This is a multiple-article format dissertation that explores methods for measuring student engagement in technology-mediated learning experiences. Student engagement is the committed, focused, and energetic involvement of students in learning. Student engagement is correlated with academic performance, student satisfaction, and persistence in learning, making it a valuable predictor of important learning outcomes. In order to identify which students need help or to evaluate how well an instructional interaction promotes student engagement, we need effective measures of student engagement. These measures should be scalable, cost effective, and minimally disruptive to learning. This dissertation examines different approaches to measure student engagement in technology-mediated learning environments that meet the identified measurement criteria. The first article is an extended literature review that examines how engagement has been measured in technology-mediated learning experiences. The second article is an instrument evaluation of an activity-level self-report measure of student engagement. The third article explores the relationships between learning management system user-activity data (log data) and results of the activity-level self-report measure of student engagement.

With the dynamic development of internet, various protocols and applications had been gradually matured on the network. The network has objective merits such as getting beyond the limits of time and space and change the tradition teaching model. Otherwise, the learning portfolios documented by on-line learning websites help teachers keep track of students¡¦ learning process. With the educational information, teachers would be more able to observe students¡¦ learning in real time and provide students with different decision rules under various time frames for teachers to understand both students¡¦ learning behaviors and process instantaneously. Nevertheless, technology mediated learning (TML) refers to an environment in which the learner interacts with learning materials, peers, and/or instructors that are mediated through advanced information technology. Recently, there have been increasing interests in investigating if TML can yield positive learning outcome. However, the rapid growth of information technology concerning analyzing the learning track is of various analytic approaches and thus is really complicated. The lack of one integrative analysis of all the possible use of the diverse analyzing frameworks prevents teachers from picking one most appropriate analyzing framework for their own teaching. Accordingly, this research compares and contrasts the most prevailing data analyzing technique¡Ðdata mining and the traditional statistical analysis approaches with the hope to allocate matching analyzing tools for various kinds of courses as well as to provide teachers with immediate decision rules as bases for predicting students¡¦ possible learning behaviors.

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While extensive research has been done on technology-mediated learning (TML) in North America, such research is not easily transferable to the Caribbean, as there are notable socio-cultural and economic factors that affect such methods of course delivery. Limited research has been recorded about TML within a Caribbean context. This study employed a qualitative research methodology to gain an understanding of the individual and collective experiences of Jamaican educators who are using technology-mediated learning within the classroom. The methodology employed solicited the participation of one group of educators for this research. The two approaches that were used to collect data were group interviews and one-on-one interviews. The findings revealed that while faculty were keen on leveraging the available technology, there were still faculty, student and institutional challenges that were being encountered, ultimately affecting the effectiveness of the technology used to complement the teaching and learning process. / Adult Education

Learner engagement, or the involvement of the student's cognitive and emotional energy to accomplish a learning task, has been called "the holy grail of learning" (Sinatra, Heddy, & Lombardi, 2015, p. 1) because of its correlations to academic achievement, persistence, and satisfaction. In the 21st century, learning will be increasingly "blended," combining face-to-face with computer-mediated instruction. Research is already exploring learner engagement in blended contexts, but no theoretical framework guides inquiry or practice. Developing models and measures of the factors that facilitate learner engagement is important to the advancement of the domain. This multiple-article format dissertation addresses the theoretical gap in research on learner engagement in blended settings. The first article reviews the existing literature on learner engagement, delineates a set of constructs most relevant to the contexts of blended learning, and proposes a theoretical framework for learner engagement in blended settings. The second article operationalizes and tests the proposed model of blended learning engagement using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. It creates and evaluates an end-of-course self-report measure of cognitive and emotional engagement. The unique factor structure of online and face-to-face indicators of learner engagement is clearly demonstrated in the results of this study.

Technology mediated learning (TML) refers to an environment in which the learner interacts with learning materials, peers, and/or instructors that are mediated through advanced information technology (Alavi and Leidner, 2001). Recently, there have been increasing interests in investigating if TML can yield positive learning outcome. In this thesis, an interpretive study of TrainNet, a TML implementation by a well-known multinational corporation, is conducted. The study bases its investigation on the TML framework suggested by Alavi and Leidner (2001). The findings show that different stakeholders of TrainNet hold different views of learning effectiveness. For the manger, learning effectiveness means cost reduction; for the trainer, speedy information dissemination; and for the technicians, the profit, skill and social network. Yet, while TrainNet satisfies both managers and trainers in reducing cost and enhancing speedy information dissemination, it has failed to meet the aspiration of the technicians. These may result from the fact that instructional strategies have been changed from the experiental learning focus to abstract, conceptual learning. The change in turn has the adverse effect of undermining technicians¡¦ motivation to learn. Furthermore, the context governing the strategy of TrainNet adoption plays a key role in this change. A technical/economic perspective of system adoption and an objectivism approach to instructional strategy causes the company to ignore the important learning effectiveness issues that are important to learners. For TML to be effective, business must go beyond the technical and economic focus. The social cultural perspectives must be incorporated into the design of information technology and instructional strategies.

This concurrent mixed methods study sought to determine e-learning readiness by distance education students in Nigeria based on their level of communication technology usage and perceptions of distance education delivery methods, and comparing learning experiences via the Internet and via study centre methods in Nigeria. This exploratory study using quantitative survey instrument measured the current levels of students’ technology usage, while qualitative interview instrument was used to examine students’ perceptions, attitudes and experiences of communication technology by distance education students in Nigeria. The results of this study reported high communication technology usage based on the high level of smart phone ownership and Internet browsing, high level of personal computer usage, high level of internet social networking, and high positive response for online learning, among other positive indicators. Consequently, the research findings seemed to indicate that distance education students surveyed are highly enthusiastic and are ready for e-learning in Nigeria. / 2012 - June

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of GeoGebra training on teachers and learners in rural geometry classrooms. The conceptual framework that was used in this study was based on the four-level training evaluation framework of Kirkpatrick (1996), focusing on the first three levels only while the fourth level was not considered. The study was conducted in disadvantaged and under-resourced schools situated in the Mpumalanga Province of South Africa. This undertaking was considered as a way of promoting what was perceived as a simple but effective method of teaching and learning with technology. The technology-enhanced teaching strategy was employed with the anticipation of enhancing the development of geometrical concepts that are seen as too abstract by the majority of learners in resource-constrained areas. Hence, the focus of this study was on the teaching and learning of the properties of triangles and the properties of quadrilaterals in Grade 10 using GeoGebra and traditional methods. Within the non-equivalent, quasi-experimental design, both qualitative and quantitative approaches were used. Four purposively sampled Grade 10 teachers from four schools and their classes comprising of 165 learners participated. The data collection involved pre- and post-tests, questionnaires, lesson observations, and interviews. Learners’ achievement was measured by outcomes obtained from marked and recorded achievements tests. The qualitative data collected from the teachers through questionnaires, lesson observations and interviews were coded and categorised into themes. This analysis revealed that most participants had positive training experiences and preferred using GeoGebra in the teaching and learning of geometry despite a lack of resources in their schools. The findings also showed that there was lack of training workshops that focused on appropriate teachers` knowledge and skills that are connected to technological innovations, particularly in GeoGebra. The quantitative data analysis results showed a significant difference in the mean scores for both groups respectively in favour of learners taught with GeoGebra compared to a chalk and talk method. The teachers’ implementation of and enthusiasm about GeoGebra had a positive influence on learner achievement. Based on the results, it was concluded that as a pedagogical tool, GeoGebra can work effectively in rural schools where geometry is hardly taught. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2020. / Science, Mathematics and Technology Education / PhD / Unrestricted