Šio darbo tikslas – sukurti naują žinių vertinimo įrankį, skirtą matematinių žinių vertinimui ir jį integruoti į vieną iš populiariausių nuotolinių mokymo aplinkų. Darbe aptariami žinių vertinimo lygiai ir pateikiama keletos virtualių mokymo ir savarankiškų testavimo sistemų teikiami klausimų tipai žinių vertinimui, kiekvienam įvertinant galimą maksimalų žinių įvertinimo lygį. Siekiant sukurti kuo aukštesnio lygio matematinių žinių vertinimo įrankį, aptarta, kokiomis savybėmis jis turi pasižymėti, kokiomis technologijomis jį geriausia realizuoti ir kokiu būdu integruoti į pasirinktą virtualią mokymo sistemą. Darbe taip pat aprašomos problemos, su kuriomis susidurta kuriant naują klausimų tipą „Moodle“ virtualiai mokymo aplinkai, pateikiamas sukurto klausimų tipo veikimo testavimas ir jo naudojimo žinių vertinimui ir panašios paskirties klausimų tipo lyginamasis tyrimas. / The aim of this work is to create a new knowledge testing tool, which would be meant to estimate mathematical knowledge and to be integrated into “Moodle” learning environment. This work describes knowledge levels and shows how high different question types can represent students’ knowledge in virtual learning and independent testing systems. To create a new knowledge testing tool, there are described what functionality it should have, which technology is the most suitable for it and how it should be integrated in virtual learning systems. There is a list of problems which were solved to create the new knowledge testing tool. Also this work represents the results of this tool integration and usage testing. This and analogical tool in “Moodle” comparison research results are represented too.

Det föreligger ett ökat behov av placeringar inom sjuksköterskeutbildningens verksamhetsförlagda utbildning. Syftet med den här interventionsstudien är att kartlägga sjuksköterskestudenters tillfredsställelse med lärandemiljön och handledningen i två olika handledningsmodeller. Interventionsgruppen (IG) handleds i par av en handledare i en studentsal, s.k. peer learning och kontrollgruppen (KG) enligt traditionell handledningsmodell. För datainsamlingen har en validerad enkät, CLES + T (Clinical Learning Environment, Supervision and Nurse Teacher evaluation scale) använts. Data (N = 247) har samlats in från sjuksköterskestudenter i termin 3 och 4 på Ersta Sköndal högskola under tre terminer (VT 2011-Vt 2012). Resultatet visar att båda grupperna generellt är tillfredsställda med lärandemiljön och handledningen. IG upplever en större tillfredsställelse med lärandemiljön än KG. KG upplever generellt en större tillfredsställelse i relationen med handledaren och har fått individuell handledning i större utsträckning än IG. / There is an increasing need for placements in the clinical education of the nursing education. The purpose of this intervention study is to identify nursing students’ satisfaction with the learning environment and the supervision in two different supervision models. The intervention group (IG) is supervised in pairs by a tutor in a student ward, so called peer learning, and the control group (KG) is supervised according to a traditional supervision model. A validated questionnaire, CLES + T (Clinical Learning Environment, Supervision and Nurse Teacher evaluation scale) was used for data collection. Data (N = 247) were collected from nursing students in term 3 and 4 attending Ersta Sköndal högskola during three terms (spring 2011-spring 2012). The results show that both groups are generally satisfied with the learning environment and the supervision. IG is experiencing a greater satisfaction with the learning environment than KG. KG generally experience greater satisfaction in the relationship with the supervisor and received individual supervision to a greater extent than IG.

Nuotolinių aplinkų duomenų bazėse kaupiamas didelis kiekis informacijos apie studentus ir jų veiksmus nuotolinėje aplinkoje. Kad būtų paprasčiau analizuoti šiuos duomenis į pagalbą pasitelkiama duomenų gavyba. Darbo tikslas - sudaryti sistemą, skirtą duomenų, gautų iš virtualios nuotolinio mokymo aplinkos Moodle, pirminiam apdorojimui ir duomenų gavybai. Gautus duomenis ištirti pritaikant programinės įrangos paketo StatSoft STATISTICA 7 duomenų gavybos algoritmus besimokančiųjų mokymosi intensyvumo duomenų analizei. Įvertinus gautus rezultatus parengtos rekomendacijos tolimesnei duomenų analizei. Duomenų analizei pritaikyta klasterinė k-vidurkių analizė. / The databases of virtual learning environments store large quantity of information about students and theirs activity. The data mining is usable to easer analysis of these information. The object of work is to make a system for preprocessing and data mining of data, obtained from virtual learning environment Moodle. The historical learning data can be analysed after preprocessing to study learners learning intensity with data mining algorithms by StatSoft STATISTICA 7 software. k-means cluster analysis was applied as example of data mining of learning data. Recommendations to further application of data mining of learning activities are given, too.

Online learning often requires learners to be self-directed and engaged, and I designed an online video-based interactive learning tool to support or scaffold students’ self-regulated or self-directed learning aimed at keeping students actively engaged with the content. Using an experimental design, this study investigates the effects of a newly designed online video-based interactive learning environment with embedded supports for self-regulation strategies on students’ learning behaviors and outcomes. In addition, correspondence between students’ self-regulation strategies in traditional learning environments and observed self-regulated learning behaviors in the video-based interactive learning environment were examined. Lastly, the unique or joint contributions of the embedded supports for self-regulation strategies to students’ learning performance were examined. A cross-sectional experimental research design with systematic random assignment of participants to either the control condition (non-interactive video environment) or the experimental condition (interactive video environment) was utilized. Undergraduate and graduate students participated in the study (N = 80). Study results indicate that the newly designed online video-based interactive learning environment was a superior instructional tool than the non-interactive video-based learning environment in terms students’ learning performance. In addition, there was correspondence between graduate students’ self-reported self-regulation and observed self-regulation, with those high on seeking/learning information and managing their environment/behavior more likely to engage more in interactive note-taking Importantly, these findings suggest that specific self-regulation strategies in traditional education settings may transfer and become enacted as specific learning behaviors in the online learning environment. Finally, the use of embedded self-regulatory functions did not have a significantly unique contribution to students’ performance in the interactive learning environment. In other words, although the interactive learning environment succeeded in scaffolding and supporting students’ learning process that resulted in superior performance than the non-interactive learning environment, none of the embedded functions appear to uniquely or individually contribute to this superior performance. In sum, students benefited from the online video-based interactive learning environment by using embedded self-regulatory functions. However, use of the embedded self-regulatory functions did not uniquely contribute to learning outcomes. Nonetheless, results support the view that interactivity based on self-regulation strategies supports active and engaged learning, which contributes to superior learning outcomes.

This thesis tells a story of a single year in the life of a primary care teaching practice from the multiple perspectives of clinical learners and those supporting learning. This story involves many people from junior medical students to nurses and doctors with twenty years of experience. It explores how they learn as clinicians. The research takes the form of a single descriptive case study based within a purposefully chosen GP teaching practice in West Yorkshire, England. The case study comprises interview, observational and documentary data collected over a single academic year in 2008/9. Interview data from 33 subjects were transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis within a modified grounded theory approach. The evidence from interview data was strengthened through direct and indirect observation and from documents relating to learning and teaching. I present a theory of how clinical learning occurs within the chosen practice, and on the nature of being a teaching practice. The findings are presented in the context of the existing literature of learning in this setting and within a theoretical framework of literature on social learning and communities of practice. Clinical learning appears to occur through engagement and opportunity. Engagement in learning is made up of four elements; recognition, respect, relevance and emotion. The elements are remarkably consistent across learner groups. Opportunity includes the availability, authenticity and immediacy of patient encounters; and the opportunity to learn with and from peers and professional colleagues. The research findings are consistent with existing work on social learning from other settings, but add to the literature. Engagement appears possible through recognition, relevance and respect and in the absence of meaningful participation, belonging or a clear trajectory of learning. Meaningful opportunities for clinical learning include those where patient encounters are made powerful through the authenticity that arises from the social and personal context of illness, and from the immediacy of hearing patient narratives de novo. The teaching practice studied in the case study is not dissimilar to others described in the literature of primary care learning, but this case study offers a far more detailed exploration of the elements which contribute to learning in the practice. These elements include strong whole practice support for learning, a skilled and committed clinical and educational workforce and a more indefinable additional element which is best summarised as a passion for education.

Bakgrund: Under senare år har allt fler kliniska träningscentra för färdighetsträning etablerats för att möjliggöra en trygg och säker lärandemiljö med simuleringsmöjligheter för studerande och personal. Klinisk färdighetsträning är en viktig del i sjuksköterskeutbildningen vid Högskolan Dalarna (HDa) där lärandemiljön på Kompetenscentrum (KC) kan bidra till en förbättring av lärandemiljön i den kliniska färdighetsutbildningen. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka sjuksköterskestudenters upplevelser via skattning av lärandemiljön för klinisk färdighetsutbildning före och efter inrättandet av Kompetenscentrum. Metod: Studien genomfördes som en enkätundersökning med kvasiexperimentell design. Enkätens baserades på Saarikoski och Leino-Kilpis mätinstrument CLES där frågeställningar om lärandemiljön modifierades med hjälp av Delphimetoden utifrån de tre olika dimensionerna: utbildningsmiljö, relation och lärarens roll. Mätningen före inrättandet genomfördes under hösten 2010 och mätningen efter inrättandet genomfördes hösten 2011. Totalt ingick 266 sjuksköterskestudenter i studien varav 198 (74 %) besvarade enkäten. Resultat: Sjuksköterskestudenter skattade upplevelsen av lärandemiljön mer positiv efter inrättandet av Kompetenscentrum där resultatet visar en signifikant högre skattning i 8 de av de 16 frågorna. Sjuksköterskestudenterna skattade att de upplever att utbildningsmiljön är mer verklighetstrogen, de är mer nöjda med färdighetsträningen samt att den inspirerar dem till att arbeta som sjuksköterska. Att relationen mellan dem och läraren bygger på respekt och att det är en mer positiv atmosfären under färdighetsträningen. Däremot påvisades ingen signifikant skillnad i studenternas upplevelse av den kliniska lärarens roll. Slutsats: Det är uppenbart att lärandemiljö har betydelse för sjuksköterskestudentens integration av såväl teoretiska som praktiska kunskaper vilket medför att färdigheterna förbättras och ger en bra grund för arbetet som sjuksköterska. Strategier bör vidtas för att vidmakthålla och utveckla lärandemiljön på KC samt fokusera ytterligare på integrering av teori och praktik. / Background: In recent years, an increasing number of clinical training centers for skill training is available to allow for a safe and secure learning environment with simulation opportunities for students and staff. Clinical skill training is an important part of nursing at University College of Dalarna (HDa) where learning environment at the center of excellence (KC) can contribute to an improvement in this part of the training. Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the nursing students ' experiences through the estimation of learning environment of clinical skill training before and after the establishment of center of excellence. Method: The study was conducted as a survey with quasiexperimental design. The questionnaire was based on Saarikoski and Leino-Kilpis gauges CLES where questions were modified with the help of Delphi method based on the three different dimensions: educational environment, relationship and the teacher's role. The measurement before the establishment was carried out during autumn 2010 and the measurement after establishment occurred in autumn of 2011. A total of 266 students were included in the study, of which 198 (74%) responded to the questionnaire. Result: Nursing students estimated the experience of learning environment more favorable after the establishment of center of excellence where the results show a significantly higher estimate in 8 of the 16 questions. Nursing students´ believe that the training environment is more realistic, they are more satisfied with skill training and that inspires them to work as a nurse. The relationship between them and the teacher is based on respect and that opens up to a more positive atmosphere during skill training. On the other hand, no significant difference in the student’s experience of the clinical teacher's role was noticed. Conclusion: It is clear that the learning environment is important for nurse student's integration of theoretical as well as practical knowledge and skills improvement and provides a good basis for work as a nurse. Strategies should be taken to maintain and develop the learning environment at KC and focus more on the integration of theory and practice.

This study aimed to explore the students perceptions of science learning environment and teachers&rsquo / interpersonal behavior, and the relationships of these with students&rsquo / cognitive and affective outcomes. In this study, the Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI), the What is Happening In This Class (WIHIC) questionnaire and the Science Attitude scale were used as measuring instruments. This study was conducted in conveniently selected 5 schools throughout the Yenimahalle district of Ankara with a total of 722 eighth grade students in the second term of 2003-2004 semester. Data obtained from the administration of the measuring instruments were analyzed by using the analysis of variance (ANOVA), multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), multiple regression, bivariate correlations and multiple regression. Results indicated that the students generally perceived a positive science classroom learning environment in Turkey. Students perceived that their teachers displayed cooperative behaviors (leadership, helping / friendly, and understanding) rather than opposition behaviors (uncertain, dissatisfied, and strict) in terms of interaction with them. In addition, analysis indicated that there is relationship between students perceptions of classroom environment (learning environment and teacher interpersonal behavior) and students&rsquo / cognitive and affective outcomes. Moreover, data indicated that girls rated their learning environment and teacher interpersonal behavior more favorably than do boys. Lastly, students viewed science learning environment of their male teachers&rsquo / classes more cooperative than female teachers&rsquo / classes and students rated their male teachers that display more strict behavior than female teachers.

This thesis investigates students? perceptions about their workload and their approaches to learning, employing a regional polytechnic as a case study. Data was collected using a mixed methods approach. The convenience sample consisted of 269 full-time undergraduate students who completed a questionnaire indicating whether they perceived the workload to be heavy or unmanageable at times, and those who did specified the reasons for their perceptions. All respondents also completed a modified ASSIST instrument to indicate the approach to learning they adopted. Analysis of the questionnaire data indicated that the majority of students perceived their workload to be heavy or unmanageable at times with the main reason given as too many assessments due around the same time. The issues raised from the data confirmed the results of other studies and pointed to a range of issues both internal and external to the institution. Thirty follow-up interviews were conducted to further investigate the issues raised in the questionnaire. A complex picture emerged from the interview data of a number of inter-related aspects in the teaching-learning environment that impacted on perceived workload and approach to learning, including assessment and overloaded curricula, motivation, time management problems resulting from part-time jobs or family commitments, and lecturer support. Trends or patterns signalled by the data provided an important first step to assist in planning changes in the teaching-learning environment at the regional polytechnic. The main recommendations were centred on a long term, collaborative action-research project to be set up within a programme, to review curricula, create a more stimulating and responsive teaching-learning environment, foster learning communities, and ensure a consistent approach to developing generic skills. The aim of the recommendations was to ensure students are motivated to learn, engaged, and have the skills and information needed to be effective learners, which in turn has the potential to change perception of workload and impact on approach to learning.

The first purpose of this study was to validate a modified and personalised form of the College and University Classroom Environment Inventory (CUCEI) and then to use this instrument to examine the actual and preferred classroom environment perceptions of students and instructors at the senior secondary and post secondary levels. A third purpose was to examine students' attitude to their courses on three specific scales, namely, Satisfaction, Difficulty and Speed. A sample of 504 students and24 instructors from Canada and the Australian Capital Territory completed the CUCEI. The students also responded to an attitudinal questionnaire. Statistical analysis confirmed the reliability of the CUCEI. The Cronbach alpha reliability figures, using the individual student as the unit of analysis, ranged from 0.73 to 0.93 and from 0.76 to 0.94 for the actual and preferred versions respectively. Good alpha reliability figures were also apparent for instructor versions, ranging from 0.72 to 0.90 for the actual version and from 0.72 to 0.93 for the preferred version. When the two levels were compared, students at the higher level had a less favourable perception of their learning environment. Hardly any difference in perceptions was seen in the learning environment between male and female students. There were significant differences in the perceptions of the classroom environment by mature students. Mature students perceived task orientation and equity more favourably than did younger students. Senior secondary students were generally more satisfied with their science courses than post secondary students. There was no difference in their attitude to the speed of delivery of science courses. The sample of 24 instructors generally perceived their environment more favourably than did their students, however, senior secondary instructors viewed the learning environment more favourably ++ / than the instructors at the post secondary level. The study also suggests that instructors at the post secondary level are aware of the changes in students classroom environment and seem to take into account these changes. Qualitative data collected from class observations and student and instructor interviews complemented the quantitative findings of the study.

The need for change within the Further Education sector in line with technological developments in our current society was apparent within my teaching practice. This led to a number of thoughts about virtual learning environments and its application within the teaching role. The role of the computer as a real socio-cultural learning environment was explored to examine if this environment could be nearer to the concrete experiential and situated learning environment that students came from at an early age. It was hoped that this would be a different learning environment that would start slowly and grow in an organic way. It involved the growth of a very different culture of learning, a learning environment that may include a different literature and with different ways of thinking about what is to be learned and how to learn it. It was also hoped that the virtual learning environment would provide a very powerful strategy to allow the operation of the principle of variation and selection which it needed within the college Learnwise Educational system. Education should shift from individual, technology-free cognition to a resourceful collaborative learning, and distributed intelligence. Learners should be empowered through thoughtful and innovative use of technologies, and benefit from social distributions of cognitions. Salomon et al.'s (1998) commented that education should pay more attention to the "effects of" technology rather than the "effects with" technology, so that autonomous performance may be achieved. The attempt of the first part of the research has been to investigate a student-centred strategy in a computer supported collaborative learning environment to see whether this kind of higher-order knowledge can be distributed among peers and environment. The starting point of the second part of my research focussed on the links between constructivist theory and knowledge management in relation to college teaching practice. Since this research formed part of a whole college restructuring of teaching and learning, a baseline for current practice was necessary. Literature concerning the use of technology was explored in order to benchmark where the college was at the start of the research. As a result of this initial investigation, a survey of current college practice resulted in a paper being accepted by the HE Academy at their 8th Annual Conference in 2007. Page 6 Results from this research indicated that, although the college displayed similar results to other FE establishments, it was imperative that a move to a new building with a digital environment philosophy required more than merely a physical move. As a result, research into emerging technologies was deemed to be important if the college was to take advantage of a new digital teaching concept. Investigation into collaborative tools and Web 2.0 techniques was seen as appropriate at this stage. The study of computer-supported collaboration included the study of this software and social phenomena associated with it. Through this element of research it was hoped to investigate these collaborative techniques in the light of constructivist theories in order to develop an appropriate and effective digital teaching model. Expanding the research to explore portal technologies, with a particular focus on the integration of teaching practice, would hopefully highlight a possible path connecting current practices to an educational portal and illuminate the benefits and challenges of such an endeavour. Acquiring and deploying Web-based collaborative functionality within an organisation has become a strategic move to improve relationships between employees, partners and customers. The ultimate aim of the research and hence the thesis being addressed, will be to show that it is possible to create a “Learning or College Gateway” as a solutions framework that helps improve education by integrating the tools staff and students already use and puts them to work connecting people with the information and processes they need to teach, learn and manage more effectively. This will create a powerful educational portal that enables the people throughout the college to share information and work together on activities from a single point of access. The gateway will therefore use innovative collaboration and communications technologies to help staff get more out of existing applications using familiar tools and extending the value of investment made in existing learning environment technologies. The aim of the research was partly answered by using project based scenarios which gave some staff a new insight into the use of ICT. However, those involved in projects were generally the more pro-active teachers. A slightly different approach is needed and College Management has been advised to explore the use of an interactive college intranet and a dedicated eLearning team as a possible way forward.