University Technical College (UTC) schools are academies for 14-19 year olds. They are distinguished by close links to industrial and university partners to encourage vocational learning, particularly in STEM subjects. Currently 50 are open in England, with more in development. Their expansion is a key strategic objective in the government’s 2016 Educational Excellence Everywhere strategy document. This research analyses data collected through students’ perceptions of their experience of the UTC curriculum model in two detailed case studies. The research questions examine how the approach to the delivery of the curriculum enhances learner motivation. Three main factors are identified as supportive to encouraging learner motivation in the UTC schools studied: a strong focus on developing links with business partners to facilitate career progression goals for learners; an intensive, unique curriculum delivery style; rigorous target-setting in a supportive learning environment. This is a curriculum model which supports independent learning, collaborative learning with peers and vertical -group learning on challenging, employer -led projects.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / The purpose of this study was to determine whether a match between a participant's learning style and type of online instruction improved learner performance on tests measuring comprehension and retention. Learning style was measured by the Self-Directed Leamer Readiness Scale (SDLRS) and the Grasha-Riechmann Student Learning Style Scale (GRSLSS) and online instruction varied among online courses, recorded online courses, and computer-based tutorials. The setting for the study was a high tech machine vision company in Massachusetts and online users of its products were the participants. Three groups of learners participated in the study: employees, high school students, and customers. All three groups were comprised of engineers or engineering students. All 106 participants completed a survey that measured their preference for self-directed and collaborative learning style with the standard instruments SDLRS and GRSLSS. Participants completed 323 pre- and post-tests for 46 live online courses, recorded online courses, and computer-based tutorials during the data collection phase of the study. Those participants learning in their preferred learning style had the highest mean improvement from pre- to post-tests. Those participants with average or below average scores for self-directed and collaborative learning style showed the least improvement. The results of this study supported the hypothesis that matching the type of activity, collaborative or self-directed, to the learner's preferred learning style improved performance. The study included ten research questions. / 2031-01-01

Learning and memory abilities decline with age; however collaborative learning with a familiar partner has been found to improve older adults’ performance on memory tasks and reduce these age-related differences. However it is unclear whether collaborating with a familiar partner is more beneficial to learning compared with collaborating with a stranger. Similarly, it is unclear whether older adults collaborate similarly with human and computer partners. The aim of this PhD thesis is to understand the role of collaborator identity on collaborative learning, and to investigate whether collaborative learning is as efficient and accurate with a range of learning partners. While collaborative learning is a socially-based memory task, the relationships between collaborative learning and social cognition have not yet been explored. The secondary aim of this thesis is to use experimental collaborative learning paradigms alongside standardised and experimental measures of social cognition to explore whether social cognition accounts for a significant amount of variance in collaborative learning performance with different partners. Two studies compare younger and older adults’ learning with familiar and unfamiliar partners on different collaborative learning paradigms. Two subsequent studies compare older adults’ learning on computerised versions of the collaborative learning tasks with partners they perceive to be humans or computers based on recordings of natural human or synthetic speech respectively. In all studies, measures of social cognition were used to assess whether social abilities affect learning outcomes with different partner types. When comparing older and younger adults’ results, familiarity had no effect on learning or immediate or delayed recall performance. Older adults initially took longer to complete the learning trials but performed with similar efficiency as younger adults by the final trials. Younger and older adults recalled collaboratively learned information with comparable accuracy after a delay of one hour, however after one week, older adults recalled the route less accurately than younger adults. Social cognition was not related to collaborative learning with familiar partners, but was related with unfamiliar partners, suggesting that those who are better able to take the perspective of another person may benefit during interactive learning. Social cognition was related to collaborative learning with perceived human partners but not perceived computer partners. This thesis offers a new perspective on the interplay between social and cognitive function in collaborative learning with different learning partners, and explores the differences between younger and older adults when learning collaboratively. The findings are discussed in relation to cognitive, social, and technological theories. On the whole, collaborative learning can result in older adults learning with similar speed and accuracy to younger adults; while familiarity does not improve learning outcomes, perceived human-ness does.

This thesis examines the work of nonprofit organizations collaborating with communities to build civic capacity in North Highland Park, a neighborhood in Richmond, Virginia. Place-focused planning strategies during the twentieth century diminished civic capacity in the community and fostered isolation. Today, collaborative community work in Highland Park is incorporating the assets, resources and knowledge held in the community into strategies to improve quality of life using collaborative learning. A case study approach closely analyzes community engagement and revitalization processes in North Highland Park between 2011 and 2017. Nonprofit organizations mobilized and led a group of community-based collaborators, including nonprofit staff members, government officials, nonprofit funders, and residents. In Highland Park, nonprofit organizations collaborate with communities, emphasizing shared ownership and collaborative learning, to build civic capacity in the community.

In this study, the students in my Year 8 high school mathematics class and I set out to develop a functional and effective collaborative peer interactive classroom learning environment. This research was informed by the multiple theoretical perspectives of collaborative learning in mathematics education, Vygotskian learning and teaching approaches, and the Constructivist referent for pedagogic practices. Merging these perspectives into a viable foundation for our classroom practices led to the successful development of our collaborative peer interactive classroom learning environment.Working in groups of three or four, the students developed their social norms and utilised a collaborative approach to their learning of mathematics. Groups engaged in discussion, explanation, negotiation, peer teaching, giving help, receiving help and consensus building as part of their daily routine in our classroom. I kept qualitative and quantitative records of our progress as we worked to improve our collaborative peer interactive classroom learning environment during the first six months of the school year. I collected daily fieldnotes, audio and video recordings, observations taken by researcher colleagues, learning environment surveys and a variety of other artefacts. All of this data was analysed daily, weekly and monthly, so producing the monthly narratives upon which we based our determination of the success of this implementation.By adopting a Vygotskian perspective we utilised our peer interactive environment to develop and enhance 'scientific' and 'everyday' concepts through individual and group dynamic, overlapping (multiple) 'zones of proximal development' as well as our classwide 'zone of proximal development'. Our constructivist perspective aided us in focusing on our prior knowledge and experiences, which in turn enhanced the effectiveness of our collaborative ++ / classroom learning environment. We utilised the MCI and CLES learning environment measures to direct our endeavours to further improve our collaborative peer interactive classroom learning environment. The detailed analysis of the data from Months 1, 2 and 3 of this implementation, coupled with highlight analysis of the data from Months 4, 5 and 6, led me to conclude that teachers and their students can develop a functional and effective collaborative peer interactive classroom learning environment based on the multiple theoretical perspectives utilised in this study.This research improved my practice as a teacher and provided a functional and effective collaborative peer interactive classroom learning environment for the students to work in. It informed many of the calls for further research of this type and established that the theoretical concepts, upon which the implementation was founded, were valuable and useful in the practical setting of our collaborative peer interactive classroom. The findings are also valuable for the support which they offer to the latest movements in education, particularly the student-centred, outcomes-based approaches to learning and teaching. These approaches advocate the use of collaborative learning environments, and this study provides strong guidance as to how such environments can be successfully implemented.

Cross-media games are evolving as a new exciting platform for gaming where different devices are used to create a type of game play were a variant of devices, such as mobile phones and laptops are used. This thesis investigates the possibility of merging cross-media games into the domain of Mobile Learning to create a type of mobile learning game where collaboration becomes a vital part of the game play and style enhances collaboration between the users. By studying cross-media games, key features are captured and converted into requirements that are realised in a prototype that enables cross-media gaming with the intention of creating an environment in which learning could be supported. The development process of the prototype is described and evaluated in the thesis. The result presents a categorization of the key features for cross-media gaming and a prototype of a cross-media game. The thesis investigates which are the key technical features for creating cross-medial games for learning that can be identified for supporting the development process? The results presents a categorization of identified features along with potential future work based on the thesis. It is shown that features related to data sharing are highly prioritized and that certain features are absolutely required to enable cross-media gaming whilst others have less priority.

The purpose of this study was to explore collaborative English language learning beyond formal classrooms. On the basis of Vygotsky¡¦s socio-cultural perspective, specific focus was placed on English as Foreign Language (EFL) learners¡¦ collective scaffolding and tension they experienced during the collaboration. The researcher utilized case study to design this research. Participants were eleven EFL learners who were non-English majors in a university and who joined the same English self-access community together. The period of data collection was from middle-March to early-October, 2009, during which the researcher conducted observation, interview, and document collection. Constant comparison method was used at the early stage of data analysis. Further analysis was influenced by the concepts of tension (Kramer, 2004; Montgomery, 1993; Spielmann & Radnofsky, 2001) and collaborative strategies, such as problematizing move (Ming & Law, 2006; Reiser, 2004). Three findings of this study were reported. First, these learners practiced collective scaffolding by co-shaping norms and co-constructing English knowledge. Second, during collective scaffolding, these learners experienced two kinds of tension. One of the tensions was their shared difficulties in developing English knowledge and maintaining English activities. When these learners could not overcome these difficulties, they terminated their English activities, which was negative for their collective scaffolding. The other tension was their conflictive voices deriving from different perceptions of English learning. When these learners were able to show their empathy toward conflictive voices among peers, they were more likely to handle these conflicts to practice collective scaffolding. Although this study centered on how these EFL learners assisted one another¡¦s learning, it also discovered that most EFL learners in this study highlighted the tutor¡¦s role in helping peer collaboration. Discussions of this study are as follows: 1) these learners¡¦ practice of collective scaffolding echoes Wenger¡¦s (1998) community of practice; 2) tension these learners experienced shows the importance of developing regular and predictable learning routines and maintaining the balance between product-orientation and process-orientation for learning; 3) these learners¡¦ concern about peers¡¦ English proficiency reflects their investment in distributing group resources and cultivating English knowledge. This study provides three implications for English learning and teaching. First, it is suggested that English language learners who participate in English self-access communities respect others¡¦ perceptions of English learning, so that peer collaboration for English learning can be enhanced. Second, English language learners are encouraged to cultivate their autonomous and active learning through developing and joining an English self-access community. Third, English teachers or tutors are encouraged to gain understanding about how to assist peer interaction appropriately in order to support collaborative learning. Finally, four directions for further studies are offered: 1) further studies can compare different English self-access communities to offer multiple perspectives on collaborative learning beyond classrooms; 2) further studies can investigate the assistance of tutors to understand the importance of expert scaffolding in peer collaboration; 3) further studies can analyze the role of a leader in different contexts of an English self-access community to examine how the leader can influence and enhance the practice of collective scaffolding; 4) further studies can examine the influences of distinct genders, majors, and media on collective scaffolding.

With the emerging use of technological interventions in education, e-learning systems contribute immensely in educational delivery. However, with substantial efforts from the Rwandan Government, there were still claims about the lack of online support systems for thesis process in Rwandan higher education, which significantly affect the quality of research. Furthermore, previously implementations of e-learning systems at University of Rwanda have failed because of a low adoption rate. This study follows the introduction of the learning management system “SciPro” used for supporting supervisors and students in thesis writing. The purpose of the study was to understand the adoption of the SciPro System in support of thesis process for bachelor and master’s programs from a supervisor’s perspective at University of Rwanda (UR). An embedded case study was used as a research strategy. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) was used as the theoretical frame of reference for the study. Data was collected from 42 workshop participants using a questionnaire. Moreover, convenient interviews and participant observations were conducted at 5 of the 6 colleges during and after system testing. A researcher realized that the current thesis process is still manual-based and there is no holistic computer-supported system for thesis related activities. Results from correlation analysis and regression analysis for the questionnaire showed that the facilitating conditions provided by UR were the key factor that would influence the adoption of SciPro positively. Effort expectancy perceived by supervisors proved to have a significant correlation to their Behavioral Intention to use the system. The study also revealed that there were other factors outside SciPro System, such as management support, Internet access, lack of a clear ICT policy and E-learning policy; and to motivate innovators and early adopters that should be considered throughout the implementation process to enhance adoption.

Cooperative tutoring in a writing center setting consists of two tutors who work collaboratively with one student. It is a variation of one method of training new tutors, where the novice tutor observes the expert tutor during a tutoring session and eventually participates with the expert tutor. This study focused on the interactions between the tutors. Through cooperative tutoring, tutors learn new or different tutoring approaches from each other, which in turn serves as ongoing professional development. I explain the methodology used in the study, and I analyze the data. From the data analysis, I identify three preliminary categories, which are Equal Partners, New Alliance, and Trainer/Trainee. Equal Partners sessions are characterized by a strong sense of camaraderie between the tutors and a willingness to share both tutoring and academic writing strategies with each other and the student. During an Equal Partners session, tutors acknowledge the other tutor's strategies and incorporate parts of it into their own tutoring style. These sessions are more directive, and the tutors' focus is on teaching specific strategies for academic writing as well as passing on college survival lore. New Alliance sessions occur when both tutors are more actively engaged with the overall topic of the student's paper. Both of the tutors and the student share experiences and ideas on a personal level, working towards understanding how to craft ideas through academic discourse. In this way an alliance is formed with the writing center tutors and the student. During the Trainer/Trainee sessions, the tutors involved attempt to apply cooperative tutoring techniques but were unable to make the shift from the roles they once held as a trainer and a trainee. Finally, I present a summary and interpretation of my findings. I also discuss the limitations of the study and indicate areas for further research.

Engineering educators have called for research on how best to foster and assess the development of collaborative expertise, particularly around engineering design. Mental models are internal representations depicting understanding. The quality of mental models and their similarity amongst group members have been found to influence performance and group processes in a range of disciplines: For example, flight, military, medical, and business teams. The purpose of this thesis was to examine three attributes (content, structure, within-group similarity) of the mental models of first-year undergraduate engineering students hold about both collaboration and engineering design in the context of a course-based engineering design project. Participants were 251 undergraduate engineering students enrolled in a first-year engineering course. Mental models were measured using relatedness ratings. This exploratory study drew upon network analysis indices and used descriptive, correlational, and comparative statistical techniques. Findings indicate (a) monitoring was viewed as the least central collaborative idea represented in the engineering students’ mental models, (b) quality or expertise is indicated by the level of connection pruning in students’ mental models, (c) performance and the quality of mental models of collaboration are associated, and (d) within-group collaborative mental model compatibility was more related to performance than mental model overlap. This study contributes to engineering education by suggesting mental models of the collaborative process are an essential factor to consider when preparing undergraduate engineering students to engage in collaborative engineering design. / Graduate