciplinary malnutrition management in clinical practice.

Distance learning technologies in a higher educational institution: experience in using and implementing e-learning courses in the educational process

Distance learning technologies occupy a strong position in the higher education system: they can serve as an instrumental basis for organizing distance learning, they can be actively used in combination with traditional forms and methods of teaching, and they can be used to build networking between universities and employer organizations. There is much experience in using distance learning technologies by university teachers when working with students, which needs to be rethought.&#x0D; The purpose of this study was to show how an educational platform, such as the S. Kuznets KNEU Personal Learning Systems, can be used to provide educational services in the face of unpredictable barriers in the current circumstances in Ukraine to substantiate the importance and feasibility of developing and implementing distance learning courses on this platform to increase the efficiency of distance learning.&#x0D; The study reveals the importance of using distance learning technologies in the educational process. Distance learning offers many advantages, such as geographical diversity, efficiency, continuity, individual approach and personalized program. The article analyzes the experience of using distance learning technologies on the example of Simon Kuznets Kharkiv National University of Economics. The existing difficulties of using distance learning technologies are specified. The algorithm for using the Moodle distance learning system as a tool environment for developing online courses by teachers, distinguished by its functionality, flexibility, reliability and ease of use, is prescribed.&#x0D; However, Ukraine's education system must catch up with the fundamentals underlying distance learning courses. It is necessary to train highly qualified teaching staff capable of working with students remotely to ensure the effectiveness of distance learning, provide students with updated learning materials, and make courses comprehensive, engaging, and easy to understand. However, the prospects in this area of education in Ukraine are prominent