CiteULike: senioritis's watchlist

Bridging the Gap Between Face-to-Face and Cyber Interaction in Holistic Blended Learning Environments

Chen — 2008-07-24T04:58:52-00:00

Handbook on Information Technologies for Education and Training (2008), pp. 239-259.

Previous research studies on blended learning have mainly focused on blending between either physical face-to-face and cyber asynchronous, or cyber face-to-face and cyber asynchronous environments. This research has created a holistic blended-learning environment (HBLE) in which physical face-to-face, cyber face-to-face and cyber asynchronous blended models are synthesized into one holistic blended-learning model. Such a model enables teachers and learners to do two-way interaction asynchronously and synchronously regardless of whether they are in physical space or cyber space. This research also explores whether significant differences exist in terms of effects on classroom climate and learning effectiveness between physical face-to-face groups (P-F2F) and cyber face-to-face groups (C-F2F).

The value of English picture story books

Hsiu-Chih — 2008-05-03T19:50:12-00:00

ELT Journal, Vol. 62, No. 1. (January 2008), pp. 47-55.

Language Re-use among Chinese Apprentice Scientists Writing for Publication

John Flowerdew — 2008-07-24T01:13:14-00:00

Applied Linguistics, Vol. 28, No. 3. (1 September 2007), pp. 440-465.

Plagiarism has been a topic of considerable discussion in Applied Linguistics. In the literature on plagiarism a distinction can be found between the taking of the ideas of others and the taking of others' words. In this paper the focus is on the latter, which is referred to as language re-use'. Specifically, the study focuses on the practices and beliefs of a group of doctoral science students at a major university in China regarding language re-use in writing for publication in English. Examples are presented illustrating the students' strategies of language re-use in each section of the prototypical IMRD (Introduction, Method, Results, Discussion) structure of the genre of scientific research articles, along with the writers' justifications for such writing practices. It can be seen that the students' language re-use goes well beyond formulaic expressions and technical terminology which are characteristics of the scientific research article, yet the students believe that their textual practices do not constitute plagiarism, which, to them, primarily means the stealing of others' work. For English for Academic Purposes (EAP) instruction targeted at novice scientists, the paper calls for a pedagogy that acknowledges and exploits the formulaicity of scientific writing as well as discusses the relationship between form' (language) and content' (the work reported) in natural sciences. 10.1093/applin/amm031

Effects on vocabulary acquisition of presenting new words in semantic sets versus semantically unrelated sets

Ismail Erten — 2008-07-23T09:44:44-00:00

System, Vol. In Press, Corrected Proof

This paper reports on a study which investigated the effect on vocabulary recall of introducing new words via two different methods. A one-group quasi-experimental research design with alternating time series measures was employed. A group of 60 fourth graders were taught 80 carefully selected words either in semantically related sets or semantically unrelated sets. Also under investigation was the effect of these methods on test completion. The statistical analysis revealed that learning words in semantically unrelated sets yields better results than learning vocabulary in semantically related sets. The difference persisted in the long term. Further, test completion time was much longer for the semantically related vocabulary items, indicating a slower recall of vocabulary. The study indicated that, contrary to frequent practice in many course books, presenting new vocabulary that belongs to the same semantic set together may cause interference due to cross-association and may even hinder vocabulary learning. Such practice needs to be questioned and alternative methods that involve presenting vocabulary in unrelated sets need to be developed to facilitate vocabulary teaching and learning.

Computer-based Collaboration in Student Work: Does a Preference for Using Technology Affect Performance?

Kerrie Miller — 2008-07-22T03:29:20-00:00

This study reports the results from an empirical study focusing on student preference for computer-based collaboration. This study involved collecting data from 144 university students who were required to do a computer-based collaborative task. The study examined perceptions of, preferences for, and performance in, computer-based collaboration. The researchers had expected that a predilection for such technologies would result in improved performance where their use was required. This did not...

Word Frequency Estimates Revisited--A Response to Alderson (2007)

Iain Mcgee — 2008-07-22T00:02:43-00:00

Applied Linguistics (21 July 2008), amn026.

Alderson's (2007) paper investigated whether subjective frequency counts for words might be a reliable substitute for corpus data. Alderson is critical of previous research which has found high correlations between corpus data and subjective estimates, and he argues that his own research, has failed to show that frequency judgements can substitute for objective word frequency counts derived from corpora' (p. 407). In what follows, I question whether Alderson has really established his case, and also refer to some previously published research which has attempted to unravel the mystery' of intuitions in this area. 10.1093/applin/amn026

Textual Enhancement of Input: Issues and Possibilities

Zhaohong Han — 2008-07-21T23:53:00-00:00

Applied Linguistics (6 May 2008), amn010.

The input enhancement hypothesis proposed by Sharwood Smith (1991, 1993) has stimulated considerable research over the last 15 years. This article reviews the research on textual enhancement of input (TE), an area where the majority of input enhancement studies have aggregated. Methodological idiosyncrasies are the norm of this body of research. Seven major issues appear to be limiting the generalizability of the findings and holding up further progress in the understanding of the efficacy of TE for learning: (1) noticing and/or acquisition; (2) TE and comprehension; (3) simultaneous or sequential processing; (4) TE and the nature of the enhanced form; (5) TE and prior knowledge; (6) TE and input flood; and (7) TE and overuse. The existing research has nonetheless offered some important insights that future research should seek to build on. 10.1093/applin/amn010

Ecology and development in classroom communication

William Barowy — 2008-07-21T08:04:12-00:00

Linguistics and Education, Vol. 19, No. 2. ( 2008), pp. 149-165.

Drawing upon observer participation in a first grade classroom, we present a systemic functional analysis of classroom communication located in relation to social semiotics, cultural historical activity theory, and ecological psychology, relating context to meaning making. Two years of observation include field notes, student assessments, audio and video recordings, photographic surveys, interviews and discussions with the teacher, her colleagues, and the school principal. Qualitative methods inform the coordination of the theoretical frameworks, incorporating their key concepts for a more comprehensive understanding of teaching, learning, and development than any one alone can offer. Extending the examination of variations in register to include the physical elements of context, we present four episodes occurring with distinctive registers of communication, social organization, and configuration of artifacts in space and time. The analysis spans scales of language, social organization, space, and time to expand the notions of register and cohesion. We introduce the concepts of contextual cohesion and semiotic proximity in explanation of the patterns we find in meaning making.

Technology- mediated learning 10 years later

Nike Arnold — 2008-07-20T00:21:55-00:00

Foreign Language Annals, Vol. 40, No. 1., pp. 161-182.

An economic perspective on software licenses: open source, maintainers and user-developers

Kasper Edwards — 2008-07-19T18:17:23-00:00

Telemat. Inf., Vol. 22, No. 1-2. (2005), pp. 111-133.

The Economic Motivation of Open Source Software: Stakeholder Perspectives

Dirk Riehle — 2007-04-30T04:32:11-00:00

Computer, Vol. 40, No. 4. (2007), pp. 25-32.

Open source software has changed the rules of the game, significantly impacting the economic behavior of stakeholders in the software ecosystem. In this new environment, developers strive to be committers, vendors feel pressure to produce open source products, and system integrators anticipate boosting profits.

The economics of open source hijacking and the declining quality of digital information resources: A case for copyleft

Andrea Ciffolilli — 2008-07-19T17:01:28-00:00

First Monday, Vol. 9, No. 9. (September 2004)

The genre(s) of student writing: developing writing models

Julia Hüttner — 2008-07-19T07:15:54-00:00

International Journal of Applied Linguistics, Vol. 18, No. 2. (2008), pp. 146-165.

This paper addresses the need to re-evaluate the aims and objectives underlying the teaching of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) in a European context. I argue here that for students to develop fully their abilities as writers, the objectives set in individual classes must reflect students' communicative purposes, rather than those of expert writers, and for that reason specific student writing models are needed. This paper proposes a methodology for the development of such writing models, and presents results of the application of this methodology to the analysis of a corpus of 55 student paper conclusions. The notion of student genre(s) adopted here challenges the tacit assumption that EAP is a homogeneous whole, and that expert models can realistically be used as models in teaching EAP student writing. Durch die wachsende Bedeutung des Englischen als Wissenschaftssprache wird vermehrt auch von nicht-englischsprachigen Studierenden erwartet, ihre wissenschaftlichen Arbeiten auf Englisch zu verfassen. Diese Situation zeigt die Notwendigkeit auf, Lehr- und Unterrichtsziele für diesen Bereich zu überdenken und klarer zu definieren. Es wird in diesem Beitrag argumentiert, dass Studierende ihre Fähigkeiten als wissenschaftliche AutorInnen am besten entwickeln können, wenn die vorgegebenen Schreibaufgaben und -muster ihren kommunikativen Absichten entsprechen und sich nicht hauptsächlich an jenen erfahrener FachwissenschaftlerInnen orientieren. Dieser Artikel präsentiert eine Methode zur Entwicklung solcher studentenspezifischer Schreibmodelle und stellt die Ergebnisse einer darauf beruhenden Korpusanalyse von insgesamt 55 Schlussworten studentischer Arbeiten vor. Das Konzept der studentischen Genre(s), das hier zur Anwendung kommt, hinterfragt einerseits die implizite Annahme, dass Englisch als Wissenschaftssprache ein homogenes Ganzes darstellt, sowie andererseits die Annahme, dass auf ExpertInnentexten beruhende Schreibmodelle adäquat für den Unterricht von Englisch als Wissenschaftssprache sind.

Fairy Tales and Foreign Languages: Ever the Twain Shall Meet

James Davidheiser — 2008-07-19T07:07:30-00:00

Foreign Language Annals, Vol. 40, No. 2. (2007), pp. 215-225.

Fairy tales are not new to foreign language instructors, but on occasion they have been considered wither exoteric or unworthy of class time. Yet today there is a resurgence of interest in fairy tales and a rebirth of their use in the arts, which may serve foreign language instructors. This article presents historical background to inform instructors of the origin and development of European fairy tales, while also providing them with necessary information to answer students' questions on fairy tales. It further describes how the author weaves fairy tales into classes on several levels and illustrates how well the tales lend themselves to the learning of other languages and cultures. Course details offer instructors some essentials that may prove beneficial in designing their own courses. Information is relevant to all languages. (This article contains 7 endnotes.)

Writing portfolio

2008-07-19T07:05:02-00:00

Foreign Language Annals, Vol. 39, No. 4.

Sociotechnical research and knowledge communication in community-centred systems design: a technological frames perspective

Jose Abdelnour-Nocera — 2008-07-19T06:25:11-00:00

International Journal of Web Based Communities, Vol. 4, No. 4. (2008), pp. 476-490.

The need for considering multilevel analysis in CSCL research—An appeal for the use of more advanced statistical methods

Ulrike Cress — 2008-05-27T12:46:06-00:00

International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, Vol. 3, No. 1. (10 March 2008), pp. 69-84.

Abstract Per definition, CSCL research deals with the data of individuals nested in groups, and the influence of a specific learning setting on the collaborative process of learning. Most well-established statistical methods are not able to analyze such nested data adequately. This article describes the problems which arise when standard methods are applied and introduces multilevel modelling (MLM) as an alternative and adequate statistical approach in CSCL research. MLM enables testing interactional effects of predictor variables varying within groups (for example, the activity of group members in a chat) and predictors varying between groups (for example, the group homogeneity created by group members’ prior knowledge). So it allows taking into account that an instruction, tool or learning environment has different but systematic effects on the members within the groups on the one hand and on the groups on the other hand. The underlying statistical model of MLM is described using an example from CSCL. Attention is drawn to the fact that MLM requires large sample sizes which are not provided in most CSCL research. A proposal is made for the use of some analyses which are useful.

The strength of the lone wolf

Gerry Stahl — 2008-05-10T16:19:03-00:00

International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, Vol. 3, No. 2. (23 June 2008), pp. 99-103.

From dialogue to monologue and back: Middle spaces in computer-mediated learning

Noel Enyedy — 2008-07-19T05:39:15-00:00

International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, Vol. 1, No. 4. (December 2006), pp. 413-439.

Abstract The authors develop a framework for the design of tools to mediate collaboration intended to lead to learning. We identify two categories of media that are common in computer-supported collaborative learning and software in general: communication media and information media. These two types of media are then mapped onto two types of social activities in which learning is grounded: dialogue and monologue. Drawing on literature in learning theory, we suggest the need for interfaces that help students to transition from dialogue to monologue and back again. We examine in detail two cases of students participating in a computer-mediated science learning activity that involved technologies designed to support this transition, and suggest ways that the “middle space” can be supported with software and activities that transcend some of the traditional tradeoffs associated with information and communication interfaces.

Creating Ict-Enriched Learner-Centred Environments: Myths, Gaps and Challenges

Kar Lee — 2008-07-19T05:38:04-00:00

Engaged Learning with Emerging Technologies (2006), pp. 203-223.

Creating ICT-enriched learner-centred environments requires a holistic approach that calls for changes at three levels — teacher, schooling environment and learning activities. Fundamentally, however, it is teachers who, with support from parents, administrators and policy makers, can optimise the benefits of ICT-enriched environments to make learner-centred learning a reality. This chapter therefore pays due attention to the salient issues confronted by teachers in the creation of ICT-enriched learner-centred environments, by using Hong Kong as an example to highlight the myths, gaps and challenges. Reviewed in the chapter are three myths that many educators in Hong Kong subscribe to, including ICT having limited values, ICT being a panacea to learning problems and technical knowledge of ICT being paramount. Highlighted are the gaps that can be observed in the field, of which include gaps in perception; the theory and practice of teaching every student; team-building; and the desire to use ICT. The challenges discussed include teachers encouraging students to become active participants; teachers assisting students to understand their weaknesses and strengths; changing classroom dynamics; leadership in existence; and teachers having an individual sense of how they are able to successfully influence student learning. In the discussion, literature is reviewed and practical solutions are offered.

Cybergogy for Engaged Learning: A Framework for Creating Learner Engagement through Information and Communication Technology

Minjuan Wang — 2008-07-19T05:34:44-00:00

Engaged Learning with Emerging Technologies (2006), pp. 225-253.

The continued and growing need for new learning opportunities, linked with newer information systems and communication technologies, has pushed online learning into the center of the discussion of educational practice. There is a need to establish a framework for generating meaningful and engaging learning experiences for distance students with diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. We coin the term “Cybergogy” as a descriptive label for the strategies for creating engaged learning online. Our model of Cybergogy for Engaged Learning (see Figure 1) has three overlapping/intersecting domains: cognitive, emotive, and social. This model is a synthesis of current thinking, concepts, and theoretical frameworks on the extent and nature of the three domains in learner engagement online. The instructors can use this model to profile each learner and then design tactics to engage individuals accordingly, a process we call “customized engagement.” As a consequence, learners will not only have the opportunity to accomplish their learning goals, but also will be actively involved in the learning process.

Education in the Knowledge Age — Engaging Learners Through Knowledge Building

Seng Tan — 2008-07-19T05:33:09-00:00

Engaged Learning with Emerging Technologies (2006), pp. 91-106.

In this Knowledge Age or innovation-driven age, knowledge is a key asset for a society to create value. The health and wealth of societies depend increasingly on the capacity of people to innovate (Scardamalia & Bereiter, in press 2002). Since schools are responsible for preparing the young for the future they have to be models of innovation, where teachers and students are “willing to take new routes, try different methods, and occasionally break the mould” (Shanmugaratnam, 2003). Too often, however, we find classroom pedagogies varying between two extremes: didactic knowledge transmission where teachers are the “sage on the stage”, or constructivist approaches where students are actively engaged on activities. The former approach is often criticized for treating students as a passive party, assuming that knowledge can be transmitted and assimilated into the student’s mind. The latter approach, on the other hand, has the tendency to motivate students to complete tasks and activities, but not necessarily engaged with the knowledge creation process. In this chapter, we argue that we should engage our students directly in knowledge production, not so much of asking students to produce new knowledge or discoveries, but putting them into a development trajectory to be knowledge producers. Examples of knowledge building classrooms in Cananda and Singapore schools will be used to illustrate how we can engage students as knowledge producers, who take on ownership of learning by collaboratively and continually improve upon their initial ideas to better ideas, thus advancing collective knowledge within the community.

Engaged Learning: Making Learning an Authentic Experience

David Hung — 2008-07-19T05:30:04-00:00

Engaged Learning with Emerging Technologies (2006), pp. 29-48.

This chapter attempts to make sense of engaged learning. Approaches such as problem-based learning should be advocated because it is an authentic form of learning encouraging students to be self-regulated and thus metacognitive towards their own thinking and behaviors. Contrary to passive forms of instruction where learners are not perceived to be active and engaged, neither reflective, we are highlighting alternative pedagogies which promote this sense of self-regulatory actions. We describe the engaged learning framework — focusing on both problem and process — which would be necessary for authenticity in learning experiences.

A longitudinal perspective regarding the use of VLEs by higher education institutions in the United Kingdom

Browne — 2007-01-31T12:48:39-00:00

Interactive Learning Environments, Vol. 14, No. 2. (August 2006), pp. 177-192.

Design approaches in technology-enhanced learning

Yishay Mor — 2008-07-19T05:23:46-00:00

Interactive Learning Environments, Vol. 15, No. 1. (2007), pp. 61-75.

Design is critical to the successful development of any interactive learning environment (ILE). Moreover, in technology-enhanced learning (TEL) the design process requires input from many diverse areas of expertise. As such, anyone undertaking tool development is required to directly address the design challenge from multiple perspectives. We provide a motivation and rationale for design approaches for learning technologies that draws upon Simon's seminal proposition of design science. We then review the application of design experiments and design patterns and argue that a patterns approach has the potential to address many of the critical challenges faced by learning technologists.

Scaffolding in technology-enhanced learning environments

Priya Sharma — 2008-07-19T05:22:13-00:00

Interactive Learning Environments, Vol. 15, No. 1. (2007), pp. 27-46.

Scaffolding has proven an especially interesting and promising area for supporting teaching and learning practices. Particular interest has emerged in scaffolding student learning in technology-enhanced environments. In this paper, we discuss how scaffolding is implemented in technology-enhanced environments, provide an overview of scaffolding processes and techniques in various contexts, and then provide empirically based guidelines for designing scaffolding in technological environments. We examine current research to identify two primary design components, cognitive and interface, and suggest how scaffold design might be improved for more effective use by learners. We conclude by identifying practice and research implications.

The eight learning events model: A pedagogic conceptual tool supporting diversification of learning methods

Dominique Verpoorten — 2007-08-02T09:19:31-00:00

Interactive Learning Environments, Vol. 15, No. 2. (2007), pp. 151-160.

This paper presents the eight Learning Events Model (8LEM), a pedagogical reference framework which was used, in more than 100 online courses, as a starting point for instructional planning. Besides supporting teachers in early stages of the learning design continuum, the paper shows how this learning/teaching model, as a professional development tool, prompts them to diversify the learning methods experienced by students in their courses. A three-pronged rationale about the importance of this diversification with respect to “mathetic” competence development, epistemology and personalization is also submitted to discussion.

Approaches in measuring learning environments

Shavelson — 2007-03-10T02:30:17-00:00

Learning Environments Research, Vol. 9, No. 3. (October 2006), pp. 195-197.

The online learning environment—A new model using social constructivism and the concept of ‘Ba’ as a theoretical framework

Kim Bryceson — 2008-07-19T04:53:30-00:00

Learning Environments Research, Vol. 10, No. 3. (20 October 2007), pp. 189-206.

Abstract Organisations that provide education are businesses and, as such, are not immune from the impact that the Internet has had in recent years, both on the way organisations conduct their business and as a business supporting technology. Indeed, the use of the Internet as a facilitating mechanism for educational course delivery has been growing steadily over the last 5–8 years and, although there are some significant issues that have arisen in that time in relation to the quality of learning that can be achieved, there is no doubt that it will continue to be developed as an educational tool. The real issue for educators is, therefore, not whether the Internet will be used in course delivery, or if it is a useful tool, but rather how can a teacher make best use of it to enhance learning? This article documents a study that has analysed five years of student reflections on the scaffolding mechanisms used to promote and encourage learning in five Internet-based courses at the University of Queensland run between 2001 and 2005. The courses involved include three Internet-delivered Masters coursework courses and two Internet-delivered undergraduate courses in three different discipline areas. The outcomes of the study are: (1) a Report Card documenting student evaluations of the scaffolding mechanisms used; (2) a What, Why, How, Where framework of scaffolding mechanisms that are best suited to enabling deep learning through the online environment, and (3) a proposed new model of knowledge acquisition in online learning environments entitled ESCIE, which is based on Nonaka’s SECI and Ba models of knowledge creation.

(Inorganic) Community Design Models and the Place of (In)appropriate Technology in International Development—What if More Than “Half the World” Wants Internet Access?

Julia Dicum — 2008-07-19T04:36:42-00:00

The International Handbook of Virtual Learning Environments (2006), pp. 1495-1523.

This chapter contributes to theoretical understandings of community development within the field of international development studies and sociological studies of online or virtual community development through developing a critical understanding of user-centered design methodology. The convergent result is to propose a theoretical framework for understanding inorganic community development and the process of bridging social and digital divides. By contributing to the development of a theoretical framework, this chapter takes a step toward preparing researchers and practitioners for the study of impact of the internet as a community development tool in LDCs.

Learning by Being: Thirty Years of Cyborg Existemology

Steve Mann — 2008-07-19T04:34:19-00:00

The International Handbook of Virtual Learning Environments (2006), pp. 1571-1592.

As a “cyborg” (Mann, 2001) in the sense of long-term adaptation to the modified body, one encounters a new kind of existential self-determination and mastery over one’s own environs (and to some degree, one’s own destiny). Presently, in addition to having the internet and massive databases and video at my beck and call most of the time, I am also connected to others. While I am grocery shopping, my wife—who may be at home or in her office-sees exactly what I see and helps me pick out vegetables. She can imprint images ontomy retina while she is seeing what I see. I call this collaborative mediated reality. I hope to add to the population of similarly equipped people; in the Fall of 1998, at the University of Toronto, I taught what I believe to be the world’s first existemology course. Existemology pertains to not just body modification, through technology (“cyborg primitives”) but also to mind modification through long-term adaptation. In this sense, existemology also extends into what I call the “postcyborg” age, and thus also applies to the creation of a new state-of-mind that can persist after the technological prostheses are removed. In the sense that I found that this new state of mind could comprise an improvement, I thus encountered existemological therapy (i.e., improved condition even if the body modifications are removed or become damaged or inoperative). The general ideas of existemology are themselves applicable to learning environments that have nothing to do with bodyborne computing. To some degree, beyond whether the technology is implanted, worn, carried, or nonexistent, what can be learned is an educational paradigm that embodies an epistemology of personal choice, and the metaphysics of personal freedom, growth, and development.

Networked Scholarship

Barry Wellman — 2008-07-19T04:31:09-00:00

The International Handbook of Virtual Learning Environments (2006), pp. 1429-1447.

Community has traditionally been anchored in local, neighborhood interactions and enshrined as a code word for social cohesion. “Community” usually connotes people socially and cognitively encapsulated by homogeneous, broadly embracing groups (Hillery, 1955; Wellman, 2001a; Wellman, 2002; Wellman & Leighton, 1979). People in group-based societies deal principally with fellow members of the few groups to which they belong: at home, in school, in the neighborhood, at work or in voluntary organizations. They work in a discrete work group within a single organization; they live in a household in a neighborhood; they are members of one or two kinship groups; and they participate in structured voluntary organizations: churches, bowling leagues, unions, and the like. There have been fears since the industrial revolution that traditional group-based community has been “lost”. From the early 1960s, the balance of analysis swung away from bewailing this purported loss of community to using ethnographic and survey techniques to discover the persistence of neighborhood communities. In the 1970s, analysts began realizing that communities were flourishing outside of neighborhoods. The proliferation of cheap and efficient transportation and communication networks in the developed world has increased the velocity of transactions and fostered interactional density. This allows contact to be maintained with greater ease and over longer distances. Since the 1970s, many studies have documented a change from local to long-distance community, with little interaction across the intervening territory between places.

Analysis of Log File Data to Understand Behavior and Learning in an Online Community

Amy Bruckman — 2008-07-19T04:29:04-00:00

The International Handbook of Virtual Learning Environments (2006), pp. 1449-1465.

How do we study the behavior of users in online communities? Researchers from a variety of disciplines have evolved a rich set of both quantitative and qualitative approaches to studying human-computer interaction (HCI) and computer-mediated communication (CMC), and these methods are useful in the study of online communities. Unique to the study of CMC and online communities is the possibility of collecting log file data. It is possible for the computer to record every command typed by users—in some cases, every keystroke. In cases where users interact only online, we can collect a comprehensive record of all of their interactions. The completeness of the record and ease of collecting it are unprecedented. However, log file data is more often collected than analyzed. We can save everything, but what does it mean? This chapter presents two examples of the use of log file data to understand user behavior and learning in one online environment, MOOSE Crossing. MOOSE Crossing is a text-based virtual reality environment (or “MUD”) in which kids aged eight and older learn objectoriented programming and practice their creative writing. From analysis of log file data from the environment, we gained significant new insights into user behavior and learning. We will briefly discuss an example of qualitative log file analysis, in which a close reading of records of online interaction provides insights into how children learn from one another in this environment (Bruckman, 2000). The rest of the chapter contains an extended example of the use of quantitative log file analysis to try to understand whether there is any relationship between gender and programming achievement on this site. (An earlier version of this analysis was published in Proceedings of CSCL 2002 (Bruckman et al., 2002).)

Procedural Discourse Networks:Weblogs, Self-organizations and Successive Models for Academic Peer Review

Brandon Barr — 2008-07-19T04:27:42-00:00

The International Handbook of Virtual Learning Environments (2006), pp. 1237-1249.

By now, its become somewhat pass� to comment that metaphors of old media shape—and often constrain—our conceptions of new media. Over 40 years ago, McLuhan first pointed out our natural tendency to attempt to understand new media through metaphors derived from older media: “these are difficult times because we are witnessing a clash of cataclysmic proportions between two great technologies. We approach the new with the psychological conditioning and sensory responses of the old. This clash naturally occurs in transitional periods” (McLuhan 1967: 91). In the intervening decades since McLuhan’s pronouncement, the development of digital media has served as a perfect case study. Our computer screens simulate the organization of the typical office, complete with desktops, file folders, mailboxes, and clipboards. “Scrollbars” virtually extend a window of text while paying homage to perhaps the oldest form of paper medium. The typical Word Wide Web browser changes the computer window, which has its own history in the genealogy of perspective art (Bolter and Grusin 1999: 79), into a “webpage”. Digital publications extend the metaphors of print technology with indices and tables of content, particular structures of organization developed for print materials. These print metaphors shape our conceptions of digital projects—leading to the creation of electronic books, electronic archives, and electronic journals complete with dated volumes and issues.

An Overview of Virtual Learning Environments in the Asia-Pacific: Provisos, Issues, and Tensions

David Hung — 2008-07-19T04:21:21-00:00

The International Handbook of Virtual Learning Environments (2006), pp. 699-721.

Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) have increasingly gained momentum in the Asia-Pacific region for the past decade. The aim of this chapter is to provide the reader with a range of issues, examples, and initiatives from this region on perspectives and progress made in VLEs through Information Technology (IT). The countries represented in this chapter on VLEs include Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, Korea, Japan, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand. One unique perspective in the Asia-Pacific region is the localized emphasis of flexible learning in Australia and New Zealand. Even though the idea of making learning more flexible goes beyond the employment of IT in education, often, it involves technology-based solutions such as the internet. Some universities have even set up flexible learning centers to promote this philosophy. The development of flexible learning in these two countries has been around since the early 1990s. Many of the experiences that they have gained in this area can be shared with the international community. Increasingly the countries represented within this region have been witnessing a surge with VLEs with pedagogies inherent from the West. Tensions such as learning epistemologies, cultural and language differences, ease of access and effectiveness toward learning, and other tensions are becoming evident. On the other hand, as VLEs mature, we gradually witness tensions which used to be evident become less of an issue, for example, the gradual diminishing of virtual versus real-life or face-to-face presences.

Virtual Communities of Practice

Kathryn Hibbert — 2008-07-19T04:17:35-00:00

The International Handbook of Virtual Learning Environments (2006), pp. 563-579.

There is an increased interest in the use of virtual technology and distance courses in professional education. Teacher education is no exception, particularly with pressures to maintain professional standards. The problem of course is that the conception of what it is to be a professional teacher influences the development of such courses and programs. If teacher is characterized as discerner, with the ability to “transform understanding, performance skills, or desired attitudes or values into pedagogical representations and actions” (Shulman, 1987: 4) then teacher knowledge (of content, students, and pedagogy) is of paramount importance. If however, teacher is characterized as disseminator, charged simply with carrying out the dictates of others, then complex forms of knowledge are not essential. The former implies a need for professional development that informs, enriches and extends teacher knowledge. The latter suggests that training in new materials is sufficient. Current curricular conditions and a plethora of supplemental teacherproof materials would seem to support a non-professional characterization of teacher as disseminator. Such a reductionist view of the teacher has led to a model of ‘professional development’ commonly referred to as train-the trainer. The model provides systematic training in recently released documents, programs or materials to a target group of people. In pyramid formation, the newly ‘trained’ would then re-inscribe large groups in exactly the same fashion.

Time, Space, and Virtuality: The Role of Virtual Learning Environments in Time and Spatial Structuring

Robert Brown — 2008-07-19T04:16:19-00:00

The International Handbook of Virtual Learning Environments (2006), pp. 345-364.

There is no lack of speculation and theorization on the current and future roles of virtual schools. However, when one looks at virtual schools through the prism of the role of calendars–the chronological superstructure of schools–a different, rather less theoretical picture emerges. Many e-learning institutions call themselves virtual schools, but there is a continuum from “bricks-andmortar” schools with elements of virtual schooling, to true virtual schools where all educational teaching and learning occurs in the virtual environment. At this time, more tend to have elements of virtual schooling than to be true virtual schools. Because of this situation, we will mainly refer to virtual schooling except for those situations where a true virtual school is in view. Much of the discussion of virtual schooling is ahistorical: From documents extolling virtual schools one would think virtual schooling dates from the widespread growth of personal computers and the World Wide Web in the mid- 1980s, whereas much of the structure is directly attributable to distance education which has existed for nearly two centuries. There are three main types of time structuring in modern schools: The school calendar or chronological superstructure (usually used to describe the duration of study throughout the year, but also including the number of days in the week and the number of hours in the day); attendance and absenteeism of students (the degree to which students show up to school and to classes), and the organization of the school day (into classes, lunch, study periods, etc.). Each of these topics has received a fair bit of study. The key direction at this time in current calendar research is around the advantages or disadvantages of the full-year school versus the importance of the summer vacation (Gold, 2002; Weiss & Brown, 2003). Attendance has been examined both as a sociological phenomenon and for its role in student achievement (e.g., Brown, 1999). The importance of the organization of the school day was recognized by the authors of Prisoners of Time, the 1994 report of the National Education Commission on Time and Learning (1994). However, in a virtual environment, it is difficult to differentiate time structures: Therefore, an examination of the school calendar will look at all three of these issues. Given its key role in an understanding of virtual schooling, we believe it necessary to briefly discuss the concept of the “calendar”.

Re-situating Constructionism

John Maxwell — 2008-07-19T04:13:54-00:00

The International Handbook of Virtual Learning Environments (2006), pp. 279-298.

This chapter is in three parts. In the first, I will examine the literature on situated learning, situated cognition, and ecologies of knowledge. In the second, I will explore some significant contributions to thinking about media, science, and technology. In the third and final part, I will focus on the literature of constructionism itself, from the early 1980s to current works, and attempt to trace some trends in the thinking around it. Ultimately, I will attempt to elaborate an ecological approach to understanding educational technology and educational media, an approach that brings together the three areas covered in this chapter. By ecology, I mean a dynamic, evolving system in which actor and environment are inseparable and mutually constitutive, in which both people and cultural artifacts are considered, and in which responsibilities and ethics are emergent and situated. In looking for these qualities in approaches to knowledge, culture, learning, and technology, I believe, we can begin to develop a critical stance with respect to a confusing world.

A History of E-learning: Shift Happened

Linda Harasim — 2008-07-19T04:08:52-00:00

The International Handbook of Virtual Learning Environments (2006), pp. 59-94.

However, the very genesis of e-learning as based on human collaboration in knowledge work and innovation, can be traced to the development of network communication in the late 1960s, with the invention of e-mail and computer conferencing over packet-switched networks in 1971. Historically, these technological innovations introduced an unprecedented opportunity whereby people could communicate and collaborate despite differences in time and place, and they became key to a social, economic, and especially educational paradigmatic shift. The telecommunications revolution both enabled and required fundamentally new forms of societal and economic activity, leading to the knowledge economy. The resultant demands and opportunities impacted and transformed education. This chapter addresses that paradigmatic shift. It begins by presenting an overviewof the history of online education as a context and framework for understanding the state of the art of e-learning today, especially the use of network technologies for collaborative learning. The chapter outlines how the early pioneers contributed to the educational paradigm change and howthe theory and practice of learning has been advanced into new learning theories and models, modes of delivery, instructional roles, instructional designs, and learning processes and outcomes. The goal of the chapter is to provide an overview of the highlights of the early days of e-learning, a sense of the accomplishments, the challenges, and the adventure. The author recognizes that there are many more dots to be added and linked into creating a comprehensive history. I apologize to the many individuals, teams, and projects omitted. Let us keep working at documenting our history. The field and its future deserve it.

Evaluating the use of metaphor in online learning environments

Liz Falconer — 2008-07-18T04:03:24-00:00

Interactive Learning Environments, Vol. 16, No. 2. (2008), pp. 117-129.

Metaphor appears to be an innate tendency in human communication and can be shown to have significant potential when applied to the design of online learning environments. This paper describes and discusses an example of an online research methods learning resource that employs metaphoric navigation. Feedback from the tutors who design and populate the resource and from early pilots with student users is discussed. A particular focus for the discussion is the problem faced by sufferers of autism spectrum disorder, brain damage, and other cognitive disabilities that affect the comprehension of metaphor. Research that demonstrates that autistic tendencies also exist in members of the general population is also discussed as an important consideration in learning environment design. The paper concludes that there appears to be evidence that many people in the general population have traits associated with autism spectrum disorder that are likely to affect their engagement with online learning. This variation in approaches to learning strongly suggests that one single online environment is unlikely to facilitate learning equally in all students. Currently most learning sites and commercial and open source virtual learning environments offer some facility for customization of the interface, but no opportunity for students to choose from a range of environments in which to study. This paper argues that the creation of multiple learning environments which overlay the same learning content is a priority if we are to optimize the experience for the greatest number of learners and avoid exclusion due to disability or learning preferences.

Content and timing of feedback in a web-based learning environment: effects on learning as a function of prior knowledge

Marieke Smits — 2008-07-18T04:02:31-00:00

Interactive Learning Environments, Vol. 16, No. 2. (2008), pp. 183-193.

This study investigated the effectiveness of different types of feedback content (elaborate versus global) and feedback timing (immediate versus delayed) for learning genetics in a web-based learning environment as a function of learners' prior knowledge. It was hypothesized that learning outcomes of students with low prior knowledge would be fostered by immediate elaborate feedback, whereas those of students with more prior knowledge would be enhanced by delayed global feedback. Students' perceptions of the feedback they received were explored. Results showed a significant positive effect of global feedback on learning outcomes for higher prior knowledge learners, although those who received elaborate feedback gave a higher appreciation rating. The findings are discussed in terms of implications for the design and delivery of feedback in web-based learning environments.

A Review of: <i>Kenneth Burke on Shakespeare</i>, edited by Scott Newstok.

Doug Eskew — 2008-07-16T15:10:23-00:00

Rhetoric Society Quarterly, Vol. 38, No. 3. (2008), pp. 341-343.

The effects of focused and unfocused written corrective feedback in an English as a foreign language context

Rod Ellis — 2008-07-16T10:04:07-00:00

System, Vol. In Press, Corrected Proof

Truscott [Truscott, J., 1996. The case against grammar correction in L2 writing classes. Language Learning 46, 327-369; Truscott, J., 1999. The case for "the case for grammar correction in L2 writing classes": a response to Ferris. Journal of Second Language Writing 8, 111-122] laid down the challenge to teacher educators and teachers to justify their faith in written corrective feedback (CF) with hard evidence from studies that have investigated its effects on subsequent writing. The study reported in this article set out to provide evidence that CF is effective in an EFL context. Using a pre-test-immediate post-test-delayed post-test design, it compared the effects of focused and unfocused written CF on the accuracy with which Japanese university students used the English indefinite and definite articles to denote first and anaphoric reference in written narratives. The focused group received correction of just article errors on three written narratives while the unfocused group received correction of article errors alongside corrections of other errors. Both groups gained from pre-test to post-tests on both an error correction test and on a test involving a new piece of narrative writing and also outperformed a control group, which received no correction, on the second post-test. The CF was equally effective for the focused and unfocused groups. This study, together with a few other recent studies, indicates that written CF is effective, at least where English articles are concerned, and thus strengthens the case for teachers providing written CF.

The game of reading and writing: How video games reframe our understanding of literacy

John Alberti — 2008-07-16T09:12:59-00:00

Computers and Composition, Vol. In Press, Corrected Proof

This essay focuses on how video games both highlight our traditional assumptions about reading and writing and suggest alternative paradigms that combine the new and the traditional: - Play. Video games reveal how pleasure and desire are inherent to the reading and writing process. This dimension of gaming helps explain why video games can produce resistance in terms of approaches to writing instruction grounded in maintaining the cultural distinction between play and work. - Authority. The interactivity of video games complicates questions of who authors and authorizes meaning in a discourse community. Video game players are simultaneously readers and writers whose gaming decisions are inscribed within a certain horizon of possibilities but not predictability. The video game is an inherently dialogic discursive space that problematizes the institutionalized distinction between "reading" and "writing" - Return to the visual. The case of video games not only helps restore the understanding of writing as a visual form of communication but also challenges the apparent static quality of the printed text, emphasizing the temporal quality of all communication. In so doing, the study of video games promises to fundamentally rewrite the conceptual binary of process and product in composition pedagogy.

University graduates' workplace language needs as perceived by employers

Tuula Lehtonen — 2008-07-16T08:00:27-00:00

System, Vol. In Press, Corrected Proof

The aim of this article is to focus on the language needs of university graduates at today's workplace as seen through the eyes of their employers. Using interview data from the representatives of 15 Finnish employers, we highlight certain language-related trends at the workplace of university graduates, underline the need for a range of languages and discuss cultural aspects. This research shows that language skills are a highly valued and useful tool, and they are to be understood in a broad sense. It is evident that it is not enough to use only English, as today's workplace is plurilingual and therefore places high demands on a graduate's language skills. In these plurilingual settings, successful communication is of utmost importance. In addition to linguistic matters, cultural sensitivity plays a role at the workplace.

Establishment of a Medical Academic Word List

Jing Wang — 2008-07-16T07:51:26-00:00

English for Specific Purposes, Vol. In Press, Corrected Proof

This paper reports a corpus-based lexical study of the most frequently used medical academic vocabulary in medical research articles (RAs). A Medical Academic Word List (MAWL), a word list of the most frequently used medical academic words in medical RAs, was compiled from a corpus containing 1 093 011 running words of medical RAs from online resources. The established MAWL contains 623 word families, which accounts for 12.24% of the tokens in the medical RAs under study. The high word frequency and the wide text coverage of medical academic vocabulary throughout medical RAs confirm that medical academic vocabulary plays an important role in medical RAs. The MAWL established in this study may serve as a guide for instructors in curriculum preparation, especially in designing course-books of medical academic vocabulary, and for medical English learners in setting their vocabulary learning goals of reasonable size during a particular phase of English language learning.

Beyond Lip-service: An Operational Definition of “Learning-centered College”

William Bosch — 2008-07-16T03:55:33-00:00

Innovative Higher Education, Vol. 33, No. 2. (2008), pp. 83-98.

Abstract Faculty, staff, and student perceptions of high-quality learning experiences were explored using focus groups attempting to define a “learning-centered” college. Common themes emerged suggesting that a successful learning community requires faculty-student collaboration, effective communication, critical thinking skills, reciprocal respect, faculty passion for learning, high expectations of both students and faculty, a variety of teaching and assessment strategies, and student engagement in and responsibility for learning. All groups stressed the need for learning opportunities outside the classroom in both intellectual and social situations. These themes provide a conceptual framework for future campus initiatives, which has broad relevance for other institutions.

Transforming the College through Technology: A Change of Culture

James Mcloughlin — 2008-07-16T03:54:11-00:00

Innovative Higher Education, Vol. 33, No. 2. (2008), pp. 99-109.

Abstract In this article we address the implementation of sustainable technological change among the faculty, staff, and students in the College of Education and Human Services at a mid-western urban institution. We examine cultural factors common to institutions of higher education and then describe particular planning and implementation processes employed at one institution to move faculty and staff from a state of minimal technology use to one of substantial technological competence over a period of years. The process turns out to be robust and stable despite growth over time. We conclude with recommendations for other educational institutions facing similar needs for cultural change in the use of technology.

Long-term Strategic Incrementalism: An Approach and a Model for Bringing About Change in Higher Education

Norman Evans — 2008-07-16T03:52:20-00:00

Innovative Higher Education, Vol. 33, No. 2. (2008), pp. 111-124.

Abstract Innovation and reform are crucial to progress, but higher education institutions are by nature highly resistant to change. This article describes long-term strategic incrementalism, an approach to change advocated by L. Cuban, How scholars trumped teachers: Change without reform in university curriculum, teaching, and research, 1890–1990, Teachers College Press, New York, NY, 1999, and proposes a model based on this approach as a proven way of successfully carrying out change within higher education. The approach and model are illustrated through two cases involving reforms—one at the department level and another at the institutional level.

Designing Virtual Learning Environments for Academic Language Development

Eleni Skourtou — 2008-07-10T03:43:54-00:00

The International Handbook of Virtual Learning Environments (2006), pp. 441-467.

In this chapter, we examine the relationships between pedagogy and the use of information technology (IT) in schools. IT refers not only to computers (hardware and software), but also to the full range of multimedia technological tools that are potentially available to support learning and communication of knowledge (e.g., digital and video cameras, DVD players, etc.). Specifically, we address questions such as: What pedagogical options are available for use of IT in schools? To what extent can IT amplify the impact of different approaches to pedagogy? Is the impact of IT potentially more powerful as a catalyst and support for learningwhen harnessed to certain forms of pedagogy as compared with others? These questions reflect the fact that despite the increase in access to IT in schools, it is not clear what educational problems IT is supposed to solve. Policy-makers assume that IT will promote student achievement but, as documented below, there is still no large-scale support for such an assumption. Furthermore, there is no consensus as to how computers and other new technologies should be used to support learning. In the United States, for example, schools in affluent middle-class areas increasingly tend to use computers to support higher-order thinking through creative project work while those in low-income inner city areas still use computers predominantly to reinforce students’ mastery of basic skills through drill and practice activities (Education Week, 2001).