Impact on Student Motivation by Using a QR-Based U-Learning Material Production System to Create Authentic Learning Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chin, Kai-Yi; Lee, Ko-Fong; Chen, Yen-Lin

2015-01-01

This study developed a QR-based U-Learning Material Production System (QR-ULMPS) that provides teachers with an education tool to motivate college level students enrolled in a liberal arts course. QR-ULMPS was specifically designed to support the development of u-learning materials and create an engaging context-aware u-learning environment for…

Teaching and Productivity.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waxman, Hersholt C.; Walberg, Herbert J.

1986-01-01

Describes a theory of educational productivity that demonstrates the relationship between instructional practices and student outcomes. Identifies and discusses nine factors related to increasing student learning: ability, development, motivation, instructional quality, learning time, home environment, classroom social group, peer group, and use…

The Learning City in a "Planet of Slums"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Plumb, Donovan; Leverman, Andrew; McGray, Robert

2007-01-01

This paper considers the implications of current notions of the learning city. It argues that popular neoliberal ideologies create an environment in which lifelong learners strive for the learning city as an end product, both in production and for consumption, rather than embrace it as a living, social context. The rhetoric of the knowledge…

Transgressive Possibilities in Post-Corporate Enterprise Culture.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fenwick, Tara J.

Recent literature addressing workplace learning emphasizes the production in late modernity of worker subjectivity as "enterprising self" amid the discourses of flexible specialization in post-Fordist work environments. Extensive critique of these environments has lamented the management of workers' learning and its subversion to…

An Online Task-Based Language Learning Environment: Is It Better for Advanced- or Intermediate-Level Second Language Learners?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arslanyilmaz, Abdurrahman

2012-01-01

This study investigates the relationship of language proficiency to language production and negotiation of meaning that non-native speakers (NNSs) produced in an online task-based language learning (TBLL) environment. Fourteen NNS-NNS dyads collaboratively completed four communicative tasks, using an online TBLL environment specifically designed…

A Study of the Physiological Factors Affecting the Nature of the Adult Learner in the Phoenix Air National Guard.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Torbert, James Brison

An investigation reviewed current literature in the field of physiological factors affecting the adult learning environment. These findings were compared to the academic learning environment at the Phoenix Air National Guard. The end product was a set of recommendations for management to implement in order to improve the learning climate for the…

Managing the Collaborative Learning Environment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wagner, June G.

2002-01-01

The feature story in this issue, "Managing the Collaborative Learning Environment," focuses on the growing emphasis on teamwork in the workplace. It discusses how the concept of empowering employees in the workplace is evolving and the benefits--faster decision making, lower costs and absenteeism, higher productivity and quality, and…

Implicit Statistical Learning in Real-World Environments Leads to Ecologically Rational Decision Making.

PubMed

Perkovic, Sonja; Orquin, Jacob Lund

2018-01-01

Ecological rationality results from matching decision strategies to appropriate environmental structures, but how does the matching happen? We propose that people learn the statistical structure of the environment through observation and use this learned structure to guide ecologically rational behavior. We tested this hypothesis in the context of organic foods. In Study 1, we found that products from healthful food categories are more likely to be organic than products from nonhealthful food categories. In Study 2, we found that consumers' perceptions of the healthfulness and prevalence of organic products in many food categories are accurate. Finally, in Study 3, we found that people perceive organic products as more healthful than nonorganic products when the statistical structure justifies this inference. Our findings suggest that people believe organic foods are more healthful than nonorganic foods and use an organic-food cue to guide their behavior because organic foods are, on average, 30% more healthful.

Experiential and authentic learning approaches in vaccine management.

PubMed

Kartoglu, Umit; Vesper, James; Teräs, Hanna; Reeves, Thomas

2017-04-19

A high level of concern is placed on the storage, handling, transportation, and distribution of vaccines and other pharmaceutical products, particularly those that are time and temperature sensitive. While active and passive cooling equipment and monitoring devices are important, it is the various personnel responsible for executing and writing procedures, designing and operating systems, and investigating problems and helping prevent them who are paramount in establishing and maintaining a "cold chain" for time and temperature sensitive pharmaceutical products (TTSPPs). These professionals must possess the required competencies, knowledge, skills and abilities so they can effectively perform these activities with appropriate levels of expertise. These are complex tasks that require the development of higher cognitive skills that cannot be adequately addressed through professional development opportunities based on simple information delivery and content acquisition. This paper describes two unique learning solutions (one on a bus called the "wheels course" and the other online called "e-learning") that have been developed by WHO Global Learning Opportunities (WHO/GLO) to provide participants with opportunities not just to learn about cold chain systems or vaccine management, but, rather, to develop high levels of expertise in their respective fields through experiential and authentic learning activities. In these interactive learning environments, participants have opportunities to address real-life situations in contexts similar to what they may face in their own work environments and develop solutions and critical thinking skills they can apply when they return to their jobs. This paper further delineates the managerial and operational vaccine management functions encompassed in these two unique learning environments. The paper also describes the alignment of the objectives addressed in the "wheels course" and the e-learning version with effective vaccine management (EVM) criteria as prescribed by WHO. The paper concludes with an example of a real world product developed by course graduates (specifically a decision tree that is now used by some national programmes). These types of products, valuable in their own right, often emerge when learning environments based on authentic learning principles are designed and implemented as they were by WHO/GLO. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Fans: An Integral Element of the Green Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wolgelenter, Nina

2011-01-01

School districts' ongoing efforts to promote sustainability in America's education facilities are helping raise awareness of social responsibility and promoting the positive effects that greening their learning environments has on the general health and productivity of students. One institution that's taking the lead in this movement is Chandler…

Digital Games as Multirepresentational Environments for Science Learning: Implications for Theory, Research, and Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Virk, Satyugjit; Clark, Douglas; Sengupta, Pratim

2015-01-01

Environments in which learning involves coordinating multiple external representations (MERs) can productively support learners in making sense of complex models and relationships. Educational digital games provide an increasing popular medium for engaging students in manipulating and exploring such models and relationships. This article applies…

``Learning to Research'' in a Virtual Learning Environment: A Case Study on the Effectiveness of a Socio-constructivist Learning Design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

López-Alonso, C.; Fernández-Pampillón, A.; de-Miguel, E.; Pita, G.

Learning is the basis for research and lifelong training. The implementation of virtual environments for developing this competency requires the use of effective learning models. In this study we present an experiment in positive learning from the virtual campus of the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM). In order to carry it out we have used E-Ling, an e-learning environment that has been developed with an innovative didactic design based on a socio-constructivist learning approach. E-Ling has been used since 2006 to train future teachers and researchers in “learning to research”. Some of the results of this experiment have been statistically analysed in order to compare them with other learning models. From the obtained results we have concluded that E-Ling is a more productive proposal for developing competences in learning to research.

Student Learning Theory Goes (Back) to (High) School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ginns, Paul; Martin, Andrew J.; Papworth, Brad

2014-01-01

Biggs' 3P (Presage-Process-Product) model, a key framework in Student Learning Theory, provides a powerful means of understanding relations between students' perceptions of the teaching and learning environment, learning strategies, and learning outcomes. While influential in higher education, fewer tests of the model in secondary education…

The ergonomics of learning: educational design and learning performance.

PubMed

Smith, T J

2007-10-01

The application of ergonomics/human factors (E/HF) principles and practices, and the implementation of ergonomics programmes, have achieved proven success in improving performance, productivity, competitiveness, and safety and health in most occupational sectors. However, the benefits that the application of E/HF science might bring to promoting student learning have yet to be widely recognized. This paper deals with the fundamental purpose of education - student learning - and with the question of how the ergonomic design of the learning environment influences learning performance. The underlying premise, embodied in the quote below, is that student learning performance to a substantial degree is context specific - influenced and specialized in relation to specific design factors in the learning environment. The basic scientific question confronting learning ergonomics is which design characteristics in the learning environment have the greatest influence on variability in learning performance. Practically, the basic challenge is to apply this scientific understanding to ergonomic interventions directed at design improvements of learning environments to benefit learning. This paper expands upon these themes by addressing the origins and scope of learning ergonomics, differing perspectives on the nature of learning, evidence for context specificity in learning and conclusions and research implications regarding an ergonomics perspective on learning.

Assessing Personal Learning Environments (PLEs). An Expert Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Llorente Cejudo, María del Carmen

2013-01-01

On the basis of the Research Project funded by the Spanish Ministry of Education under the title "Design, production and evaluation of a 2.0 learning environment for faculty training in the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs)" (EDU2009-08 893), experts have used the external competence coefficient to evaluate the…

Tearing up the Page: Re-Thinking the Development of Effective Learning Environments in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cotterill, Stewart T.

2015-01-01

The development of effective learning environments in higher education (HE) appears to become increasingly prioritised by HE institutions. This approach reflects an increasingly "consumer" focused student body, and HE attempt to further quantify the quality of their products. However, all too often attempts to build more effective…

Visualizing the Inner Product Space R[superscript m x n] in a MATLAB-Assisted Linear Algebra Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caglayan, Günhan

2018-01-01

This linear algebra note offers teaching and learning ideas in the treatment of the inner product space R[superscript m x n] in a technology-supported learning environment. Classroom activities proposed in this note demonstrate creative ways of integrating MATLAB technology into various properties of Frobenius inner product as visualization tools…

??Enhancing Work Place Competency through Innovative Integrated Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rao, A. V. Nageswara; Mohan, V. Krishna; Sahu, Dasarathi

2009-01-01

The present business environment demands innovative integrated learning which is a key driver of growth and productivity. In an economy driven by knowledge management the emphasis is on continuous and instant innovative learning in the organization. The holistic approach to Integrated learning involves the understanding of business requirements…

Housing Quality and Access to Material and Learning Resources within the Home Environment in Developing Countries

PubMed Central

Bradley, Robert H.; Putnick, Diane L.

2011-01-01

This study examined home environment conditions (housing quality, material resources, formal and informal learning materials) and their relations with the Human Development Index (HDI) in 28 developing countries. Home environment conditions in these countries varied widely. The quality of housing and availability of material resources at home were consistently tied to HDI; the availability of formal and informal learning materials little less so. Gross domestic product (GDP) tended to show a stronger independent relation with housing quality and material resources than life expectancy and education. Formal learning resources were independently related to the GDP and education indices, and informal learning resources were not independently related to any constituent indices of the overall HDI. PMID:22277008

Continuous Advances in Technology for Continuing Adult Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Demirdogen, R. Esra

2007-01-01

This paper is about a study carried out at a chemical production facility in Izmir, Turkey during 2005/6 using CNC Learning environment and Kolb cycle. The system has been tested with 12 chemists working in this factory. The training course was carried on in a web-based environment and also routine meetings with the instructors were held. The…

Brave New (Virtual) World: Transforming Language Learning into Cultural Studies through Online Learning Environments (MOOs).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schneider, Jeffrey; von der Emde, Silke

2000-01-01

Describes an online approach through using a MOO, a computer program that allows students to share text-based virtual reality. The goal of the program was to build an environment that both enabled practice in the target language and sustained reflection on the processes of cultural production and reception. (Author/VWL)

Preparing Content-Rich Learning Environments with VPython and Excel, Controlled by Visual Basic for Applications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prayaga, Chandra

2008-01-01

A simple interface between VPython and Microsoft (MS) Office products such as Word and Excel, controlled by Visual Basic for Applications, is described. The interface allows the preparation of content-rich, interactive learning environments by taking advantage of the three-dimensional (3D) visualization capabilities of VPython and the GUI…

Improving Language Production Using Subtitled Similar Task Videos

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arslanyilmaz, Abdurrahman; Pedersen, Susan

2010-01-01

This study examines the effects of subtitled similar task videos on language production by nonnative speakers (NNSs) in an online task-based language learning (TBLL) environment. Ten NNS-NNS dyads collaboratively completed four communicative tasks, using an online TBLL environment specifically designed for this study and a chat tool in…

An Evolving Methodology for Managing Multimedia Courseware Production

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Giller, Susan; Barker, Philip

2006-01-01

It is often claimed that techniques such as "multimedia" and the use of blended learning environments can be used to achieve powerful interactive pedagogies. Indeed, the advent of easy-to-use multimedia technologies has meant that a plethora of digital learning products is now becoming available. Despite the relative ease-of-use of these new…

The Effect of Higher Education Faculty Training in Improvisational Theatre Techniques on Student Learning and Perceptions of Engagement and Faculty Perceptions of Teaching and Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Massie, DeAnna

2017-01-01

College instructors are content experts but ineffective at creating engaging and productive learning environments. This mixed methods study explored how improvisational theatre techniques affect college instructors' ability to increase student engagement and learning. Theoretical foundations included engagement, active learning, collaboration and…

Exploring the boundaries: A study of multiple classroom learning environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ritchie, Stephen M.; Tobin, Kenneth; Hook, Karl S.

1995-09-01

The study of learning environments has developed into a productive field of research in science education. Initially, the design and application of classroom perceptual measures of particular dimensions of science classrooms attracted much attention. More recently, such instruments have been used alongside of qualitative techniques to provide a richer understanding of sub-environments. We continue this trend in the present interpretive study by exploring the nature of multiple environments within a middle school classroom from the different perspectives of teacher, student and participant observer. In particular, we examine the activity settings of lectures and group work, as well as the issues of learning and assessment. We conclude by arguing that teachers need to adopt procedures that enable them to identify and plan for multiple environments.

An Investigation of Coopetitive Pedagogic Design for Knowledge Creation in Web-Based Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fu, Fong-Ling; Wu, Ya-Ling; Ho, Hsi-Chuan

2009-01-01

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have created a supportive environment for collaborative learning at the expense of student motivation and engagement. This study attempts to explore the development of a productive learning atmosphere in the context of Web-based learning. An experiment is conducted with university-level students…

Learning by Creating and Exchanging Objects: The SCY Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

De Jong, Ton; Van Joolingen, Wouter R.; Giemza, Adam; Girault, Isabelle; Hoppe, Ulrich; Kindermann, Jorg; Kluge, Anders; Lazonder, Ard W.; Vold, Vibeke; Weinberger, Armin; Weinbrenner, Stefan; Wichmann, Astrid; Anjewierden, Anjo; Bodin, Marjolaine; Bollen, Lars; D'Ham, Cedric; Dolonen, Jan; Engler, Jan; Geraedts, Caspar; Grosskreutz, Henrik; Hovardas, Tasos; Julien, Rachel; Lechner, Judith; Ludvigsen, Sten; Matteman, Yuri; Meistadt, Oyvind; Naess, Bjorge; Ney, Muriel; Pedaste, Margus; Perritano, Anthony; Rinket, Marieke; Von Schlanbusch, Henrik; Sarapuu, Tago; Schulz, Florian; Sikken, Jakob; Slotta, Jim; Toussaint, Jeremy; Verkade, Alex; Wajeman, Claire; Wasson, Barbara; Zacharia, Zacharias C.; Van Der Zanden, Martine

2010-01-01

Science Created by You (SCY) is a project on learning in science and technology domains. SCY uses a pedagogical approach that centres around products, called "emerging learning objects" (ELOs) that are created by students. Students work individually and collaboratively in SCY-Lab (the general SCY learning environment) on "missions" that are guided…

Missing the Trees for the Forest?: Learning Environments versus Learning Techniques in Simulations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raymond, Chad

2012-01-01

Institutions of higher learning are increasingly asked to defend curricular and pedagogical outcomes. Faculty must demonstrate that simulations are productive tools for learning, but a review of the literature shows that the evidence of their effectiveness is inconclusive, despite their popularity in the classroom. Simulations may in fact help…

Learning to Cook: Production Learning Environment in Kitchens

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

James, Susan

2006-01-01

Learning in workplaces is neither ad hoc nor informal. Such labels are a misnomer and do not do justice to the highly-structured nature and complexity of many workplaces where learning takes place. This article discusses the organisational and structural framework developed from a three-year doctoral study into how apprentice chefs construct their…

Student Perceptions of Learning Strategies in a Secondary Video Production Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doles, Jeffrey M.

2016-01-01

This qualitative case study asked the participants to reflect on their own learning experiences as a result of the instructional practices employed by the instructor to create an improved learning environment for students. The research investigated student perceptions of their learning via classmates' produced tutorials and how viewing the…

Creating an Authentic Learning Environment in the Foreign Language Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nikitina, Larisa

2011-01-01

Theatrical activities are widely used by language educators to promote and facilitate language learning. Involving students in production of their own video or a short movie in the target language allows a seamless fusion of language learning, art, and popular culture. The activity is also conducive for creating an authentic learning situation…

Networked Learning: Design Considerations for Online Instructors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Czerkawski, Betul C.

2016-01-01

The considerable increase in web-based knowledge networks in the past two decades is strongly influencing learning environments. Learning entails information retrieval, use, communication, and production, and is strongly enriched by socially mediated discussions, debates, and collaborative activities. It is becoming critical for educators to…

CyberDeutsch: Language Production and User Preferences in a Moodle Virtual Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stickler, Ursula; Hampel, Regine

2010-01-01

This case study focuses on two learners who took part in an intensive online German course offered to intermediate level students in the Department of Languages of the Open University. The course piloted the use of a Moodle-based virtual learning environment and a range of new online tools which lend themselves to different types of language…

The Five Families of Cognitive Learning: A Context in Which To Conduct Cognitive Demands Analyses of Innovative Technologies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klein, Davina C. D.; O'Neil, Harold F., Jr.; Dennis, Robert A.; Baker, Eva L.

A cognitive demands analysis of a learning technology, a term that includes the hardware and the computer software products that form learning environments, attempts to describe the types of cognitive learning expected of the individual by the technology. This paper explores the context of cognitive learning, suggesting five families of cognitive…

Curriculum at Work: An Educational Perspective on the Workplace as a Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, David Thornton

2004-01-01

The term "curriculum" has been used almost exclusively in educational circles to refer to plans for the conduct of learning lessons in school classrooms. This paper argues that the concept can be productively expanded to describe learning processes in workplaces, including those in which learning is not the intentional outcome of an interaction.…

Individual Innovation Competence: A Systematic Review and Future Research Agenda

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hero, Laura-Maija; Lindfors, Eila; Taatila, Vesa

2017-01-01

Learning for innovation is a central element in European policymaking in developing higher education. Students often learn in project settings together with work organizations developing new solutions, products and services. These authentic creative, social and collaborative settings offer an attractive learning environment. The aim of this study…

Intelligent Learning Management Systems: Definition, Features and Measurement of Intelligence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fardinpour, Ali; Pedram, Mir Mohsen; Burkle, Martha

2014-01-01

Virtual Learning Environments have been the center of attention in the last few decades and help educators tremendously with providing students with educational resources. Since artificial intelligence was used for educational proposes, learning management system developers showed much interest in making their products smarter and more…

Housing quality and access to material and learning resources within the home environment in developing countries.

PubMed

Bradley, Robert H; Putnick, Diane L

2012-01-01

This study examined home environment conditions (housing quality, material resources, formal and informal learning materials) and their relations with the Human Development Index (HDI) in 28 developing countries. Home environment conditions in these countries varied widely. The quality of housing and availability of material resources at home were consistently tied to HDI; the availability of formal and informal learning materials a little less so. Gross domestic product (GDP) tended to show a stronger independent relation with housing quality and material resources than life expectancy and education. Formal learning resources were independently related to the GDP and education indices, and informal learning resources were not independently related to any constituent indices of the overall HDI. © 2012 The Authors. Child Development © 2012 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

Hands-On! Living in the Biosphere: Production, Pattern, Population, and Diversity. Developing Active Learning Module on the Human Dimensions of Global Change.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Dwight

Biogeography examines questions of organism inventory and pattern, organisms' interactions with the environment, and the processes that create and change inventory, pattern, and interactions. This learning module uses time series maps and simple simulation models to illustrate how human actions alter biological productivity patterns at local and…

Assessing Educational Environments.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

New Directions for Testing and Measurement, 1980

1980-01-01

Educational environment data derived from classroom settings strongly suggest the positive contribution that climate variables can make in accounting for learning performance. Such measures are not only related to productivity but may constitute criterion variables in and of themselves. (Author)

Designing Asynchronous Online Discussion Environments: Recent Progress and Possible Future Directions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gao, Fei; Zhang, Tianyi; Franklin, Teresa

2013-01-01

Asynchronous online discussion environments are important platforms to support learning. Research suggests, however, threaded forums, one of the most popular asynchronous discussion environments, do not often foster productive online discussions naturally. This paper explores how certain properties of threaded forums have affected or constrained…

Traces of an Early Learned Second Language in Discontinued Bilingualism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sadat, Jasmin; Pureza, Rita; Alario, F.-Xavier

2016-01-01

Can an early learned second language influence speech production after living many years in an exclusively monolingual environment? To address this issue, we investigated the consequences of discontinued early bilingualism in heritage speakers who moved abroad and switched language dominance from the second to the primary learned language. We used…

Connected Learning in the Library as a Product of Hacking, Making, Social Diversity and Messiness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bilandzic, Mark

2016-01-01

Learning is most effective when intrinsically motivated through personal interest, and situated in a supportive socio-cultural context. This paper reports on findings from a study that explored implications for design of interactive learning environments through 18 months of ethnographic observations of people's interactions at "Hack The…

User-Centred Design for Chinese-Oriented Spoken English Learning System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yu, Ping; Pan, Yingxin; Li, Chen; Zhang, Zengxiu; Shi, Qin; Chu, Wenpei; Liu, Mingzhuo; Zhu, Zhiting

2016-01-01

Oral production is an important part in English learning. Lack of a language environment with efficient instruction and feedback is a big issue for non-native speakers' English spoken skill improvement. A computer-assisted language learning system can provide many potential benefits to language learners. It allows adequate instructions and instant…

PUPIL-TEACHER ADJUSTEMENT AND MUTUAL ADAPTATION IN CREATING CLASSROOM LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

FOX, ROBERT S.; AND OTHERS

AN ANALYSIS OF THE DYNAMICS OF THE LEARNING SITUATIONS IN A VARIETY OF PUBLIC SCHOOL CLASSROOMS WAS UNDERTAKEN. THE PROJECT MADE A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE PATTERNS OF COOPERATION OR ALIENATION AMONG PARENTS, TEACHERS, PEERS, AND INDIVIDUAL PUPILS. THE PATTERNS CREATE LEARNING CULTURES OF DIFFERENT PRODUCTIVITY IN VARIOUS CLASSROOMS. THE DATA…

Evaluating the ergonomics of a student learning environment.

PubMed

Rudolf, Michelle; Griffiths, Yolanda

2009-01-01

Ergonomics is a key consideration of a student-learning environment. This paper examines aspects of ergonomics and application to the design of tables in three classrooms at a Midwestern university. Custom tables with power outlets and Internet access via Ethernet data ports were planned for classrooms in 2000 to facilitate a laptop program. However, table height, specifically thigh clearance from the seat to the bottom of the work surface, was not fully considered. The ergonomic analysis of the classrooms by an occupational therapy student led to the implementation of positive changes to the tables. The enhancement of the learning environment influences student comfort and productivity and can offset the cost of renovating the tables.

Learning from Software Localization.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guo, She-Sen

2003-01-01

Localization is the process of adapting a product to meet the language, cultural and other requirements of a specific target environment or market. This article describes ways in which software localization impacts upon curriculum, and discusses what students will learn from software localization. (AEF)

Assessing physics learning identity: Survey development and validation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Sissi L.; Demaree, Dedra

2012-02-01

Innovative curricula aim to improve content knowledge and the goal of helping students develop practices and skills of authentic scientist through active engagement learning. To students, these classroom practices often seem very different from their previous learning experiences in terms of behavioral expectations, learning attitude, and what learning means. We propose that productive participation in these learning environments require students to modify their identity as learners in addition to refining their science conceptual understanding. In order to measure changes in learning identity, we developed a 49-item survey to assess students' 1) expectations of student and teacher roles, 2) self efficacy towards skills supported in the Investigative Science Learning Environment (ISLE) and 3) attitudes towards social learning. Using principle components exploratory factor analysis, we have established two reliable factors with subscales that measure these student characteristics. This paper presents the survey development, validation and pilot study results.

Classroom Literacy Assessment. Making Sense of What Students Know and Do. Solving Problems in the Teaching of Literacy Series

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paratore, Jeanne R. Ed.; McCormack, Rachel L. Ed.; Block, Cathy, Collins Ed.

2007-01-01

Showcasing assessment practices that can help teachers plan effective instruction, this book addresses the real-world complexities of teaching literacy in grades K-8. Leading contributors present trustworthy approaches that examine learning processes as well as learning products, that yield information on how the learning environment can be…

Human Health in the Balance. Hands-On! Developing Active Learning Modules on the Human Dimensions of Global Change.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meade, Melinda S.; Washburn, Sarah; Holman, Jeremy T.

This learning module aims to engage students in problem solving, critical thinking, scientific inquiry, and cooperative learning. The module is appropriate for use in any introductory or intermediate undergraduate course that focuses on human-environment relationships. The module states that human health is a product of complex interactions among…

A Methodological Approach to Support Collaborative Media Creation in an E-Learning Higher Education Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ornellas, Adriana; Muñoz Carril, Pablo César

2014-01-01

This article outlines a methodological approach to the creation, production and dissemination of online collaborative audio-visual projects, using new social learning technologies and open-source video tools, which can be applied to any e-learning environment in higher education. The methodology was developed and used to design a course in the…

An Infinite Game in a Finite Setting: Visualizing Foreign Language Teaching and Learning in America.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mantero, Miguel

According to contemporary thought and foundational research, this paper presents various elements of the foreign language teaching profession and language learning environment in the United States as either product-driven or process-based. It is argued that a process-based approach to language teaching and learning benefits not only second…

English Language Learners' Reading Self-Efficacy and Achievement Using 1:1 Mobile Learning Devices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walters, Jennifer L.

2012-01-01

Handheld technology devices allow users to be mobile and access the Internet, personal data, and third-party content applications in many different environments at the users' convenience. The explosion of these mobile learning devices around the globe has led adults to value them for communication, productivity, and learning. Outside of the school…

ePortfolio-Based Learning Environments: Recommendations for Effective Scaffolding of Reflective Thinking in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roberts, Pauline; Maor, Dorit; Herrington, Jan

2016-01-01

In addition to providing a useful repository for learning products, ePortfolios provide enhanced opportunities for the development of advanced learning skills. It can be argued, however, that ePortfolios are not being implemented effectively towards fulfilling this important function. This paper presents an investigation of an ePortfolio…

The Learning and Productivity Benefits to Student Programmers from Real-World Development Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Debuse, Justin C. W.; Lawley, Meredith

2012-01-01

Existing research and practice in software development environments shows no clear consensus on the most appropriate development tools to use; these may range from simple text editors through teaching-oriented examples to full commercial integrated development environments (IDEs). This study addresses this gap by examining student perceptions of…

Unpacking the Paradox of Chinese Science Learners: Insights from Research into Asian Chinese School Students' Attitudes towards Learning Science, Science Learning Strategies, and Scientific Epistemological Views

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheng, May Hung May; Wan, Zhi Hong

2016-01-01

Chinese students' excellent science performance in large-scale international comparisons contradicts the stereotype of the Chinese non-productive classroom learning environment and learners. Most of the existing explanations of this paradox are provided from the perspective of teaching and learning in a general sense, but little work can be found…

Leveraging object-oriented development at Ames

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wenneson, Greg; Connell, John

1994-01-01

This paper presents lessons learned by the Software Engineering Process Group (SEPG) from results of supporting two projects at NASA Ames using an Object Oriented Rapid Prototyping (OORP) approach supported by a full featured visual development environment. Supplemental lessons learned from a large project in progress and a requirements definition are also incorporated. The paper demonstrates how productivity gains can be made by leveraging the developer with a rich development environment, correct and early requirements definition using rapid prototyping, and earlier and better effort estimation and software sizing through object-oriented methods and metrics. Although the individual elements of OO methods, RP approach and OO metrics had been used on other separate projects, the reported projects were the first integrated usage supported by a rich development environment. Overall the approach used was twice as productive (measured by hours per OO Unit) as a C++ development.

Marketing Functional Foods: What Have We Learned? An Examination of the Metamucil, Benefit, and Heartwise Introductions as Cholesterol-Reducing Ready-to-Eat Cereals.

PubMed

Childs, N M

1999-01-01

Health claims, U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulatory actions, and marketing practices are examined in the environment precipitating the introduction of the Nutrition and Labeling Education Act (NLEA) in 1990. The introduction of three psyllium-based products in 1989 and 1990, Procter & Gamble's Metamucil wafers, General Mills' Benefit cereal, and Kellogg's Heartwise cereal, are examined for their use of health claims and marketing tactics in a changing regulatory environment. Inconsistent approval of psyllium-based health claims for drug and food products created a confusing environment in the pre- and early post-NLEA era. This was exacerbated by marketing issues regarding consumer communication and product positioning. Suggestions for marketing products with health positionings in the new NLEA environment are proposed.

Learning to Be a Programmer in a Complex Organization: A Case Study on Practice-Based Learning during the Onboarding Process at Google

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Maggie; Senges, Max

2010-01-01

Purpose: This paper seeks to analyse the effectiveness and impact of how Google currently trains its new software engineers ("Nooglers") to become productive in the software engineering community. The research focuses on the institutions and support for practice-based learning and cognitive apprenticeship in the Google environment.…

A Psychological Theory of Educational Productivity.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walberg, Herbert J.

To solve problems of causality and measurement in educational research, this paper combines seven variables into a proposed model of educational productivity on achievement tests. The authors first review psychological models of educational production that relate learning to aptitude and environment, and note that these models do not allow for…

Constructing Virtual Worlds: Tracing the Historical Development of Learner Practices.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barab, Sasha A.; Hay, Kenneth E.; Barnett, Michael; Squire, Kurt

2001-01-01

Explored learning and instruction within a technology-rich, collaborative, participatory learning environment by tracking the emergence of shared understanding and products through student and teacher practices. Found that becoming knowledgeably skillful with respect to a particular practice or concept is a multigenerational process, evolving in…

Development of the Modes of Collaboration Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pawlak, Alanna; Irving, Paul W.; Caballero, Marcos D.

2018-01-01

Group work is becoming increasingly common in introductory physics classrooms. Understanding how students engage in these group learning environments is important for designing and facilitating productive learning opportunities for students. We conducted a study in which we collected video of groups of students working on conceptual electricity…

Survey Development for Assessing Learning Identity in an ISLE Classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Sissi L.; Roth, Jennifer A.; Demaree, Dedra

2010-10-01

Innovative STEM curricula such as the ISLE (Investigative Science Learning Environment) curriculum [1] are centered on active engagement in social learning processes as a means to achieve curricular goals. Classroom practices are highly interactive to facilitate students' development of authentic scientist abilities. To the students, these classroom practices often seem very different from their previous learning experiences in terms of behavioral expectations, attitude, and what it means to learn. Consequently, students must modify their identity as learners in addition to physics conceptual understanding in order to participate productively in this learning environment. Using a survey we developed, we want to assess their 1) expectations of student and teacher roles, 2) self efficacy towards skills supported in ISLE and 3) attitudes towards social learning as well as how these change as a result of their experience in this curriculum. We will discuss the development, validation and preliminary findings of the survey.

Outdoor Education Activities for Elementary School Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Connie L.

Outdoor education is an informal method of teaching and learning which offers opportunities for elementary school students, regardless of intellectual abilities, to learn about and appreciate their environment and acquire skills with which to enjoy a lifetime of creative, productive, and healthful living. Outdoor education can enrich, vitalize,…

A Systems Model Comparing Australian and Chinese HRM Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davidson, Paul; Tsakissiris, Jane; Guo, Yuanyuan

2017-01-01

This paper explores the implications for learning design in HRM education in the 21st century. An open systems perspective is used to argue the importance of establishing productive relationships between academia, professional associations, regulators and industry (resource inputs) to support the creation of optimal learning environments (the…

Assessment of Situated Learning Using Computer Environments.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Young, Michael

1995-01-01

Suggests that, based on a theory of situated learning, assessment must emphasize process as much as product. Several assessment examples are given, including a computer-based planning assistant for a mathematics and science video, suggestions for computer-based portfolio assessment, and speculations about embedded assessment of virtual situations.…

Student Sensemaking with Science Diagrams in a Computer-Based Setting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Furberg, Anniken; Kluge, Anders; Ludvigsen, Sten

2013-01-01

This paper reports on a study of students' conceptual sensemaking with science diagrams within a computer-based learning environment aimed at supporting collaborative learning. Through the microanalysis of students' interactions in a project about energy and heat transfer, we demonstrate "how" representations become productive social and cognitive…

Technology Engineering in Science Education: Where Instructional Challenges Interface Nonconforming Productivity to Increase Retention, Enhance Transfer, and Maximize Student Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Osler, James E.; Hollowell, Gail P.; Nichols, Stacy M.

2012-01-01

Technology Engineering is an innovative component of a much larger arena of teaching that effectively uses interactive technology as a method of enhancing learning and the learning environment. Using this method to teach science and math content empowers the teacher and enhances the curriculum as the classroom becomes more efficient and effective.…

The sensorimotor and social sides of the architecture of speech.

PubMed

Pezzulo, Giovanni; Barca, Laura; D'Ausilio, Alessando

2014-12-01

Speech is a complex skill to master. In addition to sophisticated phono-articulatory abilities, speech acquisition requires neuronal systems configured for vocal learning, with adaptable sensorimotor maps that couple heard speech sounds with motor programs for speech production; imitation and self-imitation mechanisms that can train the sensorimotor maps to reproduce heard speech sounds; and a "pedagogical" learning environment that supports tutor learning.

Exploring the Classroom Practice of Productive Pedagogies of the Malaysian Secondary School Geography Teacher

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ahmad@Shaari, Mohammad Zohir; Jamil, Hazri; Razak, Nordin Abd

2012-01-01

The productive pedagogies as a framework to enhance teaching and learning outcomes were developed by Lingard et al. (2001) consisted of four main dimensions--intellectual quality, connectedness, supportive classroom environment, and working with and valuing differences. This study is to investigate the productive pedagogical practices among…

Exploring Causal Models of Educational Achievement.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parkerson, Jo Ann; And Others

1984-01-01

This article evaluates five causal model of educational productivity applied to learning science in a sample of 882 fifth through eighth graders. Each model explores the relationship between achievement and a combination of eight constructs: home environment, peer group, media, ability, social environment, time on task, motivation, and…

Student self-assessment in an interactive learning environment: Technological tools for scaffolding and understanding self-assessment practices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eslinger, Eric Martin

Metacognitive skills are a crucial component of a successful learning career. We define metacognition as the ability to plan, monitor progress toward a goal, reflect on the quality of work and process, and revise the work or plan accordingly. By explicitly addressing certain metacognitive practices in classrooms, researchers have observed improved learning outcomes in both science and mathematical problem solving. Although these efforts were successful, they were also limited in the range of skills that could be addressed at one time and the methods used to address them due to the static nature inherent in traditional pencil-and-paper format. We wished to address these skills in a more dynamic, continuous representation such as that afforded by a computerized learning environment. This paper outlines such an environment and describes pedagogical activities afforded by the system. The ThinkerTools group developed and tested a software scaffold for inquiry projects in a middle-school classroom. By analyzing student use of the software tool, three forms of self-assessment activity were noted: integrated, task and project self-assessment. Each assessment form was related to the degree of interleaving between assessment and work the students engaged in as they developed their inquiry products. I argue that the integrated forms of assessment are more beneficial to student learning, and show that there is a significant relationship between active self-assessment forms and measures of student achievement and product quality. Through the use of case studies including video analysis, I address specific student self-assessment activity that utilized the software as well as self-assessment that took place outside of the software. A model of student self-assessment activity was created, highlighting aspects of activity that afford more productive self-assessment episodes.

Fundamental concepts of problem-based learning for the new facilitator.

PubMed Central

Kanter, S L

1998-01-01

Problem-based learning (PBL) is a powerful small group learning tool that should be part of the armamentarium of every serious educator. Classic PBL uses ill-structured problems to simulate the conditions that occur in the real environment. Students play an active role and use an iterative process of seeking new information based on identified learning issues, restructuring the information in light of the new knowledge, gathering additional information, and so forth. Faculty play a facilitatory role, not a traditional instructional role, by posing metacognitive questions to students. These questions serve to assist in organizing, generalizing, and evaluating knowledge; to probe for supporting evidence; to explore faulty reasoning; to stimulate discussion of attitudes; and to develop self-directed learning and self-assessment skills. Professional librarians play significant roles in the PBL environment extending from traditional service provider to resource person to educator. Students and faculty usually find the learning experience productive and enjoyable. PMID:9681175

Cooperative Learning in Organic Chemistry Increases Student Assessment of Learning Gains in Key Transferable Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Canelas, Dorian A.; Hill, Jennifer L.; Novicki, Andrea

2017-01-01

Science and engineering educators and employers agree that students should graduate from college with expertise in their major subject area as well as the skills and competencies necessary for productive participation in diverse work environments. These competencies include problem-solving, communication, leadership, and collaboration, among…

Framework for the Development of OER-Based Learning Materials in ODL Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Teng, Khor Ean; Hung, Chung Sheng

2013-01-01

This paper describes the framework for the development of OER-based learning materials "TCC121/05 Programming Fundamentals with Java" for ODL learners in Wawasan Open University (WOU) using three main development phases mainly: creation, evaluation and production phases. The proposed framework has further been tested on ODL learners to…

Improving Learning and Reducing Costs: Redesigning Large-Enrollment Courses.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Twigg, Carol A.

On July 15-16, 1999, a group of 20 higher education leaders gathered in Roanoke, Virginia to participate in an invitational symposium on the topic of "Redesigning More Productive Learning Environments." The goal in Roanoke was to examine the validity of the conceptual framework that undergirds the projects being implemented in the Pew Grant…

Exploring Mobile Learning Success Factors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cochrane, Thomas D.

2010-01-01

This paper is a comparative account and analysis of three mobile Web 2.0 projects instigated within a tertiary learning environment during 2008. Following the successful instigation of a mobile Web 2.0 project in the third year of a Bachelor of Product Design course during semester one, similar projects were initiated in semester two within the…

Anonymity and Motivation in Asynchronous Discussions and L2 Vocabulary Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Polat, Nihat; Mancilla, Rae; Mahalingappa, Laura

2013-01-01

This study investigates L2 attainment in asynchronous online environments, specifically possible relationships among anonymity, L2 motivation, participation in discussions, quality of L2 production, and success in L2 vocabulary learning. It examines, in asynchronous discussions, (a) if participation and (b) motivation contribute to L2 vocabulary…

How To Use Differentiated Instruction with Students with Developmental Disabilities in the General Education Classroom. DDD Prism Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gartin, Barbara C.; Murdick, Nikki L.; Imbeau, Marcia; Perner, Darlene E.

This book discusses how educators can achieve inclusive classrooms that give students with different abilities the maximum opportunity for growth. It provides frameworks for planning learning environments, content, process, and products that enable students with learning challenges to succeed with meaningful curriculum. Decision-making guidelines…

Measuring User Experience of the Student-Centered e-Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Santoso, Harry B.; Schrepp, Martin; Isal, R. Yugo Kartono; Utomo, Andika Yudha; Priyogi, Bilih

2016-01-01

The aim of the current study is to develop an adapted version of User Experience Questionnaire (UEQ) and evaluate a learning management system. Although there is a growing interest on User Experience, there are still limited resources (i.e. measurement tools or questionnaires) available to measure user experience of any products, especially…

Adopting SCORM 1.2 Standards in a Courseware Production Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barker, Bradley

2004-01-01

The Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) is a technology framework for Web-based learning technology. Originated by the Department of Defense and accelerated by the Advanced Distributed Learning initiative SCORM was released in January of 2000 (ADL, 2003). The goals of SCORM are to decrease the cost of training, while increasing the…

Student-Produced Videos Can Enhance Engagement and Learning in the Online Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stanley, Denise; Zhang, Yi

2018-01-01

Student engagement in online learning remains a challenge for the design of effective coursework. Additionally, few analyses have focused on student-produced activities in the online mode or upon how such class activity affects student subgroups differently. We conducted a randomized design experiment with student video production at a large…

Challenges Facing the Semantic Web and Social Software as Communication Technology Agents in E-Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olaniran, Bolanle A.

2010-01-01

The semantic web describes the process whereby information content is made available for machine consumption. With increased reliance on information communication technologies, the semantic web promises effective and efficient information acquisition and dissemination of products and services in the global economy, in particular, e-learning.…

Academic Synergy in the Age of Technology--A New Instructional Paradigm

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ma, Yulong; Runyon, L. R.

2004-01-01

In this article, the authors show how effective use of new technology can increase academic productivity and enhance educational quality in higher learning institutions. The authors sought to develop an instructional model that integrates information technology with faculty resources to enhance teaching and learning in the academic environment.…

Learning to Argue in a Connected World: The Arc of Productive Disciplinary Engagement in a High School Academic Social Network

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Teske, Paul Robert-John

2014-01-01

Calls to virtually break down school walls through connected and blended learning environments are ubiquitous as of late as technologies in service of learning evolve and as schools are under pressure to change. Within the subject area of English Language Arts, there is a dearth of research or information on how to facilitate these new, digitally…

Visualizing the inner product space ℝm×n in a MATLAB-assisted linear algebra classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caglayan, Günhan

2018-05-01

This linear algebra note offers teaching and learning ideas in the treatment of the inner product space ? in a technology-supported learning environment. Classroom activities proposed in this note demonstrate creative ways of integrating MATLAB technology into various properties of Frobenius inner product as visualization tools that complement the algebraic approach. As implemented in linear algebra lessons in a university in the Unites States, the article also incorporates algebraic and visual work of students who experienced these activities with MATLAB software. The connection between the Frobenius norm and the Euclidean norm is also emphasized.

Syllabic Patterns in the Early Vocalizations of Quichua Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gildersleeve-Neumann, Christina E.; Davis, Barbara L.; Macneilage, Peter F.

2013-01-01

To understand the interactions between production patterns common to children regardless of language environment and the early appearance of production effects based on perceptual learning from the ambient language requires the study of languages with diverse phonological properties. Few studies have evaluated early phonological acquisition…

High Performance Schools--It's a No-Brainer.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nicklas, Mike

2002-01-01

A North Carolina middle school demonstrates that high performance, sustainable school buildings cost no more to build and are more comfortable and productive learning environments than conventional buildings. (Author)

How to Create Healthy Indoor Environments in Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rhodes, Diane; Di Nella, Frank

2012-01-01

A green and healthy indoor environment should be a fundamental concern in the place where kids learn and grow. Good indoor air quality (IAQ) has been shown to have positive effects on student and staff productivity, performance, comfort and attendance. Conversely, poor IAQ in classrooms--caused by mold and moisture issues, problems with HVAC…

Understanding the Conics through Augmented Reality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salinas, Patricia; Pulido, Ricardo

2017-01-01

This paper discusses the production of a digital environment to foster the learning of conics through augmented reality. The name conic refers to curves obtained by the intersection of a plane with a right circular conical surface. The environment gives students the opportunity to interact with the cone and the plane as virtual objects in real…

Exploring the Complexity of Classroom Management: 8 Components of Managing a Highly Productive, Safe, and Respectful Urban Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Karrie A.; Jones, Jennifer L.; Vermette, Paul J.

2013-01-01

Creating a learning environment where all students can thrive academically requires an understanding of the complexities of classroom management. The notions of "discipline," "conformity" and "obedience" that have littered discussions of classroom management in the past are no longer sufficient to describe the diverse…

Using Student Response Systems to Increase Motivation, Learning, and Knowledge Retention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Radosevich, David J.; Salomon, Roger; Radosevich, Deirdre M.; Kahn, Patricia

2008-01-01

Student response system (SRS) technology is one of many tools available to help instructors create a rich and productive learning environment. David J. Radosevich, Roger Salomon, Deirdre M. Radosevich, and Patricia Kahn describe a study designed to measure the effect of an SRS on student interest and retention. Two sections of an undergraduate…

The Effects of Virtual Reality Learning Environment on Student Cognitive and Linguistic Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Yu-Li

2016-01-01

Virtual reality (VR) has brought about numerous alternative learning opportunities in the last decade, and with modern products such as Oculus Rift and other wearable Virtual Reality technologies being introduced into society, VR will promisingly continue to provide yet unseen opportunities in the next few decades and therefore is a technology…

Supporting Authors in the Development of Task-Based Learning in Serious Virtual Worlds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bellotti, Francesco; Berta, Riccardo; De Gloria, Alessandro; Primavera, Ludovica

2010-01-01

Serious virtual worlds (SVWs) represent a great opportunity for learning and should embed a lot of high-quality contextualised information so that the player can take the most from his or her exploration of the environment. This requires defining new methodologies and tools for effective production. We have investigated this issue in implementing…

Using Web 2.0 Technology to Enhance, Scaffold and Assess Problem-Based Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hack, Catherine

2013-01-01

Web 2.0 technologies, such as social networks, wikis, blogs, and virtual worlds provide a platform for collaborative working, facilitating sharing of resources and joint document production. They can act as a stimulus to promote active learning and provide an engaging and interactive environment for students, and as such align with the philosophy…

Does Digitized Virtual Space Allow for Effective Learning in Creating Environments for Theatrical Productions?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Magruder, Lewis

2016-01-01

Learning how to transform an empty space into one alive with dramatic possibilities is one of the challenges facing students in several disciplines--for example, graphic design, filmmaking, gaming, architecture, interior design, visual arts, and designing and directing for the theatre. The author, a professor of directing for the theatre,…

Improving the Capacity of School System Leaders and Teachers to Design Productive Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sheppard, Bruce; Dibbon, David

2011-01-01

In this article we report on the results of an innovative research partnership with the largest school district in one Canadian province where we are exploring how educational leadership practices and the factors that influence these practices interact to impact student learning. This article makes a clear connection between leadership and student…

Building a Trusted Environment for Education Technology Products

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levin, Douglas

2016-01-01

Data about learning, about teaching and about school operations helps to generate information that can and is being used to benefit students. This, in fact, is one of the key advances powering the dynamic movement to use technology in schools to support student learning. At the same time, not all parents and privacy advocates are equally…

Learning L2 Pronunciation with a Mobile Speech Recognizer: French /y/

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liakin, Denis; Cardoso, Walcir; Liakina, Natallia

2015-01-01

This study investigates the acquisition of the L2 French vowel /y/ in a mobile-assisted learning environment, via the use of automatic speech recognition (ASR). Particularly, it addresses the question of whether ASR-based pronunciation instruction using a mobile device can improve the production and perception of French /y/. Forty-two elementary…

Too Scared to Learn? The Academic Consequences of Feeling Unsafe at School. Working Paper #02-13

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lacoe, Johanna

2013-01-01

A safe environment is a prerequisite for productive learning. This paper represents the first large-scale analysis of how feelings of safety at school affect educational outcomes. Using a unique longitudinal dataset of survey responses from New York City middle school students, the paper provides insight into the causal relationship between…

Toward a neural basis for peer-interaction: what makes peer-learning tick?

PubMed Central

Clark, Ian; Dumas, Guillaume

2015-01-01

Many of the instructional practices that have been advanced as intrinsically motivating are inherent in socio-constructivist learning environments. There is now emerging scientific evidence to explain why interactive learning environments promote the intrinsic motivation to learn. The “two-body” and “second person” approaches have begun to explore the “dark matter” of social neuroscience: the intra- and inter-individual brain dynamics during social interaction. Moreover, studies indicate that when young learners are given expanded opportunities to actively and equitably participate in collaborative learning activities they experienced feelings of well-being, contentment, or even excitement. Neuroscience starts demonstrating how this naturally rewarding aspect is strongly associated with the implication of the mesolimbic dopaminergic pathway during social interaction. The production of dopamine reinforces the desire to continue the interaction, and heightens feelings of anticipation for future peer-learning activities. Here we review how cooperative learning and problem-solving interactions can bring about the “intrinsic” motivation to learn. Overall, the reported theoretical arguments and neuroscientific results have clear implications for school and organization approaches and support social constructivist perspectives. PMID:25713542

Handwriting generates variable visual output to facilitate symbol learning.

PubMed

Li, Julia X; James, Karin H

2016-03-01

Recent research has demonstrated that handwriting practice facilitates letter categorization in young children. The present experiments investigated why handwriting practice facilitates visual categorization by comparing 2 hypotheses: that handwriting exerts its facilitative effect because of the visual-motor production of forms, resulting in a direct link between motor and perceptual systems, or because handwriting produces variable visual instances of a named category in the environment that then changes neural systems. We addressed these issues by measuring performance of 5-year-old children on a categorization task involving novel, Greek symbols across 6 different types of learning conditions: 3 involving visual-motor practice (copying typed symbols independently, tracing typed symbols, tracing handwritten symbols) and 3 involving visual-auditory practice (seeing and saying typed symbols of a single typed font, of variable typed fonts, and of handwritten examples). We could therefore compare visual-motor production with visual perception both of variable and similar forms. Comparisons across the 6 conditions (N = 72) demonstrated that all conditions that involved studying highly variable instances of a symbol facilitated symbol categorization relative to conditions where similar instances of a symbol were learned, regardless of visual-motor production. Therefore, learning perceptually variable instances of a category enhanced performance, suggesting that handwriting facilitates symbol understanding by virtue of its environmental output: supporting the notion of developmental change though brain-body-environment interactions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Handwriting generates variable visual input to facilitate symbol learning

PubMed Central

Li, Julia X.; James, Karin H.

2015-01-01

Recent research has demonstrated that handwriting practice facilitates letter categorization in young children. The present experiments investigated why handwriting practice facilitates visual categorization by comparing two hypotheses: That handwriting exerts its facilitative effect because of the visual-motor production of forms, resulting in a direct link between motor and perceptual systems, or because handwriting produces variable visual instances of a named category in the environment that then changes neural systems. We addressed these issues by measuring performance of 5 year-old children on a categorization task involving novel, Greek symbols across 6 different types of learning conditions: three involving visual-motor practice (copying typed symbols independently, tracing typed symbols, tracing handwritten symbols) and three involving visual-auditory practice (seeing and saying typed symbols of a single typed font, of variable typed fonts, and of handwritten examples). We could therefore compare visual-motor production with visual perception both of variable and similar forms. Comparisons across the six conditions (N=72) demonstrated that all conditions that involved studying highly variable instances of a symbol facilitated symbol categorization relative to conditions where similar instances of a symbol were learned, regardless of visual-motor production. Therefore, learning perceptually variable instances of a category enhanced performance, suggesting that handwriting facilitates symbol understanding by virtue of its environmental output: supporting the notion of developmental change though brain-body-environment interactions. PMID:26726913

The Skype-Buddy Model in an Online Environment: Patterns and Perceptions of Language Teachers in a Professional Development Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Macharaschwili, Carmen E.

2013-01-01

Patterns and perceptions of language teachers in a professional development program were examined through various forms of classroom discourse & multimodal products. Research questions include: What kinds of learning patterns emerge with the use of Skype in an online environment? What phases of cognitive engagement are evident in Skype…

Healthy Schools, Healthy Futures: The Case for Improving School Environment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Henderson, Alan C.

This book addresses the school as a worksite for faculty, staff, and administrators; as a learning site for students; and as an important site for creating a healthy, productive environment. Born out of a commitment to health education as an essential strategy for maintaining public health, this book contends that the physical condition of the…

Max's Family Experience: Web-Resources for Working with Special Education Students and Their Families

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Theoharis, Raschelle; Fitzpatrick, Michael

2011-01-01

Today's principals are required to put in longer hours, lead larger schools, and supervise more faculty and staff members. Additionally they need to create a positive learning environment for students, a productive work environment for their employees, and contend with a variety of student behaviors at the building level. Aside from the duties…

Ownership of Digital Course Artifacts: Who Can Access and Use Your Words, Images, Sounds, and Clicks?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dennen, Vanessa P.

2016-01-01

Digital learning environments are spaces in which data are shared, generated, and recorded. At the end of an online course, a rich collection of digital artifacts are left behind by the instructor and learners. Some artifacts are intentionally created learning materials and assignments, some are the products of class interaction in discussion…

Learning the Discourse of Quality Assurance: A Case of Workplace Learning in Online In-Service Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lundin, Mona; Lundin, Johan

2016-01-01

Purpose: In this study, online in-service training for people employed in the food production industry is scrutinized. The purpose of this study is to analyse how the participants adapt to such online environments in terms of the kind of discussions they establish. The more specific interest relates to how the participants discuss current work…

Conditions for Productive Learning in Networked Learning Environments: A Case Study from the VO@NET Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ryberg, Thomas; Koottatep, Suporn; Pengchai, Petch; Dirckinck-Holmfeld, Lone

2006-01-01

In this article we bring together experiences from two international research projects: the Kaleidoscope ERT research collaboration and the VO@NET project. We do this by using a shared framework identified for cross-case analyses within the Kaleidoscope ERT to analyse a particular case in the VO@NET project, a training course called "Green…

Open Source Software and Design-Based Research Symbiosis in Developing 3D Virtual Learning Environments: Examples from the iSocial Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schmidt, Matthew; Galyen, Krista; Laffey, James; Babiuch, Ryan; Schmidt, Carla

2014-01-01

Design-based research (DBR) and open source software are both acknowledged as potentially productive ways for advancing learning technologies. These approaches have practical benefits for the design and development process and for building and leveraging community to augment and sustain design and development. This report presents a case study of…

Experimenting `learn by doing' and `learn by failing'

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pozzi, Rossella; Noè, Carlo; Rossi, Tommaso

2015-01-01

According to the literature, in recent years, developing experiential learning has fulfilled the requirement of a deep understanding of lean philosophy by engineering students, demonstrating the advantages and disadvantages of some of the key principles of lean manufacturing. On the other hand, the literature evidences how some kinds of game-based experiential learning overlook daily difficulties, which play a central role in manufacturing systems. To fill the need of a game overcoming such lack of vision, an innovative game direct in-field, named Kart Factory, has been developed. Actual production shifts are simulated, while keeping all the elements peculiar to a real production set (i.e. complexity, effort, safety). The working environment is a real pedal car assembly department, the products to be assembled have relevant size and weight (i.e. up to 35 kg approximately), and the provided tools are real production equipment (e.g. keys, screwdrivers, trans-pallets, etc.). Due to the need to maximise the impact on students, a labour-intensive process characterises the production department. The whole training process is based on three educational principles: Experience Value Principle, Error Value Principle, and Team Value Principle. As the 'learn by doing' and 'learn by failing' are favoured, the theory follows the practice, while crating the willingness to 'do' instead of just designing or planning. The gathered data prove the Kart Factory's effectiveness in reaching a good knowledge of lean concepts, notwithstanding the students' initial knowledge level.

Optimal ordering and production policy for a recoverable item inventory system with learning effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsai, Deng-Maw

2012-02-01

This article presents two models for determining an optimal integrated economic order quantity and economic production quantity policy in a recoverable manufacturing environment. The models assume that the unit production time of the recovery process decreases with the increase in total units produced as a result of learning. A fixed proportion of used products are collected from customers and then recovered for reuse. The recovered products are assumed to be in good condition and acceptable to customers. Constant demand can be satisfied by utilising both newly purchased products and recovered products. The aim of this article is to show how to minimise total inventory-related cost. The total cost functions of the two models are derived and two simple search procedures are proposed to determine optimal policy parameters. Numerical examples are provided to illustrate the proposed models. In addition, sensitivity analyses have also been performed and are discussed.

American Chemical Society Student Affiliates Chapters: More Than Just Chemistry Clubs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Montes, Ingrid; Collazo, Carmen

2003-10-01

Chemistry educators often examine and implement various instructional techniques, such as mentoring programs, to advance learning objectives and to equip students with analytical and technical skills, as well as the skills required of chemical science professionals. Student organizations, such as an American Chemical Society Student Affiliates (SA) chapter, can create a learning environment for undergraduates by engaging them in activities that develop communication, teamwork and inquiry, analysis, and problem-solving skills within a real-world setting. The environment is student-based, has personal meaning for the learner, emphasizes a process-and-product orientation, and emphasizes evaluation. Participation in SAs enhance the traditional chemistry curriculum, complementing the learning goals and meeting learning objectives that might not otherwise be addressed in the curriculum. In this article we discuss how SA chapters enhance the educational experience of undergraduate chemical science students, help develop new chemistry professionals, and shape enthusiastic and committed future chemical science leaders.

Skill learning and the evolution of social learning mechanisms.

PubMed

van der Post, Daniel J; Franz, Mathias; Laland, Kevin N

2016-08-24

Social learning is potentially advantageous, but evolutionary theory predicts that (i) its benefits may be self-limiting because social learning can lead to information parasitism, and (ii) these limitations can be mitigated via forms of selective copying. However, these findings arise from a functional approach in which learning mechanisms are not specified, and which assumes that social learning avoids the costs of asocial learning but does not produce information about the environment. Whether these findings generalize to all kinds of social learning remains to be established. Using a detailed multi-scale evolutionary model, we investigate the payoffs and information production processes of specific social learning mechanisms (including local enhancement, stimulus enhancement and observational learning) and their evolutionary consequences in the context of skill learning in foraging groups. We find that local enhancement does not benefit foraging success, but could evolve as a side-effect of grouping. In contrast, stimulus enhancement and observational learning can be beneficial across a wide range of environmental conditions because they generate opportunities for new learning outcomes. In contrast to much existing theory, we find that the functional outcomes of social learning are mechanism specific. Social learning nearly always produces information about the environment, and does not always avoid the costs of asocial learning or support information parasitism. Our study supports work emphasizing the value of incorporating mechanistic detail in functional analyses.

The Other Side of the LMS: Considering Implementation and Use in the Adoption of an LMS in Online and Blended Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Black, Erik W.; Beck, Dennis; Dawson, Kara; Jinks, Susan; DiPietro, Meredith

2007-01-01

There are more similarities than differences among learning management system (LMS) software products. In a recent study, Carriere, Challborn, and Moore compared a variety of LMSs and went as far as to suggest that the only real differences between systems lie in marketing approaches. In addition, because LMSs have interchangeable parts, those…

Creating Interactive Web-Based Environments to Scaffold Creative Reasoning and Meaningful Learning: From Physics to Products

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jou, Min; Chuang, Chien-Pen; Wu, Yu-Shiang

2010-01-01

With the evolution of the surrounding world market, engineers have to propose innovations in products and processes. Industrial innovation frequently results from an improved understanding of basic physics. In this paper, an approach to accelerate inventive preliminary design is presented. This method combines the main advantages of CBR (Case…

It's No Accident: A Consumer Product Safety Education Curriculum Resource Guide for Teachers of Grades 3 through 6.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Consumer Product Safety Commission, Washington, DC.

This guide for teachers contains product safety information appropriate for young children and suggests learning activities for third through sixth graders. Activities encourage children to examine their home environments for safety hazards and to share this information with family and friends. Unit 1 introduces five basic safety concepts upon…

Learning classifier systems for single and multiple mobile robots in unstructured environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bay, John S.

1995-12-01

The learning classifier system (LCS) is a learning production system that generates behavioral rules via an underlying discovery mechanism. The LCS architecture operates similarly to a blackboard architecture; i.e., by posted-message communications. But in the LCS, the message board is wiped clean at every time interval, thereby requiring no persistent shared resource. In this paper, we adapt the LCS to the problem of mobile robot navigation in completely unstructured environments. We consider the model of the robot itself, including its sensor and actuator structures, to be part of this environment, in addition to the world-model that includes a goal and obstacles at unknown locations. This requires a robot to learn its own I/O characteristics in addition to solving its navigation problem, but results in a learning controller that is equally applicable, unaltered, in robots with a wide variety of kinematic structures and sensing capabilities. We show the effectiveness of this LCS-based controller through both simulation and experimental trials with a small robot. We then propose a new architecture, the Distributed Learning Classifier System (DLCS), which generalizes the message-passing behavior of the LCS from internal messages within a single agent to broadcast massages among multiple agents. This communications mode requires little bandwidth and is easily implemented with inexpensive, off-the-shelf hardware. The DLCS is shown to have potential application as a learning controller for multiple intelligent agents.

Experiential Collaborative Learning and Preferential Thinking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Volpentesta, Antonio P.; Ammirato, Salvatore; Sofo, Francesco

The paper presents a Project-Based Learning (shortly, PBL) approach in a collaborative educational environment aimed to develop design ability and creativity of students coming from different engineering disciplines. Three collaborative learning experiences in product design were conducted in order to study their impact on preferred thinking styles of students. Using a thinking style inventory, pre- and post-survey data was collected and successively analyzed through ANOVA techniques. Statistically significant results showed students successfully developed empathy and an openness to multiple perspectives. Furthermore, data analysis confirms that the proposed collaborative learning experience positively contributes to increase awareness in students' thinking styles.

Adjusted Framework of M-Learning in Blended Learning System for Mathematics Study Field of Junior High School Level VII

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sugiyanta, Lipur; Sukardjo, Moch.

2018-04-01

The 2013 curriculum requires teachers to be more productive, creative, and innovative in encouraging students to be more independent by strengthening attitudes, skills and knowledge. Teachers are given the options to create lesson plan according to the environment and conditions of their students. At the junior level, Core Competence (KI) and Basic Competence (KD) have been completely designed. In addition, there had already guidebooks, both for teacher manuals (Master’s Books) and for learners (Student Books). The lesson plan and guidebooks which already exist are intended only for learning in the classroom/in-school. Many alternative classrooms and alternatives learning models opened up using educational technology. The advance of educational technology opened opportunity for combination of class interaction using mobile learning applications. Mobile learning has rapidly evolved in education for the last ten years and many initiatives have been conducted worldwide. However, few of these efforts have produced any lasting outcomes. It is evident that mobile education applications are complex and hence, will not become sustainable. Long-term sustainability remains a risk. Long-term sustainability usually was resulted from continuous adaptation to changing conditions [4]. Frameworks are therefore required to avoid sustainability pitfalls. The implementation should start from simple environment then gradually become complex through adaptation steps. Therefore, our paper developed the framework of mobile learning (m-learning) adaptation for grade 7th (junior high school). The environment setup was blended mobile learning (not full mobile learning) and emphasize on Algebra. The research is done by R&D method (research and development). Results of the framework includes requirements and adaptation steps. The adjusted m-learning framework is designed to be a guidance for teachers to adopt m-learning to support blended learning environments. During mock-up prototype, the adjusted framework demonstrates how to make successful implementation of early blended mobile learning through framework. The Social area is in focus of adaptation because participation is important to improve the sustainability. From the short practice of mock-up prototype, blended mobile learning can be an effective pedagogical model in supporting students in inquiry-based learning.

Metacognitive components in smart learning environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sumadyo, M.; Santoso, H. B.; Sensuse, D. I.

2018-03-01

Metacognitive ability in digital-based learning process helps students in achieving learning goals. So that digital-based learning environment should make the metacognitive component as a facility that must be equipped. Smart Learning Environment is the concept of a learning environment that certainly has more advanced components than just a digital learning environment. This study examines the metacognitive component of the smart learning environment to support the learning process. A review of the metacognitive literature was conducted to examine the components involved in metacognitive learning strategies. Review is also conducted on the results of study smart learning environment, ranging from design to context in building smart learning. Metacognitive learning strategies certainly require the support of adaptable, responsive and personalize learning environments in accordance with the principles of smart learning. The current study proposed the role of metacognitive component in smart learning environment, which is useful as the basis of research in building environment in smart learning.

Nurturing gerontology students' intrinsic motivation to cocreate: The design of a powerful learning environment.

PubMed

Jukema, Jan S; Veerman, Mieke; Van Alphen, Jacqueline; Visser, Geraldine; Smits, Carolien; Kingma, Tineke

2017-09-21

Professionals such as gerontologists play an important role in the design, development and implementation of age-friendly services. and products, by using working methods and principles of co-creation. A Dutch undergraduate applied gerontology programme aims to train students in the why, how and what of co-creation. The degree to which students are intrinsically motivated to develop competencies depends on how their psychological needs are met. These needs are autonomy, an awareness of competence and a sense of relatedness, as described in the self-determination theory. To nurture the intrinsic motivation of the applied gerontology students, a realistic, powerful learning environment called the Living Lab Applied Gerontology was designed and implemented. The aim of this paper is to present the design of this powerful learning environment and to discuss its value for nurturing the students' intrinsic motivation for co-creation. Based on a focus group with eight students, we identify directions for further research and development of living labs.

Transferring experience labs for production engineering students to universities in newly industrialized countries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leiden, A.; Posselt, G.; Bhakar, V.; Singh, R.; Sangwan, K. S.; Herrmann, C.

2018-01-01

The Indian economy is one of the fastest growing economies in the world and the demand for the skilled engineers is increasing. Subsequently the Indian education sector is growing to provide the necessary number of skilled engineers. Current Indian engineering graduates have broad theoretical background but lack in methodological, soft and practical skills. To bridge this gap, the experience lab ideas from the engineering education at “Die Lernfabrik” (learning factory) of the Technische Universität Braunschweig (TU Braunschweig) is transferred to the Birla Institute of Technology and Science in Pilani (BITS Pilani), India. This Lernfabrik successfully strengthened the methodological, soft and practical skills of the TU Braunschweig production-engineering graduates. The target group is discrete manufacturing education with focusing on energy and resource efficiency as well as cyber physical production systems. As the requirements of industry and academia in India differs from Germany, the transfer of the experience lab to the Indian education system needs special attention to realize a successful transfer project. This publication provides a unique approach to systematically transfer the educational concept in Learning Factory from a specific university environment to a different environment in a newly industrialized country. The help of a bilateral university driven practice partnership between the two universities creates a lighthouse for the Indian university environment.

The Ever Challenging Environment of Producing Knowledgeable and Skillful Graduates: Changing the Culture of Higher Education of Institutions in Teaching and Learning Approaches

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zakaria, Sabarudin

2017-01-01

The education system of modern society can be understood as an institution whose functions include its capacity to reproduce its host society, both economically and culturally. Higher institution of learning is no more seen as a place of mass production of graduates willingly believes that they are now ready to perform their duties. The newly…

Analysis of PLEs' Implementation under OER Design as a Productive Teaching-Learning Strategy in Higher Education. A Case Study at Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vázquez-Cano, Esteban; Martín-Monje, Elena; Castrillo de Larreta-Azelain, María Dolores

2016-01-01

This paper shows some research which analysed the didactic functionality of Personal Learning Environments (PLEs) and Open Educational Resources (OERs). They were created by students from the Master's Degree in Information and Communication Technologies applied to language teaching and processing, at Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia…

Gardening as a Learning Environment: A Study of Children's Perceptions and Understanding of School Gardens as Part of an International Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bowker, Rob; Tearle, Penni

2007-01-01

This article considers the impact of the early stages of an international project, Gardens for Life (GfL), on children's perceptions of school gardening and on their learning. The project involved 67 schools in England, Kenya and India and focused on the growing of crops, recognising the importance of both the process and product of this activity…

Enacting Conceptual Metaphor through Blending: Learning activities embodying the substance metaphor for energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Close, Hunter G.; Scherr, Rachel E.

2015-04-01

We demonstrate that a particular blended learning space is especially productive in developing understanding of energy transfers and transformations. In this blended space, naturally occurring learner interactions like body movement, gesture, and metaphorical speech are blended with a conceptual metaphor of energy as a substance in a class of activities called Energy Theater. We illustrate several mechanisms by which the blended aspect of the learning environment promotes productive intellectual engagement with key conceptual issues in the learning of energy, including distinguishing among energy processes, disambiguating matter and energy, identifying energy transfer, and representing energy as a conserved quantity. Conceptual advancement appears to be promoted especially by the symbolic material and social structure of the Energy Theater environment, in which energy is represented by participants and objects are represented by areas demarcated by loops of rope, and by Energy Theater's embodied action, including body locomotion, gesture, and coordination of speech with symbolic spaces in the Energy Theater arena. Our conclusions are (1) that specific conceptual metaphors can be leveraged to benefit science instruction via the blending of an abstract space of ideas with multiple modes of concrete human action, and (2) that participants' structured improvisation plays an important role in leveraging the blend for their intellectual development.

Teacher Communication Preferred over Peer Interaction: Student Satisfaction with Different Tools in a Virtual Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Small, Felicity; Dowell, David; Simmons, Peter

2012-01-01

Purpose: Teachers have access to a growing range of online tools to support course delivery, but which ones are valued by students? Expectations and satisfaction are important constructs in the delivery of a service product, and how these constructs operate in a service environment, such as education where the student can also take on the role of…

3D Technology Selection for a Virtual Learning Environment by Blending ISO 9126 Standard and AHP

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cetin, Aydin; Guler, Inan

2011-01-01

Web3D presents many opportunities for learners in a virtual world or virtual environment over the web. This is a great opportunity for open-distance education institutions to benefit from web3d technologies to create courses with interactive 3d materials. There are many open source and commercial products offering 3d technologies over the web…

77 FR 58301 - Final Requirements-Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge; Phase 2

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-09-20

... career advancement. Core Area B addresses the importance of a high-quality plan for rating and monitoring... adversely affect a sector of the economy, productivity, competition, jobs, the environment, public health or...

Designing Science Learning Environments That Support Emerging Bilingual Students to Problematize Electrical Phenomena

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suarez, Enrique A.

This dissertation investigates how emerging bilingual students make sense of natural phenomena through engaging in certain epistemic practices of science, and the elements of the learning environment that created those opportunities. Specifically, the dissertation focuses on how emerging bilingual students problematized electrical phenomena, like electric flow and electrical resistance, and how the design features of the environment (e.g., sequencing of activities, linguistic practices) may have supported students as they made sense of phenomena. The first study describes how for students presented and evaluated mechanistic models of electric flow, focusing specifically on how students identified and negotiated a disagreement between their explanatory models. The results from this study highlight the complexity of students' disagreements, not only because of the epistemological aspects related to presenting and evaluating knowledge, but also due to interpersonal dynamics and the discomfort associated with disagreeing with another person. The second study focuses on the design features of the learning environment that supported emerging bilingual students' investigations of electrical phenomena. The findings from this study highlight how a carefully designed set of activities, with the appropriate material resources (e.g., experimental tools), could support students to problematize electrical resistance. The third study describes how emerging bilingual students engaged in translanguaging practices and the contextual features of the learning environment that created and hindered opportunities for translanguaging. The findings from this study identify and articulate how emerging bilingual students engaged in translanguaging practices when problematizing electrical resistance, and strengthen the perspective that, in order to be equitable for emerging bilingual students, science learning environments need to act as translanguaging spaces. This dissertation makes three contributions to how science educators understand how elementary-aged emerging bilingual students learning science. First, I offer a detailed account of how emerging bilingual students engaged in epistemic practices to problematize electrical phenomena. Secondly, I argue learning environments need to create opportunities for emerging bilingual students to engage in productive epistemic work through leveraging multiple kinds of resources from their semiotic repertoires. Finally, this dissertation contributes to our understanding of how emerging bilingual students engage in translanguaging practices as they investigate and talk about the natural world.

Quality Of Educational Environment At Wah Medical College: Assessment By Using Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure.

PubMed

Mushtaq, Robina; Ansar, Ambreen; Bibi, Anwar; Ramzan, Musarat; Munir, Arif; Zaheer, Amna; Ahmad, Afsa; Barlas, Aisha

2017-01-01

Educational environment not only has an impact on the students during the academic years but has its reflections throughout their medical career. The Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM) is an internationally accepted useful tool to analyse undergraduate educational environments in the health professionals. The purpose of this study was to assess how students, across all the five years in a private medical college, perceive their educational environment. It was a cross sectional study, which used the DREEM inventory at Wah Medical College over the course of 6 months (January-June 2015). All 500 students were included in the study. The fifty items DREEM inventory, having the maximum score of two hundred indicating ideal educational environment was used for data collection. The questionnaire was completed by 400 undergraduate medical students (response rate 80%). The overall DREEM score was 122.63/200 (61.3%), indicating that the perception of the learning environment was more positive than negative. Among the highest scoring categories were students' participation in classes, relaxed atmosphere and confidence in passing the annual exams. However, many areas requiring improvement were also brought to attention. Overall, the student's perception of their learning environment at Wah Medical College was found to be positive. This study did bring to light some areas that could be improved upon. This should enable the faculty to adopt changes in their teaching methods to make the learning process more productive and enjoyable for future students.

The Impact of a Short Self-Management Training Intervention in a Retail Banking Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pattni, Indira; Soutar, Geoffrey N.; Klobas, Jane E.

2007-01-01

The study discussed in this article investigated the impact of a short self-management skills training course on frontline bank employees' learning about the use of self-management to overcome obstacles to the initiation of banking product sales, perceived self-efficacy in initiating the sale of a product, and performance in activities related to…

Research and Teaching: Use of Toulmin's Argumentation Scheme for Student Discourse to Gain Insight about Guided Inquiry Activities in College Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kulatunga, Ushiri; Moog, Richard S.; Lewis, Jennifer E.

2014-01-01

Although student production of arguments in group learning environments has been shown to promote scientific reasoning and understanding of science concepts, little previous work has examined the relationship of the structure of curricular materials to the production of argumentation. In this study, we examined this relationship for a collection…

Evolution of social learning when high expected payoffs are associated with high risk of failure.

PubMed

Arbilly, Michal; Motro, Uzi; Feldman, Marcus W; Lotem, Arnon

2011-11-07

In an environment where the availability of resources sought by a forager varies greatly, individual foraging is likely to be associated with a high risk of failure. Foragers that learn where the best sources of food are located are likely to develop risk aversion, causing them to avoid the patches that are in fact the best; the result is sub-optimal behaviour. Yet, foragers living in a group may not only learn by themselves, but also by observing others. Using evolutionary agent-based computer simulations of a social foraging game, we show that in an environment where the most productive resources occur with the lowest probability, socially acquired information is strongly favoured over individual experience. While social learning is usually regarded as beneficial because it filters out maladaptive behaviours, the advantage of social learning in a risky environment stems from the fact that it allows risk aversion to be circumvented and the best food source to be revisited despite repeated failures. Our results demonstrate that the consequences of individual risk aversion may be better understood within a social context and suggest one possible explanation for the strong preference for social information over individual experience often observed in both humans and animals.

Evolution of social learning when high expected payoffs are associated with high risk of failure

PubMed Central

Arbilly, Michal; Motro, Uzi; Feldman, Marcus W.; Lotem, Arnon

2011-01-01

In an environment where the availability of resources sought by a forager varies greatly, individual foraging is likely to be associated with a high risk of failure. Foragers that learn where the best sources of food are located are likely to develop risk aversion, causing them to avoid the patches that are in fact the best; the result is sub-optimal behaviour. Yet, foragers living in a group may not only learn by themselves, but also by observing others. Using evolutionary agent-based computer simulations of a social foraging game, we show that in an environment where the most productive resources occur with the lowest probability, socially acquired information is strongly favoured over individual experience. While social learning is usually regarded as beneficial because it filters out maladaptive behaviours, the advantage of social learning in a risky environment stems from the fact that it allows risk aversion to be circumvented and the best food source to be revisited despite repeated failures. Our results demonstrate that the consequences of individual risk aversion may be better understood within a social context and suggest one possible explanation for the strong preference for social information over individual experience often observed in both humans and animals. PMID:21508013

Glitch game testers: The design and study of a learning environment for computational production with young African American males

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DiSalvo, Elizabeth Betsy

The implementation of a learning environment for young African American males, called the Glitch Game Testers, was launched in 2009. The development of this program was based on formative work that looked at the contrasting use of digital games between young African American males and individuals who chose to become computer science majors. Through analysis of cultural values and digital game play practices, the program was designed to intertwine authentic game development practices and computer science learning. The resulting program employed 25 African American male high school students to test pre-release digital games full-time in the summer and part-time in the school year, with an hour of each day dedicated to learning introductory computer science. Outcomes for persisting in computer science education are remarkable; of the 16 participants who had graduated from high school as of 2012, 12 have gone on to school in computing-related majors. These outcomes, and the participants' enthusiasm for engaging in computing, are in sharp contrast to the crisis in African American male education and learning motivation. The research presented in this dissertation discusses the formative research that shaped the design of Glitch, the evaluation of the implementation of Glitch, and a theoretical investigation of the way in which participants navigated conflicting motivations in learning environments.

Building Measures of Instructional Differentiation from Teacher Checklists

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Ryan; Swanlund, Andrew; Miller, Shazia; Konstantopoulos, Spyros; van der Ploeg, Arie

2012-01-01

Differentiated instruction is commonly believed to be critical to improving the quality and efficiency of teachers' instructional repertoires (Fischer & Rose, 2001; Tomlinson, 2004). Tomlinson (2000) describes differentiation in four domains: content, process, product, and learning environment. Content differentiation involves varying…

Testing the predictions of coping styles theory in threespined sticklebacks

PubMed Central

Bensky, Miles K.; Paitz, Ryan; Pereira, Laura; Bell, Alison M.

2017-01-01

Coping styles theory provides a framework for understanding individual variation in how animals respond to environmental change, and predicts how individual differences in stress responsiveness and behavior might relate to cognitive differences. According to coping styles theory, proactive individuals are bolder, less reactive to stressors, and more routinized than their reactive counterparts. A key tenet of coping styles theory is that variation in coping styles is maintained by tradeoffs with behavioral flexibility: proactive individuals excel in stable environments while more flexible, reactive individuals perform better in variable environments. Here, we assess evidence for coping styles within a natural population of threespined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus). We developed a criterion-based learning paradigm to evaluate individual variation in initial and reversal learning. We observed strong individual differences in boldness, cortisol production, and learning performance. Consistent with coping styles, fish that released more cortisol were more timid in response to a predator attack and slower to learn a color discrimination task. However, there was no evidence that reactive individuals performed better when the environment changed (when the rewarded color was reversed). The failure to detect trade-offs between behavioral routinization and flexibility prompts other explanations for the maintenance of differing coping styles. PMID:28017848

Go with the Flow: Examining the Effects of Engagement Using Flow Theory and Its Relationship to Achievement and Performance in the 3-Dimensional Virtual Learning Environment of Second Life

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooper, Karen E.

2009-01-01

Virtual Worlds have become an attractive platform for work, play, and learning. Businesses, including the public sector and academia, are increasingly investing their time, money, and attention to understanding the value of virtual worlds as a productivity tool. For example, educators are leading the way with research in Second Life, one of the…

Propose but verify: Fast mapping meets cross-situational word learning

PubMed Central

Trueswell, John C.; Medina, Tamara Nicol; Hafri, Alon; Gleitman, Lila R.

2012-01-01

We report three eyetracking experiments that examine the learning procedure used by adults as they pair novel words and visually presented referents over a sequence of referentially ambiguous trials. Successful learning under such conditions has been argued to be the product of a learning procedure in which participants provisionally pair each novel word with several possible referents and use a statistical-associative learning mechanism to gradually converge on a single mapping across learning instances. We argue here that successful learning in this setting is instead the product of a one-trial procedure in which a single hypothesized word-referent pairing is retained across learning instances, abandoned only if the subsequent instance fails to confirm the pairing – more a ‘fast mapping’ procedure than a gradual statistical one. We provide experimental evidence for this Propose-but-Verify learning procedure via three experiments in which adult participants attempted to learn the meanings of nonce words cross-situationally under varying degrees of referential uncertainty. The findings, using both explicit (referent selection) and implicit (eye movement) measures, show that even in these artificial learning contexts, which are far simpler than those encountered by a language learner in a natural environment, participants do not retain multiple meaning hypotheses across learning instances. As we discuss, these findings challenge ‘gradualist’ accounts of word learning and are consistent with the known rapid course of vocabulary learning in a first language. PMID:23142693

Strengthening of competence planning truss through instructional media development details

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Handayani, Sri; Nurcahyono, M. Hadi

2017-03-01

Competency-Based Learning is a model of learning in which the planning, implementation, and assessment refers to the mastery of competencies. Learning in lectures conducted in the framework for comprehensively realizing student competency. Competence means the orientation of the learning activities in the classroom must be given to the students to be more active learning, active search for information themselves and explore alone or with friends in learning activities in pairs or in groups, learn to use a variety of learning resources and printed materials, electronic media, as well as environment. Analysis of learning wooden structure known weakness in the understanding of the truss detail. Hence the need for the development of media that can provide a clear picture of what the structure of the wooden horses and connection details. Development of instructional media consisted of three phases of activity, namely planning, production and assessment. Learning Media planning should be tailored to the needs and conditions necessary to provide reinforcement to the mastery of competencies, through the table material needs. The production process of learning media is done by using hardware (hardware) and software (software) to support the creation of a medium of learning. Assessment of the media poduk yan include feasibility studies, namely by subject matter experts, media experts, while testing was done according to the student's perception of the product. The results of the analysis of the materials for the instructional aspects of the results obtained 100% (very good) and media analysis for the design aspects of the media expressed very good with a percentage of 88.93%. While the analysis of student perceptions expressed very good with a percentage of 84.84%. Media Learning Truss Details feasible and can be used in the implementation of learning wooden structure to provide capacity-building in planning truss

EPQ model with learning consideration, imperfect production and partial backlogging in fuzzy random environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shankar Kumar, Ravi; Goswami, A.

2015-06-01

The article scrutinises the learning effect of the unit production time on optimal lot size for the uncertain and imprecise imperfect production process, wherein shortages are permissible and partially backlogged. Contextually, we contemplate the fuzzy chance of production process shifting from an 'in-control' state to an 'out-of-control' state and re-work facility of imperfect quality of produced items. The elapsed time until the process shifts is considered as a fuzzy random variable, and consequently, fuzzy random total cost per unit time is derived. Fuzzy expectation and signed distance method are used to transform the fuzzy random cost function into an equivalent crisp function. The results are illustrated with the help of numerical example. Finally, sensitivity analysis of the optimal solution with respect to major parameters is carried out.

MASCARET: creating virtual learning environments from system modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Querrec, Ronan; Vallejo, Paola; Buche, Cédric

2013-03-01

The design process for a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) such as that put forward in the SIFORAS project (SImulation FOR training and ASsistance) means that system specifications can be differentiated from pedagogical specifications. System specifications can also be obtained directly from the specialists' expertise; that is to say directly from Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) tools. To do this, the system model needs to be considered as a piece of VLE data. In this paper we present Mascaret, a meta-model which can be used to represent such system models. In order to ensure that the meta-model is capable of describing, representing and simulating such systems, MASCARET is based SysML1, a standard defined by Omg.

Learning anatomy via mobile augmented reality: Effects on achievement and cognitive load.

PubMed

Küçük, Sevda; Kapakin, Samet; Göktaş, Yüksel

2016-10-01

Augmented reality (AR), a new generation of technology, has attracted the attention of educators in recent years. In this study, a MagicBook was developed for a neuroanatomy topic by using mobile augmented reality (mAR) technology. This technology integrates virtual learning objects into the real world and allow users to interact with the environment using mobile devices. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of learning anatomy via mAR on medical students' academic achievement and cognitive load. The mixed method was applied in the study. The random sample consisted of 70 second-year undergraduate medical students: 34 in an experimental group and 36 in a control group. Academic achievement test and cognitive load scale were used as data collection tool. A one-way MANOVA test was used for analysis. The experimental group, which used mAR applications, reported higher achievement and lower cognitive load. The use of mAR applications in anatomy education contributed to the formation of an effective and productive learning environment. Student cognitive load decreased as abstract information became concrete in printed books via multimedia materials in mAR applications. Additionally, students were able to access the materials in the MagicBook anytime and anywhere they wanted. The mobile learning approach helped students learn better by exerting less cognitive effort. Moreover, the sensory experience and real time interaction with environment may provide learning satisfaction and enable students to structure their knowledge to complete the learning tasks. Anat Sci Educ 9: 411-421. © 2016 American Association of Anatomists. © 2016 American Association of Anatomists.

Cognitive Tutoring based on Intelligent Decision Support in the PENTHA Instructional Design Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

dall'Acqua, Luisa

2010-06-01

The research finality of this paper is how to support Authors to develop rule driven—subject oriented, adaptable course content, meta-rules—representing the disciplinary epistemology, model of teaching, Learning Path structure, and assessment parameters—for intelligent Tutoring actions in a personalized, adaptive e-Learning environment. The focus is to instruct the student to be a decision manager for himself, able to recognize the elements of a problem, select the necessary information with the perspective of factual choices. In particular, our research intends to provide some fundamental guidelines for the definition of didactical rules and logical relations, that Authors should provide to a cognitive Tutoring system through the use of an Instructional Design method (PENTHA Model) which proposes an educational environment, able to: increase productivity and operability, create conditions for a cooperative dialogue, developing participatory research activities of knowledge, observations and discoveries, customizing the learning design in a complex and holistic vision of the learning / teaching processes.

Effects of congruence between preferred and perceived learning environments in nursing education in Taiwan: a cross-sectional study

PubMed Central

Yeh, Ting-Kuang; Huang, Hsiu-Mei; Chan, Wing P; Chang, Chun-Yen

2016-01-01

Objective To investigate the effects of congruence between preferred and perceived learning environments on learning outcomes of nursing students. Setting A nursing course at a university in central Taiwan. Participants 124 Taiwanese nursing students enrolled in a 13-week problem-based Fundamental Nursing curriculum. Design and methods Students' preferred learning environment, perceptions about the learning environment and learning outcomes (knowledge, self-efficacy and attitudes) were assessed. On the basis of test scores measuring their preferred and perceived learning environments, students were assigned to one of two groups: a ‘preferred environment aligned with perceived learning environment’ group and a ‘preferred environment discordant with perceived learning environment’ group. Learning outcomes were analysed by group. Outcome measures Most participants preferred learning in a classroom environment that combined problem-based and lecture-based instruction. However, a mismatch of problem-based instruction with students' perceptions occurred. Learning outcomes were significantly better when students' perceptions of their instructional activities were congruent with their preferred learning environment. Conclusions As problem-based learning becomes a focus of educational reform in nursing, teachers need to be aware of students' preferences and perceptions of the learning environment. Teachers may also need to improve the match between an individual student's perception and a teacher's intention in the learning environment, and between the student's preferred and actual perceptions of the learning environment. PMID:27207620

Environment Tied to Successful Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cash, Carol S.; And Others

1997-01-01

Technology available to schools includes a broad spectrum of voice, data and video equipment. Planners need to consider the following subsystems individually and collectively: (1) technology-based products; (2) communications and power distribution to support the equipment; and (3) ergonomics, lighting, acoustics, environmental controls, and…

Science Learning Outcomes in Alignment with Learning Environment Preferences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Chun-Yen; Hsiao, Chien-Hua; Chang, Yueh-Hsia

2011-04-01

This study investigated students' learning environment preferences and compared the relative effectiveness of instructional approaches on students' learning outcomes in achievement and attitude among 10th grade earth science classes in Taiwan. Data collection instruments include the Earth Science Classroom Learning Environment Inventory and Earth Science Learning Outcomes Inventory. The results showed that most students preferred learning in a classroom environment where student-centered and teacher-centered instructional approaches coexisted over a teacher-centered learning environment. A multivariate analysis of covariance also revealed that the STBIM students' cognitive achievement and attitude toward earth science were enhanced when the learning environment was congruent with their learning environment preference.

Facilitating small groups: how to encourage student learning.

PubMed

Kitchen, Mark

2012-02-01

Many clinicians are involved in medical education, with small group teaching (SGT) forming a significant part of their work. Most facilitate these sessions by experience and common sense: less than one-third of them have received formal training in SGT. Evidence suggests small group productivity depends on good facilitation rather than on topic knowledge. Applying the fundamental concepts of SGT will lead to improvements in the quality of clinicians' teaching and in student learning. Good SGT creates the perfect environment for learning and discussion, without the need for didactic teaching. SGT emphasises the role of students in sharing and discussing their ideas in a safe learning environment, without domination by the tutor. This article provides clinicians with basic requirements for effective session design and planning, explains how to encourage student participation, how to manage students as a group, how to manage student learning, and how to recognise and deal with problems. Active facilitation and group management is the key to success in SGT, and consequently better learning outcomes. Improving the facilitation skills of clinical teachers makes teaching more effective, stimulating, and enjoyable for both tutors and students. © Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2012.

Education and training column: the learning collaborative.

PubMed

MacDonald-Wilson, Kim L; Nemec, Patricia B

2015-03-01

This column describes the key components of a learning collaborative, with examples from the experience of 1 organization. A learning collaborative is a method for management, learning, and improvement of products or processes, and is a useful approach to implementation of a new service design or approach. This description draws from published material on learning collaboratives and the authors' experiences. The learning collaborative approach offers an effective method to improve service provider skills, provide support, and structure environments to result in lasting change for people using behavioral health services. This approach is consistent with psychiatric rehabilitation principles and practices, and serves to increase the overall capacity of the mental health system by structuring a process for discovering and sharing knowledge and expertise across provider agencies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Learning Crude Oil by Using Scientific Literacy Comics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aisyah, R.; Zakiyah, I. A.; Farida, I.; Ramdhani, M. A.

2017-09-01

A research has been conducted to create a crude oil learning media in the form of scientific literacy-oriented comic. The research included some phases, namely: concept analysis, material transformation to concept map, indicator identification and science literacy aspect. The product was made based on flowcharts and storyboards that have been validated by expert validators. The product has characteristics namely; 1) Develops indicators and aspects of science literacy, 2) presents the materials in form of story of science fiction genre, 3) has characters adopting levels of scientific literacy, 4) has optional stories, because it depends on questions asked to develop scientific literacy in terms of content, context, process and attitude. Based on feasibility test, the product is feasible to be used as learning media. It is suggested to do an expanded experiment to examine its affectivity in improving scientific literacy and growing students’ awareness about the issues of energy crisis and the impacts of fossil fuel use on the environment.

The physics of birdsong production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mindlin, G. B.

2013-04-01

Human babies need to learn how to talk. The need of a tutor to achieve acceptable vocalisations is a feature that we share with a few species in the animal kingdom. Among those are Songbirds, which account for nearly half of the known bird species. For that reason, Songbirds have become an ideal animal model to study how a brain reconfigures itself during the process of learning a complex task. In the last few years, neuroscientists have invested important resources in order to unveil the neural architecture involved in birdsong production and learning. Yet, behaviour emerges from the interaction between a nervous system, a peripheral biomechanical architecture and environment, and therefore its study should be just as integrated. In particular, the physical study of the avian vocal organ can help to elucidate which features found in the song of birds are under direct control of specific neural instructions and which emerge from the biomechanics involved in its generation. This work describes recent advances in the study of the physics of birdsong production.

The National Mechatronic Platform. The basis of the educational programs in the knowledge society

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maties, V.

2016-08-01

The shift from the information society to the knowledge based society caused by the mechatronic revolution, that took place in the 9th decade of the last century, launched a lot of challenges for education and researches activities too. Knowledge production development asks for new educational technologies to stimulate the initiative and creativity as a base to increase the productivity in the knowledge production. The paper presents details related on the innovative potential of mechatronics as educational environment for transdisciplinarity learning and integral education. The basic infrastructure of that environment is based on mechatronic platforms. In order to develop the knowledge production at the national level the specific structures are to be developed. The paper presents details related on the structure of the National Mechatronic Platform as a true knowledge factory. The benefits of the effort to develop the specific infrastructure for knowledge production in the field of mechatronics are outlined too.

Tools for Science Inquiry Learning: Tool Affordances, Experimentation Strategies, and Conceptual Understanding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bumbacher, Engin; Salehi, Shima; Wieman, Carl; Blikstein, Paulo

2017-12-01

Manipulative environments play a fundamental role in inquiry-based science learning, yet how they impact learning is not fully understood. In a series of two studies, we develop the argument that manipulative environments (MEs) influence the kind of inquiry behaviors students engage in, and that this influence realizes through the affordances of MEs, independent of whether they are physical or virtual. In particular, we examine how MEs shape college students' experimentation strategies and conceptual understanding. In study 1, students engaged in two consecutive inquiry tasks, first on mass and spring systems and then on electric circuits. They either used virtual or physical MEs. We found that the use of experimentation strategies was strongly related to conceptual understanding across tasks, but that students engaged differently in those strategies depending on what ME they used. More students engaged in productive strategies using the virtual ME for electric circuits, and vice versa using the physical ME for mass and spring systems. In study 2, we isolated the affordance of measurement uncertainty by comparing two versions of the same virtual ME for electric circuits—one with and one without noise—and found that the conditions differed in terms of productive experimentation strategies. These findings indicate that measures of inquiry processes may resolve apparent ambiguities and inconsistencies between studies on MEs that are based on learning outcomes alone.

Classroom Management in the Elementary Grades. Research Series No. 32.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brophy, Jere E.; Putnam, Joyce G.

The literature on elementary school classroom management is reviewed. Topics include student characteristics and individual differences, preparing the classroom as a learning environment, organizing instruction and support activities to maximize student engagement in productive tasks, developing workable housekeeping procedures and conduct rules,…

Whose Problem Is It!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mansfield, Deborah; And Others

"Whose Problem Is It" is a workshop for middle level students that encourages their participation, input, and ownership in accomplishing change in the middle level school policies, program and procedure. The workshop revolves around making the school environment a happy, healthy, and productive place for learning. It consists of…

Blood Test: Lead (For Parents)

MedlinePlus

... is found in the environment and in many consumer products. Most people have a small amount of lead in their blood from these exposures. But higher levels of lead can lead to problems in children, such as learning disabilities, behavior problems, and anemia . Very high levels can cause ...

Preparing skilled labor in industry through production-based curriculum approach in vocational high school

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoto

2017-09-01

Vocational high school (Sekolah Menengah Kejuruan / SMK) aims to prepare mid-level skilled labors to work in the industry and are able to create self-employment opportunities. For those reasons, the curriculum in SMK should be based on meeting the needs of the industries and is able to prepare learners to master the competence in accordance with the skills program of their choice. Production based curriculum is the curriculum which the learning process is designed together with the production process or using production process as a learning medium. This approach with the primary intention to introduce students with the real working environment and not merely simulations. In the production-based curriculum implementation model, students are directly involved in the industry through the implementation of industrial working practices, do work on production units in school, and do practical work in school by doing the job as done in the industry by using industry standards machines.

Toward a critical approach to the study of learning environments in science classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lorsbach, Anthony; Tobin, Kenneth

1995-03-01

Traditional learning environment research in science classrooms has been built on survey methods meant to measure students' and teachers' perceptions of variables used to define the learning environment. This research has led mainly to descriptions of learning environments. We argue that learning environment research should play a transformative role in science classrooms; that learning environment research should take into account contemporary post-positivist ways of thinking about learning and teaching to assist students and teachers to construct a more emancipatory learning environment. In particular, we argue that a critical perspective could lead to research playing a larger role in the transformation of science classroom learning environments. This argument is supplemented with an example from a middle school science classroom.

Lessons learned and their application to program development and cultural issues

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roth, Gilbert L.

1991-01-01

The main objectives of space product assurance are, in effect, the same as those of Total Quality Management (TQM) or its many variants. The most significant ingredients are the lessons learned and their application to ongoing and future programs as they are affected by changes in the cultural environment. The cultural issues which affect almost everything done in technical programs and projects are considered. Understanding the lessons learned and the synergism which results from this combination of knowledge, culture, and lessons learned is identified as crucial. A brief discussion of the closed loop linkage that should exist between the world of hands on activities and that of educational institutions is presented.

An Examination through Conjoint Analysis of the Preferences of Students Concerning Online Learning Environments According to Their Learning Styles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daghan, Gökhan; Akkoyunlu, Buket

2012-01-01

This study examines learning styles of students receiving education via online learning environments, and their preferences concerning the online learning environment. Maggie McVay Lynch Learning Style Inventory was used to determine learning styles of the students. The preferences of students concerning online learning environments were detected…

Teachers' Perceptions of Curriculum Modification for Students Who Are Gifted.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ehlers, Kristy; Montgomery, Diane

Differentiating instruction for diverse learners means planning and implementing curriculum based on each student's level of readiness. Appropriate curriculum development for gifted and talented students involves differentiation of content, teaching and learning strategies, and student products in a student-centered environment. A study used Q…

An Evaporative Cooling Model for Teaching Applied Psychrometrics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Donald M.

2004-01-01

Evaporative cooling systems are commonly used in controlled environment plant and animal production. These cooling systems operate based on well defined psychrometric principles. However, students often experience considerable difficulty in learning these principles when they are taught in an abstract, verbal manner. This article describes an…

Teaching 'How To' Technologies in Context.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leigh, Patricia Randolph

The introductory instructional technology course at Iowa State University is a survey course covering various technologies. In this case, the instructor chose to create a situated learning environment using low-technology everyday surroundings to teach the fundamentals of photographic and video production, linking the photography, audio, and video…

Pre-Service English Teachers in Blended Learning Environment in Respect to Their Learning Approaches

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yilmaz, M. Betul; Orhan, Feza

2010-01-01

Blended learning environment (BLE) is increasingly used in the world, especially in university degrees and it is based on integrating web-based learning and face-to-face (FTF) learning environments. Besides integrating different learning environments, BLE also addresses to students with different learning approaches. The "learning…

The importance of assistive technology in the productivity pursuits of young adults with disabilities.

PubMed

Ripat, Jacquie D; Woodgate, Roberta L

2017-01-01

Young adults with disabilities often use assistive technology (AT) to address personal needs, engage in communities and pursue educational and vocational goals. Little is known about their personal experiences and challenges of accessing and using AT for productivity-related activities. This study aimed to learn from young adults about their experiences and use of AT in supporting their productivity. Using a qualitative approach, 20 young adult AT users engaged in semi-structured interviews and a photovoice process. Data were analysed inductively. Three primary themes were identified: I Have to Figure it out Myself, With the Right AT, and Relational Aspects of AT Use. Although participants were experienced AT users, they were often left alone to figure out their emerging needs. They relied on AT to participate in productivity pursuits however stigma around AT use in unsupportive work environments were new concerns. Young adults with disabilities draw on their experiences of AT use but may need to develop advocacy skills to ensure their needs are met in productivity-related environments. Employers and supervisors should recognize AT as essential to young adult's engagement with productivity-related activities and have an important role in developing inclusive work environments.

The Psychiatrist as Leader-Teacher: Promoting Learning Beyond Residency.

PubMed

Waits, Wendi; Brent, Elizabeth

2015-08-01

In today's fast-paced, data-saturated, zero-tolerance practice environment, psychiatrists and other health care providers are expected to maintain clinical, fiscal, and administrative competence. The authors present a unique type of psychiatric leader—the leader-teacher—who incorporates teaching of these elements into day-to-day practice, enhancing lifelong learning for credentialed staff and increasing their confidence in managing complex clinical and administrative issues. Particular emphasis is placed on leader-teachers working in military environments. The article discusses the primary characteristics of this type of leader, including their tendency to (1) seek clarification, (2) distill information, (3) communicate guidance, and (4) catalogue products. The authors also address the advantages and disadvantages of being a leader-teacher and present several illustrative cases.

Patterns of interactions at grade 5 classroom in learning the topic of statistics viewed from cognitive load theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Setianingsih, R.

2018-01-01

The nature of interactions that occurs among teacher, students, learning sources, and learning environment creates different settings to enhance learning. Any setting created by a teacher is affected by 3 (three) types of cognitive load: intrinsic cognitive load, extraneous cognitive load, and germane cognitive load. This study is qualitative in nature, aims to analyse the patterns of interaction that are constituted in mathematics instructions by taking into account the cognitive load theory. The subjects of this study are 21 fifth-grade students who learn mathematics in small groups and whole-class interactive lessons. The data were collected through classroom observations which were videotaped, while field notes were also taken. The data analysis revealed that students engaged in productive interaction and inquiry while they were learning mathematics in small groups or in whole class setting, in which there was a different type of cognitive load that dominantly affecting the learning processes at each setting. During learning mathematics in whole class setting, the most frequently found interaction patterns were to discuss and compare solution based on self-developed models, followed by expressing opinions. This is consistent with the principles of mathematics learning, which gives students wide opportunities to construct mathematical knowledge through individual learning, learning in small groups as well as learning in whole class settings. It means that by participating in interactive learning, the students are habitually engaged in productive interactions and high level of mathematical thinking.

Virtual Nitrogen Losses from Organic Food Production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cattell Noll, L.; Galloway, J. N.; Leach, A. M.; Seufert, V.; Atwell, B.; Shade, J.

2015-12-01

Reactive nitrogen (Nr) is necessary for crop and animal production, but when it is lost to the environment, it creates a cascade of detrimental environmental impacts. The nitrogen challenge is to maximize the food production benefits of Nr, while minimizing losses to the environment. The first nitrogen footprint tool was created in 2012 to help consumers learn about the Nr losses to the environment that result from an individual's lifestyle choices. The nitrogen lost during food production was estimated with virtual nitrogen factors (VNFs) that quantify the amount of nitrogen lost to the environment per unit nitrogen consumed. Alternative agricultural systems, such as USDA certified organic farms, utilize practices that diverge from conventional production. In order to evaluate the potential sustainability of these alternative agricultural systems, our team calculated VNFs that reflect organic production. Initial data indicate that VNFs for organic grains and organic starchy roots are comparable to, but slightly higher than conventional (+10% and +20% respectively). In contrast, the VNF for organic vegetables is significantly higher (+90%) and the VNF for organic legumes is significantly lower (-90%). Initial data on organic meat production shows that organic poultry and organic pigmeat are comparable to conventional production (both <5% difference), but that the organic beef VNF is significantly higher (+30%). These data show that in some cases organic and conventional production are comparable in terms of nitrogen efficiency. However, since conventional production relies heavily on the creation of new reactive nitrogen (Haber-Bosch, biological nitrogen fixation) and organic production primarily utilizes already existing reactive nitrogen (manure, crop residue, compost), the data also show that organic production contributes less new reactive nitrogen to the environment than conventional production (approximately 70% less). Therefore, we conclude that on a local scale, nitrogen losses from organic production are comparable to conventional production, but that organic production introduces less new reactive nitrogen to the global pool.

Integrating Learning, Problem Solving, and Engagement in Narrative-Centered Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rowe, Jonathan P.; Shores, Lucy R.; Mott, Bradford W.; Lester, James C.

2011-01-01

A key promise of narrative-centered learning environments is the ability to make learning engaging. However, there is concern that learning and engagement may be at odds in these game-based learning environments. This view suggests that, on the one hand, students interacting with a game-based learning environment may be engaged but unlikely to…

Factors Influencing Learning Environments in an Integrated Experiential Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koci, Peter

The research conducted for this dissertation examined the learning environment of a specific high school program that delivered the explicit curriculum through an integrated experiential manner, which utilized field and outdoor experiences. The program ran over one semester (five months) and it integrated the grade 10 British Columbian curriculum in five subjects. A mixed methods approach was employed to identify the students' perceptions and provide richer descriptions of their experiences related to their unique learning environment. Quantitative instruments were used to assess changes in students' perspectives of their learning environment, as well as other supporting factors including students' mindfulness, and behaviours towards the environment. Qualitative data collection included observations, open-ended questions, and impromptu interviews with the teacher. The qualitative data describe the factors and processes that influenced the learning environment and give a richer, deeper interpretation which complements the quantitative findings. The research results showed positive scores on all the quantitative measures conducted, and the qualitative data provided further insight into descriptions of learning environment constructs that the students perceived as most important. A major finding was that the group cohesion measure was perceived by students as the most important attribute of their preferred learning environment. A flow chart was developed to help the researcher conceptualize how the learning environment, learning process, and outcomes relate to one another in the studied program. This research attempts to explain through the consideration of this case study: how learning environments can influence behavioural change and how an interconnectedness among several factors in the learning process is influenced by the type of learning environment facilitated. Considerably more research is needed in this area to understand fully the complexity learning environments and how they influence learning and behaviour. Keywords: learning environments; integrated experiential programs; environmental education.

Distance learning: the future of continuing professional development.

PubMed

Southernwood, Julie

2008-10-01

The recent development of a market economy in higher education has resulted in the need to tailor the product to the customers, namely students, employers and commissioning bodies. Distance learning is an opportunity for nurse educators and institutions to address marketing initiatives and develop a learning environment in order to enhance continuing professional development. It provides options for lifelong learning for healthcare professionals--including those working in community settings--that is effective and cost efficient. Development of continuing professional development programmes can contribute to widening the participation of community practitioners in lifelong learning, practice and role development. This paper considers the opportunities that web-based and online education programmes can provide community practitioners to promote professional skills while maintaining a work-life balance, and the role of the lecturer in successfully supporting professionals on web-based learning programmes.

Developing Mentors: Adult participation, practices, and learning in an out-of-school time STEM program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scipio, Deana Aeolani

This dissertation examines learning within an out-of-school time (OST) Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) broadening participation program. The dissertation includes an introduction, three empirical chapters (written as individual articles), and a conclusion. The dissertation context is a chemical oceanography OST program for middle school students called Project COOL---Chemical Oceanography Outside the Lab. The program was a collaboration between middle school OST programming, a learning sciences research laboratory, and a chemical oceanography laboratory. Both labs were located at a research-based university in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Participants include 34 youth, 12 undergraduates, and five professional scientists. The dissertation data corpus includes six years of ethnographic field notes across three field sites, 400 hours of video and audio recordings, 40 hours of semi-structured interviews, and more than 100 participant generated artifacts. Analysis methods include comparative case analysis, cognitive mapping, semiotic cluster analysis, video interaction analysis, and discourse analysis. The first empirical article focuses on synthesizing productive programmatic features from four years of design-based research.. The second article is a comparative case study of three STEM mentors from non-dominant communities in the 2011 COOL OST Program. The third article is a comparative case study of undergraduates learning to be mentors in the 2014 COOL OST Program. Findings introduce Deep Hanging as a theory of learning in practice. Deep Hanging entails authentic tasks in rich contexts, providing access, capitalizing on opportunity, and building interpersonal relationships. Taken together, these three chapters illuminate the process of designing a rich OST learning environment and the kinds of learning in practice that occurred for adult learners learning to be mentors through their participation in the COOL OST program. In the conclusion, I offer a set of design principles for mentor learning gleaned from empirical findings from the last two empirical chapters on how mentors can productively support the science learning of youth. The findings from this dissertation offer implications for designers of learning environments seeking to leverage experts for mentoring while engaging youth in contemporary science practices in order to broaden participation for youth and adult participants from non-dominant communities in STEM disciplines.

Improving access to learning in the workplace using technology in an accredited course.

PubMed

Munro, Kathleen M; Peacock, Susi

2005-03-01

This article gives an account of a case study which seeks to explore the potential for using technology to deliver learning in the workplace: a syringe driver course for nurses. We provide a brief overview of workplace learning, continuing professional development and learning technology in the health sciences. The paper then draws upon a three-year project that involved the transition of a traditionally taught, institution-based face-to-face course to work-based learning using technology. Through the evaluation and discussion of the case study we address key issues that have emerged, such as, marketing of the product; in our case it was decided that the most cost-effective way to provide the course and recuperate some costs was to accredit the course by the Institution. Registered practitioners in the workplace assess learning and are linked to the quality assurance mechanisms of the Institution. We also consider some of the major barriers to implementation, highlighting critical areas for consideration for those undertaking a similar project. These include the lack of technical knowledge in the Group, which resulted in a steep learning curve for all members. This and numerous iterations of materials (including video and animations) lengthened the project considerably whilst technological advances meant other more sophisticated technological solutions that became available during the production process were incorporated. A cost benefit analysis would show that the product has been delivered across Scotland and production costs covered and that there have been unquantifiable gains, including improving the external profile of the academic institution and the NHS Trust, developing the technical skills of the Group and providing invaluable experience of working in a cross-disciplinary collaborative working environment.

Mapping epistemic cultures and learning potential of participants in citizen science projects.

PubMed

Vallabh, Priya; Lotz-Sisitka, Heila; O'Donoghue, Rob; Schudel, Ingrid

2016-06-01

The ever-widening scope and range of global change and interconnected systemic risks arising from people-environment relationships (social-ecological risks) appears to be increasing concern among, and involvement of, citizens in an increasingly diversified number of citizen science projects responding to these risks. We examined the relationship between epistemic cultures in citizen science projects and learning potential related to matters of concern. We then developed a typology of purposes and a citizen science epistemic-cultures heuristic and mapped 56 projects in southern Africa using this framework. The purpose typology represents the range of knowledge-production purposes, ranging from laboratory science to social learning, whereas the epistemic-cultures typology is a relational representation of scientist and citizen participation and their approach to knowledge production. Results showed an iterative relationship between matters of fact and matters of concern across the projects; the nexus of citizens' engagement in knowledge-production activities varied. The knowledge-production purposes informed and shaped the epistemic cultures of all the sampled citizen science projects, which in turn influenced the potential for learning within each project. Through a historical review of 3 phases in a long-term river health-monitoring project, we found that it is possible to evolve the learning curve of citizen science projects. This evolution involved the development of scientific water monitoring tools, the parallel development of pedagogic practices supporting monitoring activities, and situated engagement around matters of concern within social activism leading to learning-led change. We conclude that such evolutionary processes serve to increase potential for learning and are necessary if citizen science is to contribute to wider restructuring of the epistemic culture of science under conditions of expanding social-ecological risk. © 2016 Society for Conservation Biology.

Parent's Guide to School Indoor Air Quality. Revised

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Healthy Schools Network, Inc., 2012

2012-01-01

Air pollution is air pollution, indoors or out. Good indoor air quality (IAQ) contributes to a favorable learning environment for students, protects health, and supports the productivity of school personnel. In schools in poor repair, leaky roofs and crumbling walls have caused additional indoor air quality problems, including contamination with…

Teaching Network Security in a Virtual Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bergstrom, Laura; Grahn, Kaj J.; Karlstrom, Krister; Pulkkis, Goran; Astrom, Peik

2004-01-01

This article presents a virtual course with the topic network security. The course has been produced by Arcada Polytechnic as a part of the production team Computer Networks, Telecommunication and Telecommunication Systems in the Finnish Virtual Polytechnic. The article begins with an introduction to the evolution of the information security…

Giving Shareable Form to Collective Thought Using a Shared Thinking Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bowskill, Nicholas

2010-01-01

This paper introduces the practice and theoretical framework for a new generative learning environment that creates shareable electronic artefacts from reflective dialogue across a whole-group. These artefacts are quantitative and qualitative representations of student experience. By grouping these student-generated products new measures of…

The Impact of Codes of Conduct on Stakeholders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Newman, Wayne R.

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine how an urban school district's code of conduct aligned with actual school/class behaviors, and how stakeholders perceived the ability of this document to achieve its number one goal: safe and productive learning environments. Twenty participants including students, teachers, parents, and administrators…

Meet the Promise of Content Standards: The Principal

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Killion, Joellen

2012-01-01

Successful principals shape the culture of schools, set clear expectations, and share leadership with others to create productive learning environments for students and staff. For nearly a decade, The Wallace Foundation has coordinated studies of principal effectiveness and has concluded that principals are second only to teachers as the most…

Increasing the Odds: Applying Emergentist Theory in Language Intervention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Poll, Gerard H.

2011-01-01

Purpose: This review introduces emergentism, which is a leading theory of language development that states that language ability is the product of interactions between the child's language environment and his or her learning capabilities. The review suggests ways in which emergentism provides a theoretical rationale for interventions that are…

Teaching East Asia: China, Japan, Korea. Lesson Plans for Middle School Teachers. Volume II.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beville, Francie; Boone, Mark; Chapman, Kelly; Crump, Claudia; Curtis, Lonnie; Erickson, Stacy; Kaiser-Polge, Tami; Klus, John A.; Luebbehusen, Mary Lou; Rea, Patrick S.; Ward, Mary E.

This volume contains 23 lesson plans that were written for middle school teachers to help students learn about East Asia. The lessons are organized across six themes: (1) "People, Places & Environment"; (2) "Technology, Production, Distribution & Consumption"; (3) "Cultures, Continuity, and Change"; (4)…

Hypermedia in Vocational Learning: A Hypermedia Learning Environment for Training Management Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Konradt, Udo

2004-01-01

A learning environment is defined as an arrangement of issues, methods, techniques, and media in a given domain. Besides temporal and spatial features a learning environment considers the social situation in which learning takes place. In (hypermedia) learning environments the concept of exploration and the active role of the learner is…

Using Wikis as a Support and Assessment Tool in Collaborative Digital Game-Based Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Samur, Yavuz

2011-01-01

In computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) environments, there are many researches done on collaborative learning activities; however, in game-based learning environments, more research and literature on collaborative learning activities are required. Actually, both game-based learning environments and wikis enable us to use new chances…

Assessing culturally sensitive factors in the learning environment of science classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fisher, Darrell L.; Waldrip, Bruce G.

1997-03-01

As schools are becoming increasingly diverse in their scope and clientele, any examination of the interaction of culturally sensitive factors of students' learning environments with learning science assumes critical importance. The purpose of this exploratory study was to develop an instrument to assess learning environment factors that are culturally sensitive, to provide initial validation information on the instrument and to examine associations between students' perceptions of their learning environments and their attitudes towards science and achievement of enquiry skills. A measure of these factors of science student's learning environment, namely the Cultural Learning Environment Questionnaire (CLEQ), was developed from past learning environment instruments and influenced by Hofstede's four dimensions of culture (Power Distance, Uncertainty Avoidance, Individualism, and Masculinity/Femininity). The reliability and discriminant validity for each scale were obtained and associations between learning environment, attitude to science and enquiry skills achievement were found.

Designing instruction to support mechanical reasoning: Three alternatives in the simple machines learning environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McKenna, Ann Frances

2001-07-01

Creating a classroom environment that fosters a productive learning experience and engages students in the learning process is a complex endeavor. A classroom environment is dynamic and requires a unique synergy among students, teacher, classroom artifacts and events to achieve robust understanding and knowledge integration. This dissertation addresses this complex issue by developing, implementing, and investigating the simple machines learning environment (SIMALE) to support students' mechanical reasoning and understanding. SIMALE was designed to support reflection, collaborative learning, and to engage students in generative learning through multiple representations of concepts and successive experimentation and design activities. Two key components of SIMALE are an original web-based software tool and hands-on Lego activities. A research study consisting of three treatment groups was created to investigate the benefits of hands-on and web-based computer activities on students' analytic problem solving ability, drawing/modeling ability, and conceptual understanding. The study was conducted with two populations of students that represent a diverse group with respect to gender, ethnicity, academic achievement and social/economic status. One population of students in this dissertation study participated from the Mathematics, Engineering, and Science Achievement (MESA) program that serves minorities and under-represented groups in science and mathematics. The second group was recruited from the Academic Talent Development Program (ATDP) that is an academically competitive outreach program offered through the University of California at Berkeley. Results from this dissertation show success of the SIMALE along several dimensions. First, students in both populations achieved significant gains in analytic problem solving ability, drawing/modeling ability, and conceptual understanding. Second, significant differences that were found on pre-test measures were eliminated on post-test measures. Specifically, female students scored significantly lower than males on the overall pre-tests but scored as well as males on the same post-test measures. MESA students also scored significantly lower than ATDP students on pre-test measures but both populations scored equally well on the post-tests. This dissertation has therefore shown the SIMALE to support a collaborative, reflective, and generative learning environment. Furthermore, the SIMALE clearly contributes to students' mechanical reasoning and understanding of simple machines concepts for a diverse population of students.

'right@home': a randomised controlled trial of sustained nurse home visiting from pregnancy to child age 2 years, versus usual care, to improve parent care, parent responsivity and the home learning environment at 2 years.

PubMed

Goldfeld, Sharon; Price, Anna; Bryson, Hannah; Bruce, Tracey; Mensah, Fiona; Orsini, Francesca; Gold, Lisa; Hiscock, Harriet; Smith, Charlene; Bishop, Lara; Jackson, Dianne; Kemp, Lynn

2017-03-20

By the time children start school, inequities in learning, development and health outcomes are already evident. Sustained nurse home visiting (SNHV) offers a potential platform for families experiencing adversity, who often have limited access to services. While SNHV programmes have been growing in popularity in Australia and internationally, it is not known whether they can improve children's learning and development when offered via the Australian service system. The right@home trial aims to investigate the effectiveness of an SNHV programme, offered to women from pregnancy to child age 2 years, in improving parent care of and responsivity to the child, and the home learning environment. Pregnant Australian women (n=722) are identified after completing a screening survey of 10 factors known to predict children's learning and development (eg, young pregnancy, poor mental or physical health, lack of support). Consenting women-surveyed while attending clinics at 10 hospitals in Victoria and Tasmania-are enrolled if they report having 2 or more risk factors. The intervention comprises 25 home visits from pregnancy to 2 years, focusing on parent care of the child, responsivity to the child and providing a good quality home learning environment. The standard, universal, Australian child and family health service provides the comparator (control). Primary outcome measures include a combination of parent-reported and objective assessments of children's sleep, safety, nutrition, parenting styles and the home learning environment, including the Home Observation of the Environment Inventory and items adapted from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. This study is approved by the Royal Children's Hospital Human Research Ethics Committees (HREC 32296) and site-specific HRECs. The investigators and sponsor will communicate the trial results to stakeholders, participants, healthcare professionals, the public and other relevant groups via presentations and publications. ISRCTN89962120, pre-results. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

The implementation of an integrated on-line health education system at RMIT.

PubMed

Zylinski, J; Allan, G L; Jamieson, P; Maher, K P; Green, R; Hislop, J

1998-06-01

The Faculty of Biomedical and Health Sciences at RMIT has been developing an on-line health education system using a systems thinking approach, to create a learning environment whose basis is supported by Information Technology (IT). The centre-piece of this system is the Faculty Learning Centre, which has been created, both in space and layout, to promote collaborative learning between the students, so that the educator is physically assimilated with the student body. This facility is supplemented by the Faculty WWW server, which has been the main vehicle for course material dissemination to students. To ensure an effective on-line teaching environment, the position of an on-line facilitator has been created, whose responsibilities include both the continual evaluation of the system and the implementation of appropriate system changes. Aspects have included the production of a staff development training program and extensive user documentation. This paper discusses the systems thinking approach used to implement this integrated on-line system, and the establishment of explicit educational rationales in the use of IT to support learning strategies. Some examples of the on-line educational programs are also presented.

Relationship between learning environment characteristics and academic engagement.

PubMed

Opdenakker, Marie-Christine; Minnaert, Alexander

2011-08-01

The relationship between learning environment characteristics and academic engagement of 777 Grade 6 children located in 41 learning environments was explored. Questionnaires were used to tap learning environment perceptions of children, their academic engagement, and their ethnic-cultural background. The basis of the learning environment questionnaire was the International System for Teacher Observation and Feedback (ISTOF). Factor analysis indicated three factors: the teacher as a helpful and good instructor (having good instructional skills, clear instruction), the teacher as promoter of active learning and differentiation, and the teacher as manager and organizer of classroom activities. Multilevel analysis indicated that about 12% of the differences in engagement between children was related to the learning environment. All the mentioned learning environment characteristics mattered, but the teacher as a helpful, good instructor was most important followed by the teacher as promoter of active learning and differentiation.

Nigerian Physiotherapy Clinical Students' Perception of Their Learning Environment Measured by the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure Inventory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Odole, Adesola C.; Oyewole, Olufemi O.; Ogunmola, Oluwasolape T.

2014-01-01

The identification of the learning environment and the understanding of how students learn will help teacher to facilitate learning and plan a curriculum to achieve the learning outcomes. The purpose of this study was to investigate undergraduate physiotherapy clinical students' perception of University of Ibadan's learning environment. Using the…

Supporting cognitive engagement in a learning-by-doing learning environment: Case studies of participant engagement and social configurations in Kitchen Science Investigators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gardner, Christina M.

Learning-by-doing learning environments support a wealth of physical engagement in activities. However, there is also a lot of variability in what participants learn in each enactment of these types of environments. Therefore, it is not always clear how participants are learning in these environments. In order to design technologies to support learning in these environments, we must have a greater understanding of how participants engage in learning activities, their goals for their engagement, and the types of help they need to cognitively engage in learning activities. To gain a greater understanding of participant engagement and factors and circumstances that promote and inhibit engagement, this dissertation explores and answers several questions: What are the types of interactions and experiences that promote and /or inhibit learning and engagement in learning-by-doing learning environments? What are the types of configurations that afford or inhibit these interactions and experiences in learning-by-doing learning environments? I explore answers to these questions through the context of two enactments of Kitchen Science Investigators (KSI), a learning-by-doing learning environment where middle-school aged children learn science through cooking from customizing recipes to their own taste and texture preferences. In small groups, they investigate effects of ingredients through the design of cooking and science experiments, through which they experience and learn about chemical, biological, and physical science phenomena and concepts (Clegg, Gardner, Williams, & Kolodner, 2006). The research reported in this dissertation sheds light on the different ways participant engagement promotes and/or inhibits cognitive engagement in by learning-by-doing learning environments through two case studies. It also provides detailed descriptions of the circumstances (social, material, and physical configurations) that promote and/or inhibit participant engagement in these learning environments through cross-case analyses of these cases. Finally, it offers suggestions about structuring activities, selecting materials and resources, and designing facilitation and software-realized scaffolding in the design of these types of learning environments. These design implications focus on affording participant engagement in science content and practices learning. Overall, the case studies, cross-case analyses, and empirically-based design implications begin to bridge the gap between theory and practice in the design and implementation of these learning environments. This is demonstrated by providing detailed and explanatory examples and factors that affect how participants take up the affordances of the learning opportunities designed into these learning environments.

Missed Opportunities for Science Learning: Unacknowledged Unscientific Arguments in Asynchronous Online and Face-to-Face Discussions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Callis-Duehl, Kristine; Idsardi, Robert; Humphrey, Eve A.; Gougis, Rebekka Darner

2018-02-01

We explored the scientific argumentation that occurs among university biology students during an argumentation task implemented in two environments: face-to-face in a classroom and online in an asynchronous discussion. We observed 10 student groups, each composed of three students. Our analysis focused on how students respond to their peers' unscientific arguments, which we define as assertions, hypotheses, propositions, or explanations that are inaccurate or incomplete from a scientific perspective. Unscientific arguments provide opportunities for productive dissent, scientific argumentation, and conceptual development of scientifically desirable conceptions. We found that students did not respond to the majority of unscientific arguments in both environments. Challenges to unscientific arguments were expressed as a question or through explanation, although the latter was more common online than face-to-face. Students demonstrated significantly more epistemic distancing in the face-to-face environment than the online environment. We discuss the differences in discourse observed in both environments and teaching implications. We also provide direction for future research seeking to address the challenges of engaging students in productive scientific argumentation in both face-to-face and online environments.

How People Learn in an Asynchronous Online Learning Environment: The Relationships between Graduate Students' Learning Strategies and Learning Satisfaction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Choi, Beomkyu

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between learners' learning strategies and learning satisfaction in an asynchronous online learning environment. In an attempt to shed some light on how people learn in an online learning environment, one hundred and sixteen graduate students who were taking online learning courses…

Evaluating the use of augmented reality to support undergraduate student learning in geomorphology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ockelford, A.; Bullard, J. E.; Burton, E.; Hackney, C. R.

2016-12-01

Augmented Reality (AR) supports the understanding of complex phenomena by providing unique visual and interactive experiences that combine real and virtual information and help communicate abstract problems to learners. With AR, designers can superimpose virtual graphics over real objects, allowing users to interact with digital content through physical manipulation. One of the most significant pedagogic features of AR is that it provides an essentially student-centred and flexible space in which students can learn. By actively engaging participants using a design-thinking approach, this technology has the potential to provide a more productive and engaging learning environment than real or virtual learning environments alone. AR is increasingly being used in support of undergraduate learning and public engagement activities across engineering, medical and humanities disciplines but it is not widely used across the geosciences disciplines despite the obvious applicability. This paper presents preliminary results from a multi-institutional project which seeks to evaluate the benefits and challenges of using an augmented reality sand box to support undergraduate learning in geomorphology. The sandbox enables users to create and visualise topography. As the sand is sculpted, contours are projected onto the miniature landscape. By hovering a hand over the box, users can make it `rain' over the landscape and the water `flows' down in to rivers and valleys. At undergraduate level, the sand-box is an ideal focus for problem-solving exercises, for example exploring how geomorphology controls hydrological processes, how such processes can be altered and the subsequent impacts of the changes for environmental risk. It is particularly valuable for students who favour a visual or kinesthetic learning style. Results presented in this paper discuss how the sandbox provides a complex interactive environment that encourages communication, collaboration and co-design.

Scaffolding in Connectivist Mobile Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ozan, Ozlem

2013-01-01

Social networks and mobile technologies are transforming learning ecology. In this changing learning environment, we find a variety of new learner needs. The aim of this study is to investigate how to provide scaffolding to the learners in connectivist mobile learning environment: (1) to learn in a networked environment; (2) to manage their…

Online Resource-Based Learning Environment: Case Studies in Primary Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

So, Winnie Wing Mui; Ching, Fiona Ngai Ying

2012-01-01

This paper discusses the creation of learning environments with online resources by three primary school teachers for pupil's learning of science-related topics with reference to the resource-based e-learning environments (RBeLEs) framework. Teachers' choice of contexts, resources, tools, and scaffolds in designing the learning environments are…

The Predicaments of Language Learners in Traditional Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shafie, Latisha Asmaak; Mansor, Mahani

2009-01-01

Some public universities in developing countries have traditional language learning environments such as classrooms with only blackboards and furniture which do not provide conducive learning environments. These traditional environments are unable to cater for digital learners who need to learn with learning technologies. In order to create…

The Integration of Personal Learning Environments & Open Network Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tu, Chih-Hsiung; Sujo-Montes, Laura; Yen, Cherng-Jyh; Chan, Junn-Yih; Blocher, Michael

2012-01-01

Learning management systems traditionally provide structures to guide online learners to achieve their learning goals. Web 2.0 technology empowers learners to create, share, and organize their personal learning environments in open network environments; and allows learners to engage in social networking and collaborating activities. Advanced…

Experiential Learning and Learning Environments: The Case of Active Listening Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huerta-Wong, Juan Enrique; Schoech, Richard

2010-01-01

Social work education research frequently has suggested an interaction between teaching techniques and learning environments. However, this interaction has never been tested. This study compared virtual and face-to-face learning environments and included active listening concepts to test whether the effectiveness of learning environments depends…

Proceedings of the Annual Conference on Ada (Trademark) Technology (2nd) Held at Hampton, Virginia on March 27, 28, 1984.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-03-01

evaluation of powerful support environments are essential if we are to maximize Lanauage Definition the productivity of programmers. CENVTACS provided...quality Policy and Objectives Ada support environment which includes a rich set of powerful tools (in addition to a compiler) The DOD has established Ada...to be easy to learn and easy to use. It will be powerful , efficient, and The MAPSE Command Language (MCL) friendly. This paper describes how these

The Role of the Constructivist Learning Theory and Collaborative Learning Environment on Wiki Classroom, and the Relationship between Them

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alzahrani, Ibraheem; Woollard, John

2013-01-01

This paper seeks to discover the relationship between both the social constructivist learning theory and the collaborative learning environment. This relationship can be identified by giving an example of the learning environment. Due to wiki characteristics, Wiki technology is one of the most famous learning environments that can show the…

Practice education learning environments: the mismatch between perceived and preferred expectations of undergraduate health science students.

PubMed

Brown, Ted; Williams, Brett; McKenna, Lisa; Palermo, Claire; McCall, Louise; Roller, Louis; Hewitt, Lesley; Molloy, Liz; Baird, Marilyn; Aldabah, Ligal

2011-11-01

Practical hands-on learning opportunities are viewed as a vital component of the education of health science students, but there is a critical shortage of fieldwork placement experiences. It is therefore important that these clinical learning environments are well suited to students' perceptions and expectations. To investigate how undergraduate students enrolled in health-related education programs view their clinical learning environments and specifically to compare students' perception of their 'actual' clinical learning environment to that of their 'preferred/ideal' clinical learning environment. The Clinical Learning Environment Inventory (CLEI) was used to collect data from 548 undergraduate students (55% response rate) enrolled in all year levels of paramedics, midwifery, radiography and medical imaging, occupational therapy, pharmacy, nutrition and dietetics, physiotherapy and social work at Monash University via convenience sampling. Students were asked to rate their perception of the clinical learning environment at the completion of their placements using the CLEI. Satisfaction of the students enrolled in the health-related disciplines was closely linked with the five constructs measured by the CLEI: Personalization, Student Involvement, Task Orientation, Innovation, and Individualization. Significant differences were found between the student's perception of their 'actual' clinical learning environment and their 'ideal' clinical learning environment. The study highlights the importance of a supportive clinical learning environment that places emphasis on effective two-way communication. A thorough understanding of students' perceptions of their clinical learning environments is essential. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The good work--a Swedish trade union vision in the shadow of lean production.

PubMed

Johansson, Jan; Abrahamsson, Lena

2009-07-01

"The Good Work" (Det goda arbetet) was established as a highly praised and established concept in the Swedish working life debate in the middle of the 1980s. In this paper, we are going to discuss the concept in relation to the massive introduction of lean production in Swedish industry. The aim of this paper is to restore the theory of the good work into the industrial society of today. We will search for a model for 'good work' in balance between the demands from production and good conditions for a learning environment. The theoretical base for this paper will be found in both organisational research and research on production technology systems. We identify three strong trends in Swedish industrial companies giving both pitfalls and possibilities for the good work; the learning focus as a way to increase productivity and improve working conditions; Lean Production in most cases imply narrow short-cyclic work tasks; and the global market that reduces national discretion. As a result, we formulate a new set of criteria for "the good work".

Applying a Framework for Student Modeling in Exploratory Learning Environments: Comparing Data Representation Granularity to Handle Environment Complexity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fratamico, Lauren; Conati, Cristina; Kardan, Samad; Roll, Ido

2017-01-01

Interactive simulations can facilitate inquiry learning. However, similarly to other Exploratory Learning Environments, students may not always learn effectively in these unstructured environments. Thus, providing adaptive support has great potential to help improve student learning with these rich activities. Providing adaptive support requires a…

A Simultaneous Mobile E-Learning Environment and Application

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karal, Hasan; Bahcekapili, Ekrem; Yildiz, Adil

2010-01-01

The purpose of the present study was to design a mobile learning environment that enables the use of a teleconference application used in simultaneous e-learning with mobile devices and to evaluate this mobile learning environment based on students' views. With the mobile learning environment developed in the study, the students are able to follow…

Transfer of Complex Skill Learning from Virtual to Real Rowing

PubMed Central

Rauter, Georg; Sigrist, Roland; Koch, Claudio; Crivelli, Francesco; van Raai, Mark; Riener, Robert; Wolf, Peter

2013-01-01

Simulators are commonly used to train complex tasks. In particular, simulators are applied to train dangerous tasks, to save costs, and to investigate the impact of different factors on task performance. However, in most cases, the transfer of simulator training to the real task has not been investigated. Without a proof for successful skill transfer, simulators might not be helpful at all or even counter-productive for learning the real task. In this paper, the skill transfer of complex technical aspects trained on a scull rowing simulator to sculling on water was investigated. We assume if a simulator provides high fidelity rendering of the interactions with the environment even without augmented feedback, training on such a realistic simulator would allow similar skill gains as training in the real environment. These learned skills were expected to transfer to the real environment. Two groups of four recreational rowers participated. One group trained on water, the other group trained on a simulator. Within two weeks, both groups performed four training sessions with the same licensed rowing trainer. The development in performance was assessed by quantitative biomechanical performance measures and by a qualitative video evaluation of an independent, blinded trainer. In general, both groups could improve their performance on water. The used biomechanical measures seem to allow only a limited insight into the rowers' development, while the independent trainer could also rate the rowers' overall impression. The simulator quality and naturalism was confirmed by the participants in a questionnaire. In conclusion, realistic simulator training fostered skill gains to a similar extent as training in the real environment and enabled skill transfer to the real environment. In combination with augmented feedback, simulator training can be further exploited to foster motor learning even to a higher extent, which is subject to future work. PMID:24376518

Learning Environments Designed According to Learning Styles and Its Effects on Mathematics Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Özerem, Aysen; Akkoyunlu, Buket

2015-01-01

Problem Statement: While designing a learning environment it is vital to think about learner characteristics (learning styles, approaches, motivation, interests… etc.) in order to promote effective learning. The learning environment and learning process should be designed not to enable students to learn in the same manner and at the same level,…

Web-Based Learning Environment Based on Students’ Needs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamzah, N.; Ariffin, A.; Hamid, H.

2017-08-01

Traditional learning needs to be improved since it does not involve active learning among students. Therefore, in the twenty-first century, the development of internet technology in the learning environment has become the main needs of each student. One of the learning environments to meet the needs of the teaching and learning process is a web-based learning environment. This study aims to identify the characteristics of a web-based learning environment that supports students’ learning needs. The study involved 542 students from fifteen faculties in a public higher education institution in Malaysia. A quantitative method was used to collect the data via a questionnaire survey by randomly. The findings indicate that the characteristics of a web-based learning environment that support students’ needs in the process of learning are online discussion forum, lecture notes, assignments, portfolio, and chat. In conclusion, the students overwhelmingly agreed that online discussion forum is the highest requirement because the tool can provide a space for students and teachers to share knowledge and experiences related to teaching and learning.

Marketing Wood Products: Unit L#4 Grade 6. Project COULD: Career Orientation Utilizing Language Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coos County Intermediate Education District, North Bend, OR.

Project COULD (Career Orientation Utilizing Language Development) was developed as a means of building skills, knowledges, and attitudes on elementary children's previously acquired backgrounds. Children learn to speak the grammar and vocabulary characteristic of the language heard most frequently at home and in the immediate environment. Each…

Collaborative Practice of Science Construction in a Computer-Based Multimedia Environment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kumpulainen, Kristiina; Mutanen, Mika

1998-01-01

Examines the ways in which the collaborative use of a multimedia-based CD-ROM encyclopedia in a sixth-grade Finnish classroom fosters science learning. Results show that students' activities during task-processing were highly procedural and product-oriented. Students had inefficient skills in accessing and retrieving information from the…

Leveraging the Power of Social Media to Maximize Organizational Learning and Drive Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nguyen, Camilla C.

2014-01-01

This qualitative ethnographic study addresses the phenomenon of rapid social media expansion, which creates organizational challenges. Ongoing development of advanced technology products means that effective organizations must be more adaptive and receptive to new approaches and changes in their environment. In a hyper connected society, one where…

Designing Disruptions for Productive Hybridity: The Case of Walking Scale Geometry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ma, Jasmine Y.

2016-01-01

This article explores an alternative strategy for designing hybrid instructional environments. Rather than bridging home or community funds of knowledge with school learning, I propose designing disruptions to typical school practices to invite students to recruit out-of-school resources meaningful and sensible to them in order to grapple with…

THE EFFECT OF DESEGREGATION ON THE NEGRO STUDENT.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

SMITH, CHARLES U.

THE SUBCULTURE IS EXTREMELY SIGNIFICANT IN THE CHILD'S STATE OF PREPAREDNESS FOR LEARNING AT THE TIME OF ENTRY INTO SCHOOL. HIS SELF-CONCEPT, LEVEL OF ASPIRATION, MOTIVATION, AND OVERALL APPRECIATION OF THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS AND ITS GOALS ARE PRODUCTS OF HIS ENVIRONMENT. THE SUBCULTURE OF THE NEGRO HAS BEEN, AND STILL IS, CHARACTERIZED BY…

COMETT-CALLIOPE: The Implementation of Call Materials for Business and Industrial Purposes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Elsen, Edwig; And Others

The development of a Computer Assisted Language Learning for Information Organization and Production in Europe (CALLIOPE) program is discussed. CALLIOPE is a program launched by the European Community that is intended to provide computer-based foreign language instruction for the business and industrial environment. Program goals are two-fold: (1)…

Innovations in Education and Entertainment Settings: A Quest for Convergence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fanning, Elizabeth; Bunch, John; Brighton, Catherine

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to compare the production processes and approaches for user engagement of virtual environments created for learning or commercial and entertainment purposes, specifically through online games and 3-D online spaces. This study used a qualitative, multiple case study approach based on interviews with developers of…

Students as Employees: Applying Performance Management Principles in the Management Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gillespie, Treena L.; Parry, Richard O.

2009-01-01

The student-as-employee metaphor emphasizes student accountability and participation in learning and provides instructors with work-oriented methods for creating a productive class environment. The authors propose that the tenets of performance management in work organizations can be applied to the classroom. In particular, they focus on three…

You Say Multitasking Like It's a Good Thing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abaté, Charles J.

2008-01-01

"Multitasking" has developed a certain mantra in our culture, and according to this widely held axiom, people in general and students in particular, can and do function productively and learn efficiently doing several things at once. There also seems to be an unshakable conviction that young students excel in a multitasking environment.…

Building New Bridges: Linking Organization Theory with Other Educational Literatures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Bob L., Jr.; Owens, Michael

2005-01-01

Purpose: This paper provides an example of how organization theory can be linked with other literatures in a complementary and productive manner. Establishing a bridge between the organization theory and learning environment literatures, the authors seek to provide an example of how such literature-bridging can enrich our understanding of the…

An Academic-Business Partnership for Advancing Clinical Informatics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Connors, Helen R.; Weaver, Charlotte; Warren, Judith; Miller, Karen L.

2002-01-01

A partnership between a university school of nursing and a health care information technology supplier resulted in the Simulated E-hEalth Delivery System (SEEDS). This program enables nursing students to learn clinical skills in a state-of-the-art environment using a live-production, clinical information system designed for care delivery. (JOW)

Effect of Worked Examples on Mental Model Progression in a Computer-Based Simulation Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Darabi, Aubteen; Nelson, David W.; Meeker, Richard; Liang, Xinya; Boulware, Wilma

2010-01-01

In a diagnostic problem solving operation of a computer-simulated chemical plant, chemical engineering students were randomly assigned to two groups: one studying product-oriented worked examples, the other practicing conventional problem solving. Effects of these instructional strategies on the progression of learners' mental models were examined…

Developing Successful Principals. School Leadership Study. Review of Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Stephen; Darling-Hammond, Linda; LaPointe, Michelle; Meyerson, Debra

2005-01-01

Principals play a vital and multifaceted role in setting the direction for schools that are positive and productive workplaces for teachers and vibrant learning environments for children, but existing knowledge on the best ways to develop these effective leaders is insufficient. The need to identify and replicate effective pre- and inservice…

I'm Going Where Everyone Knows My Name

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Slayton, Bonner; Meadows, Meleah

2012-01-01

In today's high-stakes educational environment, students need to see more than standards, bubble sheets, rules, and regulations. It is possible for teachers and schools to build positive, productive relationships with students while maintaining a culture of excellence. Students of all ages need to learn from someone who is not only an expert in…

Skilling for the Workforce: A Tertiary Education Response to Enrich Professional Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murphy, Gerald A.; Calway, Bruce A.

2008-01-01

Tertiary educators are being directed by government policy: to develop a learning environment where participants become more than passive receivers of knowledge and to skill the workforce through technical skills and competency-based education. Professional development is needed for compliance, and to develop and maintain generic, productivity,…

One for All: Maintaining a Single Schedule Database for Large Development Projects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hilscher, R.; Howerton, G.

1999-01-01

Efficiently maintaining and controlling a single schedule database in an Integrated Product Team environment is a significant challenge. It's accomplished effectively with the right combination of tools, skills, strategy, creativity, and teamwork. We'll share our lessons learned maintaining a 20,000 plus task network on a 36 month project.

Pathways to policy: Lessons learned in multisectoral collaboration for physical activity and built environment policy development from the Coalitions Linking Action and Science for Prevention (CLASP) initiative.

PubMed

Politis, Christopher E; Mowat, David L; Keen, Deb

2017-06-16

The Canadian Partnership Against Cancer funded 12 large-scale knowledge to action cancer and chronic disease prevention projects between 2009 and 2016 through the Coalitions Linking Action and Science for Prevention (CLASP) initiative. Two projects, Healthy Canada by Design (HCBD) and Children's Mobility, Health and Happiness (CMHH), developed policies to address physical activity and the built environment through a multisectoral approach. A qualitative analysis involving a review of 183 knowledge products and 8 key informant interviews was conducted to understand what policy changes occurred, and the underlying critical success factors, through these projects. Both projects worked at the local level to change physical activity and built environment policy in 203 sites, including municipalities and schools. Both projects brought multisectoral expertise (e.g., public health, land use planning, transportation engineering, education, etc.) together to inform the development of local healthy public policy in the areas of land use, transportation and school travel planning. Through the qualitative analysis of the knowledge products and key informant interviews, 163 policies were attributed to HCBD and CMHH work. Fourteen "pathways to policy" were identified as critical success factors facilitating and accelerating the development and implementation of physical activity and built environment policy. Of the 14 pathways to policy, 8 had a focus on multisectoral collaboration. The lessons learned from the CLASP experience could support enhanced multisectoral collaborations to accelerate the development and implementation of physical activity and built environment policy in new jurisdictions across Canada and internationally.

Distributing vs. Blocking Learning Questions in a Web-Based Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kapp, Felix; Proske, Antje; Narciss, Susanne; Körndle, Hermann

2015-01-01

Effective studying in web-based learning environments (web-LEs) requires cognitive engagement and demands learners to regulate their learning activities. One way to support learners in web-LEs is to provide interactive learning questions within the learning environment. Even though research on learning questions has a long tradition, there are…

Learning with Collaborative Inquiry: A Science Learning Environment for Secondary Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sun, Daner; Looi, Chee-Kit; Xie, Wenting

2017-01-01

When inquiry-based learning is designed for a collaborative context, the interactions that arise in the learning environment can become fairly complex. While the learning effectiveness of such learning environments has been reported in the literature, there have been fewer studies on the students' learning processes. To address this, the article…

Learning in a u-Museum: Developing a Context-Aware Ubiquitous Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Chia-Chen; Huang, Tien-Chi

2012-01-01

Context-awareness techniques can support learners in learning without time or location constraints by using mobile devices and associated learning activities in a real learning environment. Enrichment of context-aware technologies has enabled students to learn in an environment that integrates learning resources from both the real world and the…

Research Into the Role of Students’ Affective Domain While Learning Geology in Field Environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elkins, J.

2009-12-01

Existing research programs in field-based geocognition include assessment of cognitive, psychomotor, and affective domains. Assessment of the affective domain often involves the use of instruments and techniques uncommon to the geosciences. Research regarding the affective domain also commonly results in the collection and production of qualitative data that is difficult for geoscientists to analyze due to their lack of familiarity with these data sets. However, important information about students’ affective responses to learning in field environments can be obtained by using these methods. My research program focuses on data produced by students’ affective responses to field-based learning environments, primarily among students at the introductory level. For this research I developed a Likert-scale Novelty Space Survey, which presents student ‘novelty space’ (Orion and Hofstien, 1993) as a polygon; the larger the polygons, the more novelty students are experiencing. The axises for these polygons correspond to novelty domains involving geographic, social, cognitive, and psychological factors. In addition to the Novelty Space Survey, data which I have collected/generated includes focus group interviews on the role of recreational experiences in geology field programs. I have also collected data concerning the motivating factors that cause students to take photographs on field trips. The results of these studies give insight to the emotional responses students have to learning in the field and are important considerations for practitioners of teaching in these environments. Collaborative investigations among research programs that cross university departments and include multiple institutions is critical at this point in development of geocognition as a field due to unfamiliarity with cognitive science methodology by practitioners teaching geosciences and the dynamic nature of field work by cognitive scientists. However, combining the efforts of cognitive scientists and practitioners of geoscience teaching into research teams is a recommended strategy for understanding the role of the affective domain in student learning in field environments.

Assessing the Impact of Student Learning Style Preferences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davis, Stacey M.; Franklin, Scott V.

2004-09-01

Students express a wide range of preferences for learning environments. We are trying to measure the manifestation of learning styles in various learning environments. In particular, we are interested in performance in an environment that disagrees with the expressed learning style preference, paying close attention to social (group vs. individual) and auditory (those who prefer to learn by listening) environments. These are particularly relevant to activity-based curricula which typically emphasize group-work and de-emphasize lectures. Our methods include multiple-choice assessments, individual student interviews, and a study in which we attempt to isolate the learning environment.

Construction of a Digital Learning Environment Based on Cloud Computing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ding, Jihong; Xiong, Caiping; Liu, Huazhong

2015-01-01

Constructing the digital learning environment for ubiquitous learning and asynchronous distributed learning has opened up immense amounts of concrete research. However, current digital learning environments do not fully fulfill the expectations on supporting interactive group learning, shared understanding and social construction of knowledge.…

A Well Designed School Environment Facilitates Brain Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chan, Tak Cheung; Petrie, Garth

2000-01-01

Examines how school design facilitates learning by complementing how the brain learns. How the brain learns is discussed and how an artistic environment, spaciousness in the learning areas, color and lighting, and optimal thermal and acoustical environments aid student learning. School design suggestions conclude the article. (GR)

Satellite Cloud and Radiative Property Processing and Distribution System on the NASA Langley ASDC OpenStack and OpenShift Cloud Platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nguyen, L.; Chee, T.; Palikonda, R.; Smith, W. L., Jr.; Bedka, K. M.; Spangenberg, D.; Vakhnin, A.; Lutz, N. E.; Walter, J.; Kusterer, J.

2017-12-01

Cloud Computing offers new opportunities for large-scale scientific data producers to utilize Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) IT resources to process and deliver data products in an operational environment where timely delivery, reliability, and availability are critical. The NASA Langley Research Center Atmospheric Science Data Center (ASDC) is building and testing a private and public facing cloud for users in the Science Directorate to utilize as an everyday production environment. The NASA SatCORPS (Satellite ClOud and Radiation Property Retrieval System) team processes and derives near real-time (NRT) global cloud products from operational geostationary (GEO) satellite imager datasets. To deliver these products, we will utilize the public facing cloud and OpenShift to deploy a load-balanced webserver for data storage, access, and dissemination. The OpenStack private cloud will host data ingest and computational capabilities for SatCORPS processing. This paper will discuss the SatCORPS migration towards, and usage of, the ASDC Cloud Services in an operational environment. Detailed lessons learned from use of prior cloud providers, specifically the Amazon Web Services (AWS) GovCloud and the Government Cloud administered by the Langley Managed Cloud Environment (LMCE) will also be discussed.

Students' perception of the learning environment in a distributed medical programme.

PubMed

Veerapen, Kiran; McAleer, Sean

2010-09-24

The learning environment of a medical school has a significant impact on students' achievements and learning outcomes. The importance of equitable learning environments across programme sites is implicit in distributed undergraduate medical programmes being developed and implemented. To study the learning environment and its equity across two classes and three geographically separate sites of a distributed medical programme at the University of British Columbia Medical School that commenced in 2004. The validated Dundee Ready Educational Environment Survey was sent to all students in their 2nd and 3rd year (classes graduating in 2009 and 2008) of the programme. The domains of the learning environment surveyed were: students' perceptions of learning, students' perceptions of teachers, students' academic self-perceptions, students' perceptions of the atmosphere, and students' social self-perceptions. Mean scores, frequency distribution of responses, and inter- and intrasite differences were calculated. The perception of the global learning environment at all sites was more positive than negative. It was characterised by a strongly positive perception of teachers. The work load and emphasis on factual learning were perceived negatively. Intersite differences within domains of the learning environment were more evident in the pioneer class (2008) of the programme. Intersite differences consistent across classes were largely related to on-site support for students. Shared strengths and weaknesses in the learning environment at UBC sites were evident in areas that were managed by the parent institution, such as the attributes of shared faculty and curriculum. A greater divergence in the perception of the learning environment was found in domains dependent on local arrangements and social factors that are less amenable to central regulation. This study underlines the need for ongoing comparative evaluation of the learning environment at the distributed sites and interaction between leaders of these sites.

NASA’s Universe of Learning: Connecting Scientists, Educators, and Learners

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Denise A.; Lestition, Kathleen; Squires, Gordon K.; Greene, W. M.; Biferno, Anya A.; Cominsky, Lynn R.; Goodman, Irene; Walker, Allyson; Universe of Learning Team

2017-01-01

NASA’s Universe of Learning (UoL) is one of 27 competitively awarded education programs selected by NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) in its newly restructured education effort. Through these 27 programs, SMD aims to infuse NASA science experts and content more effectively and efficiently into learning environments serving audiences of all ages. UoL is a unique partnership between the Space Telescope Science Institute, Chandra X-ray Center, IPAC at Caltech, Jet Propulsion Laboratory Exoplanet Exploration Program, and Sonoma State University that will connect the scientists, engineers, science, technology and adventure of NASA Astrophysics with audience needs, proven infrastructure, and a network of partners to advance SMD education objectives. External evaluation is provided through a partnership with Goodman Research Group and Cornerstone Evaluation Associates. The multi-institutional team is working to develop and deliver a unified, consolidated and externally evaluated suite of education products, programs, and professional development offerings that spans the full spectrum of NASA Astrophysics, including the Cosmic Origins, Physics of the Cosmos, and Exoplanet Exploration themes. Products and programs focus on out-of-school-time learning environments and include enabling educational use of Astrophysics mission data and offering participatory experiences; creating multimedia and immersive experiences; designing exhibits and community programs; and producing resources for special needs and underserved/underrepresented audiences. The UoL team also works with a network of partners to provide professional learning experiences for informal educators, pre-service educators, and undergraduate instructors. This presentation will provide an overview of the UoL team’s approach to partnering scientists and educators to engage learners in Astrophysics discoveries and data; progress to date; and pathways for science community involvement.

Personal Learning Environments: A Solution for Self-Directed Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haworth, Ryan

2016-01-01

In this paper I discuss "personal learning environments" and their diverse benefits, uses, and implications for life-long learning. Personal Learning Environments (PLEs) are Web 2.0 and social media technologies that enable individual learners the ability to manage their own learning. Self-directed learning is explored as a foundation…

Ubiquitous Learning Environments in Higher Education: A Scoping Literature Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Virtanen, Mari Aulikki; Haavisto, Elina; Liikanen, Eeva; Kääriäinen, Maria

2018-01-01

Ubiquitous learning and the use of ubiquitous learning environments heralds a new era in higher education. Ubiquitous learning environments enhance context-aware and seamless learning experiences available from any location at any time. They support smooth interaction between authentic and digital learning resources and provide personalized…

Co-Regulation of Learning in Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning Environments: A Discussion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chan, Carol K. K.

2012-01-01

This discussion paper for this special issue examines co-regulation of learning in computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) environments extending research on self-regulated learning in computer-based environments. The discussion employs a socio-cognitive perspective focusing on social and collective views of learning to examine how…

Trajectories of the home learning environment across the first 5 years: associations with children's vocabulary and literacy skills at prekindergarten.

PubMed

Rodriguez, Eileen T; Tamis-LeMonda, Catherine S

2011-01-01

Children's home learning environments were examined in a low-income sample of 1,852 children and families when children were 15, 25, 37, and 63 months. During home visits, children's participation in literacy activities, the quality of mothers' engagements with their children, and the availability of learning materials were assessed, yielding a total learning environment score at each age. At 63 months, children's vocabulary and literacy skills were assessed. Six learning environment trajectories were identified, including environments that were consistently low, environments that were consistently high, and environments characterized by varying patterns of change. The skills of children at the extremes of learning environment trajectories differed by more than 1 SD and the timing of learning experiences related to specific emerging skills. © 2011 The Authors. Child Development © 2011 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

The Interplay of Perceptions of the Learning Environment, Personality and Learning Strategies: A Study amongst International Business Studies Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nijhuis, Jan; Segers, Mien; Gijselaers, Wim

2007-01-01

Previous research on students' learning strategies has examined the relationships between either perceptions of the learning environment or personality and learning strategies. The focus of this study was on the joint relationships between the students' perceptions of the learning environment, their personality, and the learning strategies they…

CLEW: A Cooperative Learning Environment for the Web.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ribeiro, Marcelo Blois; Noya, Ricardo Choren; Fuks, Hugo

This paper outlines CLEW (collaborative learning environment for the Web). The project combines MUD (Multi-User Dimension), workflow, VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language) and educational concepts like constructivism in a learning environment where students actively participate in the learning process. The MUD shapes the environment structure.…

Evaluating and Implementing Learning Environments: A United Kingdom Experience.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ingraham, Bruce; Watson, Barbara; McDowell, Liz; Brockett, Adrian; Fitzpatrick, Simon

2002-01-01

Reports on ongoing work at five universities in northeastern England that have been evaluating and implementing online learning environments known as virtual learning environments (VLEs) or managed learning environments (MLEs). Discusses do-it-yourself versus commercial systems; transferability; Web-based versus client-server; integration with…

Group Modeling in Social Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stankov, Slavomir; Glavinic, Vlado; Krpan, Divna

2012-01-01

Students' collaboration while learning could provide better learning environments. Collaboration assumes social interactions which occur in student groups. Social theories emphasize positive influence of such interactions on learning. In order to create an appropriate learning environment that enables social interactions, it is important to…

The clinical learning environment in nursing education: a concept analysis.

PubMed

Flott, Elizabeth A; Linden, Lois

2016-03-01

The aim of this study was to report an analysis of the clinical learning environment concept. Nursing students are evaluated in clinical learning environments where skills and knowledge are applied to patient care. These environments affect achievement of learning outcomes, and have an impact on preparation for practice and student satisfaction with the nursing profession. Providing clarity of this concept for nursing education will assist in identifying antecedents, attributes and consequences affecting student transition to practice. The clinical learning environment was investigated using Walker and Avant's concept analysis method. A literature search was conducted using WorldCat, MEDLINE and CINAHL databases using the keywords clinical learning environment, clinical environment and clinical education. Articles reviewed were written in English and published in peer-reviewed journals between 1995-2014. All data were analysed for recurring themes and terms to determine possible antecedents, attributes and consequences of this concept. The clinical learning environment contains four attribute characteristics affecting student learning experiences. These include: (1) the physical space; (2) psychosocial and interaction factors; (3) the organizational culture and (4) teaching and learning components. These attributes often determine achievement of learning outcomes and student self-confidence. With better understanding of attributes comprising the clinical learning environment, nursing education programmes and healthcare agencies can collaborate to create meaningful clinical experiences and enhance student preparation for the professional nurse role. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Educational environment and approaches to learning of undergraduate nursing students in an Indonesian school of nursing.

PubMed

Rochmawati, Erna; Rahayu, Gandes Retno; Kumara, Amitya

2014-11-01

The aims of this study were to assess students' perceptions of their educational environment and approaches to learning, and determine if perceptions of learning environment associates with approaches to learning. A survey was conducted to collect data from a regional private university in Indonesia. A total of 232 nursing students completed two questionnaires that measured their perceptions of educational environment and approaches to learning. The measurement was based on Dundee Ready Education Environment Measurement (DREEM) and Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students (ASSIST). Five learning environments dimensions and three learning approaches dimensions from two measures were measured. The overall score of DREEM was 131.03/200 (SD 17.04), it was in the range considered to be favourable. The overall score is different significantly between years of study (p value = 0.01). This study indicated that the majority of undergraduate nursing students' adopt strategic approach (n = 139. 59.9%). The finding showed that perceived educational environment significantly associated with approaches to learning. This study implicated the need to maintain conducive learning environment. There is also a need to improve the management of learning activities that reflect the use of student-centered learning. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Learning with Hypertext Learning Environments: Theory, Design, and Research.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jacobson, Michael J.; And Others

1996-01-01

Studied 69 undergraduates who used conceptually-indexed hypertext learning environments with differently structured thematic criss-crossing (TCC) treatments: guided and learner selected. Found that students need explicit modeling and scaffolding support to learn complex knowledge from these learning environments, and considers implications for…

Facilitative and obstructive factors in the clinical learning environment: Experiences of pupil enrolled nurses.

PubMed

Lekalakala-Mokgele, Eucebious; Caka, Ernestine M

2015-03-31

The clinical learning environment is a complex social entity that influences student learning outcomes in the clinical setting. Students can experience the clinical learning environment as being both facilitative and obstructive to their learning. The clinical environment may be a source of stress, creating feelings of fear and anxiety which in turn affect the students' responses to learning. Equally, the environment can enhance learning if experienced positively. This study described pupil enrolled nurses' experiences of facilitative and obstructive factors in military and public health clinical learning settings. Using a qualitative, contextual, exploratory descriptive design, three focus group interviews were conducted until data saturation was reached amongst pupil enrolled nurses in a military School of Nursing. Data analysed provided evidence that acceptance by clinical staff and affordance of self-directed learning facilitated learning. Students felt safe to practise when they were supported by the clinical staff. They felt a sense of belonging when the staff showed an interest in and welcomed them. Learning was obstructed when students were met with condescending comments. Wearing of a military uniform in the public hospital and horizontal violence obstructed learning in the clinical learning environment. Students cannot have effective clinical preparation if the environment is not conducive to and supportive of clinical learning, The study shows that military nursing students experience unique challenges as they are trained in two professions that are hierarchical in nature. The students experienced both facilitating and obstructing factors to their learning during their clinical practice. Clinical staff should be made aware of factors which can impact on students' learning. Policies need to be developed for supporting students in the clinical learning environment.

Experiencing production ramp-up education for engineers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bassetto, S.; Fiegenwald, V.; Cholez, C.; Mangione, F.

2011-08-01

This paper presents a game of industrialisation, based on a paper airplane, that mimics real world production ramp-up and blends classical engineering courses together. It is based on a low cost product so that it can be mass produced. The game targets graduate students and practitioners in engineering fields. For students, it offers an experiment in which methods learned in separate courses can be applied. For practitioners, it affords an opportunity to engage in reflexive practices related to industrialisation. Both students and practitioners are able to experience integrated management, required by industrialisation, in a controlled environment: the laboratory.

Science Learning Outcomes in Alignment with Learning Environment Preferences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chang, Chun-Yen; Hsiao, Chien-Hua; Chang, Yueh-Hsia

2011-01-01

This study investigated students' learning environment preferences and compared the relative effectiveness of instructional approaches on students' learning outcomes in achievement and attitude among 10th grade earth science classes in Taiwan. Data collection instruments include the Earth Science Classroom Learning Environment Inventory and Earth…

Exploring Collaborative Learning Effect in Blended Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sun, Z.; Liu, R.; Luo, L.; Wu, M.; Shi, C.

2017-01-01

The use of new technology encouraged exploration of the effectiveness and difference of collaborative learning in blended learning environments. This study investigated the social interactive network of students, level of knowledge building and perception level on usefulness in online and mobile collaborative learning environments in higher…

A Preliminary Investigation of Self-Directed Learning Activities in a Non-Formal Blended Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schwier, Richard A.; Morrison, Dirk; Daniel, Ben K.

2009-01-01

This research considers how professional participants in a non-formal self-directed learning environment (NFSDL) made use of self-directed learning activities in a blended face-to-face and on line learning professional development course. The learning environment for the study was a professional development seminar on teaching in higher education…

Students' Reflections on the Relationships between Safe Learning Environments, Learning Challenge and Positive Experiences of Learning in a Simulated GP Clinic

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Young, J. E.; Williamson, M. I.; Egan, T. G.

2016-01-01

Learning environments are a significant determinant of student behaviour, achievement and satisfaction. In this article we use students' reflective essays to identify key features of the learning environment that contributed to positive and transformative learning experiences. We explore the relationships between these features, the students'…

Personal Learning Environments in the Workplace: An Exploratory Study into the Key Business Decision Factors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chatterjee, Arunangsu; Law, Effie Lai-Chong; Mikroyannidis, Alexander; Owen, Glyn; Velasco, Karen

2013-01-01

Personal Learning Environments (PLEs) have emerged as a solution to the need of learners for open and easily customisable learning environments. PLEs essentially hand complete control over the learning process to the learner. However, this learning model is not fully compatible with learning in the workplace, which is influenced by certain…

Adolescents Media Experiences in the Classroom: SimCity as a Cultural Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lacasa, Pilar; García-Pernía, María-Ruth; Núñez, Patricia

2014-01-01

The main goal of this paper is to analyze adolescents' experiences when they play SimCity (EA, 2008), a commercial videogame, in an innovative learning environment designed around the concept of participatory culture. By using this video game in the classroom and machinima productions created in relation to the game, we sought to generate a…

Indoor Air Quality: Tools for Schools Action Kit.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC. Indoor Air Div.

Good indoor air quality contributes to a favorable learning environment for students, productivity for teachers and staff, and a sense of comfort, health, and well-being for all school occupants. The goal of this kit is to provide clear and easily applied guidance that will help prevent Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) problems and resolve such problems…

Cost Study of Educational Media Systems and Their Equipment Components. Volume I, Guidelines for Determining Costs of Media Systems. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

General Learning Corp., Washington, DC.

Objective cost estimates for planning and operating systems should be made after an assessment of administrative factors (school environment) and instructional factors (learning objectives, type of presentation). Specification of appropriate sensory stimuli and the design of alternative systems also precede cost estimations for production,…

Instructional Uses of Podcasting in Online Learning Environments: A Cooperative Inquiry Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Abbie; Brown, Carol; Fine, Bethann; Luterbach, Kenneth; Sugar, William; Vinciguerra, David C.

2009-01-01

A report on the results of a year-long cooperative inquiry study in which 11 faculty members at a southeastern university examined their various uses of podcasting for instruction. Through participation in the study, members developed insights into what technologies are most commonly applied to the task of podcast production and dissemination as…

Increasing Teachers' Use of Evidence-Based Classroom Management Strategies through Consultation: Overview and Case Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MacSuga, Ashley S.; Simonsen, Brandi

2011-01-01

Many classroom teachers are faced with challenging student behaviors that impact their ability to facilitate learning in productive, safe environments. At the same time, high-stakes testing, increased emphasis on evidence-based instruction, data-based decision making, and response-to-intervention models have put heavy demands on teacher time and…

Using Electronic Journals to Facilitate Reflective Thinking Regarding Instructional Practices during Early Field Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meyers, Eldon, Jr.

2006-01-01

Loras College recently became a laptop campus. Faculty members in the Division of Education viewed the transformation of the college learning environment as an opportunity to enhance the elementary education teacher preparation program. There was a desire to make productive use of the improved technology available and the early field experience…

Design Features of a Friendly Software Environment for Novice Programmers. Technical Report No. 3.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eisenstadt, Marc

This paper describes the results of a 6-year period of design, implementation, testing, and iterative redesign of a programming language, user aids, and curriculum materials for use by psychology students learning how to write simple computer programs. The SOLO language, which was the resulting product, is primarily a simple, database…

Rules for Adaptive Learning and Assistance on the Shop Floor

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ullrich, Carsten

2016-01-01

Today's shop floor, the area of a factory where operatives assemble products, is a complex and demanding work environment. The employed and produced technology becomes ever more complex, and employees are responsible for an increasing amount of tasks. As a consequence, the employee is under constant pressure to solve problems occurring on the shop…

Supporting Learner Autonomy: Developing Practice through the Production of Courses for Distance Learners of French, German and Spanish

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murphy, Linda

2008-01-01

The development of autonomous learners is an important goal for language teaching programmes. However, achievement of this goal depends on teachers creating an environment where learners can experience autonomy in order to become more autonomous, a process referred to by Little (2003) as "autonomization". In distance learning, course…

The Laughing EFL Classroom: Potential Benefits and Barriers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stroud, Robert

2013-01-01

The use of humor in EFL across the world has been widely discussed as an effective way to create a more comfortable, productive classroom environment in language learning. However, student-perceived benefits of both teacher and student-produced humor in the more specific context of a Japanese language classroom have not been explored in any great…

Multimedia Design Principles for Constructing Prescriptive, Democratic and Cybernetic Learning Environments.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schwier, Richard A.

The quality of multimedia-based interaction is more the product of the way instruction is designed, and less the result of the system on which it is delivered. To fully exploit the capabilities of more powerful instructional technologies, designers must also reexamine the assumptions and expand the strategies employed in instructional design.…

Remote sensing and the pelagic fisheries environment off Oregon

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pearcy, W. G.

1970-01-01

Remote sensing oceanography at Oregon State University is part of a multidisciplinary research program: (1) to learn more about nearshore oceanographic processes and how they affect the production of marine life and the availability of albacore tuna; and (2) to provide fishermen with information in near real time that will be useful in scouting for albacore concentrations.

Gateways to the Principalship: State Power to Improve the Quality of School Leaders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheney, Gretchen Rhines; Davis, Jacquelyn

2011-01-01

Successful schools that provide positive, productive, and vibrant teaching and learning environments do not occur by accident. Instead, the most effective schools are led by principals who are equipped with the skills and possess the attitudes required to be exceptional school leaders. The good news is there is a growing research base that clearly…

Shifting More than the Goal Posts: Developing Classroom Norms of Inquiry-Based Learning in Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Makar, Katie; Fielding-Wells, Jill

2018-01-01

The 3-year study described in this paper aims to create new knowledge about inquiry norms in primary mathematics classrooms. Mathematical inquiry addresses complex problems that contain ambiguities, yet classroom environments often do not adopt norms that promote curiosity, risk-taking and negotiation needed to productively engage with complex…

Argumentative Knowledge Construction in Online Learning Environments in and across Different Cultures: A Collaboration Script Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weinberger, A.; Clark, D. B.; Haekkinen, P.; Tamura, Y.; Fischer, F.

2007-01-01

In recent years, information and communication technology has established new opportunities to participate in online learning environments around the globe. These opportunities include the dissemination of specific online learning environments as well as opportunities for learners to connect to online learning environments in distant locations.…

Turkish High School Student's Perceptions of Learning Environment in Biology Classrooms and Their Attitudes toward Biology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cakiroglu, Jale; Telli, Sibel; Cakiroglu, Erdinc

The purpose of this study was to examine Turkish high school students' perceptions of learning environment in biology classrooms and to investigate relationships between learning environment and students' attitudes toward biology. Secondly, the study aimed to investigate the differences in students' perceptions of learning environments in biology…

SimPhy: a simulation game to lessen the impact of phytosanitaries on health and the environment--the case of Merja Zerga in Morocco.

PubMed

Ayadi, H; Le Bars, M; Le Grusse, Ph; Mandart, E; Fabre, J; Bouaziz, A; Bord, J P

2014-04-01

Diffuse phytosanitary pollution is a complex phenomenon to manage. Reducing this type of pollution is one of today's key socio-economic and environmental challenges. At the regional level, few approaches enable the actors concerned to implement agricultural management strategies to reduce the use and impact of phytosanitary products. Our research problem focused on the consequences of intensive agriculture and, in particular, how to evaluate the impact of phytosanitary products on human health and the environment. In this article, we present the SimPhy simulation game which places the actors from a given region directly into a situation in which they manage farms whilst under pressure to reduce phytosanitaries (quantity and toxicity). The application focused on the Merja Zerga catchment area in Morocco. The region is dominated by intensive agriculture which is located upstream from a Ramsar-classified wetland area. The SimPhy simulation game is based on a decision support system-type tool. It allows us to anticipate the impact of regulations on farming systems. It also enables us to analyse the consequences of the actors' strategies on farm economies, human health and the quality of ecosystems. Initial results from the SimPhy simulation game enabled the technicians from Agricultural Development Center (CDA) themselves to learn about managing agricultural production systems in a dynamic and interactive fashion. With the simulation game, it was possible to learn about the farmer's ability to adapt to new regulatory constraints, and the involved consequences for toxicity risks for human health and the environment.

Does academic performance or personal growth share a stronger association with learning environment perception?

PubMed

Colbert-Getz, Jorie M; Tackett, Sean; Wright, Scott M; Shochet, Robert S

2016-08-28

This study was conducted to characterize the relative strength of associations of learning environment perception with academic performance and with personal growth. In 2012-2014 second and third year students at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine completed a learning environment survey and personal growth scale. Hierarchical linear regression analysis was employed to determine if the proportion of variance in learning environment scores accounted for by personal growth was significantly larger than the proportion accounted for by academic performance (course/clerkship grades). The proportion of variance in learning environment scores accounted for by personal growth was larger than the proportion accounted for by academic performance in year 2 [R(2)Δ of 0.09, F(1,175) = 14.99,  p < .001] and year 3 [R(2)Δ of 0.28, F(1,169) = 76.80, p < .001]. Learning environment scores shared a small amount of variance with academic performance in years 2 and 3.  The amount of variance between learning environment scores and personal growth was small in year 2 and large in year 3. Since supportive learning environments are essential for medical education, future work must determine if enhancing personal growth prior to and during the clerkship year will increase learning environment perception.

Does academic performance or personal growth share a stronger association with learning environment perception?

PubMed Central

Tackett, Sean; Wright, Scott M.; Shochet, Robert S.

2016-01-01

Objectives This study was conducted to characterize the relative strength of associations of learning environment perception with academic performance and with personal growth. Methods In 2012-2014 second and third year students at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine completed a learning environment survey and personal growth scale. Hierarchical linear regression analysis was employed to determine if the proportion of variance in learning environment scores accounted for by personal growth was significantly larger than the proportion accounted for by academic performance (course/clerkship grades). Results The proportion of variance in learning environment scores accounted for by personal growth was larger than the proportion accounted for by academic performance in year 2 [R2Δ of 0.09, F(1,175) = 14.99,  p < .001] and year 3 [R2Δ of 0.28, F(1,169) = 76.80, p < .001]. Learning environment scores shared a small amount of variance with academic performance in years 2 and 3.  The amount of variance between learning environment scores and personal growth was small in year 2 and large in year 3. Conclusions Since supportive learning environments are essential for medical education, future work must determine if enhancing personal growth prior to and during the clerkship year will increase learning environment perception. PMID:27570912

Developing Learning Theory by Refining Conjectures Embodied in Educational Designs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sandoval, William A.

2004-01-01

Designed learning environments embody conjectures about learning and instruction, and the empirical study of learning environments allows such conjectures to be refined over time. The construct of embodied conjecture is introduced as a way to demonstrate the theoretical nature of learning environment design and to frame methodological issues in…

Virtual Learning Environment for Interactive Engagement with Advanced Quantum Mechanics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pedersen, Mads Kock; Skyum, Birk; Heck, Robert; Müller, Romain; Bason, Mark; Lieberoth, Andreas; Sherson, Jacob F.

2016-01-01

A virtual learning environment can engage university students in the learning process in ways that the traditional lectures and lab formats cannot. We present our virtual learning environment "StudentResearcher," which incorporates simulations, multiple-choice quizzes, video lectures, and gamification into a learning path for quantum…

Issues of Learning Games: From Virtual to Real

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carron, Thibault; Pernelle, Philippe; Talbot, Stéphane

2013-01-01

Our research work deals with the development of new learning environments, and we are particularly interested in studying the different aspects linked to users' collaboration in these environments. We believe that Game-based Learning can significantly enhance learning. That is why we have developed learning environments grounded on graphical…

Agent-Based Learning Environments as a Research Tool for Investigating Teaching and Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baylor, Amy L.

2002-01-01

Discusses intelligent learning environments for computer-based learning, such as agent-based learning environments, and their advantages over human-based instruction. Considers the effects of multiple agents; agents and research design; the use of Multiple Intelligent Mentors Instructing Collaboratively (MIMIC) for instructional design for…

Student-Centred Learning Environments: An Investigation into Student Teachers' Instructional Preferences and Approaches to Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baeten, Marlies; Dochy, Filip; Struyven, Katrien; Parmentier, Emmeline; Vanderbruggen, Anne

2016-01-01

The use of student-centred learning environments in education has increased. This study investigated student teachers' instructional preferences for these learning environments and how these preferences are related to their approaches to learning. Participants were professional Bachelor students in teacher education. Instructional preferences and…

Active Learning Environment with Lenses in Geometric Optics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tural, Güner

2015-01-01

Geometric optics is one of the difficult topics for students within physics discipline. Students learn better via student-centered active learning environments than the teacher-centered learning environments. So this study aimed to present a guide for middle school teachers to teach lenses in geometric optics via active learning environment…

Practical Applications and Experiences in K-20 Blended Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kyei-Blankson, Lydia, Ed.; Ntuli, Esther, Ed.

2014-01-01

Learning environments continue to change considerably and is no longer confined to the face-to-face classroom setting. As learning options have evolved, educators must adopt a variety of pedagogical strategies and innovative technologies to enable learning. "Practical Applications and Experiences in K-20 Blended Learning Environments"…

Integrating undergraduate research into the electro-optics and laser engineering technology program at Indiana University of Pennsylvania

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Andrew F.

2014-07-01

Bringing research into an undergraduate curriculum is a proven and powerful practice with many educational benefits to students and the professional rewards to faculty mentors. In recent years, undergraduate research has gained national prominence as an effective problem-based learning strategy. Developing and sustaining a vibrant undergraduate research program of high quality and productivity is an outstanding example of the problem-based learning. To foster student understanding of the content learned in the classroom and nurture enduring problem-solving and critical-thinking abilities, we have created a collaborative learning environment by building research into the Electro-Optics curriculum for the first- and second-year students. The teaching methodology is described and examples of the research projects are given. Such a research-integrated curriculum effectively enhances student learning and critical thinking skills, and strengthens the research culture for the first- and second-year students.

A fuzzy classifier system for process control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Karr, C. L.; Phillips, J. C.

1994-01-01

A fuzzy classifier system that discovers rules for controlling a mathematical model of a pH titration system was developed by researchers at the U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM). Fuzzy classifier systems successfully combine the strengths of learning classifier systems and fuzzy logic controllers. Learning classifier systems resemble familiar production rule-based systems, but they represent their IF-THEN rules by strings of characters rather than in the traditional linguistic terms. Fuzzy logic is a tool that allows for the incorporation of abstract concepts into rule based-systems, thereby allowing the rules to resemble the familiar 'rules-of-thumb' commonly used by humans when solving difficult process control and reasoning problems. Like learning classifier systems, fuzzy classifier systems employ a genetic algorithm to explore and sample new rules for manipulating the problem environment. Like fuzzy logic controllers, fuzzy classifier systems encapsulate knowledge in the form of production rules. The results presented in this paper demonstrate the ability of fuzzy classifier systems to generate a fuzzy logic-based process control system.

Students' perception of the learning environment in a distributed medical programme

PubMed Central

Veerapen, Kiran; McAleer, Sean

2010-01-01

Background The learning environment of a medical school has a significant impact on students' achievements and learning outcomes. The importance of equitable learning environments across programme sites is implicit in distributed undergraduate medical programmes being developed and implemented. Purpose To study the learning environment and its equity across two classes and three geographically separate sites of a distributed medical programme at the University of British Columbia Medical School that commenced in 2004. Method The validated Dundee Ready Educational Environment Survey was sent to all students in their 2nd and 3rd year (classes graduating in 2009 and 2008) of the programme. The domains of the learning environment surveyed were: students' perceptions of learning, students' perceptions of teachers, students' academic self-perceptions, students' perceptions of the atmosphere, and students' social self-perceptions. Mean scores, frequency distribution of responses, and inter- and intrasite differences were calculated. Results The perception of the global learning environment at all sites was more positive than negative. It was characterised by a strongly positive perception of teachers. The work load and emphasis on factual learning were perceived negatively. Intersite differences within domains of the learning environment were more evident in the pioneer class (2008) of the programme. Intersite differences consistent across classes were largely related to on-site support for students. Conclusions Shared strengths and weaknesses in the learning environment at UBC sites were evident in areas that were managed by the parent institution, such as the attributes of shared faculty and curriculum. A greater divergence in the perception of the learning environment was found in domains dependent on local arrangements and social factors that are less amenable to central regulation. This study underlines the need for ongoing comparative evaluation of the learning environment at the distributed sites and interaction between leaders of these sites. PMID:20922033

The effects of different learning environments on students' motivation for learning and their achievement.

PubMed

Baeten, Marlies; Dochy, Filip; Struyven, Katrien

2013-09-01

Research in higher education on the effects of student-centred versus lecture-based learning environments generally does not take into account the psychological need support provided in these learning environments. From a self-determination theory perspective, need support is important to study because it has been associated with benefits such as autonomous motivation and achievement. The purpose of the study is to investigate the effects of different learning environments on students' motivation for learning and achievement, while taking into account the perceived need support. First-year student teachers (N= 1,098) studying a child development course completed questionnaires assessing motivation and perceived need support. In addition, a prior knowledge test and case-based assessment were administered. A quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test design was set up consisting of four learning environments: (1) lectures, (2) case-based learning (CBL), (3) alternation of lectures and CBL, and (4) gradual implementation with lectures making way for CBL. Autonomous motivation and achievement were higher in the gradually implemented CBL environment, compared to the CBL environment. Concerning achievement, two additional effects were found; students in the lecture-based learning environment scored higher than students in the CBL environment, and students in the gradually implemented CBL environment scored higher than students in the alternated learning environment. Additionally, perceived need support was positively related to autonomous motivation, and negatively to controlled motivation. The study shows the importance of gradually introducing students to CBL, in terms of their autonomous motivation and achievement. Moreover, the study emphasizes the importance of perceived need support for students' motivation. © 2012 The British Psychological Society.

The impact of workplace empowerment, organizational trust on staff nurses' work satisfaction and organizational commitment.

PubMed

Laschinger, H K; Finegan, J; Shamian, J

2001-01-01

A predictive, nonexperimental design was used to test Kanter's work empowerment theory in a random sample of 412 staff nurses selected from the professional registry list of a central Canadian province. Kanter argues that work environments that provide access to information, support, resources, and opportunity to learn and develop are empowering and influence employee work attitudes, productivity, and organizational effectiveness. Test results suggest that fostering environments that enhance perceptions of empowerment will have positive effects on organizational members and increase organizational effectiveness.

Social environment influences performance in a cognitive task in natural variants of the foraging gene.

PubMed

Kohn, Nancy R; Reaume, Christopher J; Moreno, Celine; Burns, James G; Sokolowski, Marla B; Mery, Frederic

2013-01-01

In Drosophila melanogaster, natural genetic variation in the foraging gene affects the foraging behaviour of larval and adult flies, larval reward learning, adult visual learning, and adult aversive training tasks. Sitters (for(s)) are more sedentary and aggregate within food patches whereas rovers (for(R)) have greater movement within and between food patches, suggesting that these natural variants are likely to experience different social environments. We hypothesized that social context would differentially influence rover and sitter behaviour in a cognitive task. We measured adult rover and sitter performance in a classical olfactory training test in groups and alone. All flies were reared in groups, but fly training and testing were done alone and in groups. Sitters trained and tested in a group had significantly higher learning performances compared to sitters trained and tested alone. Rovers performed similarly when trained and tested alone and in a group. In other words, rovers learning ability is independent of group training and testing. This suggests that sitters may be more sensitive to the social context than rovers. These differences in learning performance can be altered by pharmacological manipulations of PKG activity levels, the foraging (for) gene's gene product. Learning and memory is also affected by the type of social interaction (being in a group of the same strain or in a group of a different strain) in rovers, but not in sitters. These results suggest that for mediates social learning and memory in D. melanogaster.

D.E.E.P. Learning: Promoting Informal STEM Learning through a Popular Gaming Platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simms, E.; Rohrlick, D.; Layman, C.; Peach, C. L.; Orcutt, J. A.

2011-12-01

The research and development of educational games, and the study of the educational value of interactive games in general, have lagged far behind efforts for games created for the purpose of entertainment. But evidence suggests that digital simulations and games have the "potential to advance multiple science learning goals, including motivation to learn science, conceptual understanding, science process skills, understanding of the nature of science, scientific discourse and argumentation, and identification with science and science learning." (NRC, 2011). It is also generally recognized that interactive digital games have the potential to promote the development of valuable learning and life skills, including data processing, decision-making, critical thinking, planning, communication and collaboration (Kirriemuir and MacFarlane, 2006). Video games are now played in 67% of American households (ESA, 2010), and across a broad range of ages, making them a potentially valuable tool for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) learning among the diverse audiences associated with informal science education institutions (ISEIs; e.g., aquariums, museums, science centers). We are attempting to capitalize on this potential by developing games based on the popular Microsoft Xbox360 gaming platform and the free Microsoft XNA game development kit. The games, collectively known as Deep-sea Extreme Environment Pilot (D.E.E.P.), engage ISEI visitors in the exploration and understanding of the otherwise remote deep-sea environment. Players assume the role of piloting a remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) to explore ocean observing systems and hydrothermal vent environments, and are challenged to complete science-based objectives in order to earn points under timed conditions. The current games are intended to be relatively brief visitor experiences (on the order of several minutes) that support complementary exhibits and programming, and promote interactive visitor experiences. In addition to creating a unique educational product, our efforts are intended to inform the broader understanding of the key elements of a successful STEM-based game experience at an ISEI. Which characteristics of the ISEI environment (e.g., age and cultural diversity, limited time of engagement) are conducive or inhibitive to learning via digital gaming? Which aspects of game design (e.g., challenge, curiosity, fantasy, personal recognition) are most effective at maximizing both learning and enjoyment? We will share our progress and assessment results to date, and discuss the potential benefits and challenges to interactive gaming as a tool to support STEM literacy at ISEIs.

Understanding teacher responses to constructivist learning environments: Challenges and resolutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosenfeld, Melodie; Rosenfeld, Sherman

2006-05-01

The research literature is just beginning to uncover factors involved in sustaining constructivist learning environments, such as Project-Based Learning (PBL). Our case study investigates teacher responses to the challenges of constructivist environments, since teachers can play strong roles in supporting or undermining even the best constructivist environments or materials. We were invited to work as mediators with a middle-school science staff that was experiencing conflicts regarding two learning environments, PBL (which was the school's politically correc learning environment) and traditional. With mediated group workshops, teachers were sensitized to their own and colleagues' individual learning differences (ILDs), as measured by two styles inventories (the LSI - Kolb, 1976; and the LCI - Johnston & Dainton, 1997). Using these inventories, a learning-environment questionnaire, field notes, and delayed interviews a year later, we found that there was a relationship between teachers' preferred styles, epistemological beliefs, and their preferred teaching environment. Moreover, when the participating teachers, including early-adopters and nonvolunteers to PBL, became more sensitive to their colleagues' preferences, many staff conflicts were resolved and some mismatched teachers expressed more openness to PBL. We argue that having teachers understand their own ILDs and related responses to constructivist learning environments can contribute to resolving staff conflicts and sustaining such environments. We present a cognitive model and a strategy which illustrate this argument.

Use of Heuristics to Facilitate Scientific Discovery Learning in a Simulation Learning Environment in a Physics Domain

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Veermans, Koen; van Joolingen, Wouter; de Jong, Ton

2006-01-01

This article describes a study into the role of heuristic support in facilitating discovery learning through simulation-based learning. The study compares the use of two such learning environments in the physics domain of collisions. In one learning environment (implicit heuristics) heuristics are only used to provide the learner with guidance…

The Impacts of Network Centrality and Self-Regulation on an E-Learning Environment with the Support of Social Network Awareness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Jian-Wei; Huang, Hsieh-Hong; Chuang, Yuh-Shy

2015-01-01

An e-learning environment that supports social network awareness (SNA) is a highly effective means of increasing peer interaction and assisting student learning by raising awareness of social and learning contexts of peers. Network centrality profoundly impacts student learning in an SNA-related e-learning environment. Additionally,…

Students' Conception of Learning Environment and Their Approach to Learning and Its Implication on Quality Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Belaineh, Matheas Shemelis

2017-01-01

Quality of education in higher institutions can be affected by different factors. It partly rests on the learning environment created by teachers and the learning approach students are employing during their learning. The main purpose of this study is to examine the learning environment at Mizan Tepi University from students' perspective and their…

Presence for design: conveying atmosphere through video collages.

PubMed

Keller, I; Stappers, P J

2001-04-01

Product designers use imagery for inspiration in their creative design process. To support creativity, designers apply many tools and techniques, which often rely on their ability to be inspired by found and previously made visual material and to experience the atmosphere of the user environment. Computer tools and developments in VR offer perspectives to support this kind of imagery and presence in the design process. But currently these possibilities come at too high a technological overhead and price to be usable in the design practice. This article proposes an expressive and technically lightweight approach using the possibilities of VR and computer tools, by creating a sketchy environment using video collages. Instead of relying on highly realistic or even "hyperreal" graphics, these video collages use lessons learned from theater and cinema to get a sense of atmosphere across. Product designers can use these video collages to reexperience their observations in the environment in which a product is to be used, and to communicate this atmosphere to their colleagues and clients. For user-centered design, video collages can also provide an environmental context for concept testing with prospective user groups.

Review of Opinions of Math Teachers Concerning the Learning Environment That They Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aydin, Bünyamin; Yavuz, Ayse

2016-01-01

Design of appropriate learning environment has a significant importance in creation of aims of the math teaching. In the design of learning environments, teachers play a significant role. The aim of this study is determination of opinions of the math teachers concerning the learning environment that they design. In accordance with this aim, an…

An Effect of the Learning Environment Management System toward Student Quality of Thai Secondary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wirussawa, Seatuch; Tesaputa, Kowat; Duangpaeng, Amporn

2016-01-01

This study aimed at 1) investigating the element of the learning environment management system in the secondary schools, 2) exploring the current states and problems of the system on the learning environment management in the secondary schools, 3) designing the learning environment management system for the secondary schools, and 4) identifying…

Authoring Adaptive 3D Virtual Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ewais, Ahmed; De Troyer, Olga

2014-01-01

The use of 3D and Virtual Reality is gaining interest in the context of academic discussions on E-learning technologies. However, the use of 3D for learning environments also has drawbacks. One way to overcome these drawbacks is by having an adaptive learning environment, i.e., an environment that dynamically adapts to the learner and the…

Assessing the Quality of Learning Environments in Swedish Schools: Development and Analysis of a Theory-Based Instrument

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Westling Allodi, Mara

2007-01-01

The Goals, Attitudes and Values in School (GAVIS) questionnaire was developed on the basis of theoretical frameworks concerning learning environments, universal human values and studies of students' experience of learning environments. The theory hypothesises that learning environments can be described and structured in a circumplex model using…

Students' Perceptions of Computer-Based Learning Environments, Their Attitude towards Business Statistics, and Their Academic Achievement: Implications from a UK University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nguyen, ThuyUyen H.; Charity, Ian; Robson, Andrew

2016-01-01

This study investigates students' perceptions of computer-based learning environments, their attitude towards business statistics, and their academic achievement in higher education. Guided by learning environments concepts and attitudinal theory, a theoretical model was proposed with two instruments, one for measuring the learning environment and…

Blackboard as an Online Learning Environment: What Do Teacher Education Students and Staff Think?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heirdsfield, Ann; Walker, Susan; Tambyah, Mallihai; Beutel, Denise

2011-01-01

As online learning environments now have an established presence in higher education we need to ask the question: How effective are these environments for student learning? Online environments can provide a different type of learning experience than traditional face-to-face contexts (for on-campus students) or print-based materials (for distance…

Effects of the Physical Environment on Cognitive Load and Learning: Towards a New Model of Cognitive Load

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Choi, Hwan-Hee; van Merriënboer, Jeroen J. G.; Paas, Fred

2014-01-01

Although the theoretical framework of cognitive load theory has acknowledged a role for the learning environment, the specific characteristics of the physical learning environment that could affect cognitive load have never been considered, neither theoretically nor empirically. In this article, we argue that the physical learning environment, and…

Context Aware Ubiquitous Learning Environments for Peer-to-Peer Collaborative Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yang, Stephen J. H.

2006-01-01

A ubiquitous learning environment provides an interoperable, pervasive, and seamless learning architecture to connect, integrate, and share three major dimensions of learning resources: learning collaborators, learning contents, and learning services. Ubiquitous learning is characterized by providing intuitive ways for identifying right learning…

[The use of virtual learning environment in teaching basic and advanced life support].

PubMed

Cogo, Ana Luísa Petersen; Silveira, Denise Tolfo; Lírio, Aline de Morais; Severo, Carolina Lopes

2003-12-01

The present paper is the result of an experiment conducted as part of the Nursing: basic and advanced life support course, which was offered as a semi-online course using the virtual learning environment called Learning Space. The virtual learning environment optimizes classroom dynamics, since in the classroom setting, practical activities may be privileged; besides, learning is customized as students may access the environment whenever and wherever they wish.

Smile: Student Modification in Learning Environments. Establishing Congruence between Actual and Preferred Classroom Learning Environment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yarrow, Allan; Millwater, Jan

1995-01-01

This study investigated whether classroom psychosocial environment, as perceived by student teachers, could be improved to their preferred level. Students completed the College and University Classroom Environment Inventory, discussed interventions, then completed it again. Significant deficiencies surfaced in the learning environment early in the…

Integrating Model-Driven and Data-Driven Techniques for Analyzing Learning Behaviors in Open-Ended Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kinnebrew, John S.; Segedy, James R.; Biswas, Gautam

2017-01-01

Research in computer-based learning environments has long recognized the vital role of adaptivity in promoting effective, individualized learning among students. Adaptive scaffolding capabilities are particularly important in open-ended learning environments, which provide students with opportunities for solving authentic and complex problems, and…

A Comparison of Participation Patterns in Selected Formal, Non-Formal, and Informal Online Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schwier, Richard A.; Seaton, J. X.

2013-01-01

Does learner participation vary depending on the learning context? Are there characteristic features of participation evident in formal, non-formal, and informal online learning environments? Six online learning environments were chosen as epitomes of formal, non-formal, and informal learning contexts and compared. Transcripts of online…

Student-Teachers' Approaches to Learning, Academic Performance and Teaching Efficacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swee-Choo, Pauline Goh; Kung-Teck, Wong; Osman, Rosma

2012-01-01

Purpose: It is argued that the approaches to learning of students undergoing teacher training are likely to be related to their teaching and learning environment, especially as they move from a more regimented, structured learning environment in school to a tertiary learning environment that encourages more independent thinking and perhaps…

Visits to Cultural Learning Places in the Early Childhood

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mudiappa, Michael; Kluczniok, Katharina

2015-01-01

Studies show the important role of the home learning environment in early childhood for later school success. This article focuses on a particular aspect of the home learning environment: visits to cultural learning places (e.g. museums) as a component of the quality of the home learning environment. Therefore the educational concept of…

Investigating Learning through Work: Learning Environment Scale & User Guide to the Provider. Support Document

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hawke, Geof; Chappell, Clive

2008-01-01

This Support Document was produced by the authors based on their research for the report, "Investigating Learning through Work: The Development of the 'Provider Learning Environment Scale'" (ED503392). It provides readers with a complete copy of the "Provider Learning Environment Scale" (version 2.0); and an accompanying user…

Assessing and Monitoring Student Progress in an E-Learning Personnel Preparation Environment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meyen, Edward L.; Aust, Ronald J.; Bui, Yvonne N.; Isaacson, Robert

2002-01-01

Discussion of e-learning in special education personnel preparation focuses on student assessment in e-learning environments. It includes a review of the literature, lessons learned by the authors from assessing student performance in e-learning environments, a literature perspective on electronic portfolios in monitoring student progress, and the…

A Context-Adaptive Teacher Training Model in a Ubiquitous Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Min; Chiang, Feng Kuang; Jiang, Ya Na; Yu, Sheng Quan

2017-01-01

In view of the discrepancies in teacher training and teaching practice, this paper put forward a context-adaptive teacher training model in a ubiquitous learning (u-learning) environment. The innovative model provides teachers of different subjects with adaptive and personalized learning content in a u-learning environment, implements intra- and…

Problem-based learning in an on-line biotechnology course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheaney, James Daniel

Problem-based learning (PBL) is a pedagogical tool that uses a "real world" problem or situation as a context for learning. PBL encourages student development of critical thinking skills, a high professional competency, problem-solving ability, knowledge acquisition, the ability to work productively as a team member and make decisions in unfamiliar situations, and the acquisition of skills that support self-directed life-long learning, metacognition, and adaptation to change. However, little research has focused on the use of PBL in on-line "virtual" classes. We conducted two studies exploring the use of PBL in an on-line biotechnology course. In the first study, ethical, legal, social, and human issues were used as a motivation for learning about DNA testing technologies, applications, and bioethical issues. In the second study, we combined PBL pedagogy with a rich multimedia environment of streaming video interviews, physical artifacts, and extensive links to articles and databases to create a multidimensional immersive PBL environment called "Robert's World". In "Robert's World", a man is determining whether to undergo a pre-symptomatic DNA test for an untreatable, incurable, fatal genetic disease for which he has a family history. In both studies, design and implementation issues of the on-line PBL environment are discussed, as are differences between on-line PBL and face-to-face PBL. Both studies provide evidence to suggest that PBL stimulates higher-order learning in students. However, in both studies, student performance on an exam testing acquisition of lower-order factual learning was lower for PBL students than for students who learned the same material through a traditional lecture-based approach. Possible reasons for this lower level of performance are explored. Student feedback expressed engagement with the issues and material covered, with reservations about some aspects of the PBL format, such as the lack of flexibility provided in cooperative learning. We conclude that on-line PBL is a powerful tool in helping to develop higher-order learning in students. The reasons for the decrease in student understanding of factual information are unclear. However, there are certain circumstances unique to on-line classes to keep in mind when implementing on-line PBL. These are summarized in concluding recommendations.

Medical Student Perceptions of the Learning Environment in Medical School Change as Students Transition to Clinical Training in Undergraduate Medical School.

PubMed

Dunham, Lisette; Dekhtyar, Michael; Gruener, Gregory; CichoskiKelly, Eileen; Deitz, Jennifer; Elliott, Donna; Stuber, Margaret L; Skochelak, Susan E

2017-01-01

Phenomenon: The learning environment is the physical, social, and psychological context in which a student learns. A supportive learning environment contributes to student well-being and enhances student empathy, professionalism, and academic success, whereas an unsupportive learning environment may lead to burnout, exhaustion, and cynicism. Student perceptions of the medical school learning environment may change over time and be associated with students' year of training and may differ significantly depending on the student's gender or race/ethnicity. Understanding the changes in perceptions of the learning environment related to student characteristics and year of training could inform interventions that facilitate positive experiences in undergraduate medical education. The Medical School Learning Environment Survey (MSLES) was administered to 4,262 students who matriculated at one of 23 U.S. and Canadian medical schools in 2010 and 2011. Students completed the survey at the end of each year of medical school as part of a battery of surveys in the Learning Environment Study. A mixed-effects longitudinal model, t tests, Cohen's d effect size, and analysis of variance assessed the relationship between MSLES score, year of training, and demographic variables. After controlling for gender, race/ethnicity, and school, students reported worsening perceptions toward the medical school learning environment, with the worst perceptions in the 3rd year of medical school as students begin their clinical experiences, and some recovery in the 4th year after Match Day. The drop in MSLES scores associated with the transition to the clinical learning environment (-0.26 point drop in addition to yearly change, effect size = 0.52, p < .0001) is more than 3 times greater than the drop between the 1st and 2nd year (0.07 points, effect size = 0.14, p < .0001). The largest declines were from items related to work-life balance and informal student relationships. There was some, but not complete, recovery in perceptions of the medical school learning environment in the 4th year. Insights: Perceptions of the medical school learning environment worsen as students continue through medical school, with a stronger decline in perception scores as students' transition to the clinical learning environment. Students reported the greatest drop in finding time for outside activities and students helping one another in the 3rd year. Perceptions differed based on gender and race/ethnicity. Future studies should investigate the specific features of medical schools that contribute most significantly to student perceptions of the medical school learning environment, both positive and negative, to pinpoint potential interventions and improvements.

Vroom: designing an augmented environment for remote collaboration in digital cinema production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Margolis, Todd; Cornish, Tracy

2013-03-01

As media technologies become increasingly affordable, compact and inherently networked, new generations of telecollaborative platforms continue to arise which integrate these new affordances. Virtual reality has been primarily concerned with creating simulations of environments that can transport participants to real or imagined spaces that replace the "real world". Meanwhile Augmented Reality systems have evolved to interleave objects from Virtual Reality environments into the physical landscape. Perhaps now there is a new class of systems that reverse this precept to enhance dynamic media landscapes and immersive physical display environments to enable intuitive data exploration through collaboration. Vroom (Virtual Room) is a next-generation reconfigurable tiled display environment in development at the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2) at the University of California, San Diego. Vroom enables freely scalable digital collaboratories, connecting distributed, high-resolution visualization resources for collaborative work in the sciences, engineering and the arts. Vroom transforms a physical space into an immersive media environment with large format interactive display surfaces, video teleconferencing and spatialized audio built on a highspeed optical network backbone. Vroom enables group collaboration for local and remote participants to share knowledge and experiences. Possible applications include: remote learning, command and control, storyboarding, post-production editorial review, high resolution video playback, 3D visualization, screencasting and image, video and multimedia file sharing. To support these various scenarios, Vroom features support for multiple user interfaces (optical tracking, touch UI, gesture interface, etc.), support for directional and spatialized audio, giga-pixel image interactivity, 4K video streaming, 3D visualization and telematic production. This paper explains the design process that has been utilized to make Vroom an accessible and intuitive immersive environment for remote collaboration specifically for digital cinema production.

The Use of Deep and Surface Learning Strategies among Students Learning English as a Foreign Language in an Internet Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aharony, Noa

2006-01-01

Background: The learning context is learning English in an Internet environment. The examination of this learning process was based on the Biggs and Moore's teaching-learning model (Biggs & Moore, 1993). Aim: The research aims to explore the use of the deep and surface strategies in an Internet environment among EFL students who come from…

Virtual Workshop Environment (VWE): A Taxonomy and Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) Framework for Modularized Virtual Learning Environments (VLE)--Applying the Learning Object Concept to the VLE

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paulsson, Fredrik; Naeve, Ambjorn

2006-01-01

Based on existing Learning Object taxonomies, this article suggests an alternative Learning Object taxonomy, combined with a general Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) framework, aiming to transfer the modularized concept of Learning Objects to modularized Virtual Learning Environments. The taxonomy and SOA-framework exposes a need for a clearer…

Pre-registration student nurses perception of the hospital-learning environment during clinical placements.

PubMed

Midgley, Kirsten

2006-05-01

If we subscribe to the notion that nursing is an action profession, that nurses learn by doing [Neary, M., 2000. Responsive assessment: assessing student nurses' clinical competence. Nurse Education Today 21, 3-17], then the mastery of fundamental clinical skills must be a key component of courses leading to registration. The last two decades have seen widespread changes to nurse education but the clinical field remains an invaluable resource in preparing students for the reality of their professional role supporting the integration of theory and practice and linking the 'knowing what' with the 'knowing how'. The clinical-learning environment represents an essential element of nurse education that needs to be measurable and warrants further investigation. This exploratory cohort study (n = 67) examined pre-registration student nurses' perception of the hospital-learning environment during clinical placements together with the key characteristics of the students' preferred learning environment utilising an established tool, the clinical-learning environment inventory (CLEI) tool [Chan, D., 2001a. Development of an innovative tool to assess hospital-learning environments. Nurse Education Today 21, 624-631; Chan, D., 2001b. Combining qualitative and quantitative methods in assessing hospital-learning environments. International Journal of Nursing Studies 3, 447-459]. The results demonstrated that in comparison with the actual hospital environment, students would prefer an environment with higher levels of individualisation, innovation in teaching and learning strategies, student involvement, personalisation and task orientation.

Nursing students' perceptions of factors influencing their learning environment in a clinical skills laboratory: A qualitative study.

PubMed

Haraldseid, Cecilie; Friberg, Febe; Aase, Karina

2015-09-01

The mastery of clinical skills learning is required to become a trained nurse. Due to limited opportunities for clinical skills training in clinical practice, undergraduate training at clinical skills laboratories (CSLs) is an essential part of nursing education. In a sociocultural learning perspective learning is situated in an environment. Growing student cohorts, rapid introduction of technology-based teaching methods and a shift from a teaching- to a learning-centered education all influence the environment of the students. These changes also affect CSLs and therefore compel nursing faculties to adapt to the changing learning environment. This study aimed to explore students' perceptions of their learning environment in a clinical skills laboratory, and to increase the knowledge base for improving CSL learning conditions identifying the most important environmental factors according to the students. An exploratory qualitative methodology was used. Nineteen second-year students enrolled in an undergraduate nursing program in Norway participated in the study. They took the same clinical skills course. Eight were part-time students (group A) and 11 were full-time students (group B). Focus group interviews and content analysis were conducted to capture the students' perception of the CSL learning environment. The study documents students' experience of the physical (facilities, material equipment, learning tools, standard procedures), psychosocial (expectations, feedback, relations) and organizational (faculty resources, course structure) factors that affect the CSL learning environment. Creating an authentic environment, facilitating motivation, and providing resources for multiple methods and repetitions within clinical skills training are all important for improving CSL learning environments from the student perspective. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Validation of the Clinical Learning Environment Inventory.

PubMed

Chan, Dominic S

2003-08-01

One hundred eight preregistration nursing students took part in this survey study, which assessed their perceptions of the clinical learning environment. Statistical data based on the sample confirmed the reliability and validity of the Clinical Learning Environment Inventory (CLEI), which was developed using the concept of classroom learning environment studies. The study also found that there were significant differences between students' actual and preferred perceptions of the clinical learning environments. In terms of the CLEI scales, students preferred a more positive and favorable clinical environment than they perceived as being actually present. The achievement of certain outcomes of clinical field placements might be enhanced by attempting to change the actual clinical environment in ways that make it more congruent with that preferred by the students.

Nursing students' perceptions of learning in practice environments: a review.

PubMed

Henderson, Amanda; Cooke, Marie; Creedy, Debra K; Walker, Rachel

2012-04-01

Effective clinical learning requires integration of nursing students into ward activities, staff engagement to address individual student learning needs, and innovative teaching approaches. Assessing characteristics of practice environments can provide useful insights for development. This study identified predominant features of clinical learning environments from nursing students' perspectives across studies using the same measure in different countries over the last decade. Six studies, from three different countries, using the Clinical Leaning Environment Inventory (CLEI) were reviewed. Studies explored consistent trends about learning environment. Students rated sense of task accomplishment high. Affiliation also rated highly though was influenced by models of care. Feedback measuring whether students' individual needs and views were accommodated consistently rated lower. Across different countries students report similar perceptions about learning environments. Clinical learning environments are most effective in promoting safe practice and are inclusive of student learners, but not readily open to innovation and challenges to routine practices. Crown Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Influences of Formal Learning, Personal Learning Orientation, and Supportive Learning Environment on Informal Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Choi, Woojae; Jacobs, Ronald L.

2011-01-01

While workplace learning includes formal and informal learning, the relationship between the two has been overlooked, because they have been viewed as separate entities. This study investigated the effects of formal learning, personal learning orientation, and supportive learning environment on informal learning among 203 middle managers in Korean…

Effects of Presence, Copresence, and Flow on Learning Outcomes in 3D Learning Spaces

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hassell, Martin D.; Goyal, Sandeep; Limayem, Moez; Boughzala, Imed

2012-01-01

The level of satisfaction and effectiveness of 3D virtual learning environments were examined. Additionally, 3D virtual learning environments were compared with face-to-face learning environments. Students that experienced higher levels of flow and presence also experienced more satisfaction but not necessarily more effectiveness with 3D virtual…

Student Experiences on Interaction in an Online Learning Environment as Part of a Blended Learning Implementation: What Is Essential?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salmi, Laura

2013-01-01

Interaction and community building are essential elements of a well functioning online learning environment, especially in learning environments based on investigative learning with a strong emphasis on teamwork. In this paper, practical solutions covering quality criteria for interaction in online education are presented for a simple…

Investigating Learners' Attitudes toward Virtual Reality Learning Environments: Based on a Constructivist Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huang, Hsiu-Mei; Rauch, Ulrich; Liaw, Shu-Sheng

2010-01-01

The use of animation and multimedia for learning is now further extended by the provision of entire Virtual Reality Learning Environments (VRLE). This highlights a shift in Web-based learning from a conventional multimedia to a more immersive, interactive, intuitive and exciting VR learning environment. VRLEs simulate the real world through the…

Factors of Learner-Instructor Interaction Which Predict Perceived Learning Outcomes in Online Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kang, M.; Im, T.

2013-01-01

Interaction in the online learning environment has been regarded as one of the most critical elements that affect learning outcomes. This study examined what factors in learner-instructor interaction can predict the learner's outcomes in the online learning environment. Learners in K Online University participated by answering the survey, and data…

Self-Regulated Learning in Technology Enhanced Learning Environments: An Investigation with University Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lenne, Dominique; Abel, Marie-Helene; Trigano, Philippe; Leblanc, Adeline

2008-01-01

In Technology Enhanced Learning Environments, self-regulated learning (SRL) partly relies on the features of the technological tools. The authors present two environments they designed in order to facilitate SRL: the first one (e-Dalgo) is a website dedicated to the learning of algorithms and computer programming. It is structured as a classical…

Using Student-Centred Learning Environments to Stimulate Deep Approaches to Learning: Factors Encouraging or Discouraging Their Effectiveness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baeten, Marlies; Kyndt, Eva; Struyven, Katrien; Dochy, Filip

2010-01-01

This review outlines encouraging and discouraging factors in stimulating the adoption of deep approaches to learning in student-centred learning environments. Both encouraging and discouraging factors can be situated in the context of the learning environment, in students' perceptions of that context and in characteristics of the students…

Perceived Satisfaction, Perceived Usefulness and Interactive Learning Environments as Predictors to Self-Regulation in e-Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liaw, Shu-Sheng; Huang, Hsiu-Mei

2013-01-01

The research purpose is to investigate learner self-regulation in e-learning environments. In order to better understand learner attitudes toward e-learning, 196 university students answer a questionnaire survey after use an e-learning system few months. The statistical results showed that perceived satisfaction, perceived usefulness, and…

Learning in a Changing Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Speekenbrink, Maarten; Shanks, David R.

2010-01-01

Multiple cue probability learning studies have typically focused on stationary environments. We present 3 experiments investigating learning in changing environments. A fine-grained analysis of the learning dynamics shows that participants were responsive to both abrupt and gradual changes in cue-outcome relations. We found no evidence that…

Student-Teacher Interaction in Online Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wright, Robert D., Ed.

2015-01-01

As face-to-face interaction between student and instructor is not present in online learning environments, it is increasingly important to understand how to establish and maintain social presence in online learning. "Student-Teacher Interaction in Online Learning Environments" provides successful strategies and procedures for developing…

Preferred-Actual Learning Environment "Spaces" and Earth Science Outcomes in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chang, Chun-Yen; Hsiao, Chien-Hua; Barufaldi, James P.

2006-01-01

This study examines the possibilities of differential impacts on students' earth science learning outcomes between different preferred-actual learning environment spaces by using a newly developed ESCLEI (Earth Science Classroom Learning Environment Instrument). The instrument emphasizes three simultaneously important classroom components:…

A broadband multimedia TeleLearning system

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Ruiping; Karmouch, A.

1996-12-31

In this paper we discuss a broadband multimedia TeleLearning system under development in the Multimedia Information Research Laboratory at the University of Ottawa. The system aims at providing a seamless environment for TeleLearning using the latest telecommunication and multimedia information processing technology. It basically consists of a media production center, a courseware author site, a courseware database, a courseware user site, and an on-line facilitator site. All these components are distributed over an ATM network and work together to offer a multimedia interactive courseware service. An MHEG-based model is exploited in designing the system architecture to achieve the real-time, interactive,more » and reusable information interchange through heterogeneous platforms. The system architecture, courseware processing strategies, courseware document models are presented.« less

Causal Model Progressions as a Foundation for Intelligent Learning Environments.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-11-01

Foundation for Intelligent Learning Environments 3Barbara Y. White and John R. Frederiksen ~DTIC Novemr1987 ELECTE November1987 JUNO 9 88 Approved I )’I...Learning Environments 12. PERSONAL AUTHOR(S? Barbara Y. White and John R. Frederiksen 13a. TYPE OF REPORT 13b TIME COVERED 14. DATE OF REPORT (Year...architecture of a new type of learning environment that incorporates features of microworlds and of intelligent tutorng systems. The environment is based on

Guided Inquiry Learning With Sea Water Battery Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mashudi, A.

2017-02-01

Science learning process is expected to produce valuable product, innovative and real learning environment, and provide memorable learning experience. That orientation can be contained in Inquiry Based Learning. SMP N 4 Juwana is located close to the beach. That’s why, Sea Water Battery Project is very suitable to be applied in learning activity as an effort to fulfill the renewable energy based on local wisdom. This study aims to increase interest, activity and achievement of students. Learning implementation stage, namely : Constructing Sea Water Battery project, observation, group presentations, and feedback. Sea Water Battery is renewable energy battery from materials easily found around the learner. The materials used are copper plate as the anode, zinc plate as the cathode and sea water as the electrolyte. Average score of students Interest on the first cycle 76, while on the second cycle 85. Average score of students Activity on the first cycle 76 and on the second cycle 86. Average score of students achievement on the first cycle 75, while on the second cycle 84. This learning process gave nurturant effect for students to keep innovating and construct engineering technology for the future.

The use of deep and surface learning strategies among students learning English as a foreign language in an Internet environment.

PubMed

Aharony, Noa

2006-12-01

The learning context is learning English in an Internet environment. The examination of this learning process was based on the Biggs and Moore's teaching-learning model (Biggs & Moore, 1993). The research aims to explore the use of the deep and surface strategies in an Internet environment among EFL students who come from different socio-economic backgrounds. The results of the research may add an additional level to the understanding of students' functioning in the Internet environment. One hundred fourty-eight Israeli junior and high school students participated in this research. The methodology was based on special computer software: Screen Cam, which recorded the students' learning process. In addition, expert judges completed a questionnaire which examined and categorized the students' learning strategies. The research findings show a clear preference of participants from all socio-economic backgrounds towards the surface learning strategy. The findings also showed that students from the medium to high socio-economic background used both learning strategies more frequently than low socio-economic students. The results reflect the habits that students acquire during their adjustment process throughout their education careers. A brief encounter with the Internet learning environment apparently cannot change norms or habits, which were acquired in the non-Internet learning environment.

Complete Genome Sequence of Micromonospora Strain L5, a Potential Plant-Growth-Regulating Actinomycete, Originally Isolated from Casuarina equisetifolia Root Nodules

DOE PAGES

Hirsch, Ann M.; Alvarado, Johana; Bruce, David; ...

2013-09-26

Micromonospora species live in diverse environments and exhibit a broad range of functions, including antibiotic production, biocontrol, and degradation of complex polysaccharides. To learn more about these versatile actinomycetes, we sequenced the genome of strain L5, originally isolated from root nodules of an actinorhizal plant growing in Mexico.

Complete Genome Sequence of Micromonospora Strain L5, a Potential Plant-Growth-Regulating Actinomycete, Originally Isolated from Casuarina equisetifolia Root Nodules

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hirsch, A. M.; Alvarado, J.; Bruce, D.

2013-08-29

Micromonospora species live in diverse environments and exhibit a broad range of functions including antibiotic production, biocontrol, and ability to degrade complex polysaccharides. To learn more about these versatile actinomycetes, we sequenced the genome of strain L5, originally isolated from root nodules of an actinorhizal plant growing in Mexico.

Revisiting Expansive Learning for Knowledge Production and Capability Development at Postgraduate Level in Higher Education Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Niemann, Rita

2013-01-01

Higher education in South Africa is challenged by academic and social demands. Universities, therefore, have to produce graduates who will be able to function optimally within their field of study, as well as act as agents of change in their social environment. The main purpose of this article is to theorise about applying Engestrom's expansive…

An Investigation of Native and Nonnative English Speakers' Levels of Written Syntactic Complexity in Asynchronous Online Discussions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mancilla, Rae L.; Polat, Nihat; Akcay, Ahmet O.

2017-01-01

This manuscript reports on a corpus-based comparison of native and nonnative graduate students' language production in an asynchronous learning environment. Using 486 discussion board postings from a five-year period (2009-2013), we analyzed the extent to which native and nonnative university students' writing differed in 10 measures of syntactic…

School-Context Videos in Janus-Faced Online Publicity: Learner-Generated Digital Video Production Going Online

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Palmgren-Neuvonen, Laura; Jaakkola, Maarit; Korkeamäki, Riitta-Liisa

2015-01-01

This article reports a case study on sChOOLtv, an online television for primary and secondary schools that aims to bridge the media gap between in-school and out-of-school learning environments. Contrary to its creators' expectations, the number of published videos has not increased since its establishment. Furthermore, the videos were mostly…

Critical Consciousness and the Christian Conscience: Making the Necessary Connections between Faith-Based Learning and Critical Pedagogy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Heekap; Givens, Ruth

2012-01-01

Critical pedagogy is a by product of postmodernism, which argues that reality is always subjective, and truth is identified through each person's experiences and environment. Can critical pedagogy be applied to faith-based education? The authors claim that it can. First, the theories and practices of critical pedagogy have strengthened faith-based…

How Do They Research? An Ethnographic Study of Final Year Undergraduate Research Behavior in an Irish University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dunne, Siobhán

2016-01-01

The objectives of this study were to identify how, when, and where students research; the impact of learning environments on research productivity, and to recommend improved supports to facilitate research. An ethnographic approach that entailed following five students in the final six weeks of their program enabled deep level analysis. The study…

Designing new collaborative learning spaces in clinical environments: experiences from a children's hospital in Australia.

PubMed

Bines, Julie E; Jamieson, Peter

2013-09-01

Hospitals are complex places that provide a rich learning environment for students, staff, patients and their families, professional groups and the community. The "new" Royal Children's Hospital opened in late 2011. Its mission is focused on improving health and well-being of children and adolescents through leadership in healthcare, research and education. Addressing the need to create "responsive learning environments" aligned with the shift to student-centred pedagogy, two distinct learning environments were developed within the new Royal Children's Hospital; (i) a dedicated education precinct providing a suite of physical environments to promote a more active, collaborative and social learning experience for education and training programs conducted on the Royal Children's Hospital campus and (ii) a suite of learning spaces embedded within clinical areas so that learning becomes an integral part of the daily activities of this busy Hospital environment. The aim of this article is to present the overarching educational principles that lead the design of these learning spaces and describe the opportunities and obstacles encountered in the development of collaborative learning spaces within a large hospital development.

Perceptions of Pre-Service Teachers on the Design of a Learning Environment Based on the Seven Principles of Good Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al-Furaih, Suad Abdul Aziz

2017-01-01

This study explored the perceptions of 88 pre-service teachers on the design of a learning environment using the Seven Principles of Good Practice and its effect on participants' abilities to create their Cloud Learning Environment (CLE). In designing the learning environment, a conceptual model under the name 7 Principles and Integrated Learning…

A Case Study of the Experiences of Instructors and Students in a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) with Different Cultural Backgrounds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lim, Keol; Kim, Mi Hwa

2015-01-01

The use of virtual learning environments (VLEs) has become more common and educators recognized the potential of VLEs as educational environments. The learning community in VLEs can be a mixture of people from all over the world with different cultural backgrounds. However, despite many studies about the use of virtual environments for learning,…

Virtual Representations in 3D Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shonfeld, Miri; Kritz, Miki

2013-01-01

This research explores the extent to which virtual worlds can serve as online collaborative learning environments for students by increasing social presence and engagement. 3D environments enable learning, which simulates face-to-face encounters while retaining the advantages of online learning. Students in Education departments created avatars…

Optimizing T-Learning Course Scheduling Based on Genetic Algorithm in Benefit-Oriented Data Broadcast Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huang, Yong-Ming; Chen, Chao-Chun; Wang, Ding-Chau

2012-01-01

Ubiquitous learning receives much attention in these few years due to its wide spectrum of applications, such as the T-learning application. The learner can use mobile devices to watch the digital TV based course content, and thus, the T-learning provides the ubiquitous learning environment. However, in real-world data broadcast environments, the…

Analysis of Means for Building Context-Aware Recommendation System for Mobile Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shcherbachenko, Larysa; Nowakowski, Samuel

2017-01-01

One of the rapidly developing tools for online learning is learning through a mobile environment. Therefore, developing and improving mobile learning environments is an active topic now. One of the ways to adapt the learning environment to the user's needs is to use his context. Context of the user consists of the current context in online…

Design Patterns for Learning and Assessment: Facilitating the Introduction of a Complex Simulation-Based Learning Environment into a Community of Instructors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frezzo, Dennis C.; Behrens, John T.; Mislevy, Robert J.

2010-01-01

Simulation environments make it possible for science and engineering students to learn to interact with complex systems. Putting these capabilities to effective use for learning, and assessing learning, requires more than a simulation environment alone. It requires a conceptual framework for the knowledge, skills, and ways of thinking that are…

Shifting more than the goal posts: developing classroom norms of inquiry-based learning in mathematics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Makar, Katie; Fielding-Wells, Jill

2018-03-01

The 3-year study described in this paper aims to create new knowledge about inquiry norms in primary mathematics classrooms. Mathematical inquiry addresses complex problems that contain ambiguities, yet classroom environments often do not adopt norms that promote curiosity, risk-taking and negotiation needed to productively engage with complex problems. Little is known about how teachers and students initiate, develop and maintain norms of mathematical inquiry in primary classrooms. The research question guiding this study is, "How do classroom norms develop that facilitate student learning in primary classrooms which practice mathematical inquiry?" The project will (1) analyse a video archive of inquiry lessons to identify signature practices that enhance productive classroom norms of mathematical inquiry and facilitate learning, (2) engage expert inquiry teachers to collaborate to identify and design strategies for assisting teachers to develop and sustain norms over time that are conducive to mathematical inquiry and (3) support and study teachers new to mathematical inquiry adopting these practices in their classrooms. Anticipated outcomes include identification and illustration of classroom norms of mathematical inquiry, signature practices linked to these norms and case studies of primary teachers' progressive development of classroom norms of mathematical inquiry and how they facilitate learning.

MODIS Aerosol Optical Depth Bias Adjustment Using Machine Learning Algorithms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Albayrak, Arif; Wei, Jennifer; Petrenko, Maksym; Lary, David; Leptoukh, Gregory

2011-01-01

To monitor the earth atmosphere and its surface changes, satellite based instruments collect continuous data. While some of the data is directly used, some others such as aerosol properties are indirectly retrieved from the observation data. While retrieved variables (RV) form very powerful products, they don't come without obstacles. Different satellite viewing geometries, calibration issues, dynamically changing atmospheric and earth surface conditions, together with complex interactions between observed entities and their environment affect them greatly. This results in random and systematic errors in the final products.

Sustaining Teacher Control in a Blog-Based Personal Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tomberg, Vladimir; Laanpere, Mart; Ley, Tobias; Normak, Peeter

2013-01-01

Various tools and services based on Web 2.0 (mainly blogs, wikis, social networking tools) are increasingly used in formal education to create personal learning environments, providing self-directed learners with more freedom, choice, and control over their learning. In such distributed and personalized learning environments, the traditional role…

Supporting the Transition of Learning Disabled Students to the Postsecondary Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gray, Patricia Jean

2012-01-01

Students with learning disabilities present a diverse spectrum of learning needs; research suggest they may have difficulty making the transition to the postsecondary environment. Learning disabled students at the subject high school were not successfully making the transition from the secondary to the postsecondary environment. This study was…

Utilizing Virtual and Personal Learning Environments for Optimal Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Terry, Krista, Ed.; Cheney, Amy, Ed.

2016-01-01

The integration of emerging technologies in higher education presents a new set of challenges and opportunities for educators. With a growing need for customized lesson plans in online education, educators are rethinking the design and development of their learning environments. "Utilizing Virtual and Personal Learning Environments for…

Flipped Education: Transitioning to the Homeschool Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alamry, Adel; karaali, Abeer

2016-01-01

This paper seeks to introduce flipped learning as a viable learning method that can be used in the homeschool environment. Flipped learning can become a valuable aspect of homeschooling when the learning environment is conducive to the application of self-taught knowledge. In fact, the sessions evidently act as clarification bridges and…

Visualising Learning Design in LAMS: A Historical View

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dalziel, James

2011-01-01

The Learning Activity Management System (LAMS) provides a web-based environment for the creation, sharing, running and monitoring of Learning Designs. A central feature of LAMS is the visual authoring environment, where educators use a drag-and-drop environment to create sequences of learning activities. The visualisation is based on boxes…

Determination of Science Teachers' Opinions about Outdoor Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kubat, Ulas

2017-01-01

The aim of this research is to discover what science teachers' opinions about outdoor education learning environments are. Outdoor education learning environments contribute to problem-solving, critical and creative thinking skills of students. For this reason, outdoor education learning environments are very important for students to learn by…

Offering a Framework for Value Co-Creation in Virtual Academic Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ranjbarfard, Mina; Heidari Sureshjani, Mahboobeh

2018-01-01

Purpose: This research aims to convert the traditional teacher-student models, in which teachers determine the learning resources, into a flexible structure and an active learning environment so that students can participate in the educational processes and value co-creation in virtual academic learning environments (VALEs).…

Constructivist Learning Environment among Palestinian Science Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zeidan, Afif

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the constructivist learning environment among Palestinian science students. The study also aimed to investigate the effects of gender and learning level of these students on their perceptions of the constructivist learning environment. Data were collected from 125 male and 101 female students from the…

Disrupting a Learning Environment for Promotion of Geometry Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jojo, Zingiswa

2017-01-01

Creating a classroom learning environment that is suitably designed for promotion of learners' performance in geometry, a branch of mathematics that addresses spatial sense and geometric reasoning, is a daunting task. This article focuses on how grade 8 teachers' action learning changed the learning environment for the promotion of geometry…

Criteria, Strategies and Research Issues of Context-Aware Ubiquitous Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hwang, Gwo-Jen; Tsai, Chin-Chung; Yang, Stephen J. H.

2008-01-01

Recent progress in wireless and sensor technologies has lead to a new development of learning environments, called context-aware ubiquitous learning environment, which is able to sense the situation of learners and provide adaptive supports. Many researchers have been investigating the development of such new learning environments; nevertheless,…

Kitchen Science Investigators: Promoting Identity Development as Scientific Reasoners and Thinkers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clegg, Tamara Lynnette

2010-01-01

My research centers upon designing transformative learning environments and supporting technologies. Kitchen Science Investigators (KSI) is an out-of-school transformative learning environment we designed to help young people learn science through cooking. My dissertation considers the question, "How can we design a learning environment in which…

Improving Collaborative Learning by Supporting Casual Encounters in Distance Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Contreras, Juan; Llamas, Rafael; Vizcaino, Aurora; Vavela, Jesus

Casual encounters in a learning environment are very useful in reinforcing previous knowledge and acquiring new knowledge. Such encounters are very common in traditional learning environments and can be used successfully in social environments in which students can discover and construct knowledge through a process of dialogue, negotiation, or…

Citizen Science as a REAL Environment for Authentic Scientific Inquiry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meyer, Nathan J.; Scott, Siri; Strauss, Andrea Lorek; Nippolt, Pamela L.; Oberhauser, Karen S.; Blair, Robert B.

2014-01-01

Citizen science projects can serve as constructivist learning environments for programming focused on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) for youth. Attributes of "rich environments for active learning" (REALs) provide a framework for design of Extension STEM learning environments. Guiding principles and design strategies…

Towards a 21 century paradigm of chiropractic: stage 1, redesigning clinical learning.

PubMed

Ebrall, Phillip; Draper, Barry; Repka, Adrian

2008-01-01

To describe a formal process designed to determine the nature and extent of change that may enhance the depth of student learning in the pre-professional, clinical chiropractic environment. Project teams in the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) School of Health Sciences and the Division of Chiropractic explored questions of clinical assessment in several health care disciplines of the School and the issue of implementing change in a manner that would be embraced by the clinicians who supervise student-learning in the clinical environment. The teams applied to RMIT for grant funding within the Learning and Teaching Investment Fund to support two proposed studies. Both research proposals were fully funded and are in process. The genesis of this work is the discovery that the predominant management plan in the chiropractic teaching clinics is based on diagnostic reductionism. It is felt this is counter-productive to the holistic dimensions of chiropractic practice taught in the classroom and non-supportive of chiropractic's paradigm shift towards wellness. A need is seen to improve processes around student assessment in the contemporary work-integrated learning that is a prime element of learning within the clinical disciplines of the School of Health Sciences, including chiropractic. Any improvements in the manner of clinical assessment within the chiropractic discipline will need to be accompanied by improvement in the training and development of the clinicians responsible for managing the provision of quality patient care by Registered Chiropractic Students.

Nursing Students' Qualitative Experiences in the Medical-Surgical Clinical Learning Environment: A Cross-Cultural Integrative Review.

PubMed

Hooven, Katie

2015-08-01

The nature of the clinical learning environment has a huge impact on student learning. For instance, research has supported the idea that a positive learning environment increases student learning. Therefore, the ability to gain information from the student perspective about the learning environment is essential to nursing education. This article reviews qualitative research on nursing students' experiences of the clinical learning environment. The significance of the issue, the purpose of the integrative review, the methods used in the literature search, and the results of the review are presented. Seventeen studies from 12 countries are identified for review, and six common themes are discussed. An exhaustive literature review revealed that among the 17 articles evaluated, six themes were common. The findings indicate the need to continue quality improvement to advance clinical education. Copyright 2015, SLACK Incorporated.

The Relationship among Self-Regulated Learning, Procrastination, and Learning Behaviors in Blended Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yamada, Masanori; Goda, Yoshiko; Matsuda, Takeshi; Kato, Hiroshi; Miyagawa, Hiroyuki

2015-01-01

This research aims to investigate the relationship among the awareness of self-regulated learning (SRL), procrastination, and learning behaviors in blended learning environment. One hundred seventy nine freshmen participated in this research, conducted in the blended learning style class using learning management system. Data collection was…

Behavioral Feature Extraction to Determine Learning Styles in e-Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fatahi, Somayeh; Moradi, Hadi; Farmad, Elaheh

2015-01-01

Learning Style (LS) is an important parameter in the learning process. Therefore, learning styles should be considered in the design, development, and implementation of e-learning environments. Consequently, an important capability of an e-learning system could be the automatic determination of a student's learning style. In this paper, a set of…

Effects of Collaborative Learning Styles on Performance of Students in a Ubiquitous Collaborative Mobile Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fakomogbon, Michael Ayodele; Bolaji, Hameed Olalekan

2017-01-01

Collaborative learning is an approach employed by instructors to facilitate learning and improve learner's performance. Mobile learning can accommodate a variety of learning approaches. This study, therefore, investigated the effects of collaborative learning styles on performance of students in a mobile learning environment. The specific purposes…

Equitable Learning Outcomes: Supporting Economically and Culturally Disadvantaged Students in "Formative Learning Environments"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clark, Ian

2014-01-01

The central and distinguishing thesis of social and cultural perspectives on outcome equity is that public school classrooms are culturally biased environments. Such environments disaffect children who arrive at school from the economic or cultural margin. The "formative learning environment" (FoLE) establishes and sustains legitimate…

Characteristics of an Innovative Learning Environment According to Students' Perceptions: Actual versus Preferred

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Magen-Nagar, Noga; Steinberger, Pnina

2017-01-01

An innovative learning environment is the current outcome of the constructivist approach, the essence of which is co-construction of knowledge in an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) environment. We examined how Israeli students perceived 10 characteristics of their classroom learning environment--student cohesiveness, teacher…

Conducting and Supporting a Goal-Based Scenario Learning Environment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Montgomery, Joel; And Others

1994-01-01

Discussion of goal-based scenario (GBS) learning environments focuses on a training module designed to prepare consultants with new skills in managing clients, designing user-friendly graphical computer interfaces, and working in a client/server computing environment. Transforming the environment from teaching focused to learning focused is…

Anatomy Education Environment Measurement Inventory: A Valid Tool to Measure the Anatomy Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hadie, Siti Nurma Hanim; Hassan, Asma'; Ismail, Zul Izhar Mohd; Asari, Mohd Asnizam; Khan, Aaijaz Ahmed; Kasim, Fazlina; Yusof, Nurul Aiman Mohd; Manan@Sulong, Husnaida Abdul; Tg Muda, Tg Fatimah Murniwati; Arifin, Wan Nor; Yusoff, Muhamad Saiful Bahri

2017-01-01

Students' perceptions of the education environment influence their learning. Ever since the major medical curriculum reform, anatomy education has undergone several changes in terms of its curriculum, teaching modalities, learning resources, and assessment methods. By measuring students' perceptions concerning anatomy education environment,…

Apprentissage et Environment (Learning and Environment)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Care, Jean-Marc

1977-01-01

Detailed typical daily program in the life of an American and a Moroccan teenager introduces the discussion of the influence of the environment on the learning process, particularly on foreign language learning. A "kit" method for responding to needs determined by the environment is described. (Text is in French.) (AMH)

The Prepared Environment and Its Relationship to Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Loeffler, Margaret Howard

A "prepared environment" is a planned learning facility for young children which offers a supportive and stimulating environment. Current thinking on early learning and the resultant implications for the design of a physical environment which would encourage conceptual development are examined in this book. Each section considers a particular…

An Empirical Verification of a-priori Learning Models on Mailing Archives in the Context of Online Learning Activities of Participants in Free\\Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS) Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mukala, Patrick; Cerone, Antonio; Turini, Franco

2017-01-01

Free\\Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS) environments are increasingly dubbed as learning environments where practical software engineering skills can be acquired. Numerous studies have extensively investigated how knowledge is acquired in these environments through a collaborative learning model that define a learning process. Such a learning…

Directive versus Facilitative Peer Tutoring? A View on Students' Appraisal, Reported Learning Gains and Experiences within Two Differently-Tutored Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berghmans, Inneke; Michiels, Lotte; Salmon, Sara; Dochy, Filip; Struyven, Katrien

2014-01-01

The present study aimed to shed light on students' appraisal and reported learning gains in two differently-tutored learning environments (i.e. directively and facilitatively tutored). In order to investigate this, a quasi-experimental study was set up in the context of a clinical skills learning environment. Not only were participating…

Smart Learning Adoption in Employees and HRD Managers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Junghwan; Zo, Hangjung; Lee, Hwansoo

2014-01-01

The innovation of online technologies and the rapid diffusion of smart devices are changing workplace learning environment. Smart learning, as emerging learning paradigm, enables employees' learning to take place anywhere and anytime. Workplace learning studies, however, have focused on traditional e-learning environment, and they have failed…

Perception of hospital learning environment: a survey of Hong Kong nursing students.

PubMed

Chan, Dominic S K; Ip, Wan Y

2007-10-01

The last two decades have seen widespread changes to nurse education but the clinical field remains an essential and invaluable resource in preparing students for the reality of their professional role, supporting the integration of theory and practice, and linking the 'knowing what' to do with the 'knowing how' to deliver care. The clinical learning environment represents a vital element of nurse education that needs to be measurable and warrants further investigation. This survey study examined Hong Kong nursing students' perception of the social climate of the clinical learning environment. Participants were invited to complete the two versions, the Actual and Preferred Forms, of the Clinical Learning Environment Inventory following the completion of their clinical field placement. Two hundred eighty one Actual Forms and 243 Preferred Forms returned. SPPS version 11 was employed to analyse data with descriptive and inferential statistics. It was found that there were significant differences between students' perceptions of the actual clinical learning environment and the ideal clinical learning environment they desired. The study highlights the need for a supportive clinical learning environment which is of paramount importance for students in clinical practice.

Relationship between clinical fieldwork educator performance and health professional students' perceptions of their practice education learning environments.

PubMed

Brown, Ted; Williams, Brett; Lynch, Marty

2013-12-01

The Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure, Clinical Teaching Effectiveness Instrument, and Clinical Learning Environment Inventory were completed by 548 undergraduate students (54.5% response rate) enrolled in eight health professional bachelor degree courses. Regression analysis was used to investigate the significant predictors of the Clinical Teaching Effectiveness Instrument with the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure and Clinical Learning Environment Inventory subscales as independent variables. The results indicated that the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure and Clinical Learning Environment Inventory Actual version subscale scores explained 44% of the total variance in the Clinical Teaching Effectiveness Instrument score. The Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure subscale Academic Self-Perception explained 1.1% of the variance in the Clinical Teaching Effectiveness Instrument score. The Clinical Learning Environment Inventory Actual subscales accounted for the following variance percentages in the Clinical Teaching Effectiveness Instrument score: personalization, 1.1%; satisfaction, 1.7%; task orientation, 5.1%; and innovation, 6.2%. Aspects of the clinical learning environment appear to be predictive of the effectiveness of the clinical teaching that students experience. Fieldwork educator performance might be a significant contributing factor toward student skill development and practitioner success. © 2013 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Nursing students' satisfaction of the clinical learning environment: a research study.

PubMed

Papastavrou, Evridiki; Dimitriadou, Maria; Tsangari, Haritini; Andreou, Christos

2016-01-01

The acquisition of quality clinical experience within a supportive and pedagogically adjusted clinical learning environment is a significant concern for educational institutions. The quality of clinical learning usually reflects the quality of the curriculum structure. The assessment of the clinical settings as learning environment is a significant concern within the contemporary nursing education. The nursing students' satisfaction is considered as an important factor of such assessment, contributing to any potential reforms in order to optimize the learning activities and achievements within clinical settings. The aim of the study was to investigate nursing students' satisfaction of the clinical settings as learning environments. A quantitative descriptive, correlational design was used. A sample of 463 undergraduate nursing students from the three universities in Cyprus were participated. Data were collected using the Clinical Learning Environment, Supervision and Nurse Teacher (CLES + T). Nursing students were highly satisfied with the clinical learning environment and their satisfaction has been positively related to all clinical learning environment constructs namely the pedagogical atmosphere, the Ward Manager's leadership style, the premises of Nursing in the ward, the supervisory relationship (mentor) and the role of the Nurse Teacher (p < 0.001). Students who had a named mentor reported more satisfied with the supervisory relationship. The frequency of meetings among the students and the mentors increased the students' satisfaction with the clinical learning environment. It was also revealed that 1st year students were found to be more satisfied than the students in other years. The supervisory relationship was evaluated by the students as the most influential factor in their satisfaction with the clinical learning environment. Student's acceptance within the nursing team and a well-documented individual nursing care is also related with students' satisfaction. The pedagogical atmosphere is considered pivotal, with reference to students' learning activities and competent development within the clinical setting. Therefore, satisfaction could be used as an important contributing factor towards the development of clinical learning environments in order to satisfy the needs and expectations of students. The value of the development of an organized mentorship system is illustrated in the study.

Implementing an Active Learning Environment to Influence Students' Motivation in Biochemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cicuto, Camila Aparecida Tolentino; Torres, Bayardo Baptista

2016-01-01

The Biochemistry: Biomolecules Structure and Metabolism course's goal is to promote meaningful learning through an active learning environment. Thus, study periods (SP) and discussion groups (DG) are used as a substitute for lecture classes. The goal of this study was to evaluate how this learning environment influences students' motivation (n =…

Using Coherence Analysis to Characterize Self-Regulated Learning Behaviours in Open-Ended Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Segedy, James R.; Kinnebrew, John S.; Biswas, Gautam

2015-01-01

Researchers have long recognized the potential benefits of open-ended computer- based learning environments (OELEs) to help students develop self-regulated learning (SRL) behaviours. However, measuring self-regulation in these environments is a difficult task. In this paper, we present our work in developing and evaluating "coherence…

Emotional Presence in Online Learning Scale: A Scale Development Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sarsar, Firat; Kisla, Tarik

2016-01-01

Although emotions are not a new topic in learning environments, the emerging technologies have changed not only the type of learning environments but also the perspectives of emotions in learning environments. This study designed to develop a survey to assist online instructors to understand students' emotional statement in online learning…

Validation of a Spanish Version of the Distance Education Learning Environments Survey (DELES) in Spain

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fernández-Pascual, Maria Dolores; Ferrer-Cascales, Rosario; Reig-Ferrer, Abilio; Albaladejo-Blázquez, Natalia; Walker, Scott L.

2015-01-01

The aim of this study was to examine the validity of the Spanish version of the Distance Education Learning Environments Survey (Sp-DELES). This instrument assesses students' perceptions of virtual learning environments using six scales: Instructor Support, Student Interaction and Collaboration, Personal Relevance, Authentic Learning, Active…

The Relationship between Motivation, Learning Strategies and Choice of Environment whether Traditional or Including an Online Component

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clayton, Karen; Blumberg, Fran; Auld, Daniel P.

2010-01-01

This study examined how students' achievement goals, self-efficacy and learning strategies influenced their choice of an online, hybrid or traditional learning environment. One hundred thirty-two post-secondary students completed surveys soliciting their preferences for learning environments, reasons for their preference, their motivational…

Open Learning Environments and the Impact of a Pedagogical Agent

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clarebout, Geraldine; Elen, Jan

2006-01-01

Research reveals that in highly structured learning environments pedagogical agents can act as tools to direct students' learning processes by providing content or problem solving guidance. It has not yet been addressed whether pedagogical agents have a similar impact in more open learning environments that aim at fostering students' acquisition…

Clinical Environment as a Learning Environment: Student Nurses' Perceptions Concerning Clinical Learning Experiences.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Papp, Inkeri; Markkanen, Marjatta; von Bonsdorff, Mikaela

2003-01-01

Finnish student nurses (n=16) described their clinical learning experiences. Several themes were identified: feeling appreciated and supported, the quality of mentoring and patient care, and self-directedness. School and clinical staff cooperation helped create a good learning environment in which theory and practice complemented each other.…

Determinants of Computer Self-Efficacy--An Examination of Learning Motivations and Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hsu, Wen-Kai K.; Huang, Show-Hui S.

2006-01-01

The purpose of this article is to discuss determinants of computer self-efficacy from the perspective of participant internal learning motivations and external learning environments. The former consisted of three motivations--interest, trend, and employment--while the latter comprised two environments--home and school. Through an intermediate…

Architecture and Children: Learning Environments and Design Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, Anne, Ed.; Muhlberger, Joe, Ed.

1998-01-01

This issue addresses (1) growing international interest in learning environments and their effects on behavior, and (2) design education, an integrated model for visual-spatial lifelong learning. It focuses on this new and emerging integrated field which integrates elements in education, new learning environment design, and the use of more two-…

Learning System Design Consideration in Creating an Online Learning Environment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schaffer, Scott

This paper describes the design of a Web-based learning environment for leadership facilitators in a United States military organization. The overall aim of this project was to design a prototype of an online learning environment that supports leadership facilitators' knowledge development in the content area of motivation. The learning…

Learning Environments as Basis for Cognitive Achievements of Students in Basic Science Classrooms in Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Atomatofa, Rachel; Okoye, Nnamdi; Igwebuike, Thomas

2016-01-01

The nature of classroom learning environments created by teachers had been considered very important for learning to take place effectively. This study investigated the effect of creating constructivist and transmissive learning environments on achievements of science students of different ability levels. 243 students formed the entire study…

The Effects of Different Learning Environments on Students' Motivation for Learning and Their Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baeten, Marlies; Dochy, Filip; Struyven, Katrien

2013-01-01

Background: Research in higher education on the effects of student-centred versus lecture-based learning environments generally does not take into account the psychological need support provided in these learning environments. From a self-determination theory perspective, need support is important to study because it has been associated with…

Preservice Teachers' Perception and Use of Personal Learning Environments (PLEs)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sahin, Sami; Uluyol, Çelebi

2016-01-01

Personal learning environments (PLEs) are Web 2.0 tools and services by which users' access, construct, manage, and share educational contents in order to meet their learning needs. These environments enable users to manage their learning according to their own personal preferences. They further promote socialization and collaboration with their…

Seamless Learning Environments in Higher Education with Mobile Devices and Examples

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marín, Victoria I.; Jääskelä, Päivikki; Häkkinen, Päivi; Juntunen, Merja; Rasku-Puttonen, Helena; Vesisenaho, Mikko

2016-01-01

The use of seamless learning environments that have the potential to support lifelong learning anytime and anywhere has become a reality. In this sense, many educational institutions have started to consider introducing seamless learning environments into their programs. The aim of this study is to analyze how various educational university…

Virtual Virtuosos: A Case Study in Learning Music in Virtual Learning Environments in Spain

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alberich-Artal, Enric; Sangra, Albert

2012-01-01

In recent years, the development of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) has contributed to the generation of a number of interesting initiatives in the field of music education and training in virtual learning environments. However, music education initiatives employing virtual learning environments have replicated and perpetuated the…

Development and Validation of the Blended Learning Environment Instrument (BLEI) in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aljahni, Areej; Al-Begain, Khalid; Skinner, Heather

2014-01-01

Part of ongoing research into the efficacy of blended learning in higher education within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The need for, and development of, a Blended Learning Environment Instrument (BLEI) are explained. This new instrument assesses student perceptions across five core aspects of blended learning environments: Infrastructure,…

Promoting Students' Problem Solving Skills and Knowledge of STEM Concepts in a Data-Rich Learning Environment: Using Online Data as a Tool for Teaching about Renewable Energy Technologies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thurmond, Brandi

2011-01-01

This study sought to compare a data-rich learning (DRL) environment that utilized online data as a tool for teaching about renewable energy technologies (RET) to a lecture-based learning environment to determine the impact of the learning environment on students' knowledge of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) concepts related…

Intelligent robot trends and predictions for the .net future

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hall, Ernest L.

2001-10-01

An intelligent robot is a remarkably useful combination of a manipulator, sensors and controls. The use of these machines in factory automation can improve productivity, increase product quality and improve competitiveness. This paper presents a discussion of recent and future technical and economic trends. During the past twenty years the use of industrial robots that are equipped not only with precise motion control systems but also with sensors such as cameras, laser scanners, or tactile sensors that permit adaptation to a changing environment has increased dramatically. Intelligent robot products have been developed in many cases for factory automation and for some hospital and home applications. To reach an even higher degree of applications, the addition of learning may be required. Recently, learning theories such as the adaptive critic have been proposed. In this type of learning, a critic provides a grade to the controller of an action module such as a robot. The adaptive critic is a good model for human learning. In general, the critic may be considered to be the human with the teach pendant, plant manager, line supervisor, quality inspector or the consumer. If the ultimate critic is the consumer, then the quality inspector must model the consumer's decision-making process and use this model in the design and manufacturing operations. Can the adaptive critic be used to advance intelligent robots? Intelligent robots have historically taken decades to be developed and reduced to practice. Methods for speeding this development include technology such as rapid prototyping and product development and government, industry and university cooperation.

Adolescents’ Perceptions of Risks and Benefits of Conventional Cigarettes, E-Cigarettes, and Marijuana: A Qualitative Analysis

PubMed Central

Roditis, Maria L.; Halpern-Felsher, Bonnie

2015-01-01

Purpose While rates of adolescent cigarette use have remained constant, rates of marijuana and e-cigarette use are rising. Knowledge and perceptions of risks and benefits of tobacco products impacts adolescents’ decisions to use these products. However, little is known regarding adolescents’ knowledge and perceptions of risks of e-cigarettes and marijuana nor how these perceptions are formed. This study uses qualitative techniques to assess and compare adolescents’ perceptions of the risks and benefits of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and marijuana. Methods 24 adolescents (9 females and 15 males) from Northern California participated in 6 small-groups discussions. Adolescents were asked what good or bad things might happen from using these products. To assess how perceptions and knowledge of risks and benefits were formed, participants were asked where and from whom they had learned about these products. Results Adolescents described negative consequences of cigarette use, but were much less sure regarding risks of marijuana and e-cigarette use. Conversely, they described few benefits of cigarettes but described a number of benefits of e-cigarette and marijuana use. Adolescents described learning about these products from the media, from family and friends, and from the school environment. Conclusion Adolescents have learned from multiple sources about risks of using cigarettes, but they receive much less and often incorrect information regarding marijuana and e-cigarettes, likely resulting in their positive and often ambivalent perceptions of marijuana and e-cigarettes. PMID:26115908

Investigating Factors That Influence Students' Management of Study Environment in Online Collaborative Groupwork

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Du, Jianxia; Xu, Jianzhong; Fan, Xitao

2015-01-01

The present study examines empirical models of students' management of the learning environment in the context of online collaborative groupwork. Such environment management is an important component of students' overall self-regulated learning strategy for effective learning. Student- and group-level predictors for study environment management in…

Changing the Metacognitive Orientation of a Classroom Environment to Enhance Students' Metacognition Regarding Chemistry Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, Gregory P.; Anderson, David

2014-01-01

Concerns persist regarding science classroom learning environments and the lack of development of students' metacognition and reasoning processes within such environments. Means of shaping learning environments so that students are encouraged to develop their metacognition are required in order to enhance students' reasoning and…

Creating Multisensory Environments: Practical Ideas for Teaching and Learning. David Fulton/Nasen

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davies, Christopher

2011-01-01

Multi-sensory environments in the classroom provide a wealth of stimulating learning experiences for all young children whose senses are still under development. "Creating Multisensory Environments: Practical Ideas for Teaching and Learning" is a highly practical guide to low-cost cost, easy to assemble multi-sensory environments. With a…

Creating Electronic Learning Environments: Games, Flow, and the User Interface.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Marshall G.

A difficult task in creating rich, exploratory interactive learning environments is building an environment that is truly engaging. Engagement can be defined as the nexus of intrinsic knowledge and/or interest and external stimuli that promote the initial interest in, and continued use of a computer-based learning environment. Complete and total…

What Teachers Need to Know about Augmented Reality Enhanced Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wasko, Christopher

2013-01-01

Augmented reality (AR) enhanced learning environments have been designed to teach a variety of subjects by having learners act like professionals in the field as opposed to students in a classroom. The environments, grounded in constructivist and situated learning theories, place students in a meaningful, non-classroom environment and force them…

Benefits of Informal Learning Environments: A Focused Examination of STEM-Based Program Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Denson, Cameron D.; Austin Stallworth, Chandra; Hailey, Christine; Householder, Daniel L.

2015-01-01

This paper examines STEM-based informal learning environments for underrepresented students and reports on the aspects of these programs that are beneficial to students. This qualitative study provides a nuanced look into informal learning environments and determines what is unique about these experiences and makes them beneficial for students. We…

Seeking Construct Validity Grounded in Constructivist Epistemology: Development of the Survey of Contemporary Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schuh, Kathy L.; Kuo, Yi-Lung

2015-01-01

This study focused on the development of a new classroom environment instrument for late-elementary students. The development of the survey of contemporary learning environments (SoCLE) followed a content analysis of three similar instruments on constructivist learning environments and the literature on characteristics of contemporary learning…

A Framework and a Methodology for Developing Authentic Constructivist e-Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zualkernan, Imran A.

2006-01-01

Semantically rich domains require operative knowledge to solve complex problems in real-world settings. These domains provide an ideal environment for developing authentic constructivist e-learning environments. In this paper we present a framework and a methodology for developing authentic learning environments for such domains. The framework is…

Students' Personal Networks in Virtual and Personal Learning Environments: A Case Study in Higher Education Using Learning Analytics Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Casquero, Oskar; Ovelar, Ramón; Romo, Jesús; Benito, Manuel; Alberdi, Mikel

2016-01-01

The main objective of this paper is to analyse the effect of the affordances of a virtual learning environment and a personal learning environment (PLE) in the configuration of the students' personal networks in a higher education context. The results are discussed in light of the adaptation of the students to the learning network made up by two…

Living and learning in a rural environment: a nursing student perspective.

PubMed

Pront, Leeanne; Kelton, Moira; Munt, Rebecca; Hutton, Alison

2013-03-01

This study investigates the influences on nursing student learning who live and learn in the same rural environment. A declining health workforce has been identified both globally and in Australia, the effects of which have become significantly apparent in the rural nursing sector. In support of rural educational programs the literature portrays rural clinical practice experiences as significant to student learning. However, there is little available research on what influences learning for the nursing student who studies in their own rural community. The aim of this study was to understand what influences student learning in the rural clinical environment. Through a multiple case study design five nursing students and two clinical preceptors from a rural clinical venue were interviewed. The interviews were transcribed and thematically analysed to identify factors that influenced student learning outcomes. The most significant influence on nursing student learning in the rural clinical environment was found to include the environment itself, the complex relationships unique to living and studying in a rural community along with the capacity to link theory to practice. The rural environment influences those in it, the demands placed on them, the relationships they form, the ability to promote learning and the time to teach and learn. Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Profiling medical school learning environments in Malaysia: a validation study of the Johns Hopkins Learning Environment Scale.

PubMed

Tackett, Sean; Bakar, Hamidah Abu; Shilkofski, Nicole A; Coady, Niamh; Rampal, Krishna; Wright, Scott

2015-01-01

While a strong learning environment is critical to medical student education, the assessment of medical school learning environments has confounded researchers. Our goal was to assess the validity and utility of the Johns Hopkins Learning Environment Scale (JHLES) for preclinical students at three Malaysian medical schools with distinct educational and institutional models. Two schools were new international partnerships, and the third was school leaver program established without international partnership. First- and second-year students responded anonymously to surveys at the end of the academic year. The surveys included the JHLES, a 28-item survey using five-point Likert scale response options, the Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM), the most widely used method to assess learning environments internationally, a personal growth scale, and single-item global learning environment assessment variables. The overall response rate was 369/429 (86%). After adjusting for the medical school year, gender, and ethnicity of the respondents, the JHLES detected differences across institutions in four out of seven domains (57%), with each school having a unique domain profile. The DREEM detected differences in one out of five categories (20%). The JHLES was more strongly correlated than the DREEM to two thirds of the single-item variables and the personal growth scale. The JHLES showed high internal reliability for the total score (α=0.92) and the seven domains (α, 0.56-0.85). The JHLES detected variation between learning environment domains across three educational settings, thereby creating unique learning environment profiles. Interpretation of these profiles may allow schools to understand how they are currently supporting trainees and identify areas needing attention.

Profiling medical school learning environments in Malaysia: a validation study of the Johns Hopkins Learning Environment Scale

PubMed Central

Tackett, Sean; Bakar, Hamidah Abu; Shilkofski, Nicole A.; Coady, Niamh; Rampal, Krishna; Wright, Scott

2015-01-01

Purpose: While a strong learning environment is critical to medical student education, the assessment of medical school learning environments has confounded researchers. Our goal was to assess the validity and utility of the Johns Hopkins Learning Environment Scale (JHLES) for preclinical students at three Malaysian medical schools with distinct educational and institutional models. Two schools were new international partnerships, and the third was school leaver program established without international partnership. Methods: First- and second-year students responded anonymously to surveys at the end of the academic year. The surveys included the JHLES, a 28-item survey using five-point Likert scale response options, the Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM), the most widely used method to assess learning environments internationally, a personal growth scale, and single-item global learning environment assessment variables. Results: The overall response rate was 369/429 (86%). After adjusting for the medical school year, gender, and ethnicity of the respondents, the JHLES detected differences across institutions in four out of seven domains (57%), with each school having a unique domain profile. The DREEM detected differences in one out of five categories (20%). The JHLES was more strongly correlated than the DREEM to two thirds of the single-item variables and the personal growth scale. The JHLES showed high internal reliability for the total score (α=0.92) and the seven domains (α, 0.56-0.85). Conclusion: The JHLES detected variation between learning environment domains across three educational settings, thereby creating unique learning environment profiles. Interpretation of these profiles may allow schools to understand how they are currently supporting trainees and identify areas needing attention. PMID:26165949

The Impact of Congruency Between Preferred and Actual Learning Environments on Tenth Graders' Science Literacy in Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Chun-Yen; Yeh, Ting-Kuang; Lin, Chun-Yen; Chang, Yueh-Hsia; Chen, Chia-Li D.

2010-08-01

This study explored the effects of congruency between preferred and actual learning environment (PLE & ALE) perceptions on students' science literacy in terms of science concepts, attitudes toward science, and the understanding of the nature of science in an innovative curriculum of High Scope Project, namely Sci-Tech Mind and Humane Heart (STMHH). A pre-/post-treatment experiment was conducted with 34 Taiwanese tenth graders involved in this study. Participating students' preferred learning environment perception and pre-instruction scientific literacy were evaluated before the STMHH curriculum. Their perceptions toward the actual STMHH learning environment and post-instruction scientific literacy were also examined after the STMHH. Students were categorized into two groups; "preferred alignment with actual learning environment" (PAA) and "preferred discordant with actual learning environment" (PDA), according to their PLEI and ALEI scores. The results of this study revealed that most of the students in this study preferred learning in a classroom environment where student-centered and teacher-centered learning environments coexisted. Furthermore, the ANCOVA analysis showed marginally statistically significant difference between groups in terms of students' post-test scores on scientific literacy with the students' pre-test scores as the covariate. As a pilot study with a small sample size aiming to probe the research direction of this problem, the result of marginally statistically significant and approaching large sized effect magnitude is likely to implicate that the congruency between preferred and actual learning environments on students' scientific literacy is noteworthy. Future study of this nature appears to merit further replications and investigations.

Shaping and Being Shaped by Environments for Learning Science: Continuities with the Space and Democratic Vision of a Century Ago

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cavicchi, Elizabeth

2017-01-01

Environments of learning often remain unnoticed and unacknowledged. This study follows a student and myself as we became aware of our local environment at MIT and welcomed that environment as a vibrant contributor to our learning. We met this environment in part through its educational heritage in two centennial anniversaries: John Dewey's 1916…

A Blended Mobile Learning Environment for Museum Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hou, Huei-Tse; Wu, Sheng-Yi; Lin, Peng-Chun; Sung, Yao-Ting; Lin, Jhe-Wei; Chang, Kuo-En

2014-01-01

The use of mobile devices for informal learning has gained attention over recent years. Museum learning is also regarded as an important research topic in the field of informal learning. This study explored a blended mobile museum learning environment (BMMLE). Moreover, this study applied three blended museum learning modes: (a) the traditional…

Investigation of the Relationship between Learning Process and Learning Outcomes in E-Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yurdugül, Halil; Menzi Çetin, Nihal

2015-01-01

Problem Statement: Learners can access and participate in online learning environments regardless of time and geographical barriers. This brings up the umbrella concept of learner autonomy that contains self-directed learning, self-regulated learning and the studying process. Motivation and learning strategies are also part of this umbrella…

Creating and Nurturing Distributed Asynchronous Learning Environments.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kochtanek, Thomas R.; Hein, Karen K.

2000-01-01

Describes the evolution of a university course from a face-to-face experience to a Web-based asynchronous learning environment. Topics include cognition and learning; distance learning and distributed learning; student learning communities and the traditional classroom; the future as it relates to education and technology; collaborative student…

Neurodiversity in the Classroom: Strength-Based Strategies to Help Students with Special Needs Succeed in School and Life

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Armstrong, Thomas

2012-01-01

By looking at the positive strengths of your students with special needs, you can help those students flourish, ensure their success, and align their instruction to Common Core State Standards. One of our most popular authors, Thomas Armstrong, shows you the steps you need to take to establish a more favorable, productive learning environment for…

The Agony and Ecstasy of Workplace Creativity: A Qualitative Study of How Facilitators View Affect in Helping Adults Learn Creativity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fleming, Kirk D.

2012-01-01

The business world is constantly striving for new, better, more efficient products and services. As such, the call for innovation rings out loud and clear throughout every industry and every workplace environment. As a foundation for innovation, creativity is typically positioned as a valued attribute, skill or behavior for adults in the…

Space Shuttle Program Legacy Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Scott

2012-01-01

Share lessons learned on Space Shuttle Safety and Mission Assurance (S&MA) culture, processes, and products that can guide future enterprises to improve mission success and minimize the risk of catastrophic failures. Present the chronology of the Johnson Space Center (JSC) S&MA organization over the 40-year history of the Space Shuttle Program (SSP) and identify key factors and environments which contributed to positive and negative performance.

Analysis of Local and Foreign Edutainment Products--An Effort to Implement the Design Framework for an Edutainment Environment in Malaysia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Embi, Zarina Che; Hussain, Hanafizan

2005-01-01

In the world of "edutainment" where multimedia is the ultimate content provider, educational electronic games are a new and fun way for young children to learn concepts and processes that have usually been delivered via books within the traditional classroom. In an effort to implement a design framework for developing educational games…

Web-Based Learning Support System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, Lisa

Web-based learning support system offers many benefits over traditional learning environments and has become very popular. The Web is a powerful environment for distributing information and delivering knowledge to an increasingly wide and diverse audience. Typical Web-based learning environments, such as Web-CT, Blackboard, include course content delivery tools, quiz modules, grade reporting systems, assignment submission components, etc. They are powerful integrated learning management systems (LMS) that support a number of activities performed by teachers and students during the learning process [1]. However, students who study a course on the Internet tend to be more heterogeneously distributed than those found in a traditional classroom situation. In order to achieve optimal efficiency in a learning process, an individual learner needs his or her own personalized assistance. For a web-based open and dynamic learning environment, personalized support for learners becomes more important. This chapter demonstrates how to realize personalized learning support in dynamic and heterogeneous learning environments by utilizing Adaptive Web technologies. It focuses on course personalization in terms of contents and teaching materials that is according to each student's needs and capabilities. An example of using Rough Set to analyze student personal information to assist students with effective learning and predict student performance is presented.

The Asset-Based Context Matrix: A Tool for Assessing Children's Learning Opportunities and Participation in Natural Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, Linda L.; Mott, Donald W.; Batman, Deb

2004-01-01

This article provides a description of the "Asset-Based Context Matrix" (ABC Matrix). The ABC Matrix is an assessment tool for designing interventions for children in natural learning environments. The tool is based on research evidence indicating that children's learning is enhanced in contextually meaningful learning environments. The ABC Matrix…

Sociocultural Perspective of Science in Online Learning Environments. Communities of Practice in Online Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erdogan, Niyazi

2016-01-01

Present study reviews empirical research studies related to learning science in online learning environments as a community. Studies published between 1995 and 2015 were searched by using ERIC and EBSCOhost databases. As a result, fifteen studies were selected for review. Identified studies were analyzed with a qualitative content analysis method…

Differentiated Learning Environment--A Classroom for Quadratic Equation, Function and Graphs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dinç, Emre

2017-01-01

This paper will cover the design of a learning environment as a classroom regarding the Quadratic Equations, Functions and Graphs. The goal of the learning environment offered in the paper is to design a classroom where students will enjoy the process, use their skills they already have during the learning process, control and plan their learning…

Adult Learners' Learning Environment Perceptions and Satisfaction in Formal Education--Case Study of Four East-European Countries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Radovan, Marko; Makovec, Danijela

2015-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to explore attitudes towards learning and perceptions of the learning environment. Our theoretical examination is based on the social-cognitive theory of motivation and research that emphasizes the connections between an individual's perceptions of the learning environment and his/her motivation, interest, attitudes…

The Impact of Multitasking Learning Environments in the Middle Grades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drinkwine, Timothy

2013-01-01

This research study considers the status of middle school students in the 21st century in terms of their tendency to multitask in their daily lives and the overall influence this multitasking has on teaching and learning environments. Student engagement in the learning environment and students' various learning styles are discussed as primary…

A Decision-Tree-Oriented Guidance Mechanism for Conducting Nature Science Observation Activities in a Context-Aware Ubiquitous Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hwang, Gwo-Jen; Chu, Hui-Chun; Shih, Ju-Ling; Huang, Shu-Hsien; Tsai, Chin-Chung

2010-01-01

A context-aware ubiquitous learning environment is an authentic learning environment with personalized digital supports. While showing the potential of applying such a learning environment, researchers have also indicated the challenges of providing adaptive and dynamic support to individual students. In this paper, a decision-tree-oriented…

Learning How to Design a Technology Supported Inquiry-Based Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hakverdi-Can, Meral; Sonmez, Duygu

2012-01-01

This paper describes a study focusing on pre-service teachers' experience of learning how to design a technology supported inquiry-based learning environment using the Internet. As part of their elective course, pre-service science teachers were asked to develop a WebQuest environment targeting middle school students. A WebQuest is an…

Campus Life for International Students: Exploring Students' Perceptions of Quality Learning Environment at a Private University in Malaysia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seng, Ernest Lim Kok; Khoo-Lattimore, Catheryn

2012-01-01

The number of international students enrolling at higher learning institutions in Malaysia is increasing each year. However, the quality of learning environment is not always easy to measure, particularly for private universities which are not financially aided by the government, where the learning environment is characterized by their physical…

Using Design-Based Research in Informal Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reisman, Molly

2008-01-01

Design-Based Research (DBR) has been a tool of the learning sciences since the early 1990s, used as a way to improve and study learning environments. Using an iterative process of design with the goal of reining theories of learning, researchers and educators now use DBR seek to identify "how" to make a learning environment work. They then draw…

Facilitating Application of Language Skills in Authentic Environments with a Mobile Learning System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shadiev, R.; Hwang, W.-Y.; Huang, Y.-M.; Liu, T.-Y.

2018-01-01

We uncovered two critical issues in earlier studies: (a) some studies have shown that mobile learning technology is not beneficial for all students due to complexity of learning environments and student prior knowledge, skills, and experience and (b) familiarity of students with the authentic environments in which they learn using mobile…

Farm Education and the Value of Learning in an Authentic Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smeds, Pia; Jeronen, Eila; Kurppa, Sirpa

2015-01-01

Farm education is a newly emerging field of research that utilises authentic learning environments, environments that combine a subject of academic study with its real-world surroundings, actors, and activities--in this case, the practical context of a farm. The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of various learning environments…

Can More Become Less? Effects of an Intensive Assessment Environment on Students' Learning Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Khawaja, M. Asif; Prusty, Gangadhara B.; Ford, Robin A. J.; Marcus, Nadine; Russell, Carol

2013-01-01

Online interactive systems offer the beguiling prospect of an improved environment for learning at minimum extra cost. We have developed online interactive tutorials that adapt the learning environment to the current learning status of each individual student. These Adaptive Tutorials (ATs) modify the tasks given to each student according to their…

The Effects of Cross-Modality and Level of Self-Regulated Learning on Knowledge Acquisition with Smartpads

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Hye Yeon; Lee, Hyeon Woo

2018-01-01

Recently, there has been a transition from traditional paper or computer-based learning environments to smartpad-based learning environments, which are based on touch and involve various cognitive strategies such as touch operation and note taking. Accordingly, the use of smartpads can provide an effective learning environment through…

Educators' Preparation to Teach, Perceived Teaching Presence, and Perceived Teaching Presence Behaviors in Blended and Online Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gurley, Lisa E.

2018-01-01

Teaching in blended and online learning environments requires different pedagogical approaches than teaching in face-to-face learning environments. How educators are prepared to teach potentially impacts the quality of instruction provided in blended and online learning courses. Teaching presence is essential to achieving student learning…

Level of Intrinsic Motivation of Distance Education Students in e-Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Firat, Mehmet; Kilinç, Hakan; Yüzer, Tevfik Volkan

2018-01-01

According to researches, motivation that initiates and sustains behaviour is one of the most significant components of learning in any environment. Accordingly, level of intrinsic motivation triggers and sustains the interest of the open and distance education students when it comes to learning on their own in e-learning environments. Despite a…

Learning in 3D Virtual Environments: Collaboration and Knowledge Spirals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burton, Brian G.; Martin, Barbara N.

2010-01-01

The purpose of this case study was to determine if learning occurred within a 3D virtual learning environment by determining if elements of collaboration and Nonaka and Takeuchi's (1995) knowledge spiral were present. A key portion of this research was the creation of a Virtual Learning Environment. This 3D VLE utilized the Torque Game Engine…

Learner Self-Regulation and Web 2.0 Tools Management in Personal Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yen, Cherng-Jyh; Tu, Chih-Hsiung; Sujo-Montes, Laura E.; Armfield, Shadow W. J.; Chan, Junn-Yih

2013-01-01

Web 2.0 technology integration requires a higher level of self-regulated learning skills to create a Personal Learning Environment (PLE). This study examined each of the four aspects of learner self-regulation in online learning (i.e., environment structuring, goal setting, time management, & task strategies) as the predictor for level of…

College Science Students' Perception Gaps in Preferred-Actual Learning Environment in a Reformed Introductory Earth Science Course in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chang, Chun-Yeh; Chang, Yueh-Hsia

2010-01-01

This study used an instrument to examine undergraduate students' preferred and actual learning environment perceptions in an introductory earth science course. The results show that science students expect to learn in a learning environment combining teacher-centred and student-centred approaches. However, an expectation incongruence was found in…

Becoming Bermuda grass: mapping and tracing rhizomes to practice reflexivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murakami, Christopher D.; Siegel, Marcelle A.

2017-09-01

This narrative project used rhizomatic analysis and reflexivity to describe a layered process of responding to a student's identity of non-participation within an undergraduate science classroom. Mapping rhizomes represents an ongoing and experimental process in consciousness. Rhizomatic mapping in educational studies is too often left out of the products of academic pursuits. In this paper, we try to capture this process, and let the process capture us. This manuscript starts with a focus on just one student, but maps our reflexive terrain that helped us think in new ways about persistent problems in science learning. As we decided how to address this student's identity of non-participation, we learned about the intertwined stories of the researchers and the researched and the challenges of designing inclusive learning environments.

Features of an effective operative dentistry learning environment: students' perceptions and relationship with performance.

PubMed

Suksudaj, N; Lekkas, D; Kaidonis, J; Townsend, G C; Winning, T A

2015-02-01

Students' perceptions of their learning environment influence the quality of outcomes they achieve. Learning dental operative techniques in a simulated clinic environment is characterised by reciprocal interactions between skills training, staff- and student-related factors. However, few studies have examined how students perceive their operative learning environments and whether there is a relationship between their perceptions and subsequent performance. Therefore, this study aimed to clarify which learning activities and interactions students perceived as supporting their operative skills learning and to examine relationships with their outcomes. Longitudinal data about examples of operative laboratory sessions that were perceived as effective or ineffective for learning were collected twice a semester, using written critical incidents and interviews. Emergent themes from these data were identified using thematic analysis. Associations between perceptions of learning effectiveness and performance were analysed using chi-square tests. Students indicated that an effective learning environment involved interactions with tutors and peers. This included tutors arranging group discussions to clarify processes and outcomes, providing demonstrations and constructive feedback. Feedback focused on mistakes, and not improvement, was reported as being ineffective for learning. However, there was no significant association between students' perceptions of the effectiveness of their learning experiences and subsequent performance. It was clear that learning in an operative technique setting involved various factors related not only to social interactions and observational aspects of learning but also to cognitive, motivational and affective processes. Consistent with studies that have demonstrated complex interactions between students, their learning environment and outcomes, other factors need investigation. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Personalized Virtual Learning Environment from the Detection of Learning Styles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martínez Cartas, M. L.; Cruz Pérez, N.; Deliche Quesada, D.; Mateo Quero, S.

2013-01-01

Through the previous detection of existing learning styles in a classroom, a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) has been designed for students of several Engineering degrees, using the Learning Management System (LMS) utilized in the University of Jaen, ILIAS. Learning styles of three different Knowledge Areas; Chemical Engineering, Materials…

Dynamic Learner Profiling and Automatic Learner Classification for Adaptive E-Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Premlatha, K. R.; Dharani, B.; Geetha, T. V.

2016-01-01

E-learning allows learners individually to learn "anywhere, anytime" and offers immediate access to specific information. However, learners have different behaviors, learning styles, attitudes, and aptitudes, which affect their learning process, and therefore learning environments need to adapt according to these differences, so as to…

Understanding the science-learning environment: A genetically sensitive approach.

PubMed

Haworth, Claire M A; Davis, Oliver S P; Hanscombe, Ken B; Kovas, Yulia; Dale, Philip S; Plomin, Robert

2013-02-01

Previous studies have shown that environmental influences on school science performance increase in importance from primary to secondary school. Here we assess for the first time the relationship between the science-learning environment and science performance using a genetically sensitive approach to investigate the aetiology of this link. 3000 pairs of 14-year-old twins from the UK Twins Early Development Study reported on their experiences of the science-learning environment and were assessed for their performance in science using a web-based test of scientific enquiry. Multivariate twin analyses were used to investigate the genetic and environmental links between environment and outcome. The most surprising result was that the science-learning environment was almost as heritable (43%) as performance on the science test (50%), and showed negligible shared environmental influence (3%). Genetic links explained most (56%) of the association between learning environment and science outcome, indicating gene-environment correlation.

Mechanisms of hippocampal long-term depression are required for memory enhancement by novelty exploration.

PubMed

Dong, Zhifang; Gong, Bo; Li, Hongjie; Bai, Yanrui; Wu, Xiaoyan; Huang, Yan; He, Wenting; Li, Tingyu; Wang, Yu Tian

2012-08-29

It is well known that novel environments can enhance learning and memory. However, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we report that, in freely moving rats, novelty exploration facilitates the production of hippocampal CA1 long-term depression (LTD), a well characterized form of synaptic plasticity believed to be a cellular substrate of spatial learning, and thereby converts short-term memory (STM) into long-term memory (LTM) in an inhibitory avoidance learning procedure. Blocking the induction or the expression of CA1 LTD with two mechanistically and structurally distinct inhibitors prevents not only novelty acquisition but also the novelty exploration-promoted conversion of STM into LTM. Moreover, production of LTD with a strong electrical stimulation induction protocol or facilitation of hippocampal LTD by pharmacological inhibition of glutamate transporter activity mimics the behavioral effects of novelty exploration, sufficiently promoting the conversion of STM into LTM. Together, our findings suggest that induction of LTD may play an essential role not only in novelty acquisition but also in novelty-mediated memory enhancement.

Online EEG-Based Workload Adaptation of an Arithmetic Learning Environment.

PubMed

Walter, Carina; Rosenstiel, Wolfgang; Bogdan, Martin; Gerjets, Peter; Spüler, Martin

2017-01-01

In this paper, we demonstrate a closed-loop EEG-based learning environment, that adapts instructional learning material online, to improve learning success in students during arithmetic learning. The amount of cognitive workload during learning is crucial for successful learning and should be held in the optimal range for each learner. Based on EEG data from 10 subjects, we created a prediction model that estimates the learner's workload to obtain an unobtrusive workload measure. Furthermore, we developed an interactive learning environment that uses the prediction model to estimate the learner's workload online based on the EEG data and adapt the difficulty of the learning material to keep the learner's workload in an optimal range. The EEG-based learning environment was used by 13 subjects to learn arithmetic addition in the octal number system, leading to a significant learning effect. The results suggest that it is feasible to use EEG as an unobtrusive measure of cognitive workload to adapt the learning content. Further it demonstrates that a promptly workload prediction is possible using a generalized prediction model without the need for a user-specific calibration.

[Social learning as an uncertainty-reduction strategy: an adaptationist approach].

PubMed

Nakanishi, Daisuke; Kameda, Tatsuya; Shinada, Mizuho

2003-04-01

Social learning is an effective mechanism to reduce uncertainty about environmental knowledge, helping individuals adopt an adaptive behavior in the environment at small cost. Although this is evident for learning about temporally stable targets (e.g., acquiring avoidance of toxic foods culturally), the functional value of social learning in a temporally unstable environment is less clear; knowledge acquired by social learning may be outdated. This paper addressed adaptive values of social learning in a non-stationary environment empirically. When individual learning about the non-stationary environment is costly, a hawk-dove-game-like equilibrium is expected to emerge in the population, where members who engage in costly individual learning and members who skip the information search and free-ride on other members' search efforts coexist at a stable ratio. Such a "producer-scrounger" structure should qualify effectiveness of social/cultural learning severely, especially "conformity bias" when using social information (Boyd & Richerson, 1985). We tested these predictions by an experiment implementing a non-stationary uncertain environment in a laboratory. The results supported our thesis. Implications of these findings and some future directions were discussed.

The Software Engineering Laboratory: An operational software experience factory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Basili, Victor R.; Caldiera, Gianluigi; Mcgarry, Frank; Pajerski, Rose; Page, Gerald; Waligora, Sharon

1992-01-01

For 15 years, the Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) has been carrying out studies and experiments for the purpose of understanding, assessing, and improving software and software processes within a production software development environment at NASA/GSFC. The SEL comprises three major organizations: (1) NASA/GSFC, Flight Dynamics Division; (2) University of Maryland, Department of Computer Science; and (3) Computer Sciences Corporation, Flight Dynamics Technology Group. These organizations have jointly carried out several hundred software studies, producing hundreds of reports, papers, and documents, all of which describe some aspect of the software engineering technology that was analyzed in the flight dynamics environment at NASA. The studies range from small, controlled experiments (such as analyzing the effectiveness of code reading versus that of functional testing) to large, multiple project studies (such as assessing the impacts of Ada on a production environment). The organization's driving goal is to improve the software process continually, so that sustained improvement may be observed in the resulting products. This paper discusses the SEL as a functioning example of an operational software experience factory and summarizes the characteristics of and major lessons learned from 15 years of SEL operations.

Engaging Learners through Interactive Media: Findings and Implications from a Technology Enhanced Problem-Based Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Horton, Lucas; Liu, Min; Olmanson, Justin; Toprac, Paul

2011-01-01

In this paper we explore students' engagement in a new media enhanced problem-based learning (PBL) environment and investigate the characteristics of these environments that facilitate learning. We investigated both student experiences using a new media enhanced PBL environment and the specific elements students found most supportive of their…

A Computer Environment for Beginners' Learning of Sorting Algorithms: Design and Pilot Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kordaki, M.; Miatidis, M.; Kapsampelis, G.

2008-01-01

This paper presents the design, features and pilot evaluation study of a web-based environment--the SORTING environment--for the learning of sorting algorithms by secondary level education students. The design of this environment is based on modeling methodology, taking into account modern constructivist and social theories of learning while at…

Examine Middle School Students' Constructivist Environment Perceptions in Turkey: School Location and Class Size

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yigit, Nevzat; Alpaslan, Muhammet Mustafa; Cinemre, Yasin; Balcin, Bilal

2017-01-01

This study aims to examine the middle school students' perceptions of the classroom learning environment in the science course in Turkey in terms of school location and class size. In the study the Assessing of Constructivist Learning Environment (ACLE) questionnaire was utilized to map students' perceptions of the classroom learning environment.…

An Experimental Comparison of the Flexibility in the Use of Thinking Styles in Traditional and Hypermedia Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fan, Weiqiao

2012-01-01

The objective of the instructional experiment was to examine if the use of thinking styles is flexible in traditional and hypermedia learning environments, and if a hypermedia learning environment possesses obvious advantages than a traditional environment in adapting to students with different thinking styles. The participant university students…

Impact of audio narrated animation on students' understanding and learning environment based on gender

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nasrudin, Ajeng Ratih; Setiawan, Wawan; Sanjaya, Yayan

2017-05-01

This study is titled the impact of audio narrated animation on students' understanding in learning humanrespiratory system based on gender. This study was conducted in eight grade of junior high school. This study aims to investigate the difference of students' understanding and learning environment at boys and girls classes in learning human respiratory system using audio narrated animation. Research method that is used is quasy experiment with matching pre-test post-test comparison group design. The procedures of study are: (1) preliminary study and learning habituation using audio narrated animation; (2) implementation of learning using audio narrated animation and taking data; (3) analysis and discussion. The result of analysis shows that there is significant difference on students' understanding and learning environment at boys and girls classes in learning human respiratory system using audio narrated animation, both in general and specifically in achieving learning indicators. The discussion related to the impact of audio narrated animation, gender characteristics, and constructivist learning environment. It can be concluded that there is significant difference of students' understanding at boys and girls classes in learning human respiratory system using audio narrated animation. Additionally, based on interpretation of students' respond, there is the difference increment of agreement level in learning environment.

Invited Reaction: Influences of Formal Learning, Personal Learning Orientation, and Supportive Learning Environment on Informal Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cseh, Maria; Manikoth, Nisha N.

2011-01-01

As the authors of the preceding article (Choi and Jacobs, 2011) have noted, the workplace learning literature shows evidence of the complementary and integrated nature of formal and informal learning in the development of employee competencies. The importance of supportive learning environments in the workplace and of employees' personal learning…

Investigating Agricultural Instructors' Attitudes toward E-Learning in Iran

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mohammadi, Davoud; Hosseini, Seyed Mahmoud; Fami, Hossein Shabanali

2011-01-01

With the rapid changes in all types of learning and teaching environments, there is a need to implement electronic learning (e-learning) to train students with new technologies. However the trend of using e-learning as learning and/or teaching tool is now rapidly expanding into education. Although e-learning environments are popular, there is…

Effects of Situated Mobile Learning Approach on Learning Motivation and Performance of EFL Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huang, Chester S. J.; Yang, Stephen J. H.; Chiang, Tosti H. C.; Su, Addison Y. S.

2016-01-01

This study developed a 5-step vocabulary learning (FSVL) strategy and a mobile learning tool in a situational English vocabulary learning environment and assessed their effects on the learning motivation and performance of English as a foreign language (EFL) students in a situational English vocabulary learning environment. Overall, 80 EFL…

Student Motivation in Constructivist Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cetin-Dindar, Ayla

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relation between constructivist learning environment and students'motivation to learn science by testing whether students' self-efficacy in learning science, intrinsically and extrinsically motivated science learning increase and students' anxiety about science assessment decreases when more…

A descriptive, cross-sectional study of medical student preferences for vodcast design, format and pedagogical approach.

PubMed

Pettit, Robin K; Kinney, Marjorie; McCoy, Lise

2017-05-19

Vodcasts (video podcasts) are becoming increasingly popular in medical education. At A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona (ATSU SOMA), vodcasts are an essential component of our blended learning environment, where year 2-4 students train in a contextual setting at community health centers across the U.S. Vodcasts are used far less frequently in our year 1 residential learning environment at the main campus in Arizona, but we are considering moving to significantly more interactive educational experiences with on-demand videos followed by in-class activities. The aim of this study was to determine stakeholder (i.e. medical student) preferences for vodcast design, format, and pedagogical strategies. The overall goal was to increase opportunities for students to learn with this modality. An interactive Qualtrics™ survey was administered to three cohorts of medical students. The survey generated quantitative and open-ended response data that addressed principles of vodcast instructional design and learning. Responses to survey items were analyzed for statistical significance using the independent samples t-test for interval data, the chi-square test for categorical data, and the Kruskal-Wallis test for ordinal data, using the post-hoc Bonferroni procedure to determine the appropriate α level. Responses to open-ended prompts were categorized using open- and axial-coding. The most highly valued vodcast attributes, considered essential by all three cohorts, were clear explanations, organization, conciseness, high-yield for medical board exams, and the ability to speed vodcasts up. The least helpful vodcast attributes for all three cohorts were music and objects moving on screen. The average preferred vodcast length for each cohort was 27-28 min. There were significant differences between the less experienced learners in the residential setting and the more mature learners in the blended learning environment regarding certain vodcast attribute preferences, format of included practice questions, explanations for preferred vodcast lengths, and reasons for not viewing vodcasts. Overall, learner preferences were in line with non-interactive, screen-capture type vodcasts, which have lower demands on institutional cost and faculty production time than Flash™-type interactive vodcasts. Students in the blended learning environment were much more focused on vodcast features that decreased their time commitment, including a preference for noninteractive vodcasts. Given the increase in distance learning in medical education, our results should be of value to other medical programs.

Theoretical Foundations of Learning Environments. Second Edition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jonassen, David, Ed.; Land, Susan, Ed.

2012-01-01

"Theoretical Foundations of Learning Environments" provides students, faculty, and instructional designers with a clear, concise introduction to the major pedagogical and psychological theories and their implications for the design of new learning environments for schools, universities, or corporations. Leading experts describe the most…

Development of Web-Based Learning Environment Model to Enhance Cognitive Skills for Undergraduate Students in the Field of Electrical Engineering

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lakonpol, Thongmee; Ruangsuwan, Chaiyot; Terdtoon, Pradit

2015-01-01

This research aimed to develop a web-based learning environment model for enhancing cognitive skills of undergraduate students in the field of electrical engineering. The research is divided into 4 phases: 1) investigating the current status and requirements of web-based learning environment models. 2) developing a web-based learning environment…

A Study of Learning and Motivation in a New Media Enriched Environment for Middle School Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Min; Horton, Lucas; Olmanson, Justin; Toprac, Paul

2011-01-01

This study examines middle school students' learning and motivation as they engaged in a new media enriched problem-based learning (PBL) environment for middle school science. Using a mixed-method design with both quantitative and qualitative data, we investigated the effect of a new media environment on sixth graders' science learning, their…

A Drawing and Multi-Representational Computer Environment for Beginners' Learning of Programming Using C: Design and Pilot Formative Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kordaki, Maria

2010-01-01

This paper presents both the design and the pilot formative evaluation study of a computer-based problem-solving environment (named LECGO: Learning Environment for programming using C using Geometrical Objects) for the learning of computer programming using C by beginners. In its design, constructivist and social learning theories were taken into…

When Are Powerful Learning Environments Effective? The Role of Learner Activities and of Students' Conceptions of Educational Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gerjets, Peter H.; Hesse, Friedrich W.

2004-01-01

The goal of this chapter is to outline a theoretical and empirical perspective on how learners' conceptions of educational technology might influence their learning activities and thereby determine the power of computer-based learning environments. Starting with an introduction to the concept of powerful learning environments we outline how recent…

Quality of the Home Learning Environment during Preschool Age--Domains and Contextual Conditions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kluczniok, Katharina; Lehrl, Simone; Kuger, Susanne; Rossbach, Hans-Guenther

2013-01-01

The quality of the home learning environment has been proven to be of major importance for child development, but little is known about the role of domain specificity in promoting early childhood learning at home and its dependence on family background. This article presents a framework of the home learning environment in early childhood that…

Conceptualization, Development and Validation of an Instrument for Investigating Elements of Undergraduate Physics Laboratory Learning Environments: The UPLLES (Undergraduate Physics Laboratory Learning Environment Survey)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, Gregory P; Meldrum, Al; Beamish, John

2013-01-01

First-year undergraduate physics laboratories are important physics learning environments. However, there is a lack of empirically informed literature regarding how students perceive their overall laboratory learning experiences. Recipe formats persist as the dominant form of instructional design in these sites, and these formats do not adequately…

Designing a Secure Exam Management System (SEMS) for M-Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaiiali, Mustafa; Ozkaya, Armagan; Altun, Halis; Haddad, Hatem; Alier, Marc

2016-01-01

M-learning has enhanced the e-learning by making the learning process learner-centered. However, enforcing exam security in open environments where each student has his/her own mobile/tablet device connected to a Wi-Fi network through which it is further connected to the Internet can be one of the most challenging tasks. In such environments,…

Research Results of Two Personal Learning Environments Experiments in a Higher Education Institution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marín Juarros, Victoria; Salinas Ibáñez, Jesús; de Benito Crosetti, Bárbara

2014-01-01

This paper focuses on institutionally powered personal learning environments (iPLEs). The concept of the iPLE can be seen as a way universities can incorporate learner-centred approach into the architecture of their technology-enhanced learning environments. The aim of this paper is to pose that there are other ways to learn complementary to…

Reflective Practicum in Higher Education: The Influence of the Learning Environment on the Quality of Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bruno, Andreina; Dell'Aversana, Giuseppina

2018-01-01

Sustaining students in becoming reflective practitioners is considered as a valued outcome of higher education. The paper aims to evaluate the impact of the learning environment conditions inspired by Schön's theory of reflective practicum, by discussing a case study of a master's degree class. The learning environment was designed to sustain…

The evolution of continuous learning of the structure of the environment

PubMed Central

Kolodny, Oren; Edelman, Shimon; Lotem, Arnon

2014-01-01

Continuous, ‘always on’, learning of structure from a stream of data is studied mainly in the fields of machine learning or language acquisition, but its evolutionary roots may go back to the first organisms that were internally motivated to learn and represent their environment. Here, we study under what conditions such continuous learning (CL) may be more adaptive than simple reinforcement learning and examine how it could have evolved from the same basic associative elements. We use agent-based computer simulations to compare three learning strategies: simple reinforcement learning; reinforcement learning with chaining (RL-chain) and CL that applies the same associative mechanisms used by the other strategies, but also seeks statistical regularities in the relations among all items in the environment, regardless of the initial association with food. We show that a sufficiently structured environment favours the evolution of both RL-chain and CL and that CL outperforms the other strategies when food is relatively rare and the time for learning is limited. This advantage of internally motivated CL stems from its ability to capture statistical patterns in the environment even before they are associated with food, at which point they immediately become useful for planning. PMID:24402920

Virtual Learning Environment for Interactive Engagement with Advanced Quantum Mechanics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pedersen, Mads Kock; Skyum, Birk; Heck, Robert; Müller, Romain; Bason, Mark; Lieberoth, Andreas; Sherson, Jacob F.

2016-06-01

A virtual learning environment can engage university students in the learning process in ways that the traditional lectures and lab formats cannot. We present our virtual learning environment StudentResearcher, which incorporates simulations, multiple-choice quizzes, video lectures, and gamification into a learning path for quantum mechanics at the advanced university level. StudentResearcher is built upon the experiences gathered from workshops with the citizen science game Quantum Moves at the high-school and university level, where the games were used extensively to illustrate the basic concepts of quantum mechanics. The first test of this new virtual learning environment was a 2014 course in advanced quantum mechanics at Aarhus University with 47 enrolled students. We found increased learning for the students who were more active on the platform independent of their previous performances.

Students' perceptions of constructivist Internet learning environments by a physics virtual laboratory: the gap between ideal and reality and gender differences.

PubMed

Chuang, Shih-Chyueh; Hwang, Fu-Kwun; Tsai, Chin-Chung

2008-04-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of Internet users of a physics virtual laboratory, Demolab, in Taiwan. Learners' perceptions of Internet-based learning environments were explored and the role of gender was examined by using preferred and actual forms of a revised Constructivist Internet-based Learning Environment Survey (CILES). The students expressed a clear gap between ideal and reality, and they showed higher preferences for many features of constructivist Internet-based learning environments than for features they had actually learned in Demolab. The results further suggested that male users prefer to be involved in the process of discussion and to show critical judgments. In addition, male users indicated they enjoyed the process of negotiation and discussion with others and were able to engage in reflective thoughts while learning in Demolab. In light of these findings, male users seemed to demonstrate better adaptability to the constructivist Internet-based learning approach than female users did. Although this study indicated certain differences between males and females in their responses to Internet-based learning environments, they also shared numerous similarities. A well-established constructivist Internet-based learning environment may encourage more female learners to participate in the science community.

Appreciation of learning environment and development of higher-order learning skills in a problem-based learning medical curriculum.

PubMed

Mala-Maung; Abdullah, Azman; Abas, Zoraini W

2011-12-01

This cross-sectional study determined the appreciation of the learning environment and development of higher-order learning skills among students attending the Medical Curriculum at the International Medical University, Malaysia which provides traditional and e-learning resources with an emphasis on problem based learning (PBL) and self-directed learning. Of the 708 participants, the majority preferred traditional to e-resources. Students who highly appreciated PBL demonstrated a higher appreciation of e-resources. Appreciation of PBL is positively and significantly correlated with higher-order learning skills, reflecting the inculcation of self-directed learning traits. Implementers must be sensitive to the progress of learners adapting to the higher education environment and innovations, and to address limitations as relevant.

Investigating engagement, thinking, and learning among culturally diverse, urban sixth graders experiencing an inquiry-based science curriculum, contextualized in the local environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kelley, Sybil Schantz

This mixed-methods study combined pragmatism, sociocultural perspectives, and systems thinking concepts to investigate students' engagement, thinking, and learning in science in an urban, K-8 arts, science, and technology magnet school. A grant-funded school-university partnership supported the implementation of an inquiry-based science curriculum, contextualized in the local environment through field experiences. The researcher worked as co-teacher of 3 sixth-grade science classes and was deeply involved in the daily routines of the school. The purposes of the study were to build a deeper understanding of the complex interactions that take place in an urban science classroom, including challenges related to implementing culturally-relevant instruction; and to offer insight into the role educational systems play in supporting teaching and learning. The central hypothesis was that connecting learning to meaningful experiences in the local environment can provide culturally accessible points of engagement from which to build science learning. Descriptive measures provided an assessment of students' engagement in science activities, as well as their levels of thinking and learning throughout the school year. Combined with analyses of students' work files and focus group responses, these findings provided strong evidence of engagement attributable to the inquiry-based curriculum. In some instances, degree of engagement was found to be affected by student "reluctance" and "resistance," terms defined but needing further examination. A confounding result showed marked increases in thinking levels coupled with stasis or decrease in learning. Congruent with past studies, data indicated the presence of tension between the diverse cultures of students and the mainstream cultures of school and science. Findings were synthesized with existing literature to generate the study's principal product, a grounded theory model representing the complex, interacting factors involved in teaching and learning. The model shows that to support learning and to overcome cultural tensions, there must be alignment among three main forces or "causal factors": students, teaching, and school climate. Conclusions emphasize system-level changes to support science learning, including individualized support for students in the form of differentiated instruction; focus on excellence in teaching, particularly through career-spanning professional support for teachers; and attention to identifying key leverage points for implementing effective change.

Examining Self-Determination in a Service Learning Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levesque-Bristol, Chantal; Stanek, Layla R.

2009-01-01

This article examines students' perceptions of the learning environment in a service learning research course and increases in student motivation and skill development. According to self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985), positive learning environments increase levels of student motivation and learning outcomes. Survey responses…

eLearning--Theories, Design, Software and Applications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ghislandi, Patrizia, Ed.

2012-01-01

Chapters in this book include: (1) New e-Learning Environments: e-Merging Networks in the Relational Society (Blanca C. Garcia); (2) Knowledge Building in E-Learning (Xinyu Zhang and Lu Yuhao); (3) E-Learning and Desired Learning Outcomes (Ralph Palliam); (4) Innovative E-Learning Solutions and Environments for Small and Medium Sized Companies…

Toward a Learner-Centered System for Adult Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hermans, Henry; Kalz, Marco; Koper, Rob

2013-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present an e-learning system that integrates the use of concepts of virtual learning environments, personal learning environments, and social network sites. The system is based on a learning model which comprises and integrates three learning contexts for the adult learner: the formal, instructional…

An Ontology to Support the Classification of Learning Material in an Organizational Learning Environment: An Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Valaski, Joselaine; Reinehr, Sheila; Malucelli, Andreia

2017-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this research was to evaluate whether ontology integrated in an organizational learning environment may support the automatic learning material classification in a specific knowledge area. Design/methodology/approach: An ontology for recommending learning material was integrated in the organizational learning environment…

Learning Tools for Knowledge Nomads: Using Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) in Web-based Learning Environments.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Loh, Christian Sebastian

2001-01-01

Examines how mobile computers, or personal digital assistants (PDAs), can be used in a Web-based learning environment. Topics include wireless networks on college campuses; online learning; Web-based learning technologies; synchronous and asynchronous communication via the Web; content resources; Web connections; and collaborative learning. (LRW)

Implementation of 3D virtual learning environment to improve students’ cognitive achievement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rasim; Langi, A. Z. R.; Rosmansyah, Y.; Munir

2018-05-01

Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) has been widely used in assisting learning. This study aims to implement VLE-based learning in software engineering course. VLE provides many facilities for learning. In this research, VLE components used were presenter and quiz chair components. Evaluation results showed a significant difference from classical learning.

An Assistive Computerized Learning Environment for Distance Learning Students with Learning Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klemes, Joel; Epstein, Alit; Zuker, Michal; Grinberg, Nira; Ilovitch, Tamar

2006-01-01

The current study examines how a computerized learning environment assists students with learning disabilities (LD) enrolled in a distance learning course at the Open University of Israel. The technology provides computer display of the text, synchronized with auditory output and accompanied by additional computerized study skill tools which…