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Previous research suggests that the optimal time of day (TOD) for cognitive function for young adults occurs in the afternoon and evening times (Allen, et al. 2008; May, et al. 1993). The implication is college students may be more successful if they schedule classes and tests in the afternoon and evening times, but in asynchronous learning environments, “class” and tests take place at any TOD (or night) a student might choose. The problem is that there may be a disadvantage for students choosing to take tests at certain TOD. As educators, we need to be aware of potential barriers to student success and be prepared to offer guidance to students. This research study found a significant negative correlation between TOD and assessment scores on tests taken between 16:01 and 22:00 hours as measured in military time. While this study shows that academic performance on asynchronous assessments was high at 16:00 hours, student performance diminished significantly by 22:00 hours. When efforts were taken to mitigate the extraneous variables related to test complexity and individual academic achievement, the effect TOD had on assessment achievement during this time period was comparable to the effect of test complexity on that achievement. However, when analyzed using a small sub-set of the data neither GPA nor TOD could be used to predict student scores on tests taken between 16:01 and 22:00 hours. Finally, individual circadian arousal types (evening, morning and neutral) (Horne & Ostberg, 1976) and actual TOD students took tests were analyzed to determine if synchrony, the match between circadian arousal type and peak cognitive performance, existed. The synchrony effect could not be confirmed among morning type students taking this asynchronous online course, but evidence suggests that synchrony could have contributed to student success for evening types taking this asynchronous online courses. The implication of this study is that online instructors, instructional designers and students should consider TOD as a factor affecting achievement in asynchronous online courses. Results of this research are intended to propose further research into TOD effects in asynchronous online settings, and to offer guidance to online students as well as online instructors and instructional designers faced with setting deadlines and advising students on how to be successful when learning online.

Titel: Varför YouTube? Title: Why YouTube? Författare: Björn Lindgren I den här studien har syftet med undersökningen varit att synliggöra varför några elever använder sig av YouTube i sitt lärande av sång och instrumentspel. Undersökningen började med en enkät med elever från ett musikestetiskt gymnasium i årskurs 3. Utifrån enkäten valdes fem frivilliga elever ut till att delta i intervjuer. Genom enkäten kom det fram att alla elever som använder YouTube i syfte att lära sig något på sitt instrument eller i sin sång främst bara lär sig specifika låtar, vilket också bekräftas i intervjuerna. Databearbetningen av intervjuerna visade på resultat som kunde delas in i fem olika kategorier/orsaker till varför elever vänder sig till YouTube, nämligen smidighet, självklarhet, mångfald, låtarna och skola. I resultatet förklaras hur YouTube upplevs som en plats där eleverna med självklarhet och enkelhet kan klicka sig fram till en instruktionsvideo som passar dem. Här lär de sig i sitt eget tempo, när de vill och när de har tid.

[pt] O presente estudo parte da premissa de que o processo de ensino aprendizagem precisa se ajustar (1) às novas possibilidades educacionais decorrentes da viabilidade legal de oferecer vinte por cento do conteúdo na modalidade semi-presencial; (2) às ferramentas tecnológicas hoje disponíveis e (3) às características de aprendizagem que estudantes desenvolvem pela intensa exposição tecnológica e pelo envolvimento em atividades próprias da área do Design. Esta investigação visa apresentar Diretrizes para um ambiente de aprendizagem baseada em ferramentas de comunicação assíncrona disponibilizadas nas comunidades virtuais de aprendizagem da Instituição A. As abordagens que fundamentam as diretrizes estão ancoradas nas áreas da educação e da ergonomia. O trabalho foi estruturado em quatro momentos. O primeiro constitui-se na fundamentação teórica. O segundo momento circunscreve o estudo de caso realizado no curso de Design da Instituição A. O terceiro momento constitui-se na análise de conteúdo das informações coletadas por meio da técnica Delphi. Por fim, a quarta etapa envolve a estruturação das diretrizes para a aprendizagem Assíncrona no Curso de Design da Instituição A. / [en] This study assumes that the teaching-learning process needs to be adjusted: (1) to the new educational possibilities arising from the legal possibility to offer twenty percent of the content in distance learning, (2) the technological tools available today, and (3 ) the learning characteristics that students develop by the intensive technological exposure and the involvement in Design typical activities. This research aims at presenting a guidelines for learning based on asynchronous communication tools of the virtual learning environment available by the Institution A. The guidelines are anchored in the education and ergonomic areas. The work was structured in four stages. The first constitutes the theoretical approach. The second stage addresses a case study in the design course of the Institution A. The third stage constitutes a content analysis of the information collected through the Delphi technique. Finally, the fourth step involves the structure of the guidelines for asynchronous learning in the Design Course of the Institution A.

This study sought to identify factors that influence the adoption of Web-based courses by State University of New York faculty members engaged in professional development and preparation of teachers. The central question of this research study was: What factors and concerns affect State University of New York teacher education faculty members' decisions regarding development and implementation of Web-based courses? The study addressed issues raised during earlier research efforts on the objections, problems, or barriers to the use of distance learning during the academic preparation of teachers. Earlier studies revealed technical barriers surrounding the perceived reliability or unreliability of hardware components or software available to instructors. Non-technical problems centered on professional objections to online courses. Job security, intellectual property rights, course control, and the constant requirement to learn or maintain new skills were listed as concerns by faculty. Implementation of Web-based courses also required a training period for faculty. Teacher education programs found within the State University of New York were selected as the focus of this study due to the availability of a structured resource for faculty seeking to develop and present online courses to their students. State University of New York faculty respondents in these programs were experienced educators who viewed Web-based teaching within the context of pre-service teacher preparation as important or very important but were concerned about "quality" issues such as student discussion or interaction, the suitability of course content, and concerns that more time is needed to prepare online courses without any corresponding support or policy guidance from institutional administration. Few courses were offered to pre-service teachers in the setting that was studied. Many respondents viewed the use of Web-mediated instruction as inconsistent with the requirements of pre-service classroom observation or other efforts to develop teaching skills. Several respondents reported that they had no online teaching experience but indicated some exposure to online teaching resources. This would suggest that hybrid courses (a mix of classroom contact supported by Web-based classes) should be explored. / Ed. D.

This paper investigates students’ attitudes towards using gestures and speech-to- text (GaST) to take notes while watching recorded lectures. A literature review regarding video based learning, an expert interview, and a background survey regarding students’ note taking habits led to the creation of the prototype AnnotEasy, a tool that allows students to use GaST to take notes. AnnotEasy was tested in three iterations against 18 students, and was updated after each iteration.  The students watched a five minute long lecture and took notes by using AnnotEasy. The participants’ perceived ease of use (PEU) and perceived usefulness (PU) was evaluated based on the TAM. Their general attitudes were evaluated in semi structured interviews.  The result showed that the students had a high PEU and PU of AnnotEasy. They were mainly positive towards taking notes by using GaST. Further, the result suggests that AnnotEasy could facilitate the process of structuring a lecture’s content. Lastly, even though students had positive attitudes towards using speech to create notes, observations showed that this was problematic when the users attempted to create longer notes. This indicates that speech could be more beneficial for taking shorter notes.

The purpose of this study was to assess radiography faculty perceptions of the effectiveness of asynchronous online courses. Learning effectiveness in a web-based virtual learning environment (VLE) was the conceptual framework for this project (Piccoli, Ahmad, & Ives, 2001). For the purposes of this study, learning effectiveness was defined as the quality of learning being comparable between online and traditional courses (Moore, 2011). Ten research questions were used to guide this study, and statistical tests were conducted to evaluate 17 null hypotheses. The statistical tests included use of one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Pearson correlations, and single-sample t-tests. Ten of the 17 null hypotheses were rejected. Research findings indicate that the effectiveness of online courses is not significantly affected by faculty position, type of institution, faculty age, or years of teaching experience. Faculty perceptions of the effectiveness of online courses increase with years teaching online courses, number of online courses taught in the past 5 years, and perceived competence with use of technology.

This study aimed to explore the effects of instructional methods in the asynchronous web-based &ldquo / Science and Math Teaching Methods Course&rdquo / on pre-service teachers&rsquo / achievement, metacognition, and attitudes towards computer, WWW, and the web-based course. It was conducted with two groups, total of 63 third grade pre-service teachers, and one instructor (the researcher), in the Elementary Education Department at Bosphorus University in the academic year of 2003-2004. The Instructor used `Direct Instruction` method based on behaviorist approach for one group, and `Indirect Instruction` method based on constructivist approach for the other one. The general metacognition questionnaire and, attitude scales for the computer and WWW were given as pretests, and after a fourteen-week treatment period they were given as posttests to both groups. Additionally, in the middle of the semester a midterm exam, and at the end of the semester a final exam, and attitudes towards web-based course scale were administered. Thus, the effectiveness of the two different instructional methods was compared. The data obtained were analyzed by statistical techniques of multivariate analyses of covariance. Results of the statistical analyses indicated that the group exposed to the web-based indirect instruction had significantly higher achievement on the final exam than the one exposed to the web based direct instruction. On the other hand, the group exposed to the web based direct instruction had significantly higher attitudes towards web-based course than the one exposed to the web-based indirect instruction. However, the statistical analyses failed to show any significant differences between the groups on the midterm exam, metacognition, and, attitudes towards computer and WWW.

While online students should take charge of their own learning and form collaborative learning communities, constructivist instructors should scaffold online learning without dominating course discussions. This research continues the longitudinal investigation of web-based courses at the Faculty of Education, University of Pretoria. The mixed methodological approach this investigation followed consisted predominantly of qualitative methods, augmented with quantitative approaches. I used two distinct online tools to explore student participation in an eight-week online Masters’-level course delivered via the WebCT™ platform. First, I reviewed the use of metaphors in the literature by a framework of requirements for successful online learning. The use of metaphor supports constructivism, facilitates course interaction, helps to avoid students’ initial inertia in online discussions, and contributes to the development of virtual learning communities. I researched how an explanatory metaphor as tool supported online participation and indicated that metaphors eased students’ communication of important and difficult issues. Secondly, I used the tool of a covert virtual student that also acted as an additional facilitator and course helper. I examined the ethical implications of the carefully concealed real identity of the mythical online helper, methical Jane. As she took part in all course activities and assignments, as well as providing her co-students with cognitive and technical support, the students accepted and integrated her presence in their virtual learning community. I consequently analysed students’ reactions to her identity after disclosure of her origin after the course. Although the exposure precipitated students’ shock, disbelief and dismay as she was a convincing virtual student, they did not object to the presence of a virtual student, but rather felt betrayed due to her hidden real identity. The benefits of this teaching intervention include experts supplying technical expertise, multiple faculty enriching the learning experience, and support and teaching assistants and tutors participating with smaller groups in large online classes. I further examined how frequency of course access, discussion postings, collaborative behaviour and integration into a virtual learning community relate to learning and course completion. Quantitative indices indicated highly significant differences between the stratifications of student performance. Absent and seldom-contributing students risked missing the benefits of the online learning community. Students were discontent with peers who rarely and insufficiently contributed to group assignments. Low participation varied from only reading, skimming, or deliberately harvesting others’ contributions, to high student contributions of little value. Conclusions on the formation of an online learning community indicate that the passport to membership of the community is quality participation, rather than prior peer acquaintance. I indicated that students’ learning benefited from contributing high quality inputs to online learning communities while students with poor participation did not benefit from the online learning community. Online facilitators contribute to students’ learning through the timeliness and quality of tailored scaffolding. Recommendations for future research include uncovering the reasons for students’ stressful experiences of online learning; the effect of online assessment on student course participation; the alignment of learning metaphors in multi-cultural learning environments; and the support of non-participating online students. / Thesis (PHD)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Curriculum Studies / unrestricted

CoordenaÃÃo de AperfeiÃoamento de Pessoal de NÃvel Superior / Entre as mudanÃas globais enfrentadas nas pouco mais de trÃs Ãltimas dÃcadas, destacam-se as maneiras como a informaÃÃo, no espaÃo digital e na Web, à acessada, inter-relacionada e ressignificada, no aspecto da construÃÃo de novos conhecimentos e saberes. Estas mudanÃas estÃo significativamente vinculadas à quebra de paradigmas e crises entre as Ãreas de conhecimento. Neste cenÃrio, a sociedade enfrenta uma inesperada corrida de rÃpidas transformaÃÃes, fusÃes e nascimento de novas Ãreas de conhecimento interdisciplinares, carreando o processo educacional para uma contÃnua e desafiante crise. Progressivamente, o uso pedagÃgico das TIC ocupa os espaÃos da outrora educaÃÃo conservadora presencial e instrucionista, outorgando cenÃrios favorecedores à integraÃÃo pedagÃgica entre: as mÃdias, o construtivismo, a autonomia, a criatividade e o aprender juntos. Nas prÃximas dÃcadas, decorrerÃo mudanÃas significativas nas propostas de avaliaÃÃo, notadamente voltadas para o desenvolvimento da aprendizagem colaborativa, em espaÃos assÃncronos, o que suscita profundas reflexÃes, concernentes Ãs transposiÃÃes teÃrico-metodolÃgicas e prÃticas, que incidirÃo sobre a ressignificaÃÃo e relaÃÃes entre o desenvolvimento da aprendizagem e sua avaliaÃÃo. A presente investigaÃÃo, de carÃter qualitativo e de pesquisa-aÃÃo, se insere no cenÃrio do desenvolvimento de atividades pedagÃgicas colaborativas, expressas por narrativas, postadas em FÃruns de discussÃo, durante o transcurso de uma disciplina de InformÃtica na EducaÃÃo, ofertada presencialmente pelo Departamento de Fundamentos da EducaÃÃo da FACED/UFC, em que majoritariamente participaram estudantes de graduaÃÃo. A proposta didÃtica da disciplina se baseia nos pressupostos da teoria da aprendizagem significativa ausubeliana, no mapeamento cognitivo, na visÃo de Okada, e no estar junto virtual, segundo Valente e Almeida. Foram escolhidos dois de seus FÃruns temÃticos disciplinares, que abordavam as temÃticas de estudo: o uso pedagÃgico de mapas conceituais e pressupostos da avaliaÃÃo formativa da aprendizagem, numa visÃo construtivista (AUSUBEL, FERNANDES, MASETTO, PERRONOUD, ZABALA). Parte do referencial teÃrico da Tese permeia a avaliaÃÃo na forma clÃssica e contribuiÃÃes nÃo clÃssicas, que apontam para a necessidade de se repensar a avaliaÃÃo, numa Ãtica do construtivismo e da aprendizagem assÃncrona. Os conjuntos de narrativas, postados pelos estudantes, sÃo constituÃdos por dados multidimensionais fortemente entrelaÃados, que foram mapeados e analisados, sob a forma de categorias, à luz do referencial teÃrico e objetivos adotados na Tese, sob o foco da anÃlise textual discursiva (MORAES, GALIAZZI) e da anÃlise qualitativa de dados multidimensionais, fazendo-se o uso do software CHIC (ALMOULOUD, PRADO, VALENTE). Em seguida, partindo-se de uma Ãrvore de similaridade, gerada pelo CHIC, foram estabelecidas inter-relaÃÃes hierÃrquicas e relacionais, entre as categorias, organizadas em trÃs eixos temÃticos, e as narrativas dos cursistas, de modo a analisar, numa Ãtica do referencial teÃrico da Tese, como se desenvolve a aprendizagem e como a avaliaÃÃo, qualitativa e formativa, pode estar associada ao desenvolvimento da aprendizagem. Da anÃlise multidimensional das narrativas dos cursistas, numa Ãtica transdisciplinar, emergiram indÃcios preliminares de inter-relaÃÃes hierÃrquicas e relacionais, entre os trÃs campos de conhecimentos desenvolvimento da aprendizagem, avaliaÃÃo e saberes pedagÃgicos e tecnolÃgicos, e as aÃÃes pedagÃgicas vivenciadas nos FÃruns TelEduc, que questionam se repensar os pressupostos da avaliaÃÃo da aprendizagem e a convergÃncia dos futuros caminhos das prÃticas pedagÃgicas e avaliativas. / Among the global challenges, FACED during the last three decades, it is important to point out the different ways how the information, in the digital space and on the Web, is accessed, interrelated, in order to give a new meaning, according the aspect of building new knowledges. These changes are meaningful linked to paradigms break and crises between the areas of knowledge. In this scenario, the human society faces an unexpected rush of rapid transformations, mergers and birth of new areas of interdisciplinary knowledge, leading the educational process for continuous and challenging crisis. Progressively, the pedagogical use of ICT occupies the space of the once classroom and instructional conservative education, favoring granting scenarios to the pedagogical integration of: media, constructivism, autonomy, creativity and learning together. In the coming decades, it will take significant changes in the proposal evaluation, notably focused on the development of collaborative learning in asynchronous spaces, which raises profound reflections, concerning the theoretical and methodological and practice transpositions, which will focus on redefining and relationships between learning development and its assessment. This research, that is qualitative and action research, is included in the scenario of the development of collaborative educational activities, expressed by narratives, posted in the TelEduc discussion Forums, during the development of activities on a course of informatics in Education, offered by the Department of Education Foundations of FACED/UFC, where mostly attended graduate students. The didactic proposal of the course is based on the assumptions of the theory of Ausubel‟s meaningful learning, cognitive mapping, in Okada's vision, and on the learning together in the virtual space, according to Valente and Almeida. Two of his disciplinary thematic forums were chosen which addressed the topics of study: the educational use of concept maps and assumptions of formative assessment of learning, according the constructivist view (AUSUBEL; FERNANDES; MASETTO; PERRENOUD; ZABALA). Part of the Thesis theoretical framework permeates the assessment in a classical view and non-classical contributions, what point out to the need to rethink the assessment in a perspective of constructivism and asynchronous learning. The sets of narratives, posted by students, are made up of multidimensional data strongly intertwined, which were mapped and analyzed in the form of categories. This is done based on the theoretical framework and objectives adopted in this Thesis, from the perspective of the discursive textual analysis (MORAES; GALIAZZI) and the multi-dimensional analysis for qualitative data, making the use of software CHIC (ALMEIDA; ALMOULOUD; VALENTE). Then, starting from a similarity tree, generated by CHIC, hierarchical and relational interrelationships have been established between the categories, organized into three themes, and the narratives of the course participants. This is done in order to analyze, in a perspective of the theoretical framework of the Thesis, how learning can be developed and how the assessment, qualitative and formative, may be associated with the learning development. From the multidimensional analysis of the narratives of the course participants, and according a transdisciplinary perspective, it was emerged preliminary evidence of hierarchical and relational interrelationships, between the knowledge fields learning development, assessment and technological pedagogical content knowledge, and the collaborative pedagogical actions, experienced in the TelEduc Forums, that induce to rethink the assumptions of the assessment of learning and the future possibles ways of the pedagogical and assessment practices.