The purpose of this study was to explore how teacher learning happened informally at the workplace. Another aim was to describe the ways in which informal learning contributes to teacher development. The study also endeavoured to establish if the school supported or hindered informal learning. The method of case study was used to understand how both novice and experienced teachers learn informally in a secondary school. The study examined five teachers’ informal learning experiences in the school by drawing on accounts of the individual teachers’ perceptions and reflections documented in journals, photographs and interviews. The journal entries were used to write narratives which outlined how teachers learnt informally in the workplace. Teachers were asked to take photographs of the places in which they learnt informally. The interviews awarded teachers the opportunity to talk about the photographs they chose to capture. The study found that teachers engage in various forms of informal learning opportunities at school. These opportunities were both planned and unplanned. The research indicated that informal learning is situated. Some of the learning opportunities included being part of a learning community, learning by interacting with colleagues in informal chats and attending meetings. In these instances it was found that teachers learnt with and from others, which is socially. This illustrates collaborative learning in the school. Teachers also engaged in individual learning. It was discovered that the school must provide opportunities for teachers to engage in informal learning. The study considered the various opportunities that existed in the school for teachers to develop and found that such opportunities contributed towards extending teacher knowledge and development. The study found that teachers in the study were willing to take the initiative to seek the learning they thought they required. The study recommends that informal learning be recognised as an authentic form of teacher learning and development in schools. Further, schools must become sites of learning for teachers by creating, encouraging and sustaining learning opportunities. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2011.

Netzbasierte interkulturelle Zusammenarbeit gewinnt in verschiedensten Bereichen mehr und mehr an Bedeutung und wird dementsprechend auch in der Lehre - speziell in E-Learning-Settings immer häufiger thematisiert. Neben den technischen und organisatorischen Herausforderungen gibt es eine ganze Reihe didaktischer Aspekte die es bei der Konzeption und der Durchführung derartiger Arrangements zu beachten gilt. (...)

Online courses of distance learning programmes at universities are designed considering the characteristics and needs of their adult learners. Basically, there are two types of learners in an online course: individual learners and collaborative learners. Designing for learner satisfaction and learning effectiveness for both types of learners is challenging. In fact, previous research has noted that many online courses fail due to poor design. As a solution, researchers have identified instructional design principles that can guide the design of successful online courses. However, these principles lack detailed information to apply them in contexts different from where they had been identified. This consideration raises a question: how does one adapt the existing design principles to design online courses that promote both individual and collaborative learning, particularly in contexts where online courses are supposed to be conducted with minimal teacher support? In the present research, this question is addressed via two sub-research questions: (1) which course components and their design features can promote learners’ satisfaction, perceived learning, and learning effectiveness, and (2) which course components and their design features can stimulate inquiry-based learning and peer-teaching? The research was carried out in the field of educational design research with sets of students and instructional designers of a virtual learning environment prepared for a university-level degree programme in Sri Lanka. Referring to the findings of this research, the thesis discusses how to design online courses that promote both individual and collaborative learning. Further, based on the findings, the thesis presents a set of design principles and guidelines to promote both individual and collaborative learning in online courses that are on information technology related subjects and prepared for distance learning programmes. / SIDA Funded National e-Learning Centre Project at the University of Colombo School of Computing, Sri Lanka

本研究旨在探討基於基因演算法(genetic algorithm)在同時考量先備知識水平及學習角色異質互補，以及社會互動關係同質因素下，發展之最佳化問題導向網路合作學習分組策略，是否有助於提升問題導向網路合作學習之學習成效、互動關係、團體效能與團體凝聚力。 本研究採用準實驗研究法，以新北市某國小六年級三個不同班級合計83名學生為研究對象，並將三個班級學生隨機分派為採用基因演算法最佳化分組策略的實驗組，以及分別採用隨機分組及學生自行選擇分組策略的控制組一與控制組二，三組學習者皆在問題導向學習系統（Problem-based learning system,簡稱PBL）上進行不同分組策略之問題導向網路合作學習活動。藉由學習成效與團體效能與團體凝聚力評量，以及分析三組學習者在問題導向學習系統上的學習歷程與互動關係，最後再輔以半結構式訪談，以驗證三種不同分組策略在學習成效、互動關係、團體效能與團體凝聚力上的差異。 結果顯示本研究所提出之最佳化問題導向網路合作學習分組策略具有提升學習成效之效益；本研究所提出之最佳化分組策略對於促進問題導向網路合作學習之同儕互動具有正面效益；採用不同問題導向網路合作學習分組策略組別學習者在團體效能與團體凝聚力上具有顯著差異；採用最佳化分組策略組別學習者在問題導向網路合作學習的滿意度接近同意的水準。 / This study aims to explore whether the optimized group formation scheme based on genetic algorithm helps students enhance learning performance, interaction, collective efficacy, and group cohesion in collaborative problem-based learning environment. Factors associated with heterogeneous complementation of students’ prior knowledge levels and learning roles and the homogeneity of social interaction relationship were simultaneously considered in the genetic algorithm-based optimized group formation scheme. In this paper, a quasi-experimental research method is employed to assess the effects of three different group formation schemes on the learning performance, interaction, collective efficacy, and group cohesion in collaborative problem-based learning environment. Eighty-three students in three different sixth-grade classes in an elementary school in New Taipei City were invited to participant in the experiment and were randomly divided into three groups: the experimental group, which adopts genetic algorithm-based optimized group formation scheme, and two control groups, one is randomly grouped; while the other allows students group themselves. Learners in these three groups all use collaborative problem-based learning system (CPBL) to perform collaborative problem-based learning activities. Learning performance, interaction, group efficacy and group cohesion evaluation are applied to analyze the learning process and interaction among learners in these three groups. Finally, a semi-structured interview is supplemented to validate the variation of these three different group formation schemes in learning performance, interaction, group efficacy and cohesion. The result showed that the genetic algorithm-based optimized group formation scheme helps students promote learning performance and provides positive effects on peer interaction in collaborative problem-based learning. Three group learners adopting different group formation schemes for collaborative problem-based learning show significant difference on group effectiveness and group cohesion. The satisfaction of learners adopting genetic algorithm-based optimized group formation scheme for collaborative problem-based learning reached a nearly agreed standard.

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Im Rahmen des Bologna-Prozesses wird verstärkt auf Gruppenlernen und Virtualisierung gesetzt. Ziel dieses Beitrags ist eine Aussage über die Effektivität von Gruppenlernen im Virtual Classroom (VC) aus sozialwissenschaftlich-theoretischer Perspektive zu treffen.

For many years universities communicated generic graduate attributes (e.g. global citizenship) their students have acquired after studying. Graduate attributes are skills and competencies that are relevant for both employability and other aspects of life (Barrie, 2004). Over the past years and due to the Bologna Process, the focus on competencies has also found its way into universities' curricula. As a consequence, curricula were adapted in order to convey students both in-depth knowledge of a particular area as well as generic competences (Bologna Working Group on Qualifications Framework, 2005, Appendix 8). For example, students with a Master's degree should be able to “communicate their conclusions, and the knowledge and rationale underpinning these, to specialist and non-specialist audiences clearly and unambiguously” (p. 196). This shift has been supported by the demand of the labour market for students that have achieved social and personal competencies, in addition to in-depth knowledge (Heidenreich, 2011). On course level, this placed emphasis on collaborative learning, which had led to “greater autonomy for the learner, but also to greater emphasis on active learning, with creation, communication and participation” (Downes, 2005). The shift to collaborative learning has been supported by existing learning theories and models (Brown et al., 1989; Lave and Wenger, 1991; Vygotsky, 1978), which could explain the educational advantages. For example, collaborative learning has proved to promote critical thinking and communications skills (Johnson and Johnson, 1994; Laal and Ghodsi, 2012). As Haythornthwaite (2006) advocates: “collaborative learning holds the promise of active construction of knowledge, enhanced problem articulation, and benefits exploring and sharing information and knowledge gained from peer-to-peer communication” (p. 10). The term collaboration defies clear definition (Dillenbourg, 1999). In this article, cooperation is seen as the division of labour in tasks, which allows group members to work independently, whereas collaboration needs continuous synchronisation and coordination of labour (Dillenbourg et al., 1996; Haythornthwaite, 2006). Therefore, cooperation allows students to subdivide task assignments, work relatively independent, and to piece the results together to one final product. In contrast, collaboration is seen as a synchronous and coordinated effort of all students to accomplish their task assignment resulting in a final product where “no single hand is visible” (Haythornthwaite, 2006, p. 12). Due to the debate about digital natives (Prensky, 2001) and “students' heavy use of technology” in private life (Luo, 2010, p. 32), teachers have started to explore possible applications of modern technology in teaching and learning. Especially wikis have become popular and gained reasonable attention in higher education. Wikis have been used to support collaborative learning (e.g. Cress and Kimmerle, 2008), collaborative writing (e.g. Naismith et al., 2011), and student engagement (e.g. Neumann and Hood, 2009). A wiki is a “freely expandable collection of interlinked Web ‘pages’, a hypertext system for storing and modifying information - a database, where each page is easily editable by any user” (Leuf and Cunningham, 2001, p. 14; italics in original). Thereby, wikis enable the collaborative construction of knowledge (Alexander, 2006). With the intention to take advantage of the benefits connected with collaborative learning, this doctoral thesis focuses on the facilitation of collaboration in wikis to leverage collaborative learning. The doctoral thesis was founded on a constructivist understanding of reality. The research is associated with three different research areas: adoption of IT, computer-supported collaborative learning, and learning analytics. After reviewing existing literature, three focal points were identified that correspond to the research gaps in these research areas: factors influencing students' use of wikis, assessment of collaborative learning, and monitoring of collaboration. The aims of this doctoral thesis were (1) to investigate students' intentions to adopt and barriers to use wikis in higher education, (2) to develop and evaluate a method for assessing computer-supported collaborative learning, and (3) to map educational objectives onto learning-related data in order to establish indicators for collaboration. Based on the research aims, four studies were carried out. Each study raised unique research questions that has been addressed by different methods. Thereby, this doctoral thesis presents findings covering the complete process of the use of wikis to support collaboration and thus provides a holistic view on the use of wikis in higher education.

This research investigated elementary classroom teachers' experiences in a collaborative learning community (CLC) on the topic of supporting the literacy learning of students with characteristics of ADHD. Five general education classroom teachers participated in biweekly CLC meetings over a 5-month period. Qualitative methods of data gathering were employed in the form of participant observations in the classroom and during 9 CLC meetings. Participants were also interviewed three times. The first interview was conducted before the CLC meetings began, the second interview was conducted immediately after formal CLC meetings had ceased, and the final interview was conducted 6 months after meetings had ended. Three main findings emerged from the research. First, participants' literacy teaching of their students with characteristics of ADHD was positively influenced as a result of their participation in the CLC. This positive influence came through an interaction of factors related to their knowledge, skills, attitudes, and beliefs. It also resulted from a reconceptualization of both their understanding of their students with characteristics of ADHD and of themselves as literacy teachers. Second, certain aspects of the CLC contributed to this positive outcome. These aspects were the opportunity to work with colleagues, participant control over the format and content of CLC, and repeated opportunities to reflect on and refine teaching practice. Third, personal and contextual factors shaped the participants' experiences within the CLC. Participants who had challenges during their own schooling were more driven and committed to understand and respond to their students’ diverse learning needs. Participants with the most number of years of teaching experience had a more fully realized skill set, higher levels of self-efficacy, and lower levels of stress related to teaching and meeting the needs of their students with characteristics of ADHD. Implications for school literacy teaching, preservice education, in-service education, and future avenues for research are discussed in light of the findings.

L’innovation pédagogique pour elle-même s’avère parfois discutable, mais elle se justifie quand les enseignants se heurtent aux difficultés d’apprentissage de leurs étudiants. En particulier, certaines notions de physique sont réputées difficiles à appréhender par les étudiants, comme c’est le cas pour l’effet photoélectrique qui n’est pas souvent compris par les étudiants au niveau collégial. Cette recherche tente de déterminer si, dans le cadre d’un cours de physique, la simulation de l’effet photoélectrique et l’utilisation des dispositifs mobiles et en situation de collaboration favorisent une évolution des conceptions des étudiants au sujet de la lumière. Nous avons ainsi procédé à l’élaboration d’un scénario d’apprentissage collaboratif intégrant une simulation de l’effet photoélectrique sur un ordinateur de poche. La conception du scénario a d’abord été influencée par notre vision socioconstructiviste de l’apprentissage. Nous avons effectué deux études préliminaires afin de compléter notre scénario d’apprentissage et valider la plateforme MobileSim et l’interface du simulateur, que nous avons utilisées dans notre expérimentation : la première avec des ordinateurs de bureau et la seconde avec des ordinateurs de poche. Nous avons fait suivre à deux groupes d’étudiants deux cours différents, l’un portant sur une approche traditionnelle d’enseignement, l’autre basé sur le scénario d’apprentissage collaboratif élaboré. Nous leur avons fait passer un test évaluant l’évolution conceptuelle sur la nature de la lumière et sur le phénomène de l’effet photoélectrique et concepts connexes, à deux reprises : la première avant que les étudiants ne s’investissent dans le cours et la seconde après la réalisation des expérimentations. Nos résultats aux prétest et post-test sont complétés par des entrevues individuelles semi-dirigées avec tous les étudiants, par des enregistrements vidéo et par des traces récupérées des fichiers logs ou sur papier. Les étudiants du groupe expérimental ont obtenu de très bons résultats au post-test par rapport à ceux du groupe contrôle. Nous avons enregistré un gain moyen d’apprentissage qualifié de niveau modéré selon Hake (1998). Les résultats des entrevues ont permis de repérer quelques difficultés conceptuelles d’apprentissage chez les étudiants. L’analyse des données recueillies des enregistrements des séquences vidéo, des questionnaires et des traces récupérées nous a permis de mieux comprendre le processus d’apprentissage collaboratif et nous a dévoilé que le nombre et la durée des interactions entre les étudiants sont fortement corrélés avec le gain d’apprentissage. Ce projet de recherche est d’abord une réussite sur le plan de la conception d’un scénario d’apprentissage relatif à un phénomène aussi complexe que l’effet photoélectrique, tout en respectant de nombreux critères (collaboration, simulation, dispositifs mobiles) qui nous paraissaient extrêmement utopiques de réunir dans une situation d’apprentissage en classe. Ce scénario pourra être adapté pour l’apprentissage d’autres notions de la physique et pourra être considéré pour la conception des environnements collaboratifs d’apprentissage mobile innovants, centrés sur les besoins des apprenants et intégrant les technologies au bon moment et pour la bonne activité. / The educational innovation itself is sometimes debatable but it is justified when the teachers confront the learning difficulties of their students. In particular, some notions of physics are notoriously hard for students to understand, as is the case for the photoelectric effect which is not often comprehended by the students at the college level. This research tries to determine if, as part of a physics course, the simulation of the photoelectric effect and the use of mobile devices in collaborative situations facilitate an evolution of the student’s conceptions about the concept of light. We have proceeded to develop a scenario of collaborative learning by integrating a simulation of the photoelectric effect on handheld devices (Pocket PC). The design of scenario was first influenced by our socioconstructivist vision of learning. We conducted two preliminary studies to complete our scenario of learning and to validate the platform « MobileSim » and the interface of the simulator used in our experiment. The first studies were completed with a simulation on computers and the second with a simulation on Pocket PC. After that, we carried out the experimentation with two groups of students. The control group was assigned to the traditional approach of teaching and the experimental group was assigned to the approach based on the developed scenario of collaborative learning. We have conducted a test twice to assess a conceptual change about the nature of light and about the phenomenon of the photoelectric effect and related concepts. The first test (pre-test) before the students are involved in the course and the second (post-test) after completion of experiments. Our results in the pre-test and post-test were completed by conducting semi-structured individual interviews with all students, by video recordings and recovered traces (on log files or on paper). Students in the experimental group obtained good results in the test compared to those of the control group. We noted an average gain of learning qualified at a moderate level according to Hake (1998). Interview results were used to identify some conceptual difficulties of student learning. Analysis of collected data from video sequences, questionnaires and recovered tracks allowed us to better understand the process of collaborative learning and has revealed that the number and the time of interactions between students are strongly correlated with the gain of learning. At first, this research project is a success in the designing of a learning scenario of a phenomenon as complex as the photoelectric effect and respects many criteria (collaboration, simulation, mobile devices, etc.) that it seemed for us extremely utopian to combine them in an effective learning situation in the classroom. For instance, this scenario could be adapted to the learning of other concepts in physics. It could also be considered for the design of collaborative environments for innovative mobile learning focused on the needs of learners that integrate the technologies at the right time and for the right activity.

The purpose of this study was to explore the factors that contribute to online collaboration in a web-based course by investigating the impact and the potential of an online learning environment in terms of both the students&#039 / and instructor&rsquo / s perceptions about learner benefits, learner support, motivation, computer mediated communication, and group work. A mixed methods case study design was thought to be appropriate to match the purpose of the study, thus a combination of components normally found in descriptive, case study and qualitative research was used to analyze the data. The study was conducted in the context of &ldquo / CSIT444-Online Web Design&rdquo / , an online course offered by the Institute of Distance Education of East Mediterranean University (EMU) in Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. This course was designed and developed by the instructor working at the Department of Computer Education and Instructional Technology of the Middle East Technical University located in Ankara and carrying out the classes for this course as online for the students at EMU. The participants were the instructor and 209 vocational education last year students, who participated in the course for three successive semesters, at the School of Computing &amp / Technology. In order to explore the perceptions of the students, they were asked to complete a questionnaire at the end of the each semester. Of the 209 participants 175 students ranked their agreement on each twenty eight five-point Likert-type item and 129 of them wrote also their comments about their online learning experience by answering the open-ended item in the questionnaire. Several interviews were conducted with the instructor using the informal conversational interview approach to explore his perceptions through his reflections on his online teaching experience in the web-based course. The perceptual student responses from the questionnaire were analyzed quantitatively. The responses to the open-ended item in the questionnaire and informal interviews were evaluated qualitatively to find out the emerging themes. In addition, the online learning environment offered in the web-based course was examined by using the instructional design framework. This study concluded that both the students and the instructor perceived the online collaborative learning/ experience positively by reporting that it was a beneficial and motivating experience with the availability of group work, CMC, and adequate support structure. Several specific factors that contributed to collaboration via CMC in the web-based course were identified under seven major topics. By considering these factors, it is hoped that the results will yield better solutions in terms of providing meaningful online learning experiences.