scholarly journals Patterns and principles for blended synchronous learning: Engaging remote and face-to-face learners in rich-media real-time collaborative activities

2014 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Matt Bower ◽  
Jacqueline Kenney ◽  
Barney Dalgarno ◽  
Mark J. W. Lee ◽  
Gregor E. Kennedy
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Collaborative Design ◽  
Class Discussion ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Media Technologies ◽  
Synchronous Learning ◽  
Rich Media ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Tightly Coupled

<p class="Abstractandkeywordsstyle">Blended synchronous learning involves using rich-media technologies to enable remote and face-to-face students to jointly participate in the same live classes. This article presents blended synchronous learning designs from seven case studies that were part of a project funded by the Australian Government Office for Learning and Teaching and articulates principles for implementation as espoused by the teachers who enacted them. A wide range of technologies (including video conferencing, web conferencing and virtual worlds), tasks (namely collaborative evaluation, group questioning, class discussion, problem solving and collaborative design) and levels of student interaction (from lightweight to tightly coupled) were present within the designs. The main issues that teachers confronted when facilitating blended synchronous lessons were those relating to communication and those relating to cognitive overload caused by split attention. Key pedagogical principles for enactment as identified by the lead teachers included the need for extensive preparation, clear instructions, composure, flexibility, advance preparation of students and savvy utilisation of support staff.</p><p class="Abstractandkeywordsstyle"> </p>

scholarly journals Co-creation in learning and teaching: the case for a whole-class approach in higher education

2019 ◽  
Vol 79 (6) ◽  
pp. 1023-1037 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Bovill
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Small Groups ◽  
Education Sector ◽  
International Literature ◽  
Positive Relationships ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Whole Class

AbstractThere is a wide range of activity in the higher education sector labelled ‘students as partners’ and ‘co-creation in learning and teaching’. Several frameworks have been proposed to map and categorise existing partnership and co-creation roles, activities, research, and practice. In this paper, I synthesise some of these frameworks to illustrate how the predominant focus in the international literature has been on partnership projects that select small groups of often already super-engaged or privileged students to participate. In contrast, co-creation in learning and teaching, embedded within the curriculum and involving a whole class of students, has been largely overlooked. I explore the potential of co-creating learning and teaching with a whole class of students (including face-to-face, blended, and online settings, and including lectures, tutorials, laboratories, and other methods of teaching); in other words, it is co-creation integral to students’ programmes and courses of study. I argue that whole-class approaches to co-creation may be inherently more inclusive of students than other approaches to co-creation and that this approach both relies upon, and contributes towards, building positive relationships between staff and students, and between students and students. I explore some of the challenges of whole-class co-creation in learning and teaching, and I also argue that the benefits suggest this is currently an underutilised and researched approach internationally.

scholarly journals How Are Australian and New Zealand Higher Educators Using 3D Immersive Virtual Worlds in Their Teaching?

2013 ◽  
pp. 169-188
Author(s):  
Mark J.W. Lee ◽  
Barney Dalgarno ◽  
Sue Gregory ◽  
Lauren Carlson ◽  
Belinda Tynan
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Research Design ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Virtual World ◽  
Scoping Study ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Delivery Modes ◽  
The Subject

Numerous papers have been published reporting on specific applications of 3D immersive virtual worlds in higher education, but there have been few attempts to systematically analyse and document views, experiences and applications across the sector. Presented in this chapter are selected results and findings from a questionnaire (n = 117), which was administered as part of a DEHub-funded scoping study of the use of 3D immersive virtual worlds in Australia and New Zealand for learning and teaching in distance/online, face-to-face and blended settings. The overall research design of the scoping study is discussed, followed by selected information from the questionnaire responses about the 100 subjects in which the technology was reported to have been used. This includes statistics on the subject levels, discipline areas, delivery modes, virtual world platforms used and whether the virtual world-based tasks were compulsory and/or assessable. Finally, the chapter reports on data collected from a subset of the respondents who provided more detailed information about their subjects in a number of areas, namely the nature of the in-world activities undertaken by students, the funding and support obtained for the initiative, whether dedicated development was carried out, views on the most successful aspects and the problems encountered.

Finding Healthcare Support in Online Communities: An Exploration of the Evolution and Efficacy of Virtual Support Groups

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Donna Z. Davis ◽  
Willemien Calitz
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Chronic Illness ◽  
Support Groups ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Clear Understanding ◽  
User Privacy ◽  
Online Social Support ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Media Technologies ◽  
Virtual Support

With the advent of social media technologies, debate continues to swirl around the ability of these technologies to either connect or isolate. Healthcare support communities represent an especially vulnerable population who can potentially gain most significantly from the ability to connect via online social support groups. This paper reviews current literature on the efficacy of online social support groups, with a particular interest in 3-D online social virtual worlds. The literature reveals the importance of social support in general; of finding support online in these mediated environments; and the strengths and weaknesses in the current technologies that offer virtual healthcare support groups. Characteristics of social virtual worlds including persistence, anonymity, 24/7 access to individuals globally, and virtual embodiment reveal powerful potential to build support online. For example, individuals with disabilities, chronic illness, or mental illness may not have physical or social resources necessary to get to face-to-face support groups yet the literature also finds that they may find meaningful support in avatar form.Finally, the literature also frequently cites the growing need for a clear understanding of user privacy, informed consent, intellectual property and ethics in research in this arena. As cost and access to healthcare and social support may become more challenging, access to support online is becoming more mainstream with tremendous opportunity, especially for individuals whose lives are limited by chronic illness or disability.

A Study on Learners’ Readiness and Perceptions of the Implementation of Blended Learning in UiTM Kedah

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 41
Author(s):  
Robekhah Harun ◽  
Zetty Harisha Harun ◽  
Laura Christ Dass
Keyword(s):  
Blended Learning ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Learning Approaches ◽  
Learner Readiness ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Online Assessments ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
On Line ◽  
Learning Institutions

The increase in student enrolment and the need  to cater to students of diverse backgrounds have led to the adoption of blended learning in many higher learning institutions. Blended learning, which allows both face to face interaction and on-line delivery, has been adopted into many curricula. One such institution is University Technology MARA which is slowly introducing features of blended learning in its course syllabus beginning with practice to online assessments. However, to ensure successful implementation of blended learning as part of the curricula, there are several aspects for consideration such as learner and teacher readiness for blended learning. This paper examines issues regarding the use of blended learning as a delivery method at UiTM Kedah . The discussion in this paper focuses on learner’ readiness and perceptions of the blended learning environment. The data collected for this study are responses from learners to a questionnaire survey. The research findings form the basis for recommendations for the development of learning and teaching practices using blended learning approaches to enhance learners' learning experiences.  

Reading Beyond the Code

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Relevance Theory ◽  
Literary Studies ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Human Communication ◽  
Communicative Acts ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Code Model ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Central Claim

This book explores the value for literary studies of relevance theory, an inferential approach to communication in which the expression and recognition of intentions plays a major role. Drawing on a wide range of examples from lyric poetry and the novel, nine of the ten chapters are written by literary specialists and use relevance theory both as an overall framework and as a resource for detailed analysis. The final chapter, written by the co-founder of relevance theory, reviews the issues addressed by the volume and explores their implications for cognitive theories of how communicative acts are interpreted in context. Originally designed to explain how people understand each other in everyday face-to-face exchanges, relevance theory—described in an early review by a literary scholar as ‘the makings of a radically new theory of communication, the first since Aristotle’s’—sheds light on the whole spectrum of human modes of communication, including literature in the broadest sense. Reading Beyond the Code is unique in using relevance theory as a prime resource for literary study, and is also the first to apply the model to a range of phenomena widely seen as supporting an ‘embodied’ conception of cognition and language where sensorimotor processes play a key role. This broadened perspective serves to enhance the value for literary studies of the central claim of relevance theory: that the ‘code model’ is fundamentally inadequate to account for human communication, and in particular for the modes of communication that are proper to literature.

scholarly journals Controlling Teleportation-Based Locomotion in Virtual Reality with Hand Gestures: A Comparative Evaluation of Two-Handed and One-Handed Techniques

Electronics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 715
Author(s):  
Alexander Schäfer ◽  
Gerd Reis ◽  
Didier Stricker
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
User Preferences ◽  
Interaction Techniques ◽  
Hand Gestures ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Effectiveness And Efficiency ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Additional Hardware ◽  
Comprehensive Study

Virtual Reality (VR) technology offers users the possibility to immerse and freely navigate through virtual worlds. An important component for achieving a high degree of immersion in VR is locomotion. Often discussed in the literature, a natural and effective way of controlling locomotion is still a general problem which needs to be solved. Recently, VR headset manufacturers have been integrating more sensors, allowing hand or eye tracking without any additional required equipment. This enables a wide range of application scenarios with natural freehand interaction techniques where no additional hardware is required. This paper focuses on techniques to control teleportation-based locomotion with hand gestures, where users are able to move around in VR using their hands only. With the help of a comprehensive study involving 21 participants, four different techniques are evaluated. The effectiveness and efficiency as well as user preferences of the presented techniques are determined. Two two-handed and two one-handed techniques are evaluated, revealing that it is possible to move comfortable and effectively through virtual worlds with a single hand only.

scholarly journals Effects of self-management education programmes on self-efficacy for osteoarthritis of the knee: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daisuke Uritani ◽  
Hitoshi Koda ◽  
Sho Sugita
Keyword(s):  
Health Professionals ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Randomised Controlled Trials ◽  
Management Education ◽  
Self Management ◽  
Controlled Trials ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Knee Oa ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Randomised Controlled

Abstract Background Enhancing self-efficacy to manage symptoms and functions is an important aspect of self-management for patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). Many reports have investigated the effects of self-management education programmes for arthritis patients. However, a study that exclusively focuses on patients with OA in the same joints is required to clarify the effects of self-management programmes because individuals with knee OA experience physical and psychological difficulties different from those experienced by individuals with other arthritis diseases. Furthermore, previous studies have reported a wide range of delivery styles of self-management education programmes. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the effects of group-based and face-to-face self-management education programmes conducted by health professionals targeting self-efficacy for knee OA exclusively. Methods The MEDLINE, CENTRAL, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science, and PEDro databases were searched to identify quantitative measures used in randomised controlled trials (RCTs) to assess the effects of self-management education programmes targeting self-efficacy in patients with knee OA. We included studies in which medical professional-delivered self-management education programmes were conducted in a group-based and face-to-face manner in community or outpatient settings. Results Seven RCTs from five countries were included in this review. Our retrieved studies included various types of self-management education programmes such as cognitive behavioural counselling, pain management education, physical education, weight management education, and arthritis self-efficacy management education, and control arms. They assessed various aspects of self-efficacy, including pain, physical function, arthritis symptoms excluding pain, weight management, mobility, and self-regulation. The total score of the Arthritis Self-Efficacy Scale was also measured. Some studies have reported beneficial effects of group-based and face-to-face self-management education programmes on self-efficacy for management of pain and other symptoms and for self-regulatory, knee OA. However, the results of the included studies were varied and inconsistent. Conclusions The current review only included seven studies, and there was a wide range of clinical heterogeneity among these studies. Thus, the effects of group-based and face-to-face self-management education programmes conducted by health professionals on self-efficacy for knee OA exclusively are inconclusive to date. Therefore, high-quality studies are required to provide significant information on clinicians, patients, and healthcare professionals in the future.

scholarly journals Second Life as a research environment: avatar-based focus groups (AFG)

2016 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eman Gadalla ◽  
Ibrahim Abosag ◽  
Kathy Keeling
Keyword(s):  
Focus Groups ◽  
Data Quality ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Marketing Research ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages

Purpose – This study aims to examine the nature and the potential use of avatar-based focus groups (AFGs) (i.e. focus groups conducted in three-dimensional [3D] virtual worlds [VWs]) as compared to face-to-face and online focus groups (OFGs), motivated by the ability of VWs to stimulate the realism of physical places. Over the past decade, there has been a rapid increase in using 3D VWs as a research tool. Design/methodology/approach – Using a two-phase reflective approach, data were collected first by using traditional face-to-face focus groups, followed by AFGs. In Phase 2, an online, semi-structured survey provided comparison data and experiences in AFGs, two-dimensional OFGs and traditional face-to-face focus groups. Findings – The findings identify the advantages and disadvantages of AFGs for marketing research. There is no evident difference in data quality between the results of AFGs and face-to-face focus groups. AFG compensates for some of the serious limitations associated with OFGs. Practical implications – The paper reflects on three issues, data quality, conduct of AFGs (including the moderator reflection) and participant experience, that together inform one’s understanding of the characteristics, advantages and limitations of AFG. Originality/value – This is the first paper to compare between AFGs, traditional face-to-face focus groups and OFGs. AFG holds many advantages over OFGs and even, sometimes, over face-to-face focus groups, providing a suitable environment for researchers to collect data.

VIRTUAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS FOR ESL COURSES

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 239-243
Author(s):  
Ana-Maria CHISEGA-NEGRILĂ
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environments ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Virtual Learning ◽  
Virtual Learning Environments ◽  
Foreign Languages ◽  
Esl Students ◽  
Online Teaching And Learning ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Face To Face

Abstract: As the time in which online teaching and learning was still an element of novelty has long been gone, virtual learning environments have to be studied thoroughly so that they will provide students not only with the necessary knowledge, but also with the proper tools to meet their learning objectives. The advancement in information technology and the access to an almost inordinate number of learning and teaching tools should have already been fructified and, as a result, not only teachers, but also learners should have already picked up the fruit of knowledge grown in the vast virtual environment of the Internet. However, as education has recently moved almost entirely online, some questions have arisen. Are the Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) enough to offer ESL students both motivation and knowledge? Will foreign languages benefit from this growing trend or will traditional, face-to-face interaction, prove to have been more efficient? The present article will look into some of these questions and into the benefits of VLEs in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Active Learning Online

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Viktor Wang ◽  
Leslie Hitch ◽  
Geraldine Torrisi-Steele
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Active Learning ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Strategic Learning ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Current Century ◽  
Teaching Goal ◽  
Current Article

Preparing graduates for the present and future workforce is an important strategic learning and teaching goal of higher education. Towards realizing this goal, institutions are expending significant effort promoting active learning as an institution-wide teaching approach. Active learning defined as learners deeply participating in the learning process are being increasingly used in face-to-face contexts, but can it be used just as effectively in the online environments now common in higher education? In their 2017 paper, the authors established that active learning online is certainly possible. In this current article the authors assert that not only is active learning online possible, but that it is a necessity to bolster workforce and higher order thinking skills needed in this current century. Importantly, the faculties have a crucial role to play in implementing active learning online, and active learning online permeate the whole of the online learning experience within courses.

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