Student-student Interaction Research Articles

A Deep Learning Model Using CNN & LSTM to Forecast Student Learning Outcomes in Learning Management System

The administration, monitoring, and reporting of educational activities are being done more and more with Learning Management Systems (LMSs). Blackboard is one such extensively utilized LMS at universities all over the world. This is because it may be used to match learning material pieces, student-teacher and student-student interactions, and assessment activities to predetermined objectives and student learning outcomes. This study aimed to determine the predictive power of various KPIs obtained from students' Blackboard interactions in order to forecast students' learning outcomes. Deep learning algorithms to forecast academic achievement were looked at as part of a mixed-methods study design. The degree of linear relationship between these factors and measures of student performance was ascertained by correlational tests. Out of the four models that were assessed, the CNN-LSTM predictive model proved to be the most effective because it combined long short-term memory with convolutional neural networks. The primary inference made from this data is that the CNN-LSTM technique might result in solutions that maximize and enhance how universities use the Blackboard LMS.

Students' perceptions of online education: A session at the FAOBMB-IUBMB-CBSL virtual education symposium 2021.

The Federation of Asian and Oceanian Biochemists and Molecular Biologists (FAOBMB) and the College of Biochemists of Sri Lanka (CBSL) organized a virtual education symposium in 2021 funded by the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (IUBMB). The parallel session named "Students' Perception" was attended by 188 participants from 11 countries. The main objectives of this session were to aggregate participants' viewpoints on aspects of virtual education, including innovative strategies to enhance motivation and engagement of students, improving teacher-student and student-student interactions, managing stress, and virtual learning platforms. Data were collected via rapporteurs from multiple segments of the session including a mini-introductory talk, poll, role play, and discussions about outstanding student experiences, types of virtual platforms, innovative methods of teaching, student motivation and stress management. The importance of student perception and issues like technological difficulties and the reluctance of students to engage were discussed. In addition to well-established strategies such as using polls, chat box features, and discussions in breakout rooms, participants also proposed exciting learning methods to engage students such as quizzes, competitions and challenges, engagement of multiple sensory modalities, story-based learning, and so forth. This report provides anecdotal evidence on pedagogies described in textbooks and also introduces new ideas based on this existing foundation. Future research should aim to harmonize virtual education with traditional classroom methods and explore innovative virtual tools like avatar-based universities, virtual labs, and user-friendly online assessment platforms. The results apply to all disciplines, and not exclusively to biochemistry and molecular biology (BMB).

Group Assessments to Help Build Online Learning Communities in Biomedical Science Distance Learning Programmes.

Introduction: Biomedical Science distance learning courses offer flexibility in study while in employment. Asynchronous and self-learning approaches are common within such courses and often student-student interaction is limited. The aims of this study were to establish learning communities, develop confidence in participating in online teamwork and foster an appreciation of transferable skills including digital capabilities through remote group activities. Materials and Methods: Two cohorts of students (n = 20/n = 21) were enrolled in a microbiology module of an IBMS accredited MSc distance learning course. Groups of 4-5 students produced a digital output relating to current global infection-related issues, namely, assignment 1, production of a slide deck, which peers could use as learning resources and assignment 2, a voiceover PowerPoint debate, and infographic, voting assessment and peer/self-marking. Students also prepared reflections using written format and a FlipGrid video-recording. A qualitative content analysis was conducted on reflections from all students. Students completed a pre- and post-assignment survey focused on the development of transferable skills for the biomedical sector. Results: Students' skills and confidence increased following completion of the group assignment, as evident from the pre- and post-questionnaire responses, namely, possession of digital skills and digital creation abilities (29% v 83%), applying for jobs which require digital skills (54% v 89%), talking about examples of using digital media during job interviews (21% v 78%) and demonstration of creativity during assignment tasks (33% v 90%). Critical thinking was more commonly demonstrated during the debate in comparison to the slide deck activity (p = 0.001). The importance of developing digital skills, was higher following completion of the group activities (p = 0.03). Students reflected on the value of the group activities in relation to knowledge acquisition (85%, 86%), collegiality (70%, 71%), digital skills development (80%, 90%), the fact that the activities were enjoyable (70%, 67%) and the development of peer interaction and support (50%, 67%) in relation to assignment 1 and 2, respectively. Discussion: Increasingly digital technologies are being used in the healthcare sector resulting in updated HCPC Standards of Proficiency. This study highlights that virtual group activities promote the establishment of supportive learning communities and the development of transferable skills including digital capabilities for application within the biomedical science workplace.

An Online Interactive Model of University English Based on Comprehensive Evaluation Models

Abstract This paper combines the theory of multiple interactive teaching modes in the process of college English online teaching and constructs an interactive model of English online teaching from three dimensions: teacher-student interaction, student-student interaction, and human-computer interaction. Secondly, the learner portrait structure in the E-GPPE-C model was designed from the three dimensions of basic characteristics, behaviors, and outcomes. According to the planned group learning path, an improved convolutional neural network (CNN) is used to generate a personalized learning path. To divide the learning community, the group of learners is clustered using the mean clustering algorithm. Finally, three rounds of teaching practice were conducted to verify the effectiveness of this interactive teaching model. The results show that the ratio of verbal interaction between teachers and students after the use of the strategy of constructing learner profiles increased to 0.9 compared with the previous 0.1. The correlation coefficient between personalized learning and learning self-regulation is 0.682, and significant correlations all present a significant correlation at the 0.01 level. This paper provides lessons and references for further research and development of smart interactive instructional design in colleges and universities.

Opinions of Students Learning Turkish as a Foreign Language on the Use of E-Portfolio in Writing Lessons

This study aims to investigate the opinions of students learning Turkish as a foreign language on the use of the e-portfolio method in writing classes. During the implementation phase of this case study, two methods were used concurrently. The first method was face-to-face instruction centered on the coursebook. The second method was the e-portfolio method utilizing digital tools. After the implementation, data regarding the participants’ opinions were collected through interview technique, and the collected data were analyzed through content analysis. According to the research findings, there is a diversity of opinions among students regarding digital writing practices. Generation Z students tend to evaluate digital writing more positively. Language control and support are positively received by students. It has been observed that digital writing offers spatial and temporal independence, enhances student-teacher and student-student interaction, and contributes to collaboration and skill development in the context of peer learning. It is concluded that digital writing increases learning motivation and generally improves Turkish writing skills. As a teaching tool, in addition to textbooks and notebooks, the use of digital resources, especially e-portfolio creation tools and dictionaries, which offer unlimited variety, has become a necessity. Based on the study results, it is recommended to use a hybrid approach where traditional and digital writing-based e-portfolio methods are used together in education. Accordingly, curriculum should be updated, digital tools should be used more effectively, and technology infrastructure should be improved. Centers or courses teaching Turkish as a foreign language should take the initiative for infrastructure improvements. In this context, it is recommended that researchers in the field of online teaching of writing, speaking, listening, and reading skills conduct studies and educators develop applications.

Pre-service Teachers' Interaction Tool Preferences in Blended Learning and Their Views on Google Classroom

Purpose: This study aims to determine the opinions of pre-service teachers who receive education through blended learning regarding Google Classroom support and their interaction preferences in blended learning environments. Methodology: The research was conducted using a case study design, one of the qualitative research designs. Data were collected from 11 pre-service teachers who participated in a teaching practice course, utilizing a semi-structured interview form. The collected data were coded and categorized using descriptive and content analysis methods. Findings: The study found that students primarily utilized Google Classroom for assignments and interactions with instructors, other students, and course content. Students emphasized their need for interaction with the instructor as the most significant aspect of blended learning, followed by content interaction and interaction with other students. Pre-service teachers' views towards Google Classroom were positive. Their opinions were categorized under the categories of contribution to self-regulation, an interactive assignment system, ease of use, and student-student interaction. Highlights: Google Classroom can be used as a support for LMSs. When it is used with activities that will attract students' interest, it may be possible to increase students' satisfaction. Students were very satisfied with the detailed and quick feedback on their assignments. Another prominent feature of Google Classroom is that the documents are systematically organized and always accessible. One may suggest that LMSs that do not have these features should take precautions at this point. All of the students plan to use Google Classroom in their professional life.

Teaching reform and practice of "food enzymology and enzyme engineering" based on cutting-edge researches

Food enzymology and enzyme engineering is an important professional course of food science. The course includes the basic theory of enzymology, enzyme engineering technology and the application of enzymes in food industry. Considering the knowledge gap between the teaching contents and the cutting-edge researches, the team constantly adjusted and optimized the course contents to enable students to keep up with state-of-the-art progress by carefully mining the cutting-edge researches. Taking cutting-edge researches as the breakthrough point, we explored the problem-based learning (PBL) teaching model under the guidance of outcome-based education (OBE) concept, and highlighted the importance of the teacher-student and student-student interactions to improve students' enthusiasm and participation. A diversified assessment system was established to evaluate the performance of students in the learning process. The teaching reform consolidated the basic knowledge and expanded the academic frontiers, and fostered students' ability in analyzing problems, designing solutions and achieving team communication. The course may give new insights into the teaching reform of food enzymology and enzyme engineering and other related courses.

중학교 ‘기체의 성질’ 단원의 원격 과학 탐구 수업 개발 및 적용

The purpose of this study is to develop and apply remote inquiry-based science instructions of middle school science subjects that emphasize teacher-student, student-student interactions, and can be experimented at home. and then find out the effectiveness of the classes and students’ perceptions. To this end, seven remote inquiry-based classes were conducted for 18 first graders of middle school. Classes were conducted in real time using the ‘Online Class Video Class’ platform, and interaction tools such as Tinkerbell Board and Google Survey were used. In order to analyze the effectiveness of remote inquiry classes, science core competency tests, and science process skill tests were conducted, and students’ perceptions of remote inquiry classes were investigated. As a result of the survey analysis, the application of remote inquiry classes significantly improved students’ science core competencies, and science process skills. The biggest advantage was that individuals could perform all experiments directly through the use of individual experimental kits. In addition, it was found that communication between teacher-student and student-student was actively conducted during class, and they thought it was helpful in class. Based on the results, effective inquiry-based classes in non-face-to-face remote class situations were discussed.

The Impact of Instructional Interaction on College Students’ Engagement on Distance Learning post-COVID19

Online learning developed rapidly after the outbreak of COVID. However, learning engagement is an important indicator for evaluating the quality of teaching and learning, and the poor results have attracted extensive attention from scholars at home and abroad. This research adopts a qualitative research method to explore the influencing factors and challenges of exploring college students' learning engagement post-Covid-19 by launching a convenience sampling survey of seven students and three teachers from Hebei Normal Universality of Science and Technology, using the interview method to conduct the research. The results show that: teacher-student interaction, student-student interaction, and student-content interaction affect learning engagement; learning motivation and problem-solving ability also affect interaction and learning engagement. These studies have important guiding significance for applied undergraduate online teaching in China.

Envisioning the future of learning and teaching engineering in the artificial intelligence era: Opportunities and challenges

Envisioning the future of learning and teaching engineering in the artificial intelligence era: Opportunities and challenges

Blended online courses: students’ learning experiences and engaging instructional strategies

ABSTRACT The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the digital shift in higher education and forced university faculty to transform their courses into a blended or online modality to comply with current public health measures. Many instructors have implemented blended online courses, which combine synchronous and asynchronous online teaching and learning activities. The purpose of this study is to document university students’ learning experiences in blended online courses during the pandemic, and to identify instructional strategies to support student engagement in these courses. It adopts a mixed-methods research strategy in which data were collected through questionnaires from students who took a blended online course in the summer semester of 2020, in a variety of disciplines and academic cycles at four Quebec universities (n = 482). Following the analysis of student responses to open-ended questions, five recurring themes were identified: the enhancement of student-student interactions, the dynamism of synchronous and asynchronous sessions, the structured presentation of the course, the explanations and feedback from instructors, and the accessibility and involvement of instructors. For each theme, suggestions from student feedback are provided to facilitate student engagement in blended online courses.

Attitude and Readiness of Special Education Teachers in Blended Teaching: Basis for A Training Development Program

As the world progresses towards digitalization in education, innovations have been embraced rapidly. Blended teaching (a combination of in-person and online classes) has been introduced to enhance the teaching and learning process amidst challenges and threats brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study investigated special education teachers’ attitude and readiness to implement blended learning modalities. The study used purposive sampling employing a total enumeration of 40 SPED teachers in 10 public SPED schools in Sarangani province. The results revealed that with all the indicators in teachers’ attitude towards blended teaching, an overall mean of 3.22 was obtained, which corresponds to an overall descriptive value of “Favorable’. This means that teachers portrayed positive attitudes and practices that prompted them to develop their knowledge and skills in the shift from traditional education to blended instruction. Overall, the relationship between teachers’ attitudes and the level of readiness toward blended teaching is “Highly Significant.” The correlation between the teachers’ attitude and the teachers’ level of readiness in six areas (i.e., Technical Literacy, Planning Blended Activities, Personalizing Instruction, Facilitating Student-Student Interaction, Facilitating Teacher-Student Interaction, Planning Blended Assessments) is “Highly Significant” while only one of the seven areas (i.e., Implementing Blended Assessments) is “Not Significant. Thus, this study proposed an action plan to support teachers in blended teaching. Further, a pool of experts in blended teaching and learning reviewed and evaluated the proposed action plan. They rated the proposed action plan as “highly valid.”

Interaction as a Predicator for EFL Undergraduate University Students’ Satisfaction With Online English Language Courses

As online learning becomes widespread in education field especially higher education, researchers showed great interest in identifying factors that affect students’ satisfaction with online courses. This study aimed at examining EFL undergraduate students’ satisfaction with online English courses in Jordanian universities. More specifically, it aims at investigating the role of interaction as a predicator for EFL students’ satisfaction with online English language courses. It is a quantitative approach. The researchers collected data by administering an online Microsoft Teams form to 189 undergraduate EFL students. One hundred and twelve responded to the five-Likert scale questionnaire. The accepted forms are 105. By applying the statistical method of SPSS, regression findings showed that the four-predictor variables (student-content interaction, student-instructor interaction, student-student interaction and student-technology interaction) affect positively students’ satisfaction with online English language courses. The study found that student-technology interaction and student-instructor interaction were the strongest and most significant predictors of student satisfaction with online English language courses. Moreover, findings showed statistically significant differences for the effect of students' interaction on students' satisfaction due to the students’ past online learning experience. This study helps the university instructors to understand the factors that contribute to the students’ satisfaction, which ultimately lead to an effective online learning. It also builds on the findings of previous studies that necessitate the need for much attention to two types of interaction: student-student and student-content.

Exploring classroom interaction in online education.

This present study explores the nature and extent of classroom interaction in online English as a foreign language (EFL) classes at the university level. Based on an exploratory research design, the study involved the analysis of recordings of seven visits to online EFL classes given by different instructors with approximately 30 language learners in each class. The data were analyzed by using the Communicative Oriented Language Teaching (COLT) observation sheets. Findings provided an understanding of the interaction patterns in the online classes, by showing that there was more teacher-student interaction in online classes compared to student-student interaction, and the classes involved more sustained teacher speech, whereas the students' speech mostly encompassed ultra-minimal utterance patterns. Also, the findings showed that group work activities fell behind individual activities in online classes. In addition, the online classes observed in the present study were found to be instruction-focused, and discipline issues reflected on the language used by the teachers were found to be at a minimum level. Besides, the study presented a detailed analysis of teacher and student verbal interaction by unveiling that rather than form-related incorporations, message-related incorporations were common in the observed classes and the teachers commented on the students' utterances and expanded what they said mostly. The study brings some implications for teachers, curriculum planners, and administrators by providing insights regarding classroom interaction in online EFL classes.

Teacher Moves and Knowledge in Preparing Students for General Certificate of Education Examination

This study investigated an experienced teacher’s moves in preparing high school students for an end of year certificate examination. Six consecutive lessons taught by this teacher were observed and videotaped in the second term of the 2020/2021 academic year. These lessons were transcribed and coded for teacher moves as well as teacher knowledge deployed in any of the moves. First, the two researchers coded teacher moves independently and agreed on them. Second, interviews were used to obtain justification for teacher moves used. Third, Ball, Thames and Phelps’s (2008) categorizations of mathematical knowledge for teaching was used to determine which teacher knowledge motivated the move. Results revealed that this teacher, Ngwa, a pseudonym, deployed the following moves: reading through all the topics to identify key concepts and determine connections between and among them, connecting ideas from one topic to another, returning to previous chapters or units for review of mathematical ideas, reinforce understanding by modifying problems, adoption/adaptations and extension of problems to generate the use of more ideas, withdrawal of the teacher and creation of space for interaction, announcing or advertising what will be learned in the next lesson, and learners designing their own questions for the class to engage with. The findings also revealed that understanding the structure of an examination might be a form of specialized content knowledge as it drives teaching. In addition, teaching and learning was found to be forward and backward to review concepts and reinforce learning in learners. Furthermore, teachers must intentionally create space for student-student interaction which provide opportunities for learners to make sense of what is being taught. The findings of this study might be beneficial to teacher educators and professional development experts to focus training on productive teaching moves. Classroom teachers can also use the outcome of this study for the improvement of their practice of teaching.

A Validation of AI-Enabled Discussion Platform Metrics and Relationships to Student Efforts.

Asynchronous discussions are a popular feature in online higher education as they enable instructor-student and student-student interactions at the users' own time and pace. AI-driven discussion platforms are designed to relieve instructors of automatable tasks, e.g., low-stakes grading and post moderation. Our study investigated the validity of an AI-generated score compared to human-driven methods of evaluating student effort and the impact of instructor interaction on students' discussion post quality. A series of within-subjects MANOVAs was conducted on 14,599 discussion posts among over 800 students across four classes to measure post 'curiosity score' (i.e., an AI-generated metric of post quality) and word count. After checking assumptions, one MANOVA was run for each type of instructor interaction: private coaching, public praising, and public featuring. Instructor coaching appears to impact curiosity scores and word count, with later posts being an average of 40 words longer and scoring an average of 15 points higher than the original post that received instructor coaching. AI-driven tools appear to free up time for more creative human interventions, particularly among instructors teaching high-enrollment classes, where a traditional discussion forum is less scalable.

Cultural reproduction or cultural mobility: The influence of individual characteristics and student engagement on academic achievement of the first generation college students in Chinese Research University

With the rapid development of higher education in China, the first-generation college students in China's research universities are gradually becoming the minority .Based on a sample of 5524 students at a research university in China, this study examines the impact of family institutional cultural capital on academic achievement of undergraduates, as well as the moderating effect of individual characteristics and student engagement. The study finds no significant difference between the first-generation college students and non-first-generation college students in grade point average but a significant difference in graduate education opportunities. Compared with non-first-generation college students, being a minority in college and student-student interaction have greater negative influence on first-generation students’ academic achievement, while academic activities participation has a positive impact. The analysis results show that the first-generation college students in Chinese research universities are still at a disadvantage in terms of academic achievement that requires comprehensive ability, but this cannot be simply be attributed to cultural reproduction. Student engagement still plays a role in promoting cultural mobility, and the importance of institutional cultural capital varies by the type and stage of achievement measured.

Teachers Talking About Teacher Talk

Teachers whose lessons are based on communicative language teaching (CLT) (Richards & McCarthy, 2006) or similar approaches are often discouraged from engaging in too much teacher talking time (TTT) for the fear that otherwise, the result might be a lecture. Nevertheless, some of them may not be aware of what or how to critically cope with that. For example, a simple internet search reveals many articles offering teachers exactly this advice, sometimes with specific percentages about the proportion of lesson time that should be taken up with teacher talk. CLT and Task-based Learning (TBL) (Nunan, 2004) are two methodologies that generally regard TTT as something to be kept to a minimum. The first one has strong leanings towards centering students and many activities using that methodology promote student-student interaction. Likewise, the latter heavily focuses on the interaction between students. In these methodologies, the amount of TTT might equate to a lack of learning opportunities for learners; hence lessons may be regarded as less effective if TTT is deemed high (Paul, 2003:76 (Esfandiari & Knight, 2013:20-21). However, limiting teacher talk runs the risk of 'underestimat[ing] the value of the teacher as both a source of input and an interactional pattern' (Thornbury, 2006:225). In light of these points, this paper proposes a reflective analysis concerning when and how to make sound use of TTT, as the sole reduction of TTT does not amount to an automatic improvement of productivity in a lesson (Hitotuzi, 2005:105) In this paper, we address a series of research questions regarding what teachers think about the amount of TTT they engage in. We draw on qualitative data from an online survey and the transcripts of follow-up interviews of survey participants who consented to a short, semi-structured interview with one of the researchers. In both the survey and the interviews, our main interest is how the participants themselves view the amount of time they spend talking in lessons. We ask them how much they believe their teachers talk during their lessons and whether they are happy with that amount. In addition, we are interested in whether specific lesson stages influence the amount of importance TTT has for the practitioner-participants. We also explore what might have contributed to the formation of the participant's views, including initial teacher education or continuing professional development activities.

Flipped Classroom Model: Enhancing Students’ Interaction and Engagement in Large Classes

This study sought to determine the extent of students’ learning interaction and engagement in large flipped classrooms at Islamic University in Uganda (IUIU). With major focus attributed to determining the extent of the flipped classroom method on; student-lecturer, student-student and student-content interactions, and also on students’ emotional and behavioural engagement. The study further sought to determine students’ perceived value of large flipped classroom. A mixed methods approach with an embedded design was adopted, with questionnaires and interviews administered to the 3rd year Education students of 2020/2021 at IUIU. A descriptive analysis was conducted and the results indicate that, the greatest interaction existed between students themselves and students and content, although a moderate interaction was witnessed between students and lecturer. With descriptive means (M) and percentages stated as, Student-Student interaction M=3.14 (34.7%), Student-Content interaction M=3.12 (33.4%) and Student-Lecturer interaction M=2.88 (31.9%). Students greatly engaged through behavioural and emotional attributes, with means noted as M=3.31 (50.8%) and M=3.20 (49.2%) respectively. Students had strong positive perception on the instructional value of large flipped classroom method. Therefore to improve on the interaction and engagement of the learners in large classes, stakeholders should adapt student centred approaches like flipped classroom. Perhaps with technology advancement it’s quite easy. Although not all is done, there is still need to determine the relationship between the students’ interaction and engagement in flipped classroom method and establish relationship between flipped classroom method and learning interactions, and learning engagements in large classes of over 200 students.

Comparative analysis between a STEM-based learning process and traditional teaching

The use of technology in education has modified teaching and learning processes. New concepts such as science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) are changing traditional learning. The purpose of STEM education is to prepare students for university engineering courses and higher technical education. The main aim of the study reported on here was to understand the influence of a STEM-based teaching process in different socio-educational dimensions. This was done by comparing the results achieved with a traditional expository teaching process with different groups of students. A quasi-experimental design was applied. A sample of 231 Spanish students from the first year of secondary education (ESO) was chosen. The results show that the STEM approach was significant in all the dimensions of study and, according to teachers, was more influential for student motivation and grades. The results also show that the STEM teaching approach was significant in all the dimensions of study. These dimensions are motivation; teacher-student, student-content and student-student interactions; autonomy; collaboration; depth of content; resolution of problems; class time, student ratings; and teacher ratings. According to teachers, the strongest influence was on the students’ motivation and qualifications.