Educational Technology Research and Development

Du, Jianxia; Fan, Xitao; Xu, Jianzhong; Wang, Chuang; Sun, Li; Liu, Fangtong

doi: 10.1007/s11423-018-9631-9pmid: N/A

This study examines factors related to student self-efficacy beliefs in on-line groupwork. Participants in this study were 204 graduate students taking an online graduate-level course from a public university in the Southeast United States of America. Two-level hierarchical linear models were used to examine predictors of the students’ self-efficacy. Three student-level variables were found to be related to groupwork self-efficacy: individual’s willingness to handle groupwork challenge, trust relationship, and leadership influence. At the group level, the group’s willingness to handle groupwork challenge was positively related to individual student’s groupwork self-efficacy. Discussions of the findings suggest that leadership is important for groupwork. Instructors of online courses are recommended to design high-quality group projects that are purposeful, meaningful, challenging, and engaging. Communications between group members are also recommended to build trust. Implications of the findings to online learning and instruction as well as directions for future research are presented.

Cheng, Li; Ritzhaupt, Albert; Antonenko, Pavlo

doi: 10.1007/s11423-018-9633-7pmid: N/A

The flipped classroom instructional strategy is thought to be a good way to structure learning experiences to improve student learning outcomes. Many studies have been conducted to examine the effects of flipped classroom on student learning outcomes compared to the traditional classroom, but the results were inconclusive. The purpose of this study was to examine the overall effect of the flipped classroom instructional strategy on student learning outcomes in relation to a set of moderating variables including student levels, publication types, study durations, and subject area. This meta-analysis examined studies that compared classrooms that used the flipped classroom instructional strategy and classrooms that did not. Seventeen databases were searched to identify literature meeting our inclusion criteria and resulted in 55 publications with 115 effect size comparisons on cognitive student learning outcomes published between 2000 and 2016. Overall, we found a statistically significant effect size (g = 0.193; p < .001; with a 95% confidence interval of 0.113–0.274) in favor of the flipped classroom instructional strategy. The effect size data were normally distributed and exhibited statistically significant heterogeneity. The effect sizes were significantly moderated by subject area such as mathematics, science, social sciences, engineering, arts and humanities, health, and business. No evidence of publication bias was detected in these data. A full discussion of the findings and implications for educational practice and research were provided.

Lowell, Victoria; Alshammari, Ali

doi: 10.1007/s11423-018-9632-8pmid: N/A

Role-playing simulations can provide students with experiential learning opportunities to develop strong interviewing and diagnosis skills, and practice skills they are learning in their classes. In this study, students completed role-playing activities in an online 3D virtual counselor training facility, and interviewed “patient” avatars with mental illnesses to compare their learning with other typical learning activities. Through implementing instructional methods, an environment, “patient” avatars, and other resources created based on the instructional needs, the instructor, assistants, and students were provided an opportunity to use an online 3D virtual environment for experiential learning experiences. The results determined students perceived using an online 3D virtual environment as beneficial. Students reported they perceived that they learned more during their activities in the online 3D virtual environment than other learning activities and using an online 3D virtual environment for role-playing is an effective method to develop mental health interviewing and diagnosis skills.

Richardson, Jennifer; Ashby, Iryna; Alshammari, Ali; Cheng, Zui; Johnson, Brian; Krause, Terri; Lee, Daeyeoul; Randolph, Anthony; Wang, Huanhuan

doi: 10.1007/s11423-018-9636-4pmid: N/A

Employing phenomenological techniques this qualitative study investigates perceptions of collaborative relationships between instructional designers and faculty at an R1 university. While past research has considered the growing involvement of instructional designers in course development, and knowledge and skills expected from an instructional designer, little attention has been paid to what constitutes an effective collaboration and how it can be developed from the perspectives of both instructional designers and faculty. Based on semi-structured interviews of faculty and instructional designers, the following four thematic categories were uncovered: (1) reasons for collaborative efforts; (2) structure of collaborative relationships; (3) supports of and barriers to collaboration; and (4) essential competencies and strategies for instructional designers and faculty in a collaborative partnership. Our findings support the existing research on the importance of collaboration between instructional designers and faculty, and spotlights instructional designers in the higher education setting. They also outline key elements of an effective relationship, including understanding the role of an instructional designer, trust and rapport building (and its components), administrative support and faculty buy-in. Suggestions are made for to how overcome potential barriers to ensure an effective and collaborative partnership. Implications and future directions for research and training programs are discussed.

Chu, Samuel; Ravana, Sri; Mok, Sanny; Chan, Randolph

doi: 10.1007/s11423-018-9638-2pmid: N/A

Social technologies such as social networking sites, Wikis and blogs have gained popularity not only in social communication but also in other areas, such as in enhancing learning experience among students in tertiary education. This study investigated how blogs and Facebook scaffolded students’ learning during their internships in tertiary education. A mix-method approach was employed to examine students’ perceptions of blogs and Facebook in improving their internship learning experience. The results showed that blogs and Facebook encouraged students and facilitated their engagement in problem solving, information sharing and knowledge construction during their internships. In particular, Facebook showed more promising results, assisting students in reflecting on their experiences. Moreover, students acknowledged that Facebook was a better platform for online interaction and collaborative learning than blogs. This study provides empirical evidence for the use of social media tools in pedagogical scaffolding and collaborative learning during internships.