Synthetic Learning Environments (SLEs) represent a hybrid of simulations and games, and in addition to their pedagogical content, rely on elements of story and interactivity to drive engagement with the learning material. The present work examined the differential impact of varying levels of story and interactivity on learning. The 2x2 between subjects design tested learning and retention among 4 different groups of participants, each receiving one of the 4 possible combinations of low and high levels of story and interactivity. Objective assessments of participant performance yielded the unexpected finding that learners using the SLE performed more poorly than any other learning group, including the gold-standard baseline. This result is made even more surprising by the finding that participants rated their enjoyment of and performance in that condition highest among the four conditions in the experiment. This apparent example of metacognitive bias has important implications for understanding how affect, narrative structure, and interactivity impact learning tasks, particularly in synthetic learning environments.

The thesis investigated the use of combination of sections using learning steps in the development of courseware presentation in the 3D Virtual Worlds platform. The technical objective of the study is to present the design of multisection strategy in developing healthcare course in 3D Virtual World online environment. The main aim of this study is to know the effects of multisection [objective, tutorial (with or without video), quiz and test] sections incorporation in an online 3D Virtual World towards the usability. The empirical research described in this thesis comprised three experimental phases. In the first phase, an initial experiment was carried out with 21 users to explore the usability and learning performance of courseware created using 3D the Virtual World platform of Second Life. The second experiment phase involved an experiment conducted with 30 users to investigate their perception, satisfaction and performance of the role of each main section involved in Virtual World courseware. In the third phase, a total of 30 users experimentally examined a unique approach to the use of video segment added in the Tutorial section of the OTQT framework. The overall obtained results demonstrated the usefulness of the tested multisection to enhance the development of healthcare course in an online learning of 3D Virtual World program. These results in three experiments provided a set of unique and empirically derived guidelines for the design and the use of three multisection frameworks to generate more usable courseware in the 3D Virtual Worlds of an online learning interface. For example, when designing avatars as animated virtual lecturers in e-learning interfaces, specific facial expression and body gestures should be incorporated due to its positive influence in enhancing learners¿ attitude towards the learning process.

Syftet med vår kvalitativa studie är att undersöka några förskollärares resonemang kring arbetet med lärmiljöers utformning, samt studera lärmiljöer ur ett tillgänglighetsperspektiv. Genom semi-strukturerade intervjuer med verksamma pedagoger och observationer på deras respektive avdelningar kunde datamaterial samlas in. Detta material har vidare analyserats med hjälp av tematisk analys och de valda teoretiska perspektiven – systemteoretisk perspektiv och The Theory of Affordances. Det som framkommit av det analyserade datamaterialet är att struktur både kan gynna och hämma barns handlingsmöjligheter i lärmiljöerna. Ur ett systemteoretiskt perspektiv påverkar miljön barnen som vistas i den. Tillgängligheten bör anpassas efter de barn som vistas i lärmiljöerna, vilket i sin tur ska ge barn en känsla av självtillit. Däremot kan pedagoger, genom sin barnsyn och sitt sätt att utforma lärmiljöerna, sänka barns självförtroende om inte kraven balanseras. Lärmiljöers tillgänglighet kan påverka barns kreativitet beroende på vad för material och hur materialet erbjuds och presenteras. Därmed spelar det roll i vilken utsträckning förskolorna får ekonomiska resurser för att köpa in material, men även investera i kompetensutveckling för pedagogerna. Kompetensen kring specialpedagogik och inkluderingsarbetet är av största vikt i utformningen av tillgängliga pedagogiska lärmiljöer, då barnen enligt lag och riktlinjer har rätt till en tillgänglig och god lärmiljö. Vi har kunnat identifiera att flertalet förskolor använder sig av pedagogisk dokumentation som en strategi för att kartlägga barns individuella behov och de handlingsmöjligheter som lärmiljöerna erbjuder, för att kunna justera lärmiljön på det mest optimala viset för barngruppen. Dock sker inte detta på ett systematiskt sätt, utan en enda förskola arbetar kontinuerligt med att reflektera över lärmiljön och göra justeringar i utformningen då arbetet med lärmiljöer enligt forskning bör vara föränderlig. Slutligen har vi kunnat studera att tydliggörande pedagogik är en strategi som används på samtliga förskolor på ett eller annat sätt och att det krävs mer forskning om bildstöd i förskolan, då det är ett outforskat område. Många barn är inskrivna i förskolan idag och det ställs höga krav på förskolepedagoger i förskolan idag att möta varje barns unika behov, men det krävs även att resurser och kunskap går i linje med de kriterierna.

Since culturally diverse people need to collaborate in the 21st century, Higher Education adopted global citizenship education (GCE) to promote a cosmopolitan mindset. Learners in the digital era can use various modes of communication, exerting individual agency so that learners can construct global minds through their communication experiences. Blended learning based on learner-centered knowledge construction may provide extended spaces where learners can shape a personally trusted and collectively consensual vision of the global mind. A qualitative evaluation case study explored learners' perception shifts regarding autonomous identity formations and confidence-trust-building in a blended course under GCE. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, semi-structured in-depth online interviews and document analyses on the archive data were adopted to triangulate learners' perceptions and instructors' observations. Findings showed that individuals could shape their global citizen identities through a performative loop of reflection and interaction provided via a blended format. The participants' comfort zone levels influenced different identity formation paths. However, their goals, in the end, were aligned under the idea of engaging in local community activities through lifelong commitment. Intrapersonal and interactional forms of communication solidified self-confidence and collective trust through synergically linked blended learning activities. Overall, global citizen identities have gradually evolved while self-confidence and trust in others have gradually increased through different communication steps. The significance of the study lies in reinforcing the results of prior research about performativity-oriented GCE through a community of people practicing in blended learning environments. Members' hands-on activities while building self-confidence and collective trust through communication helped them shape their collective identity. In these processes, individuals' intrapersonal communication seemed to play an insightful role in effectively connecting reflective and interactive activities. Enhanced credibility by replicating this GCE model in future studies will ensure various organizations and institutions adopt it to shape their members' global visions and build group cohesion.

No description available.

The purpose of this study was to assess the measures of the Science Laboratory Environment Inventory (SLEI), an existing classroom environment measurement instrument, to provide up-to-date norms and validation evidence for a U.S. secondary school population. This instrument’s measures were established as a means of examining students’ perceptions of their learning environment in science classrooms, and subsequently providing indicators of performance. Pedagogical changes have taken place in the science classroom fostered by the National Science Standards. This study included an examination of the SLEI measures using Mesick’s validity framework including an in-depth analysis of the instrument’s content, substance, structure, generalizability and external validity. Rasch measurement theory was employed to investigate specific components of the instrument including item fit, rating scale function, dimensionality and individual performance information. Three hundred and fifty five high school science students completed the SLEI. Structural equation modeling was used to assess the dimensional structure of the measures of the instrument. Analyses revealed that a multi-dimensional model encompassing five distinct factors and excluding negatively worded items best characterized the SLEI measures. Multidimensional measures created by scaling the data to the Multidimensional Random Coefficients Multinomial Logit (Rasch) Model exhibited suitable rating scale structure, item quality, and reliability of separation. Analyses by academic grouping revealed that students in high achieving courses had a more favorable perception of all aspects of their learning environments when compared to students in the regular courses. In addition, student perceptions of the lab were influenced by the extent of students’ experience learning science. To determine whether differences observed by grade level could be attributable to biology learning experience versus experience in school, additional analyses were completed. The analysis revealed that differences in perception were consistent across academic achievement groups as well as experience level by first year and beyond (course level) rather than by grade level. This validation study has provided additional and up-to-date evidence concerning the validity of SLEI measures. Coupled with the existing research revealing positive correlations between student perceptions of their learning environments and their academic achievement, the outcomes reported here provide a foundation for future assessment of the relationship between classroom environment and student achievement. / Ph. D.

Educational technology research studies have found computer and software technologies to be underutilized in U.S. classrooms. In general, many teachers have had difficulty integrating computer and software technologies into learning activities and classroom curricula because specific technologies are ill-suited to their needs, or they lack the ability to make effective use of these technologies. In the development of commercial and business applications, participatory design approaches have been applied to facilitate the direct participation of users in system analysis and design. Among the benefits of participatory design include mutual learning between users and developers, envisionment of software products and their use contexts, empowerment of users in analysis and design, grounding of design in the practices of users, and growth of users as designers and champions of technology. In the context of educational technology development, these similar consequences of participatory design may lead to more appropriate and effective education systems as well as greater capacities by teachers to apply and integrate educational systems into their teaching and classroom practices. We present a case study of a participatory design project that took place over a period of two and one half years, and in which teachers and developers engaged in the participatory analysis and design of a collaborative science learning environment. A significant aspect of the project was the development methodology we followed - Progressive Design. Progressive Design evolved as an integration of methods for participatory design, ethnography, and scenario-based design. In this dissertation, we describe the Progressive Design approach, how it was used, and its specific impacts and effects on the development of educational systems and the social and cognitive growth of teachers. / Ph. D.

By their very nature, physical classrooms limit the external resources that are readily available to teachers and students. However, many educators desire to expand the student's learning environment to include outside resources (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2009; NCSS, 2010; U.S. Dept. of Education, 2004). Much of this desire is due to the influence of constructivism; however, many teachers are without the knowledge and resources to implement a Constructivist Learning Environment (CLE) (Diem, 1999; Mason et al., 2000; Swan and Hofer, 2008). Therefore, how to create a suitable community-driven learning environment that allows classroom teachers to utilize resources outside their immediate location is a problem faced by many of today's educators. Past research has identified five key attributes any CLE must incorporate: embedded within realistic and authentic environments, allow for communication and collaboration among and between students, teachers and mentors, allow for multiple perspectives and views to be seen and shared, promote a student's self-awareness and self-reflection, and allow the learner to be autonomous (Jonassen, 1994; Driscoll, 2005). When considering this list against technological affordances, the one technology that appears capable of fulfilling these requirements is virtual worlds (Kemp and Haycock, 2008). Designed as a developmental research study, this research validates the use of virtual worlds as a development tool when building a CLE within the K-12 environment. / Ph. D.

Orientadora: Profa. Dra. Itana Stiubiener / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal do ABC, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciência da Computação, 2016. / No processo de ensino e aprendizagem à distância os professores e tutores são atores fundamentais, uma vez que estimulam o aprendizado e a participação dos alunos, assumindo o papel de mediadores deste processo. Assumindo-se que esta modalidade de educação depende do seu bom desempenho nos ambientes virtuais de aprendizagem, seja no atendimento das dúvidas, na produção de conteúdo, na correção de atividades ou na verificação de acessos, se faz necessário que haja informações à disposição dos gestores dos ambientes e processos EaD para um acompanhamento mais efetivo desses processos. Esse acompanhamento apresenta diversas lacunas a saber: falta de experiência prévia dos professores e dos tutores, quantidade excessiva de alunos e de atividades, entre outras. O AVA Moodle oferece algumas ferramentas com recursos de Learning Analytics, porém, estas ferramentas retornam somente uma visão parcial por curso/contexto, o que dificulta o processo de gestão. Este trabalho apresenta uma proposta para auxiliar os professores a terem uma visão holística, integrada e transversal da participação dos seus alunos e aos gestores de todas as atividades desenvolvidas nos AVA's das ações dos professores, tutores e alunos nesses ambientes. Após a observação da dificuldade de obtenção dessas informações através de um estudo de caso desenvolvido em uma instituição de ensino foi proposta e desenvolvida uma ferramenta com o intuito de fornecer as informações necessárias aos professores em relação à participação de seus alunos, agrupadas por cursos vinculados ao mesmo e também fornecer relatórios aos gestores em relação às ações dos professores, tutores e alunos, obtidos através da utilização dessa ferramenta em um ambiente virtual de aprendizagem Moodle com cursos em andamento. / In the process of teaching and distance learning education tutors are key actors, since they stimulate learning and participation of students, taking on a role as mediators of this knowledge. Assuming this type of education depends on the good performance of tutors in virtual learning environments, considering in attendance, the activities of correction or the access frequency, it is necessary to have information available to managers from the environments of distance learning processes for more effective monitoring of these processes. Such monitoring has several gaps namely: lack of previous experience of teachers and tutors, excessive number of students and activities, among others. The (AVA) Moodle offers some tools Learning Analytics features, however, these tools only return a partial view of the course / context, which makes the management process difficult. This paper presents a proposal to help teachers to have a holistic, integrated and cross-sectional view of the participation of their students and managers of all activities in AVA's, the actions of teachers, tutors and students in these environments. After observing the difficulty of obtaining this information through a case study developed in an educational institution it was proposed and developed a tool in order to provide the necessary information to teachers regarding the participation of their students, grouped by courses linked to same and also to provide reports to managers in relation to the actions of teachers, tutors and students, obtained from the use of this tool in a Moodle virtual learning environment with courses in progress.

The main aim of this study was to investigate the role of school management in promoting healthy school environments for Grade R learners in the Sedibeng West District. A literature review revealed that there are two types of health programmes: those that support the curriculum and those that are part of the curriculum. School managers have to focus on both in their efforts to promote health in schools. South African schools adapted a Whole School Approach in creating and sustaining healthy environments. Whole School Approach includes the development of health policies, health education, community, learner, teacher involvement, nutrition and prevention of communicable diseases. A qualitative research approach was used and data was generated by means of interviews, documents, photographs and narratives. Four research sites were purposefully selected and four principals, three Heads of Departments for Foundation Phase, four health coordinators and four Grade R practitioners participated in this research. Only one of the research sites had a School Based Health Centre. The study revealed that curriculum-based health programmes including physical education, physical activities and health education were effectively implemented although they were not effectively monitored and evaluated. Health programmes supporting the curriculum include nutrition, first aid and health services. Both health services and nutrition were effectively implemented and monitored whilst there were serious problems with first aid. Practitioners were not trained for first aid, in the three schools where first aid kits were available were not checked therefore not replenished. In one school there was no first aid kit, thus, there was not much focus on precautionary measures in the participating school. There was therefore, no strategies in place for the management of health programmes that support the curriculum. / MEd (Education Management), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2014