Technology-mediated Learning Environments Research Articles

Students’ motivational factors and engagement strategies in constructivist-based blended learning environments

Student motivation to learn is an essential component for the design, development and implementation of technology-mediated learning environments. Engagement learning strategies have been devised to assist students as they learn in a constructivist-based blended learning environment (CBLE). This study investigates the relationship between students’ motivational factors and their engagement learning strategies in a CBLE in Tanzanian Universities. Specifically, the study examines a) student motivational factors to learn, b) gender differences in motivational factors, and c) relates motivational factors with students’ engagement learning strategies. The study is built on theoretical foundations of engagement learning and constructivist-based blended learning. We used a self-report student motivational factors and engagement learning strategies survey (SMFELSs) to obtain data from 1010 undergraduate students from three universities. The results indicate that students are positively motivated to learn in CBLE. Our results also reveal that there is a statistically significant correlation between motivational factors and students’ engagement learning strategies. The results, on the one hand, enhance our understanding of students’ motivational factors to learn in a CBLE, and on the other hand expand knowledge on which student engagement learning strategies should be adopted and implemented in the context of challenging learning environments. Furthermore, the results are important for instructional designers, university teachers and curriculum developers. Our study further helps to improve the design of blended learning courses, constructivist learning environment and learning activities concerning students’ motivational factors and engagement learning strategies.

Enhancing student learning experience with technology-mediated gamification: An empirical study

We evaluated the use of gamification to facilitate a student-centered learning environment within an undergraduate Year 2 Personal and Professional Development (PPD) course. In addition to face-to-face classroom practices, an information technology-based gamified system with a range of online learning activities was presented to students as support material. The implementation of the gamified course lasted two academic terms. The subsequent evaluation from a cohort of 136 students indicated that student performance was significantly higher among those who participated in the gamified system than in those who engaged with the nongamified, traditional delivery, while behavioral engagement in online learning activities was positively related to course performance, after controlling for gender, attendance, and Year 1 PPD performance. Two interesting phenomena appeared when we examined the influence of student background: female students participated significantly more in online learning activities than male students, and students with jobs engaged significantly more in online learning activities than students without jobs. The gamified course design advocated in this work may have significant implications for educators who wish to develop engaging technology-mediated learning environments that enhance students’ learning, or for a broader base of professionals who wish to engage a population of potential users, such as managers engaging employees or marketers engaging customers.

Exploring the factors that enhance student–content interaction in a technology-mediated learning environment

The authors discuss the results of a study that was conducted on the factors that enhance effective interaction between students and learning contents in a technology-mediated learning environment ...

Cyber-Innovation in the STEM Classroom, a Mixed Reality Approach

In this article, we present a formative evaluation of an ongoing NSF-sponsored research project in classroom innovation using augmented reality (AR) to enhance STEM education. Exposing students to advances in digital modeling, data visualization and performative software prepares them for new pathways for decision-making in the AEC professions. Recent research shows that Technology Mediated Learning Environments (interacting with computer-based tools) can enhance learning. Augmented Reality (AR) or the ability to augment the real-world environment with computer-generated information is bringing a new dimension to learning and designing using multiple data streams.

Cloud Computing as a Catalyst in STEM Education

The under representation of students in STEM disciplines creates big worries for the coming demands of STEM occupations. This requires new strategies to make curriculum interesting to enhance student's engagement in learning. Technology integration in curriculum makes more interesting and engaging, where students can learn with flexibility in time and place. This methodology creates and deepens interest in students towards learning with creativity and innovation. STEM students can work on authentic and real solutions within a technology-mediated learning environment, while inculcating higher order thinking skills. Technology-mediated environments support new ideas, real time collaboration and promotes peer learning. However, affordance as an adoption factor of technology in academics can be addressed by cloud computing technology. STEM education on cloud computing technology will gain access to its content rich features based on flexibility, accessibility, scalability, affordability, and reliability and enhanced agility. The cloud computing based STEM education infrastructure will inculcate development and experimentation skills in students. The present work (a) reviews scholarly work in cloud computing technology for simulations and prototypes for different STEM subjects, (b) outlines the benefits of using cloud computing technology for students pursuing STEM careers, and (c) presents the case studies of the successful implementation of cloud computing in STEM disciplines.

Longitudinal effect of a computer-based graduated prompting assessment on students’ academic performance

The dynamic assessment (DA) approach has been shown to be a useful evaluation tool for understanding students’ learning potential. In the present learning context via technology-mediated learning (TML), the DA approach has a significant effect on learning. The aim of this study was to understand two gaps in the research on the effect of DA (in our case, computer-based graduated prompting assessment) on students’ academic performance. First, the extant research has focused on DA that is based on pre- and post-test evaluation. The influence of time is an important predictor of information technology use, and understanding the effect of computer-based DA on students’ academic performance across time is thus necessary. Second, the TML-based assessment has been designed because the assessment system has students who receive help directly in isolated TML environments. As such, we developed a TML-based, computer-based graduated prompting assessment and conducted a longitudinal examination of computer-based graduated prompting assessments in graphing courses. Quasi-experiments involving 60 students in an experimental group and 60 students in a control group were conducted to test the growth model of hierarchical linear modeling. The results showed that this assessment statistically significantly influenced students' academic performance, as might be expected. However, the use of this assessment over time did not lead to a change in the growth rate. Recommendations for using computer-based graduated prompting assessments across a long timeframe to prompt students’ academic performance are also discussed.

Technology-Mediated Synchronous Virtual Education

Many higher education institutions have used Internet technology to develop virtual education for a new generation of college students. In this research, the authors assessed the relative effectiveness of two technology-mediated learning environments for synchronous higher education compared to a traditional face-to-face learning environment. Specifically, they assessed the effects of these three learning environments on interactivity, perceived learning, and satisfaction when different instructional strategies were used. The authors' findings suggest that learning environments interact with instructional strategies to affect the learners' perception of learning and satisfaction. Their findings also support the proposition that the new generation of college students prefer to interact with others using technology.

Does the medium matter in collaboration? Using visually supported collaboration technology in an interior design studio

With the recognition of the importance of collaboration in a design studio and the advancement of technology, increasing numbers of design students collaborate with others in a technology-mediated learning environment (TMLE); however, not all students have positive experiences in TMLEs. One possible reason for unsatisfactory collaboration experiences is that existing text-oriented collaboration technology may not fully support interior design students’ needs for spontaneous interaction with visual images. The purpose of the current research was to determine whether a visually supported collaboration technology (VSCT) for designers, enhances students’ collaboration experiences in a TMLE. A total of 28 junior interior design students participated in the study, all of whom engaged in similar group projects via two collaboration modalities: face-to-face and VSCT. The results show that collaboration modalities influence students’ learning experiences, in particular, achievement and confidence in completing collaborative tasks. When using VSCT, students achieved significantly higher grade and demonstrated higher confidence in completing collaborative tasks compared to face-to-face collaboration; however, no significant differences were reported in either their perception of the collaboration process or their evaluation of the medium in the two collaboration modalities. The findings demonstrate that VSCT enhanced students’ collaboration experiences in design studio. Discussion and implications are provided to facilitate design students’ positive collaboration experiences in a TMLE.

Do I Matter?

Advances in technology-mediated learning (TML) have created opportunities to personalize learning, based on the assumption that individual differences affect one's ability to learn. However, cumulative research on individual differences is equivocal, and largely excludes the learning process. The authors argue that without a model that incorporates the process of learning, the authors cannot empirically assess how individual differences influence learning outcomes. This study first models the learning process in terms of two sub-processes: process appropriation and content assimilation. Second, it partially tests the model within a technology-mediated learning (TML) environment used to provide end-user IT training. The results support the efficacy of individual differences' influence on learning outcomes, while shedding light on how this effect occurs. Individual differences affect the appropriation of TML supplied structures, which in turn impacts learning outcomes. The research method used in the study is a laboratory experiment. Data was analyzed using SEM.

Motivating factors in online language teacher education in southern Argentina

Online teacher education is of growing interest and so is the study of motivation as a key factor in technology-mediated learning environments. This study is based on a pre-service language teacher education programme in Patagonia, a southern Argentinian region with no face-to-face training offers, limited Internet access and a large number of unqualified teachers. Our goal is to broaden the understanding of online teacher education programmes at undergraduate level in contexts where most trainees are practicing teachers and where online education is the only possibility for holding a teaching qualification. We focused on the motivating factors that led 71 trainees to enrol and to remain in this online teacher training course. Through a mixed methods approach, the trainees completed an online survey (n = 71) and participated in a follow-up interview (n = 24). Results showed that obtaining a teaching degree, autonomy, and individual activities were key factors in initial and sustaining motivation. Participants' experiences challenged collaborative learning in an online environment.

Technology-Mediated Collaborative Learning Environments for Young Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Children: Vygotsky Revisited

Given the instructional challenges posed by the influx of minority-language children in North America, this article attempts to examine early childhood bi- or multilingualism in one of the fastest growing ethnic minority groups in Canada, Korean-Canadians. By drawing on a Vygotskian perspective, the article focuses on the affective and social aspects of learning for culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) children and their families. With an emphasis on the integration of language and thought, this article first identifies the instructional applications of Vygotskian perspectives and then describes iterative phases of design-based research aimed at developing technology-mediated collaborative learning environments for trilingual Korean-Canadian children. The technology-mediated collaborative learning environment supported young CLD children's affective, social and cognitive needs and created meaning-centered collaborative learning environments. The paper concludes with a consideration of implications of this technology-mediated collaborative learning environment so as to assist teachers who might be confronted with the educational needs of the growing population of CLD children.

Solo life to Second Life: the design of physical and virtual learning spaces inspired by the drama classroom

This paper explores the design of virtual and physical learning spaces developed for students of drama and theatre studies. What can we learn from the traditional drama workshop that will inform the design of drama and theatre spaces created in technology-mediated learning environments? The authors examine four examples of spaces created for online, distance and on-campus students and discuss the relationship between the choice of technology, the learning and teaching methods, and the outcomes for student engagement. Combining insights from two previous action research projects, the discussion focuses on the physical space used for contemporary drama workshops, supplemented by Web 2.0 technologies; a modular online theatre studies course; the blogging space of students creating a group devised play; and the open and immersive world of Second Life, where students explore 3D simulations of historical theatre sites. The authors argue that the drama workshop can be used as inspiration for the design of successful online classrooms. This is achieved by focusing on students’ contributions to the learning as individuals and group members, the aesthetics and mise-en-scene of the learning space, and the role of mobile and networked technologies. Students in this environment increase their capacity to become co-creators of knowledge and to achieve creative outcomes. The drama workshop space in its physical and virtual forms is seen as a model for classrooms in other disciplines, where dynamic, creative and collaborative spaces are required.

Investigating design and technology students' peer interactions in a technology-mediated learning environment: A case study

<span>This research investigates students' peer interactions in the Design and Technology (D&T) environment supported by</span><em>Knowledge Forum</em><span>. The sample comprised of 15 students who had no prior experience in using </span><em>Knowledge Forum</em><span>to mediate their D&T learning. Their interaction with peers occurred in three stages: design situation, ideation and development. Data was collected mainly from students' online discussion transcripts, with reference to hardcopy of students' reflection logs and design briefs which were analysed quantitatively and qualitatively. The findings showed unequal participation by the students throughout their weekly online discussion activities. In terms of students' interaction with their peers, the frequency of students' reading of notes far exceeded their frequency of building upon notes, as evidenced by their social network of notes.</span>

Where the attention is: Discovery learning in novel tangible environments

Engagement is a frequently reported measure in evaluation studies of technology mediated learning environments. In the context of novel digital technologies, where the ‘novelty’ factor is inherent in interaction with emergent technologies, the concept of engagement is often reported at a general level of description of fun and enjoyment. Although this importantly indicates positive appraisal of the environment it does not provide any detail about how the participants are ‘engaged’. For example, what are they doing and thinking about, where is their attention focused – is it on a learning task, a tangential entertaining activity or even the technology itself? This paper offers a more detailed analysis of students’ foci of interaction, to provide insight into the different ways that children are both cognitively and physically engaged during a discovery-based learning experience. Three key foci of interaction within the learning space (learning concept, tangential activity, technology) were derived from video data analysis. A coding scheme for identifying these interaction foci was developed and applied to empirical data with a tangible learning environment. In depth analysis showed close relationships between the different foci of interaction and the learning process: engaging with a tangential activity in a exploratory interaction engendered cognitive engagement with domain related concepts; while engaging with technology to understand the basics of the system’s functioning could facilitate higher levels of conceptual abstraction. This article highlights the different interaction foci that students take in innovative, technology-enhanced learning environments, and provides an analytical approach, which informs and extends current evaluation approaches towards student engagement in novel digital environments.

Blended Environments: Learning Effectiveness and Student Satisfaction at a Small College in Transition

As higher education moves increasingly to blended and fully online environments, smaller institutions often ask whether this is a desirable trend. They face many challenges in transforming their largely face-to-face didactic teaching traditions to the technology mediated learning environments. Learning effectiveness and student satisfaction are seen to be decisive in whether blended environments are a positive development or not. Using survey data from a liberal arts and sciences institution, we show that student satisfaction with blended learning depends largely on the challenges presented by the subject matter, the degree to which self-directed learning and problem solving are required, and the effectiveness of the chosen pedagogies by which face-to-face and online methods are combined. Blended environments that provide multiple modalities for learning, significant interactivity, familiar technologies, and sustained connections with teachers and peers are preferred by increasing numbers of students in this institution. Although many students and faculty remain skeptical about blended learning, there are others who are very satisfied learners.

Investigating the role of identity and gender in technology mediated learning

Instructors and trainers are increasingly using online education and technology-mediated learning (TML) to supplement or replace traditional approaches to classroom teaching. Because mandatory involvement requirements may not intrinsically motivate learners to achieve high quality learning, social factors with commitment, such as identification among group members, are especially important determinants of TML success. This article investigates an individual's social and self identities as important determinants in developing affective commitment (identification) and intrinsic motivation (perceived enjoyment) to share knowledge by email in the TML environment. Furthermore, given the recent emphasis on gender in system adoption and socio-linguistic literature, this study investigates gender as a moderating variable in the proposed model. An empirical test of the proposed model was conducted in the pilot test (n = 155) as well as the main test (n = 411). Social and self identities influence identification (R 2 = 0.42) and perceived enjoyment (R 2 = 0.52) of sharing knowledge by email. As expected, there are significant moderating effects of gender in these relationships in that male shows stronger effects of self identity while female shows stronger effects of social identity. The results of this study will help us understand the antecedents of effective knowledge sharing intervention in the TML environment, based on the integrated model of social identity theory, social influence theory, self determination theory and socio-linguistic literature.

Using a Learning Management System to Foster Independent Learning in an Outcome-Based University: A Gulf Perspective

Introduction Information and communication technology (ICT) has become a popular tool to facilitate and enhance teaching and learning. Many academic institutions are using ICT to provide support to their curriculum, expand student learning experiences and support the institution's academic program learning outcomes. Moreover, a number of universities are using ICT to be more competitive (Norman, 2007). The Gulf region has seen a major increase in the presence of universities from North America, Europe and Australia. Most of them offer a combination of face to face and distance learning programs. The number of students enrolling in these universities has increase dramatically as people are increasingly moving to the Gulf region for employment (Al-Doub, Goodwin, & Al-Hunaiyyan, 2008; Biju, 2010). Students in the Gulf face difficulties when joining universities offering US and Western style academic programs. One major challenge is the learning habits and styles that students have acquired while in middle and high school. Students are used to the guided teaching and fact based model compared to the independent project based model used in higher academic institutions particularly those offering distance learning programs. The second challenge comes from the fact that students in this part of the world generally graduate from segregated primary and secondary schools that focus on memorization to gain knowledge. Therefore, students have learned to completely depend on their teachers for acquiring knowledge. As a result the concept of problem solving and critical thinking is almost foreign to the majority of the students. This problem seems to be more severe with female students joining higher education institutions. Statistics show that more than two third of the students joining Colleges and Universities in the region are female students. Most public universities in this region are segregated and are trying to find solutions to the dependence of students on teachers. Some academic institutions have identified solutions that include using technology in the classrooms; others have adopted alternative educational models to encourage students to become independent learners and requiring them to own a laptop for an alternative way to learn, communicate, access resources, and share information. A recently established outcome-based university, Zayed University (ZU) has campuses for both female and male students. ZU offers specializations in the fields of business, communication and media sciences, education, information technology and arts and sciences. This segregated university uses an American educational model and has recently achieved accreditation by the Middle States Accreditation Body (http://www.msche.org/). Since its establishment, the University has focused on having a high tech campus that provides the latest technology to facilitate learning. The campus provides students and faculty with wired and wireless connections to various electronic resources. Currently, the University requires every student to purchase a laptop computer. In the year 2000, the University adopted an outcome based Academic Program Model (APM) to provide focus to its curricula and measure student achievement. Two sets of learning outcomes were adopted by the University. University learning outcomes (ULO) are high-level outcomes that focus on life skills, and College specific learning outcomes (CLO) which relate to the abilities needed by students to be successful in their field of study upon graduation. The University provides a technology mediated learning environment where each student and instructor has access to a wide range of ICT tools to communicate, collaborate and share resources. These tools provide anytime anywhere learning opportunities. Currently, more than 5,000 students have access to courses and learning materials on campus and from home via the Blackboard Course Management System (http://www. …

CONVERGENCE OF DATA SOURCES IN THE ANALYSIS OF COMPLEX LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

Learning in technology mediated learning environments is a complex process that varies across individual and group contexts. Complex learning environments that are mediated by technology require distinct concurrent methodologies that reveal when and where learning may occur. This paper describes the analysis of two technology-mediated problem-solving environments, one that uses concurrent methods to identify expertise, and the other that examines the influence of technology in a collaborative learning situation. The first example examines individual problem solving in the context of a stand-alone environment, BioWorld, whereas the second example examines the joint production of medical decisions with traditional and interactive whiteboard technology in a medical classroom. These examples demonstrate how concurrent methods add to our understanding of individual learning as well as the co-construction of knowledge in the context of clinical reasoning using technology.

VISUAL REPRESENTATION OF A MULTIDIMENSIONAL CODING SCHEME FOR UNDERSTANDING TECHNOLOGY-MEDIATED LEARNING ABOUT COMPLEX NATURAL SYSTEMS

Understanding how people learn requires that we consider how moments fit together: the actions learners take, the conversations they engage in, and the representations that they use. The goal of this article is to describe a data visualization technique in the context of a specific research project involving a computer-supported complex system modeling environment. The goal of this project was to understand the relationship between the students' epistemic practices of science inquiry, collaborative processes, and the content of what they were learning as indicated by their structure-behavior-function reasoning. To accomplish this research goal, we used the Chronologically-oriented Representation for Discourse and Tool-related activity (CORDTRA diagrams) technique to conduct a contrasting case analysis. The discourse of two groups was coded for collaborative activity, epistemic practices, and the mention of structures, behaviors, and functions. These three coding schemes were juxtaposed on a single timeline in a CORDTRA diagram. The analysis of the CORDTRA diagrams provided some suggestions for how different patterns of activities may be more or less indicative of productive engagement. This case study provides an example of CORDTRA in use, but it can be used more generally to integrate across multiple sources of data and multiple coding schemes as well as allowing researchers to study sequential activity at both large and small grain sizes. We argue that, in comparison to other techniques, this kind of representation can be a powerful way of understanding complex technology-mediated learning environments.

Engagement in learning and development

After the previous special issue on immersive virtual worlds, this issue of ALT-J returns to more familiar territory. The opening paper from Carol Russell continues to build ALT-J’s corpus of knowledge around institutional embedding of technology; this time through an evaluation of the effectiveness of a staff development programme. The following four papers all explore the challenge of learner engagement from a variety of different angles: instructional design, student support and the pedagogy of innovative, technology-mediated learning environments. As a relative newcomer to ALT-J it seems to me that the distinctiveness of the journal lies in its ability to bring together such a broad range of work.DOI: 10.1080/09687760802664458