Submitted by Vanessa Nunes (vnunes@unisinos.br) on 2015-03-17T13:03:31Z No. of bitstreams: 1 000006D0.pdf: 1787043 bytes, checksum: d21b940150ba3e35174a7e68b8bb63aa (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-17T13:03:31Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 000006D0.pdf: 1787043 bytes, checksum: d21b940150ba3e35174a7e68b8bb63aa (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012 / Nenhuma / Os métodos de ensino tradicional dos sistemas de gerenciamento de aprendizagem (ou LMS do termo em inglês Learning Management System ) são rígidos por natureza e impõem limitações ao processo de ensino. Por terem um padrão fechado, essas ferramentas acabam prejudicando o aluno, pois o impedem de interagir com qualquer pessoa que compartilhe dos mesmos interesses que ele. Por exemplo, o aluno posta uma dúvida sobre um determinado assunto no fórum e às vezes espera dias, semanas, sem obter retorno algum. Como resultado, os conceitos de comunidade, relação e interação entre os usuários são necessários para superar essas limitações. Atualmente o Moodle não provê ferramentas que dão suporte a criação de uma rede social que consiga ser articulada pelos participantes. A proposta deste trabalho é o desenvolvimento de um software social que possibilite a criação e articulação de redes sociais online no ambiente Moodle de forma automática. A partir disso, espera-se que cada aluno possa ter o seu próprio espaço, com comunidades virtuais de prática específicas para as suas necessidades, e que ele consiga também a qualquer momento adicionar novas pessoas a essas comunidades, que estejam em qualquer lugar, ou seja, em qualquer Moodle, curso, grupo ou fórum, ampliando além da rede social, as possibilidades educacionais que somente a aprendizagem colaborativa possibilita. para as suas necessidades, e que ele consiga também a qualquer momento adicionar novas pessoas a essas comunidades, que estejam em qualquer lugar, ou seja, em qualquer Moodle, curso, grupo ou fórum, ampliando além da rede social, as possibilidades educacionais que somente a aprendizagem colaborativa possibilita. / The traditional teaching methods of the Learning Management Systems (or LMS) are rigid in nature and impose limitations on the teaching process. By having a closed pattern, these tools end up hurting the student, for preventing it from interacting with anyone who shares the same interests as him. For example, the student posts a question about a particular topic in the forum and sometimes wait days, weeks, without getting any return. As a result, the concepts of community, relationship and interaction between users are required to overcome these limitations. Currently Moodle does not provide tools that support the creation of a social network that can be articulated by the participants. The purpose of this study is to develop a social software that enables the creation and articulation of online social networking in Moodle automatically. From this, it is expected that each student can have your own space, with virtual communities of practice specific to their needs, and he can also at any time add new people to these communities, they are everywhere, that is, in any Moodle course, group or forum, extending beyond social networking, the educational possibilities that only collaborative learning provides

A avaliação de trabalhos práticos de programação é uma tarefa dispendiosa. Diversas ferramentas têm sido propostas e desenvolvidas a fim de automatizar as tarefas repetitivas realizadas pelos professores na avaliação de trabalhos práticos de programação e fornecer um feedback mais rápido e adequado aos alunos. No entanto, a adição de uma nova ferramenta aumenta a sobrecarga de novas informações e ambientes que os alunos têm que lidar. De forma análoga, a ferramenta de avaliação é mais um recurso que o professor tem de configurar, manter e ensinar os alunos a utilizar. Por este motivo, vários trabalhos vêm sendo conduzidos a fim de integrar ferramentas de avaliação para trabalhos de programação em sistemas de gestão da aprendizagem (Learning Management Systems LMSs). A integração de ferramentas em LMSs promove sua adoção em disciplinas de computação, uma vez que estarão em concordância com o LMS já familiar aos alunos e professores, dispensando a necessidade de adotar, aprender e gerenciar a submissão e correção de trabalhos em um outro ambiente. No entanto, tais trabalhos consistem apenas em modelos conceituais abstratos, não propõem uma integração com vários LMSs ou não tratam certas dificuldades específicas encontradas quando integrando ferramentas de avaliação. Nessa perspectiva, este trabalho tem como objetivo o desenvolvimento da arquitetura IMPACTLE, uma solução que permite a integração de diferentes ferramentas de avaliação para trabalhos de programação em vários LMSs. A ideia é que os alunos e professores possam acessar as funcionalidades das ferramentas por meio dos LMSs em que já estão habituados, sem a necessidade de aprender a utilizar e adotar uma nova ferramenta. Protótipos da arquitetura IMPACTLE foram instanciados e experimentos foram realizados envolvendo a utilização de diferentes ferramentas de avaliação por meio de LMSs. De modo geral, observou-se que a utilização da IMPACTLE possibilita que professores e alunos realizem as tarefas relacionadas às atividades de programação de forma mais eficiente, eficaz e efetiva por meio dos LMSs. / The assessment of programming assignments is a costly task. Several tools have been proposed and developed in order to automate the repetitive tasks performed by instructors in the assessment of programming assignments and provide a faster and more adequate feedback to students. However, adding a new tool increases the overload of new information and environments that students have to deal with. Similarly, the assessment tool is one more resource that the instructor has to configure, maintain and teach students to use, spending time and effort that could be used in other pedagogical activities. For this reason, several works have been conducted to integrate assessment tools for programming assignments in learning management systems (LMSs). The integration of assessment tools into LMSs promotes their adoption in computing courses, since they will be in agreement with the LMS already familiar to students and instructors, without the need to adopt, learn and manage the submission and correction of assignments in another environment. However, these works consist only of abstract conceptual models, do not propose integration with several LMSs, or do not address certain specific difficulties faced when integrating assessment tools. In this perspective, this work aims at the proposition of the IMPACTLE architecture, a solution that allows the integration of different assessment tools for programming assignments in LMSs. The idea is that students and teachers can access the features of the tools through the LMSs they are already used to, without the need to learn how to use and adopt a new tool. Architecture prototypes were instantiated and experiments were carried out involving the use of different assessment tools through LMSs. In general, we noticed that the use of IMPACTLE enables instructors and students perform tasks related to programming activities in a more efficient, efficacious and effective way through the LMSs.

Southern U.S. teachers at suburban high schools can use Edmodo; however, teachers prefer traditional teacher-centered teaching methods. This quantitative correlative study explored teachers' technology acceptance in relation to teaching styles and experiences. Framing acceptance by Davis's technology acceptance model (TAM), research questions addressed the direct and moderating relationships between teaching style and the TAM variables related to using Edmodo and the direct and moderating relationships between teaching experiences and TAM variables. From 240 teachers at the high school, 45 completed an online survey (response rate of 18.75%). Descriptive statistics, ANOVA, and regression analyzed data. TAM could be verified for the entire sample; however, no significant direct relationship between teaching style and the TAM variables was found. Teaching style moderated the relationships within the TAM; these were stronger for teachers with a teacher-centered teaching style. No significant direct relationship existed between teaching experiences and TAM variables; a moderating effect on the relationships existed within the TAM. Among experienced teachers, ease of use was the strongest acceptance predictor, whereas perceived use was the strongest predictor among less experienced teachers. Results indicated teachers might develop a more student-centered teaching style, thus concentrating on technology's ease of use, rather than its potential utility. A policy recommendation could ensure teachers efficiently used technology to support student-centered learning. The application of the recommended policies might lead to teachers' more effective use of instructional technology, which might affect student learning and motivation.

Τα τελευταία χρόνια η αυξανόμενη σημασία της πληροφορίας και της συνεχιζόμενης μάθησης έχει καταστήσει τη χρήση των τεχνολογιών πληροφορικής και επικοινωνιών (Τ.Π.Ε.) στην εκπαίδευση καθώς και την εξ αποστάσεως εκπαίδευση μέσω e-learning συστημάτων, ως επιτακτική ανάγκη. Το κυριότερο πλεονέκτημα των e-learning συστημάτων είναι ότι παρέχουν τη δυνατότητα στον κόσμο να παρακολουθήσει ένα μάθημα, ακόμα κι ένα ολόκληρο πρόγραμμα σπουδών εξ αποστάσεως, μέσω της σύγχρονης και παγκοσμίως πλέον διαδεδομένης μεθόδου των online courses. Τα περισσότερα μεγάλης εμβέλειας και αναγνωρισιμότητας, πανεπιστήμια του εξωτερικού προσφέρουν online μαθήματα μέσω τεχνολογιών του διαδικτύου, χρησιμοποιώντας διαφάνειες, βιντεο-διαλέξεις και online εκπαιδευτικές δραστηριότητες. Ένας τομέας όμως στον οποίο υστερεί η εκπαίδευση εξ αποστάσεως, ακόμα και στα πιο πρόσφατα ανεπτυγμένα e-learning συστήματα, είναι ο τομέας της προσωποποίησης του σπουδαστή και εξατομίκευσης του συστήματος στις ανάγκες του. Η παρούσα διπλωματική εργασία παρουσιάζει τις δυνατότητες που παρέχονται από τα ήδη υπάρχοντα συστήματα e-learning, την τωρινή κατάσταση με τα παρεχόμενα online μαθήματα από πανεπιστήμια του εξωτερικού και το ερευνητικό κενό που υπάρχει σχετικά με την «προσωποποίηση» (personalization) του σπουδαστή και την προσαρμογή (adaptation) του συστήματος στις ανάγκες του. Μελετάται η μοντελοποίηση του χρήστη (user modeling), τα μαθησιακά προφίλ, ο εμπλουτισμός του προφίλ του σπουδαστή ώστε να παρέχει περισσότερες και αξιόλογες πληροφορίες, καθώς και οι δυνατότητες εξατομίκευσης του συστήματος στον εκάστοτε σπουδαστή, ώστε να επιτευχθεί η επιτάχυνση και αποτελεσματικότητα της ηλεκτρονικής μάθησης. Στα πλαίσια της παρούσας διπλωματικής εργασίας σχεδιάστηκε και υλοποιήθηκε ένα σύστημα ηλεκτρονικής μάθησης, το οποίο στηρίζεται στο λογισμικό Moodle και έχουν αναπτυχθεί σε αυτό, νέες υπηρεσίες εξατομίκευσης και προσαρμοστικότητας του συστήματος στις ανάγκες και προτιμήσεις του εκπαιδευομένου. Το Moodle LMS (Modular Object Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment) είναι ελεύθερο λογισμικό διαχείρισης εκπαιδευτικού περιεχομένου και χρησιμοποιείται από πολλά πανεπιστήμια παγκοσμίως. Είναι ευέλικτο, εύκολο στην εκμάθηση και αρκετά ασφαλές για την ασύγχρονη εκπαίδευση από απόσταση. Ενσωματώνει πληθώρα λειτουργιών και δυνατοτήτων που επιτρέπουν στο διδάσκοντα να διαμορφώσει ένα καλά οργανωμένο και ευχάριστο μάθημα με ευρεία κλίμακα δραστηριοτήτων. Στο εξατομικευμένο και προσαρμοστικό σύστημα ηλεκτρονικής μάθησης που αναπτύχθηκε, διαμορφώθηκε ένα μάθημα με πλούσιο εκπαιδευτικό υλικό, το οποίο απαρτίζουν πολλά και διαφορετικού τύπου μαθησιακά αντικείμενα (πηγές πληροφόρησης, δραστηριότητες, κ.α.). Εμπλουτίστηκε το προφίλ χρήστη με περισσότερες προσωπικές πληροφορίες γι αυτόν και στη συνέχεια αναπτύχθηκαν μαθησιακά μονοπάτια που στηρίζονται είτε στα πεδία προφίλ χρήστη, είτε στο μαθησιακό στυλ του εκπαιδευομένου, είτε σε άλλους παράγοντες που παρουσιάζονται αναλυτικά στην εργασία. Για την εξατομίκευση του συστήματος αναπτύχθηκε μία ενότητα «Pre-course test» η οποία περιλαμβάνει δύο νέες υπηρεσίες για την άντληση πληροφοριών του χρήστη, μορφωτικό υπόβαθρο, μαθησιακό στυλ, προηγούμενη γνώση στο αντικείμενο του μαθήματος κ.α. Τα αποτελέσματα που προκύπτουν από εκεί, αξιοποιούνται κατάλληλα για τη διαμόρφωση ομάδων των εκπαιδευομένων και για τις υπηρεσίες προσαρμοστικότητας του συστήματος. Επίσης, στο διαδικτυακό αυτό σύστημα ηλεκτρονικής μάθησης έχουν αναπτυχθεί μαθησιακά αντικείμενα που ενισχύουν στη συνεργατική μάθηση, βελτιώνουν την ποιότητα του μαθήματος και έτσι αυξάνεται το κίνητρο του σπουδαστή. / Nowdays, e-learning environments have become increasingly popular in educational establishments. The rapid growth of e-learning has changed traditional learning behavior and presented a new situation to both educators (lecturers) and learners (students). The majority of current e-learning systems are based on Learning Management Systems (LMS), which allow students attending courses free from space and time limitations. They can attend the class anytime they are available and regardless of the place. LMS are web-based educational systems that offer students an active role in their own education through a variety of learning activities and different kinds of learning content, that the educator has produced. Although this fact, most Learning Management Systems lack of personalization and adaptivity features. The modern trend in education is the production and organization of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) from large and internationally recognized Universities. So, they focus on gathering too many people in these courses (MOOCs) and not on personalization and adaptivity. Personalization in web-based systems means “attention to the user and his needs”. Web-based systems, such as e-commerce sites, focus on personalization by observing the user, his common actions and navigation paths, in order to understand his preferences and what he is looking for. So they differentiate each individual according to his interests, preferences, and generally his “profile”. Then, they adapt the content appropriately to his needs, and the user watches first the content that may interest him. Traditional and commonly used e-learning platforms offer to their users same educational content, same learning activities and possibilities, and generally exactly the same content, with no further personalization support. Some existing open source e-Learning systems may support, under certain circumstances adaptation and personalization features, but need extension and elaboration to acquire sufficiently these characteristics. Especially in the case of distance learning, that teacher and students have no face-to-face communication, learner’s personalization is essential in order the teacher to be aware of each learner’s characteristics. In e-learning systems, personalization could be achieved with an integrated user profile (student profile), which would include except from the classic information (name, surname, email) more specific and useful information. If the teacher had more information about each student, he could be able to guide him more effectively and evaluate him more correctly. In addition to that, if teacher was aware of each learner’s profile, meaning his learning style, interests, preferences and his previous knowledge of the course topics, he would be able to adapt the learning content to his needs. That would increase student’s satisfaction, motivation and consequently his participation in the course. In this master thesis, a personalized and adaptive e-learning system has been developed. The development of this integrated personalized e-learning system, is based on a very popular open source LMS, which in this case is used for further extension and development of new features. The most suitable LMS for implementing those new features is Moodle (Modular Object-oriented Dynamic Learning Environment), due to its modularity and extensibility as well as its vast community of users. There have been added new features in order to enrich student’s profile and adjust learning material to the learner, depending on his profile and learning progress. The teacher has the ability to organize suitable learning objects and learning paths for each student, depending on particular user profile fields, learning styles and student’s performance. This personalized and adaptive e-learning system increases student’s motivation and participation.

Η πιο σημαντική εξέλιξη της τελευταίας δεκαετίας στον τομέα της εκπαιδευτικής τεχνολογίας αφορά την αλλαγή προσανατολισμών για τη θέση των Τεχνολογιών της Πληροφορίας και των Επικοινωνιών (ΤΠΕ) στην εκπαιδευτική διαδικασία. Απομακρυνόμαστε πλέον από τη λογική του υπολογιστή ως μεμονωμένη θέση εργασίας, προς τη λογική της χρήσης υπολογιστικών συστημάτων. Η εξάπλωση του Διαδικτύου (Web. 2.0), η εμφάνιση των εποικοδομιστικών και κοινωνικοπολιτισμικών θεωριών μάθησης, καθώς και η γνώση γενικότερα, και η επιστημονική γνώση ειδικότερα, συνθέτουν σήμερα ένα σύγχρονο τεχνολογικό και παιδαγωγικό πλαίσιο μέσα στο οποίο διδασκαλία και μάθηση αποκτούν νέες διαστάσεις και δημιουργούν καινοτόμες εκπαιδευτικές πρακτικές. Όλο και περισσότεροι μαθητές χρειάζονται να αποκτήσουν πρόσβαση στην εκπαίδευση οποτεδήποτε και οπουδήποτε. Τα διαδικτυακά Συστήματα Διαχείρισης της Μάθησης παίζουν σημαντικό ρόλο στην εξ Αποστάσεως Εκπαίδευση ενώ χρησιμοποιούνται όλο και περισσότερο σε συνθήκες παραδοσιακής διδασκαλίας. Τα Συστήματα Διαχείρισης της Μάθησης διαφοροποιούνται από τα «κλασσικά» περιβάλλοντα διδασκαλίας, ως προς το βαθμό χρήσης της τεχνολογίας και τη μετατόπιση του ελέγχου και της ευθύνης της μαθησιακής πορείας στους μαθητές. Η μετατόπιση του ελέγχου προς τους μαθητές επιδρά θετικά στη μαθησιακή αποτελεσματικότητα (Chou και Liu, 2005). Σκοπός των Συστημάτων Διαχείρισης της Μάθησης είναι η κάλυψη της απόστασης ανάμεσα στο εκπαιδευτικό περιεχόμενο και τον εκπαιδευόμενο και η ρύθμιση των κοινωνικών αλληλεπιδράσεων ώστε να καταστούν οι χρήστες τους ενεργοί συμμετέχοντες και όχι απλοί δέκτες πληροφοριών. Τα Συστήματα Διαχείρισης της Μάθησης αναπτύσσονται ραγδαία και εφαρμόζονται σε ποικίλες μαθησιακές καταστάσεις σε όλες τις βαθμίδες της εκπαίδευσης και ιδιαίτερα στην τριτοβάθμια (Concannon et al., 2005). Η χρήση τους ανέδειξε νέες εκπαιδευτικές πρακτικές όπως το μεικτό ή συνδυαστικό μοντέλο μάθησης (blended learning) (Garrison και Kanuca, 2004), που χρησιμοποιεί συνδυασμό παραδοσιακών παραδόσεων, διαδικτυακών εφαρμογών και μαθησιακού περιεχομένου, ώστε να αξιοποιούνται ταυτόχρονα τα πλεονεκτήματα πραγματικής και εικονικής τάξης. Στην συγκεκριμένη εργασία παρουσιάζεται αρχικά το απαραίτητο θεωρητικό υπόβαθρο απαντώντας σε ερευνητικά ερωτήματα όπως τι είναι το Ελεύθερο Λογισμικό, πως οι Τεχνολογίες της Πληροφορίας και των Επικοινωνιών σχετίζονται με την Εκπαίδευση, ποια είναι τα σημερινά δεδομένα στο χώρο της εξ Αποστάσεως Εκπαίδευσης, ποιες είναι συνοπτικά οι θεωρίες μάθησης που σχετίζονται με την εξ Αποστάσεως Εκπαίδευση, ποιες είναι οι πιο γνωστές εφαρμογές Ανοιχτού Κώδικα που χρησιμοποιούνται για τη Διαχείριση της Μάθησης από απόσταση καθώς και το αν υποστηρίζουν οι πιο διαδεδομένες πλατφόρμες κατάλληλο εκπαιδευτικό υλικό που να συμβάλλει στην ποιοτική εξ Αποστάσεως Εκπαίδευση. Μιας και υπάρχουν ήδη πολλές συγκριτικές μελέτες που εξετάζουν τα υπάρχοντα Συστήματα Διαχείριση της Μάθησης από πλευράς τεχνικών χαρακτηριστικών, δυνατοτήτων ή κόστους, η παρούσα εργασία επικεντρώνεται στη σχέση τεσσάρων συγκεκριμένων συστημάτων με τις θεωρίες μάθησης χωρίς ωστόσο να παραβλέπεται και η τεχνική όψη της σύγκρισης. Τα αποτελέσματα της εργασίας συνεισφέρουν στο πεδίο της εξ Αποστάσεως Εκπαίδευσης και συγκεκριμένα στην ένταξη των Τεχνολογιών Πληροφορίας και Επικοινωνιών στην εκπαιδευτική διαδικασία με την αξιοποίηση των κατάλληλων Συστημάτων Διαχείρισης της Μάθησης. Στη συνέχεια σχεδιάζεται και περιγράφεται ένα Εικονικό Σύστημα Μάθησης που απευθύνεται σε μαθητές των πρώτων τάξεων του Δημοτικού σχολείου, ενώ έχει προηγηθεί μια έρευνα σε Δημοτικά Σχολεία για να συγκεντρωθούν οι απαραίτητες πληροφορίες από όλα τα εμπλεκόμενα μέρη. Η αρχιτεκτονική του συστήματος και τα use cases παρουσιάζονται στο τέλος της εργασίας. / -

Submitted by Alison Vanceto (alison-vanceto@hotmail.com) on 2017-05-09T12:29:34Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DissAESCSF.pdf: 8504536 bytes, checksum: 5aa7619eb4ee6026af071cd2ad3bd1e2 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Ronildo Prado (ronisp@ufscar.br) on 2017-05-11T18:14:22Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 DissAESCSF.pdf: 8504536 bytes, checksum: 5aa7619eb4ee6026af071cd2ad3bd1e2 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Ronildo Prado (ronisp@ufscar.br) on 2017-05-11T18:14:30Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 DissAESCSF.pdf: 8504536 bytes, checksum: 5aa7619eb4ee6026af071cd2ad3bd1e2 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-05-11T18:19:28Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DissAESCSF.pdf: 8504536 bytes, checksum: 5aa7619eb4ee6026af071cd2ad3bd1e2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-08-29 / Não recebi financiamento / The main purpose of this study is to analyze, by using Discursive Sequences, the paradox established during the construction of the teacher’s image in the twenty-first century. The corpus of this research consists of two Learning Management Systems (LMS) - Schoology and Edmodo - and official documents such as Leis de Diretrizes e Bases. French Discourse Analysis will be used as theory and method, in which authors as Pêcheux (1995, 2008) and Orlandi (2004, 2009, 2014) define concepts such as paraphrasing and metaphor for construction and maintenance of discourse. These concepts, related to Dominique Julia’s theory (2000), evoke the discursive memory and its effects on the development of the teacher’s image due to technological changes. / Este estudo analisa, utilizando Sequências Discursivas (SD), o paradoxo que se apresenta na construção da imagem do docente no século XXI. O corpus dessa pesquisa é formado por dois Sistemas de Gerenciamento de Aprendizagem (SGA) – Schoology e Edmodo – e documentos oficiais, como as Leis de Diretrizes e Bases. A base teórico-metodológica é a Análise de Discurso Francesa, na qual autores como Pêcheux (1995, 2008) e Orlandi (2004, 2009, 2014) definem conceitos como paráfrase e metáfora para construção e manutenção do discurso. Esses conceitos, ao serem associados à fala do historiador Dominique Julia (2000), no âmbito histórico evocam a memória discursiva e seus efeitos produzidos na elaboração do imaginário docente diante das mudanças tecnológicas.

Coronaviruspandemin har tvingat Uppsala universitet att ställa om till onlineundervisning. Denna omställning har ökat betydelsen av att lärplattformen Canvas fungerar och används på ett effektivt sätt som främjar lärande. Akademiskt engagemang är en användbar indikator för bland annat resultat och avhopp i studier på universitetsnivå. Det är därför av intresse att undersöka hur denna omställning har påverkat studerandes akademiska engagemang. En enkät (n=50) utformades för att mäta nuläget för akademiskt engagemang på Campus Gotland. Tre lärare på institutionen för informatik och media intervjuades angående akademiskt engagemang, Canvas och distansundervisning under coronaviruspandemin. Resultaten tyder på en liten minskning av totalt akademiskt engagemang, men på större klyftor mellan sedan tidigare högt och lågt engagerade studerande, där de sedan tidigare lågt engagerade studerandena hamnat längre efter. Framtida studier rekommenderas som undersöker orsakerna till dessa resultat / The ongoing Coronavirus pandemic has forced Uppsala University and many other universities to move towards online learning. This transition emphasizes the importance of Canvas, which is the learning management system in use at the university. Student engagement is a useful predictor for academic results and dropout frequency at the university level. It is of general interest to investigate how the forced transition to online learning has affected current levels of student engagement. A survey (n=50) was administered to measure student engagement. In addition, three lecturers at the Department of Informatics and Media at Campus Gotland were interviewed on their views of student engagement, Canvas, and distance learning in general during the Coronavirus pandemic. The results point towards an increased gap in engagement between students with previously high and low student engagement levels. Further studies investigating the causes of this increased gap are advised.

Purpose – Gamification or related concepts such as serious games and playful design are discussed intensively in the field of academic education. Since 2011, gamification has continuously been recorded as a medium-term trend of online education in the annually published Horizon Report. In all areas in which engagement, participation, and motivation of individuals are the key success factors, strategies of gamification are considered. But, what are potentials of gamification in the field of higher education? How can educational technologies such as learning management systems be gamified? An essential part of this article is a study regarding the gamification of the learning management system OPAL. Design/methodology/approach – Based on a master thesis at the faculty of educational sciences, a study was conducted in order to investigate how the use of game elements can increase the attractiveness of OPAL for students. OPAL is the central learning management system at the Technische Universität Dresden. The study should answer the question: Which game design elements increase the attractiveness of OPAL for students? The research question was answered with a qualitative approach, while the collection of data was carried out by a focus group and expert interviews. The sample included six master’s students and one expert. The findings provide recommendations for redesigning OPAL. Originality/value – Often gamification is related to tools like points, badges, and leaderboards. But what elements exist beyond these? The contribution initially provides conceptual foundations and refers to game mechanics as the specifics of games. Based on this, the potential of gamification in higher education teaching was discussed. Practical implications – The article describes the concept of gamification and how this approach can be used in university teaching, especially for designing Learning Management Systems.

This study investigates existing learning management systems practices, in this case Canvas and Moodle in relation to user personalization and students’ learning styles as both factors are closely contribute to the design of a meaningful learning experience for learners. With the expansion of these teaching tools and methods, it seems crucial to determine to what extent they actually serve the learner and what role is really given to the student using these online platforms. Factors such as instructors’ feedback, peer communication, learning objects and follow-up will be examined. This study is anchored in a Swedish academic setting, and aims to provide a comprehensive overview of learners' needs, expectations, and preferences to benefit educational institutions as well as LMS developers. The goal is to assess how such factors play an essential role in the personalization of learning tools and to suggest that their consideration can lead to the development of more intuitive LMS platforms that do not solely rely on content uploaded by teachers, but that can in turn potentially offer relevant content tailored to each user. / Den här uppsatsen undersöker befintliga praxis för lärande hanteringssystem, i detta fall Canvas och Moodle, i förhållande till användaranpassning och studenternas inlärningsstilar, eftersom båda faktorerna bidrar till utformningen av en meningsfull inlärningsupplevelse för studenterna. På grund av expansionen av dessa undervisningsverktyg verkar det avgörande att bestämma i vilken utsträckning de faktiskt tjänar inläraren och vilken roll studenten verkligen får när hen använder dessa plattformar. Faktorer som lärarnas återkoppling, kommunikation med andra elever, lärandeobjekt och uppföljning kommer att undersökas noggrant. Studien är förankrad i en svensk akademisk miljö och syftar att ge en heltäckande översikt av inlärarnas behov, förväntningar och preferenser. Målet är att förstå hur dessa faktorer spelar en väsentlig roll i personaliseringen av lärverktyg och att föreslå att deras beaktande kan leda till utveckling av mer intuitiva LMS-plattformar som inte enbart förlitar sig på innehåll som laddas upp av lärare, utan som i sin tur potentiellt kan erbjuda relevant innehåll som är skräddarsytt för varje användare.

Technological innovations have been shown to improve the quality of health information and improve safety in health care systems. The purpose of this project was to offer hospital nurses a more flexible and practical alternative to education and training than the traditional face-to-face method, supporting nurse educators in overcoming many of the obstacles in responding to nurses' needs in the clinical areas. This project used a randomized, 2-group posttest-only experimental design to measure the effect of treatment at a targeted hospital. The experimental group received a new instructional approach using an Electronic Learning Management System (ELMS) and the control group used the site's traditional standard method; both groups completed the Posttest Knowledge Assessment. The study population consisted of registered nurses who had attended the project site's Safe Blood Transfusion Practice program over a period of 1 month. There were no significant differences between the 2 groups' members' gender, age, level of education, or nursing experience. Data analysis showed a significant (p < .00) difference between the 2 groups' posttest scores, indicating that the participants who used the ELMS attained a higher median knowledge (M = 89.39, SD = 9.26) than did participants who received traditional, face-to-face instruction (M = 76.85, SD = 10.628). These results suggest that ELMS-based learning is a more effective method of instructional delivery that could effectively replace many of the traditional face-to-face education programs. Implementing this innovative system will create positive social change on the targeted hospital by improving health care delivery. The application of the finding would support clinical educators to improve educational delivery to their clients at the clinical areas.