The educational landscape is changing and a variety of technologies and techniques are blurring the lines between traditional and non-traditional learning. This change is substantial in low-income countries: individuals in developing countries have a great desire to educate themselves and improve their quality of life. Kenyans are adequately literate and accustomed to mobile technology despite being a largely impoverished, poorly educated populace. Kenya represents an optimal setting in which to research the use and feasibility of modern mobile and educational technologies. The broad aim of this dissertation is to explore how mobile devices can catalyze and enhance both informal and non-formal learning. In particular, this dissertation explores how technologies and concepts such as mobile web apps, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), and learning incentives via a smartphone specifically affect informal and non-formal learning in Kenya. The primary research question is how can learning efforts that utilize mobile learning, MOOCs, and learning incentives combine non-formal and informal learning to develop and contribute to a do-it-yourself (DIY) approach to learning in Kenya? The primary method is action research. The first contribution of this dissertation is the finding that mobile web apps are currently better suited for data exchange than producing new content. The second contribution is the finding that a smartphone can enhance informal learning in a developing country with little or no scaffolding. The third contribution is the finding that non-formal learning efforts as a MOOC are shown to be a viable means of delivering non-formal learning in a developing country via a smartphone. The fourth contribution is the finding that the use of incentives such as digital badges provide a means by which to validate non-formal learning and contribute to a DIY attitude towards learning creation, where individuals can freely complement or replace a traditional curriculum.

Investigating howgroups communicate, build knowledge and expertise, reach consensus or collaboratively solve complex problems, became one of the main foci of contemporary research in learning and social sciences. Emerging models of communication and empowerment of networks as a form of social organization further reshaped practice and pedagogy of online education, bringing research on learning networks into the mainstream of educational and social science research. In such conditions, massive open online courses (MOOCs) emerged as one of the promising approaches to facilitating learning in networked settings and shifting education towards more open and lifelong learning. Nevertheless, this most recent educational turn highlights the importance of understanding social and technological (i.e., material) factors as mutually interdependent, challenging the existing forms of pedagogy and practice of assessment for learning in online environments. On the other hand, the main focus of the contemporary research on networked learning is primarily oriented towards retrospective analysis of learning networks and informing design of future tasks and recommendations for learning. Although providing invaluable insights for understanding learning in networked settings, the nature of commonly applied approaches does not necessarily allow for providing means for understanding learning as it unfolds. In that sense, learning analytics, as a multidisciplinary research field, presents a complementary research strand to the contemporary research on learning networks. Providing theory-driven and analytics-based methods that would allow for comprehensive assessment of complex learning skills, learning analytics positions itself either as the end point or a part of the pedagogy of learning in networked settings. The thesis contributes to the development of learning analytics-based research in studying learning networks that emerge fromthe context of learning with MOOCs. Being rooted in the well-established evidence-centered design assessment framework, the thesis develops a conceptual analytics-based model that provides means for understanding learning networks from both individual and network levels. The proposed model provides a theory-driven conceptualization of the main constructs, along with their mutual relationships, necessary for studying learning networks. Specifically, to provide comprehensive understanding of learning networks, it is necessary to account for structure of learner interactions, discourse generated in the learning process, and dynamics of structural and discourse properties. These three elements – structure, discourse, and dynamics – should be observed as mutually dependent, taking into account learners’ personal interests, motivation, behavior, and contextual factors that determine the environment in which a specific learning network develops. The thesis also offers an operationalization of the constructs identified in the model with the aim at providing learning analytics-methods for the implementation of assessment for learning. In so doing, I offered a redefinition of the existing educational framework that defines learner engagement in order to account for specific aspects of learning networks emerging from learning with MOOCs. Finally, throughout the empirical work presented in five peer-reviewed studies, the thesis provides an evaluation of the proposed model and introduces novel learning analytics methods that provide different perspectives for understanding learning networks. The empirical work also provides significant theoretical and methodological contributions for research and practice in the context of learning networks emerging from learning with MOOCs.

With the increasing pace of technological changes in the modern society, there has been a growing interest from educators, business leaders, and policymakers in teaching important higher-order skills which were identified as necessary for thriving in the present-day globalized economy. In this regard, one of the most widely discussed higher order skills is critical thinking, whose importance in shaping problem solving, decision making, and logical thinking has been recognized. Within the domain of distance and online education, the Community of Inquiry (CoI) model provides a pedagogical framework for understanding the critical dimensions of student learning and factors which impact the development of student critical thinking. The CoI model follows the social-constructivist perspective on learning in which learning is seen as happening in both individual minds of learners and through the discourse within the group of learners. Central to the CoI model is the construct of cognitive presence, which captures the student cognitive engagement and the development of critical thinking and deep thinking skills. However, the assessment of cognitive presence is challenging task, particularly given its latent nature and the inherent physical and time separation between students and instructors in distance education settings. One way to address this problem is to make use of the vast amounts of learning data being collected by learning systems. This thesis presents novel methods for understanding and assessing the levels of cognitive presence based on learning analytics techniques and the data collected by learning environments. We first outline a comprehensive model for cognitive presence assessment which builds on the well-established evidence-cantered design (ECD) assessment framework. The proposed assessment model provides a foundation of the thesis, showing how the developed analytical models and their components fit together and how they can be adjusted for new learning contexts. The thesis shows two distinct and complementary analytical methods for assessing students’ cognitive presence and its development. The first method is based on the automated classification of student discussion messages and captures learning as it is observed in the student dialogue. The second analytics method relies on the analysis of log data of students’ use of the learning platform and captures the individual dimension of the learning process. The developed analytics also extend current theoretical understanding of the cognitive presence construct through data-informed operationalization of cognitive presence with different quantitative measures extracted from the student use of online discussions. We also examine methodological challenges of assessing cognitive presence and other forms of cognitive engagement through the analysis of trace data. Finally, with the intent of enabling for the wider adoption of the CoI model for new online learning modalities, the last two chapters examine the use of developed analytics within the context of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). Given the substantial differences between traditional online and MOOC contexts, we first evaluate the suitability of the CoI model for MOOC settings and then assess students’ cognitive presence using the data collected by the MOOC platform. We conclude the thesis with the discussion of practical application and impact of the present work and the directions for the future research.

Although the use of peer assessment in MOOCs is common, there has been little empirical research about peer assessment in MOOCs, especially composition MOOCs. This study aimed to address issues in peer assessment in a MOOC-based composition course, in particular student perceptions, peer-grading scores versus instructor-grading scores, and peer commentary versus instructor commentary. The findings provided evidence that peer assessment was well received by the majority of student participants from their perspective as both peer evaluators of other students’ papers and as students being evaluated by their peers. However, many student participants also expressed negative feelings about certain aspects of peer assessment, for example peers’ lack of qualifications, peers’ negative and critical comments, and unfairness of peer grading. Statistical analysis of grades given by student peers and instructors revealed a consistency among grades given by peers but a low consistency between grades given by peers and those given by instructors, with the peer grades tending to be higher than those assigned by instructors. In addition, analysis of peer and instructor commentary revealed that peers’ commentary differed from instructors’ on specific categories of writing issues (idea development, organization, or sentence-level). For instance, on average peers focused a greater percentage of their comments (70%) on sentence-level issues than did instructors (64.7%), though both groups devoted more comments to sentence-level issues than to the two other issue categories. Peers’ commentary also differed from instructors’ in the approaches their comments took to communicating the writing issue (through explanation, question, or correction). For example, in commenting on sentence-level errors, on average 85% of peers’ comments included a correction as compared to 96% of instructors’ comments including that approach. In every comment category (idea development, organization, sentence-level), peers used a lower percentage of explanation—at least 10% lower—than did instructors. Overall, findings and conclusions of the study have limitations due to (1) the small size of composition MOOC studied and small sample size of graded papers used for the analysis, (2) the lack of research and scarcity of document archives on issues the study discussed, (3) the lack of examination of factors (i.e. level of education, cultural background, and English language proficiency) that might affect student participants’ perception of peer assessment, and (4) the lack of analysis of head notes, end notes, and length of comments. However, the study has made certain contributions to the existing literature, especially student perception of peer assessment in the composition MOOC in this study. Analysis of the grades given by peers and instructors in the study provides evidence-based information about whether online peer assessment should be used in MOOCs, especially composition MOOCs and what factors might affect the applicability and consistency of peer grading in MOOCs. In addition, analysis of the data provides insights into types of comments students in a composition MOOC made as compared to those instructors made. The findings of the study as a whole can inform the design of future research on peer assessment in composition MOOCs and indicate questions designers of peer assessment training and practice in such MOOCs could find helpful to consider.

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) sind darauf ausgelegt, im tertiären Bildungsbereich den Wissenserwerb zu fördern, ohne dass die formalen Strukturen einer Ausbildungseinrichtung relevant sind. Dazu werden die Teilnehmer nicht persönlich von Dozenten betreut, sondern sind selbstgesteuert, oder werden durch kollaborative Lernmethoden aktiviert. Der Leistungszwang ist daher geringer, die Anzahl derjenigen, die Kurse abbrechen, jedoch ungleich höher. Durchschnittlich schließen maximal 10% der Teilnehmer ihren MOOC-Kurs ab.

The COVID-19 pandemic wiped off decades of educational gains in the developing world and added 24 million more children to 775 million illiterates in the world. To counteract such a huge predicament, human learning agility comes into action. This human characteristic of knowing what to do when one does not know what to do, invokes the Soft System Methodology (SSM) approach to analyze illiteracy as the worst of all pandemics since it infiltrates into generations. After evaluating different effective teaching methods and utilizing the SSM approach, this paper proposes suitable pedagogies to educate deprived students. It examines Massive Online Open Courseware (MOOC) as a viable solution for K-12 students and compares it with a more robust educational technology model of Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS). Using artificial intelligence, the ITS tailors the instructional content framework and teaching strategies after evaluating students' pre-existing knowledge, learning habits, & styles. The ITS engages the student with the lesson with a two-way dialog while providing customized instruction and immediate feedback. An ITS requires no human intervention and could be a suitable replacement for an inadequately qualified teacher or no teacher. Hence it could be a practical tool in tackling the global literacy catastrophe. A comprehensive literature review followed by a meta-analysis reveals the effectiveness of ITS as a feasible intervention. The major purpose of this study is to define the application of educational pedagogy behind AI-based tutoring and cognitive science in this learner-centered approach.

In recent years thousands of people worldwide have been using Massive open on- line courses (MOOCs) for various reasons, including career development and change, continuing education, lifelong learning, and training. MOOCs are free online courses that anyone can enroll in and are an affordable and flexible way to learn new skills, develop professionally, and provide quality educational experience across the globe. Having an exemplary user interface will make users prefer most MOOC platforms, which inspired this study to know which MOOC platform has usability and better user experience by using the survey evaluation. The main objective of this study is to measure the usability components(effectiveness, efficiency, and overall user satisfaction level) to determine which MOOC platform, Coursera or Udemy, has a better user experience using the heuristic principles. A quantitative research method has been used in this paper, which focuses on sta- tistical, mathematical, and numerical analysis of data collected through surveys, questionnaires, and polls. In this paper, a questionnaire to determine user satis- faction through surveys has been developed. Usability has been evaluated for each MOOC platform (Coursera and Udemy) by calculating usability components. Sta- tistical methods like variance and standard deviations has been calculated using the survey results. Responses from the survey evaluation are collected and are graphically represented in bar graphs and pie charts. Respondent’s timings and statistical method results are presented in a tabular form. The satisfaction level is calculated and represented in a Likert scale format. The usability of two MOOC platforms (Coursera and Udemy) was measured by cal- culating usability components. Better user experience among Coursera and Udemy is measured using usability heuristic principles. This study concludes that effec- tiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction level while performing eight tasks given to the user is similar in both MOOC platforms (Coursera and Udemy). From the survey evaluation, the users preferred Udemy over Coursera.

No description available.

Τα τελευταία χρόνια η ανάπτυξη της τεχνολογίας καθιέρωσε όρους όπως εξ αποστάσεως εκπαίδευση και ηλεκτρονική μάθηση συμπληρώνοντας την συμβατική εκπαίδευση με μια μορφή επικοινωνίας. Έτσι η νέα αυτή μορφή εκπαίδευσης προσαρμόζεται σε προγράμματα της πρωτοβάθμιας, δευτεροβάθμιας και τριτοβάθμιας εκπαίδευσης. Η εισαγωγή των Τ.Π.Ε στην εκπαίδευση και κατ επέκταση στην πρωτοβάθμια εκπαίδευση λειτούργησε ως εργαλείο μάθησης, ως εποπτικό μέσο διδασκαλίας, ως γνωστικό και διερευνητικό εργαλείο αλλά και ως εργαλείο επικοινωνίας και αναζήτησης πληροφοριών. Στην παρούσα διπλωματική εργασία θα δημιουργηθεί, θα χρησιμοποιηθεί και θα παρουσιαστεί μια πλατφόρμα ηλεκτρονικής μάθησης για τις ανάγκες του μαθήματος πληροφορικός γραμματισμός -Τεχνολογίες της Πληροφορίας και των Επικοινωνιών <Τ.Π.Ε> στην πρωτοβάθμια εκπαίδευση. Στα πλαίσια της διπλωματικής θα γίνει συγκριτική μελέτη των διαθέσιμων πλατφορμών ηλεκτρονικής μάθησης όπου μια από τις οποίες θα επιλεγεί για την υλοποίηση του μαθήματος. Στη συνέχεια θα υλοποιηθεί μία σειρά θεωρητικών μαθημάτων, test αξιολόγησης, σετ ασκήσεων καθώς και θα δημιουργηθεί ένα εικονογραφημένο λεξικό με όρους πληροφορικής για την καλύτερη διεξαγωγή του μαθήματος μέσω της πλατφόρμας αλλά και ένα πλαίσιο με συμβολές χρήσης διαδικτύου ώστε οι μαθητές να είναι πάντα ενήμεροι για το τι πρέπει να αποφεύγουν στο διαδίκτυο. Το τελικό προϊόν θα αποτελεί ένα εργαλείο στα χέρια του εκπαιδευτικού μιας και θα τον βοηθάει στη διαδικασία της εκπαίδευσης του μαθήματος Τ.Π.Ε. και στην προσαρμογή του ανάλογα με τις ανάγκες του. Αλλά και για τους μαθητές θα αποτελεί μία νέα εμπειρία μιας και θα δίνει νέα διάσταση στον παραδοσιακό τρόπο μάθησης. Οι μαθητές θα μπορούν μέσα από τεστ να μαθαίνουν να απασχολούνται δημιουργικά και να αξιολογούν την πρόοδό τους. Έτσι το μάθημα θα πάρει έναν διαδραστικό χαρακτήρα και θα γίνει πιο ελκυστικό για αυτούς. Η συνεχής ανάπτυξη των τεχνολογιών επιδρά και στον τομέα της εκπαίδευσης με την εισαγωγή νέων μεθόδων όπως η κινητή μάθηση μέσω της οποίας οι μαθητές θα έχουν πρόσβαση σε πολλές πηγές μάθησης, όπου κι αν βρίσκονται, οποιαδήποτε στιγμή. Έτσι η εκπαιδευτικής μας πλατφόρμα θα μεταφερθεί και για συσκευές mobile ώστε οι μαθητές να έχουν πρόσβαση στο εκπαιδευτικό υλικό ανά πάσα στιγμή. Τέλος, η πλατφόρμα θα δοκιμαστεί από εκπαιδευτικούς και από μαθητές για να παρατεθούν αποτελέσματα και στατιστικές για την αξιολόγηση και βελτιστοποίηση του τελικού προϊόντος. Καθώς και θα παρουσιαστεί μια πολύ πρόσφατη τεχνολογία τα MOOCs, που στηρίζονται στη φιλοσοφία της ανοικτής μάθησης με βασική αρχή λειτουργίας τους τη συνεχή αναζήτησης πηγών από το περιβάλλον και την προσαρμογή τους στις πηγές ανατροφοδότησης από αυτό. / Recently, the development of technology has introduced terms such as distance education and computer literacy, thus complementing traditional learning with a form of communication. Hence, this new type of training is adapted to the curricula of primary and secondary schools as well as universities. The implementation of Technology of Information and Communication (Τ.I.C) in education and primary learning , in particular, worked as a learning tool, as a visual means of instruction, as a cognitive and exploratory tool, as well as a means to both communicate and to look for information. In this thesis a platform of electronic learning will be created, used and presented for the needs of the subject of T.I.C in primary education. Throughout the thesis a comparison will be made between the existing platforms of electronic learning whereas one will be selected in order to conduct the lesson. Furthermore, a series of theoretical lessons will take place, evaluation tests, a set of tasks and a picture dictionary will be created with computer terms in order for the lesson to be conducted in the best possible way by using the platform. Moreover, a context will also exist with advice on the use of the Internet in order for the students to always be informed as to what to avoid on the Internet. The final product will consist a tool in the hands of the instructor since it will assist him/her in the process of teaching the T.I.C subject and in the adaptation of it according to the needs. This will also be a new experience for the students since it will provide a new dimension to the traditional way of learning. The students through tests will be able to be creatively occupied and to evaluate their progress. Thus, the lesson will become interactive and more appealing to them. The ongoing progress of technology affects the field of education with the introduction of new methods such as mobile learning through which students will have access to many sources of learning wherever and whenever they wish. This way our educational platform can be applied to mobile devices so that the students can have access to the educational material at any moment. Finally, the platform will be tested by both educators as well as students so as to reach results and statistics concerning the evaluation and improvement of the final product. A really recent technology, that of MOOCs, will also be presented which is based on the concept of open learning. The basic principle of its function is the ongoing search of resources from the environment and their adaptation to the sources of feedback from it.

Die neue interaktive Online-Bildungsplattform openHPI (https://openHPI.de) des Hasso-Plattner-Instituts (HPI) bietet frei zugängliche und kostenlose Onlinekurse für interessierte Teilnehmer an, die sich mit Inhalten aus dem Bereich der Informationstechnologien und Informatik beschäftige¬n. Wie die seit 2011 zunächst von der Stanford University, später aber auch von anderen Elite-Universitäten der USA angeboten „Massive Open Online Courses“, kurz MOOCs genannt, bietet openHPI im Internet Lernvideos und weiterführenden Lesestoff in einer Kombination mit lernunterstützenden Selbsttests, Hausaufgaben und einem sozialen Diskussionsforum an und stimuliert die Ausbildung einer das Lernen fördernden virtuellen Lerngemeinschaft. Im Unterschied zu „traditionellen“ Vorlesungsportalen, wie z.B. dem tele-TASK Portal (http://www.tele-task.de), bei dem multimedial aufgezeichnete Vorlesungen zum Abruf bereit gestellt werden, bietet openHPI didaktisch aufbereitete Onlinekurse an. Diese haben einen festen Starttermin und bieten dann in einem austarierten Zeitplan von sechs aufeinanderfolgenden Kurswochen multimedial aufbereitete und wann immer möglich interaktive Lehrmaterialien. In jeder Woche wird ein Kapitel des Kursthemas behandelt. Dazu werden zu Wochenbeginn eine Reihe von Lehrvideos, Texten, Selbsttests und ein Hausaufgabenblatt bereitgestellt, mit denen sich die Kursteilnehmer in dieser Woche beschäftigen. Kombiniert sind die Angebote mit einer sozialen Diskussionsplattform, auf der sich die Teilnehmer mit den Kursbetreuern und anderen Teilnehmern austauschen, Fragen klären und weiterführende Themen diskutieren können. Natürlich entscheiden die Teilnehmer selbst über Art und Umfang ihrer Lernaktivitäten. Sie können in den Kurs eigene Beiträge einbringen, zum Beispiel durch Blogposts oder Tweets, auf die sie im Forum verweisen. Andere Lernende können diese dann kommentieren, diskutieren oder ihrerseits erweitern. Auf diese Weise werden die Lernenden, die Lehrenden und die angebotenen Lerninhalte in einer virtuellen Gemeinschaft, einem sozialen Lernnetzwerk miteinander verknüpft. / The new interactive online educational platform openHPI, (https://openHPI.de) from Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI), offers freely accessible courses at no charge for all who are interested in subjects in the field of information technology and computer science. Since 2011, “Massive Open Online Courses,” called MOOCs for short, have been offered, first at Stanford University and then later at other U.S. elite universities. Following suit, openHPI provides instructional videos on the Internet and further reading material, combined with learning-supportive self-tests, homework and a social discussion forum. Education is further stimulated by the support of a virtual learning community. In contrast to “traditional” lecture platforms, such as the tele-TASK portal (http://www.tele-task.de) where multimedia recorded lectures are available on demand, openHPI offers didactic online courses. The courses have a fixed start date and offer a balanced schedule of six consecutive weeks presented in multimedia and, whenever possible, interactive learning material. Each week, one chapter of the course subject is treated. In addition, a series of learning videos, texts, self-tests and homework exercises are provided to course participants at the beginning of the week. The course offering is combined with a social discussion platform where participants have the opportunity to enter into an exchange with course instructors and fellow participants. Here, for example, they can get answers to questions and discuss the topics in depth. The participants naturally decide themselves about the type and range of their learning activities. They can make personal contributions to the course, for example, in blog posts or tweets, which they can refer to in the forum. In turn, other participants have the chance to comment on, discuss or expand on what has been said. In this way, the learners become the teachers and the subject matter offered to a virtual community is linked to a social learning network.