The purpose of this study was to examine and identify support service needs and preferences of distance learners studying at the Turkish Open Education System (OES). In order to fulfill this purpose, views and perceptions of OES students on importance and accessibility of student support services at the OES were investigated through a mixed-method approach that uses both qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis methods. Data collection took place in three distinct phases. In the first phase, available learner support services were identified through review of the literature, investigation of institutional artifacts, and interviews with the institutional representatives. In the second phase, a questionnaire was administered to OES students in order to collect data about demographic information, students' goals and motivations for participating in the distance education program, their perceptions about the importance and accessibility of support services, and types of support services they needed at different stages of their study. It also included open-ended questions to allow participants to comment on factors that are most assistive and most impeding in their distance learning experience, and also to allow them to offer suggestions for improving and/or expanding the existing learner support services. Out of 450 questionnaires distributed, 311 usable questionnaires were returned. In the third phase, individual and group follow-up interviews were performed with OES students to gain an in-depth understanding of participants' distance learning experience and to triangulate questionnaire data. The results of this study revealed that affective support needs of OES students are largely unmet. A large needs gap was identified for five of the six affective support services included in the questionnaire. The largest needs gap was for the counseling services to promote student motivation. Moreover, a large needs gap was identified for two of the ten cognitive support services included in the questionnaire. These were face-to-face academic counseling and communication with course instructor. In addition to affective and cognitive support services, a greater needs gap was identified for one of the six systemic support services, which is orientation to the course media/delivery format. Statistical tests (t test and ANOVA) revealed significant differences (p < 0.05) in importance and accessibility ratings of several support services based on gender, employment status, and study time.

Present trends in the mainstream adoption of educational technology coupled to the increased acceptance and adoption of openness in terms of sharing resources and open access force higher education into a radical rethink of its structures and educational strategies. This article examines the current shift in focus from the simple production and sharing of open educational resources (OER) towards wider concepts such as open educational practices (OEP) and cultures (OEC). OER involves mostly educators whereas OEP and OEC demand the commitment of management, administrators and politicians.  This openness is already spawning alternative types of peer-based collaborative learning both inside and outside the formal education system. In particular the increased awareness of the importance of informal learning has raised a clear need for some kind of certification model and the current open badges initiative lead by Mozilla and several US authorities is examined and discussed. In 2011 the OER university partnership announced an innovative approach to combining formal and informal learning by planning to offer credible credentials for students who have acquired the necessary skills through their own learning paths. The road to future higher education may not be entirely behind the campus walls.

'Alternatives to Textbooks' Breakout session from the Living the Future 8 Conference, April 23-24, 2012, University of Arizona Libraries, Tucson, AZ. / The high cost of commercial print textbooks is a major concern for both students and their parents. To address these concerns, the Provost’s Office and the University Libraries of the University of Massachusetts Amherst launched the Open Education Initiative in the Spring of 2011. The OEI is a faculty incentive program that encourages either the creation of new teaching materials or the use of existing low-cost or free information resources to support our students’ learning. Now in its second phase, the Open Education Initiative has generated a total savings of over $200,000 for students in classes that utilize open educational resources, library materials or faculty generated content. The third round of grants will support faculty teaching large general education courses who are interested in pursuing non-traditional educational resources as an alternative to the traditional textbook.

Submitted by JEONG CIR DEBORAH ZADUSKI null (deborah_zaduski@hotmail.com) on 2017-10-03T00:50:02Z No. of bitstreams: 1 dissertação final zaduski completa.pdf: 2693861 bytes, checksum: e07268c56c41817b1e00896720dc50b2 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Monique Sasaki (sayumi_sasaki@hotmail.com) on 2017-10-03T16:19:57Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 zaduski_jcd_me_prud.pdf: 2693861 bytes, checksum: e07268c56c41817b1e00896720dc50b2 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-10-03T16:19:57Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 zaduski_jcd_me_prud.pdf: 2693861 bytes, checksum: e07268c56c41817b1e00896720dc50b2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-02-14 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / A presente pesquisa de mestrado é vinculada ao Programa de Pós-Graduação em Educação da Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Estadual Paulista “Júlio de Mesquita Filho” (FCT/Unesp), campus de Presidente Prudente/SP, na linha de pesquisa Processos formativos, ensino e aprendizagem. A pergunta de pesquisa que guiou o estudo foi: é possível que cursos em formato MOOC, disponíveis em um ambiente de educação não formal (A Unesp Aberta) possibilitem aprendizagem, interação e satisfação em relação às necessidades e expectativas dos aprendizes da sociedade digital? A pergunta parte das hipóteses que os cursos em formato MOOC podem possibilitar a aprendizagem; que os usuários destes cursos podem ter diferentes percepções e graus de satisfação em relação ao curso realizado e; que as ferramentas de interação assíncrona, como os fóruns, podem estimular a interação e a troca de experiências entre os aprendizes, mesmo sem a mediação pedagógica feita por um professor ou tutor. Para tanto, o objetivo principal foi caracterizar a disponibilização e o desenvolvimento de cursos em formato MOOC, em um ambiente virtual de aprendizagem, de educação não formal e on-line denominado Unesp Aberta. A pesquisa foi dividida em três estudos, cada um deles alicerçado em um dos objetivos específicos: conhecer o perfil dos cursistas dos cursos de humanas da plataforma Unesp Aberta, identificando quem são e quais suas necessidades; verificar o grau de satisfação dos cursistas em relação ao curso, aos materiais propostos, às interações existentes e a percepção pessoal sobre a aprendizagem obtida no curso e; identificar mecanismos de comunicação e interação entre aprendizes, tendo como base os fóruns de discussão. A abordagem quanti-qualitativa adotada permitiu que os três estudos fossem feitos utilizando dois instrumentos de pesquisa, a observação não participante dos três fóruns de discussão selecionados e, o envio de um questionário semiestruturado para todos os participantes dos cursos de ciências humanas. Foram analisados quantitativamente 675 questionários considerados válidos, e, qualitativamente, as respostas dadas na pergunta aberta e, as postagens feitas nos fóruns de discussão, com o auxílio do software Iramuteq. O primeiro estudo proporcionou a identificação do perfil dos aprendizes, composta em sua maioria por um público mais velho, que está mais interessado no conteúdo do que na certificação, buscando desde uma complementação curricular, à satisfação de uma curiosidade, por necessidade profissional ou em busca de novas experiências. Com o segundo estudo, compreendemos que os cursos analisados, na opinião dos participantes, ofereceram recursos condizentes com suas expectativas. Por fim, com o terceiro estudo foi possível confirmar a riqueza de possibilidades de um ambiente virtual de aprendizagem aberto, online, livre e gratuito, onde é possível criar, compartilhar, ensinar, fazer amigos e aprender. / This research is linked to the Master's Degree Post-Graduation Program in Education of the Faculty of Science and Technology of the Sao Paulo State University "Júlio de Mesquita Filho" (FCT / Unesp), campus of Presidente Prudente / SP, in the research line of Formative processes, teaching and learning. The question that guided this study was whether it is possible that courses in a MOOC format available in a non-formal education environment (Unesp Aberta) can enable learning, interaction and satisfaction in relation to the needs and expectations of learners from the digital society. The question arises from the hypotheses that courses in MOOC format can enable learning; that the users of these courses may have different perceptions and degrees of satisfaction in relation to the course made and; that asynchronous interaction tools, such as forums, can stimulate interaction and exchange of experiences among learners, even without pedagogical mediation of teachers or tutors. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to characterize the availability and development of courses in MOOC format, in an environment of non-formal education called Unesp Aberta. In order to reach this goal the research was divided into three studies, each of them based on one of the specific objectives. The first was to know the profile of students of Human Science courses from this platform, identifying who are they and what are their needs. The second was to verify the degree of satisfaction of students in relation to the course, the proposed materials, the existing interactions and the personal perception about the learning obtained in the course. The third was to identify mechanisms of communication and interaction between apprentices, based on discussion forums. The quantitative-qualitative approach allowed the three studies to be done using two research instruments, the non-participant observation of the three selected discussion forums and a semi-structured questionnaire sent to all participants of human science courses. All the questionnaires considered valid were analyzed quantitatively and, the answers given in the open question and the postings made in the discussion forums were analyzed qualitatively with the help of Iramuteq software. The first study allowed the identification of apprentices' profile from the analyzed courses, composed mostly by an older audience, more interested in content than in certification, seeking a curricular complementation, the satisfaction of a curiosity, for professional reasons or in search of new experiences. With the second study, we understand that the courses analyzed, in the opinion of participants, offered resources that fit their expectations. Finally, with the third study, it was possible to confirm the richness of possibilities of an open, free, online learning environment where it is possible to create, share, teach, make friends and learn.

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2016-03-03T17:43:44Z No. of bitstreams: 1 anacarolinaguedesmattos.pdf: 1815903 bytes, checksum: 45b8e225159873e3d1353edd9084322c (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2016-04-24T01:48:03Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 anacarolinaguedesmattos.pdf: 1815903 bytes, checksum: 45b8e225159873e3d1353edd9084322c (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-24T01:48:03Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 anacarolinaguedesmattos.pdf: 1815903 bytes, checksum: 45b8e225159873e3d1353edd9084322c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-03-26 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / A presente dissertação investiga, por meio de uma revisão de literatura, de que maneira o Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) estão sendo abordados em publicações no âmbito nacional e internacional. Por meio da questão norteadora sobre as convergências e divergências presentes nas produções nacionais e internacionais sobre os MOOC, compreendidas no período de 2008 a 2014, esta pesquisa apresenta um levantamento bibliográfico em publicações denominadas científicas - coletadas em periódicos nacionais, internacionais, e factuais – disponibilizadas em espaços/sites/ambientes da web. Tal movimento metodológico se deu de modo a contemplar os objetivos propostos: I) Investigar, nas produções nacionais e internacionais selecionadas, as convergências e divergências presentes; II) Compreender como os MOOC são apresentados nas produções encontradas; III) Identificar, nos textos, elementos afeitos ao movimento da Educação aberta; e IV) Apresentar, criticamente, os conceitos produzidos de modo a subsidiar os estudos a respeito dos MOOC. Os dados produzidos foram trabalhados por meio da integração de temas recorrentes, a saber: Autonomia, Interatividade e Abertura, e também das discussões sobre as vozes sonantes e dissonantes emergentes dos dados. O estudo sobre os MOOC é ainda um desafio, principalmente por sua criação recente. A pesquisa sinalizou para a integração entre os MOOC com os REA (Recursos Educacionais Abertos) e a concepção de Educação Aberta, problematizando a abertura, o acesso e a maneira como nos apropriamos dos conceitos dispersos na internet. Os principais achados dessa dissertação se deram por meio da convergência entre as produções factuais e os textos científicos – delimitando o lugar e diferencial de cada produção -, mas considerados espaços relevantes na informação e discussão sobre o significado dos MOOC e seus desdobramentos futuros. Outro destaque de deu ante a recorrência, nos textos científicos sobre MOOC, da preocupação com os cursistas e com a aprendizagem. A pesquisa ainda sinalizou acerca da intensa relação entre MOOC e REA, embora não esteja explícita nas produções analisadas. Por fim, a investigação aponta para a criação de um caminho - que se difere dos MOOC - para aprendizagens efetivamente autônomas, a partir da compreensão sobre a Educação Aberta e os REA, denominado Percursos Online Múltiplos Abertos e Rizomáticos (POMAR), criado pelo GRUPAR (Grupo de pesquisa Aprendizagem em Rede) em 2014. / The present dissertation investigates by means of a literature review, how the Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) are being approached in publications in national and international scope. By means of guiding question about convergences and divergences present in the productions national and international about the MOOC, comprehended in the period 2008 to 2014, this research presents a rigorous bibliographical survey in scientific publications denominated - collected from national and international periodicals and factual - made available on spaces / sites / web environments. Such an methodological movement gave to take account of the proposed objectives: I) To investigate, in national and international productions selected, the convergences and divergences present; II) Understand how MOOC found are presented in the productions; III) To identify, in the texts, elements fond the movement of the open education and IV) present, critically, the concepts produced so as to subsidize studies on the MOOC. The data produced were worked through the integration of recurrent themes, namely: Autonomy, Interactivity and opening, and also of the discussions on emerging and sounding dissonant voices of the data. The study on the MOOC is still a challenge, mainly because of its recent creation. The research signaled the integration between the MOOC with REA (Open Educational Resources) and the conception of Open Education, discussing the opening, access and the way how we appropriate the concepts dispersed on the internet. The principal findings of this dissertation were the convergences between the factual productions and the Scientific texts - delimiting the place and differential of each production - more considered relevant spaces in the inform and discuss about the meaning of MOOC and future developments. Another prominent gave before the recurrence in scientific texts on MOOC, worry with the course participants and apprenticeship are present in the scientific texts. In addition of this, from the readings and studies in this dissertation, signaled about the intense relationship between MOOC and REA, although not explicit in the analyzed productions. Finally, the research points to the creation of a path - which differs from the MOOC - to effectively autonomous learning, from the understanding of the Open Education and the REA, the Routes Online Multiple Open and Rhizomatic (POMAR), created by GRUPAR in 2014.

This paper investigates the origins of the Open Education movement in the United States and traces its development throughout the twentieth century. Pioneers of the movement are discussed, with an extensive description of John Dewey's work provided. Political and social forces which affected Open Education throughout the century are described. Finally, current trends in education are examined to determine whether Open Education remains in practice. Conclusions and implications for classroom practice are included.

An agile approach is most often used in software development but has been applied in other areas such as manufacturing and project management as well. Within literature, there are only a few studies that investigate the use of an agile approach for authoring educational content. This study explores how an agile approach could facilitate rapid and collaborative authoring of educational content. This qualitative study utilised a multiple case study strategy. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews and observations. The insight gained from this study indicated that the agile approach that emerged was a valuable lens through which to explore rapid and collaborative authoring of educational content. The study also revealed that community building among those participating in the authoring process is fundamental to the success of an agile approach. Further insights include offering training and support to the participants of the authoring sprints regarding an agile process, the applications utilised and imminent change. An agile approach in education emerged from the study and could be an alternative to traditional content authoring approaches for educational content. Finally, the study revealed the need for a comprehensive software package that included file sharing, instant messaging, task management, screen sharing and conferencing capabilities alongside the authoring software. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Science, Mathematics and Technology Education / MEd / Unrestricted

Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-27T13:52:48Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 NELSON BATISTA LEITAO NETO.pdf: 508598 bytes, checksum: a1575e3156e9d2afee5ed7685f1bedd6 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-03-30 / This study aimed to investigate the pedagogical-didactic proposal presented by Otto Peters, a specialist in Distance Education (EAD), in his works A educação a Distância em transição (2004) e Didática do ensino a distância (2006) whose reflections have reasoned insights and discussions on this teaching modality.Peters in his studies, claims to be adept at self-learning, pointing out that students should have more autonomy and freedom within the distance education process.He was a pioneer in theorizing on EAD. Worried to formalize a concept of education, highlighting the need to organize the methods of teaching and learning to a new model of teaching and learning that uses different parameters of traditional education. In this research, a qualitative literature and presented the main features of the understandings of the author and reflected on the importance of using reflections produced by this among researchers of our country.During the research others have been used as a theoretical contribution to reflect on the history and the changes made by this mode of teaching, such as: Peters (2004, 2006), Belloni (2009), Moore (2007), Kearley (2007), Maron (2004), Oliveira (2008), Dias (2010), Leite (2010), Saraiva (1996), among others. / Este trabalho objetivou investigar a proposta didático-pedagogica apresentada por Otto Peters , área da Educação à Distância (EAD), em suas obras A educação a Distância em transição (2004) e Didática do ensino a distância (2006) cujas reflexões têm fundamentado a compreensão e as discussões sobre essa modalidade de ensino. Peters em seus estudos, afirma ser adepto da auto-aprendizagem, pontuando que o aluno deve ter mais autonomia e liberdade dentro do processo educacional à distância. Ele foi um dos pioneiros na teorização em EAD. Preocupou-se em formalizar um conceito de educação, evidenciando a necessidade em organizar os métodos de ensino e aprendizagem para um novo modelo de ensino e aprendizagem que se utiliza de parâmetros diferenciados da educação tradicional. Nesta pesquisa, de natureza qualitativa e bibliográfica apresentou-se as principais características das compreensões do autor e refletiu-se sobre a importância da utilização das reflexões produzidas por este entre pesquisadores de nosso país. No decorrer da pesquisa outros autores foram utilizados como contribuição teórica para refletirmos sobre a história e as transformações apresentada por essa modalidade de ensino, tais como: Peters (2004, 2006), Belloni (2009), Moore (2007), Kearley (2007), Maron (2004), Oliveira (2008), Dias (2010), Leite (2010), Saraiva (1996), entre outros.

Esta dissertação discorre sobre os Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC), com vistas à análise das experiências pioneiras no Brasil. O desafio esteve em trabalhar sobre as potencialidades e as limitações acerca das propostas de arquiteturas pedagógicas na construção de um curso nesse formato. Foram analisados o planejamento para a execução dos cursos e o desenvolvimento desse modelo. A pesquisa de caráter qualitativo está alicerçada no estudo de multicasos na ótica de quatro experiências: três totalmente brasileiras, uma luso-brasileira. O estudo foi desenvolvido a partir da triangulação metodológica: entrevistas em profundidade com os autores dos MOOC, protocolo de análise desses cursos e análise de documentos dos cursos. Destaca-se o conectivismo como início das propostas de MOOC, relacionando tal compreensão à Educação Aberta. Como resultado, esta pesquisa possibilita novos entendimentos frente ao tema. Suscita a criação de novas categorias de classificação pedagógica para MOOC, revela o potencial e os desafios da construção de uma Arquitetura Pedagógica para este modelo de curso, à luz da tríade - teoria, metodologia e tecnologia -, contribuindo para a Educação Superior. / This dissertation discusses about the Massive Open Online Courses (Mooc) aimed at analyzing the pioneering experiences. The challenge was to work on the potential and the limitations on the proposals of pedagogical architectures to build a course in this format. The planning for the implementation of courses and the development of this model were analyzed. The qualitative research is grounded in the multicase study from the viewpoint of four experiments: three fully Brazilian and one Portuguese-Brazilian. The study was developed from the methodological triangulation: in-depth interviews with the authors of Mooc, analysis protocol analysis of these courses and course documents. Noteworthy of connectivism like the beginning of proposed from Mooc, relating this understanding to the Open Education. As a result, this research provides new insights across the theme, raising the creation of new categories of educational rating for Mooc, reveals the potential and the challenges of building a pedagogical architecture for this course model, in the light of the triad - theory, methodology and technology - contributing to Academic Education.

The problem of this study was to determine the relationship between experience in open-space and/or traditionally constructed elementary schools and teachers' attitudes toward open education. Statistical analysis of the data used to test the hypotheses resulted in the following findings. 1. Teachers who were currently teaching in traditionally constructed schools had significantly more positive attitudes toward open education than did teachers currently teaching in open-space schools. 2. Teachers who had taught only in traditionally constructed schools had significantly more positive attitudes toward open education than did teachers who had taught only in open-space schools. 3. Teachers who had taught in both open-space and traditionally-constructed schools had significantly more positive attitudes toward open education than did teachers who had taught only in open-space schools. 4. Teachers who had taught only in traditionally constructed schools had significantly more positive attitudes toward open education than did teachers who had taught in both open-space and traditionally-constructed schools. 5. Teachers who had taught ten years or more had significantly more positive attitudes toward open education than did teachers who had taught less than ten years.