This thesis presents the findings of a study of writing center tutorial practices in a Middle Eastern university where the language of instruction is English. Data from stimulated recall activities, written observations, and interviews were analyzed to answer the following research questions: 1. How do tutees perceive the effectiveness of writing center tutorials? 2. How do tutors perceive the effectiveness of writing center tutorials? 3. Which type of tutoring approach do tutees find more effective? 4. Which type of tutoring approach do tutors find more effective? The data revealed that tutees noticed an improvement in their assignments, believed that their concerns had been addressed, and that they had acquired transferable skills. Most tutees assessed their tutors positively, valuing tutors who inspired confidence and were able to explain concepts clearly. Although tutees appreciated knowledgeable tutors, they valued egalitarian peer-tutoring relationships. Tutors reported that tutorial sessions improved their tutees' assignments and that tutees had acquired transferable skills. Nevertheless, tutors were critical of their own performance. Some tutors admitted to lacking the knowledge necessary to explain certain writing concepts, including grammatical concepts; some felt they dominated the tutorials; and others felt their approach was too directive. The data revealed that both tutors and tutees preferred the directive approach for lower order concerns and a non-directive approach for higher order concerns. This study shows that diverse tutoring models that accommodate the background and experiences of Middle Eastern students, and their particular strengths and weaknesses, should be considered. It recommends tutorial training that emphasizes flexibility and recognizes the distinctive nature of each tutorial situation and the opportunity it presents to address the needs and expectations of individual students. These findings could signal a direction for the development of writing center pedagogy that focuses on the linguistically and culturally diverse students in the Middle East.

Electronic medical records (EMR) can be used by Primary Care Physicians (PCP) to support diabetes care in a proactive and planned way. Although the majority of Canadian PCPs have adopted an EMR, advanced use of the EMR is limited. The literature widely suggests that end-user-support (EUS) is a critical success factor for increasing use of advanced EMR features, such as diabetes registries and recalls or reminders. Training is one type of EUS that is intended to help PCPs to better use their EMRs; however, many PCPs receive little or inadequate EMR training, especially following the implementation of an EMR. Specifically, there is a dearth of literature on the use of video tutorials to improve EMR use. The purpose of this mixed methods (QUAN(qual)) study was to evaluate the potential for EMR video tutorials to improve process measures for type 1 and type 2 diabetes care for PCPs using OSCAR EMR in British Columbia. EMR video tutorials were developed based on the Chronic Care Model, value-adding EMR use, evidence-based video tutorial design, clinician-led EMR training, the Structure-Process-Outcome Model, and the New World Kirkpatrick Model. In total, 18 PCPs participated in the study, and 12 of them participated in 21 follow up interviews. The study results demonstrated that the study intervention and Hawthorne effect elicited a statistically significant increase in EMR feature use for diabetes care, with a large effect size (i.e., F(3, 51) = 6.808, p <.001, partial η2 = .286). Multiple barriers and facilitators to applying the tutorial skills into practice were also found at the physician, staff, patient, EMR, and policy levels, such as time, funding, computer literacy of staff, patient responsibility, and user-friendliness of the EMR. Three pairs of PCP characteristics had a strong and positive association, which was statistically significant: (1) age and years of practice; (2) years of experience using OSCAR EMR and number of EMRs used; and (3) computer skills and EMR skills. PCPs' years of medical practice was statistically significant in predicting their baseline use of the EMR for diabetes care. Graphical trends indicated that higher increases in mean composite EMR use (MCEU) score for diabetes care over the duration of the study were associated with PCPs with the following characteristics: (1) being female, (2) being aged 35-44, (3) being from Vancouver Island, (4), having less than four years of medical practice, (5) having 3-4 years of EMR experience, (6) having 1-2 years of OSCAR EMR experience, (7) using four EMRs, and (8) having prior post-implementation EMR training. This small-scale efficacy study demonstrates the potential of CCM-based EMR video tutorials to improve EMR use for chronic diseases such as diabetes. A larger-scale effectiveness study with a control group is needed to further validate the study findings and determine their generalizability. / Graduate

The use of information and communication technologies are an innovation in educational practices, one example is the virtual teaching and learning environments (AVEA), Moodle. However for using Moodle AVEA be a facilitator practices in teaching and learning teachers must adapt to this reality with technological fluency. The research sought to investigate the use of Moodle as an aid in pedagogy of alternation in the Specialization Course in Peasant Family Farming and Countryside Education II of the Federal University of Santa Maria - Brazil, and produce video tutorials as a methodological tool to assist in the use of Moodle AVEA Land in residence courses in Brazil included the call of CNPQ / MDA-INCRA No. 26/2012. The survey was conducted with qualitative approach. Initially questionnaires were applied to the subjects. They were also produced videos tutorials for training in the use of Moodle. The conclusion is the need for more training for teachers as an incentive for the use of AVEA and the inclusion of a tutor to support students in the development of activities. The training with the help of the video tutorials, demonstrated effectiveness, as some universities interested in entering information to the AVEA and did so fully using all environment tools. / O uso das tecnologias de informação e comunicação são uma inovação nas práticas educativas, um exemplo são os ambientes virtuais de ensino-aprendizagem (AVEA), Moodle. Entretanto para o uso do AVEA Moodle ser uma pratica facilitadora no ensino aprendizagem os docentes precisam adequar-se a essa realidades tendo fluência tecnológica. A pesquisa buscou investigar o uso do Moodle como auxiliar na pedagogia da alternância no Curso de Especialização em Agricultura Familiar Camponesa e Educação do Campo II da Universidade Federal de Santa Maria Brasil, e produzir vídeos tutoriais como ferramenta metodológica para auxiliar no uso do AVEA Moodle nos cursos de Residência Agrária no Brasil contemplados da chamada do CNPQ/MDA-INCRA Nº 26/2012. A pesquisa foi realizada com enfoque qualitativo. Inicialmente foram aplicados questionários com os sujeitos da pesquisa. Também foram produzidos vídeos tutorias para capacitação no uso do Moodle. Conclui-se a necessidade de mais capacitações aos docentes como estímulo para a utilização do AVEA e a inserção de um tutor para apoio aos discentes no desenvolvimento das atividades. As capacitações com o auxilio dos vídeos tutoriais, demonstraram efetividade, pois algumas universidades tiveram interesse em inserir informações ao AVEA e o fizeram de forma completa utilizando todas as ferramentas do ambiente.

This report investigates if tutorials are necessary in a hard fun game of emergence with tutorialistic gameplay. This is done by comparing the performances of players who have and have not played a tutorial. The study is based on research of the classification of different kinds of games as well as research regarding the effect of tutorials on player experience. The terms tutorialistic gameplay and restrictive tutorials are introduced and defined. The method used for data collection was a game that automatically recorded performance data at one minute intervals. This performance data was then compiled and analysed to answer the research question: How does learning through tutorialistic gameplay affect player performance innormal gameplay compared to learning through restrictive tutorials in a hard fun game of emergence? Not enough results were received to answer the question, but they show examples of learning through tutorialistic gameplay having both positive and negative effects.

El presente proyecto de negocio se basa en el planteamiento y análisis de la viabilidad en la implementación de una web que permita ofrecer clases particulares dirigidas a alumnos del nivel primaria. El mercado objetivo se obtuvo mediante una investigación estricta de la competencia, con respecto a los precios de sus clases particulares y a los niveles socioeconómicos que pagan por su servicio. Por ende, EDUCASA ofrece sus servicios a los niveles socioeconómicos A y B. Para el desarrollo del proyecto se tuvo en cuenta el análisis de las entrevistas que se realizaron a los profesores y padres de familia. Gracias a ello, se identificó la dificultad que presentan los padres de familia para encontrar alternativas o herramientas de reforzamiento para la educación primaria de sus hijos. Por ende, se emplearon diversas estrategias para lograr ofrecer una solución que genere valor para nuestros dos segmentos de clientes. Entre ellos se puede mencionar el Plan de Operaciones, el Plan de Marketing, el cual contempla la identificación de las estrategias con el fin de incrementar las ventas y también el Plan de Recursos Humanos. Además, se realizó el Plan de Responsabilidad Social Empresarial, puesto que nuestra propuesta de valor busca impactar positivamente en los diversos grupos de interés relacionados. También se muestra el detalle del Plan Financiero, en el cual se demuestra la viabilidad de EDUCASA reflejada en números. Por último, se mencionan las respectivas conclusiones y recomendaciones sobre el proyecto. / This business project is based on the approach and analysis of feasibility in the implementation of a website that allows to offer private classes aimed at students at the primary level. The target market was obtained through a strict investigation of the competition, regarding the prices of its private classes and the socioeconomic levels that pay for its service. Therefore, EDUCASA offers its services to socioeconomic levels A and B. For the development of the project, the analysis of the interviews that were carried out with the teachers and parents was taken into account. Thanks to this, we identify the difficulty that parents have in finding alternatives or reinforcement tools for their children's primary education. Therefore, various strategies were used to offer a solution that generates value for our two customer segments. Among them you can specify the Operations Plan, the Marketing Plan, which contemplates the identification of strategies in order to increase sales and also the Human Resources Plan. In addition, the Corporate Social Responsibility Plan was carried out, since our value proposition seeks to positively impact the various related stakeholders. The detail of the Financial Plan is also shown, which shows the viability of EDUCASA reflected in numbers. Finally, the respective conclusions and recommendations about the project are mentioned. / Trabajo de investigación

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Syftet med föreliggande uppsats var att undersöka gymnasielärarnas användning av rörliga bilder i undervisningen, i olika ämnen där både gymnasiegemensamma-/kärnämnen och profil-/karaktärsämnen finns representera. Undersökningen utgick från antagandet att ovanstående förekommer – men i varierande grad – och sökte därför reda på hur och varför det rörliga materialet används i undervisningssammanhang samt vilka typer av rörliga bilder det handlar om. Av intresse var också hur lärarna får fram det rörliga material, hur de tänker kring och arbetar med avsändare och källkritik vid såväl val av material som i klassrummet samt hur de upplever att deras elever förhåller sig till den här typen av undervisning.Metoden för undersökningen var den kvalitativa forskningsintervjun. Sex stycken intervjuer genomfördes med gymnasielärare - som undervisar i svenska, engelska, matematik, fysik, historia, samhällskunskap, religion, fotografi, form, bild, grafisk design, kultur och idéhistoria, instrument, digitalt skapande samt ljudläggning – på en mindre skolenhet med inriktning mot estetik och media. Undersökningens resultat visar att rörliga bilder av många olika sorter förekommer i hög utsträckning i undervisningen. Det rörliga materialet används för att skapa en känsla och intresse för ämnet samt för att visualisera processer, skeenden och begrepp. Några av lärarna producerar också eget material som läggs upp på internet och på så sätt blir tillgängligt för eleverna även utanför lektionstiden. Man ställer samma kvalitetskrav på rörliga bilder som på läroboken, men rätt återgivning av fakta är inte alltid det viktigaste eftersom ”fel” historieskrivning i en spelfilm kan användas för att träna elevernas kritiska tänkande. Lärarna hyser ingen misstro mot populärkultur, snarare ser lärarna den som ett sätt att närma sig eleverna på deras egna villkor. Lärarna jobbar kritiskt med medier. Lärarna arbetar också för att visa olika perspektiv och uppmuntrar olika tolkningar vid diskussioner av rörliga bilder, men upplever att det många gånger finns en kulturell friställdhet hos eleverna som göra att de inte vill eller inte kan diskutera det de ser. Det samma gäller frågor om källkritik. Lärarna är själva noga med vilka avsändare som finns bakom det de visar. Lärarna upplever att deras elever besitter en viss mediekunnighet men att de ofta väljer att inte använda den i skolsammanhang.Lärarna visar ofta rörligt material som de själva redan äger eller som de hittar via internet. Ingen av lärarna verkar låna materialet från någon officiell mediecentral. Lärarna bryter många gånger mot upphovsrättslagen, men de visar inte någon medvetenhet kring det i intervjuerna. Om lagbrotten sker på grund av okunskap eller ett medvetet val framgår inte.På grund av det låga antalet intervjuade lärare kan inte studiens resultat göra några anspråk på generaliserbarhet. Den breda representationen av ämnen innebär dock att undersökningens resultat skulle kunna användas som underlag för vidare diskussioner kring exempelvis utformningen av ett övergripande mediepedagogiskt arbete på den berörda skolenheten.

Almost every application or platform that is developed nowadays includes a user onboarding experience. Onboarding is a process that starts the moment users enter an application and it aims to show the benefits of using the application, teach how the functionality works and motivate users to return. When the target application is considered a complex software, the teaching methodology needs to be carefully studied and designed. Through the example of a complex project management software, this master thesis aims to develop an in-app teaching interface that allows the users to understand the different functionalities and improve their work performance in a complex application. In this work, we developed an integrated learning platform as a result of methodical research-oriented design processes. The outcome of the research is a modular onboarding experience called the Learning Center. It includes a collection of courses based on video tutorials and interactive guided tours. Gamification elements such as progress bars and checklists are included as a way to engage users and encourage them to complete the courses. User tests showed an improvement in functionality understanding and a reduction in error rates. The Learning Center was considered useful and adequately approached. Future research includes making the appropriate learning material directly available from each software feature. / Nästan alla applikationer eller plattformar som är utvecklade idag har en “user onboarding experience”. “Onboarding” är en process som börjar när en användare startar en applikation. Processen ämnar visa fördelar med att använda applikationen, lära användaren funktioner och att motivera vidare användning. När applikationer uppfattas som komplexa behövs noggrann studie och design av potentiella lärometoder. Genom en komplex projektledningsapplikation ämnar detta masterarbete utveckla en “in-app” utbildningsgränssnitt som möjliggör det för användare att förstå diverse funktioner och förbättra deras arbetsprestation i en komplex applikation. I detta arbete utvecklade vi en integrerad utbildningsplattform som ett resultat av metodiska forskningsorienterade designprocesser. Resultatet av forskningen är en modulär “onboarding experience” kallad “the Learning Center”. Den innehåller en uppsättning kurser baserade på videohandledning och interaktiva guidade rundturer. Spelifieringselement så som framstegsmätare och checklistor är inkluderade som ett sätt för att engagera och uppmuntra de att fullfölja kurser. Användare visade en förbättring i förståelsen av funktionalitet och en minskning i antal fel. “The Learning Center” sågs som användbart och adekvat bemött. Framtida forskning bör göra passande läromaterial direkt tillgänglig från varje mjukvarufunktion.

Investigating the crucial elements in game tutorials that have a significant impact on users' learning experience is fundamental to understand and improve game tutorials. By examining factors that could influence the players' learning, it's possible to find valuable information to enhance the learning process in gaming tutorials. The primary goal of this study is to improve game developers' understanding of how people interact with entertaining games and gain knowledge from them. This can provide valuable information that can be used for possible improvements in future game developments. The study focuses on the two most popular video game tutorials and tries to identify underlying factors that might promote or hinder learning. The research evaluates how effective these games are in relation to existing theoretical learning frameworks. The study includes interviews and playing simulations with 15 new players and the information is used to analyze their experiences to determine when the games either hindered or contributed positive learning behaviors. The analysis involved the use of both qualitative and quantitative research methods. The research concluded that none of the chosen games used a tutorial that was well-designed or optimized. Although one game performed better than the other, both tutorials were too basic and did not allow the user to utilize an effective learning method. To encourage a player to learn more, a tutorial should act as a motivator, inspiring them to discover new ideas, knowledge, given the option to repeat game instructions, utilize different learning styles and guide them into making right decisions through captivating visual illustrations. How effective and informative a game tutorial can be is limited by the tutorial resource requirements for the game. To understand the game in an effective learning way, the constructed tutorial guidance system must understand the users’ weaknesses and direct them towards the best path to learn.

Until recently, most educational tools have worked in silos. If a teacher wanted her students to complete small programming exercises, record videos, and collaborate through discussion boards, three disconnected tools were probably needed. Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) is a communication protocol that enables different learning tools to talk to each other and share scores with a Learning Management System (LMS). While most commercial LMS now support LTI, most educational software developed by small research efforts do not. This is often because of the lack of resources needed to understand the working of LTI and the process of using LTI in their applications. Our aim is to encourage the use of LTI within the CS Education community. We have developed tutorials that include example applications. We also provide a use case of how LTI is implemented in the OpenDSA eTextbook system. As another use case, we have enabled auto-grading of Jupyter Notebook assignments by providing immediate feedback to students and updating scores to the Canvas gradebook. We provide a Jupyter plugin to upload notebook files to the Web-CAT auto-grading system. We integrate Aalto University's ACOS content into OpenDSA as a third use case. / Master of Science / Until recently, most educational tools have worked in silos. If a teacher wanted her students to complete small programming exercises, record videos, and collaborate through discussion boards, three disconnected tools were probably needed. These disconnected tools did not integrate with the Learning Management Systems (LMS), such as Canvas and Moodle. Instructors had to manually manage these separate tools and enter scores into the LMS. There are standards such as Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) that these learning tools can implement to enable them to talk to each other and to share scores with an LMS. However, most educational software developed by small research efforts do not support LTI. This is often because of the lack of resources needed to understand the working of LTI and the process of using LTI in their applications. We aim to encourage the use of LTI within the CS Education community. We have developed tutorials that include example applications. We also provide a use case of how LTI is implemented in OpenDSA, an eTextbook system developed at Virginia Tech. As another use case, we have enabled auto-grading of Jupyter Notebook (documents that run in a browser and can contain equations, visualizations, live code, and text) assignments by providing immediate feedback to students and updating scores to the Canvas gradebook. We provide a plugin to upload notebook files to the WebCAT auto-grading system directly from the browser. We integrate Aalto University’s ACOS content (Python and Java exercises) into OpenDSA as a third use case.