This research study delves into the multifaceted realm of social presence in online education, encompassing the existence and manifestation of social presence indicators in students' engagement with discussion boards within asynchronous online courses. Social presence manifests when individuals perceive themselves to be simultaneously present with others through a communication medium, thereby cultivating a shared sense of togetherness. The dissertation addresses the impact of course disciplines, exploring the significant influence of both STEM and non-STEM courses on the manifestation of social presence indicators. Furthermore, the study delves into the influence of course duration on the social presence level, unveiling critical insights into the challenges posed by prolonged courses on sustaining student engagement and interaction.This study, randomly selecting sample from Coursera, employed a methodology, encompassing both quantitative and qualitative analysis, to assess social presence within online courses. The approach consisted of five key stages, involving Python-based web crawling, manual keyword identification, data processing, statistical analysis using R, and qualitative exploration. The insights obtained offer valuable suggestions for enhancing social presence in future online educational settings. While acknowledging certain limitations regarding sample size and keyword identification, the study provides valuable contributions to the evolving landscape of online education research, offering practical implications for course design and facilitation in promoting an enriched and engaging online learning environment. / Communication Sciences

Recent studies have focused on international students’ needs and experiences in counseling training and supervision, however, there is a lack of research regarding effective approaches for supervising international students. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether international counseling supervisees' perceptions regarding the degree to which multicultural discussion occurred in their university supervision moderates the relationship among supervision related variables, including acculturation, counselor self-efficacy, supervisory working alliance, and role ambiguity in supervision. The research questions were: (a) Does the frequency of cultural discussions in university supervision, as perceived by international counseling supervisees, moderate the relationship between acculturation to the US and counseling self-efficacy among international counseling students in the US, (b) Does the frequency of cultural discussions in university supervision, as perceived by international counseling supervisees, moderate the relationship between supervisory working alliance and counseling self-efficacy among international counseling students in the US, and (c) Does the frequency of cultural discussions in university supervision, as perceived by international counseling supervisees, moderate the relationship between supervisory working alliance and counseling self-efficacy among international counseling students in the US. Three moderation analyses were utilized, using regression analysis, to answer each research question. The results from the analysis indicated no significant moderating affect of frequency of multicultural discussions among supervision related variables of interest. Interpretation of the results included possibility of a direct relationship among the variables, or other potential moderators as well as probability of false negative results (Type II Error). / School of Education; / Counselor Education and Supervision (ExCES) / PhD; / Dissertation;

Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

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. / Internet access and the increased use of course management systems to supplement classroom instruction in higher education in the last decade (Green, 1996; 2006) present instructors with opportunities to combine online and classroom instruction to enhance student learning. Computer-mediated communication tools like e-mail, discussion forums, and chat rooms available in course Web sites make it possible to continue course discussions beyond the time and space of the classroom. The interactions resulting from instructor use of the discussion board - an asynchronous communication tool available in most course management systems - in two web-enhanced courses that used Blackboard TM are investigated in this study. The most important finding of this study was the interaction and synergy between online and classroom discussions that resulted in several benefits for the professors and students. Semi-structured interviews with the professors and 26 students as well as classroom observations indicated that online and classroom discussions influence each other in web-enhanced courses, and that combining online discussions with classroom discussions can benefit both instructors and students. High student participation in classroom as well as online discussions, additional opportunities for engagement with course content, high instructor-student and student-student interaction, reflection on course readings, and exposure to multiple student perspectives were some benefits cited by both students and professors in the study. The professors reported additional benefits such as insight into students' understanding of readings and time saved planning, structuring, and grading course discussions. Based on the findings, two models for the integration of online discussions in the classroom are presented and the role played by instructional design, instructor participation, instructor feedback, and instructor use of online discussions in crafting a comprehensive learning experience are highlighted in this research. The findings of this study reinforce the importance of choices that instructors make when using technology to achieve their goals and learning objectives. The report concludes with recommendations for instructors wishing to integrate online discussions into the classroom in higher education and directions for future research. / 2031-01-01

Education reform has created an environment in the Early Years sector in which Early Years Practitioners (EYPs) are increasingly directed to look for outcomes, rather than developing an understanding about the process of learning. The issue of EYP competence and knowledge is often overestimated by an education system which assumes that confidence and high levels of understanding are standard. Therefore, reconciling the difference between what policies expect, and what EYPs can do, is of great interest. Working from a Vygotskyian perspective on group collaboration and peer learning, this study examines the effect of an intervention with a team of EYPs, who took part in group supervision sessions to explore their Observation, Assessment and Planning practice. The aim is to help to develop a model which can support and enhance professional practice. The study began with four participants who attended ten facilitated group discussions over ten months, in which they addressed specific observational issues to gain insight into how their key child was learning. These sessions provided an opportunity for the participants to engage in professional dialogue and robustly analyse their observations. Data was interpreted using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), to explore how a group approach might support the participants’ professional development and their understanding of children’s learning. The EYPs reported links between their own learning within the group and changes in their practice and understanding about children's learning. Evidence from the study suggests that the Group Intervention had a positive impact on the participants’ practice and that they developed skills in making professional judgements about how best to support and extend the child’s learning. The findings also suggest that collaborative endeavours are a key factor in helping EYPs to succeed at their OAP tasks and enable the development of professional learning.

Submitted by Silvana Teresinha Dornelles Studzinski (sstudzinski) on 2016-08-25T12:44:53Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Bianca Andrade_.pdf: 330379 bytes, checksum: d2155ed8ff3610cb77571fa1cada60bd (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-25T12:44:53Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Bianca Andrade_.pdf: 330379 bytes, checksum: d2155ed8ff3610cb77571fa1cada60bd (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-06-14 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Esta é uma dissertação sobre os dilemas bioéticos. O objetivo deste trabalho é determinar quais são os dilemas, quais são os dilemas em bioética, quais são os assuntos comuns a todos os dilemas e classificar dilemas em bioética dividindo-os em categorias para diminuir a incerteza em torno destas discussões políticas. Eu pretendo construir um sistema que poderia ajudar-nos especialistas em ética, eticistas, reconhecer o que questões que estamos lidando e que, provavelmente, seria um primeiro passo para a resolução de dilemas em bioética. / This is a dissertation about bioethical dilemmas. The aim of this work is to determine what are dilemmas, what are dilemmas in bioethics, what are the subjects common to all dilemmas and classify dilemmas in bioethics dividing them into categories to diminish the fuzziness around these polemical discussions. I plan to build a system that could help us, ethicists, recognize what issues we are dealing with and that would probably would be a first step towards the resolution of dilemmas in bioethics. The scope of the work will be: this introduction, a chapter about dilemmas divided into simplified dilemmas, amplified dilemmas and moral mathematics and bioethical dilemmas: why solve them, a chapter about problems involving all dilemmas: the matter of time and well-being and suffering, a chapter on a proposal on bioethical dilemmas: identity dilemmas, self-consciousness dilemmas, future suffering dilemmas and freedom dilemmas and the conclusion.

No description available.

To feel at home and to find your place identity in a completely different setting than you are used too requires a whole new type of coping with changes. In order to cope, there are different aspects that can help you. Either it be your personality, the physical surroundings or the people that you have by your side. This thesis has had the aim of examining how and why refugees feel at home in the city of Umeå, Sweden. What has been clear is that the interviewed refugees do feel at home in Umeå, this mostly because of social activities with friends and family, not as much because of the physical attributes Umeå has as a city. Place identity, seen from different theoretical perspectives, has been clear in that identity is mostly created in harmony with a place and what the place has to offer socially and not always due to the physical attraction of the place, which has been visible in discussion with the refugees in the study. Instead, place identity for the interviewed individuals has been created through the conceptions, interpretations, ideas and related feelings the individuals have to Umeå.

Thèse (M.A.)--Université Laval, 2007. / Bibliogr.: f. 126-132. Publié aussi en version électronique dans la Collection Mémoires et thèses électroniques.

No description available.