Yes / With the advancement of technology, significant changes have been introduced into the learning and teaching environment. The importance of enhancing the interest of learners is an on-going challenge for educators of all levels. In this respect, teaching and learning practices are adapting to students¿ exposure to technological and social trends. In this presentation, a case study of using technology to enhance the learners¿ environment for engineering-based subjects in higher education is presented. The approach consists of delivering interactive materials through a Virtual Learning Environment and integrating web application technologies to enhance the learners¿ experience. Due to the vast subject areas in engineering and the variety of content of each subject, a general methodology is first identified and adopted. This consists of stages that show the progress from initial development to deployment of the materials, followed by evaluation of the module and further improvements carried out on the module based on qualitative evaluation. The evaluation process consists of the application of electronic surveys for feedback on the distance learning module. In addition, monitoring of the students¿ usage of the materials is also carried out. The presentation concludes with the presentation of the initial results from a current e-learning module.

This study aims to identify the effect of using the blended learning method on students' academic achievement and satisfaction level in a university course for female student teachers who follow the General Teaching Method Course (304) at the College of Basic Education in Kuwait. The content of the course (304) was based on the five stages of the ADDIE instructional design model, comprising five phases: (1) Analysis, (2) Design, (3) Development, (4) Implementation, and (5) Evaluation. The research questions of the study can be summarised in two main questions: 1. What is the effect of using the method of blended learning in the General Teaching Method Course (304) on students’ academic achievement, compared to using face–to–face approaches to learning alone? 2. What is the effect of using the method of blended learning in the General Teaching Method Course (304) on students’ satisfaction, compared to using face–to-face approaches to learning alone? The researcher answered these questions through a mixed method research approach using the Explanatory Sequential Design, in order to determine the nature and objectives of the study. In this, the researcher started with the collection and analysis of quantitative data (using a quasi-experimental approach), which has priority for addressing the two research questions, and then followed this with the collection and analysis of qualitative data (using group interviews) to help explain the quantitative results. The researcher identified the study sample as 96 female students’ teachers at the College of Basic Education in Kuwait. The sample consisted of a first experimental group (n= 39)who followed the General Teaching Method Course (304) by blended learning using virtual learning environment (VLE) of Blackboard, a second experimental group (n=31) who followed the course (304) by blended learning using personal learning environment (PLE) of Facebook, and the control group (n= 26) who followed the course (304) using face-to-face approaches to learning alone. The dependent variables were academic achievement (as assessed in the course’s midterm, final and practical exams) and students’ satisfaction (as assessed by the questionnaire, giving a total mark and 3 sub-marks in reference to the students’ satisfaction about the teaching method of the course, the content of the course, and the instructor's support during the course). When answering the first question of the research, the study found that there was a significant difference in both mid-term and final tests between the first experimental group (studying through the blended learning method using VLE of Blackboard) and the control group (studying through face-to-face learning alone). However, there was no significant difference in both mid-term and final tests between the second experimental group (studying through the blended learning method using PLE of Facebook) and the control group. And there was also no significant difference in the practical test between the two experimental groups (each separately) and the control group. When answering the second question of the research, the study found that there was a significant difference in the teaching method dimension of the satisfaction questionnaire between the two experimental groups (each separately) and the control group. And there was also a significant difference in the instructor’s support dimension of the satisfaction questionnaire between the first experimental group and the control group, but no significant difference was found between the second experimental group and the control group. There was also no significant difference in the course content dimension of the satisfaction questionnaire between the two experimental groups (each separately) and the control group.

Este trabalho refere-se à utilização de um Ambiente Virtual de Aprendizagem (AVA) em um curso presencial de Biologia com alunos do terceiro ano do Ensino Médio. O estudo foi desenvolvido com três turmas distintas nos anos de 2008, 2009 e 2010, em escola particular de São Paulo. O estudo teve por objetivo testar a hipótese de que os estudantes desse contexto buscaram no AVA principalmente um repositório de materiais. Era objetivo, também, verificar a possibilidade de estabelecer interações efetivas através de participação em fóruns. Pelas características metodológicas, o trabalho se enquadrou na categoria de pesquisa-ação. Para seu desenvolvimento utilizaram-se, como fontes de informações, os dados de acessos do AVA, questionários de avaliação do ambiente postados pelos alunos e entrevistas. Para a análise da interação, utilizou-se uma adaptação do modelo de Henri (HENRI apud MCKENZIE e MURPHY, 2000). As análises feitas corroboraram a hipótese inicial de que os alunos buscam no ambiente principalmente os materiais pedagógicos. No tocante à utilização dos fóruns, poucos apresentaram uma interação efetiva, tendo sido testadas algumas possibilidades de atuação pedagógica para favorecer essa interação. São discutidos os fatores que respondem pela baixa adesão aos fóruns. Finalizando a dissertação, são comentadas algumas perspectivas decorrentes do trabalho. / This work refers to the use of a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) for a biology course in attendance for senior high school students. This study was developed with three different groups in the years of 2008, 2009 and 2010, at a private school in São Paulo, Brazil. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that students within this context specially used the VLE as a source of studying documents. Another objective was to verify the possibilities of establishing effective interactions through forum participation This study can be classified as an action research due to its methodological characteristics. The sources of information were VLE log data, students evaluation questionnaires and interviews. For interaction analysis, a Henri models adaptation was used (HENRI apud MCKENZIE and MURPHY, 2000). The results endorse the initial hypothesis the students look for studying sources at the virtual environment. In relation to forum use, few students demonstrate effective interaction and some possible teacher mediations that could enrich this interaction were tested. The elements that are related to low forum participation are discussed. Some perspectives driven from this study are brought at the end of the work.

Submitted by Filipe dos Santos (fsantos@pucsp.br) on 2017-01-10T11:26:58Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Alexandre Santos.pdf: 664590 bytes, checksum: e1be3898431dc1079b103d240badbd0a (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-01-10T11:26:58Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Alexandre Santos.pdf: 664590 bytes, checksum: e1be3898431dc1079b103d240badbd0a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-12-06 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / Distance education (DE) is a topic that has been successfully growing on a national level, and because of that, it offers the opportunity to most people entering higher education by flexibility and mobility that this model provides. The objective of this study was to analyze some insights about Educational Designer in implementing the 20% of presentials disciplines to distance mode. In addition to addressing the theoretical aspects of the Educational Design, because in this new educational context arises the importance of the Educational Design, whose main characteristic is to be articulator between the direction of the institution, faculty and student body and being involved with the planning, development and use of educational resources, methods, techniques and activities to promote the teaching and learning according to the guidelines of the education program. The Financial Mathematics in FAMOPS It is the focus of the implementation of the online course, presenting the tools used by the Educational Designer applied within the Moodle, being synchronous and asynchronous, helps to monitor learning and encourage participation in individual and group activities / Como a EAD tem crescido muito no âmbito nacional, oferece-se a oportunidade de diversas pessoas ingressarem no ensino superior, pela flexibilidade e mobilidade que esse modelo proporciona. Esta dissertação relata o trabalho do Designer Educacional na implementação dos 20% das disciplinas na modalidade a distância. Além de abordar os aspectos teóricos sobre o Design Educacional, descreve o processo de implementação de conteúdo disciplinar, por meio do uso de recursos de designer. Além disso, neste novo contexto educacional o trabalho ressalta a importância da gestão do designer, cuja principal finalidade é articular com a direção da instituição, corpo docente e o corpo discente, além de estar envolvido com o planejamento, o desenvolvimento e a utilização de recursos educacionais, métodos, técnicas e atividades a fim de promover o processo de ensino e aprendizagem de acordo com as diretrizes do projeto pedagógico. A disciplina de Matemática Financeira na FAMOSP é o foco da implementação do curso online. A pesquisa descreve as ferramentas utilizadas pelo Designer Educacional aplicadas dentro do Moodle, ou seja, do ambiente virtual de aprendizagem para planejar e construir atividades síncronas e assíncronas, permitindo o auxilio e acompanhamento da aprendizagem. Em conclusão, o trabalho pode evidenciar a necessidade de revisão do modelo a distância e dos procedimentos de planejamento adotados, tendo em vista as descobertas que emergiram na análise da narrativa do autor

Este trabalho refere-se à utilização de um Ambiente Virtual de Aprendizagem (AVA) em um curso presencial de Biologia com alunos do terceiro ano do Ensino Médio. O estudo foi desenvolvido com três turmas distintas nos anos de 2008, 2009 e 2010, em escola particular de São Paulo. O estudo teve por objetivo testar a hipótese de que os estudantes desse contexto buscaram no AVA principalmente um repositório de materiais. Era objetivo, também, verificar a possibilidade de estabelecer interações efetivas através de participação em fóruns. Pelas características metodológicas, o trabalho se enquadrou na categoria de pesquisa-ação. Para seu desenvolvimento utilizaram-se, como fontes de informações, os dados de acessos do AVA, questionários de avaliação do ambiente postados pelos alunos e entrevistas. Para a análise da interação, utilizou-se uma adaptação do modelo de Henri (HENRI apud MCKENZIE e MURPHY, 2000). As análises feitas corroboraram a hipótese inicial de que os alunos buscam no ambiente principalmente os materiais pedagógicos. No tocante à utilização dos fóruns, poucos apresentaram uma interação efetiva, tendo sido testadas algumas possibilidades de atuação pedagógica para favorecer essa interação. São discutidos os fatores que respondem pela baixa adesão aos fóruns. Finalizando a dissertação, são comentadas algumas perspectivas decorrentes do trabalho. / This work refers to the use of a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) for a biology course in attendance for senior high school students. This study was developed with three different groups in the years of 2008, 2009 and 2010, at a private school in São Paulo, Brazil. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that students within this context specially used the VLE as a source of studying documents. Another objective was to verify the possibilities of establishing effective interactions through forum participation This study can be classified as an action research due to its methodological characteristics. The sources of information were VLE log data, students evaluation questionnaires and interviews. For interaction analysis, a Henri models adaptation was used (HENRI apud MCKENZIE and MURPHY, 2000). The results endorse the initial hypothesis the students look for studying sources at the virtual environment. In relation to forum use, few students demonstrate effective interaction and some possible teacher mediations that could enrich this interaction were tested. The elements that are related to low forum participation are discussed. Some perspectives driven from this study are brought at the end of the work.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-11T14:03:19Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Vitor Bremgartner da Frota.pdf: 2212741 bytes, checksum: d795bab086a9fe7a83cb7bac13963dc1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-02-29 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Com a disseminação dos cursos de Educação a Distância, um problema cada vez mais frequente é a falta de um acompanhamento personalizado ao aluno e a demora em responder por parte de mediadores e demais colegas às dúvidas e requisições dos alunos em Ambientes Virtuais de Aprendizagem (AVAs), normalmente postadas em fóruns de discussão ou manifestada via e-mails. A abordagem adotada para solução deste problema apresentada nesta dissertação baseia-se em Sistemas Multiagente e em uma ontologia estendida da especificação IMS Learner Information Package (LIP) a partir da teoria de habilidades e competências desenvolvida pelo sociólogo suíço Phillipe Perrenoud. Por meio dos agentes e da ontologia são detectadas as eventuais dúvidas dos alunos e estas são direcionadas aos membros da comunidade que possuem o perfil mais adequado a solucioná-la, isto é, para aqueles que possuem as habilidades e competências adequadas, diminuindo a demora de resposta às dúvidas dos alunos. Dessa forma, os alunos poderão interagir entre si com o propósito de solucionar eventuais dúvidas ou erros em determinadas atividades, compartilhando conhecimentos. A solução descrita nesta dissertação se baseia na aprendizagem colaborativa pela interação entre aprendizes, na qual é uma estratégia empregada com o propósito de construir conhecimento de maneira mais significativa em um AVA. O processo de recomendação personalizada é realizado por agentes que utilizam a ontologia. Para validação do sistema, foi desenvolvida uma Rede de Petri que representa as interações entre os agentes, além de simular a correta ordem de execução ou o paralelismo entre eles. A partir dessas concepções, foi implementado um SMA que utiliza a ontologia de modelo de aluno desenvolvida e este foi empregado para auxiliar alunos e tutores em um curso de Cálculo Numérico que faz uso do AVA Moodle. Os resultados obtidos com os testes aplicados no sistema comprovam a validade e a viabilidade da solução encontrada, composta de duas etapas: uma simulação em uma turma fictícia, a fim de avaliar a eficácia dos agentes e da ontologia e outro teste em uma turma real, com o objetivo de avaliar a eficácia do processo de recomendação entre os alunos. Questionários de pesquisa de opinião foram passados em sala de aula a fim de obter e avaliar as impressões dos alunos quanto ao recurso disponível aos mesmos no AVA.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-26T18:13:48Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Vania de Moraes.pdf: 2752468 bytes, checksum: 886e84196c1efff494145c855e839dea (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-02-17 / Universidade de Taubaté / Considering all educational practice also consists of a communicative practice , this proposal is resulted from an investigation by the architecture of virtual learning environments (VLE ) about three IES that offer superior Degree in Visual Arts , in a distance mode .. About the materials and methods, the investigation was done through exploratory research and utilization of educational materials available in AVA. The theoretical framework consists of publications related about studies of the Semiotics of Culture, the General Theory of Systems and Information Technology and Communication ( ICT ) , with emphasis on Instructional Design . Highlight for Lotman (1999 ) Beatalanffy (1977 ) . The research was also significant with the theoretical support of the Semiotics of Culture with Machado and Pinheiro , the General System Theory , with Vieira and Bunge , and with Vygotsky . The result did not favor interactive practice the act of teaching teach art , due to technical and pedagogical shifts . In this context , through instructional design , are desired continuous architectural proposals for balanced service user organizations representing the plural context and Brazilian mongrel / Considerando que toda prática educativa consiste também em uma prática comunicativa, a presente proposta é resultada de uma investigação na arquitetura dos Ambientes Virtuais de Aprendizagem (AVA) de três Instituições de Ensino Superior (IES) que oferecem curso superior de Licenciatura em Artes Visuais, na modalidade a distância. Quanto aos materiais e métodos, a investigação se deu por meio de pesquisa exploratória e utilização de materiais educativos disponíveis nos AVA. O referencial teórico consiste em publicações referentes aos estudos da Semiótica da Cultura, da Teoria Geral dos Sistemas e das Tecnologias da Informação e Comunicação (TIC), com ênfase para o Design Instrucional. Destaque para Lotman (1999) Beatalanffy (1977). A pesquisa contou, também com o apoio teórico significativo da Semiótica da Cultura, com Machado e Pinheiro; da Teoria Geral do Sistema, com Vieira e Bunge, e com Vygotsky. O resultado não favoreceu as práticas interativas do ato de ensinar a ensinar arte, devido aos desvios técnico-pedagógicos. Nesse contexto, por meio do design instrucional, são desejadas propostas contínuas de arquitetura, para atendimento equilibrado de usuários que representam o contexto plural e mestiço brasileiro

Τα σύγχρονα πληροφοριακά συστήματα μάθησης τα οποία υποστηρίζουν εξ’ αποστάσεως εκπαίδευση, επιτρέπουν τη συστηματική διαχείριση του εκπαιδευτικού υλικού και υποστηρίζουν τις εκπαιδευτικές διαδικασίες των μαθημάτων. Τα συστήματα αυτά έχουν λειτουργικότητες όπως: η ανάρτηση ψηφιακού υλικού, η διεξαγωγή συζητήσεων, η ανάρτηση ασκήσεων-εργασιών, η πραγματοποίηση εξετάσεων και πολλές άλλες. Στόχος της συγκεκριμένης εργασίας είναι η διερεύνηση του χώρου των συστημάτων μάθησης τα οποία υποστηρίζουν εξ’ αποστάσεως εκπαίδευση καθώς επίσης και η παρουσίαση και η εφαρμογή μεθόδου αξιολόγησης τους, αξιολογώντας τα συστήματα σύμφωνα με μια λίστα λειτουργικών απαιτήσεων. Στο 1ο κεφάλαιο της διπλωματικής εργασίας γίνεται μια περιγραφή των βασικών εννοιών της εξ’αποστάσεως εκπαίδευσης καθώς επίσης και έννοιες που αφορούν τα συστήματα υποστήριξης μάθησης όπως:CBT, VLE, LMS, LCMS, CMS, Mobile Learning. Στο 2ο κεφάλαιο γίνεται μια επισκόπηση του χώρου των Συστημάτων Μάθησης Learning Course Management Systems (LCMS). Συγκεκριμένα γίνεται μία καταγραφή των χαρακτηριστικών των πιο δημοφιλών συστημάτων τόσο των εμπορικών όσο και των συστημάτων ανοικτού κώδικα με τη χρήση ενός κοινού template όπου καταγράφονται τα εξής στοιχεία: Κατασκευαστής, Σύντομη περιγραφή Λογισμικού, Πλεονεκτήματα (Δυνατά Σημεία ), Μειονεκτήματα (Αδυναμίες, Ελλείψεις), Πελατολόγιο, Τρέχουσα Έκδοση έτσι ώστε να μπορεί κάποιος εύκολα να τα συγκρίνει και να τα αξιολογήσει. Στο 3ο κεφάλαιο πραγματοποιείται ανάλυση απαιτήσεων ενός σύγχρονου συστήματος μάθησης έτσι ώστε να μπορεί να εφαρμοστεί η μεθοδολογία αξιολόγησης σε μια λίστα από χαρακτηριστικά-απαιτήσεις για τα συστήματα που παρουσιάζονται στο κεφάλαιο 2. Στο 4ο κεφάλαιο παρουσιάζεται η μεθοδολογία Αξιολόγησης των συστημάτων μάθησης η οποία στηρίζεται στη θεωρία της ασαφούς λογικής. Η συγκεκριμένη μεθοδολογία εφαρμόστηκε σαν μελέτη περίπτωσης για την αξιολόγηση συστημάτων εκπαιδευτικών δραστηριοτήτων προκειμένου να βρεθεί το πλέον κατάλληλο σύστημα για τις ανάγκες του Ελληνικού Ανοικτού Πανεπιστημίου. Τέλος στο κεφάλαιο 5 πραγματοποιείται η εφαρμογή της μεθοδολογίας αξιολόγησης μεταξύ των συστημάτων μάθησης και παρουσιάζονται τα αποτελέσματα- συμπεράσματα που εξάγονται από την εφαρμογή της μεθόδου ενώ στο τελευταίο κεφάλαιο (6ο ) παρουσιάζονται τα συμπεράσματα της εργασίας. / Modern learning information systems are designed to support distance education and have many features to support learning sequence such as: management of educational material, tools for uploading projects in several kinds (documents, multimedia files), many kinds of quizzes, grades management, forums, reports wiz and many others. The aim of this master thesis is the investigation of available learning course management systems(LCMS), requirements analysis for LCMS and presentation and implementation of an evaluation methodology for LCMS based on a requirements list. In the first chapter of this thesis, we describe the basic concepts and definitions of e-Learning, as well as concepts relating to learning support systems such as: CBT(Computer Based Training), VLE(Virtual Learning Environment), LMS(Learning Management Systems), LCMS(Learning Course Management Systems), CMS (Course Management Systems), Mobile Learning etc. The second chapter contains an investigation in the area of Learning Course Management Systems (LCMS). We used a common template in order to describe the features of the most popular LCMS (either Open Source or Commercial). The template contains features like: Small Description of any LCMS (Software Manufacturer and History, Active Users and Installations, Database Requirements, Web Server, Manufacturer Clients, Current Stable Version), Strengths of the Software, Weaknesses of the Software, Available Mobile Version. This features have been chosen in order to become easy the comparison and after that the evaluation of the systems. The third chapter contains requirements analysis of a modern learning course management system so that the evaluation methodology can be applied to a specified list of features-requirements for the systems presented in chapter 2. In the fourth chapter there is the presentation of the evaluation methodology which uses a multicriteria technical analysis which belongs to the field of methods of Multi-Criteria Group-based Decision Making Techniques, while uses methods of (intuitionistic) fuzzy logic. This method exports the results using a technique TOPSIS(Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution). In this chapter there is the theoretical description of the methodology which has been implemented as a case study for evaluating learning management systems in order to find the most suitable system for the needs of the Hellenic Open University(HOU). In Chapter 5 we will find the implementation steps of the methodology in order to exclude the most suitable LCMS for HOU and the final results(list of Systems). We will also find the conclusions of the implementation of this method. Finally the last chapter (6th) presents the final conclusions of the whole thesis and the added value this thesis offers in this field of research .