This research studied changes in ten middle school students' scientific conceptions during interaction with a computer microworld designed adaptively for exploring phases of the moon. Following direct observations of lunar phenomena, five students participated in the development of the computer microworld. The researcher implemented software design requests from the students based on their real world and microworld experience. Five different students used the final revised microworld and provided additional feedback. All sessions were transcribed and analyzed. Evidence from this case study suggests that this constructionist activity was a good catalyst for inducing conceptual change in learners—especially the five who had considerable ownership in the software development. Implications for classroom teaching strategies and suggestions for future research are offered.

There have been many claims as to the benefits of personal digital assistants (PDA) as tools in education, but little objective data concerning device usage patterns. The aim of this project was to overcome this deficiency by objectively investigating the use of mobile devices in teaching and learning, specifically in the process of formative assessment. A bespoke PDA application was written, which recorded in detail when PDA applications were being used and overcame a number of technical barriers in securing this information for later analysis. This data, along with information on student access to the University Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) and final student examination results, formed the main objective datasets recovered in the project. Novel data analysis tools and methodologies were developed to mine the extensive, heterogeneous datasets obtained, and efficiently characterise how students used PDA applications. Finally, data analysis was performed on four cohorts of students: i) fourteen joint honours students in electronics and software engineering, where researchers learned that even for technologically adept students, simple issues (such as failure to replace batteries and resultant data loss) could significantly restrict useful research outputs; ii) five summer school students using quiz applications and question sets, where the first significant evidence of the educational benefits of using mobile devices was obtained; iii) students who failed to interact in any way with what they saw as obsolete devices, emphasising the importance of keeping student PDAs current with modern technology; iv) a full scale trial involving a 1st year cohort of BTechEd students, where the lessons learned in phases 1-3 were applied. In the trials, technical and human-computer interface barriers to securing useful data were encountered and overcome, and guidelines for future good practice, of significant use to practitioners in the research area, determined. Patterns and modes of their PDA use - considering a range of factors including overall duration of use, use as a function of time of day or time of week, and the complexity of use (e.g. frequency of application switching within a usage session) - were obtained and correlated with exam results and access to the University VLE. A number of usage characteristics of successful and unsuccessful learners were extracted from this data. In addition to these results, novel student behaviour was observed, with volunteer students actively avoiding returning data despite stated interest in the project, lowered technical barriers, significant inducements, and guarantees of data anonymity. We suggest a number of social factors, including on the nature of peer group formation in student cohorts and the socially disruptive nature of new technology, as contributing to this effect and identify the area as worthy of future investigation.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Kent State University, 2007. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed July 2, 2007). Advisor: Drew Tiene. Keywords: wikis, online group collaboration, distance education, read/write web, web 2.0, collaborative writing. Includes survey instrument. Includes bibliographical references (p. 246-260).

There is a need to solidify the common folklore understanding of what acceptable behaviors are for computer network users. The process of solidification should provide for the development of a paradigm that will be utilized in the formulation of computer use policy. Those who craft computer use policy should move away from the model of a network as a superhighway to a model of a network as a commonly shared resource. The current process for formulating and reviewing an Acceptable Use Policy--an AUP--has generally not evolved as quickly as the rapidly expanding user base and changing demographics. Given the changes in user demographics on computer networks, there is a rapidly growing need to better understand the computer network and to create AUP's based upon questions of social interaction. Such questions might attempt to address the issues of cooperation and sharing of resources. For example, faced with the temptation to behave selfishly--to overuse the resources, how can a group of people (through its AUP) establish and maintain cooperative behavior? To begin the process of answering such questions, this dissertation suggests focusing on the question: "How do privacy aspects of the First and Fourth Amendments impact the formulation of Acceptable Use Policy for an on-line computer network?" This dissertation suggests that privacy is a foundational concept in developing an understanding of the nature of the social activities which are growing in cyberspace. This dissertation also chronicles the transition from informal gentleman's agreement AUP's toward more formalized ones. The research in this dissertation was accomplished by accessing a number of legal resources such as Lexis/Nexis, Westlaw, Web sites on the Internet, a law library, and several Mailing Lists involved in discussions of online legal issues. Other sources, such as government documents, existing and out of date Acceptable Use Policies, and legislative testimony, were reviewed. Personal communication with a number of eminent legal scholars also provided a valuable resource. This dissertation concludes that an Acceptable Use Policy should be in place to govern use of computer networks. The Acceptable Use Policy should become much more of a social contract in the manner of many campus faculty and student handbooks, and, even in the manner that the U.S. Constitution is a social contract for the U.S. population. AUP's should be locally developed by those who have a foundational understanding of: (1) legal principles of privacy, search and seizure, and due process, and, (2) management theory involving the use of commonly shared resources.

This research seeks to apply the concepts of collaborative learning and open learner modelling in order to find out whether seeing their own group learner model helps learners improve their learning in a computer-based collaborative learning environment. There is previous work on giving back information about learning performance as a group but very little, if any, empirical work on the benefits of a group open learner model (GOLM). A major benefit of collaborative learning is to encourage learners to learn further from what they cannot achieve when do it by themselves but they can manage with another. Combining this with viewing and judging the information about learning found in a learner model, it was expected that this would increase their learning awareness in order to improve their learning performance. Without such group learner models, learners might not improve their learning performance in the collaborative learning environment as much as they might. To find out whether opening the group learner models helped learners to improve their learning performance we developed a system called 'GOLeM', and we focused on the learner's score on learning concepts and their degree of confidence in their answer. GOLeM was used as a learning environment to test for evidence in relation to two comparisons of individual performance. The first was a comparison of individual performance between participants in a non computer-based individual learning environment and a computer-based collaborative learning environment. The second respect was to compare the results of learning in two different computer-based collaborative learning environments which were only different in terms of whether or not the learners could see their group learner model. The content of number-conversion is chosen for the domain knowledge. Dialogue games and sentence openers are used to implement a chat-tool to exchange beliefs between peers. Bar charts and textual explanations are used as external representations of learning performance as a group. The system was implemented and tested in two versions: paper-based, for the plausibility of the content and the user interface; and computer-based, for comparing the learning results among three different learning environments regarding the two respects above. To make sure what we built was valid – in terms of suitable content applied to the right target group of learners, we did several tests. These tests consist of a questionnaire with multiple choice questions applied to a small group of participants some of whom have a background in computing, and some have no background in computing. The questionnaire was examined for the suitability of its content and for the target group. A modified questionnaire was used with 122 participants who have a background in computing to validate in relation to the difficulty level and item discrimination. Five questions were selected as representative of the domain knowledge for a paper-based design and applied to six pairs of learners for the suitability of the questions and the number to be used, time taken, user interface, etc before developing the computer-based version. Regarding the comparison between participants in a non computer-based individual learning environment and a computer-based collaborative learning environment, the results show there is a significant difference at the 5% level in terms of learning concept-score and degree of confidence in favour of individual learning performance of learners in collaborative learning environment. Considering the comparison of learning between the two computer-based collaborative learning environments, participants who are able to see their learning performance as a group learner models both before the group test and after each item of the group test, have a slightly higher concept-score and improved degree of confidence than those who cannot see these learner models. Moreover there evidence regarding the participant's self-assessment and peer-assessment, their opinion of the helpfulness of seeing the group learner model and their satisfaction in using this system confirms that further study in this area is justified. It leads to the conclusion that in these specific circumstances, learners benefit more from learning and seeing their group learner model. However the evidence that we have here is not sufficient to answer whether it is likely to be true that other systems like this will always lead the better learning. As a result, we plan to continue our work in both similar and different directions to improve the strength of the conclusion that providing group learner model in a computer-based collaborative learning environment helps learners to benefit from learning. The thesis mainly contributes to both CSCL and AIED communities for further study of GOLeM itself. Regarding the AIED community, GOLeM can be used for the further study on the benefits of seeing learning performance as a group learner model both before and after performing a group-test. Regarding the CSCL community, using this GOLeM with either a larger or a wider variety of groups of learners focusing on knowledge contribution during the group-test for the concrete evidence to support that social interaction has an impact on collaborative learning. The evidence that we have found suggests that being able to see a GOLM improves learning. Though this evidence is not statistically significant, this thesis has provided the most thorough empirical examination of the benefits of a GOLM so far.

This thesis is about students’ approaches to learning (SAL) in computer science education. Since the initial development of SAL instruments and inventories in the 70’s, they have been used as a means to understand students’ approaches to learning better, as well as to measure and predict academic achievement (such as retention, grades and credits taken) and other correlating factors. It is an instrument to measure a student’s study strategies – not how “good” a student is. A Swedish short version of Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students (ASSIST) was used to gather information on whether we, through context and content, encouraged sustainable study behaviour among our students. ASSIST was used in two distinct situations: 1) Evaluation and evolvement of an online programming course design, and 2) Engineering education in media technology and computer science in a campus environment where approaches to learning has been evaluated and studied over time during the five year long programmes. Repeated measurements have been analysed against factors predicting academic achievement, and have been evaluated on a cohort level (not individual) in order to clarify patterns rather than individual characteristics. Significant for both projects was that a surface approach to learning correlated negatively with retention. Students who adopted a combination of deep and strategic approach to learning performed better in terms of grades, ECTS credits completed and perceived value of the education. As part of developmental tools it can be beneficial to use ASSIST at a group level in order to see what kind of approach a course design or a programme supports among the students. / <p>QC 20161028</p>

Since the introduction of chat technology there has been resistance within education to fully engage with it partly due to policy making that has left teachers disempowered (UCLAN 2002:66). Unlike other innovative technologies, its use has been limited. Pastoral support has developed significantly in education but in some instances, like chat rooms, has been viewed with scepticism. One reason for this scepticism may be that a clear measurable link between support and achievement is not easily proven. However, there is widespread acceptance that academic success is not the only measure of intelligence (Gardner 2006) and that supporting and understanding how young people communicate with each other and feel supported is an important research area for development. This research uses exploratory case study to consider the introduction of a bounded bespoke chat system into a sixth-form college. A range of sources are considered including semi-participant observation, chat transcripts and observational diaries. It is shown that the introduction of such a system can be managed effectively and be useful for students. The research reveals there are critical drivers for its successful introduction. The first relates to the role of the moderator, including perceptions about them and their impact on rules and boundaries for behaviour. The study shows that finding moderators with the appropriate level of skill is challenging. It also shows that students access support online in different ways compared to offline and that the use of topics can influence their behaviour. Anonymity, gender, the use of „text speak‟ and participant consciousness all affect communication. Future research is proposed into the specific impact of the gender of the moderator on chat usage, the impact of an individual institutional culture on the willingness of learners to use chat, attitudes of stakeholders towards chat and the purpose of "lurking" in bounded environments.

Esta tese de doutoramento trata da integração da teoria piagetiana com a Ciência da Computação, mais especificamente, a análise de ferramentas computacionais do ponto de vista da lógica operatória. Para isso, foi preciso investigar, em primeiro lugar, a teoria do sujeito individual, no que se refere a função simbólica e reinterpretar estes conceitos no objeto. Neste caso, o objeto e a ferramenta computacional de uso individual. Portanto, somente a partir deste estudo foi possível construir o modelo geral de interação de um sujeito qualquer com uma ferramenta computacional, para depois analisá-la operatoriamente. Em um segundo momento, introduziu-se a teoria do sujeito coletivo que, para caracterizá-lo, foi necessária a compreensão de alguns conceitos relevantes da teoria em questão envolvidos nas noções de interação interindividual e cooperação. A partir de então, foram construídos os modelos interativos mais simples de um sujeito coletivo com três tipos de ferramentas computacionais de uso cooperativo. Para isso, foram abordados alguns aspectos relativos a Computação Cooperativa ou CSCW - Computer Supported Cooperative Work. Da mesma forma que ocorre no nível individual, foram analisadas operatoriamente ferramentas computacionais de uso cooperativo. / This thesis integrates the piagetian theory with Computer Science, more specifically, the computational tools analysis, from an operatory-logical point of view. For that, it was necessary to investigate, in a first step, the individual subject theory, in relation to the symbolic function and to interpret this concept in the object. In that case, the "object" is a computational tool for individual use. After this study it was possible to construct the general interaction model of any subject with a computational tool and to analyse it in an operatory form. In a second step, we introduce the collective subject theory. For that it was necessary to comprehend some relevant concepts of the theory in question involved in the notions of interindividual interaction and cooperation. After that, it was constructed the simplest interactive model of a collective subject in interaction with three types of computational tools for cooperative use. For that, some concepts related to CSCW or Computer Supported Cooperative Work were reported. In the same way that occurred in the individual level, the computational tools for cooperative use were analysed in an operatory form.

Esta tese de doutoramento trata da integração da teoria piagetiana com a Ciência da Computação, mais especificamente, a análise de ferramentas computacionais do ponto de vista da lógica operatória. Para isso, foi preciso investigar, em primeiro lugar, a teoria do sujeito individual, no que se refere a função simbólica e reinterpretar estes conceitos no objeto. Neste caso, o objeto e a ferramenta computacional de uso individual. Portanto, somente a partir deste estudo foi possível construir o modelo geral de interação de um sujeito qualquer com uma ferramenta computacional, para depois analisá-la operatoriamente. Em um segundo momento, introduziu-se a teoria do sujeito coletivo que, para caracterizá-lo, foi necessária a compreensão de alguns conceitos relevantes da teoria em questão envolvidos nas noções de interação interindividual e cooperação. A partir de então, foram construídos os modelos interativos mais simples de um sujeito coletivo com três tipos de ferramentas computacionais de uso cooperativo. Para isso, foram abordados alguns aspectos relativos a Computação Cooperativa ou CSCW - Computer Supported Cooperative Work. Da mesma forma que ocorre no nível individual, foram analisadas operatoriamente ferramentas computacionais de uso cooperativo. / This thesis integrates the piagetian theory with Computer Science, more specifically, the computational tools analysis, from an operatory-logical point of view. For that, it was necessary to investigate, in a first step, the individual subject theory, in relation to the symbolic function and to interpret this concept in the object. In that case, the "object" is a computational tool for individual use. After this study it was possible to construct the general interaction model of any subject with a computational tool and to analyse it in an operatory form. In a second step, we introduce the collective subject theory. For that it was necessary to comprehend some relevant concepts of the theory in question involved in the notions of interindividual interaction and cooperation. After that, it was constructed the simplest interactive model of a collective subject in interaction with three types of computational tools for cooperative use. For that, some concepts related to CSCW or Computer Supported Cooperative Work were reported. In the same way that occurred in the individual level, the computational tools for cooperative use were analysed in an operatory form.

Esta tese de doutoramento trata da integração da teoria piagetiana com a Ciência da Computação, mais especificamente, a análise de ferramentas computacionais do ponto de vista da lógica operatória. Para isso, foi preciso investigar, em primeiro lugar, a teoria do sujeito individual, no que se refere a função simbólica e reinterpretar estes conceitos no objeto. Neste caso, o objeto e a ferramenta computacional de uso individual. Portanto, somente a partir deste estudo foi possível construir o modelo geral de interação de um sujeito qualquer com uma ferramenta computacional, para depois analisá-la operatoriamente. Em um segundo momento, introduziu-se a teoria do sujeito coletivo que, para caracterizá-lo, foi necessária a compreensão de alguns conceitos relevantes da teoria em questão envolvidos nas noções de interação interindividual e cooperação. A partir de então, foram construídos os modelos interativos mais simples de um sujeito coletivo com três tipos de ferramentas computacionais de uso cooperativo. Para isso, foram abordados alguns aspectos relativos a Computação Cooperativa ou CSCW - Computer Supported Cooperative Work. Da mesma forma que ocorre no nível individual, foram analisadas operatoriamente ferramentas computacionais de uso cooperativo. / This thesis integrates the piagetian theory with Computer Science, more specifically, the computational tools analysis, from an operatory-logical point of view. For that, it was necessary to investigate, in a first step, the individual subject theory, in relation to the symbolic function and to interpret this concept in the object. In that case, the "object" is a computational tool for individual use. After this study it was possible to construct the general interaction model of any subject with a computational tool and to analyse it in an operatory form. In a second step, we introduce the collective subject theory. For that it was necessary to comprehend some relevant concepts of the theory in question involved in the notions of interindividual interaction and cooperation. After that, it was constructed the simplest interactive model of a collective subject in interaction with three types of computational tools for cooperative use. For that, some concepts related to CSCW or Computer Supported Cooperative Work were reported. In the same way that occurred in the individual level, the computational tools for cooperative use were analysed in an operatory form.