This paper is concerned with general issues related to social impact modelling and assessment of AI-enabled web-based learning platforms (AILPs) fnanced through public funds. The approach described here sheds new light on the assessment of open-access knowledge repositories, overcoming the difculties associated with the estimation of their fnancial characteristics that limit the usefulness of the well-known social return on investment (SROI) method (Pathak, & Dattani, 2014). Another group of methods, namely those based on innovation difusion models (Li et al., 2020), turned out to be inadequate as they do not fully grasp the network-dependent characteristics of online information difusion and immediate social recommendation propagation n the Internet. A promising research case is the successful implementation of the e-science platform within the recent Horizon 2020 project MOVING. Among the contractual goals of this platform is to leverage knowledge provision for efcient training and research in academia, corporations, and public administration. Thus, social impact goals can be achieved with efcient user community building, which assumes the wide use of existing cooperation networks between potential users, and explores the opportunities provided by social media. [Aus: Problem statement]

Svenska skolan digitaliseras och fler skolor använder digitala lärplattformar för att hantera allt ifrån administrativa sysslor till kommunikation kring specifika uppgifter mellan lärare och elev. Dessa lärplattformar följer inga statliga direktiv eller kravspecifikationer, utan utformning styrs av skolledningens uttryckta behov. Målet med denna studie är dubbelt, dels att skapa en djupare förståelse för hur matematiklärare på gymnasiet arbetar med bedömning i dagsläget och hur de upplever att lärplattformar passar in i detta arbete; dels att förstå om arbetet med bedömning går i linje med Skolverkets direktiv för bedömning. Då kunskapskrav och bedömningskriterier skiljer sig mellan ämnen begränsades studien till endast matematiklärares arbete och åsikter. För att undersöka detta intervjuades gymnasielärare som använder digitala lärplattformar i sitt vardagliga arbete. Utöver intervjuerna har denna studie använt sig av en enkätundersökning i enlighet med blandade metoder för att få en bredare bild av lärares åsikter. Enkäten skapades digitalt och distribuerades via sociala medier till aktiva lärare för att få en generell bild av problematik inom bedömning som uppmärksammades under intervjuerna. En jämförelse mellan lärares bedömningsprocess och Skolverkets allmänna råd och riktlinjer utfördes för att förstå och presentera strukturer inom bedömningsprocessen. Studiens resultat visar att matematiklärarna till viss del är nöjda med bedömningen på lärplattformar. De ser det som fördelaktigt att dokumentera digitalt men anser att det finns förbättringar att göra. Mycket tyder på att upplevda problem inte ligger hos lärplattformar utan hos ledningen som beställare av dessa samt utbildningen kring implementeringen av dem. Studiens resultat visar även att lärare i större utsträckning jobbar med själv- eller kamraträttning om de har tillgång till verktyget Kunskapsmatrisen samt använder egna kalkylark för summativ bedömning och dokumentation. I en stor utsträckning följer lärares bedömningspraktik Skolverkets råd och riktlinjer, detta beror troligen på att råd och riktlinjer är löst formulerade för att täcka in ett stort spektrum av lärarpraktiker. Diskussioner internt på skolor är ett av råden som inte följs enligt 18% av lärarna men ökade samtal och utbildning för lärare skulle kunna vara gynnsamt för deras användning av lärplattformar vid bedömning. Denna studie har bidragit med nya infallsvinklar att undersöka lärplattformar via för att få en bättre uppfattning av deras roll i bedömningen och digitaliseringen av skolan. / The Swedish school is being digitized and many schools use digital learning platforms to manage everything from administrative tasks to communication of specific tasks between teachers and students. However, these platforms do not follow any government directives or requirement specifications. Instead the platforms’ design is governed by the school management's expressed needs. This can lead to less fair and equivalent grades on a national scale since the platform dictates how grading is performed and structured to some extent. The goal of this study is twofold. First, it aims to create a deeper understanding of i) how mathematics teachers at the upper secondary school work with assessment in their current teaching practices and ii) teachers experiences of how digital platforms fit into their work with assessment. This study also aims to investigate whether the teachers’ work with assessment follows Skolverket’s (the National Agency for Education in Sweden) directives for assessment. This study limits itself to only examining the work and experiences of teachers in mathematics. To investigate teacher’s opinions and experiences of grading, six upper secondary teachers in mathematics were interviewed. Based on the interviews, a questionnaire survey was developed to quantify collected qualitative data. The questionnaire was created digitally and distributed online via social media to practicing teachers. 50 teachers answered the questionnaires. A comparison between the teachers' assessment process and Skolverket's directives and guidelines was performed to problematize structures within the assessment process. The study's results show that teachers to a greater extent let students assess their own work if the teachers have access to the tool Kunskapsmatrisen. Most teachers use private spreadsheets for documenting summative assessment. The guidelines set by Skolverket are followed to a wide extent but this can be because the guidelines are designed to cover a broad range of teaching practices. Internal discussions is one of the guidelines that isn’t followed by 18% of teachers while increased discussions and training for teachers could be beneficial for their ability to implement platforms in their work with assessment. The study concludes that teachers for the most part are satisfied with their work regarding grading on learning platforms. They appreciate the ability to document results online but express that several improvements still have to be made. The results indicate that the responsibility for the platforms’ shortcomings is partially caused by the schools’ board whom is responsible for purchasing and implementation of platforms. This study offers new viewpoints worth investigating in order to further better the understanding of learning platforms and their role in assessment.

Digital utbildning erbjuder många möjligheter, men det finns även utmaningar som behöver övervinnas för att fullt ut utnyttja dess potential. En av dessa utmaningar är kvaliteten och effektiviteten hos digitala verktyg och plattformar. För att säkerställa en framgångsrik digital utbildning måste digitala verktyg vara av hög kvalitet och tillförlitliga. Det är också viktigt att ha välfungerande digitala verktyg och plattformar för att skapa en engagerande och dynamisk inlärningsmiljö. Studien fokuserar på hybridundervisning, där studenter deltar både på campus och på distans samtidigt. Genom att undersöka både synkron och asynkron interaktion mellan studenter och lärare via digitala verktyg och plattformar strävar studien efter att få insikter om hur studenter upplever interaktionen. Forskningsfrågorna undersöker vilka faktorer som kan hindra interaktion inom hybridundervisning, om det finns skillnader i interaktionsupplevelser mellan distansstudenter och studenter på campus, samt vilka utmaningar som finns kopplade till interaktionsupplevelserna inom hybridundervisning. Genom att identifiera och förstå dessa interaktionsutmaningar och skillnader kan studien ge värdefulla insikter för att optimera digitala verktyg och plattformar inom hybridundervisning. Resultaten kan bidra till att skapa en mer engagerande och effektiv inlärningsmiljö för studenter som deltar både på distans och på campus. / Digital education offers many opportunities, but it also presents challenges to overcome to fully leverage its potential. One of these challenges is the quality and effectiveness of digital tools and platforms. To ensure successful digital education, digital learning resources must be of high quality and reliability. It is also important to have well-functioning digital tools and platforms to create an engaging and dynamic learning environment. The study focuses on hybrid education, where students participate both on campus and remotely. By examining both synchronous and asynchronous interaction between students and teachers through digital tools and platforms, the study aims to gain insights into how students experience this type of interaction. The research questions investigate factors that may hinder interaction in hybrid education, whether there are differences in interaction experiences between remote students and on-campus students, and what challenges are associated with interaction experiences within hybrideducation. By identifying and understanding these interaction challenges and differences, the study can provide valuable insights for optimizing digital tools and platforms in hybrid education. The results can contribute to creating a more engaging and effective learning environment for students participating both remotely and on campus.

Distance education (DE) is now recognised as an education system independent from conventional face-to-face education. It has self-governing theories and pedagogies. It attracts students with unique characteristics different from those of on-campus students. The present distance learning student differs from the past ones by characteristics, needs and contexts. Not all students registering for distance learning conform to the characteristics of distance students described in theory. It is now acknowledged that DE systems demand special skills including time management, self-regulation and independent learning skills. Yet, few of these students enter into distance learning with prior experiences on its demands. The new student is compelled to learn to deal with challenges that come with DE i.e. the impact of ‘distance’, isolation and time management. ‘The net generation’ and ‘digital natives’ are now in college but with skills not automatically transferable to learning technologies. Information and communication technologies (ICT) providers are mostly focused on the ‘use’ rather than the ‘user’. Universities are continuously adopting new technologies leaving the student bewildered as to the focus; learning or technology training. The internet has ‘everything’; open course ware (OCW), open education resources (OERS), wikis and all web information. Students cannot simply find things for themselves. Furthermore distance learning has no policy on how to engage with the internet and students are left to decide what, which and how much is required for any level of study. Most universities in Africa moving from single to dual mode have not integrated distance learning pedagogy which requires restructuring in the organisation, policy and course development. DE, though spanning over two centuries has been mutually dependent on technology. The present technology demands a paradigm shift from that of correspondence days. These issues have created the need for support strategies that can literally accompany the DE student throughout his/her academic journey. Universities have established DE units, campuses and schools for a variety of reasons. It is required that such universities provide learner support systems for their students. The purpose of this study was to assess the learner support services available for distance learning undergraduate students in two universities in Kenya i.e. Northern University (NU) and Western University (WU). A Learner support system can comprise of numerous components. In this study, nine (9) components/indices were tested as the indices for providing support services. These are:- registration procedures, orientation programme and skills training, technology and learning materials, counselling and mentorship, interactions and communication, feedback, regional centres and library, students association and representation and course progression and satisfaction. This study employed an evaluation research design utilising both quantitative and qualitative methods. Online questionnaires were used for quantitative data collection. For qualitative data collection two (2) instruments were used; an interview schedule for key programme implementers and a documentary analysis tool for documents and websites. The findings indicated that the main indices that distinguished the two universities were registration process, technology and learning materials, counselling/mentorship and regional centres where the t-test showed significant differences. The p values were 0.008, 0.012, 0.036 and 0.015 respectively at 0.05 significance level. In all of them, Northern University (NU) had a relatively high mean score than Western University (WU) except for the index on counselling and mentorship. / Educational Foundations / D. Ed. (Socio-Education)

The inquiry documented in this thesis is located at the nexus of technological innovation and traditional schooling. As we enter the second decade of a new century, few would argue against the increasingly urgent need to integrate digital literacies with traditional academic knowledge. Yet, despite substantial investments from governments and businesses, the adoption and diffusion of contemporary digital tools in formal schooling remain sluggish. To date, research on technology adoption in schools tends to take a deficit perspective of schools and teachers, with the lack of resources and teacher ‘technophobia’ most commonly cited as barriers to digital uptake. Corresponding interventions that focus on increasing funding and upskilling teachers, however, have made little difference to adoption trends in the last decade. Empirical evidence that explicates the cultural and pedagogical complexities of innovation diffusion within long-established conventions of mainstream schooling, particularly from the standpoint of students, is wanting. To address this knowledge gap, this thesis inquires into how students evaluate and account for the constraints and affordances of contemporary digital tools when they engage with them as part of their conventional schooling. It documents the attempted integration of a student-led Web 2.0 learning initiative, known as the Student Media Centre (SMC), into the schooling practices of a long-established, high-performing independent senior boys’ school in urban Australia. The study employed an ‘explanatory’ two-phase research design (Creswell, 2003) that combined complementary quantitative and qualitative methods to achieve both breadth of measurement and richness of characterisation. In the initial quantitative phase, a self-reported questionnaire was administered to the senior school student population to determine adoption trends and predictors of SMC usage (N=481). Measurement constructs included individual learning dispositions (learning and performance goals, cognitive playfulness and personal innovativeness), as well as social and technological variables (peer support, perceived usefulness and ease of use). Incremental predictive models of SMC usage were conducted using Classification and Regression Tree (CART) modelling: (i) individual-level predictors, (ii) individual and social predictors, and (iii) individual, social and technological predictors. Peer support emerged as the best predictor of SMC usage. Other salient predictors include perceived ease of use and usefulness, cognitive playfulness and learning goals. On the whole, an overwhelming proportion of students reported low usage levels, low perceived usefulness and a lack of peer support for engaging with the digital learning initiative. The small minority of frequent users reported having high levels of peer support and robust learning goal orientations, rather than being predominantly driven by performance goals. These findings indicate that tensions around social validation, digital learning and academic performance pressures influence students’ engagement with the Web 2.0 learning initiative. The qualitative phase that followed provided insights into these tensions by shifting the analytics from individual attitudes and behaviours to shared social and cultural reasoning practices that explain students’ engagement with the innovation. Six indepth focus groups, comprising 60 students with different levels of SMC usage, were conducted, audio-recorded and transcribed. Textual data were analysed using Membership Categorisation Analysis. Students’ accounts converged around a key proposition. The Web 2.0 learning initiative was useful-in-principle but useless-in-practice. While students endorsed the usefulness of the SMC for enhancing multimodal engagement, extending peer-topeer networks and acquiring real-world skills, they also called attention to a number of constraints that obfuscated the realisation of these design affordances in practice. These constraints were cast in terms of three binary formulations of social and cultural imperatives at play within the school: (i) ‘cool/uncool’, (ii) ‘dominant staff/compliant student’, and (iii) ‘digital learning/academic performance’. The first formulation foregrounds the social stigma of the SMC among peers and its resultant lack of positive network benefits. The second relates to students’ perception of the school culture as authoritarian and punitive with adverse effects on the very student agency required to drive the innovation. The third points to academic performance pressures in a crowded curriculum with tight timelines. Taken together, findings from both phases of the study provide the following key insights. First, students endorsed the learning affordances of contemporary digital tools such as the SMC for enhancing their current schooling practices. For the majority of students, however, these learning affordances were overshadowed by the performative demands of schooling, both social and academic. The student participants saw engagement with the SMC in-school as distinct from, even oppositional to, the conventional social and academic performance indicators of schooling, namely (i) being ‘cool’ (or at least ‘not uncool’), (ii) sufficiently ‘compliant’, and (iii) achieving good academic grades. Their reasoned response therefore, was simply to resist engagement with the digital learning innovation. Second, a small minority of students seemed dispositionally inclined to negotiate the learning affordances and performance constraints of digital learning and traditional schooling more effectively than others. These students were able to engage more frequently and meaningfully with the SMC in school. Their ability to adapt and traverse seemingly incommensurate social and institutional identities and norms is theorised as cultural agility – a dispositional construct that comprises personal innovativeness, cognitive playfulness and learning goals orientation. The logic then is ‘both and’ rather than ‘either or’ for these individuals with a capacity to accommodate both learning and performance in school, whether in terms of digital engagement and academic excellence, or successful brokerage across multiple social identities and institutional affiliations within the school. In sum, this study takes us beyond the familiar terrain of deficit discourses that tend to blame institutional conservatism, lack of resourcing and teacher resistance for low uptake of digital technologies in schools. It does so by providing an empirical base for the development of a ‘third way’ of theorising technological and pedagogical innovation in schools, one which is more informed by students as critical stakeholders and thus more relevant to the lived culture within the school, and its complex relationship to students’ lives outside of school. It is in this relationship that we find an explanation for how these individuals can, at the one time, be digital kids and analogue students.

Distance education (DE) is now recognised as an education system independent from conventional face-to-face education. It has self-governing theories and pedagogies. It attracts students with unique characteristics different from those of on-campus students. The present distance learning student differs from the past ones by characteristics, needs and contexts. Not all students registering for distance learning conform to the characteristics of distance students described in theory. It is now acknowledged that DE systems demand special skills including time management, self-regulation and independent learning skills. Yet, few of these students enter into distance learning with prior experiences on its demands. The new student is compelled to learn to deal with challenges that come with DE i.e. the impact of ‘distance’, isolation and time management. ‘The net generation’ and ‘digital natives’ are now in college but with skills not automatically transferable to learning technologies. Information and communication technologies (ICT) providers are mostly focused on the ‘use’ rather than the ‘user’. Universities are continuously adopting new technologies leaving the student bewildered as to the focus; learning or technology training. The internet has ‘everything’; open course ware (OCW), open education resources (OERS), wikis and all web information. Students cannot simply find things for themselves. Furthermore distance learning has no policy on how to engage with the internet and students are left to decide what, which and how much is required for any level of study. Most universities in Africa moving from single to dual mode have not integrated distance learning pedagogy which requires restructuring in the organisation, policy and course development. DE, though spanning over two centuries has been mutually dependent on technology. The present technology demands a paradigm shift from that of correspondence days. These issues have created the need for support strategies that can literally accompany the DE student throughout his/her academic journey. Universities have established DE units, campuses and schools for a variety of reasons. It is required that such universities provide learner support systems for their students. The purpose of this study was to assess the learner support services available for distance learning undergraduate students in two universities in Kenya i.e. Northern University (NU) and Western University (WU). A Learner support system can comprise of numerous components. In this study, nine (9) components/indices were tested as the indices for providing support services. These are:- registration procedures, orientation programme and skills training, technology and learning materials, counselling and mentorship, interactions and communication, feedback, regional centres and library, students association and representation and course progression and satisfaction. This study employed an evaluation research design utilising both quantitative and qualitative methods. Online questionnaires were used for quantitative data collection. For qualitative data collection two (2) instruments were used; an interview schedule for key programme implementers and a documentary analysis tool for documents and websites. The findings indicated that the main indices that distinguished the two universities were registration process, technology and learning materials, counselling/mentorship and regional centres where the t-test showed significant differences. The p values were 0.008, 0.012, 0.036 and 0.015 respectively at 0.05 significance level. In all of them, Northern University (NU) had a relatively high mean score than Western University (WU) except for the index on counselling and mentorship. / Educational Foundations / D. Ed. (Socio-Education)

[ES] La situación pandémica mundial ha hecho que la educación en todos sus niveles tome como alternativa para su continuidad la virtualización de esta; por lo que este trabajo de investigación pretende analizar las perspectivas de los docentes y estudiantes frente a la virtualización educativa como alternativa en tiempos de COVID-19 en la Facultad de Ciencias Sociales y Humanas de la Universidad Central del Ecuador La investigación se realizó bajo un enfoque mixto cuali-cuantitativo, con un diseño no experimental - transeccional, utilizando como técnicas la encuesta y la entrevista, a través de la aplicación de un cuestionario y de la entrevista grupal respectivamente. La población quedó constituida por 1209 estudiantes y 60 docentes de las Carreras de Ciencias Políticas, Sociología y Trabajo Social que conforman la Facultad de Ciencias Sociales y Humanas de la Universidad Central del Ecuador, Hallándose como conclusión principal que, de forma inicial la virtualización de la educación fue acogida de forma positiva entre docentes y estudiantes; pero que existen carencias en ciertas áreas para su ejecución, como son la escasez de equipos tecnológicos en los hogares de los estudiantes, mala conectividad a internet, falta de capacitación apropiada a estudiantes y docentes, factores que amplían la brecha digital por las desigualdades ya existentes. La tecnología sin duda abre grandes posibilidades para el aprendizaje en la educación superior, pero la carencia de los recursos tecnológicos apropiados y la falta capacitación de muchos de los docentes imposibilita esta oportunidad. / [CA] La situació pandèmica mundial ha fet que l'educació en tots els seus nivells prenga com a alternativa per a la seua continuïtat la virtualització d'aquesta; pel que aquest treball de recerca pretén analitzar les perspectives dels docents i estudiants enfront de la virtualització educativa com a alternativa en temps de COVID-19 en la Facultat de Ciències Socials i Humanes de la Universitat Central de l'Equador. La investigació es va realitzar baix un enfocament mixt cuali-quantitatiu, amb un disseny no experimental - transeccional, utilitzant com a tècniques l'enquesta i l'entrevista, a través de l'aplicació d'un qüestionari i de l'entrevista grupal respectivament. La població va quedar constituïda per 1209 estudiants i 60 docents de les Carreres de Ciències Polítiques, Sociologia i Treball Social que conformen la Facultat de Ciències Socials i Humanes de la Universitat Central de l'Equador. Trobant-se com a conclusió principal que de manera inicial la virtualització de l'educació va ser acollida de manera positiva entre docents i estudiants; però que existeixen carències en unes certes àrees per a la seua execució, com són l'escassetat d'equips tecnològics en les llars dels estudiants, mala connectivitat a internet, falta de capacitació apropiada a estudiants i docents, factors que amplien la bretxa digital per les desigualtats ja existents. La tecnologia sens dubte obri grans possibilitats per a l'aprenentatge en l'educació superior, però la carència dels recursos tecnològics apropiats i la falta de capacitació de molts dels docents impossibilita aquesta oportunitat. / [EN] The global pandemic situation has made education at all levels take its virtualization as an alternative for its continuity; Therefore, this research work aims to analyze the perspectives of teachers and students in the face of educational virtualization as an alternative in times of COVID- 19 at the Faculty of Social and Human Sciences of the Central University of Ecuador The research was carried out under a mixed quali-quantitative approach, with a non- experimental - transectional design, using the survey and the interview as techniques, through the application of a questionnaire and the group interview respectively. The population was made up of 1,209 students and 60 teachers of the Careers of Political Sciences, Sociology and Social Work that make up the Faculty of Social and Human Sciences of the Central University of Ecuador, Finding as a main conclusion that initially the virtualization of education was received in a positive way among teachers and students; but that there are shortcomings in certain areas for its implementation, such as the shortage of technological equipment in the students' homes, poor internet connectivity, lack of appropriate training for students and teachers, factors that widen the digital divide due to existing inequalities. Technology certainly opens up great possibilities for learning in higher education, but attention to appropriate technological resources and the lack of training of many teachers makes this opportunity impossible. / Valladares Villagómez, MA. (2021). Perspectiva de los docentes y estudiantes frente a la virtualización educativa como alternativa en tiempos de COVID-19 en la Facultad de Ciencias Sociales y Humanas de la Universidad Central del Ecuador [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/180345