Enhancing Learning through Technology

Foreword.

Contents.

Universities are caught within a time of accelerating political, socio-economic and technological change. The many internal and external pressures on universities have created the need to view teaching and learning patterns and practices from new perspectives to meet the challenges created by knowledge-based societies (Pittinsky, 2003). These pressures include a demand for a greater number of higher education places with no corresponding increase in funding (Phillips, 2005); a larger 'clientele' of learners from a wider variety of backgrounds, with diverse needs, motivations, abilities, learning preferences, time availability and course content requirements (Bates, 2005). There is a demand for more client responsive and flexible courses (Ryan & Stedman, 2002; Mclnnis & Hartley, 2003) and an imperative to seek alternatives to government funding (HEFCE, 2001). With more technology opportunities there is increasing pressure to use information and communication technologies (ICTs) in teaching and learning (Allen & Seaman, 2004; Challis, Holt, & Rice, 2005). Based on data collected from one university, this paper examines the use of ICT within one faculty, focussing on staff perceptions of how ICTs benefit learning and teaching. The acronym ICT in this paper refers to digital technology, primarily online, which is used to provide e-learning opportunities to supplement or replace conventional face-to-face teaching and learning.

Monash University has embarked on a number of initiatives aimed at increasing flexibility for its students, often through the application of educational technology and online learning environments. This study reports on the use of the Walkabout u-Learning (ubiquitous learning) environment, an initiative of the University's Faculty of Information Technology.

The Walkabout u-Learning Project aims to develop flexible learning models for on campus and distance learning students. The models give less emphasis to formal classes but incorporate web based applications, together with audio and video technologies, for content delivery, learning tasks and teacher/student and student/student interaction. This approach includes the ability to display course content on mobile devices, as well as the more usual desktop/laptop or tablet PCs.

The u-learning environment has been through a number of iterations, and has now been formally evaluated, through analysis of student results and the use of quantitative and qualitative measures. The quantitative measures focussed on questionnaire surveys, supported by student results data. Qualitative data was gleaned through the use of student interviews. The main themes covered in the interviews were participants' lifestyle, approach to learning, use of technology, delivery methods and general issues. Overall, the interviews supported the quantitative findings of the evaluation, and confirmed the positive reactions to maximising flexibility in learning.

Although the term metacognition only became part of the lexicon of higher education in the 1970's when Flavell (1971) introduced the term 'metamemory', the concept is much older than that, and as King (2004) points out, draws on the work of more ancient philosophers like Plato, Aristotle, Confucius, Solomon, Buddha, and Lao Tzu. Perhaps the most straightforward definition of metacognition is that it is 'thinking about thinking' (Bogdan, 2000; Flavell, 1999; Metcalfe, 2000) however this definition requires further elaboration, because metacognition also involves knowing how to reflect and analyse thought, how to draw conclusions from that analysis, and how to put what has been learned into practice. In order to solve problems, students often need to understand how their mind functions. In other words, they need to perceive how they perform important cognitive tasks such as remembering, learning, and problem solving. This paper uses practical examples to demonstrate how online and blended learning students can be encouraged to engage in metacognitive activity through the judicial use of online learning objects and discussion boards, and argues that these activities add value to the learning experience.

This paper suggests that moving teaching and learning into a flexible learning environment enabled by e-learning with appropriate infrastructure requires special attention to a number of critical issues, specifically, the instructional materials, assessment, and presentation and support. The author proposes a conceptual framework that explores some of the existing pedagogical and andragogical approaches and common practices to help educators to be better prepared when moving teaching and learning online. In addition, this paper also examines how the understanding of experience design – an emerging field that draws from a variety of disciplines in design and new media, such as information design, interaction design, visual design, drama, and digital storytelling – that might enable designers to create online learning experiences that are engaging and emotionally connect the learners with the learning environment. A case study will be used to illustrate how a section of a face-to-face course is being redesigned to build in the component of an online learning experience. It is proposed that this online component can be used to enable teaching and learning in flexible e-learning environments.

This paper analyses the support of Self-Regulated Learning (SRL) via a Learning Objects Discussion Environment (LODE). LODE is a collaborative environment which creates communities of practice for teachers. It focused on sharing Learning Objects and pedagogical experiences. The LODE is based on the pedagogical view of re-using objects and it takes not only educational material into consideration but also teachers' methodology and experience of use. SRL is a cross-curricular setup which helps learners in dealing with behavioural, meta-cognition and motivation problems, in the context of learning. The LODE was designed so as to encourage SRL. This was implemented by modifying an open-source knowledge management system and it was first applied in a teacher training course. The authors present the outcomes of this experience, which suggests that trainees' appreciation and use of the SRL-supporting features be embodied in the environment.

This paper reports on the progress of a funded project that promotes systemic development of taught degree programs offered in a higher education faculty through the use of an online learning network as a lever for curriculum change. The Interactive Learning Network (ILN), which supports collaborative learning, is a community-building environment designed to scaffold virtual education communities of practice where teachers and students work together as teams and engage in reflective, collegial interaction and patterns of working. ILN facilitates cognitive and social scaffolding, enabling participants to become progressively more involved in the community and to sustain their commitment and interests. This environment is designed to support pedagogies that emphasize the emergence and growth of autonomous collaborative learning, rather than teacher-directed delivery of learning materials. This project promotes and enhances collaborative and community building with the use of ILN in teaching programs through: the identification of individual teaching programs and teacher needs and the role of ILN to meet needs where appropriate; the provision of staff development and support; and the identification and change to the ILN environment, administration and management to meet ongoing teaching program needs. This paper explores the philosophy behind the study, the work undertaken and analysed so far, outlining two frameworks and recommendations for improvements into technology-enhanced learning applications supported by online learner networks that can act as a lever for change.

This paper demonstrates the use of guided reflective practices for communication and collaboration as a means to improve virtual teamwork for undergraduate students engaged in online learning. Recent literature indicates the importance of developing relational communication and psycho-social factors in the functioning of virtual teams. This is particularly important for short-cycle academic teams. In this study, undergraduate student, virtual teams, were asked to collaborate discipline-related tasks over six weeks. Each student was required to submit three reflective logs respectively describing the application of pre-defined social concepts of conversation, awareness and coordination to their team process. On completion, students summarized their team activity and identified success factors for future virtual teamwork. Analysis of the data from remote students indicated that the three socially defined concepts enhanced virtual interaction and team outcomes. In contrast to previous offerings, all teams remained intact and overall, achieved improved grades. The significance of reflective practice on these three social concepts during the team life cycle therefore enhances team functioning within a virtual working environment.

This paper examines the types and depth of online student-content, student-student and student-teacher interaction (Moore, 1989) that exist in OUHK courses. Our findings show that:

• OUHK's model of distance learning courses had basically not changed. Attempts have been made in some courses to include online interactive exercises and quizzes (similar to those in the print version) and collaborative project work, but the online content and methods in most courses are the same as their print counterparts.

• The Discussion Board, an asynchronous communication tool, was underused in half the courses. The level of active participation and contribution to discussions was generally low and was made by a small group of active participants. The types of interaction varied from social to extension of study support to sharing of knowledge and experiences. There was little evidence of higher-level academic interactions leading to active construction of knowledge and collaborative learning.

Rapid upgrades globally in the Internet network infrastructure are facilitating an explosion in the use of videoconferencing among academic institutions. An ongoing collaboration between a university in Taiwan and a university in the United States integrated videoconferencing technology to benefit students in two disparate fields. In Fall, 2005, two classes were linked together through Internet-based videoconferencing. A class of 28 Taiwanese students participated with a class of 9 American students. The Taiwanese were freshman English majors and the Americans were graduate students majoring in journalism. Over the course of the semester, a series of live, interactive meetings were conducted. American journalism students practiced the art of interviewing and learned they had to be specific and avoid colloquialisms and slang when questioning non-native English speakers. Feature stories about specific topics were written based on the videoconferencing interactions. Taiwanese students studying English were able to practice conversation skills in a non-threatening context. Teachers of English, journalism, and other fields now have an exciting alternative for teaching important concepts through experiential learning through videoconferencing.

The teaching of science and engineering courses in a flexible and open learning environment has always posed difficulties in meeting the required learning objectives. In addition, the increasing threats of disease outbreaks in bird flu or SARS may limit the students' opportunities to attend face-to-face laboratory sessions. Thus, novel methods need to be devised to supplement conventional face-to-face laboratory learning experiences. This paper explores some of the novel methods, at a conceptual level, to teach students the concepts of electrocardiogram (ECG) measurements using LABVIEW, a PC-based virtual instrument; and the control of inverted pendulum motion using the MATLAB-based QUANSER training kit at the SIM University (UniSIM).

In the first part of the paper, the authors review the current state of deployment of information and communication technology (ICT) at the School of Science and Technology, and discuss some of the possible pedagogical approaches to the use of ICT in teaching and learning of science and engineering courses.

As an example, students taking the foundation Biophysics course (taught as part of the Biomedical Engineering program in SIM University) learn the practical aspects of electrocardiogram (ECG) measurements with the use of National Instruments (NI) ELVIS prototyping boards, software driven data acquisition interfaces, and PC-based virtual oscilloscopes utilizing LABVIEW drivers. The authors investigate the possibility of extending this virtual laboratory environment to allow students to interact with a remotely set up ECG measurement system at the UniSIM Bioelectronics Laboratory through the use of TCP/IP Internet protocols. In this teaching arrangement, students may change control parameters from their home PCs equipped with the appropriate LABVIEW software, and measure the ECG patterns of a volunteer subject situated at the UniSIM laboratory. The authors then compare the conventional measurement methods with the proposed virtual methods to support the teaching and learning at the School.

The benefits of involving students to contribute knowledge in computer conferences have been noted by some researchers such as by Beach (1974), Bloxom et al. (1975), and Rourke et al. (2001). Current studies have focused on the situations where students are coerced to contribute knowledge through extrinsic factors such as incentives or penalties. This study attempts to complement the existing research by investigating student altruistic knowledge contributions. It applies quantitative content analysis to find out that knowledge contribution from altruistic students is of significant inequality. The significance of the results and suggestions of future work is discussed.

Since the mid-1990's, we have witnessed a dramatic increase in the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in professional education as well as in the post-secondary sector generally. Over five years ago, however, concerns were expressed that this rapid growth has not been based on evidence of the effectiveness of ICT use. The authors examined a selection of more recent literature relating to ITC use in social work and nursing education to determine if a more sound foundation for now ICT use now exists. Based on this review the authors conclude that the literature evaluating the use of ICT in professional education continues to have gaps limitations. More productive approaches to research and evaluation of ICT use in professional schools include a greater focus on outcomes and the use of experimental and quasi-experimental research designs.

Open Distance Learning (ODL) institutions around the world have realized that effective pedagogies are critical in retaining students. In addition, as technology becomes increasingly available and affordable, more ODL institutions are leveraging on various technologies of learning to provide more efficient and effective pedagogies. The Open University Malaysia (OUM), for example, adopts a blend of learning approaches to educate its growing number of learners spread across the country. The blend involves interactive print and electronic media to support self-learning, peer learning as well as learning that is facilitated by the tutor. A successful blend is one that provides the right amount of opportunity for learners to construct their own learning. As OUM continues to experiment with new ways of using technology, it is important for the learning to be more efficient and effective particularly to cater to its exponential growth in student numbers. How pedagogical richness is conceptualised through various technologies such as audio and video streaming, online discussions, multimedia and print is described in terms of dynamism and level of interactivity. How an improved blend of learning is achieved through the development of various learning modes, technology and media or delivery used is described. The model for the pedagogical richness (in response to the need to cater to the different learning styles and requirements of 45,000 learners who are dispersed geographically in 55 locations, both urban and rural) is provided. The greater challenge of ensuring the effectiveness of tutors who need to be able to adapt (from their preferred teaching style) to the requirements of the various pedagogical strategies at OUM is also discussed.

The introduction of web technology in course delivery in the Open University of Hong Kong has been demonstrated to be useful and effective. Students prefer to use electronic submission as it is a more secure and efficient way to submit assignments to the university. In this paper, we introduce an integrated assignment submission and management system to replace the traditional paper-and-pen work. The web-based assignment submission system allows students to submit programming assignments electronically, and to receive instant feedback about their submitted programs. The assignment management system provides multiple features to aid in the effective marking of assignments, such as plagiarism detection, automatic program testing, and student's performance statistics. The aim of these features is to reduce the workloads of both markers and faculty staff while providing useful and timely feedback to students. A possible architecture for assignment management system is presented and the functionalities of the system such as plagiarism detection and automatic checking will be discussed and analysed in this paper.

Data mining can be defined as the process of analysing mostly large data sets to explore and discover previously unknown patterns, trends and relationships to generate information for better decision-making. Although data mining has primarily been developed and applied in commercial sectors, it can also be productively applied in non-commercial sectors, including in education. With the substantial amount of data collected in education (e.g., student characteristics and performance results), such raw data will not be useful for decision-making unless and until they are transformed into information. This is where data mining can play a useful role by extracting relationships from the vast amount of data. This paper discusses the usefulness of data mining in education and illustrates it using two case studies.

The idea of learning objects and their working standardization for the Learning Object Metadata as recommended by IEEE 1484 provides a conceptual and implementation platform to promote reuse of learning resources with the latest educational technology. These significant changes undoubtedly affect the design of e-learning systems where learning resources like course or quiz materials can be conveniently anchored in a network of well-defined learning objects. Many real-world learning object repositories like the MERLOT consist of thousands or even tens of thousands of potentially interrelated learning objects. To allow the designers of those e-learning systems to restructure the network of learning objects for better reuse and re-purpose existing resources, greater accessibility or faster navigation, and more importantly facilitating both educators and learners to quickly identify some important relation(s) among the involved learning objects (or concepts), adaptive information visualization techniques can help. Through adaptive visualization, users can focus on various subsets of learning objects with interesting properties for careful analysis. In this paper, we have enhanced the well-known force scan algorithm (FSA) for integration with effective heuristics to produce appropriate diagrams of different scales or shapes for visualizing the relations among various learning objects. For rare cases where only independent learning objects are involved, our goal is to improve the visibility by evenly spreading out the learning objects as nodes with adjustable angular displacement while avoiding node overlapping on the different levels. However, for practical diagrams of related learning objects, the main challenge is to avoid both node and edge overlapping while spreading out the concerned learning objects on pre-assigned levels. In both cases, our adaptive visualization algorithms work with their best efforts to preserve the mental map of the initial diagrams for learning objects. We implemented prototypes of the two adaptive visualization algorithms in C++, and evaluated their performance on both random and real test cases whenever available. The experimental results revealed the strength of our proposal from which e-learning systems can benefit greatly. More importantly, the results shed light on several interesting directions for further investigation.

This paper presents the design of an eLearning Index (eLI) to determine the adaptability of a corporation or education institution for eLearning. Firstly, it describes the framework of eLearning. Secondly, it describes the methodology and the evaluation of eLearning Index. Thirdly, it reports the research results of two surveys. Finally, it concludes its findings on how to assess an organization's adaptability to eLearning. The principal aim of this paper is to design an eLI which is used to determine the adaptability of a corporation or education institution to eLearning before full implementation of an eLearning strategy. In the determination of eLI, staff of a corporation or education institution are required to answer twenty key questions. The average score of the eLI of the staff is used to determine the adaptability to eLearning. The higher the average score of the eLI is, the better the adaptability of the corporation or education institution to eLearning is.

WebCT, Blackboard and MOODLE are three well-known web-based learning management systems widely used in higher education. This paper compares them functionally, with a special focus on their usage in the teaching and learning of continuing education courses which are characterised by short duration, few face-to-face contact hours, part-time or distance learning mode, less coherent student community, less structured but flexible curriculum, flexible study schedules and flexible performance assessment. It is found that all three learning management systems support curriculum design, communication and discussion, performance assessment and course administration, but at different levels of sophistication. In terms of functionality, WebCT and Blackboard are better than MOODLE, and WebCT is the best. WebCT allows greater flexibility in designing course curriculum and study schedules, which is especially suitable for continuing education courses. With many communication and discussion features, WebCT facilitates active participation among instructors and students of continuing education courses, and allows more varieties in designing learning materials and resources such as the use of multimedia. The performance assessment and grading functions are also flexible enough to meet the special requirements of a wide spread of continuing education courses.

This paper, based on the literature of handheld applications in higher education, studies the affordances of the handhelds for educational practices. "Affordances" in this paper refers to the potential of handhelds for educational practices. The literature study classifies the handheld applications into two general categories, namely, affordances of available features and affordances of developed learning environments on handhelds in terms of their functions for educational practices. The paper then discusses about the opportunities, challenges and constraints of handheld applications in higher education. The paper concludes by identifying a need for a longitudinal case study directed at student perception and use of the handheld affordances for their educational practices.

Increasing numbers of business programs aim to achieve the learning outcome of competent communication skills in students and require students to undertake different forms of learning activities. Although the approaches and methods that are employed in these learning activities may affect the outcomes, very few studies have examined the assessment of such learning outcomes. This paper therefore proposes an integrative assessment plan with related tools to measure and evaluate the learning outcome of business communication to ensure the sustainable development of business programs. An empirical study of a BBA program at Lingnan University is conducted, the results of which suggest a means of measuring the effectiveness of the learning of business communication skills among students and the value that is added through this learning process. The results may also assist in the refinement of the program structure and curriculum content for the sustainable improvement of business programs as a whole.

Apart from having to meet the needs of an increasingly larger population of prospective students, educational institutions and businesses must also cater to a more diverse body of immediate and distributed constituents. Online course offerings and degree program delivery are solutions that are fast becoming a norm for meeting the initial as well as continuous needs of the ever changing student body. To implement e-learning, the good news is there is a fairly large variety of Web-based course management systems to select from. However, the software products differ in cost structures, systems requirements, and operating capabilities. Moreover, these products can also have major functional differences so selecting the one software for implementation can be quite a task for the novice end-user. This study provides some insight into the requirements and capabilities of selected course management software. Specifically, this research identifies and classifies the functions and attributes available in popular Web-based course delivery software packages. Selected observations about pricing trends and systems requirements for implementing the software are also reported.

This paper presents the database application and the system architecture of a National Learning Objects Repository for Cyprus (NLORC). The main contribution of this paper is the novel database application, which has been developed using the object-relational database system Oracle 10g and thus enjoys the advantages emanating from the utilization of object-oriented features. The NLORC implements a typical three-tier architecture. The core part of the NLORC is a Database tier, accessed and managed by means of the Application Server. The front-end of the system is built on the WEB servers. Another prominent part of the system is the NLORC storage. The NLORC storage allows storing a wide range of LO implementations covering the most popular ones. For this reason the system also includes the file server, Apache WEB server, as well as other database servers. Thus, the NLORC storage can be used for storing various types of interactive and non-interactive LOs.

Author Index.