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Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-29T14:23:42Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Leticia Mahlmeister.pdf: 1592585 bytes, checksum: 4b83e6437d237e0b780bfeb64d1e8427 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-02-29 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This dissertation discusses the use of the social network site Facebook as a virtual environment for interaction and learning in Distance Education (DE). Its main objective is to contribute to the educational process of DE. As a conceptual reference, this work builds on the three main types of interaction in DE proposed by Michael Moore (Moore; Kearsley, 2001): student-instructor, student-student, and student-content. As methodology, it performs a bibliographic review of national and international surveys comparing the use of Learning Management Systems (LMS) such as Blackboard and Moodle, with the use of Facebook in DE. It also analyzes the results of the literature and brings together the data systematically, thereby facilitating future research on the topic. In addition, it synthesizes and describes the results of the review in order to ascertain whether the use of Facebook may or may not enhance education as an interaction and learning environment. It concludes that the use of Facebook as an interaction environment is significantly well accepted by students, particularly on the forms of student-instructor and student-student interaction, while LMS still contribute adequately to the individualized study, or student-content interaction. So, social networking sites can significantly contribute to the teaching of DE / Esta dissertação discute o uso do site de rede social Facebook como ambiente virtual de interação e aprendizagem em Educação a Distância (EaD). Seu objetivo principal é contribuir com o processo pedagógico da EaD. Como referência conceitual, este trabalho utiliza os três tipos principais de interação em EaD propostos por Michael Moore (MOORE; KEARSLEY, 2001): aluno-professor, aluno-aluno e aluno-conteúdo. Como metodologia, realiza uma revisão bibliográfica de pesquisas nacionais e internacionais que comparam o uso de Ambientes Virtuais de Aprendizagem (AVAs), como Blackboard e Moodle, com o uso do Facebook em EaD. Analisa ainda os resultados da literatura e aglutina os dados de forma sistemática, facilitando, assim, futuras pesquisas sobre o tema. Além disso, sintetiza e descreve os resultados obtidos na revisão, visando averiguar se o uso do Facebook pode ou não favorecer a educação como um ambiente de interação e aprendizagem. Conclui que a utilização do Facebook como ambiente de interação é significativamente bem aceita pelos discentes, especialmente para as formas de interação aluno-professor e aluno-aluno, enquanto os AVAs seguem atendendo suficientemente o estudo individualizado, ou a interação aluno-conteúdo. Assim, sites de rede social podem contribuir significativamente com a pedagogia da EaD

Thesis (M.S.)--Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, 1991. / Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 45-06, page: 3181. Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 75-76).

This study locates the Blackboard Learning Management System as a Technology Enhanced Learning tool within the bounds of the discipline of eLearning and aimed to interrogate the use of Blackboard for the purposes of teaching, learning and assessment in large classes. It is evident from the literature reviewed that changes in both Higher Education in the South Africa with regards to policy and legislation in addition to international shifts towards increased access and participation in a fast paced, ever-evolving knowledge-based economy, providing the context for this work. The theoretical framework for this study is not unidimensional due to the fact that the educational field of eLearning as an area of specialisation draws on a multitude of theories in terms of their utility value for instructional design of courses utilising Information and Communications Technology as a mode of delivery. This study was conducted within the bounds of an interpretivist paradigm as the researcher sought to focus on the use of Blackboard and the experiences of the lecturers and students involved in the implementation thereof. The research design for this study took the form of a case study and a multiple case method was employed. The researcher collected data through personal interviews conducted with participating lecturers, while student data was collected by means of a qualitative survey which was conducted through the Blackboard Learning Management System. The data was analyzed by means of a thematic analysis, consistent with the interpretive paradigm chosen for this study. The findings of this study revealed that Blackboard was utilised effectively in order to facilitate communication, access to course resources and promoted more efficient assessment processes. The implementation was however not without challenges many of which were systemic and focused on the lack of resources available to the students. The implications of using Blackboard for teaching and assessment of large classes include the use of the Learning Management System as part of a multimodal method of course delivery in an effort to reach the multitude of registered students both conceptually as well as electronically. The recommendations arising from this study include consideration on the part of the faculty for a unified approach in the use of Blackboard for communication as well as deployment of resources. Additionally, this study may form the foundation of further studies in this field, with a focus on the active engagement and training of lecturers in order to integrate traditional teaching methods with blended learning opportunities.

This project attempts to use an on-line telecommunication supplement to extend the boundary of the classroom beyond the limits of time and space in order to improve communication and extend the reach of the classroom.

Using Learning Management Systems (LMSs) in educational environmentshas facilitated the communication between students and teachers, and raisednew challenges as well. The aim of this research is to investigate the role ofLMS in the learning and teaching processes from students and teachersperspectives. We adopted a social constructivist worldview. We used aninductive qualitative approach, a single case study design and hermeneuticalapproach for analyzing the interviews and observations. We used Garrison etal. (2000) community of inquiry framework as a theoretical guide for thestudy. The research took place at the School of Computer Science, Physicsand mathematics department at Linnaeus University, Växjö campus. Theparticipants of this research were students and teachers from two masterlevels within the program of Information Systems. The study results indicatedthat students and teachers were content with the usage of Blackboard inorganizing courses materials. Although, most teachers didn’t encourageinteractive and discussion activities on Blackboard, students expressed theneed for such activities to help them in constructing and building newmeanings.

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Michael Moore's theory of transactional distance, developed in the age of correspondence schools, contributed greatly to theory building in distance education. The theory needs revision, however, when applied to web-based learning environments, specifically by defining transactional distance to include students' relationships with other elements in the learning environment that prohibit their active engagement with learning. The new theoretical model of transactional distance has four dimensions: transactional distance between student and student (TDSS), transactional distance between student and teacher (TDST), transactional distance between student and content (TDSC), and transactional distance between student and interface: online course management system (TDSI). A preliminary item pool of more than 200 items to measure the constructs of TD, TDST, TDSS, TDSC, and TDSI was generated and sent to a panel of experts for review. Items that the reviewers considered weak or very weak in terms of relevance to the constructs and/or clarity and conciseness were eliminated. After a pilot test and further revisions, the proposed scale of transactional distance was administered to a sample of 100 college students. Confirmatory factor analyses and exploratory analyses indicated that the measurement models, especially after modifications, possessed good fit for the data, and the modified scales possessed factorial validity. Reliability analyses indicated that the scales possessed strong internal consistency, with Cronbach alpha coefficients ranging from 0.8169 to 0.9530. Structural equation modeling procedures tested for the causal relationship between the four dimensions and students' general sense of transactional distance in web-based courses. Results indicate that the proposed model of transactional distance is acceptable. The strongest factor that affected students' sense of transactional distance and engagement with learning was found to be transactional distance between student and students (TDSS), followed by transactional distance between student and teacher (TDST), and then by transactional distance between student and content (TDSC). The findings have implications for the development of a revised theory of transactional distance in online education, and provide strong support for constructivist learning theories and social learning theories, reinforcing the importance of establishing learning communities in online learning environments.

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