Most recent papers:

• Using learning analytics to explore self‐regulated learning in flipped blended learning music teacher education.
  Amanda P. Montgomery, Amin Mousavi, Michael Carbonaro, Denyse V. Hayward, William Dunn.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. October 09, 2017
  Blended learning (BL) is a popular e‐Learning model in higher education that has the potential to take advantage of learning analytics (LA) to support student learning. This study utilized LA to investigate fourth‐year undergraduates' (n = 157) use of self‐regulated learning (SRL) within the online components of a previously unexamined BL discipline, Music Teacher Education. SRL behaviors were captured unobtrusively in real time through students' interaction with course materials in Moodle. Categorized by function: (1) activating—online access location, day‐of‐the‐week, time‐of‐day; (2) sustaining—online frequency; and (3) structuring—online regularity and exam review patterns, all six SRL behaviors were revealed to have weak to moderate significant relationships with academic achievement. Results indicated access day‐of‐the‐week and access frequency as the strongest predictors for student success. Findings regarding access regularity when viewed through results from previous SRL‐LA research may suggest the importance of this SRL behavior for successful students within several BL discipline areas. In addition, the role of learning design (eg, flipped instruction) in potentially scaffolding students' choices toward specific SRL behaviors, was revealed as an important context for future researchers' consideration.

  October 09, 2017   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12590   open full text
• Taking an instrumental genesis lens: New insights into collaborative mobile learning.
  Teresa Cerratto Pargman, Jalal Nouri, Marcelo Milrad.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. October 04, 2017
  In this paper, we argue that in order to gain a deeper understanding of collaborative mobile learning in schools, it is important to know not only how mobile devices affect collaborative learning but also how collaborative learning emerges and is mediated by these devices. We develop our argument by applying the instrumental genesis theory and the collective instrumented activities and situations model for the analysis of learners' collaborative learning in the tablet‐mediated classroom. This analysis is grounded in data collected in four elementary Swedish schools (ie, from fourth to eighth grade). From the data, we considered the learners' conversation in English as a foreign language, inquiry‐based learning in the natural sciences classroom and game‐based learning in the arithmetic classroom. On the one hand, the scrutiny of these specific activities led us to distinguish the pragmatic, epistemic, and reflexive instrumental mediations that have already been theorized in the instrumental genesis theory. On the other hand, they helped us to identify two additional ones, which we call emotional and spatial. Based on these findings, we claim that collaboration in the tablet‐mediated classroom is a complex activity that emerges from a variety of instrumental mediations that configure contemporary collaborative mobile learning.

  October 04, 2017   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12585   open full text
• Toward personal and emotional connectivity in mobile higher education through asynchronous formative audio feedback.
  Päivi Rasi, Hanna Vuojärvi.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. October 03, 2017
  This study aims to develop asynchronous formative audio feedback practices for mobile learning in higher education settings. The development was conducted in keeping with the principles of design‐based research. The research activities focused on an inter‐university online course, within which the use of instructor audio feedback was tested, analyzed and developed further. Participants in this study were students (n = 50) from four Finnish universities who enrolled in the 7‐week course. The teaching approach of the course could best be characterized as collaborative case‐based mobile learning. Furthermore, we employed a novel formative audio feedback practice that has been inspired by and follows the peer‐review practices employed by scientific journals. In particular, we wanted to find out how students experienced the use of audio feedback in terms of utility, emotional support and learning. Research data was gathered through a questionnaire to the course students, transcribed audio feedback provided for the students and students' performance results. The study indicates that the novel formative audio feedback practice was successful in promoting the emotional engagement of students and personal connectivity between students and instructors. Furthermore, the audio feedback proved effective in terms of assignment revisions, and also in terms of students' self‐reports of the meaning of the audio feedback for learning. The majority of students welcomed the audio feedback, and also expressed a wish for the integrated use of text and audio. Therefore, in future implementations, we will integrate the audio and written feedback.

  October 03, 2017   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12587   open full text
• Authoring and enactment of mobile pyramid‐based collaborative learning activities.
  Kalpani Manathunga, Davinia Hernández‐Leo.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. October 03, 2017
  Collaborative learning flow patterns (CLFPs) formulate best practices for the orchestration of activity sequences and collaboration mechanisms that can elicit fruitful social interactions. Mobile technology features offer opportunities to support interaction mediation and content accessibility. However, existing mobile collaborative learning research has mostly focussed on simple activity orchestrations from the perspective of collaborative flow orchestration and flexibility requirements, predominantly in face‐to‐face pre‐university educational contexts. This paper proposes a particularisation of the Pyramid CLFP to support flexible face‐to‐face and distance mobile learning scenarios in which learners interact in increasingly larger groups along a sequence of activities (Pyramid levels). PyramidApp implements this Pyramid particularisation that provides both a web‐based authoring tool and an enactment tool accessible through web or mobile devices. The authoring tool was evaluated in workshops where teachers appreciated its design and applicability to their educational contexts. PyramidApp flows were enacted in three higher education settings. Learners enjoyed the activities but usage and satisfaction varied depending on several design and contextual factors like the epistemic tasks given, the education level and application mode (face‐to‐face or distance).

  October 03, 2017   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12588   open full text
• The effect of “here and now” learning on student engagement and academic achievement.
  Gavin Northey, Rahul Govind, Tania Bucic, Mathew Chylinski, Rebecca Dolan, Patrick van Esch.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. September 29, 2017
  Commitment, persistence and effort have long been considered critical components for an individual's academic success. Yet, according to the old proverb, two heads are better than one and collaborative learning may yield greater benefits than what might be achieved by an individual. Because of this, collaborative learning has been labelled a “social imperative” (DuFour & Marzano, ) that has a positive impact on individual learning behaviours, academic outcomes and the overall level of group knowledge. As such, the need for collaborative learning has become an increasingly important factor in instructional design. This is especially so in the modern technologically advanced world, where learning is no longer constrained by time or place. Instead porous boundaries that allow round‐the‐clock, “here and now” learning (Martin & Ertzberger, ) are shifting the locus of control from instructor to student and creating a new breed of active learners. The current study involves a quasi‐experimental, between‐subjects design, where the effects of “here and now” learning on student engagement and academic achievement are examined. The study develops and tests a low‐investment blended learning approach, using Facebook as the asynchronous engagement platform to facilitate collaboration outside the classroom. Findings from the study show “here and now” learning has a positive influence on student learning behaviours, student engagement and academic outcomes.

  September 29, 2017   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12589   open full text
• Mobile‐based collaborative learning in the fitness center: A case study on the development of English listening comprehension with a context‐aware application.
  Gi‐Zen Liu, Jing‐Yao Chen, Gwo‐Jen Hwang.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. September 28, 2017
  Mobile applications on the go have been adopted in many fields and areas. However, there has been little research regarding the development and use of a context‐aware application for users to improve their English listening comprehension through collaboration. This research aimed at helping users improve their listening comprehension with a combination of context‐aware tools and video‐based materials and attempted to investigate the learning strategies used in groups. Therefore, the researchers designed a Ubiquitous Fitness English Listening Comprehension System (UFELCS) incorporating collaborative listening activities into a fitness center. The researchers conducted mixed methods research using both qualitative and quantitative methods. The results indicate that the participants' learning performance was significantly improved. Moreover, the analysis of the interview data showed that the interviewees and their own groups held positive attitudes towards the creative ways of language learning, and their use of listening strategies was also revealed.

  September 28, 2017   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12581   open full text
• Mobile technology affordance and its social implications: A case of “Rain Classroom”.
  Li Xiangming, Shuqiang Song.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. September 28, 2017
  This paper proposed the affordance approach of material, affective and social dimensions so as to explore the learners’ engagement and disposition to share of using mobile learning technology. The participants in this study were graduate‐level engineering students (N = 387) from a research university in People's Republic of China. “Rain Classroom” in this case referred to the newly developed built‐in mobile application in China facilitating the didactic practice both synchronously and asynchronously in class. Two surveys were issued to both groups before and after the 14‐week long experiment. All the data were input into SPSS 16.0 and examined in descriptive statistics and independent samples t‐test. The results showed that the group exposed to Rain Classroom had a positive attitude towards the mobile technology tool. Also, the same test group obtained statistically higher scores than the control group in both learning engagement and their willingness to continue and share the learning experience. The study implies that what the mobile learning technology affords has produced positive impact on teachers, students and institutions in terms of curriculum design, learning activities and policy making towards improving academic quality. Future work could focus on comparing learning effects with different time duration and learning intensity. It might also extend to participants from different educational background.

  September 28, 2017   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12586   open full text
• Mobile collaborative language learning: State of the art.
  Agnes Kukulska‐Hulme, Olga Viberg.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. September 22, 2017
  This paper presents a review of mobile collaborative language learning studies published in 2012–16 with the aim to improve understanding of how mobile technologies have been used to support collaborative learning among second and foreign language students. We identify affordances, general pedagogical approaches, second‐ and foreign‐language pedagogical approaches, second language acquisition (SLA) principles and affective designs. The results indicate that affordances such as flexible use, continuity of use, timely feedback, personalisation, socialisation, self‐evaluation, active participation, peer coaching, sources of inspiration outdoors and cultural authenticity have been emphasised. These affordances were found to be particularly suited to promote social constructivism, which is often sustained by game‐based, task based and seamless learning. In terms of second and foreign language pedagogical approaches, the combination of individualised and collaborative learning prevails, along with task based, situated and communicative language learning, and raising orthographic awareness. Among SLA principles, negotiation of meaning and opportunities for feedback are highlighted. Affective aspects include increases in motivation, engagement and enjoyment, mutual encouragement, reduction in nervousness and embarrassment, and a few negative reports of risk of distraction, safety concerns, feelings of uncertainty and technical problems. The reviewed studies present a convincing case for the benefits of collaboration in mobile language learning.

  September 22, 2017   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12580   open full text
• Understanding nomadic collaborative learning groups.
  Thomas Ryberg, Jacob Davidsen, Vivien Hodgson.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. September 14, 2017
  The paper builds on the work of Rossitto et al. on collaborative nomadic work to develop three categories of practice of nomadic collaborative learning groups. Our study is based on interviews, workshops and observations of two undergraduate student's group practices engaged in self‐organised, long‐term collaborations within the frame of Problem and Project Based Learning. By analysing the patterns of nomadic collaborative learning we identify and discuss how the two groups of students incorporate mobile and digital technologies as well as physical and/or non‐digital technologies into their group work. Specifically, we identify the following categories of nomadic collaborative learning practices: “orchestration of work phases, spaces and activities,” “the orchestration of multiple technologies” and “orchestration of togetherness.” We found that for both groups of students there was a fluidity, situatedness and improvisational aspect to how they negotiate the orchestration of their work. Their ways of utilising space, places, technologies and activities over time was a complex interweaving of the digital and physical. We conclude by suggesting that the three categories of practice identified are important for deepening our understanding of nomadic collaborative learning groups.

  September 14, 2017   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12584   open full text
• Using the PCaRD digital game‐based learning model of instruction in the middle school mathematics classroom: A case study.
  André R. Denham.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. September 14, 2017
  Currently there are few pedagogical models available for mathematics teachers who are interested in digital game‐based learning. The Play Curricular‐activity Reflection and Discussion (PCaRD) model attempts to address this, but lacks the needed exploratory research on its implementation within formal mathematics classrooms. Through the use of semi‐structured interviews, this study examined three middle school teachers’ initial experience using PCaRD, the influence of this experience on their digital game‐based learning knowledge, and their perceptions on how teaching with digital games impacts student achievement. The findings showed teachers feel PCaRD is a sound Pedagogical model, but needed more practice using it to fully realize its usefulness. Also teachers felt the need to make adaptions to PCaRD based on the composition of their class, and had difficulty implementing the reflection and discussion phases. Finally, teachers felt their low achieving students benefitted most from the use of digital games. Future directions for research are also discussed.

  September 14, 2017   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12582   open full text
• Students' insights on the use of video lectures in online classes.
  Norma I. Scagnoli, Jinhee Choo, Jing Tian.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. August 31, 2017
  Video lectures (VL), considered an effective means for delivering course content and infusing teaching presence in the virtual environment, have become very popular in education. The purpose of this study was to investigate online student experiences with VL focusing on their opinion of usefulness of VL, their satisfaction with them and their perception of learning derived from them. Our findings show that students' satisfaction with VL has a strong relationship with positive overall learning experience and perception of impact of video on learning. Furthermore, VL can enhance a feeling of engagement with content because of learners' control of the media and instructors' presence. The findings also alert us on the importance of careful planning and balanced integration of VL with other course materials. This provides important information on the effectiveness of video‐lectures in college teaching and learning and implications for practice in online course design.

  August 31, 2017   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12572   open full text
• Factors underlying students' decisions to use mobile devices in clinical settings.
  Amanda Harrison, Megan Phelps, Arany Nerminathan, Shirley Alexander, Karen M. Scott.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. August 30, 2017
  University policies prohibiting use of mobile devices by medical students during clinical placements are contradicted by regular use by physicians. Consequently, many students use their mobile devices, which can be beneficial for learning but may put patient privacy at risk. This study explores the reasons underlying students' decisions about using mobile devices in clinical settings. We used a mixed‐methods sequential explanatory design involving a questionnaire and focus groups. Qualitative data from the questionnaire and focus groups was analysed through thematic analysis. We found students were aware of the risks mobile devices posed to professionalism and medical practice. Despite prohibitions, many made individual decisions to use mobile devices because the benefits outweighed the risks. These students were influenced by an organised, strategic approach to learning and a motivation to comply with the beliefs and behaviours of their medical teams and conform to physicians' directives in order to participate in their community of practice. Many students appear to be transferring everyday use of mobile devices to clinical settings. There is a need to understand and promote aspects of learning that are enhanced by mobile devices in clinical settings, while articulating clear guidelines and boundaries compatible with the professional behaviour expected of students.

  August 30, 2017   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12579   open full text
• A systematic literature review of the use of Semantic Web technologies in formal education.
  Jesper Jensen.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. August 10, 2017
  This paper presents a systematic literature review of research focused on use of Semantic Web technologies in formal educational contexts. Through systematic search, the review has identified 199 research articles, which are examined with the intention of identifying prevalent themes within the body of research within the field of formal educational use of Semantic Web technologies. The themes identified by the review are: (1) Semantic Web ontologies; (2) Efficient distribution, accessibility, retrieval, reuse and combination of educational resources; (3) Linked Data; (4) Semantic Web enhanced virtual learning environments and personalization of learning environments; (5) Semantic Web learning objects; (6) Evaluation, feedback and assessment; (7) Semantic Web services; (8) Pedagogical tools for teachers and students. Furthermore, this review seeks to examine how these themes and the use of Semantic Web technologies in formal education reflects on the ongoing discussion of how pedagogy and technology should interact. The outset of this discussion is a previous study by Dirckinck‐Holmfeld, which establishes that there is a tendency to emphasize technology over pedagogy in educational design and development.

  August 10, 2017   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12570   open full text
• A tale of two communication tools: Discussion‐forum and mobile instant‐messaging apps in collaborative learning.
  Zhong Sun, Chin‐Hsi Lin, Minhua Wu, Jianshe Zhou, Liming Luo.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. August 08, 2017
  Computer‐supported collaborative learning (CSCL) has shown considerable promise, but thus far the literature has tended to focus on individual technological tools, without due regard for how the choice of one such tool over another impacts CSCL, either in outline or in detail. The present study, therefore, directly compared the learning‐related uses of an online discussion forum against such use of a mobile instant‐messaging app by the same group of 78 upper‐division undergraduate pre‐service teachers in China. The participants were asked to use one of the two communication tools during the first of three learning activities, then to switch to the other during the second, and to choose their preferred tool for the third. Based on the results of content analysis, social‐network analysis and a survey of the students' attitudes, it was found that while both tools facilitated collaborative learning, they appeared to have different affordances. Specifically, using the online discussion forum resulted in more communication aimed at knowledge construction, while using the mobile instant‐messaging app resulted in more social interactions.

  August 08, 2017   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12571   open full text
• The anatomy of information cascades in the classroom: An observational study.
  Luis M. Vaquero, Luis Rodero‐Merino, Félix Cuadrado.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. August 04, 2017
  Online learning platforms offer students the option of sharing content. They have become common tools in many universities over the last 10 years. But there is little information about how content spreads in the classroom, ie, how information cascades appear and evolve and what factors are relevant for the formation of cascades. This work analyses information cascades in the classroom, bringing new insights on student learning: students do not share much content, they prefer to share the content they find themselves as opposed to professor‐given content, they share more data towards the end of the course and they do it in bursts. The paper also reveals different behaviour by high‐performing students: their interactions are distributed more evenly over the term, their behaviour is more stable and they tend to share documents faster than low‐performing students. Documents with high information tend to be less shared. Documents with fewer well‐known entities are also shared fewer times. Paradoxically, high‐performing students exchange more documents with high information, compared to mid‐ and low‐performing students.

  August 04, 2017   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12567   open full text
• Virtual laboratory—Using a hand movement recognition system to improve the quality of chemical education.
  Robert Wolski, Piotr Jagodziński.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. August 04, 2017
  The rapid development of information and communication technologies has enabled the development of interfaces, which allow the recognition of the gestures and movements of the user. These interfaces, due to their affordable prices, are available to a wide range of users. They are called natural user interfaces (NUI). NUI are commonly used in game consoles and electronic devices, such as smartphones and tablets. We used the Kinect sensor from Microsoft in our studies to identify the movements and gestures of the user. This interface was used by us in teaching Chemistry in a Middle School and High School by developing a virtual chemical laboratory, which is based on a system of hand movements. We have analyzed the gestures and movements of the virtual chemical laboratory user to determine how they raise the effectiveness in chemical education. The results show how much better students work with a virtual laboratory, when studied by us in chemical areas, that concerned remembering information, understanding information, applying their experience in situations familiar to them from school and in solving chemical problems.

  August 04, 2017   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12563   open full text
• Effects of video‐based flipped class instruction on subject reading motivation.
  Wai S. Tse, Lai Y. A. Choi, Wing S. Tang.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. July 16, 2017
  Video‐based flipped class instruction can strengthen the learning motivation of students. The effectiveness of flipped class instruction on teaching effectiveness and subject satisfaction has been evaluated previously. The present study aims to examine the impact of two aspects of subject reading motivation. A total of 100 secondary school students were recruited from 4 classes of 25 students (ie, video‐based flipped Mathematics class, traditional Mathematics class, video‐based flipped Liberal Studies (LS) class and traditional LS class) in two local secondary schools. The same teachers taught both the traditional and video‐based flipped classes in their subject. The students filled in questionnaires which measured: motivation for general reading; motivation for subject reading; academic subject satisfaction and perceived teaching effectiveness of the teachers. Analysis of covariance controlling for motivation for general reading revealed that students in the flipped classes reported significantly lower motivation for subject reading including reading curiosity, reading importance and reading compliance (t (1,98) = 10.52, p < 0.001; t (1,98) = 7.68, p < 0.001; t (1,98) = 20.39, p < 0.001, respectively). However, students in the flipped classes reported significantly higher satisfaction and teaching effectiveness than those in the traditional classes (t (1,98) = −15.61. p < 0.001; t (1,98) = −11.98, p <0.001, respectively). A partial correlation controlling for motivation for general reading indicated that motivation for subject reading was negatively associated with academic subject satisfaction and perceived teaching effectiveness of teachers (rs ranged from −0.51 to −0.62, p < 0.001). Video‐based flipped class instruction was not only related to increased academic subject satisfaction and teaching effectiveness but also associated with lower motivation for subject reading. These findings suggest that video‐based flipped class instruction had limited capability to strengthen the learning motivation of students.

  July 16, 2017   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12569   open full text
• Investigating the impact of teacher education strategies on preservice teachers' TPACK.
  Evrim Baran, Sedef Canbazoglu Bilici, Aylin Albayrak Sari, Jo Tondeur.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. July 12, 2017
  The purpose of this study was to examine preservice teachers' perceptions of the support their teacher education programs provide for developing their technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK). The research was conducted with 215 preservice teachers in the last year of teacher education programs and teaching certificate programs in three universities in Turkey. Data sources were the synthesis of qualitative evidence (SQD) scale that was validated in the Turkish context as part of this study and the TPACK‐practical scale. The strategies investigated in the SQD‐model included: using teacher educators as role models; reflecting on the role of technology in education; learning how to use technology by design; collaboration with peers; scaffolding authentic technology experiences; and providing continuous feedback. The linear regression analysis revealed a positive relation between teacher education strategies and preservice teachers' TPACK. Reflection and teacher educators' as role models were the most frequently used teacher education strategies in teacher education programs included in this study. Results provided recommendations for further research on the connection between the teacher education strategies and the development of preservice teachers' TPACK in teacher education programs.

  July 12, 2017   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12565   open full text
• Grading students' programming and soft skills with open badges: A case study.
  Bojan Tomić, Jelena Jovanović, Nikola Milikić, Vladan Devedžić, Sonja Dimitrijević, Dragan Đurić, Zoran Ševarac.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. June 28, 2017
  Well‐developed programming (technical) skills are very important for software engineers, information systems engineers and programmers in general. However, they must also possess relevant personal skills (soft skills) to be successful at the workplace (eg, collaboration, solving real‐world problems and communication). The latter, however, are rarely assessed and acknowledged in regular software engineering courses. This paper describes the results of a small case study involving an extracurricular Java programming course in which, in addition to knowledge and skills in relevant technologies, students' soft skills were also assessed. As part of the assessment, students have been awarded Open Badges. The study was exploratory in nature, aimed at examining Open Badges as a motivational mechanism, students' engagement in attaining soft skills and students' perception of soft skills and Open Badges. The results suggest that Open Badges may not be so effective in motivating students to complete the assignments nor attend the course, although students' perception of Open Badges is generally positive. Soft skills were generally perceived as important as hard skills. Students' engagement in attaining soft skills could be affected by assignment announcement time and its level of difficulty.

  June 28, 2017   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12564   open full text
• Learning collocations: Effects of online tools on teaching English adjective‐noun collocations.
  Ahmet Basal.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. June 05, 2017
  Collocations are word combinations essential for achieving fluency in a given language. Considerable emphasis should therefore be placed on teaching collocations as a part of vocabulary instruction in language teaching. However, there is no current consensus on how best to teach collocations, and few studies have addressed the issue. This quasi‐experimental study investigated the effectiveness of online tools for learning English adjective‐noun collocations compared to learning collocations via traditional activities. A quasi‐experimental design with a pretest and immediate and delayed posttests was applied to 53 participants (n = 25 for the control group; n = 28 for the experimental group). The test results reveal that participants in the experimental group who learned collocations with online tools performed significantly better on both immediate and delayed posttests, demonstrating the effectiveness of these tools on learning adjective‐noun collocations.

  June 05, 2017   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12562   open full text
• Pedagogical, social and technical designs of a blended synchronous learning environment.
  Qiyun Wang, Changqin Huang.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. April 21, 2017
  In this study, a blended synchronous learning environment (BSLE) was designed from pedagogical, social and technical perspectives. It was created for a group of master's students to attend lessons in the classroom and at the same time allow a few of them to join the identical sessions using video conferencing from different sites. The purpose of the study was to describe the guiding principles for pedagogical, social and technical designs and specific strategies applied, and identify the students' learning experiences and perceptions of the environment. Results showed that the BSLE could extend certain features of classroom instruction to the online students and they had equivalent learning experiences. They also liked the flexibility and convenience of attending lessons via video conferencing. This study further found that smooth and clear audio communication, redesign of certain learning activities and the quality of audio were crucial for the BSLE to be useful in practice.

  April 21, 2017   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12558   open full text
• The influence of flow on learning outcomes: An empirical study on the use of clickers.
  Isabel Buil, Sara Catalán, Eva Martínez.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. April 20, 2017
  Flow is a state of total absorption and concentration in an activity that is desirable for students, as it enhances the learning experience. Due to the importance of flow for learning, this research investigates the influence of three flow preconditions—namely balance of skill and challenge, feedback and goal clarity—on students' flow, operationalized as heightened concentration, sense of control and autotelic experience, while using clickers—a type of polling device. The study also explores the impact of concentration, sense of control and autotelic experience on students' perceived learning and satisfaction. Based on a survey of 204 undergraduate students who use clickers in the classroom, the findings show that balance of skill and challenge has a positive influence on students' concentration, sense of control and autotelic experience. Both feedback provided by clickers and goal clarity have a positive influence on concentration and sense of control, but do not influence the autotelic experience. Findings also corroborate the positive impact of concentration and sense of control experienced by students on perceived learning. Finally, autotelic experience predicts both perceived learning and satisfaction.

  April 20, 2017   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12561   open full text
• Working the system: Development of a system model of technology integration to inform learning task design.
  Sarah K. Howard, Kate Thompson, Jie Yang, Jun Ma.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. April 20, 2017
  There has been extensive investigation into factors affecting digital technology integration in learning and teaching, but the complexity of integration continues to elude understanding. Thus, questions about how digital technologies can be best used to support learning persist. This paper argues that methods designed to address complex systems are needed to understand the interplay between teaching, learning and digital technologies. Starting with a developing system model of teachers' technology integration, this study revises the model to include factors of students' experience using digital technologies and beliefs about learning. The revised model is then used to demonstrate possible effects of student experiences in a technologically integrated group learning task. Analysis draws on data from a large‐scale Australian study of technology innovation (N = 7406). Data mining techniques are used to identify patterns of students' technology use and perceptions of group work. Findings inform revision of the model to include factors of students' experience and learning and their effects on teachers' practice. Implications for learning design and students' learning experiences are explored.

  April 20, 2017   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12560   open full text
• The effect of authentic m‐learning activities on student engagement and motivation.
  Yasaman Alioon, Ömer Delialioğlu.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. April 12, 2017
  Authentic collaborative m‐learning activities were designed, developed and implemented for a computer networking course. The effect of the activities on student engagement and motivation were analyzed using a mixed method research design. Moreover, the effect of the iterative design of the content and instructional process of authentic m‐learning activities on students' engagement and motivation were analyzed in the study. The activities were implemented for two consecutive semesters and were modified based on the findings from the first semester. Student engagement survey and motivation questionnaire were used to collect quantitative data, student interview protocol was used to collect qualitative data for further investigation. The findings from the first semester indicated that the engagement categories “personal development” and “satisfaction from the course” had the highest mean scores. In the second semester, the highest mean score belonged to the “personal development” category, followed by “collaborative learning.” Comparison of the results from two semesters revealed that the improvements in the content of the activities and instructional process increased the “collaboration” among students as well as their “interaction with instructor.” Paired sample t‐tests revealed a difference in indicators of student motivation within groups in both semesters. Analysis of the interview data showed that students perceived the authentic activities as an appropriate tool for enhancement in “communication” and “collaboration” opportunities.

  April 12, 2017   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12559   open full text
• Factors determining e‐learning service quality.
  Muhammad Amaad Uppal, Samnan Ali, Stephen R. Gulliver.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. March 19, 2017
  e‐Learning courses are fast becoming common‐place, yet the success of these online courses varies considerably. Since limited research addresses the issue of e‐learning quality (ELQ) of service in higher education environments, there is an increasing need to effectively assess ELQ. In this paper, we argue that to obtain a satisfactory e‐learning student experience, we must offer more than access to learning material. The research proposes an extended SERVQUAL model, the ELQ model, which in addition to key service constructs, facilitates consideration of both information and system quality factors. Exploratory Factor Analysis is conducted to investigate the reliability and validity of the measurement model, and multiple regression analysis is used to test the research model. Data analysis reveals that Assurance, Responsiveness, Tangibility, Course Website and Learning Content have a positive correlation with the perception of ELQ. e‐Learning students value a stable, and easy to use e‐learning environment, yet do not perceive empathy and reliability as significant to student perception of ELQ.

  March 19, 2017   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12552   open full text
• Teachers' perceptions of digital badges as recognition of professional development.
  W. Monty Jones, Samantha Hope, Brianne Adams.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. March 19, 2017
  This mixed methods study examined teachers' perceptions and uses of digital badges received as recognition of participation in a professional development program. Quantitative and qualitative survey data was collected from 99 K‐12 teachers who were awarded digital badges in Spring 2016. In addition, qualitative data was collected through semi‐structured interviews with a smaller sample. An analysis of the data suggests that teachers had a favorable view of receiving digital badges and many shared their badges through digital media. This paper also describes how the digital badges were shared, the impact digital badges may have on teachers' choices for professional development, and teachers' perspectives on current and future uses of digital badges.

  March 19, 2017   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12557   open full text
• Boundary interaction: Towards developing a mobile technology‐enabled science curriculum to integrate learning in the informal spaces.
  Daner Sun, Chee‐Kit Looi.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. March 17, 2017
  This paper explores the crossover between formal learning and learning in informal spaces supported by mobile technology, and proposes design principles for educators to carry out a science curriculum, namely Boundary Activity‐based Science Curriculum (BAbSC). The conceptualization of the boundary object, and the principles of boundary activity as the key elements to fuse the merits of learning in informal spaces with formal learning, are discussed and elaborated. The key elements of BAbSC are further articulated to provide the framework for curriculum design and development from a holistic perspective. The proposed principles and framework will reinforce the theoretical underpinnings of mobile technology‐enabled curriculum design and development, and can be used to guide teachers to implement curriculum in a more principle‐based and structured manner.

  March 17, 2017   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12555   open full text
• Learning styles: Considerations for technology enhanced item design.
  Deborah Adkins, Meg Guerreiro.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. March 15, 2017
  Learning styles (LS) have been used for classifying students by their preferences relative to taking information in, processing it and demonstrating their ability in the context of education. This paper investigates the role of LS in K‐12 education by considering the manner in which student LS are assessed and the extent to which they have informed K‐12 instruction. The paper illustrates the impact of LS on teachers, pedagogy, student engagement and assessment. The theoretical framework of LS theory is discussed. Furthermore, this paper identifies a gap in the literature regarding LS and assessment; specifically the development of assessments based on LS. The authors suggest adapting student assessment utilizing technology‐enhanced items (TEIs) developed based on students' LS may provide a more reliable measure of student ability. Implications for practice and limitations are discussed.

  March 15, 2017   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12556   open full text
• The role of the e‐tutor in synchronous online problem‐based learning: A study in a Master Public Health Programme.
  Nynke de Jong, Daniëlle M. L. Verstegen, Karen D. Könings.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. March 08, 2017
  The aim of this study is to compare the role of the tutor in an online and a face‐to‐face problem‐based learning (PBL) session to shed light on potential differences of the tutor role in both settings. In this practice‐based study we compared the two groups with the same tutor undertaking the same module. Students completed questionnaires about tutor performance, student characteristics and the module. Marks on the end‐of‐module test were analysed. The tutor was interviewed about his expectations and experiences. One session of each group was recorded and analysed qualitatively. Results show tutor tasks appeared to be comparable in both settings with regard to “content and pedagogical content knowledge,” “group dynamics,” “process instruction” and “intermediary between faculty and students.” The face‐to‐face group rated tutor performance lower than the online students. Students and tutor identified the absence of nonverbal cues as a limitation of online PBL. In online sessions the tutor additionally provided technical support and moderated the chat box. It is recommended to involve an extra person in online sessions who is responsible for technical issues. This person could also check the chat box for messages of students. Future research should focus on the necessity of an extra tutor training for online sessions.

  March 08, 2017   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12554   open full text
• Overcoming barriers between volunteer professionals advising project‐based learning teams with regulation tools.
  Daniel G. Rees Lewis, Matthew W. Easterday, Emily Harburg, Elizabeth M. Gerber, Christopher K. Riesbeck.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. March 06, 2017
  To provide the substantial support required for project‐based learning (PBL), educators can incorporate professional experts as design coaches. However, previous work shows barriers incorporating design coaches who can rarely meet face‐to‐face: (1) communication online is time‐consuming, (2) updating coaches online is not perceived as valuable, (3) students do not seek help, (4) coaches are not proactive online and (5) coaches struggle to gain the awareness from student online communications. How might we design socio‐technical systems that can incorporate professionals coaching? In a 6‐week university PBL product design program with three teams (four members per team) and five coaches, teams met with coaches on campus for 2‐hours a week, but otherwise communicated with teams online. We created and tested StandUp, a system designed to overcome coaching barriers online that: prompts team planning, goal setting and monitoring of progress and displays this information online to coaches. We collected and analyzed interview, observation and log data. We found StandUp helped participants overcome coaching barriers by providing students a way to regulate group learning which in turn automatically emailed reports to coaches thereby supporting coach awareness; coach awareness in turn prompted both online coaching and face‐to‐face coaching. This work provides evidence from one context. Future work should measure learning and explore different regulation scripts.

  March 06, 2017   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12550   open full text
• The effects of a flipped classroom approach on class engagement and skill performance in a blackboard course.
  Mohamed Ali Nagy Elmaadaway.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. March 06, 2017
  This paper reports on a study that investigated whether a flipped classroom approach enhanced perceptions of levels of engagement and skill performance among students enrolled in a Blackboard course at a Saudi university. Fifty‐eight participants were divided into control and experimental groups, which were taught using a traditional and a flipped approach respectively. To determine the effect of the approach on participants' perceived levels of engagement and skill performance, questionnaires were administered and student performance was examined in terms of quantitative descriptive analysis. The results revealed that participants in the experimental group were more active and engaged compared with those in the control group. In terms of classroom engagement specifically, participants in the experimental group exhibited greater behavioral and emotional engagement. Through the flipped approach, participants were able to study course content at home first, thereby preparing themselves to participate in relevant class activities, pose questions and engage in problem solving with peers. In addition, unlike in a traditional lecture, the instructor was able to move freely through the classroom, providing direct assistance to participants on a case‐by‐case basis.

  March 06, 2017   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12553   open full text
• Performance, structure and ideal identity: Reconceptualising teachers' engagement in online social spaces.
  James Robson.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. March 06, 2017
  In recent years, teachers have turned to online social spaces for peer‐to‐peer interaction in increasing numbers. This online engagement has been highlighted by both practitioners and academics as having important implications for teachers' professional learning and development. However, there is a need to move beyond instrumental discourses that simply discuss engagement and technology in terms of costs and benefits, and analyse the complex social contexts in which engagement takes place. Therefore, presenting data from a digital ethnography of three online social spaces used by teachers, this paper uses professional identity as an analytical framework in order to understand teachers' online engagement in holistic terms in a way that acknowledges the messy social realities in which teachers work. It then presents a new theoretical framework for conceptualising teachers' professional identity that develops the concept of embedded ideal identity and takes into account context, social complexity, structure and agency.

  March 06, 2017   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12551   open full text
• From piloting e‐submission to electronic management of assessment (EMA): Mapping grading journeys.
  Anna Vergés Bausili.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. February 22, 2017
  The increasing interest in electronic management of assessment is a sign of a gradual institutionalisation of e‐submission and e‐marking technologies in UK Higher Education. The effective adoption of these technologies requires a managed approach, especially a detailed understanding of current assessment practices within the institution and the development of new or adapted business processes. The findings from close participant observation of assessment processes over a 2‐year period across a large Faculty reveal that three independent variables around (1) initial marking, (2) internal quality assurance and (3) the timing of the return of e‐feedback to students, determine variance in grading journeys. Despite the apparent wide variety of processes, five major grading journeys prevail: three varieties of moderation (moderation of multiple markers and moderation of single markers either before or after grades and feedback are released to students); and two forms of second marking (either blind or open to peers). Within an institution, the identification of major workflows is fundamental to both an effective implementation of assessment technologies and in conducting change. The identification of major workflows across UK Higher Education Institutions remains critical to attain the necessary software development from global vendors.

  February 22, 2017   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12547   open full text
• A systematic review of research on the flipped learning method in engineering education.
  Aliye Karabulut‐Ilgu, Nadia Jaramillo Cherrez, Charles T. Jahren.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. February 20, 2017
  The purpose of this article is to describe the current state of knowledge and practice in the flipped learning approach in engineering education and to provide guidance for practitioners by critically appraising and summarizing existing research. This article is a qualitative synthesis of quantitative and qualitative research investigating the flipped learning approach in engineering education. Systematic review was adopted as the research methodology and article selection and screening process are described. Articles published between 2000 and May 2015 were reviewed, and 62 articles were included for a detailed analysis and synthesis. The results indicated that flipped learning gained popularity amongst engineering educators after 2012. The review revealed that research in engineering education focused on documenting the design and development process and sharing preliminary findings and student feedback. Future research examining different facets of a flipped learning implementation, framed around sound theoretical frameworks and evaluation methods, is still needed to establish the pedagogy of flipped learning in teaching engineering.

  February 20, 2017   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12548   open full text
• Students as collaborators in creating meaningful learning experiences in technology‐enhanced classrooms: An engaged scholarship approach.
  Liezel Nel.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. February 20, 2017
  In dealing with numerous challenges, higher education instructors need to adapt their pedagogical practices to present students with meaningful, engaged learning experiences that are likely to promote student success and adequately prepare students for the world we live in. As part of this pedagogical transformation instructors also need to consider the potential of digital technologies to assist flexible pedagogies, as well as the role that students can play as partners in transforming the learning process (C. Evans, D. Muijs, & M. Tomlinson. Engaged student learning: high‐impact strategies to enhance student achievement. York: Higher Education Academy, , p. 9). In this paper the author reflects on her particular engaged scholarship approach and the important role that her students—as collaborators in the pedagogical transformation process—have played in the creation of meaningful technology‐enhanced learning experiences. She describes the evolution of her action inquiry approach over more than a decade and uses one particular project to highlight the value that student voice can contribute to pedagogical transformation. She also underscores the value of a “design for partnership” approach that can be incorporated as an underlying pedagogical approach to facilitate the creation of meaningful learning experiences in a technology‐enhanced teaching and learning environment.

  February 20, 2017   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12549   open full text
• Dimensions of personalisation in technology‐enhanced learning: A framework and implications for design.
  Elizabeth FitzGerald, Natalia Kucirkova, Ann Jones, Simon Cross, Rebecca Ferguson, Christothea Herodotou, Garron Hillaire, Eileen Scanlon.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. February 13, 2017
  Personalisation of learning is a recurring trend in our society, referred to in government speeches, popular media, conference and research papers and technological innovations. This latter aspect—of using personalisation in technology‐enhanced learning (TEL)—has promised much but has not always lived up to the claims made. Personalisation is often perceived to be a positive phenomenon, but it is often difficult to know how to implement it effectively within educational technology. In order to address this problem, we propose a framework for the analysis and creation of personalised TEL. This article outlines and explains this framework with examples from a series of case studies. The framework serves as a valuable resource in order to change or consolidate existing practice and suggests design guidelines for effective implementations of future personalised TEL.

  February 13, 2017   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12534   open full text
• Mobile games and science learning: A comparative study of 4 and 5 years old playing the game Angry Birds.
  Christothea Herodotou.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. February 13, 2017
  A popular activity among young children is the use of mobile devices and apps. Yet, the impact of mobile devices on learning and development is rather underexplored. The limited studies identified explore effects on literacy development and communication and report on mixed findings. A considerable gap is observed as to how the use of mobile apps relates to young children's understanding in diverse domains including science learning, and to extend, whether and how mobile apps should be used and how in early years' settings. The aim of this paper is to shed light on this area by examining the learning effects of touch screen mobile game applications, in particular the game Angry Birds, on two groups of preschoolers 4 and 5 years old respectively. Evidence from a comparative study with 32 participants reveal significant differences between the two groups in terms of game skills and their understanding of projectile motion. Implications for educational stakeholders, parents and app designers are discussed along with future research directions.

  February 13, 2017   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12546   open full text
• Socio‐demographic factors relating to perception and use of mobile technologies in tertiary teaching.
  Kwok‐Wing Lai, Lee Smith.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. February 02, 2017
  In 2014, we investigated how socio‐demographic factors such as gender, teaching disciplines, teaching experience and academic seniority were related to the perception and use of digital mobile technologies in learning and teaching of a group of university teachers from one research‐intensive university in New Zealand. Three hundred and eight teachers from this university completed an online questionnaire and 30 of them participated in a follow‐up interview. Survey results showed that while there was a strong positive correlation between using mobile technologies for personal learning and their use in teaching, only a small number of participants utilised mobile technologies in their learning and the vast majority also did not use these technologies in their teaching, More female teachers and humanities teachers used mobile devices and applications more frequently than male teachers and teachers from other academic disciplines. Also, female teachers had a more positive perception in learning and using mobile technologies. Junior teachers also tended to be more positive in technology use. While the overwhelming majority of the interview participants also perceived positive benefits of incorporating mobile devices and applications into their teaching, it was found that female teachers paid greater attention to pedagogy when considering mobile technology use and the lack of professional development limited their use in teaching.

  February 02, 2017   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12544   open full text
• Incremental impact of time on students' use of E‐learning via Facebook.
  Sedigheh Moghavvemi, Hashem Salarzadeh Janatabadi.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. January 26, 2017
  The majority of studies utilised the cross‐sectional method to measure students' intention to learn and investigate their corresponding learning behaviours. Only a few studies have measured the process of change in students' learning behaviour in the context of time. The main purpose of this study is to determine the effects of using a Facebook group as an e‐Learning tool based on students' longitudinal perceptions to address the aforementioned literature gap. We surveyed 170 students in a business statistics course. We also measured changes that occurred in the students' intention to use and use of e‐Learning at three different stages. The model was tested at the beginning, middle and end of the semester using structural equation modelling. The results show that students' perceptions when using e‐Learning via Facebook changed when they interacted and explored the system. Students were more familiar with the usability of the Facebook group after learning for a few weeks, and their intention to use and use of e‐Learning via Facebook subsequently increased. The results indicated that social network sites such as Facebook can be used as complementary tools to expose students to course‐related links and documents, which will create extra time for learning, when they plan to spend time on Social network sites (Facebook) and interact and communicate with friends.

  January 26, 2017   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12545   open full text
• Silence, voice, and “other languages”: Digital storytelling as a site for resistance and restoration in a South African higher education classroom.
  Kristian D. Stewart, Eunice Ivala.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. January 26, 2017
  In order to investigate the composing practices of digital storytellers in a South African context, a qualitative case study, set within a university of technology in South Africa and framed by literature stemming from the disciplines of digital storytelling and composition and rhetoric, was implemented as part of a larger dissertation project initiated in 2014. This study spanned a year and included participant observation and the collection of interviews as primary methods of investigation. Findings linked digital storytelling to creating a liberating classroom space where students could redefine themselves outside of historicized representations. Within a digital storytelling praxis, the story circle component has proven to be an effective means to engage students in both a reflective and critical engagement of their own writing practices, highlighting the synergy between the spoken word, process‐based writing, and digital formats for composing. However, questions remain surrounding the ethical practice of digital storytelling in classrooms especially when students share personal stories and those stories are both publicly consumed and graded. Implications for practice cover themes relating to the integration of technology that supports the democratization of varied voices in the public sphere, which is particularly important in post‐conflict zone environments like South Africa.

  January 26, 2017   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12540   open full text
• The influence of children's gender and age on children's use of digital media at home.
  Natalia Kucirkova, Karen Littleton, Antonios Kyparissiadis.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. January 03, 2017
  This study is the first to systematically investigate the influence of child gender and age, on parents’ perceptions of UK children's digital media use at home. It provides an in‐depth exploration of how children's age and gender influence the balance between children's use of digital and non‐digital media at home. The data draw on 709 parents’ responses to an open‐ended question asked in the context of a national survey investigating the digital reading habits of children, conducted in 2015. Parents’ responses were analysed using content and thematic analysis, which yielded eight main categories, collapsed into three major themes: control, child's healthy development and diversity of experiences. Quantitative analyses evidenced that more parents of boys were concerned about the health implications of their children's digital media use and this was a concern especially for parents of the youngest (0–2‐year‐old) children. More parents of 6–8‐year olds cited the appeal of technology as the main reason for the perceived imbalance in their children's engagement with digital media. The study provides a more secure understanding of the factors that influence parental perceptions of their children's digital media use at home, which has implications for policy‐makers, digital designers and early years professionals.

  January 03, 2017   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12543   open full text
• One‐to‐one mobile technology in high school physics classrooms: Understanding its use and outcome.
  Xiaoming Zhai, Meilan Zhang, Min Li.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. December 26, 2016
  This study examined ways in which high school students used mobile devices in physics classrooms and after school, and the impact of in‐class and after‐school mobile technology use on their physics learning performance and interest. We collected data from 803 high school freshmen in China after they had used mobile devices for over five months. A fixed‐effects model was employed to control the undetected variances. Results indicated that the students frequently used their mobile devices for physics learning in class and after school. Students also perceived the mobile devices as very useful for their physics learning, and their perception of usefulness was positively correlated with their frequency of use. Both the in‐class and after‐school duration and frequency of mobile technology use positively influenced students' physics learning achievement and interest. However, we also found that mobile technology was mainly used to augment rather than to transform instructional practices in physics classrooms. The paper concludes with a discussion of implications and limitations of these results for research and practice.

  December 26, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12539   open full text
• Using student voice to examine teacher practices at a cyber charter high school.
  Jered Borup, Mark A. Stevens.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. December 19, 2016
  Efforts to identify K‐12 online instructional best practices and standards have been limited because they largely ignored students’ voice—the primary stakeholder in any educational context. In this case study, we conducted 20 interviews among 10 students enrolled in a cyber charter high school. Qualitative analysis of interviews found that students valued teachers’ efforts to nurture caring relationships, facilitate sustained dialogue, design and organize engaging learning activities, and provide personalized instruction. However, students found that teachers varied in their abilities to effectively perform these activities and provided recommendations to improve how courses were designed and how teachers interacted with students. Although findings from this case study should not be generalized, these findings may prove insightful to those in similar contexts. Research should continue to obtain and understand online students’ voices and assist cyber schools as they work to respond to students’ needs.

  December 19, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12541   open full text
• Investigating various application areas of three‐dimensional virtual worlds for higher education.
  Reza Ghanbarzadeh, Amir Hossein Ghapanchi.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. December 19, 2016
  Three‐dimensional virtual world (3DVW) have been adopted extensively in the education sector worldwide, and there has been remarkable growth in the application of these environments for distance learning. A wide variety of universities and educational organizations across the world have utilized this technology for their regular learning and teaching programs. The current study conducts a systematic review of the published studies relevant to the application of 3DVWs in higher education. A search of the literature was carried out in eight high‐ranking scientific digital libraries. Following scrutiny according to inclusion and exclusion criteria, 165 papers out of 1402 publications were selected for review from a variety of disciplines over a 10‐year time period. The systematic review process were summarised, a number of paper reviews were conducted and results in conjunction with applicability of 3DVWs in higher education were extracted. In this study, various application areas of 3DVWs in higher education were found and classified into 13 main categories. Additionally, implications for research and practice are presented to provide new directions for further research and practice in the field.

  December 19, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12538   open full text
• Are academics ready for smart learning?
  Riyukta Raghunath, Connie Anker, Anne Nortcliffe.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. December 09, 2016
  Ownership of smartphones and tablets among the student population is growing. Students are using their devices to support their learning. Employers and employees are increasingly bringing their own smart devices into private and public organisations to support their business. This is leading to employees driving the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) agenda in organisations. It is not clear the extent to which academics are embracing smart technology to manage their workload or to enhance the student experience of learning. This paper presents a qualitative study of how engineering academics are using their own BYOD or institutionally provided smart devices. A 6Cs (connect, communicate, collaborate, curate, create and coordinate) framework has been used to analyse the results. The findings indicate that academics are primarily using devices to create materials, second to coordinate their work and third to communicate with students about their learning. However, there are a number of inhibiting and enabling factors that need to be addressed by academic institutions to develop the effective adoption of smart technologies for academic practice. Infrastructure, including developing widespread access to WiFi, and the prioritisation of opportunities to support staff to learn how to apply the technology to enhance student learning and experience are key areas of necessary development.

  December 09, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12532   open full text
• Using video technology to enable student voice in assessment feedback.
  Fabienne Van der Kleij, Lenore Adie, Joy Cumming.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. December 07, 2016
  Students’ voices have been remarkably absent in feedback research, yet research shows that the way students engage with feedback significantly impacts on its effect on learning. Feedback research has mainly focused on aspects of the feedback message between a sender and receiver, with little consideration of the positioning of students in this process. This article (a) provides an overview of the literature about feedback in education and the role of the student in these processes and (b) provides findings from a pilot project that explored the use of video technology as a self‐reflection tool for six teachers and six students to capture assessment interactions and give students a voice in feedback conversations. The pilot employed iPads to facilitate video‐aided self‐reflection on feedback practices. The results suggest that not only is video a powerful tool for teacher reflection on their feedback practices, it can also provide better understanding of the student perspective in feedback conversations. Importantly, involving students themselves in video‐stimulated recall of feedback conversations has the potential to contribute to students’ self‐reflection of their involvement in the feedback process, encouraging them to make their voices heard and participate in feedback as a dialogic practice.

  December 07, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12536   open full text
• Virtual forms, actual effects: how amplifying student voice through digital media promotes reflective practice and positions students as pedagogical partners to prospective high school and practicing college teachers.
  Alison Cook‐Sather.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. December 05, 2016
  Digital media have unique potential to amplify student voice in both high school teacher preparation and academic development for college faculty. This paper applies narrative analysis to participant descriptions of how three uses of digital media amplify student voice in the context of a single higher education consortium: (1) high school students and prospective high school teachers use email to engage in dialogue as part of a larger project within the consortium's secondary teacher preparation program, (2) undergraduate student consultants use visual mapping technology as a classroom observation tool through one of the consortium's academic development programs for college faculty and (3) graduate and undergraduate students, faculty and staff engaged in pedagogical partnerships within and beyond this consortium use on an online platform to publish reflective essays on their collaborative work. Amplifying student voice through these uses of digital media has the following actual effects: it creates the possibility for exchanges between students and teachers across space and time; it supports the development of reflective practice; and it encourages the embrace of a partnership approach to teaching and learning.

  December 05, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12523   open full text
• Orchestrating 21st century learning in higher education: A perspective on student voice.
  Raija Hämäläinen, Carita Kiili, Blaine E. Smith.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. December 05, 2016
  For universities to meet the 21st‐century learning needs of today's students, it is important they allow students to take an active role in developing pedagogy and sharing their perspective. This paper introduces design‐based research aiming to develop a pedagogic approach to support technology‐enhanced learning practices at the university level with the focus on teacher orchestration of learning activities and student voice. Drawing from the perspectives of teachers and students who participated in a course focused on learning and 21st‐century competencies, four main elements indicating student voice and technology‐enhanced pedagogy are presented: increased interaction among university communities, teacher orchestration, technology and collaborative learning. Enabling and hindering factors related to student voice are presented for each element.

  December 05, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12533   open full text
• Collaborative learning in architectural education: Benefits of combining conventional studio, virtual design studio and live projects.
  Carolina Rodriguez, Roland Hudson, Chantelle Niblock.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. December 05, 2016
  Combinations of Conventional Studio and Virtual Design Studio (VDS) have created valuable learning environments that take advantage of different instruments of communication and interaction. However, past experiences have reported limitations in regards to student engagement and motivation, especially when the studio projects encourage abstraction or are detached from context or reality. This study proposes a hybrid approach that overcomes these limitations by blending conventional studio, VDS and live projects. This blend aims to foster opportunities from within a real design situation, while promoting different levels of motivation and engagement. Two case studies comprising academic projects between the University of Los Andes, Colombia and the University of Nottingham, UK were used to validate the approach. In these, students interacted with peers, teachers, people from industry and the community to build 1:1 scale projects, with budgets and timeframe constraints. The study proved that students could successfully work collaboratively and build confidence in their own abilities when placed in a real setting, which enabled interactions face‐to‐face and at a distance to solve a challenge and achieve a common goal. The article reports on lessons learnt from these collaborative learning experiences, which reflect on contemporary cross‐cultural design practiced today.

  December 05, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12535   open full text
• Evaluating a blended degree program through the use of the NSSE framework.
  Norman Vaughan, David Cloutier.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. December 05, 2016
  The purpose of this student‐faculty partnership research study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a blended four‐year Bachelor of Education Elementary Program at a Canadian university using the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) framework. Data was collected from the first graduating cohort of students from the B.Ed. program in partnership with four Undergraduate Student Research Assistants (USRA). The students in this study completed online surveys and participated in focus groups at the end of their first and fourth years in the program. The study participants provided recommendations for improving the quality of the program based on the five NSSE benchmarks and the use of digital technologies. The main recommendations that emerged from this study were that student and faculty interactions, outside of the classroom, could be enhanced through the use of web‐based conferencing tools to support “virtual” office hours. Course assignments that incorporate peer mentoring activities through the use of social media applications could provide richer opportunities for active and collaborative learning. Creating more intentional connections between academic coursework and field placements through the use of Google applications could help to strengthen the relationship between theory and practice in the program. Enriching educational experiences could be expanded through the use of social media applications to promote and communicate student led academic and social events. A supportive campus environment could be improved by the development of a digital “road map” and co‐curricular record for the program.

  December 05, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12537   open full text
• An inquiry into the efficiency of WhatsApp for self‐ and peer‐assessments of oral language proficiency.
  Mahmoud Samaie, Ali Mansouri Nejad, Mahmoud Qaracholloo.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. December 01, 2016
  Social networking applications such as WhatsApp have been extensively used for language research; however, they have rarely been applied for language assessment purposes. To explore the efficiency of WhatsApp for assessment purposes, 30 Iranian English learners doing self‐ and peer‐assessments on WhatsApp are studied. The changes and the reasons for the changes in their attitudes towards the two assessment types are also investigated. In a multi‐phase study, the participants were trained on the new concepts of mobile‐assisted self‐ and peer‐assessments. They were also involved in the concurrent tasks of self‐ and peer‐assessments as well as think‐aloud protocols and filled out four attitude questionnaires before and after their involvement in the two assessment types. Finally, they were interviewed for the reasons of change(s) in their attitudes. The t‐test and think‐aloud results show that though the participants assigned different grades to themselves and their peers, this is not a procedural difference. The questionnaire results show that the participants generally adopted negative attitudes towards mobile‐assisted assessments after being involved in them. They also gave various reasons for the change(s) in their attitudes. The results can substantially contribute to the ongoing debates on the use of alternative assessments through mobile device applications.

  December 01, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12519   open full text
• Integrating eye trackers with handwriting tablets to discover difficulties of solving geometry problems.
  John J. H. Lin, Sunny S. J. Lin.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. December 01, 2016
  To deepen our understanding of those aspects of problems that cause the most difficulty for solvers, this study integrated eye‐tracking with handwriting devices to investigate problem solvers' online processes while solving geometry problems. We are interested in whether the difference between successful and unsuccessful solvers can be identified by employing eye‐tracking and handwriting. Sixty‐two high school students were required to complete a series of geometry problems using pen tablets. Responses, including eye movement measures, wrote/drew trace, perceived cognitive load and questionnaires concerning the source of difficulties, were collected. The results suggested that the technique could enhance methods to diagnose difficulties by differentiating between successful and unsuccessful solvers. We considered mental rotation could be a primary obstacle in the integrating stage of diagram comprehension. The technique can be extensively applied in various instructional scenarios. Educational implications for problem solving are discussed.

  December 01, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12517   open full text
• Empirical evaluation of different classroom spaces on students' perceptions of the use and effectiveness of 1‐to‐1 technology.
  Terry Byers, Elizabeth Hartnell‐Young, Wesley Imms.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. December 01, 2016
  This study explored the effect of different classroom spatial layouts on student perceptions of digital technology in a secondary schooling environment. A quasi‐experimental approach facilitated by a Single Subject research design (SSRD) isolated the impact of two learning spaces—traditional' classrooms, and ‘new generation learning spaces’ (NGLS), on students' perceived effectiveness, use and value of one‐to‐one technology as a learning tool. Results from quantitative analyses over the period of a school year indicated that different spatial configurations had a measurable effect on how students' perceived the effectiveness of the affordances of digital technology, with improvements often linked to NGLS. However, the evidence suggests that a change in learning space alone will not increase learning. A change in space supports those teachers who are able and willing to integrate the affordances of technology into their practice. Building on the collective methodologies of earlier work this analysis has reinforced the credibility of this unique methodological approach, arguing this evaluative strategy offers the capacity to generate much needed robust empirical data on evaluation of learning environments in a secondary school setting.

  December 01, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12518   open full text
• The effectiveness of digital game‐based vocabulary learning: A framework‐based view of meta‐analysis.
  Meng‐Hua Chen, Wen‐Ta Tseng, Tsung‐Yuan Hsiao.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. December 01, 2016
  This study presents the results of a meta‐analytic study about the effects of digital game‐based learning (DGBL) on vocabulary. The results of the study showed that the effects of DGBL on vocabulary learning may vary with game design features (Q = 5.857, df = 1, p = .016), but not with learners' age (Q = 0.906, df = 1, p = .341) or linguistic background (Q = 0.0001, df = 1, p = .994). In light of the research findings, Csikszentmihalyi's () Flow Theory was adopted to theorize the role of game design in DGBL. It is proposed that a hierarchy should exist on the “challenge” axis in the Flow Theory, with adventure‐oriented games above non‐adventure‐based games along the “challenge” axis. The theoretical underpinning is that the dynamic equilibrium between challenge and abilities can function independently of the effects of learners' age and linguistic background.

  December 01, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12526   open full text
• Engaging students in school participatory practice through Facebook: The story of a failure.
  Stefania Manca, Valentina Grion.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. December 01, 2016
  In recent years, there has been increasing emphasis on the benefits of social media and social network sites to foster young people's participation in digital public spaces and their civic engagement. Using the principles of the Student Voice approach, this study investigated the use of a Facebook group to support secondary school students’ voices and viewpoints on school quality and policy (N = 98). The results showed that students were reluctant to be active in the group for several reasons, such as mistrust of school policies and resistance to combining Facebook use with school‐related issues. The low participation provided clues to reflect on the design of Student Voice projects to support civic engagement at school and to evaluate the use of digital sites to support Student Voice. Some considerations on the reasons for project failure and how to successfully reach student participation in a technology‐enhanced environment at school that addresses power relations, authenticity and inclusion are provided.

  December 01, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12527   open full text
• Tutoring online tutors: Using digital badges to encourage the development of online tutoring skills.
  Stefan Hrastinski, Martha Cleveland‐Innes, Stefan Stenbom.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. December 01, 2016
  Online tutors play a critical role in e‐learning and need to have an appropriate set of skills in addition to subject matter expertise. This paper explores how digital badges can be used to encourage the development of online tutoring skills. Based on previous research, we defined three digital badges, which are examples of essential tutoring skills. These skills were self‐assessed during two weeks by online tutors in K‐12 mathematics, who also wrote a self‐reflection based on their experience. The digital badges motivated tutors to reflect on online tutoring practices. The tutors described that they gained a more detailed understanding of the tutoring process when continuously analyzing ongoing conversations. However, it was a challenge for the tutors to balance the private activity, reflection on tutoring skills, and the social activity, communication with the K‐12 students. It is essential to take into account when tutors will have time to reflect, for example, by scheduling time for reflection or enabling opportunities for reflection that is flexible in time. A challenge for further research is to better understand the potential benefits of different types of badges.

  December 01, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12525   open full text
• Instructor and adult learner perceptions of the use of Internet‐enabled devices in residential outdoor education programs.
  Doris U. Bolliger, Craig E. Shepherd.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. December 01, 2016
  As more adults frequent wilderness areas, they bring Internet‐enabled devices (e.g., smart phones, tablets) with them. This study focuses on adults' perceptions of these devices in relation to desired outdoor learning experiences. Specifically, researchers examined the perspectives of naturalists who taught outdoor education programs and park visitors who participated in these programs. Using interviews and surveys to consider experiences, researchers found that participants enjoyed instructional Internet use to reduce physical dependence on heavy resources, support learning, engage younger learners and communicate with others. However, clear boundaries were identified regarding when and where these technologies could be used in national park settings.

  December 01, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12524   open full text
• Feedback methods for student voice in the digital age.
  Di Zou, James Lambert.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. December 01, 2016
  Central to the concept of Student Voice is the communication of student feedback to educators. Feedback can assume a great variety of forms, and effectiveness and appropriacy of different feedback methods may vary. This research investigates student perceptions of two traditional feedback methods—pen‐and‐paper questionnaires and oral question‐and‐answer reports—compared against feedback obtained through the use of three digital technology tools (Socrative, TodaysMeet and Google Drive). The findings suggest that the use of digital technologies in Student Voice contexts is likely to be highly effective due to the overwhelming positive attitude of students towards these tools.

  December 01, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12522   open full text
• Pre‐service teachers’ intention to adopt mobile learning: A motivational model.
  Ozlem Baydas, Rabia M. Yilmaz.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. December 01, 2016
  This study proposes a model for determining preservice teachers’ intentions to adopt mobile learning from a motivational perspective. Data were collected from 276 preservice teachers and analyzed by structural equation modeling. A model capable of explaining 87% of the variance in preservice teachers’ intention to adopt mobile learning was developed. According to this model, preservice teachers’ attitudes and cognitive needs have an influence on their behavioral intention while their affective and social needs do not. Their social needs are influenced by their affective and cognitive needs. In addition, affective needs have an influence on their cognitive needs. Therefore, focusing on mobile learning's practices and their roles in preservice teacher training are important to develop effective ICT course contents.

  December 01, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12521   open full text
• Peer assessment in MOOCs: The relationship between peer reviewers’ ability and authors’ essay performance.
  Bart Huisman, Wilfried Admiraal, Olga Pilli, Maarten van de Ven, Nadira Saab.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. December 01, 2016
  In a relatively short period of time, massive open online courses (MOOCs) have become a considerable topic of research and debate, and the number of available MOOCs is rapidly growing. Along with issues of formal recognition and accreditation, this growth in the number of MOOCs being developed increases the relevance of assessment quality. Within the context of a typical xMOOC, the current study focuses on peer assessment of essay assignments. In the literature, two contradicting theoretical arguments can be found: that learners should be matched with same‐ability peers (homogeneously) versus that students should be matched with different‐ability peers (heterogeneously). Considering these arguments, the relationship between peer reviewers’ ability and authors’ essay performance is explored. Results indicate that peer reviewers’ ability is positively related to authors’ essay performance. Moreover, this relationship is only established for intermediate and high ability authors; essay performance of lower ability authors appeared not to be related to the ability of their reviewing peers. Results are discussed in relation to the matching of learners and instructional design of peer assessment in MOOCs.

  December 01, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12520   open full text
• Young children's everyday concepts of the internet: A platform for cyber‐safety education in the early years.
  Susan Edwards, Andrea Nolan, Michael Henderson, Ana Mantilla, Lydia Plowman, Helen Skouteris.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. December 01, 2016
  Young children from around the world are accessing the internet in ever increasing numbers. The rapid increase in internet activity by children aged 4–5 years in particular is due to the ease access enabled them by touchscreen internet‐enabled tablet technologies. With young children now online, often independently of adult supervision, the need for early childhood cyber‐safety education is becoming urgent. In this paper, we report the early findings from a project aimed at examining the development of cyber‐safety education for young children. We argue that cyber‐safety education for young children cannot be effectively developed without first considering young children's thinking about the internet. In this paper, we use Vygotsky's ideas about the development of mature concepts from the merging of everyday and scientific concepts. We identify the potential range of everyday concepts likely to form the basis of young children's thinking about the internet as a platform for cyber‐safety education in the early years.

  December 01, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12529   open full text
• Exploring the relevance of single‐gender group formation: What we learn from a massive open online course (MOOC).
  Rebecca Yvonne Bayeck, Adelina Hristova, Kathryn W. Jablokow, Fernanda Bonafini.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. December 01, 2016
  This paper reports the results of an exploratory study on participants’ perception of the importance of single‐gender grouping in a massive open online course (MOOC) delivered through the Coursera platform. Findings reveal that female and male learners’ perception of single‐gender grouping differs. Female students more than males indicated less preference for single‐gender grouping. Views on single‐gender grouping also differed across regions, suggesting the effect of participants’ regions of origin on their opinions about single‐gender grouping. Moreover, an interaction was established between participants’ region and gender. In particular, our study reveals that men in the “Asia and Pacific” region tended—more than men and women from other regions of the world—to give more importance to single‐gender grouping in this MOOC. In addition, younger participants cared less about single‐gender groups compared to older respondents. This study sheds light on our understanding of the importance of gender and age importance in online learning environments such as MOOCs. The findings also point to the role gender and age may play as MOOCs continue to gain in popularity and to adopt collaborative approaches to teaching and learning.

  December 01, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12528   open full text
• Which students benefit most from a flipped classroom approach to language learning?
  Hsueh‐Hua Chuang, Chih‐Yuan Weng, Ching‐Huei Chen.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. December 01, 2016
  Research has shown that the potential benefits of a flipped classroom could be diminished by the way students perceive and prepare information prior to class. This study aims to explore individual characteristics, such as learner motivation, self‐efficacy and epistemology beliefs, that might have an impact on learning outcomes in a flipped classroom. Data were collected using four instruments during a 7‐week flipped classroom conducted from mid‐September 2014 to mid‐November 2014 with a total enrolment of 85 students (10 females and 75 males) in the required course, Applied English for Vocational Education. After controlling for pre‐test and other covariates (eg, gender, grade and experience), an analysis based on structural equation modeling showed a positive and significant (β = 0.12, p < 0.05) indirect effect of instrumentality (promotion) on the change in test scores through averaged quiz scores. Beliefs had a significant positive effect on change in scores between pre‐ and post‐tests (β = 0.20, p < 0.05). Findings revealed that language learners with a high level of motivation in instrumentality (promotion) followed quiz mechanisms closely and thus benefited most from the flipped classroom. Learners with high beliefs exhibited improvement in the post‐tests without doing well in quizzes. The implications for a flipped language learning classroom are discussed, including multiple strategies for regulating learners of different personal traits to preview the online course content before class.

  December 01, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12530   open full text
• Teaching and learning logic programming in virtual worlds using interactive microworld representations.
  Spyros Vosinakis, George Anastassakis, Panayiotis Koutsabasis.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. December 01, 2016
  Logic Programming (LP) follows the declarative programming paradigm, which novice students often find hard to grasp. The limited availability of visual teaching aids for LP can lead to low motivation for learning. In this paper, we present a platform for teaching and learning Prolog in Virtual Worlds, which enables the visual interpretation and verification of program results in a straightforward fashion and requires students to adopt a collaborative problem‐solving approach. The results of the pilot application and student‐centered evaluation of the platform are encouraging regarding group learning performance and user experience. The paper contributes to current practice of teaching and learning LP by proposing a metaphor and a system that can empower the educational process with toy world examples visualized in a shared 3D environment.

  December 01, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12531   open full text
• Analysis of critical success factors of online international learning exchange of Korean school pupils with English‐speaking counterparts.
  Jong‐Yeon Lee, Sanghoon Park.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. October 29, 2016
  This study identifies the factors influencing the success of online international learning exchange (ILE) among Korean school pupils who partnered with American and Australian pupils. In particular, it examined the effects of self‐efficacy (SE), exchange infrastructure (EI) and quality of exchange activities (QEA) on the students' learning satisfaction (LS), foreign language capability (FLC) and intercultural competence (IC). A survey was conducted with 236 Korean participants whose age was 10–15 years old and who had completed a one‐semester online ILE program. Structural equation modeling results revealed that SE, EI and QEA had a significant effect on the students' LS, FLC and IC, with considerable impact resulting from EI and QEA. The students' SE and EI further affected the improvement of their FLC, as mediated by QEA.

  October 29, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12516   open full text
• The effects of instructor participation and class size on student participation in an online class discussion forum.
  Elizabeth J. Parks‐Stamm, Maria Zafonte, Stephanie M. Palenque.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. September 29, 2016
  Student participation in online discussion forums is associated with positive outcomes for student achievement and satisfaction, but research findings on the impact of class size and instructors’ participation on student participation have been mixed. The present study analyzed the frequency of instructor and student posts in asynchronous discussion forums in 500 online courses to examine factors contributing to student participation. Results showed significant effects of both class size and amount of instructor participation, with a significant interaction between the two. In medium class sizes (with 15–30 students), amount of instructor participation did not predict the number of posts per student, but in smaller classes, significant differences in student participation were found depending on amount of instructor participation. Implications for fostering student participation in online discussion forums and interpreting research in this area are discussed.

  September 29, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12512   open full text
• Listening to learners: An investigation into college students’ attitudes towards the adoption of e‐portfolios in English assessment and learning.
  Ping Wang, Ricky Jeffrey.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. September 29, 2016
  This study discusses the possibility of e‐portfolio as a central component of assessment practice in the traditionally exam‐oriented context of China's tertiary education. The aim was to listen to learners, and provide them with a voice to analyse their perception of the potential advantages and challenges of introducing a learning‐focused assessment tool. From five consecutive annual cohorts (2007–2011), 220 university students completed questionnaires about their attitudes and experience of using e‐portfolio assessment in an English as a foreign language course, with 120 students participating in follow‐up interviews and focus groups. The vast majority of learners expressed preference for e‐portfolio assessment, compared to paper‐based examinations. This study contributes to understanding Chinese educational ideology of assessment, so as to place emphasis on assessment for quality learning rather than on teaching to the test.

  September 29, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12513   open full text
• Teachers’ knowledge in content, pedagogy and technology integration: A comparative analysis between teachers in Saudi Arabia and United States.
  Emtinan Alqurashi, Elif N. Gokbel, David Carbonara.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. September 29, 2016
  Teachers’ technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) involves an awareness of instructional approaches, methods, and knowledge of building on technology to enhance students’ learning. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the TPACK of teachers in Saudi Arabia and USA, and then describe the factors affecting teachers’ TPACK through an analysis of covariance that incorporates age, teaching experience, and education level as covariates, and the seven levels of TPACK as dependent variables. Differences found between teachers in the US and Saudi Arabia in terms of TPK, and TPCK. The analysis of variance indicated that teachers’ from the US and Saudi Arabia differ in their perceived TPACK when controlled by years of teaching experience, and educational levels. Teachers in both the US and Saudi Arabia had higher rating of their knowledge in content and pedagogy than technology knowledge. Teachers in Saudi Arabia, however, had higher TK, TCK, TPK and TPCK than teachers in the US.

  September 29, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12514   open full text
• Fashion students choose how to learn by constructing videos of pattern making.
  Michaella Cavanagh, Marí Peté.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. September 19, 2016
  This paper analyses new learning experiences of first year pattern technology students at a university of technology, in the context of selected characteristics of authentic learning theories. The paper contributes to existing knowledge by proposing a method that could be followed for design‐based subjects in a vocational education setting. Students were competent when replicating demonstrated pattern making procedures, but struggled to transfer knowledge to different situations. Therefore, a project asked students to create their own pattern‐making video tutorials in an effort to deepen authentic learning. Examining the learning activity and its results through action research reflection, the lecturer recognised authentic learning characteristics. For example, students grasped the work, displaying a range of original responses that presented more than one correct answer. By creating their own practice‐based content, students were able to learn more in the same period, compared to other cohorts in past years. Students were better equipped to utilise this knowledge in later projects and tests, demonstrating deeper understanding and knowledge transfer to other environments. Ultimately active knowledge production deepened learners' motivation, engagement in the learning process, and increased performance.

  September 19, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12505   open full text
• A pedagogy for outreach activities in ICT: Promoting peer to peer learning, creativity and experimentation.
  Catherine Lang, Annemieke Craig, Gail Casey.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. August 25, 2016
  The importance of integrating technology into the classroom has become a priority at most levels of the curriculum in many countries around the world. This paper draws on the evaluation and research that informed four outreach programs. The authors acknowledge that teachers are generally time poor and often have limited information and communication technology (ICT) skills and confidence, while students have skills and knowledge in ICT that often go untapped in the classroom. They present a curriculum that promoted peer to peer learning and support for teachers. This is a model of pedagogy for outreach that promotes a community of learners between ICT teachers, generalist teachers and preservice teachers while promoting socio‐cultural student led learning practices in the classroom.

  August 25, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12501   open full text
• Participation patterns in a massive open online course (MOOC) about statistics.
  Lloyd P. Rieber.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. August 25, 2016
  A massive open online course (MOOC) was designed to provide an introduction to statistics used in educational research and evaluation. The purpose of this research was to explore people's motivations for joining and participating in a MOOC and their behaviors and patterns of participation within the MOOC. Also studied were factors that the participants reported for completing or not completing the MOOC and what they perceive as criteria for quality in an online course. Participants also expressed their opinions about what they perceive as a reasonable balance between access to, cost, and quality of MOOCs. This study used a descriptive research design involving survey, quiz, and participation data. A total of 5079 people enrolled in the MOOC across six sections. When viewed from the point of view of the participants, the results suggest that even highly structured, instructionist MOOCs can offer flexible learning environments for participants with varied goals and needs.

  August 25, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12504   open full text
• Retrospective cognitive feedback for progress monitoring in serious games.
  Rob J. Nadolski, Hans G. K. Hummel.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. August 04, 2016
  Although the importance of cognitive feedback in digital serious games (DSG) is undisputed, we are facing some major design challenges. First of all, we do not know to which extend existing research guidelines apply when we stand the risk of cognitive feedback distorting the delicate balance between learning and playing. Unobtrusive cognitive feedback has to be interspersed with gameplay. Second, many effective solutions for providing cognitive feedback we do know might simply be too costly. To face both challenges, this study offers an efficient approach for providing unobtrusive and retrospective cognitive feedback (RCF) in DSG. This approach was applied onto a game where feedback messages were triggered via simple rules about learners' questioning behavior on four dimensions. We found the experimental condition including such RCF to yield better learning outcomes while maintaining similar motivation.

  August 04, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12503   open full text
• How do students and lecturers experience the interactive use of handheld technology in large enrolment courses?
  Tom Van Daele, Carolien Frijns, Jeroen Lievens.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. August 04, 2016
  Although constructivist theories have shown learning is accelerated by involvement and meaningful lecturer–student and student–student interaction, these ingredients are mostly absent from large attendance lectures. A number of studies have already focused on more active ways of learning in large lecture classrooms, most often by using student response systems or “clickers”. This field study wishes to extend the current knowledge base by providing an overview of how students and lecturers experience technology in large enrolment courses. An intervention introducing meaningful use of mobile technology in large attendance lectures was therefore set‐up and different aspects were evaluated: interaction and involvement, pleasantness and need for future implementation of an intervention. Participants were 185 bachelor students of Applied Psychology and three lecturers. A mixed method design was used, combining an online questionnaire consisting of multiple choice questions using a 5‐point Likert response scale and open ended questions, with focus group interviews. Focus groups with both students and lecturers provided additional data. Results showed that students experience increased involvement and interaction, that they found the didactical use pleasant and that they were convinced of the need for future use of mobile technology in daily education practice. Focus group interviews with students confirmed these findings under the condition that the used technology was integrated functionally in the lecture. The involved lecturers reported on positive effects and showed themselves to be favorable toward using handheld, mobile technology in large attendance lectures to boost interaction and involvement, even though they admitted to feeling unease about surrendering a level of control over the pedagogic setting.

  August 04, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12500   open full text
• Spatial contiguity and incidental learning in multimedia environments.
  Seungoh Paek, Daniel L. Hoffman, Antonios Saravanos.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. August 03, 2016
  Drawing on dual‐process theories of cognitive function, the degree to which spatial contiguity influences incidental learning outcomes was examined. It was hypothesized that spatial contiguity would mediate what was learned even in the absence of an explicit learning goal. To test this hypothesis, 149 adults completed a multimedia‐related task under the guise of usability testing. As participants interacted with the environment, incidental learning material was displayed on the screen with varying degrees of spatial contiguity and without explanation. Upon completion of the task, participants were administered an unexpected retention test assessing their knowledge of the incidental learning material. The results produced clear evidence that spatial contiguity influenced what was learned automatically without conscious processing. The paper ends with a discussion of the implications of dual‐process theories for multimedia learning design and research.

  August 03, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12488   open full text
• Online learning: Cheap degrees or educational pluralization?
  Angela T. Ragusa, Andrea Crampton.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. August 03, 2016
  In an era of shifting social and communication norms, where 76% of Americans surveyed reported they reached for tablets to check online communication before saying “good morning” to partners (Kensington.com, ), online education's increased popularity as a “lifestyle” choice is unsurprising (Ragusa, ). Qualitative thematic analysis of 289 surveys by university students studying and communicating entirely in a virtual classroom, however, revealed a plethora of assumptions about the changing nature of higher education. A growing gap between internal and distance education was perceived to impact pedagogical quality, interaction levels between students/lecturers for time purchased through tuition and institutional inflexibility with extensions for subject and/or degree completion. Most (53%) distance students found virtual learning paled in comparison with internal classrooms, despite expressing gratitude for improved flexibly to study at their own pace. Many (35%) students “hoped” employers would perceive distance degrees equally rigorous, yet ambiguity emerged about virtual degrees’ global acceptance as equal in kind and quality with “traditional” degrees. Despite increased online study and governmental calls to recognize degree accreditation trans‐nationally, ensuring quality irrespective of where obtained (Barber, Donnelly, & Rizvi, ), virtual degrees remain risky not because students perceive them as cheap consumer‐products, but because much human capital and institutional investment are required for success.

  August 03, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12489   open full text
• Teaching an old game new tricks: Long‐term feedback on a re‐designed online role play.
  Mat Hardy, Sally Totman.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. August 03, 2016
  Despite an extensive history of use in teaching Political Science subjects, long‐term scholarly studies of online role plays are uncommon. This paper redresses that balance by presenting five years of data on the Middle East Politics Simulation. This online role play has been run since the 1990s and underwent significant technical upgrade in 2013–14. The data presented here covers student feedback to this upgrade process and the factors that can influence their response. Key indications are that students tend to recognise when something is fit (or not) for its purpose and will forgo attractive and well‐appointed online environments if the underlying learning exercise is valued. However, there are limits to this minimalism and whilst designers do not need to replicate every Internet trend, attention needs to be paid to broader changes in technology, such as access platform and changing avenues of political communication. The study demonstrates that long‐term monitoring of online role play exercises is important to allow informed changes to be implemented and their impacts properly assessed.

  August 03, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12498   open full text
• Designing Massive Open Online Courses to take account of participant motivations and expectations.
  Gilly Salmon, Ekaterina Pechenkina, Anne‐Marie Chase, Bella Ross.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. July 26, 2016
  We report on a study conducted on a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) to explore and improve understanding and practice about MOOC learning design and participant motivations and expectations. The “Carpe Diem” MOOC was designed, developed and delivered in 2014. The MOOC participants' experiences were studied through surveys and interviews, and the analysis was triangulated. Three dominant motivations to complete the MOOC were found: to further existing knowledge, to acquire skills in the learning design process and to apply the learning design methodology in practice. We describe the relationship between participant motivations and expectations in this MOOC, which was undertaken mainly by participants who were themselves educators, and make recommendations for pedagogical design in MOOCs to promote and enable participant engagement and completion.

  July 26, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12497   open full text
• The role of knowledge visualisation in supporting postgraduate dissertation assessment.
  Karen Renaud, Judy Van Biljon.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. July 26, 2016
  There has been a worldwide increase in the number of postgraduate students over the last few years and therefore some examiners struggle to maintain high standards of consistency, accuracy and fairness. This is especially true in developing countries where the increase is supervision capacity is not on a par with the growth in student numbers. The aim of this research is to deploy freely available technology in order to find a way to help examiners to cope with this extra pressure, while maintaining the rigour of the assessment process. In terms of methodology, we commenced by mining the literature to ascertain exactly what criteria dissertation examiners were assessing, and how they went about doing this. We discovered that examiners tend first to gain an initial impression of a dissertation by reading the summary sections of the report: the abstract, introduction and conclusion. This delivers a helpful overview that eases the subsequent thorough examination of the dissertation, where they work their way through each chapter. This “overview then zoom” practice is reminiscent of the primary information visualisation mantra. This led us to consider whether knowledge visualisation could be the ameliorative mechanism we were looking for. We then carried out a systematic literature overview in order to determine whether knowledge visualisation had been used in this context. This revealed a surprising lack of research on the use of knowledge visualisation for assessment. We thus commenced to study extant use of visualisations. A case study approach was employed to study extant use of visualisations, in terms of how adequately they provided evidence of students having satisfied the previously identified assessment criteria. A number of experienced supervisors were then surveyed to gather their opinions about the role of knowledge visualisations in dissertations. Our findings indicate that knowledge visualisations can indeed provide evidence that particular criteria have been satisfied within a dissertation, and they do this more efficiently than text. Given the advances in technology, all postgraduate students are now able easily to produce computer‐generated visualisations, so requiring their inclusion would be no great impediment. We conclude that knowledge visualisations demonstrate promise in terms of supporting assessment of postgraduate dissertations. Our recommendations are that the deliberate deployment of knowledge visualisations in this context be investigated further to determine whether this initial promise can be realised in actual practice.A video abstract of this article can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y7mcF2ZBNT8

  July 26, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12494   open full text
• The influence of achievement goals on online help seeking of computer science students.
  Qiang Hao, Brad Barnes, Ewan Wright, Robert Maribe Branch.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. July 26, 2016
  This study investigated the online help‐seeking behaviors of computer science students with a focus on the effect of achievement goals. The online help‐seeking behaviors investigated were online searching, asking teachers online for help, and asking peers or unknown people online for help. One hundred and sixty‐five students studying computer science from a large research university in the south‐eastern United States participated in the study. It was found that students searched online significantly more frequently than they asked people online for help. Contrary to prior findings on face‐to‐face help seeking, no achievement goals were found to be significant in predicting the tendencies of students to seek help online. These findings provide evidence to support the role of online searching as an integral part of online help seeking and demonstrate that research findings on face‐to‐face help seeking should not be assumed to be naturally extendable to online help seeking.

  July 26, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12499   open full text
• Delayed instructional feedback may be more effective, but is this contrary to learners' preferences?
  David Lefevre, Benita Cox.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. July 26, 2016
  This research investigates learners' preferences for the timing of feedback provided to multiple‐choice questions within technology‐based instruction, hitherto an area of little empirical attention. Digital materials are undergoing a period of renewed prominence within online learning and multiple‐choice questions remain a common component. There is evidence that a delay in the provision of feedback following a learner's response to multiple‐choice questions leads to an increase in subsequent performance. However, the learner's perspective on delayed feedback is yet to be explored. Learner preferences are pertinent as learning designs that run contrary to preferred learning behaviours can have a negative affect on motivation and therefore engagement. During a series of formative tests, subjects were presented with a choice of viewing either immediate or delayed feedback and their choices were recorded. Over a 2‐year period data were collected relating to 599 subjects. Qualitative interviews were also conducted to investigate why subjects made their choices. In this research, subjects expressed a marked preference for immediate feedback, 95.33% chose to view feedback immediately following their response to a question. The reasons for this preference are explored and the implications for learning design are considered.

  July 26, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12495   open full text
• Online professional development embedded with mobile learning: An examination of teachers' attitudes, engagement and dispositions.
  Glenda A. Gunter, Jennifer L. Reeves.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. July 21, 2016
  Educators are eager to understand how technology is being used in PK‐12 classrooms in the US. Administrators, in particular, are interested in determining the most effective methods for educating teachers to integrate newer technologies into their curriculums. Research supports that students learn best when the process is hands‐on, interactive and authentic. Teachers must learn not only how to use new technologies, but also how to deeply integrate them into their curriculum to meet the changing needs of their students. Would it not make sense then to assume that teachers also learn best when the process is hands‐on, interactive and authentic? While a great deal of instruction in technology appears to be included in district professional development programs, many lack assistance beyond the one‐shot, hands‐off professional development approach. Therefore, the purpose of this sequential explanatory mixed methods study was to understand teachers' dispositions toward the relative value of mobile learning and whether authentic, integrated, subject‐specific professional developments empower teachers to fully and effectively integrate mobile learning into their curriculum.

  July 21, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12490   open full text
• Does sequence matter? Productive failure and designing online authentic learning for process engineering.
  Polly K. Lai, Alisha Portolese, Michael J. Jacobson.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. July 21, 2016
  This paper presents a study that applied both productive failure (PF) and authentic learning instructional approaches in online learning activities for early‐career process engineers' professional development. This study compares participants learning with either a PF (low‐to‐high [LH]) or a more traditional (high‐to‐low) learning sequence—the only difference between groups was the sequence of activities. In line with recent research on PF, this simple learning design tweak had a substantial effect—participants in the LH condition demonstrated significantly higher learning gains than those in the high‐to‐low condition on measures of conceptual knowledge and transfer. This paper concludes with implications for designing online learning experiences and discusses how careful attention to design decisions, such as activity sequence, can have a meaningful impact without increasing learning time.

  July 21, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12492   open full text
• The role of transformative leadership, ICT‐infrastructure and learning climate in teachers' use of digital learning materials during their classes.
  Marjan Vermeulen, Karel Kreijns, Hans van Buuren, Frederik Van Acker.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. July 18, 2016
  This study investigated whether school organizational variables (ie, transformative leadership (TL), ICT‐infrastructure (technical and social) and organizational learning climate were related to teachers' dispositional variables (ie, attitude, perceived norm and perceived behavior control [PBC]). The direct and indirect influences of the organizational variables on teachers' intention and use of digital learning materials (DLMs) were also investigated. A longitudinal design was used with three measurements spread out over four years. A total number of 544 randomly selected teachers from the Dutch primary, secondary and vocational education responded to all questionnaires. Model fit was tested using structural equation modeling. All dispositional variables predicted the use of DLMs, mediated by teachers' intention. TL had direct and indirect relationships via ICT‐infrastructure and learning climate with attitude, perceived norm and PBC. The longitudinal design proved the chronological effect of TL on learning climate and the dispositional variables. However, not all TL dimensions had relationships with ICT‐infrastructure (only TL‐vision and TL‐intellectual stimulation) and with learning climate (only TL‐intellectual stimulation). For educational practice, the results indicated that leadership can promote teachers' use of DLMs directly and by supporting a school wide learning climate under the condition that an ICT‐infrastructure exists.

  July 18, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12478   open full text
• The realm of learning innovation: A map for Emanators.
  Gilly Salmon.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. July 18, 2016
  There is no abstract available for this paper.

  July 18, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12487   open full text
• Mobile devices, learning and clinical workplaces: Medical student use of smartphones in Parisian hospitals.
  Megan Phelps, Karen M. Scott, Martine Chauffeté‐Manillier, Frédéric Lenne, Claire Le Jeunne.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. July 08, 2016
  Mobile devices are ubiquitous worldwide, including in hospitals. “Just in time” learning provided by these devices is important for students. We investigated current use of, and learning with, smartphones and other mobile devices by medical students in Parisian hospitals. A survey with quantitative and qualitative items previously used with students from an Australian medical school was translated to French and adapted. The voluntary survey was delivered online to Université Paris Descartes students. A total 854 medical students from across the final 5 years of the program completed the survey. The mean age was 22 years and 90% identified as French, matching the demographic pattern of the student body. Of 976 devices used by these students, 43% were iPhones and 32% another smartphone. Students accessed the Internet regularly or often, more for medically relevant than unrelated information—49% versus 16.5%. Almost half of respondents reported never accessing social media during clinical placements. Students agreed they used mobile devices for improving learning, knowledge and skills, but less for timetabling and communication. Reactions of supervisors, patients and families were concerning. Only 3.3% of respondents did not use a mobile device in clinical settings. These findings have implications for Francophone and all health professional schools.

  July 08, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12477   open full text
• Podcasts: A technology for all?
  Daniela Gachago, Candice Livingston, Eunice Ivala.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. July 08, 2016
  While the pedagogical benefits and challenges of podcasting as a teaching and learning practice are well researched, sometimes with contradictory results, literature on the potential of podcasting as a socially inclusive technology is scanty. Using a quantitative survey design, framed by concepts such as emerging technologies, low‐threshold applications and nontraditional students, this study investigated students perceptions at a large institution in South Africa on the access and use of podcasts. Findings indicate that podcasting was well received by all students. Particularly nontraditional students, with specific reference to gender, age and home language, were the ones who engaged most extensively with podcasts. Regular recordings of difficult, content‐heavy lectures were perceived as the most effective use of podcasting, showing that course design matters in terms of podcasting usage. Findings also challenged the view of podcasting as facilitating passive learning. In our context, which is defined by severe resource constraints and fear of technology among both lecturers and students, the simplicity and accessibility of podcasts promises a successful mainstream adoption of a low‐threshold technology for African higher education.

  July 08, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12483   open full text
• Developing graduate attributes in an open online course.
  Michael Rowe.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. July 08, 2016
  In an increasingly connected world where solving complex problems is not possible by solitary experts, educators and learners need opportunities to develop ways of thinking that allow them to engage with the dynamic and complex situations that arise in the world. The development of graduate attributes has been suggested as one way in which students can be prepared as active agents of social good. However, there are significant challenges with respect to developing these graduate attributes. This paper argues that the use of authentic learning in the design of open online courses may provide a structure for educators to develop generic graduate attributes. The use of collaborative technologies that are informed by authentic learning enables new forms of communication that allow students to fully engage with the academic process in ways that are difficult to achieve with traditional, classroom‐based teaching methods. This study made use of a blogging platform to create a collaborative open online course using principles of authentic task design in order to develop graduate attributes in undergraduate physiotherapy students. The study used an interpretive, qualitative design that gathered data via focus group discussions. Transcripts were analysed inductively in order to determine categories, which were then analysed in relation to the graduate attributes of the institution in which the study took place. Student discussions suggested that they had developed at least some components of generic graduate attributes, including an approach to learning that was personal and internally motivated, the ability to consider alternative points of view and acknowledge different perspectives, the confidence to challenge knowledge and authority, and skills as empathic communicators.

  July 08, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12484   open full text
• Using online discussion forums to support learning of paraphrasing.
  Kok‐Eng Tan.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. July 08, 2016
  The online discussion forum (ODF) is one of the many online interactive tools used for educational purposes. This paper discusses a study in a Malaysian university that examined the ODF interactions of students completing an assignment on paraphrasing. A class of 43 English as a Second Language (ESL) students enrolled in a writing course were divided into four forums. Their interactions consisting of 161 posts were collected in the 20‐day period of the assignment. Content analysis found the online interactions have all four elements of the analysis framework, namely, cognitive skills, evaluation, social cues and invitational form. Students were found to do their assignment in a self‐directed and self‐regulated manner within cultural and institutional constraints. The findings have implications for teaching ESL in a university context to tap into the contemporary online literacy practices of the students.

  July 08, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12491   open full text
• Relation between Alice software and programming learning: A systematic review of the literature and meta‐analysis.
  Joana M. Costa, Guilhermina L. Miranda.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. July 08, 2016
  This paper presents the results of a systematic review of the literature, including a meta‐analysis, about the effectiveness of the use of Alice software in programming learning when compared to the use of a conventional programming language. Our research included studies published between the years 2000 and 2014 in the main databases. We gathered 232 papers. Taking into account the selection criteria to make the meta‐analysis, we retained six papers with a quasi‐experimental design, with 464 participants in total. To combine the results we used the random effect model. It resulted in an effect size of 0.54 (Cohen's d) with a confidence interval between 0.34 and 0.74. We concluded that until now there have been few experimental results on the effectiveness of Alice programming language to introduce students in learning how to program. The results we found were the expression of different experimental treatments and distinguished teaching methods which made the comparison of the results obtained more subtle. However, the existing experimental results that were submitted to the meta‐analysis allowed us to assume with a certain margin of safety that a teaching strategy that uses Alice should obtain more effective results than the use of a conventional programming language.

  July 08, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12496   open full text
• Towards a differentiated and domain‐specific view of educational technology: An exploratory study of history teachers’ technology use.
  Michiel Voet, Bram De Wever.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. July 04, 2016
  Adopting a differentiated and domain‐specific view of educational technology, the present study focuses on the case of school history. It argues that, in this particular context, one of technology's main assets is its ability to support inquiry‐based learning activities, during which students interpret the past through historical reasoning. As little is known about how history teachers use technology in the classroom, an exploratory study was carried out with 22 teachers in fourth grade of secondary education in Flanders (Belgium). Semi‐structured interviews were used to investigate beliefs about technology, ways in which technology was implemented, and factors influencing the adoption process. The results suggest that most teachers held positive beliefs about technology, and that use of technology was driven by several rationales. Although a significant group of teachers was thoughtful of how their own use of technology could support students’ learning, student use remained limited to instances where technology served as a resource for the task, rather than a tool for supporting cognitive or social activity. It appears that teachers were not yet aware of technology's ability to scaffold inquiry activities. Furthermore, limitations in school infrastructure often prevented them from experimenting with more pervasive student uses of technology.

  July 04, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12493   open full text
• Flow in e‐learning: What drives it and why it matters.
  Inma Rodríguez‐Ardura, Antoni Meseguer‐Artola.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. June 27, 2016
  This paper seeks to explain why some individuals sink further into states of flow than others, and what effects flow has in the context of a virtual education environment. Our findings—gathered from both questionnaire and behavioural data—reveal that flow states are elicited by the e‐learners' senses of controlling the virtual education environment, their attention centred on the learning activity, and their feelings of physically being in such an environment. We bring evidence about three benefits from flow states: they facilitate e‐learner's positive emotions, they enhance e‐learners' academic performance, and they contribute to students' effective continuance in e‐learning.

  June 27, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12480   open full text
• Can an objective measure of technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) supplement existing TPACK measures?
  Aaron Drummond, Trudy Sweeney.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. June 27, 2016
  In recent years, approaches to developing teacher competency in technology integration have moved away from an over emphasis on technological knowledge, to focus on the essential connections between technology, pedagogy and content knowledge (TPACK) (Chai, Koh, & Tsai, ; Harris, Mishra, & Koehler, ; Mishra & Koehler, ). A number of extant studies have established the construct validity of the TPACK framework (Chai, Ng, Li, Hong, & Koh, ; Lin, Tsai, Chai, & Lee, ; Schmidt, Baran, Thompson, Mishra, Koehler, & Shin, ). However, it remains unclear whether the self‐reported knowledge assessed by the TPACK scales, might be supplemented by preservice teachers' objective knowledge in sub‐areas of TPACK. Here we use a well‐established measure—discriminability indices (d′) (Macmillan & Creelman, )—in a novel domain (TPACK) in an attempt to evaluate the extent to which the subjective knowledge assessed by the TPACK‐deep scale (Yurdakul et al., ) relates to preservice teachers' ability to discriminate between true and false statements about TPACK. There was only a small correlation between discriminability and TPACK‐deep scores (r = 0.25, p < 0.05). The results suggest that the subjective knowledge assessed by TPACK scales could be supplemented by the inclusion of objective indices of technological pedagogical and content knowledge to form a more complete picture of preservice teachers' TPACK.

  June 27, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12473   open full text
• Learning and assessment with images: A view of cognitive load through the lens of cerebral blood flow.
  Jay J. Loftus, Michele Jacobsen, Timothy D. Wilson.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. June 21, 2016
  Understanding the relationship between cognitive processing and learner performance on tasks using digital media has become increasingly important as the transition towards online learning programs increases. Determining the impact of implementation of instructional resources is often limited to performance outcomes and comparisons to the status quo. This study measured changes in cerebral blood velocity (CBV) of the right middle cerebral artery during visual learning tasks using static images. Transcranial Doppler ultrasonography was used to compare the changes in CBV during learning of individuals with high and low spatial ability. Our results show that there is a slight increase from baseline values of CBV in individuals with high spatial ability during the learning task for the present study. In contrast, individuals with low spatial ability experience a decrement from baseline during the learning task. These results suggest spatial ability mitigates cognitive load and potentially has an impact on learner performance on visual learning tasks.

  June 21, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12474   open full text
• Moderating the seductive details effect in multimedia learning with note‐taking.
  Zhe Wang, Narayankripa Sundararajan, Olusola O. Adesope, Yuliya Ardasheva.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. June 21, 2016
  Although the seductive details effect, a phenomenon where interesting but irrelevant pictures impede comprehension, is well documented, studies examining ways of moderating its detrimental impact on learning remain few. The present study examined the effect of note‐taking on the seductive details effect. Chinese undergraduate participants (N = 91) were randomly assigned to three conditions that differed in terms of the presence of seductive details and learning strategy (presence or absence of note‐taking for the seductive details group). Mediation analyses results showed that seductive details undermined participants' performance on recall and transfer tasks as a result of increased cognitive load. Results from variance analyses indicated that participants in the seductive details and note‐taking condition outperformed those in the comparison group and that this effect differed depending on participants' prior knowledge and outcome measures (recall or transfer). Overall, our results suggest that note‐taking is an effective cognitive strategy that can help learners overcome the seductive details effect. Implications for theory, practice, and future research are discussed.

  June 21, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12476   open full text
• E‐portfolio evaluation and vocabulary learning: Moving from pedagogy to andragogy.
  Maryam Sharifi, Hassan Soleimani, Manoochehr Jafarigohar.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. June 21, 2016
  Current trends in the field of educational technology indicate a shift in pedagogical assumptions and theoretical frameworks that favor active involvement of self‐directed learners in a constructivist environment. This study probes the influence of electronic portfolio evaluation on vocabulary learning of Iranian university students and the possible implications this influence affords. For this aim, the study recruited 66 students who were randomly assigned to the e‐portfolio group and the traditional assessment group. The experimental group kept an e‐portfolio in the intermediate level English language course while the traditional assessment group did not. The results revealed that the e‐portfolio group outperformed the traditional assessment group in terms of vocabulary learning on the posttest. The results also showed that e‐portfolio boosted students' motivation for learning new items. The perceptions of the participants in the e‐portfolio group reflected that they benefited from the integration of technology and various educational activities and enjoyed keeping an e‐portfolio. Finally, initial guidelines about how to use the instrument as part of the curriculum are discussed.

  June 21, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12479   open full text
• Methods and frequency of sharing of learning resources by medical students.
  Terry Judd, Kristine Elliott.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. June 21, 2016
  University students have ready access to quality learning resources through learning management systems (LMS), online library collections and generic search tools. However, anecdotal evidence suggests they sometimes turn to peer‐based sharing rather than sourcing resources directly. We know little about this practice—how common it is, what sort of resources are involved and what impact it is likely to have on students' learning. This paper reports on an exploratory investigation of students' resource sharing habits, involving 338 respondents from the first 3 years of a 4‐year postgraduate medical curriculum. On average, students reported sharing learning resources with other students two or more times per week. They were most likely to share non‐curriculum resources (not available through their LMS) although curriculum and physical resources (eg, printed or handwritten notes and textbooks) were also often shared. Students employed a range of sharing technologies including email (most frequent), social media tools and cloud‐based file services. A cluster analysis revealed four distinct groups of students based on the frequency with which they share, the range of technologies they employ and whether they share both online and physical resources.

  June 21, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12481   open full text
• Approaches to teaching online: Exploring factors influencing teachers in a fully online university.
  Antoni Badia, Consuelo Garcia, Julio Meneses.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. June 13, 2016
  In recent years there has been widespread interest in the implementation of online courses in universities. While most studies about online learning environments primarily focus on technology‐related issues or instructional methods, little attention has been given to online teachers and their teaching approaches. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of how teachers approach online teaching and the factors affecting individual teachers’ approaches to teaching online, particularly in a fully online university. Nine hundred and sixty‐five (965) online teachers belonging to the Open University of Catalonia were surveyed. The dependent variables include three approaches to teaching online: the Content Acquisition approach, the Collaborative Learning approach, and the Knowledge Building approach. The explanatory variables are socio‐demographics, academic background, online teaching experience, studies taught, online teaching dedication, and teachers’ roles in teaching online. Multiple regression analyses are used to make inferential judgements and test the effects of the independent variables. Findings suggest that age, academic background, online teaching dedication, and especially teachers’ roles in teaching online are important predictors of the adoption of a particular approach to teaching online.

  June 13, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12475   open full text
• Explaining university students’ effective use of e‐learning platforms.
  Valter Moreno, Flavia Cavazotte, Isabela Alves.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. June 09, 2016
  Students’ success in e‐learning programs depends on how they adopt and embed technology into their learning activities. Drawing on the Technology Acceptance Model, we propose a framework to explain students’ intention to use e‐learning platforms effectively, that is, their intention to fully exploit system's functionalities in leaning processes, even when this would require changes in study routines. The model was tested with data from 251 students enrolled in distance learning Business Administration programs. Results of structural equation modeling supported most hypotheses. Over 71% of the variance of intention to use an e‐learning platform were explained. Our findings indicate that students’ perceptions of system usefulness and ease of use positively influence their intention to effectively use e‐learning systems, and that these effects are fully mediated by students’ attitudes towards the LMS. Furthermore, system usefulness and ease of use are influenced by students’ cognitive absorption and self‐efficacy, as well as by system interactivity and facilitating conditions (FC).

  June 09, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12469   open full text
• A framework for aligning needs, abilities and affordances to inform design and practice of educational technologies.
  Pavlo D. Antonenko, Kara Dawson, Shilpa Sahay.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. June 09, 2016
  This paper addresses the need for enhancing our awareness of user‐centered design in educational technology through a more explicit and systematic alignment between the needs of educational technology users (learners and educators) and the affordances provided by the technology. First, we define the term “affordance” and discuss it from the perspectives of cognitive psychology and user interaction design. Next, we propose a taxonomy of functional affordances that builds on prior research and reflects the current trends in the design of educational technologies. The paper is concluded with an illustration of how explicit alignment of needs, abilities, and affordances can inform the evaluation of an educational technology designed to support dyslexic readers. The four‐step framework applied in this analysis helps (a) define user needs, (b) identify a potentially appropriate technology, (c) understand the abilities the technology affords and (d) align technological affordances with the specific needs of the target users. This framework is a step toward increased recognition of the importance of user‐centered design of educational technologies; it provides the needed guidance and structure for aligning needs, abilities, and affordances during the design, implementation, and evaluation of technologies for learning and teaching.

  June 09, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12466   open full text
• Media‐assisted language learning for young children: Effects of a word‐learning app on the vocabulary acquisition of two‐year‐olds.
  Catherine Walter‐Laager, Kathrin Brandenberg, Luzia Tinguely, Jürg Schwarz, Manfred R. Pfiffner, Barbara Moschner.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. June 03, 2016
  The intervention study investigated the effects of an interactive word‐learning app and picture cards on the vocabulary acquisition of 2‐year‐olds. Of particular interest was whether or not adult accompaniment during the use of the app or while looking at the picture cards had a positive effect on the child's vocabulary acquisition. The findings show that those children who used the word‐learning app when accompanied by an adult had the largest growth in vocabulary, and those who used the word‐learning app without adult accompaniment showing the second largest growth. Less successful were those children who played with the picture cards (with or without adult accompaniment). The group of children who focused on the subject matter for the longest period of time on average learned the most new words, while the group who focused on the subject matter for the shortest period of time had the smallest growth in vocabulary.

  June 03, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12472   open full text
• Essential features of serious games design in higher education: Linking learning attributes to game mechanics.
  Petros Lameras, Sylvester Arnab, Ian Dunwell, Craig Stewart, Samantha Clarke, Panagiotis Petridis.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. May 30, 2016
  This paper consolidates evidence and material from a range of specialist and disciplinary fields to provide an evidence‐based review and synthesis on the design and use of serious games in higher education. Search terms identified 165 papers reporting conceptual and empirical evidence on how learning attributes and game mechanics may be planned, designed and implemented by university teachers interested in using games, which are integrated into lesson plans and orchestrated as part of a learning sequence at any scale. The findings outline the potential of classifying the links between learning attributes and game mechanics as a means to scaffold teachers’ understanding of how to perpetuate learning in optimal ways while enhancing the in‐game learning experience. The findings of this paper provide a foundation for describing methods, frames and discourse around experiences of design and use of serious games, linked to methodological limitations and recommendations for further research in this area.

  May 30, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12467   open full text
• The value of capture: Taking an alternative approach to using lecture capture technologies for increased impact on student learning and engagement.
  Gemma Witton.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. May 19, 2016
  Lecture Capture technologies are becoming widespread in UK Higher Education with many institutions adopting a capture‐all approach. Installations of capture devices in all teaching rooms and lecture theatres, scheduled recordings through integration with timetabling and automated distribution through virtual learning environments are swiftly becoming the norm. Capturing lectures has been shown to have a positive impact on student satisfaction, but numerous studies have shown little or no positive impact on student attainment as a result of capturing lectures. This article explores an alternative approach to the use of capture technologies in a pilot study at the University of Wolverhampton. The output of the pilot evaluation is a theoretical model recommending a shift in focus away from the conventional use of the technology for capturing lectures. It advocates a move toward the purposeful use of capture technologies to create content which adds value to student learning and increases engagement, which may ultimately lead to a positive impact on student attainment. The findings have implications for policy and practice around the use of capture technologies. Future work is described in the context of the project findings.

  May 19, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12470   open full text
• Using humorous images to lighten the learning experience through questioning in class.
  Yueh‐Min Huang, Ming‐Chi Liu, Chia‐Hung Lai, Chia‐Ju Liu.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. May 06, 2016
  Teachers often use in‐class questions to examine the level of understanding of their students, while these also enable students to reorganize their acquired knowledge. However, previous studies have shown that students may resist being questioned because of negative emotions. Therefore, this paper proposes the idea of eliciting positive emotions by showing students funny images to reward them for providing correct answers. Three studies were conducted with different courses, using either a video lecture or classroom lecture. The results of Study 1 indicated that 22 learners who watched 10 financial literacy video segments and were rewarded with funny images tended to have more positive emotions, an upward trend in their attention levels, and greater test scores as compared to the other 22 learners watching the same videos who received no rewards. Studies 2 and 3 were conducted in the data structure and computer networks courses, respectively. With regard to affective states, the 52 students in the two courses gained more learning confidence in classes that providing the amusing stimuli as compared to those without such rewards. However, only students in the computer networks course had higher test scores on their mid‐term exams when answering rewarded questions compared to when they answered those questions without rewards, although this was not found with the students in the data structure course. The findings suggest that rewarding students with amusing stimuli can enhance students’ affective states, even though this instructional strategy does not lead to higher learning performance all the time.

  May 06, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12459   open full text
• The effect of surprising events in a serious game on learning mathematics.
  Pieter Wouters, Herre Oostendorp, Judith Vrugte, Sylke vanderCruysse, Ton Jong, Jan Elen.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. May 06, 2016
  The challenge in serious games is to improve the effectiveness of learning by stimulating relevant cognitive processes. In this paper, we investigate the potential of surprise in two experiments with prevocational students in the domain of proportional reasoning. Surprise involves an emotional reaction, but it also serves a cognitive goal as it directs attention to explain why the surprise occurred and can play a key role in learning. In our experiments, surprises were triggered by a surprising event, ie, a nonplaying character who suddenly appeared and changed characteristics of a problem. In Experiment 1—comparing a surprise condition with a control condition—we found no overall differences, but the results suggested that surprise may be beneficial for higher level students. In Experiment 2, we combined Expectancy strength (Strong vs. Weak) with Surprise (Present vs. Absent) using higher level students. We found a marginal overall effect of surprising events on learning indicating that students who experienced surprises learned more than students who were not exposed to these surprises but we found a stronger effect of surprise when we included existing proportional reasoning skill as factor. These results provide some evidence that a narrative technique as surprise can be used in game‐based learning for the purpose of learning.

  May 06, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12458   open full text
• Navigating the challenges of delivering secondary school courses by videoconference.
  Nicole Rehn, Dorit Maor, Andrew McConney.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. May 06, 2016
  The purpose of this research is to unpack and learn from the experiences of teachers who deliver courses to remote secondary school students by videoconference. School districts are using videoconferencing to connect students and teachers who are separated geographically through regular live, real‐time conferences. Previous studies have shown the inadequacy of videoconferencing to create effective learning communities when used solely as a lecturing tool, but there is limited research into understanding how to mitigate the challenges in order to leverage the tool for what it affords. This collective case study uses qualitative methods to examine those challenges and propose strategies for overcoming them. Five obstacles were identified (insufficient time, feelings of isolation, scheduling and logistics, unreliable technology and limited personal connection) with the following recommendations: leverage supporting tools, intentionally build presence and prioritize the programming within the district.

  May 06, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12460   open full text
• Classification framework for ICT‐based learning technologies for disabled people.
  Marion Hersh.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. May 06, 2016
  The paper presents the first systematic approach to the classification of inclusive information and communication technologies (ICT)‐based learning technologies and ICT‐based learning technologies for disabled people which covers both assistive and general learning technologies, is valid for all disabled people and considers the full range of relevant factors. Classification is important as it contributes to structuring and understanding the field, determining good practice and facilitating the matching of technologies to learners. The classification framework was developed as part of a network project and involved eight stages of model development, validation, commentary and modification using input from partners in 16 countries. The framework comprises three aims and three different classification methodologies: a very detailed methodology, a simple methodology and a classification of end‐user and contextual factors. The detailed methodology is divided into four sections which cover the characteristics of the intended end‐users, features relating specifically to the technology itself; features of contexts in which the technology can be used; and information about the types of learning activities the technology can be used for. The simple classification is divided into three sections, which summarise this information, and the third classification covers additional context specific factors. The framework has a number of important applications, including establishing for the first time a clear structure which can be used to discuss existing ICT‐based learning technologies for disabled people, identify gaps or the need for modifications and support the design and development process for new technologies. The methodologies will also be valuable in identifying technologies suitable for particular students and in supporting the determination of good practice and have an important role in informing policy and determining the future research agenda.

  May 06, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12461   open full text
• Interactive print: The design of cognitive tasks in blended augmented reality and print documents.
  Larysa Nadolny.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. May 06, 2016
  The combination of print materials and augmented reality in education is increasingly accessible due to advances in mobile technologies. Using familiar paper‐based activities overlaid with digital items, also known as interactive print, educators can create a custom learning experience for students. There is very little guidance on the design of interactive print activities, particularly methods used to structure the appropriate levels of cognitive load for engagement with content. This study examined over 13 000 data points in two different interactive print activities for trends and patterns in user engagement. The results showed that the instructional design, number of digital interactions and pedagogical strategies influenced user interactions within the activity. In particular, a page designed with immersion, instant feedback, a focused task and high level cognitive tasks engaged users to interact with the digital content.

  May 06, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12462   open full text
• Influences of an inquiry‐based ubiquitous gaming design on students’ learning achievements, motivation, behavioral patterns, and tendency towards critical thinking and problem solving.
  Gwo‐Jen Hwang, Chih‐Hung Chen.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. May 06, 2016
  In this paper, an inquiry‐based ubiquitous gaming approach was proposed. The objective of the study was to enhance students’ performances in in‐field learning activities. To show the advantages of the approach, an experiment was carried out to assess the effects of it on students’ learning achievement, motivation, critical thinking, and problem solving. Furthermore, the students’ behavioral patterns were investigated via content and sequential analysis methods. The experimental outcomes show that the approach promoted students’ performances of learning achievement and intrinsic motivation; moreover, the students’ perceptions of their problem solving and critical thinking were significantly promoted as well. The learning behavior analysis further show that the designated approach stimulated the participants to actively engage in field observation, comparison, and data searching in the context ware in‐field learning activity.

  May 06, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12464   open full text
• Explaining the discrepancy in the mediating role of attitude in the TAM.
  Luis Miguel López‐Bonilla, Jesús Manuel López‐Bonilla.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. May 06, 2016
  The debate about the role of attitude in the technology acceptance model (TAM) seems to have re‐emerged in two prestigious journals in the field of educational technology. Among the publications on this debate, there are authors in favour of excluding the attitude of TAM, whereas others are in favour of including it. These opinions are derived from the results that both groups have obtained in their researches. We have wondered whether the methodology used in these studies could have influenced the results obtained and whether different statistical tools may lead to different conclusions. Two alternatives models were compared: TAM with attitude (TAM‐O) and TAM without attitude (TAM‐R). To detect the influence of different methodological tools, two structural equations modelling (SEM) approaches were used for analysis: covariance‐based SEM (CB‐SEM) and partial least squares SEM (PLS‐SEM). We found that if PLS‐SEM method is used, TAM‐O is a better model than TAM‐R, whereas if CB‐SEM is used, TAM‐R is better than TAM‐O. We face a paradox that is explained by the influence of the methodology.

  May 06, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12465   open full text
• Exploring students’ acceptance of team messaging services: The roles of social presence and motivation.
  Yong‐Ming Huang.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. May 06, 2016
  Team messaging services represent a type of cloud computing applications that support not only the messaging among users but also the collaboration in a team. Accordingly, team messaging services have great potential to facilitate students’ collaboration. However, only few studies utilized such services to support students’ collaboration and further investigated the factors that influence students’ acceptance of these services. To remedy this deficiency, this research not only employed a team messaging service to support the subjects’ collaboration but also conducted a survey with a questionnaire designed for identifying the factors that influenced their intention to use the service. The research findings demonstrated that (1) social presence not only played an important role in influencing the subjects’ intention to use the service, but also significantly affected their motivation in using it; (2) the subjects’ intrinsic motivation played a more significant role than their extrinsic motivation did in influencing their attitude toward using and behavioral intention; (3) the subjects’ attitude toward using the service exerted no influence on their intention to use it. These findings suggested that, when students collaborate through a team messaging service, their awareness of others’ presence will significantly influence their motivation and intention to use the service.

  May 06, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12468   open full text
• Effects of the instructor's pointing gestures on learning performance in video lectures.
  Zhongling Pi, Jianzhong Hong, Jiumin Yang.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. May 06, 2016
  Recent research on video lectures has indicated that the instructor's pointing gestures facilitate learning performance. This study examined whether the instructor's pointing gestures were superior to nonhuman cues in enhancing video lectures learning, and second, if there was a positive effect, what the underlying mechanisms of the effect might be. There were three kinds of video lectures in the study: one with the instructor's pointing gestures, one with nonhuman cues, and one without any cues. Eighty‐four Chinese undergraduates were randomly assigned to view one of the three video lectures in a laboratory. As hypothesized, the results of analyses of variance showed that the instructor's pointing gestures improved learning performance more than the nonhuman cues and no‐cues conditions. The pointing gestures directed the learners’ visual attention to the relevant learning content of PowerPoint (PPT) slides in the video lecture. This suggests that the instructor's pointing gestures can be a valuable means to improve learning performance in video lectures, in particular PPT slides with much learning information.

  May 06, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12471   open full text
• Are augmented reality picture books magic or real for preschool children aged five to six?
  Rabia M. Yilmaz, Sevda Kucuk, Yuksel Goktas.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. May 03, 2016
  The aim of this study is to determine preschool children's attitudes towards augmented reality picture books (ARPB), their story comprehension performance (SCP) and the relationships between these variables. The sample consisted of 92 five‐ and six‐year‐olds (49 boys, 43 girls). An attitude form, story comprehension test and interview form were used as data collection tools. Most of the children reported feeling “very happy” with the activity and enjoyed using the ARPB, which they found interesting and fun. The children also delivered strong story SCP. Their happiness was found to affect their SCP, while their enjoyment did not. ARPB are attractive and evocative for children, who perceive them as magic and more enjoyable than conventional books. This study demonstrates how they can be used as effective educational tools to improve preschool children's cognition and listening skills.

  May 03, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12452   open full text
• Attributes of digital natives as predictors of information literacy in higher education.
  Andrej Šorgo, Tomaž Bartol, Danica Dolničar, Bojana Boh Podgornik.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. April 29, 2016
  Digital natives are assumed to possess knowledge and skills that allow them to handle information and communication technologies (ICT) tools in a “natural” way. Accordingly, this calls for the application of different teaching/learning strategies in education. The purpose of the study was to test the predictive strength of some attributes of digital nativeness (ICT ownership, ICT experiences, internet confidence and number of ICT‐rich university courses) on the information literacy (IL) of 299 Slovenian university students. Correlation and regression analysis based on survey data revealed that the attributes of digital natives are poor predictors of IL. The principal findings are: ICT experiences expressed as the sum of the use of different applications do not necessarily contribute to IL; some applications have a positive and some a negative effect; personal ownership of smartphones, portable computers and desktop computers has no direct effect on IL, while ownership of a tablet computer is actually a negative predictor; personal ownership of ICT devices has an impact on ICT experiences and Internet confidence, and, therefore, an indirect impact on IL; and ICT‐rich university courses (if not designed to cultivate IL) have only a marginal impact on IL, although they may have some impact on ICT experiences and Internet confidence. The overall conclusion is that digital natives are not necessarily information literate, and that IL should be promoted with hands‐on and minds‐on courses based on IL standards.

  April 29, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12451   open full text
• Serious games as a malleable learning medium: The effects of narrative, gameplay, and making on students’ performance and attitudes.
  Varvara Garneli, Michail Giannakos, Konstantinos Chorianopoulos.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. April 29, 2016
  Research into educational technology has evaluated new computer‐based systems as tools for improving students’ academic performance and engagement. Serious games should also be considered as an alternative pedagogical medium for attracting students with different needs and expectations. In this field study, we empirically examined different forms of serious‐game use for learning on learning performance and attitudes of eighty 13‐year‐old students in the first grade of middle school. Divided into four groups of 20 students, each group practiced with a maths video game in three ways. The first group played the storytelling maths game, the second played the same game but with no story and the third played and modified the video game. Finally, a control group practised in a paper‐based (traditional) way by solving exercises. Although only minor differences in learning performance were identified, we found significant differences in the attitudes of the students toward learning through the video game. Students who are not motivated by conventional paper‐based assignments might be engaged better with the use of a video game. Our findings suggest that video game pedagogy could provide malleable learning for different groups of students using methods that move beyond the conventional tool‐based approach. A video abstract of this article can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Kec_mSG-dE.

  April 29, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12455   open full text
• Interactions and learning outcomes in online language courses.
  Chin‐Hsi Lin, Binbin Zheng, Yining Zhang.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. April 29, 2016
  Interactions are the central emphasis in language learning. An increasing number of K‐12 students take courses online, leading some critics to comment that reduced opportunities for interaction may affect learning outcomes. This study examined the relationship between online interactions and learning outcomes for 466 students who were taking high‐school level online language courses in a Midwestern virtual school. Regression analysis was employed to examine how three broad types of interactions, learner‐instructor, learner‐learner and learner‐content (Moore, ), affected students’ perceived progress and satisfaction. After controlling for demographic information, motivation and learning strategies, the results of multiple regression showed that learner‐instructor and learner‐content interactions had significantly positive effects on satisfaction, whereas learner‐learner interaction did not affect satisfaction. Learner‐content interaction was the only factor that affected perceived progress.

  April 29, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12457   open full text
• Teachers pedagogical change framework: a diagnostic tool for changing teachers’ uses of emerging technologies.
  Isabel Tarling, Dick Ng'ambi.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. April 12, 2016
  One of the challenges facing education systems in general and the South African education system in particular is how to understand ways that teachers change from nonusers of technologies to becoming transformative teachers with technology. Despite numerous initiatives, not limited to training, workshops and so forth, to bring about sustained and wide‐spread teacher change, transmission/delivery‐based pedagogies and chalk‐and‐talk methods continue to dominate. While policy directives and professional development programmes aim to effect change in teachers’ practice, they tend to fail to create sustainable change in teachers’ practice of using emerging technologies (ETs). This paper reports on a study that sought to understand how teachers change their pedagogy of teaching with ETs. Using a Design‐Based Research approach, the paper reports on the teachers’ pedagogical change framework (Teaching Change Frame ‐TCF) as a diagnostic tool for locating and mapping how teachers’ change. The TCF maps teachers’ existing pedagogies and ET uses, and designs a pathway of a change process to effect the desired change. The TCF was tested and refined using data from 325 teachers drawn from rural, resource‐constrained schools, urban, well‐resourced schools and from preservice teaching students in a decontextualized environment. Following three iterations it was found that teachers’ use of ETs in regulated, restrictive ways correlate with transmission pedagogies, unregulated, dispersed ways correlate with transformative pedagogies. The use of TCF not only located teaching pedagogies but also provide different pathways to ensure sustainable change. Findings emphasize the need for teachers to encourage learners to build/create/construct with ETs and for increased interaction in fostering nonregulated dispersed use of ETs.

  April 12, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12454   open full text
• Being human today: A digital storytelling pedagogy for transcontinental border crossing.
  Kristian Stewart, Daniela Gachago.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. April 12, 2016
  This article reports the findings of a collaborative digital storytelling project titled “Being Human Today,” a multimodal curricular initiative that was implemented simultaneously in both a South African and an American university classroom in 2015. By facilitating dialogue and the sharing of digital stories by means of a closed Facebook group, instructors were able to investigate students’ critical awareness and social consciousness regarding notions of “self” and “other” across continents. Case study methodology was applied as a research framework to collect, code, and triangulate data gathered from student‐driven texts, Facebook entries, and student‐produced digital stories. Framed by Giroux's border pedagogy and set within social justice education, findings provide evidence of our students’ desire to be connected to each other, both locally and abroad, which we found to be the heart of what it means to be human today. Further, data revealed how sharing stories as cultural and personal artifacts worked to demystify notions of otherness in both local and global contexts. In particular, the comparison of personal stories shared in this space allowed for critique and a raised awareness of how students are impacted by global hegemonic discourses. Implications of practice for this study include breaking down the barriers‐both real and imagined‐as they relate to how educators conceive the use of technology in classroom spaces and student engagement across continents.

  April 12, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12450   open full text
• The design and implementation of authentic learning with mobile technology in vocational nursing practice course.
  Ying‐Hung Pu, Ting‐Ting Wu, Po‐Sheng Chiu, Yueh‐Min Huang.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. April 12, 2016
  In recent years, along with the development of mobile technology, vocational nursing education has improved greatly. In light of this emerging mobile technology, it brings the clinical practice of vocational nursing education closer to authentic learning than ever. In fact, some studies revealed that learners’ learn states and learning outcomes would be directly or indirectly influenced with mobile technology. Therefore, this study proposed an authentic learning model for vocational nursing education, validated by home‐visiting activities with the assistance of the mobile technology for a nursing practice course of 60 nursing students at a vocational nursing school in Taiwan. The research was based on the framework of the paradigm of authentic learning to derive authentic learning evaluation scales. Then, the scales were employed to evaluate usability and satisfaction of the students engaging in home‐visiting activities by using the mobile technology. Through the empirical experiment, our findings show that the nursing students’ authenticity experience and professional skill development can be enhanced through the assessment of the proposed authentical evaluation scales.

  April 12, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12443   open full text
• Design principles for authentic learning of English as a foreign language.
  Ildeniz Ozverir, Jan Herrington, Ulker Vanci Osam.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. April 12, 2016
  Knowledge obtained in higher education through de‐contextualised tasks and activities often remains “inert” and learners cannot readily transfer understanding to novel contexts. Nowhere is this more evident than in learning a foreign language. Typical language interaction exercises in class do not mirror real‐life language use and such activities may have negative effects on students’ development of robust knowledge. This article describes a design‐based research study that investigated the use of an authentic e‐learning environment in a course of English language at a university preparatory school. The findings suggest that the use of critical elements of authentic activities is the key to achieving authentic learning in these contexts. An important outcome of the research was the development of a framework for the design of authentic activities to be used in the teaching of foreign languages, in the form of 11 design principles. These principles contribute both theoretically and practically to understanding of how students learn languages in meaningful contexts.

  April 12, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12449   open full text
• Social augmented reality: Enhancing context‐dependent communication and informal learning at work.
  Jana Pejoska, Merja Bauters, Jukka Purma, Teemu Leinonen.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. April 12, 2016
  Our design proposal of social augmented reality (SoAR) grows from the observed difficulties of practical applications of augmented reality (AR) in workplace learning. In our research we investigated construction workers doing physical work in the field and analyzed the data using qualitative methods in various workshops. The challenges related to learning in the construction sites were: sharing of specific situation processes or details, need of direct communication channel over distance and support for social appraisal. The second result of the study is a prototype. SoAR is a design solution, an application for smart phones. The primary target for the SoAR design builds on the discoveries and idea that current AR developments in the area should focus on enhancing human‐to‐human interactions: messages, gestures, words and other small elements of communication. We present the current SoAR prototype that enhances video calls with overlaid drawings therefor SoAR is a tool for asking and providing guidance in context‐reliant work situations. Our guiding theoretical framework is drawing from phenomenological discussion dealing with embodied interaction expanded by a process of research‐based design.

  April 12, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12442   open full text
• Social university challenge: Constructing pragmatic graduate competencies for social networking.
  Vladlena Benson, Stephanie Morgan.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. April 12, 2016
  With the strong acceptance of social technologies by student users, the academic applications have swiftly followed, bringing a social dimension into every area of university life. However, there have been concerns raised about the impact of social media on students. Some Universities have started including social media skills training in the curriculum. For educators, it is important to understand students’ attitudes towards social media itself and the inclusion of social media skills development. This article presents the results of a qualitative study of students’ positions towards social media and the impact on their professional activity, as well as the need for teaching skills in social technologies. We argue that students are not fully aware of the implications of social media use despite, or sometimes because of, their regular use. Based on 23 semi‐structured interviews with students at a UK business school, we bring to light the positions which learners take towards social technology education and argue that structured training is needed. We offer a framework for social skill development and conclude that social technology integration into pedagogy increases the employability skills of business graduates.

  April 12, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12448   open full text
• Education scholars’ evolving uses of twitter as a conference backchannel and social commentary platform.
  Royce Kimmons, George Veletsianos.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. April 12, 2016
  The scholarly community faces a lack of large‐scale research examining how students and professors use social media in authentic contexts and how such use changes over time. This study uses data mining methods to better understand academic Twitter use during, around, and between the 2014 and 2015 American Educational Research Association annual conferences both as a conference backchannel and as a general means of participating online. Descriptive and inferential analysis is used to explore Twitter use for 1421 academics and the more than 360 000 tweets they posted. Results demonstrate the complicated participation patterns of how Twitter is used “on the ground.” In particular, we show that tweets during conferences differed significantly from tweets outside conferences. Further, students and professors used the conference backchannel somewhat equally, but students used some hashtags more frequently, while professors used other hashtags more frequently. Academics comprised the minority of participants in these backchannels, but participated at a much higher rate than their non‐academic counterparts. While the number of participants in the backchannel increased between 2014 and 2015, only a small number of authors were present during both years, and the number of tweets declined from year to year. Various hashtags were used throughout the time period during which this study occurred, and some were ongoing (ie, those which tended to be stable across weeks) while others were event‐based (ie, those which spiked in a particular week). Professors used event‐based hashtags more often than students and students used ongoing hashtags more often than professors. Ongoing hashtags tended to exhibit positive sentiment, while event‐based hashtags tended to exhibit more ambiguous or conflicting sentiments. These findings suggest that professors and students exhibit similarities and differences in how they use Twitter and backchannels and indicate the need for further research to better understand the ways that social technologies and online networks are integrated in scholars’ lives.

  April 12, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12428   open full text
• How technology shapes assessment design: Findings from a study of university teachers.
  Sue Bennett, Phillip Dawson, Margaret Bearman, Elizabeth Molloy, David Boud.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. April 12, 2016
  A wide range of technologies has been developed to enhance assessment, but adoption has been inconsistent. This is despite assessment being critical to student learning and certification. To understand why this is the case and how it can be addressed, we need to explore the perspectives of academics responsible for designing and implementing technology‐supported assessment strategies. This paper reports on the experience of designing technology‐supported assessment based on interviews with 33 Australian university teachers. The findings reveal the desire to achieve greater efficiencies and to be contemporary and innovative as key drivers of technology adoption for assessment. Participants sought to shape student behaviors through their designs and made adaptations in response to positive feedback and undesirable outcomes. Many designs required modification because of a lack of appropriate support, leading to compromise and, in some cases, abandonment. These findings highlight the challenges to effective technology‐supported assessment design and demonstrate the difficulties university teachers face when attempting to negotiate mixed messages within institutions and the demands of design work. We use these findings to suggest opportunities to improve support by offering pedagogical guidance and technical help at critical stages of the design process and encouraging an iterative approach to design.

  April 12, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12439   open full text
• An investigation of the effects of programming with Scratch on the preservice IT teachers’ self‐efficacy perceptions and attitudes towards computer programming.
  Erman Yukselturk, Serhat Altiok.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. April 12, 2016
  The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of programming with Scratch on the views of preservice Information Technology (IT) teachers towards computer programming. The study sample consisted of 151 preservice IT teachers who took an elective course including a Scratch module in the 2013–14 academic year. Three online questionnaires (Personal Information Questionnaire, The Computer Programming Self‐Efficacy Scale and The Computer Programming Learning Attitude Scale) were used to gather the quantitative data and focus group interviews were conducted to collect the qualitative data regarding the preservice IT teachers’ views in more detail. According to the results, there were significant increases in the mean of the preservice IT teachers’ self‐efficacy perceptions regarding almost all complex programming tasks after their Scratch programming experience. The results also showed that the preservice IT teachers’ negative attitudes towards programming decreased significantly and programming in the Scratch platform had significantly positive effects on the preservice IT teachers’ attitudes regarding some items in the scale.

  April 12, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12453   open full text
• “I am trying to practice good teaching”: Reconceptualizing eportfolios for professional development in vocational higher education.
  Christine Winberg, Nicola Pallitt.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. March 23, 2016
  Teaching portfolios have become increasingly important to university teachers. Portfolio requirements for the appointment or promotion of academic staff recognize that the assessment of teaching practice requires more depth and detail than a candidate's academic CV generally affords. The focus of this study is the electronic teaching portfolios, developed for purposes of promotion, in a vocational higher education context. Data were obtained from candidates' eportfolios, from precourse and end‐of‐course surveys, as well as from eportfolio assessors' formative and summative feedback. The analysis of the data reveals tensions arising from portfolio building in the particular context of vocational higher education. The nature of the vocational field impacts not only on teaching and learning practice, but on how academic staff choose to present their practice in an eportfolio. The paper argues that the constraints and enablements of context, including the disciplinary context, as well as the possibilities and limitations of agency, will strongly influence the purposes of eportfolio development and the extent to which university teachers can exercise agency in the creation of an eportfolio in a “high stakes” context. The findings can help university appointments and promotions committees, as well as educational developers, to better understand these enablements and constraints in order to inform policy and implementation.

  March 23, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12440   open full text
• Exploratory study of collaborative behaviour in gaming and interactions of students in Second Life.
  Gbolahan Olasina.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. March 23, 2016
  The current research is conducted in the context of Second Life (SL) users in Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu‐Natal, South Africa. The research uses the Symbolic Interactionism Theory (SIT), a social science based theory as theoretical framework to underpin it and help inform the research. The overriding purpose is to analyze evidence of collaborative behaviour in the contexts of gaming, entertainment and socializing to support further exploitation of SL and overall improvement in the gaming experiences of users. The paradigmatic framework chosen is the interpretivist. The research design is a qualitative description. The population is made up of 20 matriculation students. The research uses focus group and interviews. In addition, reliability is considered before and after data collection by trustworthiness using criteria such as credibility, transferability and an audit trail. The methods of analysis involve reading of interview and focus group transcripts, developing own codes, coding the data and examining the patterns and themes using thematic analysis. The research is significant as it uses the SIT theory to improve the understanding of collaborative behaviour in the context of SL. The key results suggest that the SL can support not only collaboration but building citizenship and national identity.

  March 23, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12447   open full text
• Differences in the digital home lives of young people in New Zealand.
  Maggie Hartnett.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. March 23, 2016
  Digital technology is changing every aspect of life from how we communicate to the way we learn. International trends would suggest that digital access is becoming increasingly widespread in developed countries. But general trends may hide the fact that some households still do not have access to the internet for a variety of reasons. Differences in digital access and use, particularly along socio‐economic lines, may be less visible but are still present. This paper reports on a two‐phase study that explores home digital access and use of young people (16–17–years‐old) from a range of socio‐economic backgrounds across New Zealand. Phase one sought to establish what home access is available, while the second phase explores what kinds of digital technologies are used and for what purpose among a subset of young people. Results indicate that differences in digital access do exist among young people from different socio‐economic backgrounds. These differences include the number of digital devices in the home, the types of devices available, and whether the device(s) are shared or individually owned. These findings are particularly important in light of the finding that these young people perceived that digital access and use at school is inadequate and lagging behind everyday use. This suggests that there is still a considerable way to go to ensure equal digital opportunities for all.

  March 23, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12430   open full text
• Mobile technologies for learning: Exploring critical mobile learning literacies as enabler of graduateness in a South African research‐led University.
  J. P. Bosman, Sonja Strydom.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. March 18, 2016
  At Stellenbosch University there is a drive to integrate the development of graduate attributes and the use of emerging technologies in the curriculum. With the aim of discovering the role of emerging mobile technologies in learning a qualitative research project was undertaken with a senior‐student cohort. An inductive thematic analysis was done using Ng's () mLearning literacies framework (cognitive, socio‐emotional and technical), and situating it within the field of graduateness (Barrie ; Bozalek & Watters, ). This paper reports on the research which informs the literature on graduateness with regards to the potential role of critical mobile learning literacies and expands the application of the mLearning literacies framework as part of the digital literacies debate. Resulting themes were: (1) a critical awareness of 21st century learning; (2) an underdeveloped mLearning literacy (with criticality as indicator); and (3) multidimensional expectations regarding the development of mLearning literacy. To support the notion of lifelong learning and graduateness, we call for the development of particularly criticality in mLearning literacy skills at a cognitive, socio‐emotional and technical level with mobile devices in both formal and informal learning. This has implications for curriculum design, pedagogic approaches and a focus on interactions with new forms of knowledge.

  March 18, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12441   open full text
• Who or what contributes to student satisfaction in different blended learning modalities?
  Anh‐Nguyet Diep, Chang Zhu, Katrien Struyven, Yves Blieck.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. March 18, 2016
  Different blended learning (BL) modalities and the interaction effect between human and technological factors on student satisfaction need adequately researched to shed more light on successful BL implementation. The objective of the present article is three‐fold: (1) to present a model to predict student satisfaction with BL programs, (2) to examine the interaction effect between the instructor expertise and the learning management system (LMS) on student satisfaction in different BL modes, and (3) to investigate if different modes of BL will exert an influence on students’ perceived achievement goals and satisfaction, their evaluation of the instructors, and the LMS quality. Results show that the instructor expertise, students’ perceived task value and achievement goals are the most influential factors, followed by the LMS quality, instructor support, and students’ general self‐efficacy. Contradictory to previous studies, the LMS quality only has an indirect effect on student satisfaction, via perceived achievement goals. In different BL conditions, the LMS quality has significantly different effect on student satisfaction, when interacting with the instructor expertise. The two modalities of BL programs also yield differences in students’ perceived achievement goals and their demand for the LMS's functionality and design, hence crucial implications for pedagogical practices and institutional policy addressed.

  March 18, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12431   open full text
• Interaction pattern analysis in cMOOCs based on the connectivist interaction and engagement framework.
  Zhijun Wang, Terry Anderson, Li Chen, Elena Barbera.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. March 18, 2016
  Connectivist learning is interaction‐centered learning. A framework describing interaction and cognitive engagement in connectivist learning was constructed using logical reasoning techniques. The framework and analysis was designed to help researchers and learning designers understand and adapt the characteristics and principles of interaction in connectivist learning contexts. In this study empirical evidence to support and further develop this framework is presented. This study analyzed 6 weeks of data harvested from the daily newsletter, Twitter, and a Facebook group in a well‐known cMOOC led by George Siemens and Stephen Downes. These text transcripts were analyzed using a deductive approach of qualitative content analysis. This study revealed the main activity patterns of participants as they engage in four levels of interaction (operation interaction, wayfinding interaction, sensemaking interaction, and innovation interaction) during the MOOC. Generally the framework serves as a conceptual model to understand and to analyze the interaction in this cMOOC, although some implied interaction is hard to recognize and categorize. The relationship of the four levels of interaction and the role of each element in the framework were explored with the intent of offering the framework as a conceptual and analytic tool to guide both researchers and practitioners in designing and studying connectivist learning.

  March 18, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12433   open full text
• Introducing electronic textbooks as daily‐use technology in schools: A top‐down adoption process.
  Thomas K. F. Chiu.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. March 18, 2016
  This study took frequency of use and the adoption process into account to define the participants and external variables of the research model. School electronic textbooks are a daily‐use technology and they are adopted in a compulsory, top‐down way. Their introduction can evoke feelings of anxiety among teachers because of a possible increase in workload. This compulsory adoption process contrasts with that for most other technologies, which are voluntary and less disruptive. In a school context, instructional designs of electronic textbooks that help explain user acceptance are sufficient in a bottom‐up, but not a top‐down, approach. To address this, individual, organizational, and social factors were included in our research model. A survey questionnaire to collect data from 306 in‐service teachers from eight secondary schools was used. The results showed that anxiety and positive attitude were the main barrier and catalyst, respectively, to the acceptance of such technology. One suggestion for researchers and two suggestions for school leaders on the adoption process were made.

  March 18, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12432   open full text
• Design possibilities for the e‐Schoolbag: Addressing the 1:1 challenge within China.
  Xiaoqing Gu, Xiaojuan Xu, Huawen Wang, Charles Crook.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. March 18, 2016
  There is widespread enthusiasm for 1:1 computing in education. Recognizing that secure innovation of educational practice should be built upon contextual sensitivity, this article reported two case studies anticipating the potential development of 1:1 classes in the particular cultural context of China. The first case described how the new technology of e‐Textbooks could align with a tradition where the textbook is central to teaching practice. A science teacher used the e‐Textbook to design his pedagogy to accommodate the contextual learning needs of the classroom. Students reported a positive reaction. They understood that new learning possibilities were crafted through this engagement with diversified media formats that content fitted their class, and this gave them increased confidence in relation to both student–computer and interpersonal interaction. The second case study described how a social app could align with the local tradition of practice whereby a student's performance in front of class is an important part of instructional practice. In this case, students who were learning native Chinese were offered the opportunity for performing within a novel “digital stage”: revealing high levels of engagement and a strengthening confidence with language performance.

  March 18, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12434   open full text
• How educators build knowledge and expand their practice: The case of open education resources.
  Allison Littlejohn, Nina Hood.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. March 18, 2016
  The movement toward open education is requiring educators to expand and update their practice in order to keep up with the new demands being placed on them. This study explored how educators can engage in meaningful learning opportunities, which will facilitate the creation of expertise and knowledge, through the use of open education resources (OER). The article describes the design of the instrument employed to measure workplace learning through OER activity of adult educators (n = 522) and to report its internal reliability and convergent validity. Results indicate engagement with OER promote three levels of learning, each connected to the different types of knowledge educators require to integrate OER into their teaching practice.

  March 18, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12438   open full text
• Investigating variables predicting Turkish pre‐service teachers’ integration of ICT into teaching practices.
  Aydın Aslan, Chang Zhu.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. March 18, 2016
  Pre‐service teachers need to acquire information and communications technology (ICT) competency in order to integrate ICT into their teaching practices. This research was conducted to investigate to what extent ICT‐related variables—such as perceived ICT competence, perceived competence in ICT integration, attitudes toward ICT, anxiety around ICT usage, external barriers to ICT integration, ICT‐related courses, pedagogical knowledge, and prior experience concerning the use of ICT—predict the dependent variable “integration of ICT into teaching practices” for pre‐service teachers. Data were gathered from 599 pre‐service teachers from the subject areas of Turkish language, social sciences, elementary mathematics, and science in their fourth year of training programs. The study indicated that pedagogical knowledge, ICT‐related courses, and perceived ICT competence significantly predicted integration of ICT into teaching practice. These three variables predicted and accounted for 17% of the integration of ICT into teaching practices. The findings of this study showed that pre‐service teacher‐training programs, especially pedagogical knowledge and ICT‐related courses, have a significant effect in enabling pre‐service teachers to use ICT in their teaching practices.

  March 18, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12437   open full text
• The effect of the flipped classroom approach to OpenCourseWare instruction on students’ self‐regulation.
  Jerry Chih‐Yuan Sun, Yu‐Ting Wu, Wei‐I Lee.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. March 18, 2016
  The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the flipped classroom approach to OpenCourseWare instruction on students’ self‐regulation. OpenCourseWare was integrated into the flipped classroom model (experimental group) and distance learning (control group). Overall, 181 freshmen taking a physics course were allowed to choose their own class based on their preferred teaching method (experimental or control group). The findings indicated that there was no significant between‐group difference in terms of self‐regulation. However, when comparing the means for the six categories of self‐regulation, the results showed that the experimental group learners had significantly higher scores for the category of help‐seeking. The use of the flipped classroom model created a learning environment which prompted its learners to proactively seek external help. These learners were more aware of their need for external help in their studies and were able to identify the person/people who could solve their academic problems, while they were able to find the appropriate means to do so and actually obtain help. The results of this study can serve as a reference for future studies on the flipped classroom model and OpenCourseWare, as well as for teachers and researchers in related fields.

  March 18, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12444   open full text
• Pedagogy first: Realising technology enhanced learning by focusing on teaching practice.
  Ian Glover, Stuart Hepplestone, Helen J. Parkin, Helen Rodger, Brian Irwin.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. March 17, 2016
  This paper explores a “pedagogy first” approach to technology enhanced learning developed by Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) as a method to encourage use of, and experimentation with, technology within teaching practice and to promote the mainstreaming of innovative practice. Through a consultative approach where all staff members were invited to contribute, SHU has created a Teaching Approaches Menu that reflects practice at the institution and can be used to explore teaching practice and appropriate supporting technology either by individuals or as part of a facilitated discussion. Background to the project is provided, along with the design philosophy and approach, including a brief review of other frameworks. The Teaching Approaches Menu is introduced, its development outlined, and some initial feedback is presented.

  March 17, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12425   open full text
• Learning English using children's stories in mobile devices.
  Nadire Cavus, Dogan Ibrahim.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. March 17, 2016
  The topic of this paper is to describe the development of an interactive application that can be used in teaching English as a second language using children's stories in mobile devices. The aim of this experimental study has been to find out the potential of using the developed interactive mobile application in improving the learning skills such as vocabulary, pronunciation, listening and comprehension of the learners of the English language without the help of a teacher. The novelty of the research in this paper has been the use of a speech recognition engine on the mobile phone to identify spoken words of the learner in an attempt to teach correct pronunciation of words. The learning is interactive and it takes place entirely on a mobile phone. In this experimental study 37 voluntary students have participated. A Pre‐Test and a Post‐Test have been performed to find out the learning abilities of students. The results of the experimental study clearly indicated that English learning skills of young students had higher statistically significant improvements as a result of using the developed application in the experimental group. It can be concluded that the developed mobile application can be used as an educational tool in teaching English as a second language. Young students who may be interested in improving their listening, vocabulary, comprehension and pronunciation skills while learning English as a second language should find this mobile application enjoyable and useful.

  March 17, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12427   open full text
• Collaborative learning across physical and virtual worlds: Factors supporting and constraining learners in a blended reality environment.
  Matt Bower, Mark J. W. Lee, Barney Dalgarno.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. March 17, 2016
  This article presents the outcomes of a pilot study investigating factors that supported and constrained collaborative learning in a blended reality environment. Pre‐service teachers at an Australian university took part in a hybrid tutorial lesson involving a mixture of students who were co‐located in the same face‐to‐face (F2F) classroom along with others who were participating remotely via their avatars in a three‐dimensional virtual world. Video and sound recording equipment captured activity in the classroom, which was streamed live into the virtual world so the remote participants could see and hear their instructor and F2F peers; the in‐world activity was also simultaneously displayed on a projector screen, with the audio broadcast via speakers, for the benefit of the F2F participants. While technical issues constrained communication and learning in some instances, the majority of remote and F2F participants felt the blended reality environment supported effective communication, collaboration and co‐presence. Qualitative analysis of participant evaluations revealed a number of pedagogical, technological and logistical factors that supported and constrained learning. The article concludes with a detailed discussion of present and future implications of blended reality collaborative environments for learning and teaching as well as recommendations for educators looking to design and deliver their own blended reality lessons.

  March 17, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12435   open full text
• Integrating socio‐cultural contexts and location‐based systems for ubiquitous language learning in museums: A state of the art review of 2009–2014.
  Hong‐You Wang, Gi‐Zen Liu, Gwo‐Jen Hwang.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. March 15, 2016
  Context‐dependent learning systems are now becoming more common in museums, as most students are equipped with mobile devices. As there has been little research into context‐aware mobile applications in museums, the present study aims to investigate ubiquitous language learning in socio‐cultural contexts, as well as recent trends in using location‐based systems. Therefore, the following three issues are reviewed in related articles published between 2009 and 2014: system usefulness, activity usefulness and activity playfulness in museum learning. The researchers used keywords to search for relevant articles from the ISI (Institute for Scientific Information) Web of Science and other databases. The abstracts and content of the searched articles were then analyzed. The results show that the location‐aware features (GPS or Google App‐based) embedded in mobile phones, adaptive language learning and socio‐cultural interaction in museums are intertwined in the literature. The literature also shows that in recent years students have transformed from being passive receivers to active learners. Specifically, students tended to rely on system guidance in 2009–2011, and activities were more focused on individual learning with less real‐life social interaction, and this thus reduced the level of playfulness. An important finding in the literature from 2012 to 14 is that many museums adopted ubiquitous location‐based systems using mobile devices, which help to strengthen social ties when students work collaboratively to perform language learning activities. This has also allowed museums to evolve from mobile‐learning to ubiquitous‐learning environments, in various socio‐cultural contexts. The results of this review study have implications for language teachers and museum educators, to help them implement appropriate ubiquitous learning systems in various socio‐cultural contexts.

  March 15, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12424   open full text
• Exploring the function of online narratives to develop critical thinking and localisation of knowledge in an international science program.
  Marianne Hicks, Melissa Tham, Rowan Brookes.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. March 11, 2016
  e‐learning practitioners have long recognised the benefits of using online training to achieve knowledge transfer, less is understood about facilitating the sharing of values, attitudes, critical thinking, and localisation using online platforms. In this article an online learning platform in the context of an international scientific program was evaluated. The platform uses a narrative approach to convey stories with the explicit aim of developing critical thinking and localisation. The platform embeds formative assessment within the stories to transfer the tacit understandings of the program to project site staff. Some of the challenges this approach encounters, particularly with regard to the expression of localisation was explored.

  March 11, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12436   open full text
• iPad versus traditional tools in art and design: A complementary association.
  Nicos Souleles.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. March 11, 2016
  There is continuous debate on the role of digital media tools in art and design Higher Education, and in particular their potential contribution towards teaching and learning. The related literature indicates that there is a dichotomy between digital and traditional tools. This study investigates the views of a cohort of art and design students who undertook a specific instructional task, but instead of using paper and pencil, they used iPads. It is claimed that this computer tablet has considerable potential to enhance teaching and learning, and this study sought to investigate this claim. Inductive qualitative content analysis was used to analyse the interviews provided by 32 (n = 32) students. Based on the categories that emerged from the analysis of interviews, and within the parameters of this study, the main inference is that the relationship between digital and traditional tools can be better understood as complementary rather than as a dichotomy. A video abstract of this article can be viewed at https://youtu.be/Ws‐nTXb_BrY

  March 11, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12446   open full text
• Analysing 157 learning designs using learning analytic approaches as a means to evaluate the impact of pedagogical decision making.
  Lisette Toetenel, Bart Rienties.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. February 23, 2016
  Educators need to change their practice to adapt to a shifting educational context. By visualising learning design decisions, this article highlights the need to capture educators' “tacit” knowledge relating to course material, activity types and workload, through employing learning analytics methods in order to analyse the learning designs of courses taken by 60,000+ students, common pedagogical patterns are identified. When analysing 157 learning designs using a taxonomy of seven different learning activities, we found that the majority of educators used two types of learning activities most widely, namely assimilative activities (reading, watching videos and listening to audio) and assessment activities. Surprisingly, educators do not choose different activity types based upon function (eg, replace one type of student‐activating activity by another), but patterns can be seen where educators combine assimilative, productive and assessment activities or assimilative, finding and handling information and communication tasks. While educators rely heavily on assimilative and assessment activities, no positive correlation was found between any of the seven learning design activity types and student outcomes. Our initial findings suggest that student outcomes are negatively correlated with a high proportion of assimilative activities. Further studies are needed to establish whether particular learning design decisions are related to student outcomes and whether these findings can be replicated in different research settings.

  February 23, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12423   open full text
• A pilot study of the use of emerging computer technologies to improve the effectiveness of reading and writing therapies in children with Down syndrome.
  Vanessa G. Felix, Luis J. Mena, Rodolfo Ostos, Gladys E. Maestre.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. February 23, 2016
  Despite the potential benefits that computer approaches could provide for children with cognitive disabilities, research and implementation of emerging approaches to learning supported by computing technology has not received adequate attention. We conducted a pilot study to assess the effectiveness of a computer‐assisted learning tool, named “HATLE,” for children with Down syndrome. The tool helps to improve reading and writing abilities in Spanish, through mobile computing, multimedia design, and computer speech‐recognition techniques. An experimental design with nonequivalent groups was used to assess the effectiveness of HATLE. The treatment group was taught using HATLE; the control group received typical instructions with the same material. Individual literacy achievement was assessed for both groups, before and after therapy sessions. The dependent variables in all analyses were posttest scores, adjusted via Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) for pretest variance. Differences between treatment and control groups were statistically significant in favor of the HATLE group on measures of Single‐Word Reading (p = 0.048) and Handwriting‐Form (p = 0.046) with large effect sizes (d > 0.8). Results indicate that HATLE might be effective in supporting computer‐aided learning for children with intellectual disabilities. The results are discussed in terms of limitations and implications.

  February 23, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12426   open full text
• iRPD—A framework for guiding design‐based research for iPad apps.
  Natalia Kucirkova.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. January 27, 2016
  The last 5 years have been marked by an explosion of tablet and smartphone applications designed for young children and several calls to encourage educational researchers to engage in children's app research. This paper presents a novel prospect for educational researchers: to collaboratively research, implement and produce iPad apps for educational purposes. Based on the author's own research as well as that of others, an original framework “Research, Practice and Design framework” (iRPD) for guiding such collaborative efforts is provided, along with five key principles: triple collaboration, shared epistemology, awareness of affordances and interconnected social factors, and child‐centred pedagogy. The novel affordances of collaboratively produced iPad apps for educational design‐based research are outlined, along with several examples of how such an engagement might enrich educational research and the app landscape.

  January 27, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12389   open full text
• Is immersion of any value? Whether, and to what extent, game immersion experience during serious gaming affects science learning.
  Meng‐Tzu Cheng, Yu‐Wen Lin, Hsiao‐Ching She, Po‐Chih Kuo.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. January 04, 2016
  Many studies have shown the positive impact of serious gaming on learning outcomes, but few have explored the relationships between game immersion and science learning. Accordingly, this study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of learning by playing, as well as the dynamic process of game immersion experiences, and to further identify whether, and to what extent, immersion affects science learning through serious gaming by using the techniques of cluster analysis. A total of 63 seventh‐grade students participated in the study, and a quasi‐experimental research design was employed. The results demonstrated that the students gained a holistic understanding of the relevant scientific concepts because their performances on the scenario‐based science assessment were significantly improved across serious gameplaying occasions, and the effect of learning was retained long term. Moreover, serious gaming provided students with the experience of immersion insofar as the students indicated a greater degree of immersion in the game over time. Furthermore, two core clusters presenting meaningful patterns, high gaming performance/high immersion and high science learning/low immersion, were revealed. Finally, various interpretations and implications of the obtained data are discussed.

  January 04, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12386   open full text
• Examining a one‐hour synchronous chat in a microblogging‐based professional development community.
  Fei Gao, Lan Li.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. January 04, 2016
  Research on microblogging in education has suggested its potential to promote community building and collaborative learning, but little is known about the nature of interaction in such microblogging communities. More research is needed to understand how online learning communities can be designed in a way that supports effective learning. The purpose of the study is to explore how people interact in a popular microblogging‐based learning community by examining a one‐hour synchronous chat event and analyzing its network structure, levels of participation, major topics generated and types of interaction. The findings suggested that the levels of participation in the synchronous chat were largely uneven. During the chat, participants were engaged in many types of interaction and discussed a variety of issues related to the topic. Interestingly, people who were different in their levels of participation also varied on the types of topics generated, but not on the types of interaction.

  January 04, 2016   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12384   open full text
• Towards a trans‐disciplinary methodology for a game‐based intervention development process.
  Sylvester Arnab, Samantha Clarke.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. December 29, 2015
  The application of game‐based learning adds play into educational and instructional contexts. Even though there is a lack of standard methodologies or formulaic frameworks to better inform game‐based intervention development, there exist scientific and empirical studies that can serve as benchmarks for establishing scientific validity in terms of the efficacy of using games to achieve serious outcomes. The development of these games does not normally follow a specific set of guidelines, which limits replication. There is a need to reflect on such a multidisciplinary process and infuse knowledge from relevant disciplines towards developing a unity of considerations and approaches beyond the disciplinary perspectives. An infused and trans‐disciplinary methodological framework could serve as a guideline to inform the development process of a game‐based approach. With these perspectives, this paper aims to provide an example of how relevant theories and frameworks can be adopted collectively in order to inform a development process. Based on a digital game intervention aiming to support the delivery of Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) in the UK, this paper reflects on trans‐disciplinary considerations, informed by frameworks such as the Four‐Dimensional Framework (4DF), the Intervention Mapping (IM) approach, Mechanics Dynamics Aesthetics model (MDA) and Learning Mechanics‐Game Mechanics (LM‐GM) mapping. IM, when infused with the game design considerations of 4DF, provides a more procedural perspective to game‐based intervention development, collectively reflecting a participatory development approach. This subsequently provides the basis upon which other theoretical and methodological frameworks such as the MDA and the LM‐GM models can be embedded in order to marry the pedagogical aspects with the entertainment attributes of gameplay. These components, when integrated, may formulate a trans‐disciplinary model that can be adopted and adapted by other researchers, designers and developers.

  December 29, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12377   open full text
• Emerging pedagogies for the use of iPads in schools.
  Ruth Geer, Bruce White, Yvonne Zeegers, Wing Au, Alan Barnes.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. December 29, 2015
  iPads are becoming popular as 1:1 devices in many classrooms, enabling teachers to implement pedagogies that will enhance student learning. Such mobile tools offer many affordances which can increase student motivation and autonomy. Nevertheless, without a change in pedagogy, they are unlikely to bring about any significant impact on student learning. Using the SAMR model, this initial study of four schools explores the impact of iPads on pedagogy and the changes that were evident. Using multiple data collection techniques, the study has shown that there have been some changes in teachers’ pedagogy that lead to increased collaboration, communication, student self‐reliance and the development of authentic experiences. However, more time and professional learning are needed to bring about a transformation in pedagogy across the school.

  December 29, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12381   open full text
• VILLAGE—Virtual Immersive Language Learning and Gaming Environment: Immersion and presence.
  Yi Fei Wang, Stephen Petrina, Francis Feng.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. December 29, 2015
  3D virtual worlds are promising for immersive learning in English as a Foreign Language (EFL). Unlike English as a Second Language (ESL), EFL typically takes place in the learners’ home countries, and the potential of the language is limited by geography. Although learning contexts where English is spoken is important, in most EFL courses at the college level, EFL is taught by acquiring vocabularies, grammar and pragmatic features without contextual immersion. In this study, an immersive English learning environment in a 3D virtual world, OpenSimulator, was developed with two key learning artifacts, chatbot and time machine. A single‐factor, independent measures design was used to examines learners’ presence under four learning conditions: virtual learning environment without digital learning artifacts (VE), virtual learning environment with chatbot (VEC), virtual learning environment with time machine (VETM) and virtual learning environment with chatbot and time machine (VECTM). Three research questions emerging from the four learning conditions form the backbone of this study: (1) Does chatbot increase language learners’ presence in the immersive virtual English learning environment? (2) Does time machine increase language learners’ presence in the immersive virtual English learning environment? (3) Does the combined use of chatbot and time machine increase presence more than either learning artifact alone? The experimental results indicate that the chatbot and time machine increase the learners’ sense of immersion and presence. Best design practices should address how immersion and presence can be integrated into affordances of virtual worlds.

  December 29, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12388   open full text
• Teaching presence in computer conferencing learning environments: Effects on interaction, cognition and learning uptake.
  Huahui Zhao, Kirk P.H. Sullivan.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. December 29, 2015
  This exploratory study examined how the level and nature of teaching presence impacted two online forum discussions from three dimensions: participation and interaction, cognitive presence, and knowledge development via assimilating peer messages. Effects on participation and interaction were graphically depicted. Effects on cognitive presence and knowledge construction via assimilating messages were suggested via statistical analysis, followed by qualitative interpretations. Twenty‐six tertiary online learners with varied demographic backgrounds participated in the study for 6 weeks. The results showed that the nature of teaching presence in the study, specified to teacher initiation, roles of teaching presence and means of making teaching presence, largely shaped the impact of teaching presence on learning. A higher level of teaching presence was observed to be associated with a lower level of student participation, peer interaction, cognitive presence and learning uptake. Based on the results, implications for integrating and researching teaching presence in computer conferences were provided.

  December 29, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12383   open full text
• Educational games as stand‐alone learning tools and their motivational effect on L2 vocabulary acquisition and perceived learning gains.
  José Ramón Calvo‐Ferrer.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. December 23, 2015
  According to different authors, computer games not only teach contents and skills, but also do so in a more efficient manner, allowing long‐lasting learning. However, there is still little consensus on this matter as different studies put their educational benefits into question, especially when used without instructional support. An empirical study was conducted to measure the effect of the educational game The Conference Interpreter on L2 vocabulary acquisition and perceived learning gains, as compared with a non‐gaming tool which replicated its contents. The results of pre‐, post‐ and delayed tests showed that students that had access to the contents via the video game performed statistically better in the short run, found the materials more appealing and believed their vocabulary skills had developed further than those in the control group. However, the regression model showed that the actual enjoyment of the game seemed to have no effect on the students' learning outcomes, neither according to their own estimation nor as determined by testing. Of greater importance seemed to be extrinsic motivation, ie, their desire to play based upon expected learning gains, prior knowledge of tested L2 vocabulary and perceived difficulty of the educational contents.

  December 23, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12387   open full text
• ClassPrep: A peer review system for class preparation.
  Jooyong Park.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. December 23, 2015
  Class preparation is recommended by instructors in most college courses, but checking whether a student does so is not easy. A new blended learning system, named ClassPrep, has been proposed and implemented. The usability of the system was examined for two undergraduate psychology courses: one advanced course (n = 11) and one introductory course (n = 59). In these courses, students were required to prepare for class through a series of activities. The first activity was to write a one‐page essay based on the assigned reading material. Another activity was to come up with three questions related to the material. The third activity was to review four essays written by peers, which were delivered by the ClassPrep system anonymously. The last activity was to evaluate peer review scores and comments. All these activities were to be done before class. During class, lectures were minimized. Instead, the students and the instructor worked together to answer some of the questions raised, discuss some other questions and review a few selected essays. Analyses of the survey on the system and the official course evaluation revealed that students' responses to the system were positive overall. The implications of the results and future research directions are discussed.

  December 23, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12390   open full text
• Recommending peers for learning: Matching on dissimilarity in interpretations to provoke breakdown.
  Kamakshi Rajagopal, Jan M. Bruggen, Peter B. Sloep.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. December 23, 2015
  People recommenders are a widespread feature of social networking sites and educational social learning platforms alike. However, when these systems are used to extend learners' Personal Learning Networks, they often fall short of providing recommendations of learning value to their users. This paper proposes a design of a people recommender based on content‐based user profiles, and a matching method based on dissimilarity therein. It presents the results of an experiment conducted with curators of the content curation site Scoop.it!, where curators rated personalized recommendations for contacts. The study showed that matching dissimilarity of interpretations of shared interests is more successful in providing positive experiences of breakdown for the curator than is matching on similarity. The main conclusion of this paper is that people recommenders should aim to trigger constructive experiences of breakdown for their users, as the prospect and potential of such experiences encourage learners to connect to their recommended peers.

  December 23, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12366   open full text
• Developing a validated instrument to measure preservice teachers’ ICT competencies: Meeting the demands of the 21st century.
  Jo Tondeur, Koen Aesaert, Bram Pynoo, Johan Braak, Norbert Fraeyman, Ola Erstad.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. December 23, 2015
  The main objective of this study is to develop a self‐report instrument to measure preservice teachers’ ICT competencies in education. The questionnaire items of this instrument are based on an existing comprehensive framework and were created with input from experts in the field. The data were collected from a sample of 931 final‐year preservice teachers in Flanders (Belgium). A first subsample was used for an exploratory factor analysis, and a second one to verify the identified factor structure via confirmatory factor analysis. A two‐factor structure of ICT competencies was identified: (1) competencies to support pupils for ICT use in class and (2) competencies to use ICT for instructional design. This two‐factor structure was confirmed in the confirmatory factor analysis. Recommendations are made on how this reliable instrument can help assess the level and progress of preservice teachers’ ICT competencies.

  December 23, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12380   open full text
• Application of a novel collaboration engineering method for learning design: A case study.
  Xusen Cheng, Yuanyuan Li, Jianshan Sun, Jianqing Huang.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. November 25, 2015
  Collaborative case studies and computer‐supported collaborative learning (CSCL) play an important role in the modern education environment. A number of researchers have given significant attention to learning design in order to improve the satisfaction of collaborative learning. Although collaboration engineering (CE) is a mature method widely used for collaboration design, there is limited research as to whether CE is useful for learning design, in particular, case studies. Therefore, in this paper, we designed a contrastive case study in two small classes of a Chinese university. In the first part, we encouraged a teacher to use CE tools to design a learning process. Since Chinese students had limited access to CE platforms, we used our special tool—the Discussion Platform as the main CE tool. A total of 40 students and a teacher collaborated in our first experiment and were asked to complete a survey upon completion of the interviews. In our comparison study, the teacher gave the same task to another 31 students, yet omitted the use of CE tools to design the learning process. In this paper, we compare the results obtained and determine the advantage that CE methods have on learning effectiveness and student satisfaction.

  November 25, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12382   open full text
• Virtual worlds to support patient group communication? A questionnaire study investigating potential for virtual world focus group use by respiratory patients.
  Michael J. Taylor, Dave Taylor, Ivo Vlaev, Sarah Elkin.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. November 25, 2015
  Recent advances in communication technologies enable potential provision of remote education for patients using computer‐generated environments known as virtual worlds. Previous research has revealed highly variable levels of patient receptiveness to using information technologies for healthcare‐related purposes. This preliminary study involved implementing a questionnaire investigating attitudes and access to computer technologies of respiratory outpatients in order to assess potential for use of virtual worlds to facilitate health‐related education for this sample. Ninety‐four patients with a chronic respiratory condition completed surveys, which were distributed at a Chest Clinic. In accordance with our prediction, younger participants were more likely to be able to use and have access to a computer, and some patients were keen to explore use virtual worlds for healthcare‐related purposes: Of those with access to computer facilities, 14.50% expressed a willingness to attend a virtual world focus group. Results indicate that future virtual world health education facilities should be designed to cater to younger patients because this group is most likely to accept and use such facilities. Within the study sample, this is likely to comprise of people diagnosed with asthma. Future work could investigate the potential of creating a virtual world asthma education facility.

  November 25, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12378   open full text
• Training teachers for virtual collaboration: A case study.
  Margarita Vinagre.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. November 20, 2015
  This study aims to explore the development of teachers' competences when trained in virtual collaboration. In order to do so, we analyse the data gathered from a group of nine in‐service teachers who were trained in a forum and a wiki to become future telecollaborative teachers (TTs). During the course, participants worked in small groups and they had to carry out a series of tasks that included reviewing articles on virtual collaboration and implementing a hypothetical exchange. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were performed on the content from the forum, wiki pages and answers to an end‐of‐course questionnaire. Findings suggest that there is a relationship between successful collaboration and the development of the knowledge base and competences required by the TT. Therefore, ensuring that sufficient quality interaction takes place among group members is essential in order to encourage the emergence of sound and friendly relationships that will facilitate active participation and negotiation of meaning.

  November 20, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12363   open full text
• An analytical method for measuring competence in project management.
  Ana González‐Marcos, Fernando Alba‐Elías, Joaquín Ordieres‐Meré.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. November 18, 2015
  The goal of this paper is to present a competence assessment method in project management that is based on participants' performance and value creation. It seeks to close an existing gap in competence assessment in higher education. The proposed method relies on information and communication technology (ICT) tools and combines Project Management Information System (PMIS) tools with a survey system. This permits it to be implemented in an Internet‐based simulation game. The system enforces the assessment of individual competences by a set of performance indicators and value stream analyses. A specific case study is presented as a way to validate the principles on which the proposed method is based. It has been proven to be helpful in a complex learning environment that involves two different universities and levels of degrees (undergraduate and master). When the method has been implemented, it is possible to collect detailed information regarding competence at a process for each participant. This increases the transparency of the work carried out, as well as enabling the specific design of educational programs for specific competence learning paths. Based on the experience that has been acquired, a specific recommendation is made concerning the feedback value provided for practitioners, students and teachers.

  November 18, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12364   open full text
• Computing education in children's early years: A call for debate.
  Andrew Manches, Lydia Plowman.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. November 13, 2015
  International changes in policy and curricula (notably recent developments in England) have led to a focus on the role of computing education in the early years. As interest in the potential of computing education has increased, there has been a proliferation of programming tools designed for young children. While these changes are broadly to be welcomed, the pace of change has arguably led to more attention to the tools than to key questions about pedagogy. This paper proposes three areas of research (Logo; computational thinking; and teaching STEM subjects of science, technology, engineering and mathematics) that may inform computing education for young children and suggests that a greater focus on thinking skills and connections to manifestations of computers in the real world is needed. Above all, the paper calls for an informed debate about the trend towards introducing computing education to children in the early years.

  November 13, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12355   open full text
• Assessing the attention levels of students by using a novel attention aware system based on brainwave signals.
  Chih‐Ming Chen, Jung‐Ying Wang, Chih‐Ming Yu.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. November 13, 2015
  Rapid progress in information and communication technologies (ICTs) has fueled the popularity of e‐learning. However, an e‐learning environment is limited in that online instructors cannot monitor immediately whether students remain focus during online autonomous learning. Therefore, this study tries to develop a novel attention aware system (AAS) capable of recognizing students' attention levels accurately based on electroencephalography (EEG) signals, thus having high potential to be applied in providing timely alert for conveying low‐attention level feedback to online instructors in an e‐learning environment. To construct AAS, attention responses of students and their corresponding EEG signals are gathered based on a continuous performance test (CPT), ie, an attention assessment test. Next, the AAS is constructed by using training and testing data by the NeuroSky brainwave detector and the support vector machine (SVM), a well‐known machine learning model. Additionally, based on the discrete wavelet transform (DWT), the collected EEG signals are decomposed into five primary bands (ie, alpha, beta, gamma, theta, and delta). Each primary band contains five statistical parameters (including approximate entropy, total variation, energy, skewness, and standard deviation), thus generating 25 potential brainwave features associated with students' attention level for constructing the AAS. An attempt based on genetic algorithm (GA) is also made to enhance the prediction performance of the proposed AAS in terms of identifying students' attention levels. According to GA, the seven most influential features are selected from 25 considered features; parameters of the proposed AAS are also optimized. Analytical results indicate that the proposed AAS can accurately recognize individual student's attention state as either a high or low level, and the average accuracy rate reaches as high as 89.52%. Moreover, the proposed AAS is integrated with a video lecture tagging system to examine whether the proposed AAS can accurately detect students' low‐attention periods while learning about electrical safety in the workplace via a video lecture. Four experiments are designed to assess the prediction performance of the proposed AAS in terms of identifying the periods of video lecture with high‐ or low‐attention levels during learning processes. Analytical results indicate that the proposed AAS can accurately identify the low‐attention periods of video lecture generated by students when engaging in a learning activity with video lecture. Meanwhile, the proposed AAS can also accurately identify the low‐attention periods of video lecture generated by students to some degree even when students engage in a learning activity by a video lecture with random disturbances. Furthermore, strong negative correlations are found between the students' learning performance (ie, posttest score and progressive score) and the low‐attention periods of video lecture identified by the proposed AAS. Results of this study demonstrate that the proposed AAS is effective, capable of assisting online instructors in evaluating students' attention levels to enhance their online learning performance.

  November 13, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12359   open full text
• What can new technology tell us about the reviewing process for journal submissions in BJET?
  James Hartley, Guillaume Cabanac.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. November 13, 2015
  New technology allows us to collect rich and voluminous data about refereeing—something that was not possible before. In this quantitative study, we consider data about the dates of sending (1) suitable papers to BJET, (2) the papers to referees and (3) when the referees' reports are returned to the editor. To do this, we examined data from over 11 000 reports collected between 2005 (when BJET began using ScholarOne as its online editorial manager) and October 2014. We found that most of the submissions and responses were made in the earlier part of the week, with some evidence of academics (and the editor) working on Sundays. We also found modest agreement between referees on the quality of individual papers.

  November 13, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12360   open full text
• Tertiary students' intention to e‐collaborate for group projects: Exploring the missing link from an extended theory of planned behaviour model.
  Eddie W.L. Cheng, Samuel K.W. Chu, Carol S.M. Ma.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. November 13, 2015
  With the emergence of web technologies, students can conduct their group projects via virtual platforms, which enable online collaboration. However, students' lack of intention to use web technologies for conducting group work has recently been highlighted. Based on the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), this paper developed and examined an extended model, specifying what factors affect e‐collaborative intentions. Data were collected from major tertiary institutions in Hong Kong. A total of 1120 students completed the questionnaire. The partial least square approach to structural equation modelling was used to analyse the a priori hypothesised model, which was empirically supported. Past experience and self‐esteem were found to play substantial roles in explaining e‐collaborative intentions. Moreover, the mediating roles of attitudes and perceived behavioural control were confirmed.

  November 13, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12379   open full text
• An exploration into first‐year university students' approaches to inquiry and online learning technologies in blended environments.
  Robert A. Ellis, Ana‐Maria Bliuc.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. November 13, 2015
  The use of online learning technologies in experiences of inquiry is increasingly ubiquitous in university contexts. In blended environments, research into university experiences suggests that student approaches to learning are a key determiner of the quality of outcomes. The purpose of this study was to develop relevant measures which help understand the interplay between student approaches to inquiry (SAI) and their approaches to using online learning technologies (SAOLT) in blended environments. Based on a first‐year university sample (n = 238), two questionnaires exploring qualitative variations in the SAI and SAOLT were developed. Each questionnaire had two subscales, that is, deep and surface approaches, and their construction was informed by existing research identifying qualitatively different approaches to inquiry and learning technologies. Our results indicate that the two questionnaires show satisfactory validity and reliability in measuring SAI and SAOLT. Furthermore, our findings show that deep approaches to inquiry were positively and logically related to deep approaches to online learning technologies (while surface approaches to inquiry were related to surface approaches to online learning technologies), and participants cluster in distinct groups according to their qualitatively different approaches to inquiry and online technologies. These outcomes have tangible implications for teaching and design, in particular for teachers aiming to support students to develop effective learning strategies when engaging in blended environments where students need to integrate their experiences and ideas across face‐to‐face and online contexts.

  November 13, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12385   open full text
• Understanding university faculty perceptions about innovation in teaching and technology.
  Theodore J. Kopcha, Lloyd P. Rieber, Brandy B. Walker.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. November 13, 2015
  The purpose of this research is to understand faculty perceptions about innovation in teaching and technology in a college of education in a research‐intensive university. This study was motivated by the creation of a new initiative begun in a large college of education at a Carnegie Research‐Intensive university to promote innovation in teaching with the support and creative use of technology. This study used Q methodology, a mixed methods research design involving quantitative and qualitative analysis of descriptive data derived by a sorting activity. Results showed four emerging profiles about how faculty perceive innovation in teaching and technology. Faculty comprising three of these profiles shared the characteristic of valuing technology's role in teaching, though in different, nuanced ways. Faculty representing the fourth profile, in contrast, were generally cautious and skeptical of using technology for teaching. Implications of the study are discussed, including the caution not to assume that college faculty share meaning for words like “innovation in teaching and technology.” Also, the results of this study are useful to understanding theories of innovation based on faculty's perceptions of their ability to adapt to rapidly changing and ever‐increasing technology innovations for teaching.

  November 13, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12361   open full text
• The complementary use of audience response systems and online tests to implement repeat testing: A case study.
  Rebecca Stratling.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. October 20, 2015
  Although learning theories suggest that repeat testing can be highly beneficial for students' retention and understanding of material, there is, so far, little guidance on how to implement repeat testing in higher education. This paper introduces one method for implementing a three‐stage model of repeat testing via computer‐aided formative assessment by employing audience response systems (ARS) and online tests complementarily. The first stage utilises ARS for immediate testing throughout lectures, the second stage facilitates delayed testing using online tests between lectures and the third stage employs ARS to aid in‐class revision of the previously studied material at the beginning of subsequent lectures. Using the example of a Business Economics course taught to MBA students at a UK university, the study investigates how two cohorts of students (n1 = 46, n2 = 48) perceived repeat testing to affect their understanding of the subject as well as their learning motivation and behaviour. The exploratory research indicates that most students perceived all three test stages as helpful to develop their understanding of the subject. However, students who favoured a deep approach to learning (DA) rated testing more positively than students who preferred a surface approach to learning (SA). Surprisingly, students who favoured a DA also reported a greater influence of the tests on their learning motivation and behaviour than students who preferred an SA. These findings mitigate concerns that experienced, effective learners might perceive repeated, multiple‐choice‐based testing as unhelpful or disruptive to their learning.

  October 20, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12362   open full text
• Using mobile devices for learning in clinical settings: A mixed‐methods study of medical student, physician and patient perspectives.
  Karen M. Scott, Arany Nerminathan, Shirley Alexander, Megan Phelps, Amanda Harrison.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. September 22, 2015
  This study was conducted with medical students, physicians, patients and carers in a paediatric and an adult hospital to determine use of mobile devices for learning, and beliefs and attitudes about others' use. Awareness of ethical, patient privacy and data security concerns was explored. The research was conducted using a mixed‐methods sequential explanatory design through survey and focus groups for students and physicians, and a separate survey for patients and carers. Each arm of the study was analysed individually, followed by integration of quantitative and qualitative data, which are the subject of this paper. Interpretation of the integrated student and physician quantitative data highlighted that both groups used mobile devices for information verification, organisation and communication, and these represented the best uses of mobile devices; the worst aspects of mobile devices involved Internet access difficulties. Interpretation of the integrated student and physician qualitative data highlighted that students and physicians made individual decisions about their use of mobile devices, despite some existing policies. Integration of all data from all arms of the study identified the benefits of using mobile devices and concerns about distraction. For many students and physicians, the benefits of using mobile devices for learning at the patient bedside outweigh the possible risks. As society grapples with norms governing appropriate use of mobile devices, many are devising their own rules to aid learning in clinical settings.

  September 22, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12352   open full text
• Quality parameterization of educational resources from the perspective of a teacher.
  Štefan Karolčík, Elena Čipková, Milan Veselský, Helena Hrubišková, Mária Matulčíková.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. September 14, 2015
  Objective assessment of the quality of available educational resources presupposes the existence of specific quality standards and specific evaluation tools which consider the specificities of digital products with educational ambitions. The study presents the results of research conducted on a representative sample of teachers who commented on issues related to the importance of measuring the quality of available educational resources and the hierarchy of the key characteristics of such devices. The research results clearly confirmed teachers' interest in knowing the quality of educational resources available and they requested a presentation of the resulting evaluation together with the methodological guidelines on a separate website. The teachers identified clearness, ease of use and adequacy of the educational content as the key and fundamental characteristics of such resources from a user perspective.

  September 14, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12358   open full text
• Learning outside of classroom: Exploring the active part of an informal online English learning community in China.
  Yanyan Sun, Teresa Franklin, Fei Gao.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. September 08, 2015
  This study explored how the GRE Analytical Writing Section Discussion Forum, an informal online language learning community in China, functioned to support its members to improve their English writing proficiency. The Community of Inquiry (CoI) model was used as the theoretical framework to explore the existence of teaching presence, cognitive presence and social presence in the GRE Analytical Writing Section Discussion Forum. The transcript analysis of postings in the GRE Analytical Writing Section Discussion Forum was used to find the existence of teaching, cognitive presence and social presence, and an adapted CoI survey was sent to members to measure their perceived teaching, cognitive and social presences. The results showed strong evidences of teaching presence, cognitive presence and social presence, and high levels of perceived teaching, cognitive and social presences in the GRE Analytical Writing Section Discussion Forum. The well‐designed technological environment, distributed teaching presence shared by moderators and members, and extensive evidences of social presence in the discussion forum worked together to support learning in the GRE Analytical Writing Section Discussion Forum.

  September 08, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12340   open full text
• The effectiveness of three serious games measuring generic learning features.
  Maartje Bakhuys Roozeboom, Gillian Visschedijk, Esther Oprins.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. September 08, 2015
  Although serious games are more and more used for learning goals, high‐quality empirical studies to prove the effectiveness of serious games are relatively scarce. In this paper, three empirical studies are presented that investigate the effectiveness of serious games as opposed to traditional classroom instruction on learning features as well as learning outcomes. All three studies used a similar longitudinal case‐control study design and measured the same set of learning features (control, challenge, feedback, engagement and social interaction). Learning outcomes were measured by self‐report and knowledge tests. Results of the three studies show that students that played the serious games scored higher on features associated with high‐quality learning. Furthermore, the studies show that serious gaming is more effective on self‐reported learning outcomes than traditional classroom instruction. Effects of serious gaming on the knowledge tests were not found. The studies serve as a first step to the development of a generic evaluation framework for serious gaming.

  September 08, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12342   open full text
• Effectiveness of collaborative learning with 3D virtual worlds.
  Young Hoan Cho, Kenneth Y. T. Lim.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. September 08, 2015
  Virtual worlds have affordances to enhance collaborative learning in authentic contexts. Despite the potential of collaborative learning with a virtual world, few studies investigated whether it is more effective in student achievements than teacher‐directed instruction. This study investigated the effectiveness of collaborative problem solving and collaborative observation using virtual worlds. Secondary school students (n = 101) participated in the study as part of their coursework in three geography classes. This study found that collaborative problem solving and observation were more effective in facilitating and maintaining intrinsic motivation than teacher‐directed instruction. Students in the collaborative observation condition outperformed those in the other conditions when it came to knowledge gains. Lastly, collaborative problem solving and observation were more beneficial for group performance than teacher‐directed instruction. These results were discussed in regard to the impacts of interactive learning and the cognitive load of using virtual worlds.

  September 08, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12356   open full text
• Teacher motivations for digital and media literacy: An examination of Turkish educators.
  Renee Hobbs, Sait Tuzel.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. September 08, 2015
  Educators have a variety of beliefs and attitudes about the best ways to support students' critical thinking, creativity, communication and collaboration skills by connecting the classroom to contemporary society, mass media and popular culture. Teachers who advance digital and media literacy may have a complex set of attitudes and habits of mind that influence their motivations to use digital media for learning. We conducted a survey research with a sample of 2820 Turkish educators to examine teachers' motivations for digital learning, using a 48‐item Likert scale instrument that assesses teachers' perception of the value and relevance of six conceptual themes, namely: attitudes toward technology tools, genres and formats; message content and quality; community connectedness; texts and audiences; media systems; and learner‐centered focus. Digital learning motivation profiles reveal distinctive identity positions of social science, language arts and information and communication technology (ICT) teachers in Turkey. The most common profiles include the identity positions of “Techie,” “Demystifier” and “Tastemaker.” Statistically significant associations were found between teachers' subject‐area specialization and their digital learning motivation profiles. Professional development programs should assess teachers' digital learning motivation profiles and build learning experiences that expand upon the strengths of teachers' beliefs and the conceptual themes of most importance to them. A video abstract of this article can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKVjJfL64ek

  September 08, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12326   open full text
• SMART in Mathematics? Exploring the effects of in‐class‐level differentiation using SMARTboard on math proficiency.
  Sofie J. Cabus, Carla Haelermans, Sonja Franken.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. September 07, 2015
  This paper explored the effects of in‐class‐level differentiation by making innovative use of an interactive whiteboard (SMARTboard) on math proficiency. Therefore, this paper evaluates the use of SMARTboard in class, in combination with teacher training, using a randomized field experiment among 199 pre‐vocational students in seventh grade in the Netherlands. During 6 weeks, students in the intervention group participated in math classes in which the SMARTboard was used to apply level differentiation. The teachers of these classes received a specific training (Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge [TPACK]) in using the SMARTboard in class. Control classes were taught by teachers without the training, who did not use the SMARTboard in class. The results showed that level differentiation in class, which was possible because of the efficient use of the SMARTboard, significantly increased math proficiency with 0.25 points.

  September 07, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12350   open full text
• A linked and open dataset from a network of learning repositories on organic agriculture.
  Enayat Rajabi, Salvador Sanchez‐Alonso, Miguel‐Angel Sicilia, Nikos Manouselis.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. September 07, 2015
  Exposing eLearning objects on the Web of Data leads to sharing and reusing of educational resources and improves the interoperability of data on the Web. Furthermore, it enriches e‐learning content, as it is connected to other valuable resources using the Linked Data principles. This paper describes a study performed on the Organic.Edunet repository, as an e‐learning portal in an agricultural context. In this research, we experiment with exposing the Organic.Edunet metadata as Linked Open Data and interlinking its contents to several relevant datasets on the Web. An analysis of the metadata and of the interlinking results is presented in this paper as well.

  September 07, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12341   open full text
• User experience of a mobile speaking application with automatic speech recognition for EFL learning.
  Tae youn Ahn, Sangmin‐Michelle Lee.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. September 01, 2015
  With the spread of mobile devices, mobile phones have enormous potential regarding their pedagogical use in language education. The goal of this study is to analyse user experience of a mobile‐based learning system that is enhanced by speech recognition technology for the improvement of EFL (English as a foreign language) learners' speaking proficiency. Speaking English 60 Junior, which is developed for middle‐school students in Korea, is equipped with automatic speech recognition (ASR) for students' self‐regulated speaking practice. Open‐ended survey questions were used to gain insight into users' reactions. The results showed that the students, overall, had positive attitudes towards the use of the application for learning to speak. They particularly expressed great interest in the speech recognition function because it immediately demonstrated the consequence of their speech input. The speech‐interactive activity, in which they interacted with a virtual character via ASR, also received positive comments. The findings highlight the potential use of mobile phones and ASR for learning to speak in the EFL context. Recommendations for future research are discussed based on the results of this study.

  September 01, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12354   open full text
• Deriving a typology of Web 2.0 learning technologies.
  Matt Bower.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. September 01, 2015
  This paper presents the methods and outcomes of a typological analysis of Web 2.0 technologies. A comprehensive review incorporating over 2000 links led to identification of over 200 Web 2.0 technologies that were suitable for learning and teaching purposes. The typological analysis involved development of relevant Web 2.0 dimensions, grouping cases according to observed regularities and construction of types based on meaningful relationships. Characterisation of the constructed types incorporated descriptions based on attributes, examples of representative instances and typical pedagogical use cases. The analysis resulted in a typology of 37 types of Web 2.0 technologies that were arranged into 14 clusters. Results of this study imply that educators typically have a narrow conception of Web 2.0 technologies and there is a wide array of Web 2.0 tools and approaches yet to be fully harnessed by learning designers and educational researchers.

  September 01, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12344   open full text
• Student interactions and the development of ideas in multi‐touch and paper‐based collaborative mathematical problem solving.
  Emma Mercier, Georgia Vourloumi, Steven Higgins.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. September 01, 2015
  Multi‐touch technology is increasingly being used to support collaborative learning activities. However, to know how this technology can be used most effectively, we need to understand if collaborative interactions differ when groups are using multi‐touch technology compared with other tools. In this paper, we compare the interactions of groups of 10 to 11‐year‐old students working collaboratively to solve three math problems in either a multi‐touch or paper condition. The number of ideas raised, who proposed them and whether they were responded to, were coded to identify differences in idea development and interactions across conditions. Responses by students to ideas proposed by other students were coded. Results indicate that similar numbers of ideas were raised across conditions; student responses to ideas raised by other students were more likely to elaborate on the idea or combine it with other ideas in the multi‐touch condition than in the paper condition. These results reinforce prior findings that show higher levels of collaborative engagement around ideas when using multi‐touch than paper and extend our understanding of how this occurs.

  September 01, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12351   open full text
• Developing a questionnaire on technology‐integrated mathematics instruction: A case study of the AMA training course in Xinjiang and Taiwan.
  Chun‐Yi Lee, Ming‐Jang Chen.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. August 19, 2015
  This study describes the development of a questionnaire to evaluate how teachers perceive technology‐integrated math instruction. Following an AMA (Activate Mind Attention) training course, we surveyed 322 teachers to understand their views on the implantation of AMA in the classroom. We also analyzed differences in viewpoints between teachers from Xinjiang and those from Taiwan. This questionnaire could be used in other studies on technology‐integrated training for math teachers and also provide a basis for improving AMA design workshops, thereby enhancing the ability of teachers to implement AMA effectively.

  August 19, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12339   open full text
• Enhancing L2 vocabulary acquisition through implicit reading support cues in e‐books.
  Yeu‐Ting Liu, Aubrey Neil Leveridge.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. August 19, 2015
  Various explicit reading support cues, such as gloss, QR codes and hypertext annotation, have been embedded in e‐books designed specifically for fostering various aspects of language development. However, explicit visual cues are not always reliably perceived as salient or effective by language learners. The current study explored the efficacy of implicit reading support cues—cues that are imperceptible to second‐language (L2) readers during their L2 digital reading—for promoting L2 vocabulary acquisition. Results suggest that subliminal formal priming—being one type of implicit reading support cues—helped L2 readers significantly improve their form‐meaning vocabulary knowledge through e‐book reading. In particular, subliminal formal priming was more effective when the digital content, including the text and relevant illustration, was presented to L2 readers simultaneously, rather than incrementally. The results have important implications vis‐à‐vis the need for the inclusion of implicit reading cues, and the optimal digital input presentation mode for enhancing L2 vocabulary gains.

  August 19, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12329   open full text
• Comparing 2D and 3D game‐based learning environments in terms of learning gains and student perceptions.
  Oguz Ak, Birgul Kutlu.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. August 17, 2015
  The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of traditional, 2D and 3D game‐based environments assessed by student achievement scores and to reveal student perceptions of the value of these learning environments. A total of 60 university students from the Faculty of Education who were registered in three sections of a required instructional design course participated in the study. Sections were randomly assigned to three groups: traditional, 2D and 3D game‐based learning environments. “Mayer's Multimedia Design Principles” learning unit was presented to all groups. Data were obtained through a pre‐test, a post‐test and a questionnaire. Results revealed that all learning environments supported learning gains, with no differences among them. Additionally, participants valued 2D game‐based environments more than 3D game‐based and traditional classroom environments.

  August 17, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12346   open full text
• Social network aided plagiarism detection.
  Aljaž Zrnec, Dejan Lavbič.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. August 17, 2015
  The prevalence of different kinds of electronic devices and the volume of content on the Web have increased the amount of plagiarism, which is considered an unethical act. If we want to be efficient in the detection and prevention of these acts, we have to improve today's methods of discovering plagiarism. The paper presents a research study where a framework for the improved detection of plagiarism is proposed. The framework focuses on the integration of social network information, information from the Web, and an advanced semantically enriched visualization of information about authors and documents that enables the exploration of obtained data by seeking of advanced patterns of plagiarism. To support the proposed framework, a special software tool was also developed. The statistical evaluation confirmed that the employment of social network analysis and advanced visualization techniques led to improvements in the confirmation and investigation stages of the plagiarism detection process, thereby enhancing the overall efficiency of the plagiarism detection process.

  August 17, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12345   open full text
• Review of affective computing in education/learning: Trends and challenges.
  Chih‐Hung Wu, Yueh‐Min Huang, Jan‐Pan Hwang.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. August 12, 2015
  Affect can significantly influence education/learning. Thus, understanding a learner's affect throughout the learning process is crucial for understanding motivation. In conventional education/learning research, learner motivation can be known through postevent self‐reported questionnaires. With the advance of affective computing technology, researchers are able to objectively identify and measure a learner's affective status during the entire learning process in a real‐time manner, and then they are able to understand the interrelationship between emotion, motivation and learning performance. There are over 100 papers in the ScienceDirect database with the keywords “affective computing in education” or “affective computing in learning,” which reveals that this emerging technology has been applied to education/learning. This study intends to categorize and summarize those measurements so as to realize their applicability, feasibility and trends. Finally, some challenges and suggestions are then raised for helping educational researchers when applying affective computing technology.

  August 12, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12324   open full text
• Effects of cloud‐based m‐learning on student creative performance in engineering design.
  Yu‐Shan Chang, Si‐Yi Chen, Kuang‐Chao Yu, Yih‐Hsien Chu, Yu‐Hung Chien.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. August 12, 2015
  This study explored the effects of cloud‐based m‐learning on students' creative processes and products in engineering design. A nonequivalent pretest–posttest design was adopted, and 62 university students from Taipei City, Taiwan, were recruited as research participants in the study. The results showed that cloud‐based m‐learning had a positive effect on creative performance in engineering design. It also improved the creative process in terms of presenting problems and of generating and validating responses. Additionally, cloud‐based m‐learning effectively improved overall performance, novelty, value and elaboration in designing creative products.

  August 12, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12343   open full text
• Effects of reflection type in the here and now mobile learning environment.
  Florence Martin, Jeffrey Ertzberger.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. July 22, 2015
  Here and now mobile learning has the capability to engage learners anytime and anywhere and situate them in their learning context. Mobile devices provide opportunity for learners to participate in reflective activities with experts, peers or self while being situated in the learning context such as being in a museum or gallery and using mobile content to learn about exhibits. This study examined the effects of here and now mobile learning on student achievement and attitude based on different types of reflection (no reflection, self‐guided reflection and reflection with virtual expert). Students (n = 103) who were enrolled in teacher preparation courses at a public regional university in the United States participated in the here and now mobile learning intervention on art content in one of three reflection groups. The participants completed a posttest and attitude survey. One‐way ANOVAs were conducted on data obtained from the achievement pretest and posttest and on the attitude survey results for the Likert‐type items. Analysis of achievement data revealed positive significant differences on the reflection type whereas attitude data did not reveal any significant differences. The implications of the findings are discussed for those designing and implementing mobile‐based learning.

  July 22, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12327   open full text
• Developing a model of conflict in virtual learning communities in the context of a democratic pedagogy.
  Tugba H. Ozturk, Vivien Hodgson.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. July 22, 2015
  In this paper, we argue that in order to get a fuller understanding of the complexity of conflict in democratic pedagogies in online and blended learning settings, it is important to know not only how to manage or resolve it, but also how it is triggered and can be avoided. The emancipatory nature of democratic pedagogies fosters differences, and differences provide the basis for the emergence of conflict among learning community members. Much has been written on certain aspects of conflict, such as conflict management or effects of conflict; however, these studies are frequently disparate and fragmented. Conflict has a cyclical dynamic and the main purpose of this study has been to experimentally build an analytical model of this cyclical dynamic of conflict, drawing on both literature and research data. We believe that such a model might empower practitioners and designers of democratic pedagogies to embrace and work with the differences that lead to conflict, as a way to support collaborative learning and action. The model of conflict which emerged at the end of the study is supported by illustrative qualitative evidence and constituted in a diagrammatic depiction of analytic themes that illustrate the connections between these themes, and the values ascribed to them. The outcomes of this study have implications for developing learning strategies for distance and blended learners.

  July 22, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12328   open full text
• The role of e‐portfolios in supporting productive learning.
  Min Yang, Mui Tai, Cher Ping Lim.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. July 07, 2015
  e‐Portfolios are a form of authentic assessment with formative functions that include showcasing and sharing learning artifacts, documenting reflective learning processes, connecting learning across various stages and enabling frequent feedback for improvements. This paper examines how e‐portfolios take up these formative roles to support productive learning. Qualitative findings from interviews with selected first‐year undergraduate students at a higher education institution in Hong Kong are reported concerning students' experiences of constructing e‐portfolios as assessment tasks. As part of an institutional teaching and learning initiative, e‐portfolios were incorporated into three core courses for first‐year students. The findings reveal that several conditions necessary to foster productive learning were missing in students' experiences: strengthened formative role of e‐portfolios through coherent assessment design; encouragement for students' pursuit of authentic tasks to develop learning interests; engagement of students in reflective and self‐regulative learning as an essential learning process; provision of constructive feedback for sustained learning support; and support for students' autonomy through facilitation of collaborative knowledge building. By explicating how the lack of these conditions impeded students' active involvement in e‐portfolio tasks and suggesting relevant strategies for teachers at the institution in question, this paper offers implications for harnessing information and communication technology (ICT) to support students' productive learning.

  July 07, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12316   open full text
• Exploring the relationship between video lecture usage patterns and students' attitudes.
  Michail N. Giannakos, Letizia Jaccheri, John Krogstie.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. July 07, 2015
  Videos have enhanced the value of teaching and learning, particularly in tertiary education. Recent studies have investigated students' attitudes toward video lectures for educational purposes; however, the relationship between students' attitudes and different usage patterns such as platforms used, video duration, watching period and students' experience, is yet to be explored. To investigate potential attitudinal differences among the diverse video lectures usage patterns, the present study incorporates responses from 40 students who participated in a video‐assisted software engineering course. Our results suggest that usage patterns affect students' attitudes to video lectures as a learning tool. The overall outcomes are expected to promote theoretical development of students' attitudes, video‐platform design principles, and better and more efficient use of video lectures.

  July 07, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12313   open full text
• Students' approaches to the evaluation of digital information: Insights from their trust judgments.
  Frances Johnson, Laura Sbaffi, Jennifer Rowley.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. July 07, 2015
  This study contributes to an understanding of the role of experience in the evaluation phase of the information search process. A questionnaire‐based survey collected data from 1st and 3rd‐year undergraduate students regarding the factors that influence their judgment of the trustworthiness of online health information. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted. First‐year students identified four factors: ease of use, content, recommendation and brand. Third‐year students identified seven factors, in order of importance: content, credibility, recommendation, ease of use, usefulness, style and brand. They also were much clearer about their evaluation processes than 1st‐year students; for 3rd‐year students, the factor structure was clearer, and items generally loaded onto the expected factors. The significance of these findings is discussed and recommendations for practice and further research are offered.

  July 07, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12306   open full text
• Game‐based learning engagement: A theory‐ and data‐driven exploration.
  Fengfeng Ke, Kui Xie, Ying Xie.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. July 07, 2015
  The promise of using games for learning is that play‐ and learning‐engagement would occur cohesively as a whole to compose a highly motivated learning experience. Yet the conceptualization of such an integrative process in the development of play‐based learning engagement is lacking. In this analytical paper, we explored and conceptualized the nature and development of game‐based learning engagement via an iterative, two‐stage analytical process. The first stage was theory driven. The literatures on motives of play, game and cognitive engagement, and game‐based learning were reviewed and analyzed. Theoretical discussions on how learning engagement is activated and sustained during gameplay were distilled. The second stage was data driven. An in situ, multiple‐case study was conducted to further examine affective and cognitive facets of learning engagement in gaming. The finding suggested that game‐based learning engagement is an integrated and continuing process that advances from affective engagement driven by optimal challenge, cognitive engagement situated in playfulness, to potentially game‐action‐based content engagement.

  July 07, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12314   open full text
• Using virtual online simulations in Second Life® to engage undergraduate psychology students with employability issues.
  Tony Ward, Liz Falconer, Manuel Frutos‐Perez, Bryn Williams, James Johns, Sinead Harold.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. June 12, 2015
  This study compares online simulation in Second Life® (Linden Labs, San Francisco, California, USA) with equivalent face‐to‐face activities for three scenarios. The intention was that the three sets of activities would increase participant awareness of how psychology is applied in relation to work‐based contexts. These were a Dragons' Den‐style activity to increase awareness of entrepreneurialism, a supermarket‐based activity based on consumer and work psychology and a counselling agency. After engaging in the activities, participants completed various measures, including a satisfaction questionnaire. In the supermarket scenario, Second Life® was rated significantly better in terms of student satisfaction and the extent to which awareness of the application of psychology in this context had increased. For the other scenarios, Second Life® and face‐to‐face activities were largely equivalent on the various measures. The exception was that in the online counselling scenario, participants did not indicate to a significant degree that they were now more aware of how psychology was applied in this setting. This might be linked to the perceived quality of interaction with the chatbot avatars. It is suggested that the overall superiority of the online supermarket scenario is because this complex problem‐based activity achieved greater immersion in the online version. A video abstract of this article can be viewed at https://youtu.be/_NrZiElz_UA.

  June 12, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12307   open full text
• Uses and risks of microblogging in organisational and educational settings.
  Nordiana Ahmad Kharman Shah, Soureh Latif Shabgahi, Andrew M. Cox.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. June 08, 2015
  Purpose The paper aims to clarify the relationship between organisational and educational use of microblogging. Although enterprise and education are very different sectors of activity and have diverse research traditions, this review argues that there is a benefit to be derived from comparing research work across the two settings. Design/methodology/approach The paper conducted a thematic analysis of research literature on microblogging for the two fields. The collection comprised around 30 papers on enterprise microblogging (EMB), defined as use of microblogging primarily with internal organisational audiences behind the firewall. Twenty‐five research papers on microblogging in higher education (MIHE) made up the rest of the corpus. A generic framework of uses and risks of microblogging was produced and it is the main contribution of the paper. Findings The comparison of the literature on microblogging in the two sectors has led to the development and evaluation of a generic framework, which graphically presents its use and risks. The paper has introduced some ideas about how microblogging is used and they are potentially useful for the other context, for instance, the concept of awareness from the organisational literature. While the organisational literature has a major focus on risk, this appreciation is far less developed in the educational context; increasing such an emphasis would improve employability. Research limitations/implications Most of the research on EMB to date has been about uses of microblogging in large organisations, often information technology based. Research on MIHE has been experiments on the effect of microblogging in learning and classroom activities. Therefore, there is room to expand research beyond these settings. Practical implications The developed framework can be a useful guide for other researchers to explore issues around microblogging in different settings, such as educators using microblogging for research or use in other contexts. It is helpful to researchers to see how different theoretical concepts and research methods might be deployed in another context. The framework might also be used for comparing other technologies apart from Web 2.0/microblogging. Originality/value The paper has been the first review that we are aware of that has concentrated on the uses and risks of microblogging technologies in these particular contexts, organisation and education.

  June 08, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12296   open full text
• Incorporating risk assessment into the formative evaluation of an authentic e‐learning program.
  James L. Vesper, Ümit Kartoğlu, Jan Herrington, Thomas C. Reeves.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. June 02, 2015
  This paper describes the use of two different risk assessment strategies during the design and development of a complex authentic task‐based e‐learning program developed by the World Health Organization (WHO). The first strategy involved the use of expert reviewers and the second strategy employed the engagement of a risk assessment expert facilitator. This approach enabled the WHO design team to identify risks in advance and employ control and mitigation strategies to eliminate or reduce the risks that were revealed by the two risk assessments.

  June 02, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12295   open full text
• Social presence in the 21st century: An adjustment to the Community of Inquiry framework.
  Alejandro Armellini, Magdalena De Stefani.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. June 01, 2015
  The Community of Inquiry framework, originally proposed by Garrison, Anderson and Archer, identifies teaching, social and cognitive presences as central to a successful online educational experience. This paper presents the findings of a study conducted in Uruguay between 2007 and 2010. The research aimed to establish the role of cognitive, social and teaching presences in the professional development of 40 English language teachers on continuous professional development programmes delivered in blended learning settings. The findings suggest that teaching presence and cognitive presence have themselves “become social.” The research points to social presence as a major lever for engagement, sense‐making and peer support. Based on the patterns identified in the study, this paper puts forward an adjustment to the Community of Inquiry framework, which shows social presence as more prominent within the teaching and cognitive constructs than the original version of the framework suggests.

  June 01, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12302   open full text
• The use of help options in multimedia listening environments to aid language learning: A review.
  Mohammed Ali Mohsen.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. May 29, 2015
  This paper provides a comprehensive review on the use of help options (HOs) in the multimedia listening context to aid listening comprehension (LC) and improve incidental vocabulary learning. The paper also aims to synthesize the research findings obtained from the use of HOs in Computer‐Assisted Language Learning (CALL) literature and reveals the theoretical framework that has guided multimedia listening studies. The term HOs refers to any form of assistance, such as visual, auditory (ie, variety of pronunciations) or textual, that is displayed synchronously or asynchronously on the computer screen to facilitate language learning. The paper analyzes the potentials of HO techniques and reveals how these techniques are utilized in CALL literature. The paper then summarizes the overall gain in the use of HOs, highlights their limitations in LC tasks and recommends directions for future research.

  May 29, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12305   open full text
• Effects of a peer competition‐based mobile learning approach on students' affective domain exhibition in social studies courses.
  Gwo‐Jen Hwang, Shao‐Chen Chang.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. May 28, 2015
  One of the important and challenging objectives of social studies courses is to promote students' affective domain exhibition, including learning interest, positive attitudes and local culture identity. In this paper, a location‐aware mobile learning approach was proposed based on a competition strategy for conducting local cultural activities in the field. During the field trip, the learners were asked to learn in the mobile learning environment by throwing a dice to determine their moves using a tablet computer. Each move was related to a problem‐based learning task associated with the corresponding real‐world target at the specified location. To assess the effects of the peer competition‐based mobile learning approach on students' affective domain exhibition, a quasi‐experimental design was employed to conduct a learning activity in the social studies course of an elementary school. From the experimental results, it was found that the proposed approach significantly improved the students' local culture identity, learning interest, and learning attitudes; moreover, it also decreased their cognitive load when guiding them to learn in the field trip.

  May 28, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12303   open full text
• The use of recorded lectures in education and the impact on lecture attendance and exam performance.
  Nynke Bos, Caspar Groeneveld, Jan Bruggen, Saskia Brand‐Gruwel.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. May 28, 2015
  Universities increasingly record lectures and make them available online for students. Though the technology to record these lectures is now solidly implemented and embedded in many institutions, the impact of the usage of recorded lectures on exam performance is not clear. The purpose of the current study is to address the use of recorded lectures in an authentic setting by focusing on the actual time spent on the usage of recorded lectures and the impact on lecture attendance and exam performance. The participants were 396 first‐year university psychology students attending a mandatory course on biological psychology. During the course, student attendance to face‐to‐face lectures was registered and the viewing of the recordings monitored. Results revealed that a large amount of students used the recorded lectures as a substitute for lecture attendance. The group who uses recorded lectures as a supplement when developing a knowledge base score significantly higher on the assessment. When assessing higher order thinking skills, no significant differences were found between using recording lectures and attending lectures. This can be partly explained by relatively low predictive value either form of lectures have on exam performance.

  May 28, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12300   open full text
• A comparative picture of the ease of use and acceptance of onscreen marking by markers across subject areas.
  David Coniam, Zi Yan.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. May 18, 2015
  Onscreen marking (OSM) has been used for the majority of Hong Kong public examinations since 2012. The current study compares marker reactions to OSM, ie, perceived ease of use and acceptance of OSM, against the backdrop of virtually all subject areas being marked on screen. The data were collected from three major sources: (1) survey data obtained from 1743 markers across 14 major subject areas, (2) markers' qualitative comments about the OSM system and (3) post‐hoc interviews with a key informant from the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA). Results showed that, in general, markers revealed a high level of perceived ease of use and positive acceptance of OSM. The effect of subject area for both scales was statistically significant. On the Ease of Use in the OSM Environment scale, markers of information and communication technology (ICT) and mathematics were the most positive, with markers of history and geography the least positive. On the Acceptance of OSM scale, markers of mathematics and ICT were the most accepting, with markers of biology and geography the least. The analysis of survey data was triangulated by markers' qualitative comments together with the HKEAA staff interview. Possible explanations for the results are proposed and implications for the further development of OSM are briefly discussed.

  May 18, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12294   open full text
• Tagclouds and group cognition: Effect of tagging support on students' reflective learning in team blogs.
  Ying Xie, Shu‐Yuan Lin.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. May 06, 2015
  We investigated the effects of supported tagging (a prompting mechanism for students to stop and think about their writing) for team blogging on undergraduate students' reflective learning and the relationship between tagclouds and group cognition. Thirty‐nine students were randomly assigned to six groups and blogged for 5 weeks. Three groups were randomly selected to receive instructor‐provided keywords as supports for their tagging activity in the team blogs. Data analyses included: (1) comparing student‐attached tags to the instructor‐provided keywords and each participant's concept map for evidence of reflection; and (2) comparing each team's tagcloud against the team members' aggregated concept maps for the corresponding relationship between tagclouds and group cognition. Results revealed that the instructor's support in such situations might be helpful to keep students on task whereas free tagging may offer an opportunity for students' deeper processing of learning. The results also showed that tagclouds well represented students' group cognition.

  May 06, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12293   open full text
• Ethnography of corporeality: A carnal move in educational technology research.
  Judith Enriquez‐Gibson.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. May 06, 2015
  Despite the increasing focus on non‐dualistic and materialist approaches in education technology studies, the materiality of the body has not been adequately examined. Because of the heavy orientation towards affordance, interaction, participation, inclusion and access at the interface or between various spatial and liminal settings, the subject's body has been addressed and analysed as a non‐corporeal construct, primarily at an abstract, theoretical or textual level. This paper intends to complement existing research by proposing a carnal move that would enact an ethnography of corporeality. It will do so by doing two things: first, by drawing from Don Ihde's human–technology relations to foreground the body in technology use; and secondly, by adapting Marcel Mauss's conceptualisation of body techniques for a carnal methodological move in investigating technology‐enhanced learning and digital literacies.

  May 06, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12291   open full text
• Technology‐enhanced learning in college mathematics remediation.
  Cecile M. Foshee, Stephen N. Elliott, Robert K. Atkinson.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. April 30, 2015
  US colleges presently face an academic plight; thousands of high school graduates are performing below the expected ability for college‐level mathematics. This paper describes an innovative approach intended to improve the mathematics performance of first‐year college students, at a large US university. The innovation involved the integration of faculty‐led instruction with technology‐enhanced learning (TEL). In this case, TEL refers to a sophisticated software program that delivers mathematics education using an adaptive, self‐paced, individualized, mastery‐based approach. The purpose of this investigation was to examine the extent to which TEL met the educational requirements of college students in need of remediation and to explore the effects of TEL on students' beliefs about their academic ability and academic behaviors (academic competence). The sample of 2880 included all the students enrolled in a single semester of remedial mathematics. Results suggested successful remediation, as indicated by the end‐of‐semester course completion rate, with 75% of students eligible to enroll in a first‐year sequence mathematics course and an additional 18% on track for eligibility by the following semester. TEL also appeared to have a positive, statistically significant effect on students' learning and academic competence. For these findings, we discuss study limitations and implications for future research.

  April 30, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12285   open full text
• Exploring student perceptions, learning outcome and gender differences in a flipped mathematics course.
  So‐Chen Chen, Stephen J.H. Yang, Chia‐Chang Hsiao.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. April 14, 2015
  The flipped classroom approach has recently gained prominence in education. However, a review of previous studies shows that the relationship associated with gender difference, student perceptions and learning outcomes has still remained unexplored, and there has been little discussion regarding flipped classroom environment. To fill this gap, this study aimed to provide a further study by developing an empirical study, extending perspectives of research for flipped classroom in education. This study was conducted to respond and investigate two main student perceptions in a flipped precalculus course, namely, situational interest and course satisfaction. By the self‐developed perception measures, situational interest contained feeling, value and topic interest (three factors), while course satisfaction contained course design, system quality, course arrangement and online assessment (four factors). To respectively determine factors on final grades, we assessed the predicting power among those factors. Students' feedback and gender differences were also evaluated to provide a holistic profile of this flipped course. Results showed that feelings predict the final grades in males, while course design predicts the final grades in females. Moreover, the result also showed that even if females and males showed different topic interest in this course, they performed equally well. Some suggestions to effectively implement a flipped course were also provided from students' feedback. The implications of the results were provided for instructors' guidance in implementing flipped classroom. Finally, the study concluded that students' perceptions may be considered as motivational strategies in teaching and learning process to involve students in academic activities for improving their grades in flipped course.

  April 14, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12278   open full text
• Institutional drivers and barriers to faculty adoption of blended learning in higher education.
  Wendy W. Porter, Charles R. Graham.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. April 08, 2015
  Relatively little research on blended learning (BL) addresses institutional adoption, although such research would benefit institutions of higher education in strategically adopting and implementing BL. In a prior study, the authors proposed a framework for institutional BL adoption, identifying three stages: (1) awareness/exploration, (2) adoption/early implementation, and (3) mature implementation/growth. The framework also identified key strategy, structure and support issues universities may address at each stage. The current study applies that framework as well as Rogers' diffusion of innovations theory to determine the degree to which institutional strategy, structure and support decisions facilitate or impede BL adoption among higher education faculty. The authors also explore whether faculty members' innovation adoption category (innovator, early adopter, early majority, late majority or laggard) affects which decisions facilitate or impede BL adoption. To achieve these objectives, the authors surveyed 214 faculty members at a university in the adoption/early implementation stage, Brigham Young University‐Idaho. We found that the availability of sufficient infrastructure, technological support, pedagogical support, evaluation data and an institution's purpose for adopting BL would most significantly influence faculty adoption. We also identified a wide range of factors that would influence each category of innovation adopters.

  April 08, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12269   open full text
• The role of technology‐based scaffolding in problem‐based online asynchronous discussion.
  Şerife Ak.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. March 20, 2015
  This study examined the effects of technology‐based scaffolds that were composed through the use of the seven‐stage, problem‐based learning strategy on knowledge construction in a problem‐based online asynchronous discussion. In a quasi‐experimental setting, 60 students in an undergraduate Instructional Technology and Material Design course were assigned to one of three groups. In one group, students posted messages using a prescribed set of message categories. Using the same message categories, another group completed their messages using suggested sentence openers. A control group received none of the above mentioned scaffolds. Using a multi‐method approach (content analysis, measurement of learning performance), the research results showed that technology‐based scaffolding in a problem‐based online asynchronous discussion improves students' task orientation and leads to more task‐related learning activity. Furthermore, using both message labels and sentence openers, which were composed through the use of the seven‐stage problem‐based learning process theoretical framework, offers an effective strategy for encouraging more elaboration and higher cognitive discourse.

  March 20, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12254   open full text
• Teachers' concerns about adopting constructivist online game‐based learning in formal curriculum teaching: The VISOLE experience.
  Morris S. Y. Jong.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. March 20, 2015
  Our work is set against the backdrop of the pervasive discussion of harnessing online games to provide students with new constructivist learning opportunities. Upon the theoretical foundation, we have developed Virtual Interactive Student‐Oriented Learning Environment (VISOLE), a teaching framework for implementing constructivist online game‐based learning in formal curriculum teaching in school education. In this paper, apart from underlining the pedagogical features of VISOLE, we discuss our study on investigating 118 teachers' concerns about this educational innovation with the Stages of Concern (SoC) model, in terms of five categorical concerns—Evaluation, Information, Management, Consequence and Refocusing. All participants had completed our VISOLE induction training before they participated in the SoC survey. Results revealed that their Management concern was the most intense. With this “diagnostic” knowledge, we can formulate more precise interventions addressing teachers' actual needs so as to assist them in the adoption of VISOLE at school. The findings also shed light on designing, developing or appropriating online games to support learning and teaching in school education.

  March 20, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12247   open full text
• Using eye‐tracking technology as an indirect instruction tool to improve text and picture processing and learning.
  Lucia Mason, Patrik Pluchino, Maria Caterina Tornatora.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. March 20, 2015
  This study used an eye‐movement modelling example (EMME) in the school context to corroborate and extend recent findings about the educational potential of eye‐tracking technology for supporting strategic processing and learning from an illustrated text. Sixty‐four seventh graders were randomly assigned to the modelling and non‐modelling conditions to investigate whether (1) those with the opportunity to observe a model's eye movements while reading an illustrated text show greater integrative processing in their own reading and (2) they learn more deeply from text. Findings reveal that the students who observed the model's visual behaviour showed greater integrative processing of text and picture. They made more transitions from one representation to the other and strategically spent longer re‐inspecting the picture while rereading the text and vice versa. These students also outperformed those in the non‐modelling condition for deeper learning as revealed in the transfer of knowledge task. Moreover, students with lower reading comprehension skills benefitted more from observing the model's gaze replay when considering both the acquisition and transfer of knowledge.

  March 20, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12271   open full text
• Influence of learning styles on social structures in online learning environments.
  Karina Cela, Miguel‐Ángel Sicilia, Salvador Sánchez‐Alonso.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. March 20, 2015
  In e‐learning settings, the interactions of students with one another, with the course content and with the instructors generate a considerable amount of information that may be useful for understanding how people learn online. The objective of the present research was to use social network analysis to explore the social structure of an e‐learning environment and analyse how the structure depends on user learning style. Applying Felder and Silverman's inventory of learning styles to an online course with 214 adult graduate‐level participants, we found that some styles occupied more central positions than others. These findings may help designers improve learning activities by tailoring them to the learning styles of the participants.

  March 20, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12267   open full text
• Young pupils', their teacher's and classroom assistants' experiences of iPads in a Northern Ireland school: “Four and five years old, who would have thought they could do that?”.
  Linda Clarke, Lesley Abbott.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. March 18, 2015
  This paper describes an iPad project in a Northern Ireland primary school. It evaluates how the technology impacted on learning in literacy, numeracy and in pupil skills. The youngest pupils were asked about their iPad experiences using small‐group interviews based on the circle time approach. Their teacher and two classroom assistants were interviewed about organisational, pedagogical and pupil skill patterns. The teacher reported improvements and greater readiness in pupils' ability to grasp initial key concepts in literacy and numeracy, including lower ability and special needs children. Motivation, concentration and confidence grew, as did spontaneous peer collaboration and the early stages of peer assessment. Classroom assistants had an innovative role in supporting iPad use and noted improved pupil communication, listening and fine motor skills. The children said that iPads helped them with writing, counting and drawing. They understood the purpose of specific apps, how to navigate them and what learning occurred.

  March 18, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12266   open full text
• Understanding transactional distance in web‐based learning environments: An empirical study.
  Xiaoxia Huang, Aruna Chandra, Concetta A. DePaolo, Lakisha L. Simmons.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. March 16, 2015
  Transactional distance is an important pedagogical theory in distance education that calls for more empirical support. The purpose of this study was to verify the theory by operationalizing and examining the relationship of (1) dialogue, structure and learner autonomy to transactional distance, and (2) environmental factors and learner demographic factors to transactional distance in web‐based distance courses. More than 200 online undergraduate and graduate students in a Midwest university in the USA were surveyed. The findings indicate that high levels of structure and dialogue are not necessarily incompatible while supporting the inverse relationship of structure, dialogue and learner autonomy to transactional distance. Environmental factors and learner characteristics impacting transactional distance are identified, and practical implications of the findings for online course design are discussed.

  March 16, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12263   open full text
• Using computer‐assisted assessment heuristics for usability evaluations.
  Gavin Sim, Janet C. Read.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. March 16, 2015
  Teaching practices within educational institutions have evolved through the increased adoption of technology to deliver the curriculum and the use of computers for assessment purposes. For educational technologists, there is a vast array of commercial computer applications available for the delivery of objective tests, and in some instances, organisations have opted to develop bespoke systems to meet their individual pedagogical requirements. However, there is very little research published on the usability of these systems and on the possible usability problems that could ultimately affect users' learning or users' marks in summative tests. This paper focuses on the effectiveness of the heuristic evaluation method for the evaluation of computer‐assisted assessment (CAA) systems and proposes a set of CAA heuristics for evaluating assessment tools. The results of these tests show that, with little training, novice evaluators can effectively perform an evaluation and could, using this heuristic set, identify genuine usability problems within the assessment tool. Therefore, educational technologists or software developers could use the new CAA heuristic set to aid their procurement or inform their design decisions.

  March 16, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12255   open full text
• Interaction between gaming and multistage guiding strategies on students' field trip mobile learning performance and motivation.
  Chih‐Hung Chen, Guan‐Zhi Liu, Gwo‐Jen Hwang.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. March 16, 2015
  In this study, an integrated gaming and multistage guiding approach was proposed for conducting in‐field mobile learning activities. A mobile learning system was developed based on the proposed approach. To investigate the interaction between the gaming and guiding strategies on students' learning performance and motivation, a 2 × 2 experiment was conducted on an elementary school natural science course. Four groups of students were situated in a field trip to learn with different mobile learning approaches (ie, gaming or nongaming) and guiding mechanisms (ie, multistage or single‐stage). The experimental results showed that both the gaming and multistage guiding mechanisms proposed in this study significantly enhanced the students' learning achievements. Moreover, the interaction between the two showed that the lead‐in of the gaming strategy could significantly improve the learning motivation of the students who learned with the multistage guiding mechanism; on the contrary, their learning motivation could be significantly decreased without the gaming approach, although the multistage guiding mechanism was effective. The findings imply that “gamification” could be a good approach for helping students accept learning support or tools provided in mobile learning scenarios.

  March 16, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12270   open full text
• Effects of mathematics computer games on special education students' multiplicative reasoning ability.
  Marjoke Bakker, Marja van den Heuvel‐Panhuizen, Alexander Robitzsch.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. March 09, 2015
  This study examined the effects of a teacher‐delivered intervention with online mathematics mini‐games on special education students' multiplicative reasoning ability (multiplication and division). The games involved declarative, procedural, as well as conceptual knowledge of multiplicative relations, and were accompanied with teacher‐led lessons and class discussions. A pretest–posttest control‐group design was employed, with 81 students from five schools for special primary education (three experimental schools and two control schools). The intervention consisted of two 10‐week game periods in which a total of 16 mini‐games were offered as part of the regular educational program for multiplicative reasoning. The control group students played non‐multiplicative mini‐games; for multiplicative reasoning, they followed their regular educational program without mini‐games. In both groups, students' multiplicative reasoning ability significantly increased. Regarding declarative knowledge of multiplication facts, learning outcomes were significantly higher in the experimental group as compared with the control group. This finding indicates the usefulness of mini‐games for enhancing special education students' mathematics fact knowledge. Learning outcomes on a test measuring procedural and conceptual knowledge of multiplicative reasoning did not differ between experimental and control group. For these learning outcomes, then, the mini‐games intervention did not have added value but can still be considered a “safe” alternative approach.

  March 09, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12249   open full text
• Extending social networking into the secondary education sector.
  Su Iong Kio.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. March 04, 2015
  Secondary schools do not have the same technical resources and capabilities as universities. They usually need to rely on ready‐to‐use tools to fulfill their information and communication technology (ICT) structure. Social networking site (SNS) has emerged as a practical solution to this need. However, few have collected empirical data on the application of SNS in a secondary school setting. This paper probes into the current condition of SNS usage among secondary school students using a sample of 851 students in Macau, a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China. Data in terms of access, profile and activities are collected. The activities on SNSs are analyzed by regression techniques to produce a prediction model relating perceived academic benefit and SNS activities. The model yields a strong positive relationship between that benefit and activities such as raising questions and engaging in study‐related discussions. The model also yields a weak dependency on activities such as searching for information and entertainment. The paper also evaluates the actual academic utilization of a Facebook Group for one class of secondary school students for a period of one year. At the end of the year, various opinion parameters are measured, and improvements are observed in most parameters.

  March 04, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12259   open full text
• Transformation of teacher practice using mobile technology with one‐to‐one classes: M‐learning pedagogical approaches.
  Lucie Lindsay.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. March 03, 2015
  The rapid global uptake of mobile technology is reflected in pioneering New Zealand schools. Teachers of classes where each student uses a mobile device were surveyed on how frequently they use various mobile learning activities and asked to describe the new pedagogical opportunities it offers. The teachers' m‐learning pedagogical approaches and the extent of transformation were considered. This study finds the main use of mobile technology is to enhance learning with task activities and information access; however, innovative content production is also common. The opportunities for pedagogical transformation that collaborative learning offers appear to be partially realised, but the potential for situative learning using authentic contexts and experts seems to be largely unrealised. Presently, transformative pedagogical approaches are not prevalent despite collaborative inquiry and situative approaches with authentic contexts being linked to developing higher order thinking and fostering future focused skills, which are a key focus for educators. The use of one‐to‐one mobile technology in the classroom is a new educational practice with significant potential. This study provides a snapshot to contribute to building the necessary body of work on m‐learning pedagogical transformation.

  March 03, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12265   open full text
• Does pressing a button make it easier to pass an exam? Evaluating the effectiveness of interactive technologies in higher education.
  Jose I. Castillo‐Manzano, Mercedes Castro‐Nuño, María Teresa Sanz Díaz, Rocio Yñiguez.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. February 17, 2015
  The aim of this paper was to evaluate how audience response system (ARS) technology may increase improvements in academic performance in higher education, using the first year of the Administration and Business Management degree course at the University of Seville (Spain) as a case study. The experiment assesses whether the use of ARSs increases the likelihood that students will pass the final examinations in the subject of Principles of Economics. An econometric model is applied to a sample of 119 students in an intervention group, with a control group of 322. The statistically significant results show that at the very least, ARSs improve performance in the theoretical examination, albeit with certain limitations. It is concluded that ARSs should be used frequently to optimize outcomes, not just as a sporadic event during the course.

  February 17, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12258   open full text
• A reflective study into children's cognition when making computer games.
  Yasemin Allsop.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. February 17, 2015
  In this paper, children's mental activities when making digital games are explored. Where previous studies have mainly focused on children's learning, this study aimed to unfold the children's thinking process for learning when making computer games. As part of an ongoing larger scale study, which adopts an ethnographic approach, this research reports on how children think when making their own computer games using their “Thinking Maps” and video recordings of group discussions. A model for Thinking for Learning, “think‐to‐learn‐to‐think,” is discussed and children's activities are used to define the stages of this cycle. The study of children's pre–during–after project “Thinking Maps” and explanations during group discussions suggests that their thinking sequences were altered during and after their game design activities. The children presented their “thinking process” when designing computer games as a continual circular cycle and described their mind as a virtual lab to plan and visualise solutions before testing them on screen, using the “Alice” game design program.

  February 17, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12251   open full text
• Effects of concept map extraction and a test‐based diagnostic environment on learning achievement and learners' perceptions.
  Yu‐Shih Lin, Yi‐Chun Chang, Keng‐Hou Liew, Chih‐Ping Chu.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. February 17, 2015
  Computerised testing and diagnostics are critical challenges within an e‐learning environment, where the learners can assess their learning performance through tests. However, a test result based on only a single score is insufficient information to provide a full picture of learning performance. In addition, because test results implicitly include information about the underlying subject concepts and their relationships to each other, this paper proposes a more effective method for analysing test results by providing a concept map (CM) to facilitate learners' understanding of their learning performance. An innovative approach, not explored in previous studies, is proposed to automatically construct a personalised CM. A CM‐smart extraction and explicit diagnosis (CM‐SEED) learning system has been developed to diagnose learning barriers and misconceptions and to supply relevant suggestions and guidance for remedial learning. This study examined 90 students from two classes at a university and assigned one class to be the experimental group and another class to be the control group. The results indicated that the students who used the CM‐SEED learning system had superior perceptions regarding their learning; furthermore, they accomplished superior learning achievement that displayed statistical significance. Consequently, the study concluded that CM extraction in a test‐based diagnostic environment can lead learners to enhanced learning performance.

  February 17, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12250   open full text
• A web‐based peer‐assessment approach to improving junior high school students' performance, self‐efficacy and motivation in performing arts courses.
  Lu‐Ho Hsia, Iwen Huang, Gwo‐Jen Hwang.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. February 17, 2015
  In this paper, a web‐based peer‐assessment approach is proposed for conducting performing arts activities. A peer‐assessment system was implemented and applied to a junior high school performing arts course to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. A total of 163 junior high students were assigned to an experimental group and a control group. The students in the experimental group learned with the web‐based peer‐assessment approach, whereas those in the control group learned with a web‐based streaming video‐supported environment. The experimental results showed that, in comparison with the web‐based streaming video‐supported learning approach, the web‐based peer assessment approach could significantly improve the students' performance, self‐efficacy and motivation in the performing arts course. In the meantime, it was found that the peer assessment ratings were highly correlated with the teachers' ratings in every performance item; moreover, the performance ratings were highly related to the students' self‐efficacy in evaluating peers' work and improving their own work based on peers' comments as well as their intrinsic motivation, showing the effectiveness of the performance scoring rubrics and the peer assessment approach. The satisfaction questionnaire results also revealed that the students who learned with the peer assessment approach were significantly more satisfied with the learning activity than those who learned with the web‐based learning approach.

  February 17, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12248   open full text
• Five ways to hack and cheat with bring‐your‐own‐device electronic examinations.
  Phillip Dawson.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. February 17, 2015
  Bring‐your‐own‐device electronic examinations (BYOD e‐exams) are a relatively new type of assessment where students sit an in‐person exam under invigilated conditions with their own laptop. Special software restricts student access to prohibited computer functions and files, and provides access to any resources or software the examiner approves. In this study, the decades‐old computer security principle that ‘software security depends on hardware security’ is applied to a range of BYOD e‐exam tools. Five potential hacks are examined, four of which are confirmed to work against at least one BYOD e‐exam tool. The consequences of these hacks are significant, ranging from removal of the exam paper from the venue through to receiving live assistance from an outside expert. Potential mitigation strategies are proposed; however, these are unlikely to completely protect the integrity of BYOD e‐exams. Educational institutions are urged to balance the additional affordances of BYOD e‐exams for examiners against the potential affordances for cheaters.

  February 17, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12246   open full text
• Can e‐learning system enhance learning culture in the workplace? A comparison among companies in South Korea.
  Sun Joo Yoo, Wenhao David Huang.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. January 08, 2015
  How organizations need to act in order to develop their learning capacities has always been a focal interest of research and practice in the workplace. In practice, an e‐learning system is often utilized to foster professional development as it is capable of delivering information and knowledge to individuals across organizations. However, the effect of e‐learning systems on fostering the development of learning organizations in South Korean companies remains unsubstantiated by empirical research. Hence, in this study, a total of 327 datasets from three Korean companies (A, B and C) were analyzed to investigate this research question: can utilizing an e‐learning system accelerate the process of companies becoming learning organizations? The results showed that only the e‐learning systems of Company A and Company C, but not of Company B, facilitated the development of learning organizations. The study concluded that employees' acceptance levels toward e‐learning systems must be considered in order to effectively promote long‐term implementation of e‐learning systems that would lead to the development of learning organizations.

  January 08, 2015   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12240   open full text
• The use of ubiquitous sensor technology in evaluating student thought process during practical operations for improving student technical and creative skills.
  Min Jou, Jingying Wang.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. May 19, 2014
  This study investigated a Ubiquitous Sensor System (USS) that we developed to assess student thought process during practical lessons on a real‐time basis and to provide students with a reflective learning environment. Behavioral curves and data obtained by the USS would help students understand where they had made mistakes during practical lessons and the exact times when incorrect process parameters were observed. This research was conducted during a course on manufacturing. The results indicated that the proposed USS was effective in improving student analysis and evaluation skills in manufacturing thinking, as well as the three psychomotor skills of guided response, mechanism and complex overt response. Student psychomotor skills also gained an overall improvement. Results also showed that improvements in student thought process also helped in the learning of psychomotor skills and that the USS helped improve the clarity of student thought process during practical operations. The improved clarity of thought allowed students to understand the reasons behind their thought process for them to make the necessary logical deductions. Through repeated reflection and practice, students would then be able to create works with personal creative elements.

  May 19, 2014   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12173   open full text
• Value creation in online communities for educators.
  Sharon E. Booth, Shaun B. Kellogg.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. May 15, 2014
  The popularity and pervasiveness of online communities have led researchers and practitioners alike to closely examine the utility of online communities for supporting and facilitating professional learning. As economic constraints leave fewer resources available for professional development, educators in particular are examining the potential of online communities to enhance and extend traditional professional development opportunities. Leveraging the potential of online communities requires an in‐depth understanding of the value that members find through their participation. This study used Wenger, Trayner and de Laat's value creation framework to better understand cycles of value creation in online communities. Findings illuminate how members with varying perspectives and levels of expertise co‐construct new forms of meaning and understanding in ways that are individually and collectively valuable, and how they apply that knowledge to their professional practice. Additionally, the study offers insight into the ways in which actions of community leaders and a sponsoring organization support and facilitate value creation through different types of activities, tools and interactions.

  May 15, 2014   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12168   open full text
• A cross‐cultural examination of the impact of social, organisational and individual factors on educational technology acceptance between British and Lebanese university students.
  Ali Tarhini, Kate Hone, Xiaohui Liu.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. May 13, 2014
  This paper examines the social, organisational and individual factors that may affect students' acceptance of e‐learning systems in higher education in a cross‐cultural context. A questionnaire was developed based on an extended technology acceptance model (TAM). A total sample of 1173 university students from two private universities in Lebanon and one university in England participated in this study. After performing the satisfactory reliability and validity checks, the hypothesised model was estimated using structural equation modeling. The findings of this study revealed that perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEOU), social norms (SNs), perceived quality of work life (QWL), computer self‐efficacy (SE) and facilitating conditions (FC) are significant determinants of behavioural intentions (BIs) and usage of e‐learning system for the Lebanese and British students. QWL, the newly added variable, was found the most important construct in explaining the causal process in the model for both samples. Differences were found between Lebanese and British students with regard to PEOU, SN, QWL, FC, SE and actual usage; however, no differences were detected in terms of PU and BI. Overall, the proposed model achieves acceptable fit and explains for 69% of the British sample and 57% of the Lebanese sample of its variance which is higher than that of the original TAM. Our findings suggest that individual, social and organisational factors are important to consider in explaining students' BI and usage of e‐learning environments.

  May 13, 2014   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12169   open full text
• A learning model for enhancing the student's control in educational process using Web 2.0 personal learning environments.
  Ebrahim Rahimi, Jan Berg, Wim Veen.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. May 13, 2014
  In recent educational literature, it has been observed that improving student's control has the potential of increasing his or her feeling of ownership, personal agency and activeness as means to maximize his or her educational achievement. While the main conceived goal for personal learning environments (PLEs) is to increase student's control by taking advantage of Web 2.0 tools and technologies, there is not a robust learning model available to achieve it. This contribution focuses on proposing a learning model built upon self‐regulated learning and student's control theories and concepts, and supported by the learning affordances of Web 2.0 tools and technologies for enhancing student's control by developing and applying Web 2.0 PLEs.

  May 13, 2014   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12170   open full text
• Technology use and learning characteristics of students in higher education: Do generational differences exist?
  Kwok‐Wing Lai, Kian‐Sam Hong.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. May 02, 2014
  As digital technologies form an inextricable part of young people's everyday lives, some commentators claim that the current generation of learners think and learn differently from their predecessors. This study investigated the validity of this claim by surveying 799 undergraduate and 81 postgraduate students at a large research‐intensive university in New Zealand to document their use of digital technologies on university and social activities and comparing three age groups of students (under 20, 20–30 and over 30) to see whether there were any differences in their learning characteristics. The findings of the study showed that while students spent a large amount of time on digital technologies, the range of digital technologies they used was rather limited. There were also no practical generational differences in the technology use pattern and learning characteristics found in this study. The results of this study suggest that generation is not a determining factor in students' use of digital technologies for learning nor has generation had a radical impact on learning characteristics of higher education students.

  May 02, 2014   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12161   open full text
• Educational games based on distributed and tangible user interfaces to stimulate cognitive abilities in children with ADHD.
  Elena Guía, María D. Lozano, Víctor M. R. Penichet.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. April 27, 2014
  Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) experience behavioural and learning problems at home and at school, as well as a lack of self‐control in their lives. We can take advantage of the evolution of new technologies to develop applications with the aim of enhancing and stimulating the learning process of children with ADHD. In addition, these applications may help teachers and therapists to track the progress of the children. In this paper, we present a novel software system with new interaction mechanisms with the aim of improving memory and attention in children with ADHD. The system is based on a set of collaborative games developed in a novel multi‐device environment applying the distributed user interface paradigm together with tangible user interfaces (TUIs). The interaction with the system is very intuitive and simple as children interact directly with known physical objects used as TUIs instead of using the mouse and the keyboard. In this way, children can play while moving around the room and interact with the games that are projected on the wall.

  April 27, 2014   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12165   open full text
• Assessment of children's digital courseware in light of developmentally appropriate courseware criteria.
  Fathi Mahmoud Ihmeideh.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. April 21, 2014
  Developmentally appropriate courseware can play a crucial role in enhancing children's learning and development. Research studies have demonstrated that early childhood educators face major challenges in selecting and updating developmental courseware that supports young children's development. The primary purpose of this study was to assess children's digital courseware employed in Jordanian kindergartens in accordance with developmentally appropriate courseware criteria. A random sample of 57 courseware programs employed in both public and private kindergartens was assessed using 10 criteria for developmentally appropriate courseware. The findings suggest that the courseware implemented in Jordanian kindergartens exhibited a moderate degree of appropriateness. The courseware was the most developmentally appropriate in the areas of “technical features” and “clear instruction,” while the real‐work model and transformations were the least appropriate. Moreover, the findings revealed that children's courseware implemented in public kindergartens was more developmentally appropriate than those in private kindergartens. These findings and their implications were discussed.

  April 21, 2014   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12163   open full text
• A comparative study of the effects of cultural differences on the adoption of mobile learning.
  Ibrahim Arpaci.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. April 14, 2014
  The objective of this paper is to understand the impact of cultural differences on mobile learning adoption through identifying key adoption characteristics in Canada and Turkey, which have markedly different cultural backgrounds. A multi‐group analysis was employed to test the hypothesised relationships based on the data collected by means of survey questionnaires from 190 and 163 undergraduate students in Turkey and Canada respectively. The results indicated that there is a strong relationship between culture and adoption behaviour, and there are major differences in patterns between the adoption behaviours of the two countries. Implications of these findings are discussed.

  April 14, 2014   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12160   open full text
• Technological utopia, dystopia and ambivalence: Teaching with social media at a South African university.
  Patient Rambe, Liezel Nel.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. April 04, 2014
  The discourse of social media adoption in higher education has often been funnelled through utopian and dystopian perspectives, which are polarised but determinist theorisations of human engagement with educational technologies. Consequently, these determinist approaches have obscured a broadened grasp of the situated, socially constructed nature of human interaction with educational technologies and failed to explain ambivalent positions of technology adoption. To contest the innate determinism embodied in the aforementioned technological views, this paper draws on technological ambivalence to unravel the complex, multiple possibilities in pragmatic use of technology—including the double‐bound relationship between human agency and educational technology. A phenomenological approach that draws on self‐narratives of the use of social media by Computer Science and Informatics educators at a South African university is employed to unravel how their perceptions of social media shaped and informed their pragmatic instructional uses of these technologies. Findings suggest that the sharp contrasting experiences of collaborative engagement, enactment of decentralised power and democratic expression in social media coexist recursively with the disempowering, dependence‐ridden and distractive effects of these technologies. This technological divergence is further compounded by ambivalent views that neither celebrate the unrealistic hopes of social media nor grossly protest against the debilitating effects of these technologies. This view foregrounds the social embeddedness of technology and its potentially multiple, contradictory effects. The implications of these findings include the need for educators to consider social conditions of technology use, the alignment of such conditions with innovative social media‐enhanced pedagogical models and the use of proven models to demonstrate the educational potential of social media technologies.

  April 04, 2014   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12159   open full text
• Population validity for educational data mining models: A case study in affect detection.
  Jaclyn Ocumpaugh, Ryan Baker, Sujith Gowda, Neil Heffernan, Cristina Heffernan.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. April 01, 2014
  Information and communication technology (ICT)‐enhanced research methods such as educational data mining (EDM) have allowed researchers to effectively model a broad range of constructs pertaining to the student, moving from traditional assessments of knowledge to assessment of engagement, meta‐cognition, strategy and affect. The automated detection of these constructs allows EDM researchers to develop intervention strategies that can be implemented either by the software or the teacher. It also allows for secondary analyses of the construct, where the detectors are applied to a data set that is much larger than one that could be analyzed by more traditional methods. However, in many cases, the data used to develop EDM models are collected from students who may not be representative of the broader populations who are likely to use ICT. In order to use EDM models (automated detectors) with new populations, their generalizability must be verified. In this study, we examine whether detectors of affect remain valid when applied to new populations. Models of four educationally relevant affective states were constructed based on data from urban, suburban and rural students using ASSISTments software for middle school mathematics in the Northeastern United States. We found that affect detectors trained on a population drawn primarily from one demographic grouping do not generalize to populations drawn primarily from the other demographic groupings, even though those populations might be considered part of the same national or regional culture. Models constructed using data from all three subpopulations are more applicable to students in those populations than those trained on a single group, but still do not achieve ideal population validity—the ability to generalize across all subgroups. In particular, models generalize better across urban and suburban students than rural students. These findings have important implications for data collection efforts, validation techniques, and the design of interventions that are intended to be applied at scale.

  April 01, 2014   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12156   open full text
• Ethical and privacy principles for learning analytics.
  Abelardo Pardo, George Siemens.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. April 01, 2014
  The massive adoption of technology in learning processes comes with an equally large capacity to track learners. Learning analytics aims at using the collected information to understand and improve the quality of a learning experience. The privacy and ethical issues that emerge in this context are tightly interconnected with other aspects such as trust, accountability and transparency. In this paper, a set of principles is identified to narrow the scope of the discussion and point to pragmatic approaches to help design and research learning experiences where important ethical and privacy issues are considered.

  April 01, 2014   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12152   open full text
• Pattern of accesses over time in an online asynchronous forum and academic achievements.
  Luisa Canal, Patrizia Ghislandi, Rocco Micciolo.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. April 01, 2014
  In this study, the participation of 119 students in an online asynchronous forum as part of an academic course on statistical methods was evaluated. The pattern of accesses during the course was analyzed by means of the cumulative mean function. Taking into account the times (hours) at which accesses occurred, it is possible to achieve more accurate and more sensitive assessment of the role of concomitant variables (gender, final mark of the high school attended, examination outcome). As far as academic achievement was concerned, it emerged that graduating probability within 3.5 years from the end of the course was related only to a regular posting activity and not to the overall number of accesses.

  April 01, 2014   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12158   open full text
• Bridging the research‐to‐practice gap in education: A software‐mediated approach for improving classroom instruction.
  Mark E. Weston, Alan Bain.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. March 27, 2014
  This study reports findings from a matched‐comparison, repeated‐measure for intact groups design of the mediating effect of a suite of software on the quality of classroom instruction provided to students by teachers. The quality of instruction provided by teachers in the treatment and control groups was documented via observations that were conducted by an independent research team at pre, mid and postintervals of a 225‐day study period. Analysis of the data that was generated revealed no statistically significant differences at pretest between the quality of instruction provided by teachers in the treatment and control groups. Over three occasions, no statistically significant differences were found for the control group. Statistically significant differences were found for the overall treatment group at mid and postintervals. Moreover, overall differences between the control and treatment groups were statistically significant at mid and posttreatment including a posttreatment effect size of 1.54. Analysis indicates the treatment had a mediating effect on the quality of classroom instruction and the effect scaled to single and multiple school levels. These results suggest that the field of education's long‐standing challenges with improving instructional quality could be resolved by information and communications technology effectively mediating research and practice. A video abstract of this article can be viewed at http://youtu.be/iaWZ23yJGH8

  March 27, 2014   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12157   open full text
• A tool for learning or a tool for cheating? The many‐sided effects of a participatory student website in mass higher education.
  Tereza Stöckelová, Tereza Virtová.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. March 26, 2014
  This paper is a case study of the genesis, operation and, in particular, the educational effects of a participatory website established and run by students of one of the largest universities in the Czech Republic, the purpose of which is to enable students to share study materials, essays and evaluations of staff and courses. We study the rise of the website as a bottom‐up reaction to deficiencies in the educational process perceived by students, which has led to changes in some of the university's educational practices. Drawing upon ethnographic data, we inquire into the various ways in which the website's existence has influenced educational processes and student–teacher relations. The findings show how such a website's impact can be both positive and negative. While it can foster collaboration and a sense of mutuality among students, trigger institutional reflexivity and generate a platform for the collective production of knowledge lacking in curricula, it can also perpetuate institutional deficiencies by compensating for them, often in undesirable ways such as cheating and plagiarism.

  March 26, 2014   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12155   open full text
• The rhetoric of reform and teachers' use of ICT.
  Charalambos Vrasidas.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. March 25, 2014
  During the last two decades, the Cyprus Education System has been undergoing systematic reform efforts. Within the spirit of change, efforts have been made to equip all public schools with computers and provide them with access to the internet. Compared with other European Union countries, Cyprus infrastructure is one of the most developed. However, as our research shows, the adoption of technology does not match the rhetoric of reform that dominates education discourse. In order to examine the challenges and opportunities primary school teachers face in efforts to integrate technology in the classroom, four in‐depth case studies of schools were developed and a large scale survey was conducted across public schools. This paper discusses the method, the design and the results from our research, drawing on both survey findings and rich qualitative data. Theoretical discussions provide further empirical grounding of technology adoption models and illustrate barriers to effective adoption of ICT.

  March 25, 2014   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12149   open full text
• Discovering indicators of successful collaboration using tense: Automated extraction of patterns in discourse.
  Kate Thompson, Shannon Kennedy‐Clark, Penny Wheeler, Nick Kelly.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. March 19, 2014
  This paper describes a technique for locating indicators of success within the data collected from complex learning environments, proposing an application of e‐research to access learner processes and measure and track group progress. The technique combines automated extraction of tense and modality via parts‐of‐speech tagging with a visualisation of the timing and speaker for each utterance developed to code and analyse learner discourse, exploiting the results of previous, non‐automated analyses for validation. The work is developed using a dataset of interactions within a multi‐user virtual environment and extended to a more complex dataset of synchronous chat texts during a collaborative design task. This methodology extends natural language processing into computer‐based collaboration contexts, discovering the linguistic micro‐events that construct the larger phases of successful design‐based learning.

  March 19, 2014   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12151   open full text
• Social scholarship: Reconsidering scholarly practices in the age of social media.
  Christine Greenhow, Benjamin Gleason.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. March 19, 2014
  This conceptual exploration inquires, what is scholarship reconsidered in the age of social media? How ought we to conceptualize social scholarship—a new set of practices being discussed in various disciplines? The paper offers a critical examination of the practical and policy implications of reconsidering scholarship in light of social media's affordances toward a conceptualization of social scholarship. For each dimension of Boyer's original framework, we explain its epistemologies and practices. Next, we take a critical approach to inquiring how each dimension, reconsidered through the lens of social scholarship values and social media affordances, might be envisioned today. This exploration provides concrete examples of how scholars might enact social scholarship with what benefits and challenges.

  March 19, 2014   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12150   open full text
• E‐assessment: Institutional development strategies and the assessment life cycle.
  Carmen Tomas, Michaela Borg, Jane McNeil.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. March 17, 2014
  E‐assessment is an umbrella term that comprises a complex array of tools of varying capacities. This paper focuses on the topic of e‐assessment from the perspective of its strategic institutional development in higher education. The paper argues that research on e‐assessment has been dominated by a focus on investigating benefits of use and adoption rather than building an understanding of development and implementation. The current paper proposes a qualitative assessment and process‐specific framework, both to investigate e‐assessment and chart its institutional development. This framework is an annual assessment life cycle, and one case illustrates its use to elaborate an institutional development agenda for e‐assessment. The institutional inquiry into e‐assessment consisted of interviews with 22 academic staff members using the assessment life cycle. The goal was to identify how technology played a role in assessment in general. The information gathered was used to construct an institutional overview of how electronic and paper‐based modes supported assessment. The overview, which used the life cycle framework, revealed a subtle interplay between assessment stakes, type, stages and modes. Initial stages in the assessment life cycle are substantively supported electronically. Middle stages (submission, marking, feedback return) present great complexity and different uses of paper and electronic modes depending on the assessment type. High‐stakes summative assessment shows a hybrid process, where both paper and electronic modes fulfil substantive roles in supporting the assessment stages. The later stages of the cycle are mainly paper based regardless of assessment type. Low‐stakes e‐assessment may be an all‐electronic process. This simplified institutional overview of the state of e‐assessment and the emphasis on the cyclical nature have helped to elaborate a differentiated development strategy for various e‐assessment forms, considering assessment type and particular stages as the foci of development.

  March 17, 2014   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12153   open full text
• The effectiveness of a meaningful learning‐based evaluation model for context‐aware mobile learning.
  Yueh‐Min Huang, Po‐Sheng Chiu.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. March 11, 2014
  In recent years, context‐aware mobile learning (CAML) has been widely applied to various fields and has become a popular issue in educational research. Despite the tremendous potential of CAML and its growing significance, continued evaluations and refinements under the advice of field experts and instructors are crucial to ensure its validity, value and sustainability. In this paper, an evaluation model for CAML is developed based on meaningful learning theory using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). To verify the effectiveness of the model, three different CAML learning activities are tested, and some experts are invited to evaluate and compare them. As a result, the strengths and weaknesses of each learning activity are obtained. With the aid of the evaluation model proposed in this work, CAML developers can progressively enhance the value of learning activities, thus improving this new approach to learning.

  March 11, 2014   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12147   open full text
• e‐Research and learning theory: What do sequence and process mining methods contribute?
  Peter Reimann, Lina Markauskaite, Maria Bannert.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. February 28, 2014
  This paper discusses the fundamental question of how data‐intensive e‐research methods could contribute to the development of learning theories. Using methodological developments in research on self‐regulated learning as an example, it argues that current applications of data‐driven analytical techniques, such as educational data mining and its branch process mining, are deeply grounded in an event‐focused, ontologically flat view of learning phenomena. These techniques provide descriptive accounts of the regularities of events, but have limited power to generate theoretical explanations. Building on the philosophical views of critical realism, the paper argues that educational e‐research needs to adopt more nuanced ways for investigating and theorising learning phenomena that could provide an account of the mechanisms and contexts in which those mechanisms are realised. It proposes that future methodological extensions should include three main aspects: (1) stratified ontological frameworks, (2) multimodal data collection and (3) dynamic analytical methods.

  February 28, 2014   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12146   open full text
• Methodological capacity within the field of “educational technology” research: an initial investigation.
  Scott Bulfin, Michael Henderson, Nicola F. Johnson, Neil Selwyn.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. February 25, 2014
  The academic study of educational technology is often characterised by critics as methodologically limited. In order to test this assumption, the present paper reports on data collected from a survey of 462 “research active” academic researchers working in the broad areas of educational technology and educational media. The paper explores their familiarity and expertise with various methods of data collection and analysis. Data from the survey highlight a preference for relatively basic forms of descriptive research, coupled with a lack of capacity in advanced quantitative data collection and analysis. The paper concludes with some directions for “methodological capacity building” to broaden the use of methods in educational technology research.

  February 25, 2014   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12145   open full text
• Our anonymous online research participants are not always anonymous: Is this a problem?
  Phillip Dawson.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. February 20, 2014
  When educational research is conducted online, we sometimes promise our participants that they will be anonymous—but do we deliver on this promise? We have been warned since 1996 to be careful when using direct quotes in Internet research, as full‐text web search engines make it easy to find chunks of text online. This paper details an empirical study into the prevalence of direct quotes from participants in a subset of the educational technology literature. Using basic web search techniques, the source of direct quotes could be found in 10 of 112 articles. Analysis of the articles revealed previously undiscussed threats from data triangulation and expert analysis/diagnosis. Issues of ethical obliviousness, obscurity and concern for future privacy‐invasive technologies are also discussed. Recommendations for researchers, journals and institutional ethics review boards are made for how to better protect participants' anonymity against current and future threats.

  February 20, 2014   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12144   open full text
• Validation of the Instructional Materials Motivation Survey (IMMS) in a self‐directed instructional setting aimed at working with technology.
  Nicole Loorbach, Oscar Peters, Joyce Karreman, Michaël Steehouder.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. February 17, 2014
  The ARCS Model of Motivational Design has been used myriad times to design motivational instructions that focus on attention, relevance, confidence and satisfaction in order to motivate students. The Instructional Materials Motivation Survey (IMMS) is a 36‐item situational measure of people's reactions to instructional materials in the light of the ARCS model. Although the IMMS has been used often, both as a pretest and a posttest tool serving as either a motivational needs assessment prior to instruction or a measure of people's reactions to instructional materials afterward, the IMMS so far has not been validated extensively, taking statistical and theoretical aspects of the survey into account. This paper describes such an extensive validation study, for which the IMMS was used in a self‐directed instructional setting aimed at working with technology (a cellular telephone). Results of structural equation modeling show that the IMMS can be reduced to 12 items. This Reduced Instructional Materials Motivation Survey IMMS (RIMMS) is preferred over the original IMMS. The parsimonious RIMMS measures the four constructs attention, relevance, confidence and satisfaction of the ARCS model well, and reflects its conditional nature.

  February 17, 2014   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12138   open full text
• Researchers and teachers learning together and from each other using video‐based multimodal analysis.
  Jacob Davidsen, Ruben Vanderlinde.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. January 27, 2014
  This paper discusses a year‐long technology integration project during which teachers and researchers joined forces to explore children's collaborative activities through the use of touch screens. In the research project discussed in this paper, 16 touch screens were integrated into teaching and learning activities in two separate classrooms; the learning and collaborative processes were captured by using a video, collecting over 150 hours of footage. By using digital research technologies and a longitudinal design, the authors of the research project studied how teachers and children gradually integrated touch screens into their teaching and learning. This paper examines the methodological usefulness of video‐based multimodal analysis. Through reflection on the research project, we discuss how, by using video‐based multimodal analysis, researchers and teachers can study children's touch‐screen supported collaboration and how researchers and teachers can learn together.

  January 27, 2014   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12141   open full text
• More than beliefs: Subject areas and teachers' integration of laptops in secondary teaching.
  Sarah K. Howard, Amy Chan, Peter Caputi.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. January 27, 2014
  The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship of subject areas to teachers' technology integration. Educational technology research has often identified “culture clashes” to explain differences in technology use between subject areas. These clashes are frequently attributed to core features, values and beliefs held in the subject area cultures, but there has been little research analyzing the relationship between subject areas and integration. Using a validated path model as a conceptual framework, this paper presents an analysis of the relationship between three subject areas (English, Mathematics, Science) and known factors of teacher beliefs and readiness to use technology in teaching, which directly impact on secondary‐level teachers' technology integration, over three years. Findings show that time and subject areas are both associated with teachers' readiness, but only subject areas are associated with teachers' beliefs. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

  January 27, 2014   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12139   open full text
• Exploring the redundancy effect in print‐based instruction containing representations.
  Jennifer Morrison, Ginger S. Watson, Gary R. Morrison.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. January 27, 2014
  The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of redundancy when learning from realistic science materials. Participants received instruction where redundancy was manipulated between text and diagrams with captions, text and diagrams, and text only. Participants reported levels of cognitive load, responded to questionnaire items and completed an achievement test. Findings indicated there were no significant differences in perceived mental effort between groups, though there were differences in experienced material difficulty. In contrast with the redundancy effect described by cognitive load theory, the manipulation of redundancy in lengthier text materials paired with diagrams did not affect performance on the achievement test.

  January 27, 2014   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12140   open full text
• The role of facial microexpression state (FMES) change in the process of conceptual conflict.
  Mei‐Hung Chiu, Chin‐Cheng Chou, Wen‐Lung Wu, Hongming Liaw.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. December 19, 2013
  This paper explores whether facial microexpression state (FMES) changes can be used to identify moments of conceptual conflict, one of the pathways to conceptual change. It is known that when the preconditions of conceptual conflicts are met and conceptual conflicts are detected in students, it is then possible for conceptual change to take place. There were 102 university and high school students who were involved in this research, and about 80% of the participants held erroneous preconceptions on the scientific topic chosen. The results showed that FMES changes were detected in the majority of the students who made erroneous predictions as they underwent conceptual conflict. Furthermore, the lack of FMES change was shown to indicate a lowered likelihood of conceptual change, while the presence of FMES change doubled the likelihood of conceptual change. The results confirm that FMES can be useful in determining learners’ awareness of conflicting concepts and their progress towards scientific understanding. Educational implications are discussed.

  December 19, 2013   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12126   open full text
• Evaluating multimodal literacies in student blogs.
  Barbara O'Byrne, Stacey Murrell.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. August 15, 2013
  This research presents ways in which high school students used the multimodal and interactive affordances of blogs to create, organize, communicate and participate on an educational blog. Their actions demonstrated how plural modes of literacy are infiltrating digital environments and reshaping literacy and learning. Multimodal blogging practices of participants broaden the discourse about educational blogs to include an understanding of blogs as media‐rich platforms in which learners operate with plural modes of literacy to construct meaning, communicate and participate.

  August 15, 2013   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12093   open full text
• ICT‐supported learning for inclusion of people with special needs: Review of seven educational technology journals, 1970–2011.
  Andreja Istenic Starcic, Spela Bagon.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. August 06, 2013
  Research and development of information and communication technology (ICT)‐supported learning for people with disabilities has not received adequate attention. It is also difficult to access research findings and developments in this field. Under the ENABLE Network of ICT Supported Learning for Disabled People (2011–2014) project, an emerging European Union reference point portal for end‐users will provide this information for a broad audience. In the design phase of the project idea, the authors of this paper conducted a review of papers indexed in Web of Science to provide a needs assessment and a design template for the project objectives. The results of the search clearly showed that ICT‐supported learning for people with special educational needs is in the domain of the educational technology journals, with more papers published in the British Journal of Educational Technology than in any other journal. This paper presents the results of a content analysis of all papers published from 1970 to 2011 in seven educational technology journals indexed in Web of Science. More papers were published from 2006 to 2011 (44.7%) than during any other of five periods examined. Findings in terms of ICT intervention, disability groups, groups of study participants by relationship with ICT, and research design, together with trends in published studies in terms of mainstreaming and inclusion, are presented. The main objective of the study was to identify the level of inclusion through analysis of educational context (special schools [30.51%], mainstream schools [28.81%] and general support for life [40.68%]). Based on content analysis, ICT interventions were classified into the two categories of technical intervention in the pedagogical context (62.71% of all papers published) and technical intervention in the wider context (37.29% of all papers published), with nine paper types identified: papers on ICT access, papers on teaching and learning methods, papers on development and testing of ICT solutions, reviews, assessments, papers on inclusion, papers on behavioural and social development, papers on use of information technology and papers on interaction. Papers were also categorised according to types of disability and according to groups of study participants by relationship with ICT. Published papers were divided into four categories by research design: descriptive (49.15%), developmental (26.27%), experimental (17.8%), and developmental and experimental (6.78%). During the period from 1970 to 2000, papers examined design of learning materials with regard to particular categories of disability and particular accessibility needs, while papers published after 2000 also discussed universal design. Based on the review, the authors of this paper have identified a need for application of universal design principles in research and development of learning environments to provide equal accessibility and inclusive education.

  August 06, 2013   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12086   open full text
• Assessing the crossdisciplinarity of technology‐enhanced learning with science overlay maps and diversity measures.
  Marco Kalz, Marcus Specht.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. August 01, 2013
  This paper deals with the assessment of the crossdisciplinarity of technology‐enhanced learning (TEL). Based on a general discussion of the concept interdisciplinarity and a summary of the discussion in the field, two empirical methods from scientometrics are introduced and applied. Science overlay maps and the Rao‐Stirling diversity index are used to analyze the TEL field with a scientometric analysis. The science overlay maps show that a wide variety of disciplines contributes to research in the field. The analysis reveals that the field has been operating on a relatively high level of crossdisciplinarity in the last 10 years compared with six other fields of reference. Only in 2004 a decrease in the level of crossdisciplinarity could be identified.

  August 01, 2013   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12092   open full text
• Participation, interaction and social presence: An exploratory study of collaboration in online peer review groups.
  Huahui Zhao, Kirk P. H. Sullivan, Ingmarie Mellenius.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. August 01, 2013
  A key reason for using asynchronous computer conferencing in instruction is its potential for supporting collaborative learning. However, few studies have examined collaboration in computer conferencing. This study examined collaboration in six peer review groups within an asynchronous computer conferencing. Eighteen tertiary students participated in the study. Content analyses of discussion protocols were performed in terms of participation, interaction, and social presence. The results indicate that collaboration does not occur automatically in asynchronous computer conference. Collaboration requires participation because no collaboration occurred in the two groups with low student participation; however, participation does not lead to collaboration, evidenced by student postings receiving no peer responses. Collaboration requires interaction but does not end with interaction, substantiated by different levels of collaboration across different interactional patterns. Social presence helps to realise collaboration through establishing a warm and collegial learning community to encourage participate and interaction, exemplified by the contrast of the group with the highest level of social presence and the group with the lowest level of social presence. A model of understanding and assessing collaboration in online learning is recommended, consisting of participation, interaction and social presence.

  August 01, 2013   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12094   open full text
• Science learning via multimedia portal resources: The Scottish case.
  Dely Elliot, Delia Wilson, Stephen Boyle.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. July 04, 2013
  Scotland's rich heritage in the field of science and engineering and recent curricular developments led to major investment in education to equip pupils with improved scientific knowledge and skills. However, due to its abstract and conceptual nature, learning science can be challenging. Literature supports the role of multimedia technology in addressing the difficulties associated with science learning. This paper reports on a two‐phase investigation that explored the impact of multimedia resources situated in a national e‐learning portal to (1) assist generalist and specialist science teachers' teaching practices and (2) stimulate pupils' interest, encourage engagement and improve overall science learning experiences. Our research also investigated how portal resources facilitated and/or acted as barriers for teaching and learning. Findings from our research affirm that multimedia technology has transformed science learning; with these resources accessible through a national portal, radically different learning experiences ensued. These findings raise serious implications for teacher education and professional development in ensuring that teachers acquire sound science content and pedagogical knowledge as well as practical strategies for utilising technology‐rich environments, as this is likely to become the norm. Harnessing the fullest potential that information and communication technology, multimedia and e‐learning portals can offer starts by addressing these challenges.

  July 04, 2013   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12085   open full text
• The nature of teacher engagement at an online high school.
  Jered Borup, Charles R. Graham, Jeffery S. Drysdale.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. July 04, 2013
  Little research has examined the critical components of successful K‐12 online schools, due in part to the theoretical focus of current frameworks on higher education rather than characteristics of K‐12 online learners and environments. Using K‐12 online research, this paper examined teaching presence as explained by the Community of Inquiry framework and identified additional teacher roles that needed stronger emphasis. We termed the new construct teacher engagement. Teacher engagement was shown to be helpful in describing and identifying effective teacher practices at the Open High School of Utah (OHSU), a successful online charter school. Through a series of 22 interviews with over half of the OHSU faculty, it was found that teachers worked to improve student outcomes by (1) designing and organizing learning activities, (2) facilitating discourse with students and parents, (3) providing students with one‐on‐one instruction, (4) nurturing a safe and caring learning environment, (5) motivating students to engage in learning activities and (6) closely monitoring student behavior and learning. These six elements describe the core of teacher engagement.

  July 04, 2013   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12089   open full text
• Designing a trust evaluation model for open‐knowledge communities.
  Xianmin Yang, Qin Qiu, Shengquan Yu, Hasan Tahir.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. July 04, 2013
  The openness of open‐knowledge communities (OKCs) leads to concerns about the knowledge quality and reliability of such communities. This confidence crisis has become a major factor limiting the healthy development of OKCs. Earlier studies on trust evaluation for Wikipedia considered disadvantages such as inadequate influencing factors and separated the treatment of trustworthiness for users and resources. A new trust evaluation model for OKCs—the two‐way interactive feedback model—is developed in this study. The model has two core components: resource trustworthiness (RT) and user trustworthiness (UT). The model is based on more interaction data, considers the interrelation between RT and UT, and better represents the features of interpersonal trust in reality. Experimental simulation and trial operation for the Learning Cell System, a novel open‐knowledge community developed for ubiquitous learning, show that the model accurately evaluates RT and UT in this example OKC environment.

  July 04, 2013   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12083   open full text
• e‐Leadership of school principals: Increasing school effectiveness by a school data management system.
  Ina Blau, Ofer Presser.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. July 04, 2013
  In recent years, school management systems have become an important tool for effective e‐leadership and data‐based decision making. School management systems emphasize information flow and e‐communication between teachers, students and parents. This study examines e‐leadership by secondary‐school principals through the Mashov school management system, implemented in 500 Israeli schools in order to increase school effectiveness. Semistructured interviews were conducted at the end of academic year 2010/2011 with 10 participants: eight secondary‐school principals, a Ministry of Education supervisor, and a director of the school principals' training program. The results indicate that the system provides extensive support for school principals in managing the organization, delegating responsibilities and promoting e‐leadership by teaching staff and, consequently, increases the pedagogical effectiveness of their school. e‐Leadership through the school management system changes the entire school culture. It includes making data‐based decisions; monitoring curriculum implementation and learning performance; interacting with teachers, students and parents; improving the school climate; and raising the level of student and parental involvement. The results are discussed in terms of the islands‐of‐innovation and comprehensive‐innovation models of technology implementation. In order to enhance e‐leadership, we recommend that school principals expand the implementation of school management systems among students and parents, delegate e‐leadership responsibilities and monitor the level of teacher activity within the system.

  July 04, 2013   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12088   open full text
• An online adaptive learning environment for critical‐thinking‐infused English literacy instruction.
  Ya‐Ting Carolyn Yang, Jeffrey Hugh Gamble, Yu‐Wan Hung, Tzu‐Yun Lin.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. July 03, 2013
  Critical thinking (CT) and English literacy are two essential 21st century competencies that are a priority for teaching and learning in an increasingly digital learning environment. Taking advantage of innovations in educational technology, this study empirically investigates the effectiveness of CT‐infused adaptive English literacy instruction using a Moodle system. A one‐group pretest–posttest design was employed to evaluate the effect of the treatment on students' acquisition of CT skills (CTS) and English literacy. A total of 83 students enrolled in two sections of a general studies course at a large university in Taiwan participated in the semester‐long experiment. Adaptive learning was achieved through the use of an online Moodle system for (1) online grouping (based on pretest English literacy scores), (2) delivery of specifically designed adaptive learning materials for each group and (3) provision of individualised feedback. CT‐infused language activities based on social constructivist principles were designed for each level of adaptive instruction, whereas direct instruction for fostering CTS was provided in class and practiced or reflected upon in groups. Empirical results demonstrate that CT‐enhanced adaptive English literacy instruction simultaneously improved students' CTS and English literacy and that students' online discussions developed towards higher levels of interaction. This paper illustrates an effective blended learning model for adaptive instruction and offers recommendations for designing CT‐infused language learning activities that can successfully foster both CT and English literacy outcomes.

  July 03, 2013   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12080   open full text
• An analysis of a decade of research in 10 instructional design and technology journals.
  Richard Edward West, Jered Borup.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. July 03, 2013
  In this paper, we review findings from an analysis of the past decade (2001–10) of research in 10 major journals in the field of instructional design and technology. Each research paper published in these journals during this decade was categorized according to its focus or methodology, topical keywords, authorship and citation trends; and the findings were aggregated across all of the journals to show trends over the last decade. We found there is a strong emphasis on technology‐related issues, distance education, communication strategies and instructional methods over cognitive‐related topics and learning issues. There is a strong history of theoretical inquiry and a fairly even balance of qualitative and quantitative research being published, with other research methods emerging. However, there are distinct differences in methodological stances among the journals. We also found some evidence that the Institute for Scientific Information Impact Factor may not be the best indicator of impact quality for journals in our field.

  July 03, 2013   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12081   open full text
• The effects of computer‐simulation game training on participants' opinions on leadership styles.
  Anna Siewiorek, Andreas Gegenfurtner, Timo Lainema, Eeli Saarinen, Erno Lehtinen.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. July 03, 2013
  The objective of this study is to elucidate new information on the possibility of leadership training through business computer‐simulation gaming in a virtual working context. In the study, a business‐simulation gaming session was organised for graduate students (n = 26). The participants played the simulation game in virtual teams that were geographically dispersed and that were brought together by the use of technology. Before the gaming session, the team leaders were preselected and trained in how to operate the simulation game. Data consist of pre‐ and posttest questionnaires (the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire measuring transformational, transactional and passive/avoidance leadership styles) and answers to open‐ended questions. The results showed the difference in participants' opinions on leadership styles before and after the training. After the gaming sessions, team members scored lower in transformational and transactional scales than team leaders. Only team leaders' leadership styles correlated with game performance. However, shared leadership among team members was typical for most successful teams. Implications for leadership training are discussed.

  July 03, 2013   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12084   open full text
• Designing leadership and soft skills in educational games: The e‐leadership and soft skills educational games design model (ELESS).
  Sara Freitas, Helen Routledge.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. June 25, 2013
  While the field of leadership studies includes a large corpus of literature and studies, the literature and scientific research in the field of e‐leadership and soft skills used in learning game environments are at present small in scale. Towards contributing to this newly emerging field of literature and study, this research paper presents a new model, the e‐Leadership and Soft Skills Educational Design Model (ELESS) for assessing the use and constructing the effective design of soft skills and leadership skills in multiplayer learning game environments. The central research question considers: what is the role of e‐leadership and how can it be designed and tested in the context of educational games? To address this question, the research paper includes a review of the current literature around distributed (shared) leadership models and presents some examples of studies assessing how leadership is designed, used and tested in available game environments. The paper then presents the ELESS model and validates it within the context of a case study of the Leadership Game. As a result, the ELESS model can be used to test the efficacy of existing games and to inform the effective design of new games that focus upon developing leadership and soft skills.

  June 25, 2013   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12034   open full text
• Culture, role and group work: A social network analysis perspective on an online collaborative course.
  Karen Stepanyan, Richard Mather, Roger Dalrymple.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. June 25, 2013
  This paper discusses the patterns of network dynamics within a multicultural online collaborative learning environment. It analyses the interaction of participants (both students and facilitators) within a discussion board that was established as part of a 3‐month online collaborative course. The study employs longitudinal probabilistic social network analysis (SNA) to identify the patterns and trends within the network. It conjectures and tests a set of hypotheses concerning the tendencies towards homophily/heterophily and preferential attachment. The paper presents identified interaction network patterns in relation to cultural differences. It also evaluates network dynamics by considering participant roles and group work in the course under study. Results of social network analyses are reported along with measures of statistical confidence in findings. The potential for extending exploratory SNA methods and visualisation techniques in educational research are discussed here.

  June 25, 2013   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12076   open full text
• Concentrating on affective feedforward in online tutoring.
  Ya‐Ting Chen, Yung‐Hsin Chou, John Cowan.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. June 25, 2013
  With considerable input from the student voice, the paper centres on a detailed account of the experiences of Western academic, tutoring Eastern students online to develop their critical thinking skills. From their online experiences together as tutor and students, the writers present a considered case for the main emphasis in facilitative online tutoring to be on building, and then building upon, congruent relationships and constructive feedforward. Initially, the Western tutor had followed as best he could the norms of a Confucian Heritage Culture, concentrating reactively on instructional feedback. He then took the considered risk of reverting to proactivity, following the advice of Rogers and Vygotsky and according to an explicit rationale. The ensuing changes in students' online discussions and their learning experiences were marked and were objectively analysed. The tutor and two of his students suggest that the nature of congruent tutor/student relationships, irrespective of culture, is more significant in effectively promoting development than the cognitive content that might feature in feedback in such interactions. For it seems possible from the reported experiences that learning dependent on technological links may benefit from meaningful tutor/student relationships. A video abstract of this article can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teslTzgVBsc&feature=youtu.be

  June 25, 2013   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12077   open full text
• Developing and validating technological pedagogical content knowledge‐practical (TPACK‐practical) through the Delphi survey technique.
  Yi‐Fen Yeh, Ying‐Shao Hsu, Hsin‐Kai Wu, Fu‐Kwun Hwang, Tzu‐Chiang Lin.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. June 25, 2013
  Technological pedagogical content knowledge TPACK refers to the knowledge set that teachers currently use to further improve the quality of their teaching and assist their students in learning. Several TPACK models have been proposed, either for discussing TPACK's possible composition or its practical applications. Considering that teachers' practical experiences should also be critical to the development of those teachers' knowledge, this study invited a research panel (six researchers) and an expert panel (54 science‐related educators) to propose and validate the framework of TPACK‐practical. After two rounds of anonymous communications that followed Delphi survey techniques, a total of eight dimensions of TPACK‐practical and corresponding indicators were identified and rated as having high levels of importance. Among these knowledge dimensions, the knowledge of direct information and communication technology uses for enhancing teachers' professionalism and students' conceptual comprehension was rated with a high level of importance. Also, disciplinary differences were found to exist between the different groups of experts. Biology teachers showed significantly higher ratings across all knowledge dimensions, whereas physics teachers' ratings were comparatively low. Such findings suggest that the structure and content of subject matter shapes not only the way they teach with technology but also the thinking logics they build longitudinally from their learning experiences.

  June 25, 2013   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12078   open full text
• Exploring the use of Web 2.0 technology to promote moral and psychosocial development: Can YouTube work?
  Caroline Koh.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. June 06, 2013
  This paper explores the use of the video sharing site, YouTube, as a platform for enhancing moral and psychosocial development through increased awareness of moral values and models of moral behavior. The research involved a qualitative design whereby video snippets illustrating moral issues were identified from YouTube. These video snippets were analyzed in terms of their viewership, the moral dilemma and the levels of moral judgment that they presented. The comments made by viewers in response to the video contents were then captured and their contents analyzed for evidence of moral reasoning and ego (psychosocial) development. The findings showed that the video sharing websites such as YouTube offered opportunities for moral issues to be featured, shared and discussed at a global level, as well as moral judgments and ego development to be made evident through viewers' comments. From an educational viewpoint, it also paves the way for the use of appropriate video footage for promoting moral values and moral development.

  June 06, 2013   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12071   open full text
• Preservice teachers' perceptions about using mobile phones and laptops in education as mobile learning tools.
  Süleyman Nihat Şad, Özlem Göktaş.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. May 27, 2013
  The purpose of this research was to investigate preservice teachers' perceptions about using m‐phones and laptops in education as mobile learning tools. A total of 1087 preservice teachers participated in the study. The results indicated that preservice teachers perceived laptops potentially stronger than m‐phones as m‐learning tools. In terms of limitations the situation was balanced for laptops and m‐phones. Generally, the attitudes towards using laptops in education were not exceedingly positive but significantly more positive than m‐phones. It was also found that such variables as program/department, grade, gender and possessing a laptop are neutral in causing a practically significant difference in preservice teachers' views. The results imply an urgent need to grow awareness among participating student teachers towards the concept of m‐learning, especially m‐learning through m‐phones.

  May 27, 2013   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12064   open full text
• The research and evaluation of serious games: Toward a comprehensive methodology.
  Igor Mayer, Geertje Bekebrede, Casper Harteveld, Harald Warmelink, Qiqi Zhou, Theo Ruijven, Julia Lo, Rens Kortmann, Ivo Wenzler.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. May 27, 2013
  The authors present the methodological background to and underlying research design of an ongoing research project on the scientific evaluation of serious games and/or computer‐based simulation games (SGs) for advanced learning. The main research questions are: (1) what are the requirements and design principles for a comprehensive social scientific methodology for the evaluation of SGs?; (2) to what extent do SGs contribute to advanced learning?; (3) what factors contribute to or determine this learning?; and (4) to what extent and under what conditions can SG‐based learning be transferred to the real world? In the Netherlands between 2005 and 2012, several hundred SG sessions with 12 SGs were evaluated systematically, uniformly and quantitatively to create a dataset, which comprises data on 2488 respondents in higher education or work organizations. The authors present the research model, the quasi‐experimental design and the evaluation instruments. This focus in this paper is on the methodology and dataset, which form a sound foundation for forthcoming publications on the empirical results.

  May 27, 2013   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12067   open full text
• Investigating the role of computer‐supported annotation in problem‐solving‐based teaching: An empirical study of a Scratch programming pedagogy.
  Addison Y. S. Su, Stephen J. H. Yang, Wu‐Yuin Hwang, Chester S. J. Huang, Ming‐Yu Tern.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. May 16, 2013
  For more than 2 years, Scratch programming has been taught in Taiwanese elementary schools. However, past studies have shown that it is difficult to find appropriate learning methods or tools to boost students’ Scratch programming performance. This inability to readily identify tutoring tools has become one of the primary challenges addressed in Scratch programming studies. To cope with this problem, we propose an innovative approach, which combines an Annotation‐based Scratch Programming (ASP) tool with the problem‐solving‐based teaching approach in Scratch programming pedagogy. The ASP tool was developed to enable students to create, review and share Scratch programming and homework annotations. In a quasi‐experimental study, we have evaluated Scratch programming pedagogy at a North Taiwanese elementary school to investigate the effects of instructional‐tools‐supported programming instructional modes on Scratch programming performance. The experimental results show that students who received ASP tool support in conjunction with a problem‐solving‐based teaching approach performed significantly better than the other groups. Based on our findings, the innovative approach was believed to play an important role in improving the learning patterns of younger pupils. Therefore, we suggest that teachers consider incorporating the innovative method into their teaching environments in order to boost students’ learning achievements in the area of Scratch programming and the subsequent learning process.

  May 16, 2013   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12058   open full text
• Design milieux for learning environments in African contexts.
  Marcus Duveskog, Erkki Sutinen, Johannes Cronje.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. May 15, 2013
  During the years 2002 to 2009, five African settings were used as foundation for designing different learning environments. While the content and target group for each learning environment varied, all of their design settings, or milieux, shared one implicit expectation: the milieu should facilitate the production of a change‐making learning environment. A retrospective qualitative analysis identified a set of 10 common indicators that describe how successful a given setting is as a design milieu for creating learning environments. The study shows that for each design milieu indicator, a milieu can feature success and failure at the same time. The results, novel in their emphasis on the design setting rather than the use setting, can be used for both assessing the prospects of a particular milieu and improving its strengths for design opportunities especially in African or other developing contexts.

  May 15, 2013   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12068   open full text
• ICT's participatory potential in higher education collaborations: Reality or just talk.
  Rosalind James.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. May 12, 2013
  Recently, interest has sparked in collaboration and networking within and between universities, industry, government and the wider populace. Knowledge transfer has gradually become a strategic issue, so that many governments and funding bodies now use economic‐based incentives to mandate collaboration in hope of stimulating innovation, improving efficiency and promoting inclusion. Web 2.0 has been heralded as an enabler of collaboration. Powerful new tools abound to enhance collaborative initiatives. I investigate uptake of these tools and their impact on collaboration in the Australian context. Although research is scant, the literature provided a preliminary picture of Web 2.0 usage patterns among Australian academics, researchers and professionals. Adoption of virtual collaboration tools for work activities is lower than expected. Connectivity, accessibility and availability do not seem to be major deterrents to Web 2.0 use, suggesting appropriation is the problem. It remains unclear whether these technologies have encouraged further collaboration; at present, these are primarily social devices and tools, their beneficial work applications yet to be fully unmasked. It is argued that further research and broader professional learning opportunities would support greater Web 2.0 appropriation.

  May 12, 2013   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12060   open full text
• “Virtually mandatory”: A survey of how discipline and institutional commitment shape university lecturers’ perceptions of technology.
  Chris Shelton.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. May 09, 2013
  Although there have been many claims that technology might enhance university teaching, there are wide variations in how technology is actually used by lecturers. This paper presents a survey of 795 university lecturers’ perceptions of the use of technology in their teaching, showing how their responses were patterned by institutional and subject differences. There were positive attitudes towards technology across institutions and subjects but also large variations between different technologies. Two groups of technology were identified—“core” technologies, such as Powerpoint, that were used frequently, even when lecturers felt that they were not having a positive impact on learning, and “marginal” technologies, such as blogs, that were used much less frequently and only where they fitted the pedagogic approach or context. Rather than there being “leading” universities that were the highest users of all technologies, institutions tended to be heavier users of some technologies than others. Similarly, subjects could be associated with particular technologies rather than being consistent users of technology in general. The study suggests that university technology policy should reflect different disciplines and contexts rather than “one size fits all” directives.

  May 09, 2013   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12051   open full text
• The role of environment design in an educational Multi‐User Virtual Environment.
  Nikiforos M. Papachristos, Ioannis Vrellis, Antonis Natsis, Tassos A. Mikropoulos.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. May 09, 2013
  This paper presents empirical results from an exploratory study conducted in an authentic educational situation with preservice education students enrolled in an undergraduate course, which was partially taught in Second Life. The study investigated the effect of environment design on presence, learning outcomes and the overall experience of the students. Two different educational virtual environments (a traditional university auditorium and an open‐air setting) were designed and presented to different groups of students (n = 51). Results indicate that students' experience from the educational activities, their attitudes toward the environment and the induced sense of presence are not affected by the design of the educational setting. Learning outcomes seem to be slightly better in virtual educational settings that replicate traditional educational settings. Experience shows that undergraduate university classes can be successfully taught in Second Life and such environments elicit satisfaction, positive experiences and attitudes and high levels of social presence from the participants. Course design in a Multi‐User Virtual Environment (MUVE) should take into account the time and training necessary for all students to become familiar with the virtual environment and possible time losses due to technical issues. This study could act as support to construct and test hypotheses regarding the role of educational setting design in teaching and learning in MUVEs.

  May 09, 2013   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12056   open full text
• Motion controllers for learners to manipulate and interact with 3D objects for mental rotation training.
  Shih‐Ching Yeh, Jin‐Liang Wang, Chin‐Yeh Wang, Po‐Han Lin, Gwo‐Dong Chen, Albert Rizzo.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. May 09, 2013
  Mental rotation is an important spatial processing ability and an important element in intelligence tests. However, the majority of past attempts at training mental rotation have used paper‐and‐pencil tests or digital images. This study proposes an innovative mental rotation training approach using magnetic motion controllers to allow learners to manipulate and interact with three‐dimensional (3D) objects. Stereovision allows learners to perceive the spatial geometric form of a 3D object. This approach allows learners to perceive 3D objects in space through stereovision and make mental rotation visible from each intrinsic and invisible mental rotation step using motion‐interaction methods. This study examines the effects of user training performance and perceptions. The results indicate that the proposed approach can improve user mental rotation ability effectively. Learners expressed high degrees of concentration toward the mechanism that included direct control and immediate feedback. The results also suggest that female testers perceive greater degrees of playfulness toward the mechanism and improve more through training than male testers.

  May 09, 2013   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12059   open full text
• Incorporating technologies into a flexible teaching space.
  Mike Joy, Jonathan Foss, Emma King, Jane Sinclair, Jirarat Sitthiworachart, Rachel Davis.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. May 08, 2013
  Higher education institutions are increasingly exploring how they can use emerging technologies to develop and enhance the learning experiences offered to students. These activities have mainly focused on developing student‐centred facilities. The University of Warwick has taken the next step by developing a space (the Teaching Grid) specifically designed to meet the needs of teaching staff across the institution. This paper describes how the Teaching Grid supports teachers by providing a flexible experimental space together with a rich collection of established and new technologies, and with comprehensive staff support. We analysed the use of the facility during the first 30 months of operation, using data collected from 119 case studies, in order to present a perspective on how they have used the technologies and how this has impacted on their teaching practice. We present a taxonomy that provides a concrete framework to support future analysis of and comparisons between such spaces.

  May 08, 2013   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12040   open full text
• Effects of student‐generated questions as the source of online drill‐and‐practice activities on learning.
  Fu‐Yun Yu, Yi‐Jun Chen.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. April 10, 2013
  This study investigated the effects of online drill‐and‐practice activities using student‐generated questions on academic performance and motivation as compared with online drill‐and‐practice using teacher‐generated questions and no drill‐and‐practice in a student question‐generation (SQG) learning context. A quasi‐experimental research method was adopted for the purposes of this study. Six fifth‐grade classes (n = 145) participated in a weekly online activity for 5 weeks. Analysis of covariance results showed significant differences among the different treatment groups with regard to both academic performance and motivation. Post hoc comparisons using simultaneous confidence intervals, however, did not demonstrate the use of online SQG combined with answering peer‐generated questions to be more conducive to learning with regard to any of the observed variables as compared with the use of online SQG combined with answering teacher‐generated questions. Furthermore, answering student‐generated questions in addition to online SQG did not lead to added gains in learning as compared with the online SQG‐alone group. Some reasons for the unexpected findings are proposed, and the significance of this study, as well as suggestions for instructional implementations and future research, are provided.

  April 10, 2013   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12036   open full text
• Virtual team e‐leadership: The effects of leadership style and conflict management mode on the online learning performance of students in a business‐planning course.
  Wen‐Long Chang, Chun‐Yi Lee.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. April 10, 2013
  The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of leadership style, whether transactional or transformational, and conflict management mode on the online learning performance of students in a business‐planning course. Conflict management was performed using the following five approaches: (1) avoidance, (2) accommodation, (3) competition, (4) collaboration and (5) compromise. The sample used in this study included information from 318 undergraduate students enrolled in a course on business planning. The data were collected using a structured online questionnaire. The participants were asked to answer nine questions adapted from the Multifacet Leadership Questionnaire and 19 questions adapted from the Multifacet Conflict Management Questionnaire. Our results show that both leadership style and conflict management mode have a strong influence on learning performance. They also elucidate the interaction between leadership style and conflict management mode. Finally, transformational leadership is shown to be more effective than transactional leadership when dealing with conflict. This work expands our knowledge of conflict management associated with virtual teams participating in an online course, in which close relationships must be maintained over a relatively long period of time. On a more practical level, experience promotes the acceptance of conflict management as a part of the leaders’ responsibility, thereby improving the learning performance of all participants.

  April 10, 2013   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12037   open full text
• Co‐evolution of mobile language learning: Going global with games consoles in higher education.
  Akiko Hemmi, Fumiko Narumi‐Munro, Wilma Alexander, Helen Parker, Yoko Yamauchi.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. April 10, 2013
  Game consoles have been adopted as a learning platform in school education. However, there is a scarcity of studies examining the utility of games consoles with built‐in WiFi as affordable learning platforms in universities. This paper contributes to knowledge about the capacity of the Nintendo DSi to create new learning spaces mediated and supported by DSi consoles, free Flipnote Studio software for DS and a dedicated course website. An application of the DSi is described for remote supplemental language tutorial activities linking a dispersed body of students on a year‐abroad programme. It was found that the use of DSi as a mobile learning platform has great potential if it is used in combination with shared webspace, such as Hatena, by increasing students' learning motivation and eliminating fears/uncertainty about their progress.

  April 10, 2013   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12041   open full text
• Usability testing of a multimedia e‐learning resource for electrolyte and acid‐base disorders.
  Mogamat Razeen Davids, Usuf Chikte, Karen Grimmer‐Somers, Mitchell L Halperin.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. April 10, 2013
  The usability of computer interfaces may have a major influence on learning. Design approaches that optimize usability are commonplace in the software development industry but are seldom used in the development of e‐learning resources, especially in medical education. We conducted a usability evaluation of a multimedia resource for teaching electrolyte and acid‐base disorders by studying the interaction of 15 medical doctors with the application. Most of the usability problems occurred in an interactive treatment simulation, which was completed successfully by only 20% of participants. A total of 27 distinct usability problems were detected, with 15 categorized as serious. No differences were observed with respect to usability problems detected by junior doctors as compared with more experienced colleagues. Problems were related to user information and feedback, the visual layout, match with the real world, error prevention and management, and consistency and standards. The resource was therefore unusable for many participants; this is in contrast to good scores previously reported for subjective user satisfaction. The findings suggest that the development of e‐learning materials should follow an iterative design‐and‐test process that includes routine usability evaluation. User testing should include the study of objective measures and not rely only on self‐reported measures of satisfaction.

  April 10, 2013   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12042   open full text
• A framework of combining case‐based reasoning with a work breakdown structure for estimating the cost of online course production projects.
  Wu He.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. April 10, 2013
  Currently, a work breakdown structure (WBS) approach is used as the most common cost estimation approach for online course production projects. To improve the practice of cost estimation, this paper proposes a novel framework to estimate the cost for online course production projects using a case‐based reasoning (CBR) technique and a WBS. A prototype was developed to illustrate the effectiveness of the framework. Preliminary results suggest that the combined approach of using CBR and WBS is preferred and enables project managers to generate reasonable estimates for online course production projects more efficiently.

  April 10, 2013   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12043   open full text
• Introducing ICT in schools in England: Rationale and consequences.
  Michael Hammond.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. March 07, 2013
  This paper provides a critical perspective on the attempts to promote the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in teaching and learning in England. It describes the rationale given for the introduction of ICT in terms of its potential to impact on educational standards to contribute to developing a curriculum which has more vocational/social significance and, more generally, to provide a catalyst for curriculum reform. The introduction of ICT is underpinned by the argument that schools should show a higher degree of correspondence with a wider world where the use of technology is pervasive. However, the claims made for ICT display excessive optimism and a sense of “inevitability.” ICT has had only a modest impact on schools, though impact has to be considered in the context of what can realistically be expected: the contribution of ICT has not been negligible. Future development in the use of ICT should be more measured and adaptive, taking account of the multidimensional nature of technology.

  March 07, 2013   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12033   open full text
• Effects of primer podcasts on stimulating learning from lectures: How do students engage?
  Anguelina Popova, Paul A. Kirschner, Richard Joiner.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. February 27, 2013
  A number of factors can influence learning from lectures such as students' prior knowledge, their motivation, the instructional design, the lecturer and so forth. Instructional aid techniques such as preparing class notes, giving quizzes (either planned or spot quizzes) and the like can be used to maximise learning. This study uses two well‐documented tools for learning from text—advance organisers and higher order questions—adapted for use with podcasts. Student evaluations of their experience of being primed for lectures with podcasts are described. The findings show that audio advance organisers and questions experienced by students have a positive influence on learning, because they help students bridge the conceptual distance between new and prior knowledge, better understand the topics in the lectures and stimulate thinking more deeply about the lecture's content and the possible applications of the subject of the lecture.

  February 27, 2013   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12023   open full text
• Exploring the role and influence of expectations in achieving VLE benefit success.
  Stephen Jackson, Colm Fearon.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. February 27, 2013
  The aim of this paper is to investigate the role and influence of expectations management in realising benefit success when adopting a virtual learning environment (VLE). Based on a discussion of findings from a further and higher education college in the UK, a conceptual expectations management model is developed that explores the factors influencing the formulation and realisation of expected benefits from a case study of VLE adoption over time (2003–2012). The importance of avoiding unrealistic expectations as well as proactive user involvement, change control, training and clearly defined pedagogical reasons for introducing a VLE are discussed. Finally, a number of key learning points, which managers and practitioners should address when adopting VLEs, are also considered, along with suggestions for future research.

  February 27, 2013   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12029   open full text
• Does segmenting principle counteract modality principle in instructional animation?
  Jongpil Cheon, Steven Crooks, Sungwon Chung.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. February 22, 2013
  This study investigated the segmenting and modality principles in instructional animation. Two segmentation conditions (active pause vs. passive pause) were presented in combination with two modality conditions (written text vs. spoken text). The results showed that the significant effect was found in relation to segmentation conditions, whereas the modality effect was not found. The groups with embedded questions (ie, active pause) between segments outperformed pause‐only groups (ie, passive pause) on both recall and transfer tests regardless of the mode of text. The findings of the study imply that a stimulus (eg, testing occasion) would be more effective than only pauses between segments.

  February 22, 2013   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12021   open full text
• The effects of goal specificity and scaffolding on programming performance and self‐regulation in game design.
  Chia‐Yen Feng, Ming‐Puu Chen.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. February 22, 2013
  The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of goal specificity and scaffolding on the programming performance and self‐regulation of elementary students engaged in learning game design. This study recruited 232 students for the experimental activities. Two levels of goal specificity were employed: specific and nonspecific. Structuring and problematizing scaffolds were also used to support students in the process of learning. Our results reveal the following: (1) nonspecific goals and structuring scaffolds led to superior comprehension of programming, (2) nonspecific goals with problematizing scaffolds led to better problem‐solving performance, (3) problematizing scaffolds were more effective than structuring scaffolds in the development of self‐regulation behavior, and (4) nonspecific goals were more effective than specific goals in the promotion of resource management associated with self‐regulation.

  February 22, 2013   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12022   open full text
• From high school to university: Impact of social networking sites on social capital in the transitions of emerging adults.
  Elvis Mazzoni, Maria Iannone.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. February 22, 2013
  In recent years, the huge success of social network sites (SNSs) has principally been determined by their ability to link people and their respective relationships. These relationships allow people to access different resources, information, emotional and social support, entertainment, as well as providing them with the opportunity to extend personal social ties. This paper investigates the way in which SNSs are used by emerging adults, defined as young people in the transition from adolescence to adulthood, and particularly those in their last year of high school or at university. The study focuses on different types of social capital and on the use of SNSs by emerging adults during this transitional phase in maintaining and developing relationships. Data collected from a questionnaire administered to 927 emerging adults show, first of all, the relevance of different types of social capital (bridging, bonding and maintaining) based on the student's position (high school, university first‐year student or university student). Second, the data analysis indicates that SNSs can be conceived as part of functional organs that support emerging adults in their ability to connect and to be connected to a social network and to develop and maintain it over time.

  February 22, 2013   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12026   open full text
• Facilitating in a demanding environment: Experiences of teaching in virtual classrooms using web conferencing.
  Sarah Cornelius.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. February 07, 2013
  “How to” guides and software training resources support the development of the skills and confidence needed to teach in virtual classrooms using web‐conferencing software. However, these sources do not often reveal the subtleties of what it is like to be a facilitator in such an environment—what it feels like, what issues might emerge and what personal challenges will be faced. This paper reports findings from a phenomenological study guided by the following question: “how do experienced teachers describe and understand their experiences in synchronous virtual classrooms?” which aimed to find out what it is like to be a teacher in a virtual classroom. The transcripts of semi‐structured interviews with four experienced web‐conferencing users across the UK were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. One of the themes that emerged—“facilitating in a demanding environment”—is explored in this paper to give an insight into participants' experiences and some of the challenges faced when encouraging interaction in an environment where feedback is limited. The discussion may be relevant to those developing their practice in virtual classrooms, as well as staff developers and software designers.

  February 07, 2013   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12016   open full text
• A longitudinal investigation of the impact of faculty reflective practices on students' evaluations of teaching.
  Tiffany M. Winchester, Maxwell K. Winchester.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. February 01, 2013
  Though there have been many studies conducted that emphasise faculty reflection as a crucial feature of professional practice, there appears to have been little empirical evidence to support the proposition that reflective practice improves the quality of teaching. Previous research demonstrated that reflective practice could be encouraged by weekly formative student evaluations of teaching (SETs). This study investigated the impact of reported reflective practice using formative SETs on changes to summative SETs, typically conducted at the end of a teaching period. Data was collected in a rural UK‐based university‐college in 11 modules (n = six faculty members, n = 413 students) in Business, Countryside and Environment, Foundation Degree and Veterinary Nursing programmes over the period of 2 years of data collection. Findings show that on average, SET scores increased for all reflective practitioners year on year and increased more for those faculty members who demonstrated higher levels of reflection.

  February 01, 2013   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12019   open full text
• Evaluation of mobile assessment in a learning management system.
  Zorica Bogdanović, Dušan Barać, Branislav Jovanić, Snežana Popović, Božidar Radenković.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. January 29, 2013
  This article discusses the problem of using and delivering educational content from the Moodle learning management system to mobile devices. The primary goal of this study was to investigate the students' habits, motivations and technical possibilities in order to incorporate mobile‐learning activities in the e‐learning process. A mobile quiz has been chosen as an activity to be delivered on mobile devices. The developed mobile quiz application was integrated into Moodle. The application interface was tailored to various types of mobile devices aiming to foster mainstreaming of mobile technologies in e‐learning. For the purposes of the evaluation, an experiment was conducted within the e‐learning system at the Faculty of Organizational Sciences, the University of Belgrade. Data were obtained from the students who attended e‐learning courses in the area of e‐business. Research findings have shown that integration of the mobile quiz application into Moodle improves students' results and increases satisfaction and motivation for using mobile devices in their learning process.

  January 29, 2013   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12015   open full text
• The Internet in face‐to‐face higher education: Can interactive learning improve academic achievement?
  Jonatan Castaño‐Muñoz, Josep M. Duart, Teresa Sancho‐Vinuesa.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. January 14, 2013
  Recent research on e‐learning shows that blended learning is more effective than face‐to‐face learning. However, a clear empirical response has not been given to the cause of such improvement. Using a data set of 9044 students at two Catalan universities and a quasi‐experimental approach, two possible hypotheses identified in previous research are studied. The results show that the principal cause of the improvement is not, in itself, the increase in time spent online for educational purposes. Rather, increasing the time devoted to studying online is only useful when it takes place as some form of interactive learning. The educational implications of these results are discussed.

  January 14, 2013   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12007   open full text
• The learning benefits of using eye trackers to enhance the geospatial abilities of elementary school students.
  Hsiao‐shen Wang, Yi‐Ting Chen, Chih‐Hung Lin.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. January 14, 2013
  In this study, we examined the spatial abilities of students using eye‐movement tracking devices to identify and analyze their characteristics. For this research, 12 students aged 11–12 years participated as novices and 4 mathematics students participated as experts. A comparison of the visual‐spatial abilities of each group showed key factors of superior spatial ability, and a spatial ability instructional strategy was developed. After training, the same spatial ability test was conducted again, and eye‐tracking records were used to compare the participants' line‐of‐sight and answer rate results with those of the previous test. Specific references and recommendations are provided for spatial ability training education and assessment.

  January 14, 2013   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12011   open full text
• The relationship between university student learning outcomes and participation in social network services, social acceptance and attitude towards school life.
  Sung Youl Park, Seung‐Bong Cha, Keol Lim, Seung‐Hwa Jung.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. January 14, 2013
  Educators try to use social network services (SNSs) in their teaching because they are regarded as beneficial to student learning. However, little research to date has empirically investigated whether the use of an SNS increases university student learning outcomes. A total of 730 university students in the capital area of South Korea participated in the present study. Based on social learning theory, we developed a general structural model that included SNS participation (SP) as an exogenous variable and a range of endogenous variables: cognitive domain learning outcomes, affective domain learning outcomes, social domain learning outcomes, social acceptance (SA) and attitude towards university life (AT). The study results confirmed that the model adequately explained causal relationships between student learning outcomes and SA, AT and SP. SA was identified as a key variable because of its direct effect on learning outcomes. However, SP was considered more important because of its large indirect effects on all learning outcomes through both SA and AT.

  January 14, 2013   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12013   open full text
• Scholarship in the digital age: Open educational resources, publication and public engagement.
  Eileen Scanlon.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. January 14, 2013
  This paper explores the impact of the digital age on the work life of academics and reports research on how and whether technologies are facilitating and adapting the teaching and research practices of academics, offering a description of scholarship for the digital age. A changed landscape is emerging, which offers academics new ways of working in research and new kinds of academic output for them to use in their teaching. Two areas are considered: the conduct of research (in particular the range of activities associated with publication and dissemination of research findings) and the conduct of teaching. The links between these practices are explored in terms of a revised view of scholarship, the perspective of digital scholarship. The paper begins with a review of literature and draws on an interview study to illustrate changes in academic practice, both for teaching and research. The study of 22 academics with expertise in educational technology provides a commentary on the changes, identifying open access as important in both teaching and publication. The paper concludes with some suggestions for future work in this area.

  January 14, 2013   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12010   open full text
• Critical success factors for transforming pedagogy with mobile Web 2.0.
  Thomas Donald Cochrane.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. December 17, 2012
  Mobile learning (mlearning) research has in general been characterised by short‐term comparative pilot studies with little high‐level critique or theory formation. Consequently, there is limited evidence in the literature of mlearning research that is longitudinal across multiple contexts, cooperative and participatory. In response, this paper reflects upon longitudinal (2006–2011) participatory action research and identifies six critical success factors for implementing mobile Web 2.0. These are drawn from the design and implementation of over 35 projects from 2006 to 2011, exploring pedagogical transformation enabled by mobile Web 2.0 integration in higher education. Two of these critical success factors are highlighted in this paper: the need for new approaches to technical and pedagogical support, and the sustained interaction of supporting communities of practice.

  December 17, 2012   doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8535.2012.01384.x   open full text
• Affective and motivational factors of learning in online mathematics courses.
  ChanMin Kim, Seung Won Park, Joe Cozart.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. December 13, 2012
  We investigated what factors would be related to students' achievement in mathematics courses offered at a virtual high school. This was an attempt to understand why some succeed and some do not as well as to suggest what should be done to help with student success. Seventy‐two students responded to a self‐report survey on motivation (ie, self‐efficacy, intrinsic value), mathematics achievement emotions (ie, anxiety, anger, shame, hopelessness, boredom, enjoyment, pride), and cognitive processes (ie, cognitive strategy use, self‐regulation). A three‐step hierarchical multivariate regression was employed to examine which of the factors predict student achievement. Results showed that motivation accounted for approximately 13% of the variance in student achievement and self‐efficacy was the significant individual predictor of student achievement. However, when achievement emotions were added to the analysis, self‐efficacy failed to predict student achievement and emotions accounted for 37% of the variance in student achievement. Cognitive strategy use and self‐regulation did not explain any additional variance in the final scores. Findings are discussed and implications for future research and development are also suggested.

  December 13, 2012   doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8535.2012.01382.x   open full text
• Fostering geospatial thinking in science education through a customisable smartphone application.
  Sara Price, Paul Davies, William Farr, Carey Jewitt, George Roussos, George Sin.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. December 13, 2012
  Enhanced capabilities of modern smartphones offer the potential to design tools that support new forms of teaching and learning. Increased access to mobile‐networked environments and geospatial systems provide opportunities for developing new educational experiences that support a geospatial approach to science, fostering new ways of thinking about science. However, designing effective innovative educational mobile applications remains a challenge. Applications need to be accessible to teachers that are not tech‐savvy as well as those that are, foster active learning pedagogies, enable flexible and creative use, as well as fit within the curriculum. This paper describes a smartphone application developed together with pre‐service science teachers, designed to be customisable by teachers while supporting a geospatial approach to science education. The design process and trial illustrate application use, how it supports a geospatial approach to science education and raises issues around mobile technologies, teacher pedagogies and adoption.

  December 13, 2012   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12000   open full text
• Students' engagement in technology rich classrooms and its relationship to professors' conceptions of effective teaching.
  Engida Gebre, Alenoush Saroyan, Robert Bracewell.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. December 13, 2012
  This study examined dimensions of student engagement in technology rich classrooms and the relationship of this engagement to professors' conceptions of effective teaching. We collected questionnaire data from 332 students and analysed the data in relation to the finding of another study (Authors, forthcoming) involving 13 professors' course‐specific conceptions of effective teaching. Principal component analysis with varimax rotation revealed four dimensions of student engagement: cognitive and applied engagement, social engagement, reflective engagement and goal clarity. Subsequent multivariate and univariate analyses of variance showed that the extent of students' cognitive and applied engagement and social engagement is related significantly to professors' conceptions of effective teaching. The study has implication on design and assessment of technology‐rich learning environments and on faculty development programs involving technology use in their teaching.

  December 13, 2012   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12001   open full text
• Identification of dysfunctional cooperative learning teams and troubled individuals.
  Chin‐Min Hsiung, Shi‐Jer Lou, Chi‐Chang Lin, Pei‐Ling Wang.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. December 13, 2012
  In cooperative learning, students work together as a team to maximize the academic success of all the team members. The failure of even a single member can compromise the success of the entire team. Thus, to evaluate the functioning of the team reliably, it is necessary to consider both the performance of the individual team members and the interactions among them. In this study, a method was developed for identifying dysfunctional teams and troubled individuals by examining the correlation between the team scores obtained in sequential tests and the correlation between the scores obtained by the different team members. The effectiveness of the proposed method was evaluated via field experiments. Forty‐eight students were randomly assigned to cooperative learning teams and their learning performance assessed by four‐unit tests. The results indicated that the proposed method can identify the most troubled individuals in a team even when the team performance/grouping information is not taken explicitly into account. Furthermore, when the team information is considered, the method can identify both the dysfunctional teams and the troubled individuals within the teams. Therefore, the proposed method provides a useful basis for the development of computer‐assisted solutions for assessing the performance of cooperative learning teams.

  December 13, 2012   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12004   open full text
• A study of student participation and nonparticipation in prelecture electronic surveys.
  Vincent C. H. Tong, Danny S. L. Chow.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. December 12, 2012
  Student nonparticipation in electronic surveys represents a challenge to educators as it may impact significantly on the implementation or evaluation of the associated teaching activities. We here study the student evaluation of a pedagogical project consisting of prelecture online polling followed by linked revision lectures. This investigation involves studying the responses from 43 undergraduate students following a course in accounting at a British university. With regard to the students' views on the use of prelecture polling, our study shows that there are no statistically significant differences between those who did not participate in the online polling and those who did. Both groups of students were generally positive about the use of (1) polling results in structuring the revision lecture, (2) online survey in helping them prepare for the examination and (3) online polling as a teaching platform in other courses. Our findings therefore suggest that prelecture electronic surveys can help engage students with follow‐up lectures, including those who did not participate in the prelecture survey.

  December 12, 2012   doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8535.2012.01374.x   open full text
• The integration of print and digital content for providing learners with constructive feedback using smartphones.
  Nian‐Shing Chen, Chun‐Wang Wei, Yen‐Chieh Huang, Kinshuk.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. December 12, 2012
  Timely feedback is considered essential for supporting professional growth and personal development. However, it is difficult to employ such feedback in traditional learning environments. Recently, smartphones are considered as educational tools for supporting instructional activities. Therefore, this study attempts to leverage the advantages of physical textbooks and mobile devices. A pedagogical strategy called constructive feedback was proposed to provide learners with real‐time and personalized suggestions according to the results of electronic assessment. Two types of connectivity techniques, namely QR Codes and hyperlinking, were applied for integrating printed materials and digital content. An experiment was conducted in a university course entitled Computer Networks, and a total of 80 students were recruited to participate in this experiment. The findings revealed that the strategy of constructive feedback had a significant influence on learning performance. However, no significant differences on learning performance were found between using QR Codes and using hyperlinking. Finally, implications of the findings were discussed for further research directions and practical applications.

  December 12, 2012   doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8535.2012.01371.x   open full text
• A framework for monitoring instructional environments in a virtual world.
  David Chodos, Eleni Stroulia, Sharla King, Mike Carbonaro.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. December 03, 2012
  Virtual worlds are gaining momentum as a platform for delivering simulation‐based educational experiences to students. However, a key aspect of virtual world‐based education that has received little attention is recording and analyzing students' in‐world actions. This capability is essential for assessing what students have learned through their simulation experience, and engaging the students in post‐simulation reflective learning. In this research, we present a framework for recording and analyzing students' actions in a virtual world. This framework is based upon pedagogical theories of exploratory and experiential learning, and is defined in a virtual‐world agnostic manner. The framework consists of two parts: (1) the Avatar Capabilities Model, which defines the educationally relevant actions that a student can take within a virtual world and (2) the Simulation Capture and Analysis toolkit that records and analyzes these actions, from an educational perspective. These analyses provide instructors with systematically collected evidence of the students' actions during their virtual world experience. This alleviates the need for instructors to directly observe students, thereby allowing for the scaling‐up of virtual worlds use in education. We have demonstrated the usefulness of the tool via a pilot study, with two students, in an emergency medical education context.

  December 03, 2012   doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8535.2012.01370.x   open full text
• Presentation design for “conceptual model” learning objects.
  Daniel Churchill.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. November 26, 2012
  This paper discusses a set of recommendations for the presentation design of “conceptual model” learning objects. A conceptual model is a learning object designed to support conceptual learning. Often, it is interactive and multimodal and allows a learner to examine and interrogate displayed content. Presentation design is concerned primarily with the arrangement of content and screen design features that are optimized for educational purpose. The paper presents the following set of recommendations for presentation design: present information visually, design for interaction, design a holistic scenario, design for a single screen, design for small space, use audio and video only if they are the only option, use color in moderation, avoid unnecessary decorative elements, design with a single font, and use frames to logically divide the screen area. The recommendations were explicated from a study that involved a review of a collection of conceptual models by a team of five independent reviewers. These recommendations should prove useful to designers of educational multimedia resources.

  November 26, 2012   doi: 10.1111/bjet.12005   open full text
• Towards the integration of culture into the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology.
  Nicolae Nistor, Thomas Lerche, Armin Weinberger, Ciprian Ceobanu, Oliver Heymann.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. November 19, 2012
  Educational technology is increasingly used in multicultural contexts and across national cultures. Educational technology users with different national and professional backgrounds may, however, exhibit different attitudes towards technology. Previous research provides isolated evidence of the relationship between learning technology acceptance and culture, and so an overall picture is missing. Therefore, this study attempts to integrate culture (sensu Hofstede) into an established technology acceptance model (ie, Venkatesh's Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology, UTAUT). Examining a large sample (n = 2866) of learning technology users from Germany and Romania by means of questionnaire survey, we investigate the differences in culture and technology acceptance between sample subgroups. The collected data reveal the presence of cultural differences both between countries and between professions. In line with previous research, these differences are associated with dissimilar acceptance profiles, ie, different values of acceptance variables and of path coefficients between them. Based on the findings, this study makes headway in cross‐cultural research by proposing an extended model of UTAUT—one which integrates three of Hofstede's culture dimensions. As a practical implication, national and professional culture may shape computer‐based learning environments.

  November 19, 2012   doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8535.2012.01383.x   open full text
• Learning from a new learning landscape: Visualisation of location sensing data in the Augustine House Experiment.
  Chengzhi Peng.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. November 08, 2012
  Funded by the UK JISC Institutional Innovation Programme, the Augustine House Experiment sets out to investigate how the location sensing data collected over students’ uses of the iBorrow notebooks can be visualised to reveal aspects of the new learning landscape during a 1‐week sensing period. Indoor real‐time location sensing technologies are considered new tools for collecting quantitative evidence in search of emerging patterns of occupation and uses of the learning spaces. The experiment centred on testing a novel data visualisation method designed to render the location sensing and associated user data sets with reference to three‐dimensional (3D) virtual architectural models of the Augustine House. The hypothesis is that an overlay of the iBorrow notebooks tracking data collated with student user data on the 3D virtual architectural models could facilitate a better intuitive grasp of the learning landscape. Questions and lessons are drawn from this experiment regarding how indoor location sensing, learning space user data collection and interactive architectural modelling can be synthesized into a credible research apparatus applicable to longer‐term post‐occupancy evaluation of new learning spaces.

  November 08, 2012   doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8535.2012.01380.x   open full text
• The effect of recommendation systems on Internet‐based learning for different learners: A data mining analysis.
  Chen‐Chung Liu, Chia‐Jung Chang, Jui‐Min Tseng.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. November 08, 2012
  A general challenge facing Internet‐based learners is how to identify information objects which are helpful in expanding their understanding of important information in a domain. Recommendation systems may assist learners in identifying potentially helpful information objects. However, the recent literature mainly focuses on the technical performance, rather than on how recommendations support searching in educational contexts. This study thus investigates how recommendation systems may influence the searching behaviors and strategies of different learners, when they are used with a mind map. The results suggested two main different searching behavioral patterns, namely focused searchers and broad searchers. It is found that the recommendations may influence the searching behaviors of the two types of searchers in different ways. For the focused searchers, the recommendations may support these searchers to expand their keywords to explore the domain. Regarding the broad searchers, they did not rely on the computer recommendations. However, the mind map interface applied along with the recommendations may support them in monitoring their searching processes. Online Information Searching Strategies Inventory (OISSI) was applied to examine the participants' perceptions of how students applied information searching strategies. The results of OISSI support that both types of searchers perceived a higher level of searching strategies when they search with the recommendation system and mind maps.

  November 08, 2012   doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8535.2012.01376.x   open full text
• Campus‐based student experiences of learning technologies in a first‐year science course.
  Robert Ellis, Mark Weyers, Jane Hughes.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. September 17, 2012
  This study reports on an investigation into the campus‐based experience of university students studying mammalian physiology that was significantly supported with learning technologies. The design of the course enabled the students to interrogate the key ideas that they came across in their lectures and laboratories through online activities which prepared the students for practical classes. Close‐ended questionnaires were used to uncover qualitative variation in the population sample, particularly the differences in the concepts of learning technologies and approaches to learning technologies. Qualitative variation in concepts of, and approaches to, learning technologies was found to be significantly associated with variation in academic achievement. The outcomes have important implications for the approaches to teaching of campus‐based experiences of learning supported by learning technologies when we seek to support all students to realise their learning outcomes in technology‐mediated processes

  September 17, 2012   doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8535.2012.01354.x   open full text
• Teachers' source evaluation self‐efficacy predicts their use of relevant source features when evaluating the trustworthiness of web sources on special education.
  Rune Andreassen, Ivar Bråten.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. August 06, 2012
  Building on prior research and theory concerning source evaluation and the role of self‐efficacy in the context of online learning, this study investigated the relationship between teachers' beliefs about their capability to evaluate the trustworthiness of sources and their reliance on relevant source features when judging the trustworthiness of websites concerning special education. We constructed the Source Evaluation Self‐Efficacy Scale (SESES) and used the scores of 263 teachers on this measure to predict their reliance on source features related to the product and the producer of websites when evaluating their trustworthiness. Results showed that even after variance related to gender, age, domain knowledge and frequency of searching the Internet for special education information had been accounted for, teachers' source evaluation self‐efficacy beliefs uniquely predicted their self‐reported use of information about websites' products and producers when judging their trustworthiness. Thus, this research applies self‐efficacy theory and research to a new area and contributes to the burgeoning literature on source evaluation within both reading and information literacy.

  August 06, 2012   doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8535.2012.01366.x   open full text
• Domain expertise and the effectiveness of dynamic simulator interfaces in the acquisition of procedural motor skills.
  Olurotimi R. Akinlofa, Patrik O'Brian Holt, Eyad Elyan.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. August 06, 2012
  Previous research into the effectiveness of dynamic versus static instructional design paradigms has reported divergent findings. Dynamic instructions have been shown to be more effective in teaching novel procedural skills. In contrast, the apparent benefit of dynamic over static instructions has been attributed in other studies to the cognitive capabilities and previous knowledge of the learner. Can the benefit of dynamic instruction persist in learners with domain expertise on learning novel tasks? In this paper, we report the result of an experiment that shows that irrespective of the learner's previous knowledge, dynamic instructions retain a significant effectiveness over statics for teaching intra‐domain novel task performance. Twenty‐four participants with domain expertise were divided into three independent groups to perform a procedural motor task following treatment with different training interfaces. After controlling for spatial abilities and excluding previous specific‐to‐task knowledge, we observe that participants that trained with interfaces containing dynamic content recorded better task performance measures than others using non‐dynamic interfaces. This suggest that within the context of motor skill acquisition, dynamic instructional interfaces can yield significant increases to post‐learning task performance measures, which is independent of the learner's cognitive capabilities or previous knowledge.

  August 06, 2012   doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8535.2012.01364.x   open full text
• Teachers’ perceptions, beliefs and concerns about cyberbullying.
  Sigal Eden, Tali Heiman, Dorit Olenik‐Shemesh.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. July 31, 2012
  Schools and teachers nowadays face new difficulties and challenges as a result of the fast growth of cyberbullying. The aim of the study is to examine the perceptions, beliefs and concerns about cyberbullying, as well as the needs, of a professionally diverse group of teachers. Three‐hundred and twenty‐eight teachers (88.4% female, 11.6% male) from different types of schools and professional foci were randomly selected and completed a cyberbullying questionnaire regarding their perceptions of cyberbullying and about their personal experiences in relation to cyberbullying. They also provided background information. Findings indicate that teachers noted that cyberbullying is a problem in their school, suggesting that urgent attention be paid to three aspects: policy making, enhancing awareness of the school team and coping strategies for parents. About half the teachers reported that students complain of harassment through the mobile phone and Internet, and some teachers were themselves cyberbullied. It was found that the teachers’ gender, education level and the age of the students they taught affected their level of concern about cyberbullying, and therefore how credible they found the school's commitment to act on it. Female teachers expressed more concern than male teachers, as did teachers of younger children. Special education teachers were more concerned than mainstream teachers and were more likely to believe that the cyberbullying must be confronted. The results contribute to our understanding of the teachers’ perceptions, beliefs and concerns about cyberbullying, which could serve as a basis for developing policy guidelines in schools as well as establishing programs for school teachers to cope with cyberbullying.

  July 31, 2012   doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8535.2012.01363.x   open full text
• Facilitation prompts and rubrics on higher‐order thinking skill performance found in undergraduate asynchronous discussion boards.
  Lisa A. Giacumo, Wilhelmina Savenye, Nichole Smith.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. July 25, 2012
  Over the past 20 years, researchers have begun to examine data from asynchronous computer‐mediated student discussions in courses. Some results have shown students to demonstrate lower or mid‐level thinking skills, while others suggest students routinely demonstrate higher‐order thinking skills. The authors investigated the relationship between scaffold types and the level of students' thinking skill performance, learning achievement and attitudes, in a two‐by‐two factorial, quasi‐experimental study. Participants included 216 undergraduate preservice K‐12 teachers who were presented with one of four versions of an asynchronous discussion board assignment. Resulting discussion interactions were evaluated for demonstration of low‐, mid‐ and higher‐order thinking skills. Findings revealed students who were given a scaffold demonstrated higher‐level thinking skills more frequently than did students who received no scaffold. No significant differences in learning achievement associated with test performance were found in test results. The treatment variables did significantly affect effect survey ratings associated with students' attitudes.

  July 25, 2012   doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8535.2012.01355.x   open full text
• A framework for sustainable mobile learning in schools.
  Wan Ng, Howard Nicholas.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. July 25, 2012
  While there are studies that have looked at the implementation of mobile learning in educational institutions, particularly the identification of issues encountered, few studies have explored holistically the elements that sustain mobile learning. This study dissects the findings of a longitudinal study of a secondary school adopting a personal digital assistant programme and proposes a person‐centred sustainable model for mobile learning.

  July 25, 2012   doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8535.2012.01359.x   open full text
• Design‐based research on the use of a tangible user interface for geometry teaching in an inclusive classroom.
  Andreja Istenic Starcic, Mara Cotic, Matej Zajc.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. July 09, 2012
  This design‐based research study was conducted to identify what importance of a tangible user interface (TUI) can add to teaching and learning. Over a 2‐year period, teachers (n = 39) and students (n = 145) participated in the study. The identified problem for investigation was how students, including those with low fine motor skills and those with learning difficulties, develop geometry concepts combining cognitive and physical activity. A didactical application was designed during the first iteration and implemented in inclusive classrooms during the second and third iterations. Qualitative research methods were applied. A relationship between diverse students’ needs and geometry concept learning in relation to computer‐supported learning by TUI was discovered. Two dimensions were identified: (1) TUIs support concept development, with physical and virtual representations based on dynamic geometry assisted by TUI; (2) TUI manipulative properties support students who have low motor skills and difficulties in their geometry learning as well as in their inclusion in classroom activities. The study outcomes contributed to the design process of the TUI didactical application and its implementation in inclusive classrooms, and to the body of knowledge in teaching and learning geometry concepts applied for computer‐assisted learning environments supported by TUI.

  July 09, 2012   doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8535.2012.01341.x   open full text
• Exploring the link among entry characteristics, participation behaviors and course outcomes of online learners: An examination of learner profile using cluster analysis.
  Erman Yukselturk, Ercan Top.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. July 09, 2012
  Online learner profiles have diversified such that now, they include all types of participants from a variety of backgrounds. This study analyzed online learner profiles in regard to their entry characteristics, participation behaviors and achievement of course outcomes. The sample consisted of 186 participants from an online course that required the employment of synchronous and asynchronous communication methods over the Internet. The data were collected through five online questionnaires and included 10 variables (gender, age, work status, self‐efficacy, online readiness, self‐regulation, participation in discussion list, participation in chat sessions, satisfaction and achievement). A two‐step cluster analysis, chi‐square analysis and multivariate analysis were used to analyze the collected data. The results indicated that online learners fell into three significantly different clusters and within each cluster, learners had a close combination of employment characteristics, gender type, age level, perception of self‐efficacy for online technologies and participation behavior level.

  July 09, 2012   doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8535.2012.01339.x   open full text
• The landscape of educational technology viewed from the ETR&D journal.
  Yonjoo Cho, Sunyoung Park, Sung Jun Jo, Susan Suh.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. July 06, 2012
  The purpose of this study was to conduct a citation network analysis of Educational Technology Research and Development (ETR&D) to examine the trends and issues of the educational technology field's scholarly community that have evolved in the past two decades. The distinctive features of citation network analysis used in this study derive from a social network analysis approach to see relational and network patterns in the citation data. From this citation network analysis, we obtained the following results: (1) the ETR&D network revealed structural attributes that help us understand the features regarding how the field has developed and how scholarly works have interacted; (2) the most influential papers and scholars in the field were identified; (3) frequently co‐cited papers were recognized as having a strong relationship by a few researchers and (4) five cohesive subgroups (factions) generated key research themes in the field including: instructional design, learning environments, the role of technology, educational technology research and psychological foundations. Implications and limitations of the study were discussed for future research.

  July 06, 2012   doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8535.2012.01338.x   open full text
• Investigating the use and effectiveness of diverse types of materials in the delivery and support of lab sessions for multimedia subjects and students.
  Emmanuel Tsekleves, Amar Aggoun, John Cosmas.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. June 27, 2012
  This research study explores the use of different lab material, investigating which types of materials contribute the most to the delivery and support of laboratory (lab) sessions to design, skill‐based and technical courses in higher education in the UK. A qualitative research methodology was employed for this investigation and included both key stakeholders in academia, including 75 students and 12 tutors. An investigation was also conducted tracking student activity on the university's e‐learning facility (U‐link). Our key findings indicate that overall electronic material is considered the most effective type of material for the delivery of a lab session. This is followed by print, video and lastly audio material according to student responses and video, print and audio material according to tutor responses. Student and tutor responses varied per individual module/subject area. Video material was regarded by students and tutors as the most effective type for the delivery of skill‐based lab sessions and generally for independent learning, and electronic material was regarded as the most effective type for the delivery of technical and design lab sessions. Lastly, student tracking revealed that the introduction of video lab material in two modules increased the average time spent by students on U‐link by 58% for the technical module and 97% for the skill‐based module respectively.

  June 27, 2012   doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8535.2012.01336.x   open full text
• The effect of format on performance: Editing text in print versus digital formats.
  Sigal Eden, Yoram Eshet‐Alkalai.
  British Journal of Educational Technology. June 20, 2012
  In light of the present‐day proliferation of digital texts and the increase in situations that require active digital text reading in learning, it is becoming increasingly important to shed light on the comparison between print and digital reading under active reading conditions. In this study, the active reading abilities of 93 university students (83% females) were examined. Participants were asked to read, edit, recognize errors and improve the quality of short papers (600 words each) on the topic of environmental awareness, in both print and in digital formats. Surprisingly, and in contrast to many recent reports about print versus digital reading, no significant differences were found between the performances of participants in the two formats. Similarly, no significant differences were found for all categories of text errors as well as for gender. It was found that the digital readers completed their tasks faster than the print readers but their performance was not lower. Results of this study have important implications for the current debate in higher education concerning the use of digital text for learning and for designing, reviewing and editing academic works.

  June 20, 2012   doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8535.2012.01332.x   open full text