Educational Technology Research and Development最新文献

Low-stakes assessment has gained attention in recent years due to its link to enhancing learning effects and its essential role in learning evaluation. Unlike high-stakes assessments, low-stakes assessments have little or no consequences for learners’ academic performance, and are designed to support the feedback-oriented learning process. Providing multiple low-stakes assessments to students yields significantly greater long-term retention of knowledge and skills. However, learners may not give their best efforts when taking low-stakes assessments, which could lead to poorer learning outcomes. Using emerging technologies such as social robots in the learning environment could foster interactive learning, engagement, and motivation for learning assessments. Therefore, integrating low-stakes assessments and robots might encourage students to exert greater effort while performing learning tasks. This study aimed to discover the impacts of robot-based multiple low-stakes assessments on students’ oral presentation performance, collective efficacy, and learning attitude. A quasi-experiment was conducted in two sixth-grade classes of elementary students. The Robot-based Multiple Low-Stakes Assessment (Robot-MLSA) was randomly assigned to one class, while the Computer-based Multiple Low-Stakes Assessment (C-MLSA) was assigned to another class. The findings showed that the Robot-MLSA could enhance students’ oral presentation performance, support their collective efficacy, and improve their learning attitude toward robots. Furthermore, an in-depth discussion of students’ learning perceptions and experience is provided to explore the effectiveness of the Robot-MLSA.

Technology to support student learning has become increasingly prevalent in schools and homes during the last few decades. Several recent reviews have examined aspects of technology-based literacy instruction, but they have not focused on the full array of literacy skills that can be addressed during technology-delivered instruction for elementary students, nor have they utilized meta-analytic methods to rigorously examine effects of such instruction. Therefore, the purpose of this meta-analysis was to describe and evaluate recent research on technology-delivered literacy instruction for students in Grades K-5. A total of 53 experimental or quasi-experimental studies were analyzed. Results demonstrated a statistically significant main effect of instruction on norm- or criterion-referenced literacy outcomes (g = 0.24, p < .001), indicating that elementary students are likely to benefit from technology-delivered literacy instruction. Although the effects of several moderator variables representing study, participant, instruction, and outcome characteristics were explored, analyses revealed no statistically significant moderators of effects of instruction. Overall, findings indicate that further research on technology-based literacy instruction is needed to determine what works for whom and under what conditions.

Laboratory courses can help students learn in a meaningful way. In the past, students encountered difficulties in chemistry laboratory courses due to limited access to equipment and space for practicing experimental operations. In recent years, virtual laboratories have allowed students to repeatedly practice in order to achieve their experimental goals. However, even when students follow the experimental protocol, some still cannot fully understand the principles and meaning of the experimental procedures. Therefore, when they encounter unexpected situations in experiments, they may not know how to handle them. Thus, this study incorporated a concept mapping-guided learning approach to facilitate students' understanding of the concepts of the experimental process and the relationship between experimental procedures before virtual laboratory practice. Using a quasi-experimental approach, 51 middle school students aged 12 to 13 years were assigned to an experimental group (M = 12, F = 14) using the concept mapping-guided virtual laboratory learning approach, and a control group (M = 12, F = 13) using the conventional virtual laboratory learning approach. The experimental group improved their science process skills, problem-solving awareness, and creative thinking tendency. Teachers can employ guided virtual laboratory learning approaches to help students experiment and understand concepts.

Abstract

Higher education institutions rely on part-time faculty to teach a large percentage of courses in a range of disciplines. Existing research indicates that instruction by part-time faculty can negatively impact academic outcomes, student retention, and subsequent interest in a field of study. This study investigates if using a motivational information system can help close this performance gap. It introduces a type of motivational information system called an educational engagement information system (EEIS). EEISs draw on principles of behavioral economics, motivation theory, and learning cognition theory to help students want to improve their performance. The study compared student failure status in course sections taught by part- and full-time instructors both with and without an EEIS. Results suggest that using an EEIS can help improve student failure rates in courses taught by part-time faculty members and bring students’ performance to parity with the performance of students taught by a full-time instructor. Features of an EEIS, such as the additional structure, grade and outcome trackers, and motivational elements, can augment a part-time instructor’s approach and may compensate for limitations sometimes associated with part-time instruction including limitations of expertise, time, or rewards that can have a negative impact on students’ academic outcomes. As a result, students can experience higher completion rates and better performance.

This study, originally prompted by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on educational practices, examined Canadian faculty members’ expectations of teaching and learning modalities in the year 2026. Employing a speculative methodology and thematic analysis, interview responses of 34 faculty members led to the construction of three hypothetical scenarios for future teaching and learning modalities: a hybrid work model, a high tech and flexible learning model, and a pre-pandemic status quo model. In contrast to radical education futures described in the literature, the findings do not depart significantly from dominant modes of teaching and learning. Nevertheless, these findings offer insights into the expectations that Canadian faculty members have with respect to future teaching and learning modalities, the contextual issues and concerns that they face, the use of speculative methodologies in educational technology research, and the potential impacts remote learning trends have on the future of higher education in Canada.

Abstract

This paper explores the adoption of an entangled eclecticism perspective in Learning Experience Design (LXD), integrating a sociotechnical-pedagogical systems approach. It emphasizes the significance of considering the sociocultural, technological, and pedagogical dimensions of learning as a cohesive, interconnected ecology to design effective learning experiences. The authors discuss the implications of this perspective on learning outcomes, methodologies, and the selection of relevant theories for design. The aim is to guide the creation of learning experiences that are not only effective, efficient, and appealing but also deeply empathetic, culturally sensitive, and responsive to the evolving dynamics of learning environments. Concluding that LXD is a complementary approach to traditional learning design, the paper underscores its evolution, drawing from multiple traditions to offer a holistic framework for educational design and technology. This approach strives for learning experiences that are not just effective and efficient, but also culturally sensitive and empathetic, adapting to the dynamic nature of learning environments. Broader implications of this approach and directions for future research are discussed.

A retrospective review of 50 years of research and development experience showing the connectedness of the author’s theoretical ideas to practical application. An effort to show designers how over the span of a career new ideas begin as work-related insights and discoveries that by problem solving flow together to create a unique personal view of design and designing. Encouragement for individual designers to be willing to experiment with new ideas that may step beyond received practice and to learn from those experiences, even to the extent of testing and adopting new worldviews that may differ from the general view. Encouragement for revisiting foundational documents of the field of educational and instructional technology to examine the intent of the founders and to build possible alternative interpretations of their meaning. A recommendation of topics the field should consider to maintain relevance within a rapidly changing theoretical and technical landscape.