Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference, 2002
Pre-service teachers participated in an online discussion that included a guest who facilitated c... more Pre-service teachers participated in an online discussion that included a guest who facilitated conversation about integration of ICTs. Students mostly agreed that integration of ICTs was desirable but differed in their views about specific practices. They demonstrated awareness of the challenges facing teachers and schools in integrating ICTs but appeared to have had little personal experience of ICT integration during field experience. Prologue One of us is old enough to have taught in the 1970s, when the other was a child in primary school and the place of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in education was very different from today. The terminology of ICTs had not been invented; hand-held four-function calculators were new technology; and a few pioneers were beginning to use computers in schools. Where computers figured in the curriculum, they were objects of study in "computer awareness" or "computer literacy". Most often these topics were the province of teachers of mathematics or science and they frequently involved consideration of binary notation, boolean algebra, half-and full-adder circuits and programming in BASIC. In the late 1980s, there was an expansion of ICTs from mathematics into business education with a focus on teaching skills for generic software such as word processors and spreadsheets in an office environment. The focus throughout those decades was on teaching about computers. Now, over 25 years later, personal computers have been available long enough that one of us has an adult daughter who cannot remember home without computers. Personal computers are common and easy enough to use that his grandchildren regard email as a basic form of communication with extended family and one grandson had digested his knowledge of dinosaurs, gained largely from independent use of CD-ROMs, into a personal web site before beginning school. The other of us has owned a computer since the beginning of her teaching career and her son, considers the use of an eyeball camera and computer as a normal method of communicating with his godfather who lives 1500 kilometers away. Our grandchildren and children consider technology as part of their every day life. For them, ICTs are thoroughly integrated. Our task is to prepare teachers to integrated ICTs in their teaching. Context Recent Australian reports have referred to the "information economy", the "knowledge society" (DETYA, 2000) or "knowledge nation" (Jones, 2001). Regardless of terminology, it is clear that the impact of ICTs requires changed approaches to education. It is no longer sufficient, or even, perhaps, necessary to teach about computers as in the 1970s. It is necessary to teach with and through ICTs to prepare students for life in a rapidly changing world. Queensland policy on computers in education began in 1983 (Galligan, Buchanan, & Muller, 1999). Its focus was on computer awareness, basic skills, computer assisted learning and vocational programs. In 1991 the effect of rapid technological change on learning and teaching was identified as one of eleven key issues for Queensland education and the integration of information technology for learning and teaching was listed as one of four goals for schooling (Queensland Department of Education, 1991). In 1994 a revised policy document, emphasized the use of computers to support learning across the curriculum at all year levels, while still acknowledging the importance of computer skills for future employment (Queensland Department of Education, 1994). Schooling 2001 (Education Queensland, 1998b) set system-wide targets to be achieved by 2001. These included the provision of one computer for every 7.5 students, the connection of every classroom to the Internet, and the use of computers "in all key learning areas, P
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a fast-growing area of study that stretching its presence to many... more Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a fast-growing area of study that stretching its presence to many business and research domains. Machine learning, deep learning, and natural language processing (NLP) are subsets of AI to tackle different areas of data processing and modelling. This review article presents an overview of AI's impact on education outlining with current opportunities. In the education domain, student feedback data is crucial to uncover the merits and demerits of existing services provided to students. AI can assist in identifying the areas of improvement in educational infrastructure, learning management systems, teaching practices and study environment. NLP techniques play a vital role in analyzing student feedback in textual format. This research focuses on existing NLP methodologies and applications that could be adapted to educational domain applications like sentiment annotations, entity annotations, text summarization, and topic modelling. Trends and challenges in adopting NLP in education were reviewed and explored. Contextbased challenges in NLP like sarcasm, domain-specific language, ambiguity, and aspect-based sentiment analysis are explained with existing methodologies to overcome them. Research community approaches to extract the semantic meaning of emoticons and special characters in feedback which conveys user opinion and challenges in adopting NLP in education are explored.
Driven by the increased availability of Learning Management System data, this study explored its ... more Driven by the increased availability of Learning Management System data, this study explored its value and sought understanding of student behaviour through the information contained in activity level log data. Specifically, this study examined analytics data to understand students' engagement with online videos. Learning analytics data from the Moodle TM and Vimeo® platforms were compared. The research also examined the impact of video length on engagement, and how engagement with videos changed over the course of a semester when multiple video resources were used in a course. The comparison in platform learning analytics showed differences in metrics thus offering a caution to users relying on unidimensional metrics. While the results support the notion that log data do provide educators with an opportunity for review, the time and expertise in extracting, handling, and using the data may stifle its widespread adoption.
This paper presents data obtained from focus groups conducted to investigate male students' exper... more This paper presents data obtained from focus groups conducted to investigate male students' experience of higher education in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Among the issues discussed by students was the impact of social networks addiction on student motivation and this paper focuses on that issue. Thirteen focus groups were conducted with 83 EFL male students at four government campuses including United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) at Al Ain Campus, Higher College of Technology (HCT) at Ras Al-Khaima Campus), and two campuses (Abu Dhabi and Dubai) of Zayed University (ZU). Students access social networks (SN) site for both educational and non-educational aspects. Students spoke about their experiences and how SN addiction influenced their academic motivation to study. The resulting themes from the focus groups show SN addiction has had an impact on student class performance and in some cases led to class failure. Recommendation for better class management and intervention programs are suggested to policy makers and instructors to foster a better student learning experience.
This paper presents data obtained from focus groups conducted to investigate male students' exper... more This paper presents data obtained from focus groups conducted to investigate male students' experience of higher education in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Among the issues discussed by students was the impact of using iPads in replacement of printed books and this paper focuses on that issue. Thirteen focus groups were conducted with 83 EFL male students at four government campuses including United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) at Al Ain Campus, Higher College of Technology (HCT) at Ras Al-Khaima Campus), and two campuses (Abu Dhabi and Dubai) of Zayed University (ZU). Students acknowledged the paradoxes of using iPads in learning, citing learning and technical issues that influenced their academic motivation to study. The resulting themes from the focus groups show that ineffective iPad use has had an impact on student class performance and in some cases led to class failure. Recommendation for better iPad implementation is suggested to policy makers and instructors to foster a better student-iPad learning experience.
Research supervision is an important learning and teaching issue in Higher Education Institutions... more Research supervision is an important learning and teaching issue in Higher Education Institutions. This paper reports on the history and outcomes of a community of practice that has been meeting since 2009 to improve the capability of research supervisors at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) Australia. The Community of Practice-Research Supervisors (CoP-RS) includes academic staff from all USQ Faculties and across all campuses. We describe the background that prompted the formation of the CoP-RS and then detail the activities undertaken to date. The outcomes and challenges are discussed with the view to identify critical success factors to ensure sustainability of the CoP. Conclusions are drawn and future research directions suggested.
ASCILITE - Australian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education Annual Conference, Nov 1, 2012
Students are seeking flexible study opportunities. Smartphones have potential to support learning... more Students are seeking flexible study opportunities. Smartphones have potential to support learning at times and places chosen by learners but their introduction presents challenges in negotiating the changes in the behaviour of learners and in the materials and activities provided by university courses. This project, funded by DEHub in two Queensland universities, explored how students used mobile devices with many characteristics of smartphones. This paper reports on the first phase that investigated the changes required to facilitate access to course materials and activities using the devices. Data have been viewed through the lens of activity theory. The results confirmed the need for developing skills and managing expectations of learners and academics and for adjustments to design of course materials and delivery systems to facilitate access.
Teachers are strongly encouraged to integrate or, preferably, make integral, ICT in their teachin... more Teachers are strongly encouraged to integrate or, preferably, make integral, ICT in their teaching. If, as is often the case, teachers' first impulse is to teach as they were taught, then the most effective way to prepare them to teach with ICT may be to ensure that ICT is integral to teacher preparation programs. This was the basis on which in 2003 a redesign of the Bachelor of Education program removed specific ICT courses in favour of integrating ICT throughout all courses. This paper reviews some key literature about ICT in teacher education and reports on data about integration of ICT in the first (2004) and most recent (2007) years of the new program. The success or not of the redesign will be considered together with lessons for the next redesign being undertaken in 2008 for implementation commencing in 2009.
Journal of Computing in Higher Education, Jun 10, 2021
Extensive literature within the learning sciences addresses the phenomenon of online engagement a... more Extensive literature within the learning sciences addresses the phenomenon of online engagement and strategies that support online learning. However, for academics, there is limited guidance to support them in the processes of reflecting on efforts to facilitate online learner engagement and, ultimately, to use those reflections to redesign approaches to teaching and learning. This paper reports on findings from an international case study that involved a group of interdisciplinary academics engaged in a process of critical reflection, which aimed to increase their understanding of the ways in which online engagement is supported in higher education. Findings from the current study suggested that reference to an online engagement framework heightens the effectiveness of critical reflection by elucidating an awareness of learning about ways of supporting student learning and online engagement to improve student success. The paper offers implications related to reflection on and of practice.
This paper presents data obtained from focus groups conducted to investigate male students' exper... more This paper presents data obtained from focus groups conducted to investigate male students' experiences in higher education in the United Arab Emirates. Among the issues discussed by students was the impact of social networks addiction on student motivation and this paper focuses on that issue. Thirteen focus groups were conducted with 83 English as a Foreign Language male students at four government campuses including United Arab Emirates University at Al Ain Campus, Higher College of Technology at Ras Al-Khaima Campus, and two campuses (Abu Dhabi and Dubai) of Zayed University. Students access social network sites for both educational and non-educational aspects. Students spoke about their experiences and how social network addiction influenced their academic motivation to study. The resulting themes from the focus groups show that social network addiction has had an impact on student class performance and in some cases led to class failure. Recommendation for better class management and intervention programs are suggested to policy makers and instructors to foster a better student learning experience.
Combining nudge theory with learning analytics, ‘nudge analytics’, is a relatively recent phenome... more Combining nudge theory with learning analytics, ‘nudge analytics’, is a relatively recent phenomenon in the educational context. Used, for example, to address such issues as concerns with student (dis)engagement, nudging students to take certain action or to change a behaviour towards active learning, can make a difference. However, knowing who to nudge, how to nudge or when to nudge can be a challenge. Providing students with strategic, sensitive nudges that help to move them forward is almost an art form. It requires not only technical skills to use appropriate software and interpret data, but careful consideration of what to say and how to say it. In this article a nudge protocol is presented that can be used in online courses to encourage student engagement with key course resources that are integral to supporting their learning.
The availability of ICT job opportunities within New Zealand is continuing to grow year on year. ... more The availability of ICT job opportunities within New Zealand is continuing to grow year on year. However, there has been a decrease in the proportion of females, especially Māori and Pacifica, entering into ICT study and pursuing ICT careers. This paper explores factors that discourage participation of Māori and Pacifica high school females in ICT. Semi-structured questions were created based on a STEM cell framework to interview Māori and Pacifica females between the age of 15 and 17 years studying at high school. It was found that by year 11 Māori and Pacifica females lost interest in ICT. This came down to many factors such as perception of the industry not being diverse in people and culture, the subject being dull or boring and the subject not catering for creativity. It was clear from the results that Māori and Pacifica females were discouraged more than encouraged by perceptions and attitudes towards ICT. Māori and Pacifica females had already made their minds up by year 11 that ICT was not the right career choice to follow. Schools need to recognise the students' journey in ICT in this changing world and start promoting ICT as being creative and imaginative.
Issues of gender imbalance in leadership have long been a significant issue in universities, as i... more Issues of gender imbalance in leadership have long been a significant issue in universities, as is the case across most industries. This paper explores the experiences of seven females who have successfully achieved senior leadership positions at a regional university in Australia. While the experiences of these women differ in many ways, there are certainly similarities in the challenges and adversities that they have faced, and their perceptions of what has allowed them to experience success in their leadership roles. This paper provides a number of recommendations for women aspiring to be leaders in higher education, such as committing to ongoing development, taking opportunities when presented, developing resilience, developing a track record and seeking support, and also recommendations for institutions.
Cross-cultural, multicultural, intercultural, and transcultural perspectives and practices in hig... more Cross-cultural, multicultural, intercultural, and transcultural perspectives and practices in higher education contexts vary significantly, comparable to the blurring and often obscure definitions and interpretations applied to internationalisation terminology. In this article, academics from two Schools of Education in Canada and Australia aim to deepen the dialogue by sharing perspectives on internationalisation, drawing from their places of work and learning. The findings are discussed through the lens of a conceptual framework for internationalisation of higher education. From scholarly discourse, perspectives, practices, opportunities, and challenges pertaining to internationalisation in university contexts are examined. Recommendations for action for internationalisation within pre-service teacher education contexts follow.
This paper presents data obtained from focus groups conducted to investigate male students’ exper... more This paper presents data obtained from focus groups conducted to investigate male students’ experience of higher education in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Among the issues discussed by students was the impact of social networks addiction on student motivation and this paper focuses on that issue. Thirteen focus groups were conducted with 83 EFL male students at four government campuses including United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) at Al Ain Campus, Higher College of Technology (HCT) at Ras Al-Khaima Campus), and two campuses (Abu Dhabi and Dubai) of Zayed University (ZU). Students access social networks (SN) site for both educational and non-educational aspects. Students spoke about their experiences and how SN addiction influenced their academic motivation to study. The resulting themes from the focus groups show SN addiction has had an impact on student class performance and in some cases led to class failure. Recommendation for better class management and intervention progr...
The availability of ICT job opportunities within New Zealand is continuing to grow year on year. ... more The availability of ICT job opportunities within New Zealand is continuing to grow year on year. However, there has been a decrease in the proportion of females, especially Māori and Pacifica, entering into ICT study and pursuing ICT careers. This paper explores factors that discourage participation of Māori and Pacifica high school females in ICT. Semi-structured questions were created based on a STEM cell framework to interview Māori and Pacifica females between the age of 15 and 17 years studying at high school. It was found that by year 11 Māori and Pacifica females lost interest in ICT. This came down to many factors such as perception of the industry not being diverse in people and culture, the subject being dull or boring and the subject not catering for creativity. It was clear from the results that Māori and Pacifica females were discouraged more than encouraged by perceptions and attitudes towards ICT. Māori and Pacifica females had already made their minds up by year 11 t...
This article reports on an exploratory case study that applied the Community of Inquiry framework... more This article reports on an exploratory case study that applied the Community of Inquiry framework in the K-12 Philippine setting, where there are limited studies on blended learning interactions and experiences. The study examined blended learning interactions across three schools in the Philippine K-12 system to investigate the following: (1) what is the nature of interactions in the blended learning classes? and (2) how do the interactions indicate learning communities as outcomes of blended learning? A mixed method approach to data collection was undertaken, which included student surveys, focus group discussions, teacher interviews, and class observations. The constant comparative analysis uncovered thick descriptions of blended learning interactions. Findings uncovered three themes on blended learning across levels of interactions within the Community of Inquiry presences: (i) best of both worlds, (ii) learning anytime and anywhere, and (iii) learning with technology. Descriptive statistics indicated high mean ratings across the presences, revealing positive experiences afforded by the use of various technologies and social media. The study concluded that learning communities are an outcome of blended learning interactions. A Developmental Model for K-12 Blended Learning Communities was recommended to inform teacher professional development on pedagogies and practices supportive of learning community building in contexts where blended learning may continue to thrive.
ABSTRACT Student engagement is consistently identified as a key predictor of learner outcomes wit... more ABSTRACT Student engagement is consistently identified as a key predictor of learner outcomes within the online learning environment. However, there is limited guidance about using proactive strategies to improve engagement for low and non-engaged students: for example by specifically employing course learning analytics (CLA) and nudging strategies in courses to assist these students. To explore how CLA and nudging can be used more effectively to engage students, the authors were informed by a 12-month research project, as well as by the theoretical perspectives presented by communication and critical literacies. These perspectives were applied to develop a conceptual framework which the authors designed to prioritise expectation management and engagement principles for both students and academics. The article explains the development of the framework as well as the elements and key communication strategies it embodies. The framework contributes to practice by explaining and justifying the accessible, time-efficient, student-focused approaches that can be integrated simply into each course’s online learning pedagogy to support both academics’ and students’ engagement.
Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference, 2002
Pre-service teachers participated in an online discussion that included a guest who facilitated c... more Pre-service teachers participated in an online discussion that included a guest who facilitated conversation about integration of ICTs. Students mostly agreed that integration of ICTs was desirable but differed in their views about specific practices. They demonstrated awareness of the challenges facing teachers and schools in integrating ICTs but appeared to have had little personal experience of ICT integration during field experience. Prologue One of us is old enough to have taught in the 1970s, when the other was a child in primary school and the place of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in education was very different from today. The terminology of ICTs had not been invented; hand-held four-function calculators were new technology; and a few pioneers were beginning to use computers in schools. Where computers figured in the curriculum, they were objects of study in "computer awareness" or "computer literacy". Most often these topics were the province of teachers of mathematics or science and they frequently involved consideration of binary notation, boolean algebra, half-and full-adder circuits and programming in BASIC. In the late 1980s, there was an expansion of ICTs from mathematics into business education with a focus on teaching skills for generic software such as word processors and spreadsheets in an office environment. The focus throughout those decades was on teaching about computers. Now, over 25 years later, personal computers have been available long enough that one of us has an adult daughter who cannot remember home without computers. Personal computers are common and easy enough to use that his grandchildren regard email as a basic form of communication with extended family and one grandson had digested his knowledge of dinosaurs, gained largely from independent use of CD-ROMs, into a personal web site before beginning school. The other of us has owned a computer since the beginning of her teaching career and her son, considers the use of an eyeball camera and computer as a normal method of communicating with his godfather who lives 1500 kilometers away. Our grandchildren and children consider technology as part of their every day life. For them, ICTs are thoroughly integrated. Our task is to prepare teachers to integrated ICTs in their teaching. Context Recent Australian reports have referred to the "information economy", the "knowledge society" (DETYA, 2000) or "knowledge nation" (Jones, 2001). Regardless of terminology, it is clear that the impact of ICTs requires changed approaches to education. It is no longer sufficient, or even, perhaps, necessary to teach about computers as in the 1970s. It is necessary to teach with and through ICTs to prepare students for life in a rapidly changing world. Queensland policy on computers in education began in 1983 (Galligan, Buchanan, & Muller, 1999). Its focus was on computer awareness, basic skills, computer assisted learning and vocational programs. In 1991 the effect of rapid technological change on learning and teaching was identified as one of eleven key issues for Queensland education and the integration of information technology for learning and teaching was listed as one of four goals for schooling (Queensland Department of Education, 1991). In 1994 a revised policy document, emphasized the use of computers to support learning across the curriculum at all year levels, while still acknowledging the importance of computer skills for future employment (Queensland Department of Education, 1994). Schooling 2001 (Education Queensland, 1998b) set system-wide targets to be achieved by 2001. These included the provision of one computer for every 7.5 students, the connection of every classroom to the Internet, and the use of computers "in all key learning areas, P
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a fast-growing area of study that stretching its presence to many... more Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a fast-growing area of study that stretching its presence to many business and research domains. Machine learning, deep learning, and natural language processing (NLP) are subsets of AI to tackle different areas of data processing and modelling. This review article presents an overview of AI's impact on education outlining with current opportunities. In the education domain, student feedback data is crucial to uncover the merits and demerits of existing services provided to students. AI can assist in identifying the areas of improvement in educational infrastructure, learning management systems, teaching practices and study environment. NLP techniques play a vital role in analyzing student feedback in textual format. This research focuses on existing NLP methodologies and applications that could be adapted to educational domain applications like sentiment annotations, entity annotations, text summarization, and topic modelling. Trends and challenges in adopting NLP in education were reviewed and explored. Contextbased challenges in NLP like sarcasm, domain-specific language, ambiguity, and aspect-based sentiment analysis are explained with existing methodologies to overcome them. Research community approaches to extract the semantic meaning of emoticons and special characters in feedback which conveys user opinion and challenges in adopting NLP in education are explored.
Driven by the increased availability of Learning Management System data, this study explored its ... more Driven by the increased availability of Learning Management System data, this study explored its value and sought understanding of student behaviour through the information contained in activity level log data. Specifically, this study examined analytics data to understand students' engagement with online videos. Learning analytics data from the Moodle TM and Vimeo® platforms were compared. The research also examined the impact of video length on engagement, and how engagement with videos changed over the course of a semester when multiple video resources were used in a course. The comparison in platform learning analytics showed differences in metrics thus offering a caution to users relying on unidimensional metrics. While the results support the notion that log data do provide educators with an opportunity for review, the time and expertise in extracting, handling, and using the data may stifle its widespread adoption.
This paper presents data obtained from focus groups conducted to investigate male students' exper... more This paper presents data obtained from focus groups conducted to investigate male students' experience of higher education in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Among the issues discussed by students was the impact of social networks addiction on student motivation and this paper focuses on that issue. Thirteen focus groups were conducted with 83 EFL male students at four government campuses including United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) at Al Ain Campus, Higher College of Technology (HCT) at Ras Al-Khaima Campus), and two campuses (Abu Dhabi and Dubai) of Zayed University (ZU). Students access social networks (SN) site for both educational and non-educational aspects. Students spoke about their experiences and how SN addiction influenced their academic motivation to study. The resulting themes from the focus groups show SN addiction has had an impact on student class performance and in some cases led to class failure. Recommendation for better class management and intervention programs are suggested to policy makers and instructors to foster a better student learning experience.
This paper presents data obtained from focus groups conducted to investigate male students' exper... more This paper presents data obtained from focus groups conducted to investigate male students' experience of higher education in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Among the issues discussed by students was the impact of using iPads in replacement of printed books and this paper focuses on that issue. Thirteen focus groups were conducted with 83 EFL male students at four government campuses including United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) at Al Ain Campus, Higher College of Technology (HCT) at Ras Al-Khaima Campus), and two campuses (Abu Dhabi and Dubai) of Zayed University (ZU). Students acknowledged the paradoxes of using iPads in learning, citing learning and technical issues that influenced their academic motivation to study. The resulting themes from the focus groups show that ineffective iPad use has had an impact on student class performance and in some cases led to class failure. Recommendation for better iPad implementation is suggested to policy makers and instructors to foster a better student-iPad learning experience.
Research supervision is an important learning and teaching issue in Higher Education Institutions... more Research supervision is an important learning and teaching issue in Higher Education Institutions. This paper reports on the history and outcomes of a community of practice that has been meeting since 2009 to improve the capability of research supervisors at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) Australia. The Community of Practice-Research Supervisors (CoP-RS) includes academic staff from all USQ Faculties and across all campuses. We describe the background that prompted the formation of the CoP-RS and then detail the activities undertaken to date. The outcomes and challenges are discussed with the view to identify critical success factors to ensure sustainability of the CoP. Conclusions are drawn and future research directions suggested.
ASCILITE - Australian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education Annual Conference, Nov 1, 2012
Students are seeking flexible study opportunities. Smartphones have potential to support learning... more Students are seeking flexible study opportunities. Smartphones have potential to support learning at times and places chosen by learners but their introduction presents challenges in negotiating the changes in the behaviour of learners and in the materials and activities provided by university courses. This project, funded by DEHub in two Queensland universities, explored how students used mobile devices with many characteristics of smartphones. This paper reports on the first phase that investigated the changes required to facilitate access to course materials and activities using the devices. Data have been viewed through the lens of activity theory. The results confirmed the need for developing skills and managing expectations of learners and academics and for adjustments to design of course materials and delivery systems to facilitate access.
Teachers are strongly encouraged to integrate or, preferably, make integral, ICT in their teachin... more Teachers are strongly encouraged to integrate or, preferably, make integral, ICT in their teaching. If, as is often the case, teachers' first impulse is to teach as they were taught, then the most effective way to prepare them to teach with ICT may be to ensure that ICT is integral to teacher preparation programs. This was the basis on which in 2003 a redesign of the Bachelor of Education program removed specific ICT courses in favour of integrating ICT throughout all courses. This paper reviews some key literature about ICT in teacher education and reports on data about integration of ICT in the first (2004) and most recent (2007) years of the new program. The success or not of the redesign will be considered together with lessons for the next redesign being undertaken in 2008 for implementation commencing in 2009.
Journal of Computing in Higher Education, Jun 10, 2021
Extensive literature within the learning sciences addresses the phenomenon of online engagement a... more Extensive literature within the learning sciences addresses the phenomenon of online engagement and strategies that support online learning. However, for academics, there is limited guidance to support them in the processes of reflecting on efforts to facilitate online learner engagement and, ultimately, to use those reflections to redesign approaches to teaching and learning. This paper reports on findings from an international case study that involved a group of interdisciplinary academics engaged in a process of critical reflection, which aimed to increase their understanding of the ways in which online engagement is supported in higher education. Findings from the current study suggested that reference to an online engagement framework heightens the effectiveness of critical reflection by elucidating an awareness of learning about ways of supporting student learning and online engagement to improve student success. The paper offers implications related to reflection on and of practice.
This paper presents data obtained from focus groups conducted to investigate male students' exper... more This paper presents data obtained from focus groups conducted to investigate male students' experiences in higher education in the United Arab Emirates. Among the issues discussed by students was the impact of social networks addiction on student motivation and this paper focuses on that issue. Thirteen focus groups were conducted with 83 English as a Foreign Language male students at four government campuses including United Arab Emirates University at Al Ain Campus, Higher College of Technology at Ras Al-Khaima Campus, and two campuses (Abu Dhabi and Dubai) of Zayed University. Students access social network sites for both educational and non-educational aspects. Students spoke about their experiences and how social network addiction influenced their academic motivation to study. The resulting themes from the focus groups show that social network addiction has had an impact on student class performance and in some cases led to class failure. Recommendation for better class management and intervention programs are suggested to policy makers and instructors to foster a better student learning experience.
Combining nudge theory with learning analytics, ‘nudge analytics’, is a relatively recent phenome... more Combining nudge theory with learning analytics, ‘nudge analytics’, is a relatively recent phenomenon in the educational context. Used, for example, to address such issues as concerns with student (dis)engagement, nudging students to take certain action or to change a behaviour towards active learning, can make a difference. However, knowing who to nudge, how to nudge or when to nudge can be a challenge. Providing students with strategic, sensitive nudges that help to move them forward is almost an art form. It requires not only technical skills to use appropriate software and interpret data, but careful consideration of what to say and how to say it. In this article a nudge protocol is presented that can be used in online courses to encourage student engagement with key course resources that are integral to supporting their learning.
The availability of ICT job opportunities within New Zealand is continuing to grow year on year. ... more The availability of ICT job opportunities within New Zealand is continuing to grow year on year. However, there has been a decrease in the proportion of females, especially Māori and Pacifica, entering into ICT study and pursuing ICT careers. This paper explores factors that discourage participation of Māori and Pacifica high school females in ICT. Semi-structured questions were created based on a STEM cell framework to interview Māori and Pacifica females between the age of 15 and 17 years studying at high school. It was found that by year 11 Māori and Pacifica females lost interest in ICT. This came down to many factors such as perception of the industry not being diverse in people and culture, the subject being dull or boring and the subject not catering for creativity. It was clear from the results that Māori and Pacifica females were discouraged more than encouraged by perceptions and attitudes towards ICT. Māori and Pacifica females had already made their minds up by year 11 that ICT was not the right career choice to follow. Schools need to recognise the students' journey in ICT in this changing world and start promoting ICT as being creative and imaginative.
Issues of gender imbalance in leadership have long been a significant issue in universities, as i... more Issues of gender imbalance in leadership have long been a significant issue in universities, as is the case across most industries. This paper explores the experiences of seven females who have successfully achieved senior leadership positions at a regional university in Australia. While the experiences of these women differ in many ways, there are certainly similarities in the challenges and adversities that they have faced, and their perceptions of what has allowed them to experience success in their leadership roles. This paper provides a number of recommendations for women aspiring to be leaders in higher education, such as committing to ongoing development, taking opportunities when presented, developing resilience, developing a track record and seeking support, and also recommendations for institutions.
Cross-cultural, multicultural, intercultural, and transcultural perspectives and practices in hig... more Cross-cultural, multicultural, intercultural, and transcultural perspectives and practices in higher education contexts vary significantly, comparable to the blurring and often obscure definitions and interpretations applied to internationalisation terminology. In this article, academics from two Schools of Education in Canada and Australia aim to deepen the dialogue by sharing perspectives on internationalisation, drawing from their places of work and learning. The findings are discussed through the lens of a conceptual framework for internationalisation of higher education. From scholarly discourse, perspectives, practices, opportunities, and challenges pertaining to internationalisation in university contexts are examined. Recommendations for action for internationalisation within pre-service teacher education contexts follow.
This paper presents data obtained from focus groups conducted to investigate male students’ exper... more This paper presents data obtained from focus groups conducted to investigate male students’ experience of higher education in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Among the issues discussed by students was the impact of social networks addiction on student motivation and this paper focuses on that issue. Thirteen focus groups were conducted with 83 EFL male students at four government campuses including United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) at Al Ain Campus, Higher College of Technology (HCT) at Ras Al-Khaima Campus), and two campuses (Abu Dhabi and Dubai) of Zayed University (ZU). Students access social networks (SN) site for both educational and non-educational aspects. Students spoke about their experiences and how SN addiction influenced their academic motivation to study. The resulting themes from the focus groups show SN addiction has had an impact on student class performance and in some cases led to class failure. Recommendation for better class management and intervention progr...
The availability of ICT job opportunities within New Zealand is continuing to grow year on year. ... more The availability of ICT job opportunities within New Zealand is continuing to grow year on year. However, there has been a decrease in the proportion of females, especially Māori and Pacifica, entering into ICT study and pursuing ICT careers. This paper explores factors that discourage participation of Māori and Pacifica high school females in ICT. Semi-structured questions were created based on a STEM cell framework to interview Māori and Pacifica females between the age of 15 and 17 years studying at high school. It was found that by year 11 Māori and Pacifica females lost interest in ICT. This came down to many factors such as perception of the industry not being diverse in people and culture, the subject being dull or boring and the subject not catering for creativity. It was clear from the results that Māori and Pacifica females were discouraged more than encouraged by perceptions and attitudes towards ICT. Māori and Pacifica females had already made their minds up by year 11 t...
This article reports on an exploratory case study that applied the Community of Inquiry framework... more This article reports on an exploratory case study that applied the Community of Inquiry framework in the K-12 Philippine setting, where there are limited studies on blended learning interactions and experiences. The study examined blended learning interactions across three schools in the Philippine K-12 system to investigate the following: (1) what is the nature of interactions in the blended learning classes? and (2) how do the interactions indicate learning communities as outcomes of blended learning? A mixed method approach to data collection was undertaken, which included student surveys, focus group discussions, teacher interviews, and class observations. The constant comparative analysis uncovered thick descriptions of blended learning interactions. Findings uncovered three themes on blended learning across levels of interactions within the Community of Inquiry presences: (i) best of both worlds, (ii) learning anytime and anywhere, and (iii) learning with technology. Descriptive statistics indicated high mean ratings across the presences, revealing positive experiences afforded by the use of various technologies and social media. The study concluded that learning communities are an outcome of blended learning interactions. A Developmental Model for K-12 Blended Learning Communities was recommended to inform teacher professional development on pedagogies and practices supportive of learning community building in contexts where blended learning may continue to thrive.
ABSTRACT Student engagement is consistently identified as a key predictor of learner outcomes wit... more ABSTRACT Student engagement is consistently identified as a key predictor of learner outcomes within the online learning environment. However, there is limited guidance about using proactive strategies to improve engagement for low and non-engaged students: for example by specifically employing course learning analytics (CLA) and nudging strategies in courses to assist these students. To explore how CLA and nudging can be used more effectively to engage students, the authors were informed by a 12-month research project, as well as by the theoretical perspectives presented by communication and critical literacies. These perspectives were applied to develop a conceptual framework which the authors designed to prioritise expectation management and engagement principles for both students and academics. The article explains the development of the framework as well as the elements and key communication strategies it embodies. The framework contributes to practice by explaining and justifying the accessible, time-efficient, student-focused approaches that can be integrated simply into each course’s online learning pedagogy to support both academics’ and students’ engagement.
Journal of Applied Computing and Information Technology, 2015
For the past two decades there has been an imbalance between male and female students entering th... more For the past two decades there has been an imbalance between male and female students entering the Bachelor of Information Technology degree from high schools. The literature suggests that only one in six students entering higher education to study computer related degrees are female. It also suggests that occupational stereotyping can be linked to the decline in the number of females entering computing degree courses. This research is proposing to revisit and investigate why this is still prevalent in today`s society that has been brought up on technology and can see the benefits of good careers and good jobs.
Students are seeking flexible study opportunities. Smartphones have potential to support learning... more Students are seeking flexible study opportunities. Smartphones have potential to support learning at times and places chosen by learners but their introduction presents challenges in negotiating the changes in the behaviour of learners and in the materials and activities provided by university courses. This project, funded by DEHub in two Queensland universities, explored how students used mobile devices with many characteristics of smartphones. This paper reports on the first phase that investigated the changes required to facilitate access to course materials and activities using the devices. Data have been viewed through the lens of activity theory. The results confirmed the need for developing skills and managing expectations of learners and academics and for adjustments to design of course materials and delivery systems to facilitate access.
Despite extensive expenditure by universities on technology tools, the impact on teaching practic... more Despite extensive expenditure by universities on technology tools, the impact on teaching practice and students’ critical thinking remains disappointing to many. Current research which investigates the impact of teaching presence on cognitive presence in undergraduate blended learning is scarce. This study investigated teaching and cognitive presence in blended undergraduate teacher education courses. Garrison, Anderson, and Archer’s (2000) Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework has been used as a conceptual framework and as a lens to investigate critical thinking. A multi-case study was used to identify the impact of teaching presence on cognitive presence and the promotion of critical thinking. The mixed methods of data collection and data analysis used surveys, content analysis, interviews, and document analysis to detect elements of teaching and cognitive presence and gain insights from participants’ perspectives.
The findings of this study suggest that indicators of cognitive and teaching presence are found in a variety of spaces within a blended course. The majority of teacher online discussion contributions were those of direct instruction, even for instructors who considered themselves constructivist educators. In the online discussion section of the blended courses the majority of student contributions were at the exploration level of cognitive presence, except when teaching presence explicitly promoted higher levels through an assessment mandate to post at the higher levels of integration and resolution. This study has recommended a modification to the cognitive presence construct to add reflection as an indicator for the resolution phase of cognitive presence.
Educational developments, practices and effectiveness: global perspectives and contexts, 2015
The field of contemporary education abounds with multiple practices designed to enhance the effec... more The field of contemporary education abounds with multiple practices designed to enhance the effectiveness of teaching approaches and to maximise students’ learning outcomes. Yet we still know relatively little about what works in terms of teaching and learning in different educational contexts. In particular, if we are to advocate the wider application of particular kinds of educational developments, we need to conduct and evaluate research about the foundations of those developments and the factors that promote and/or inhibit their success.
This chapter distils some key findings from current scholarship about educational developments and how they are practised in varied professional contexts. The analysis of these findings is informed by a number of conceptual frameworks gleaned from contemporary research into the elements of effective educational strategies in specific teaching and learning domains. Key concepts from these frameworks are in turn used to identify the central questions about educational developments and practices addressed by the authors of the subsequent chapters in this book. More broadly, this chapter contributes to continuing debates about both the pre-requisites and the effects of effective teaching and learning approaches and strategies in widely varying educational contexts.
Research highlights in technology and teacher education 2015, 2015
This chapter describes a project which investigated qualitative expressions in an online mentorin... more This chapter describes a project which investigated qualitative expressions in an online mentoring community involving secondary pre-service teachers and practising teachers. The practising teachers acted as online mentors to the pre-service teachers who were personally, professionally and geographically isolated due to being located in regional, rural or remote areas. The online mentoring enabled rural and remote pre-service teachers to benefit from the ability to engage with practising teachers for both professional and academic purposes. The participants’ posts hosted in an invitational online space were coded using a content analysis framework, and outcomes from the online mentoring project are provided.
Current educational research, policy-making and practice needs to develop and sustain a rigorous ... more Current educational research, policy-making and practice needs to develop and sustain a rigorous understanding of and a careful attentiveness to multiple approaches to conceptualising and implementing effective educational technology innovation. This is required because it is important to avoid ossifying and standardising educational approaches and to renew and refresh those traditional approaches. It is also a useful response to politicised critiques of the outcomes of mass education and to efforts to increase educational outputs while decreasing funding levels. This chapter presents a theoretically informed interrogation of a range of contemporary scholarship related to educational innovations with technology. In particular, the interrogation explores major issues related to establishing innovative practices. In particular we cite the issues of policy, measurement, sustainability and diffusion of educational innovation. The final section of the chapter introduces the structure for the book.
Educational innovations and contemporary technologies: enhancing teaching and learning, 2015
Higher education has embraced innovative ways of using technology to enhance learning, and online... more Higher education has embraced innovative ways of using technology to enhance learning, and online environments in particular, as a way to increase efficiencies, open educational opportunities for students irrespective of location, and to increase flexibility of learning and teaching. This chapter will describe the journey of two academics as they journey along the pedagogical continuum from teaching fully face-to-face to blended, and then, on fully online environments. The experiences and perspectives of the teacher educators will be shared.
Data from interviews, course materials and online discussions were analysed to identify the issues and practices of the academics. Findings present the staged progression of the academics in dealing with pedagogical, social, managerial, and technical aspects of moving their teaching online. The instructors in this study had a strong desire to enhance their teaching and student learning through innovation and reflective practice. As part of this research and through reflective practice they explored a range of innovative pedagogical practices. The teaching presence and beliefs of the instructors changed over the four years as they moved along the pedagogical continuum from face-to-face to online teaching.
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Papers by Petrea Redmond
entering computing degree courses. This research is proposing to revisit and investigate why this is still prevalent in today`s society that has been brought up on technology and can see the benefits of good careers and good jobs.
This study investigated teaching and cognitive presence in blended undergraduate teacher education courses. Garrison, Anderson, and Archer’s (2000) Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework has been used as a conceptual framework and as a lens to investigate critical thinking. A multi-case study was used to identify the impact of teaching presence on cognitive presence and the promotion of critical thinking. The mixed methods of data collection and data analysis used surveys, content analysis, interviews, and document analysis to detect elements of teaching and cognitive presence and gain insights from participants’ perspectives.
The findings of this study suggest that indicators of cognitive and teaching presence are found in a variety of spaces within a blended course. The majority of teacher online discussion contributions were those of direct instruction, even for instructors who considered themselves constructivist educators. In the online discussion section of the blended courses the majority of student contributions were at the exploration level of cognitive presence, except when teaching presence explicitly promoted higher levels through an assessment mandate to post at the higher levels of integration and resolution. This study has recommended a modification to the cognitive presence construct to add reflection as an indicator for the resolution phase of cognitive presence.
This chapter distils some key findings from current scholarship about educational developments and how they are practised in varied professional contexts. The analysis of these findings is informed by a number of conceptual frameworks gleaned from contemporary research into the elements of effective educational strategies in specific teaching and learning domains. Key concepts from these frameworks are in turn used to identify the central questions about educational developments and practices addressed by the authors of the subsequent chapters in this book. More broadly, this chapter contributes to continuing debates about both the pre-requisites and the effects of effective teaching and learning approaches and strategies in widely varying educational contexts.
Data from interviews, course materials and online discussions were analysed to identify the issues and practices of the academics. Findings present the staged progression of the academics in dealing with pedagogical, social, managerial, and technical aspects of moving their teaching online. The instructors in this study had a strong desire to enhance their teaching and student learning through innovation and reflective practice. As part of this research and through reflective practice they explored a range of innovative pedagogical practices. The teaching presence and beliefs of the instructors changed over the four years as they moved along the pedagogical continuum from face-to-face to online teaching.