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Teacher dashboards in mathematics classrooms tend to provide teachers with information on student performance that are often linked to classroom management systems, online course systems, or peer-tutoring software. Teacher dashboards also tend to emphasize features that support teachers using a "transition" or "direct instruction" model. In our approach, we iteratively designed, developed, tested, and refined a teacher dashboard that is linked to a student digital collaborative environment with an embedded problem-based mathematics curriculum. In this study, we investigate teacher dashboard features that support teacher enactment of problem-based mathematics curriculum embedded in a digital collaborative platform. We report on design principles that guided the development of three teacher dashboard features: (1) monitoring evidence of student thinking in real-time or after class, (2) accessing workspace for whole-class discussions of the problem, and (3) creating and sending "just-in-time" supports. The pedagogical advantages and challenges teachers face throughout the iterative development process are also discussed. Evidence from observational data and teacher interviews suggests that the organic synergism generated from the student and teacher digital platform offers several ways that teachers are provided with new and timely information from teacher dashboards that supports problem-based mathematics teaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Will computers repeat the failure that older technologies (e.g., film, radio, and television) experienced concerning educational applications of technology? A simple question seems to be helpful for us to gain more insight on this issue: "Why do teachers need to use technology in their classrooms?" To answer this question, first of all, the general expectations that people have for computers in education are examined. Then, a summary of the failures regarding educational uses of technologies are provided and analyzed. Next, the question of whether computers can escape the same fate as film, radio, and television is examined. Finally, a conclusion is presented that computers can bring great changes to classrooms in the next decade, but improper enthusiasm must be discouraged. To a great extent, the passion for computers can be managed by a more realistic research agenda. The paper concludes with recommendations for development research and design-based research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At least since the European Union's Eco-Innovation Action Plan, eco-innovation has received increased attention from scholars, practitioners, and policy-makers alike. Eco-innovation offers many opportunities for businesses in terms of cost reduction, competitive advantage, and sustainability. However, eco-innovative business models differ from conventional business models and have special requirements in terms of stakeholder involvement, value definition, and value creation. Facing technological progress, many businesses need guidance on how to translate the potentials arising from technological innovation into eco-innovative business models. Applying a design-based research approach, this study develops a design-based workshop concept to facilitate the development of eco-innovative business models on a firm level. The workshop concept was iteratively tested in a series of 22 workshops within the European Alpine bioeconomy sector. It transfers the specific requirements and substantive design principles of eco-innovative business models into an operative workshop concept. By building on stakeholder- and value-centred perspectives and ensuring a holistic understanding of sustainability and innovation, the paper derives a number of procedural design principles that could build the basis for further tools and methods of eco-innovative business model development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Teacher Assessment in Primary Science project is funded by the Primary Science Teaching Trust and based at Bath Spa University. The study aims to develop a whole-school model of valid, reliable and manageable teacher assessment to inform practice and make a positive impact on primary-aged children’s learning in science. The model is based on a data-flow ‘pyramid’ (analogous to the flow of energy through an ecosystem), whereby the rich formative assessment evidence gathered in the classroom is summarised for monitoring, reporting and evaluation purposes [Nuffield Foundation. (2012).Developing policy, principles and practice in primary school science assessment. London: Nuffield Foundation]. Using a design-based research (DBR) methodology, the authors worked in collaboration with teachers from project schools and other expert groups to refine, elaborate, validate and operationalise the data-flow ‘pyramid’ model, resulting in the development of a whole-school self-evaluation tool. In this paper, we argue that a DBR approach to theory-building and school improvement drawing upon teacher expertise has led to the identification, adaptation and successful scaling up of a promising approach to school self-evaluation in relation to assessment in science. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article reports on how design-based research methodology was used to guide a line of intervention research that developed, implemented, revised, and evaluated online learning science curricula for middle school students, including general education students and English language learners (primarily of Hispanic origin). The iterative, design-based research approach was carried out in two stages with multiple steps per stage: (a) stage 1, or informed exploration, identified and described the problem under investigation; and (b) stage 2, or enactment, redesigned previously developed online science units, implemented each unit in case studies, and completed a feasibility evaluation. The present paper focuses primarily on the second stage, demonstrating the process by which online science units were repeatedly refined with input from stakeholders, and then examined for their feasibility to implement, usefulness for helping teachers engage with students, and potential to effectively deepen science knowledge. Data were drawn from multiple sources, including teacher logs, student and teacher surveys, student notebooks, content assessments, and focus groups. Results indicate that the online science units were feasible to implement, usable, and helpful. The data-driven, design-based research methodology proved to be both practical and efficacious, and underscored the critical importance of involving all stakeholders in the process of curriculum creation and refinement. This work offers a model for the development of constructivist science instructional materials for English learners using online, multimedia technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose:Research in formative assessment often pays close attention to the strategies which can be used by teachers. However, less emphasis in the literature seems to have been paid to study the application of formative assessment designs in practice. In this paper, we argue that a formative assessment design that we callEva-Mapping, which is developed on the principles of design-based research, can be a productive starting point for disseminating and further developing formative assessment practices in outdoor science teaching. Sample, design and methods:We conducted an evaluation of the design, based on video-elicited focus group interviews with two groups of experienced science teachers. Both groups consisted of teachers who taught science outside the classroom on a regular basis. These groups watched identical video sequences which were recorded during lessons in which teachers applied the formative assessment design. These sequences focused on formative assessment in pairs, in small groups, or in whole class sessions. Afterwards, the teachers discussed each sequence. These discussions were audio recorded and later transcribed. The transcriptions were analysed using content analysis. Findings:By analysing the interview data, we identified two categories of context-determining factors that influenced the formative assessment design (namely,Resources or Lack of ResourcesandThe Outdoors) and three mechanisms that influenced the assessment process (namely,Teacher Involvement,Structure in Peer AssessmentandKnowledge Sharing). Finally, we identified four perceived outcomes of the formative assessment design:Enthusiasm,Knowledge Application,AcquirementsandInsight into the Learning Processes. Conclusion:We suggest that knowledge within the identified categories can provide useful guidelines for the future development of formative assessment in science teaching that integrates the outdoors. This is because such knowledge forms part of teachers’ perceptions regarding the acceptability and utility of the formative assessment design. In addition, our study contributes to evidence within an underexplored aspect of formal outdoor science education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Learning & Technology is the property of Canadian Network for Innovation in Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study responds to the need to produce inviting learning environments that help to build intentional science learning in early childhood education. We present a free-choice science learning environment on plant diversity in the fall. From the moment it was implemented, we analyzed whether children of different educational levels acted in accordance with the objectives put forth in each activity of the environment when they are given free choice. We also explored the potential relationship between achieving the stated objectives and social interactions. The participants were 13 three-year-old children and 14 five-year-old children. The free-choice sessions were video recorded and supplemented with notes taken by three researchers in a field notebook. From the records, we categorized the data according to the actions we expected of the children in each activity, related to how they interacted with the materials and the social interactions that emerged. The results show the influence of social and material interactions, as well as the children's previous knowledge, in attaining the objectives laid out in the design. Based on these results, we propose some principles and guidelines for designing, implementing and evaluating these learning environments in early childhood education, as well as future lines of research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Learning by Evaluating (LbE) is an instructional approach that involves students making comparative judgements of pairs of artifacts, such as student work, portfolios, prototypes, or curated images related to a topic of instruction to enhance critical thinking and decision-making skills. Situated as a primer for learning, the efficacy of LbE stems from actively engaging students in the evaluation process, scaffolding their learning, fostering self-reflection in decision-making, and facilitating the transfer of acquired skills and concepts to academic contexts and project work. However, there is an opportunity to gain deeper insights into classroom integration of LbE and the factors that may influence the student experience. This study adopts a design-based research approach to analyze LbE within a secondary STEM education setting, with the objective of optimizing classroom integration. By analyzing student comments generated during LbE, the research explores factors shaping the students' learning experiences, examining the extent to which students engage in informed decision-making, offer justifications, and express sentiments throughout the process. Additionally, the study explores how teachers strategically incorporate LbE into their classroom, aligning LbE sessions with curriculum objectives. Findings indicate a diverse pattern of student engagement, sentiments, and decision-making approaches across STEM classrooms. This study contributes to research on LbE by offering insights into the dynamics between teacher implementation and student engagement. The insights gained highlight the potential for refining the effectiveness of LbE within the classroom. Notably, the research emphasizes the significance of how LbE sessions are framed and strategically integrated to enrich the overall educational experience for both students and educators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following a design-based research methodology, this investigation develops a pedagogical model to foster ocean citizenship through the application of a design cycle consisting of four phases: (1) preliminary research, (2) planning, (3) action and (4) evaluation. This article presents the results of phases 1 and 2, which define the conceptual foundation of the pedagogical model, and the planning of actions for its implementation in the school environment. The conceptual foundation was established by drawing upon the theoretical principles of a systemic/complex approach to education, along with theoretical-methodological elements compiled from the literature in the field of ocean literacy and ocean citizenship. During the planning phase, six educational activities were defined, to be conducted as part of a citizen science project to monitor the coastal zone. This model was developed with the objective of going beyond theoretical concepts, to offer schools a practical and objective guide for fostering ocean citizenship in basic education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This special collection of Research In Learning Technology explores the state of the art of mobile mixed reality (MMR) in education. The special collection includes eight articles that cover; a systematic review of MMR in healthcare higher education, using mobile devices for connecting people to places, and a variety of case studies of implementing MMR in educational contexts. The range of papers illustrates the emergence of MMR as a platform for designing authentic learning environments in both formal and informal learning situations. The papers also highlight a general lack of engagement with new learning theories and models in the use of MMR to design transformative learning experiences.

This paper is a review of a three-cycle, design-based research study that explored the relationship between the pedagogical research and the actual implementation of a game design project using Microsoft PowerPoint. Much of the initial literature on using homemade PowerPoint games showed no significant improvement in test scores when students created these low-tech games, despite the fact that the game project was grounded in sound pedagogical strategies. After each iteration changes were made to better reflect the recommendations from the literature, and at the end of the study, students creating games were performing statistically higher on tests than their counterparts who did not create games. Limitations of the study are discussed, as well as ideas for future research in the area of student-generated games as an instructional approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the development and implementation process of the balanced scorecard (BSC) approach in an educational institution in the context of the Turkish educational system. It also aims, on the basis of the results of the applications in a particular school, to define principles through which the development of BSC could be successfully achieved. Design/methodology/approach – The study adopts a design-based research method which provides a particularly useful approach to the solution of real problems in the field of education. The study was carried out in a private educational institution with 161 members of staff including managers, teachers and personnel of the support units. Scorecards for the institution as well as 161 members of staff were developed. Findings – The examination of the developmental process suggests 12 design principles: willingness to change; managerial support; flexible management structure; appropriate team members; training of staff; availability of strategic planning; distinctive BSC dimensions; smart strategic objectives; balance between leading and lagging indicators; developing individual scorecards; open communication system; structured report format. Originality/value – This is the first study that develops BSC for a school in a Turkish context. The design principles, the author believes, are particularly useful for schools that do not have a strategic performance management background. This study is also important in terms of putting forward the applicability of BSC in educational organizations in different cultures and thus gaining new insights about the developmental process of BSC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a Design-Based Research (DBR) framework for the development of an accessible English as a Foreign Language (EFL) application tailored for visually impaired users to support them in terms of audio enhancement, tactile feedback, screen reading and speech-to-text. The framework comprises four phases: the identification and analysis of current gaps in language learning applications and design of language content; the architectural design of the application, including its pedagogical components selection and revision of taxonomies; the testing and implementation of the application; and finally, the refinement process and formulation of design principles. Traditional language learning apps often rely on visual content, which is challenging for visually impaired users. Eyeland prioritizes auditory and tactile methods, ensuring compatibility with screen readers, high-contrast themes, robust zooming features, and audio descriptions for images to make learning accessible. This research focuses on creating a mobile application to enhance English teaching at the A1 level for high school students in Colombia, addressing challenges such as resource quality, collaborative learning, and inclusion of students. The methodology involves mobile task-based teaching. Visually impaired students showed an overall average score increase from 4.8 to 6.9, while sighted learners experienced a more significant rise from 4.1 to 9. High ratings for accessibility features show an overall satisfaction of 91.67. The study emphasizes the importance of mobile-assisted tasks for inclusive classroom practices and suggests further research on the role of serious games in Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT). Overall, the research contributes insights into designing inclusive technology-enhanced learning tools for EFL education, demonstrating the potential of serious games in providing accessible content and fostering autonomous and collaborative learning for visually impaired students.

Biologically inspired design (BID) in engineering is a convergent, systematic approach that uses analogies from biological organisms to develop solutions for human engineering and design problems. Based on outcomes from prior studies of integrating BID in higher education, incorporating BID into pre-college education is a logical evolution. For effective BID instruction of these convergent concepts in pre-college education, teachers need to be well-equipped with biological, engineering, and pedagogical knowledge, both in general and those unique to the convergent, still evolving discipline. In this paper, we investigate the Professional Learning (professional learning) environment designed to foster engineering teachers’ understanding of BID integration in engineering and to determine to what extent the evolving professional learning environment fostered engineering teachers’ conceptual knowledge of BID across the three-year project. This design study applies conjecture mapping with design-based research (DBR) to examine a professional learning environment that changed over three summers and its impact on teachers’ conceptual understanding of BID integration in engineering. The analysis indicates that a combination of experiential and informal learning experiences along with engagement in a formal design challenge promoted teacher enthusiasm and a conceptual understanding of BID across the three years. Professional learning fostered teachers’ understanding of BID integration in engineering and enabled them to integrate BID into their engineering teaching practice.

Students from middle school to college have difficulties in interpreting and understanding complex systems such as ecological phenomena. Researchers have suggested that students experience difficulties in reconciling the relationships between individuals, populations, and species, as well as the interactions between organisms and their environment in the ecosystem. Multi-agent-based computational models (MABMs) can explicitly capture agents and their interactions by representing individual actors as computational objects with assigned rules. As a result, the collective aggregate-level behavior of the population dynamically emerges from simulations that generate the aggregation of these interactions. Past studies have used a variety of scaffolds to help students learn ecological phenomena. Yet, there is no theoretical framework that supports the systematic design of scaffolds to aid students' learning in MABMs. Our paper addresses this issue by proposing a comprehensive framework for the design, analysis, and evaluation of scaffolding to support students' learning of ecology in a MABM. We present a study in which middle school students used a MABM to investigate and learn about a desert ecosystem. We identify the different types of scaffolds needed to support inquiry learning activities in this simulation environment and use our theoretical framework to demonstrate the effectiveness of our scaffolds in helping students develop a deep understanding of the complex ecological behaviors represented in the simulation.. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Design principles emerging from the cognitive theory of multimedia learning can be applied to engage cognitive processing, and teaching methods that have evolved from variation theory can encourage thinking through comparisons in mathematics education. Applying these principles and teaching methods in designing digital material should be a sound proposition. However, there is a disconnection between research in digital educational material and classroom practices. Teachers often have doubts about the effectiveness of the materials. Thus, this paper presents a design-based research of developing a digital material for algebra concept learning. We collaborated with two experienced teachers and a subject expert from a university, and designed some digital learning material that was presented to 68 students through an iterative redesign development cycle; the effectiveness of the final product was tested on another group of 66 students the following year. Characteristics of an optimal design generated from the data collected are presented in this paper. The characteristics may have useful practical implications for instructional designers and teachers and contribute to improvements in the design of digital learning materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Form@re is the property of Firenze University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the development and testing of an innovative mobile application using design-based research. Design/methodology/approach - This paper reports on the process of transformation of existing printed course material into digitized content through design-based research where design, research and practice were concurrently applied through several iterations of the mobile application. For this transformation, one session each from BSc in Nursing, Bachelor of Pharmacy and Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Sciences was selected. In the first phase of the design-based research, the main research question was formulated. In the second phase, a mobile learning application (OUSL MLearn) was designed and developed to address the research question. In the third phase, this application was evaluated by five groups of stakeholders: content experts to validate the content; educational technologists to check the alignment of technical and pedagogical features; novice users to check the overall effectiveness of the application; developer to develop the application, to check the ease of usage; and researchers to identify the impact of this innovation. These stakeholders were closely involved throughout the whole process which lasted over a period of four months. At the end of this development phase, the results were reflected upon and used for further enrichment. Findings - It was observed that the developed mobile application was accessible, appealing and pedagogically constructive for users. However, optimization, development time, technical and organizational issues, workload of academics and production costs were identified as major challenges. Research limitations/implications - This study was based on the findings of a small sample of potential users. Practical implications - The findings have implications for designing culturally adaptive interactive mobile applications. Originality/value - This study will benefit practitioners to design culturally sensitive mobile learning courses and researchers to conduct design-based research.

Abstract Students’ lack of engagement with their assessment feedback and the lack of dialogue and communication for feedback are some of the issues that affect educational institutions. Despite the affordance that mobile technologies could bring in terms of assessment feedback, research in this area is scarce. The main obstacle for research on mobile learning assessment feedback is the lack of a cohesive and unified mobile learning framework. This paper thus presents a Mobile Learning Framework for Assessment Feedback (MLFAF), developed using a design-based research approach. The framework emerged from the observation of, and reflection upon, the different stages of a research project that investigated the use of a mobile web application for summative and formative assessment feedback. MLFAF can be used as a foundation to study the requirements when developing and implementing wide-scale mobile learning initiatives that underpin longitudinal practices, as opposed to short-term practices. The paper also provides design considerations and implementation guidelines for the use of mobile technology in assessment feedback to increase student engagement and foster dialogic feedback communication channels.

This paper deals with the implementation of personal learning pathways in a technology-enriched environment to enhance learning experiences in initial teacher training. The study uses mixed-methods within a design-based research approach. In a first phase of the approach, the characteristics that personalised learning pathways should meet were identified. In the next stage, the learning sequences' structure for the pathways was designed, considering context, teaching-learning approach, tasks and assessment. The main result is an interchangeable learning sequence structure prototype that enables the configuration of personalised learning pathways by the students themselves, and the exchange and co-design of learning pathways between different teachers. The students select the sequences from a catalogue, organising their own learning pathways from the combination of different types of sequences offered. This strategy promotes students' autonomy and self-direction in the learning process, as well as their development of personal information management and collaborative work skills. The conclusion is that the proposed personalized pathways present an adequate balance between the structure, result of the learning design and / or co-design, and the necessary autonomy for the self-direction of their own learning process, whether in individual learning or in the collaborative construction of knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the relationship between the researcher’s external (ethical) and applied (internal/emic) positions towards the subject of the study based on the introduction of the so-called (educational) design research from a theoretical-methodological perspective. Regardless of the researcher’s aim and in that case, dual roles – the scientific-cognitive viewpoint (theoretical) and the practical-applied one – complement one another. In design research, as an epistemological genre, these two viewpoints are taken simultaneously throughout the research. The key features are, first and foremost, the dual aim and the ongoing ad hoc updates in the decisions; second, the iterative nature of the process; and third, the ongoing involvement of the researcher as a practitioner with a specific assignment and the frequent direct engagement of stakeholders from the practice field (education) in the research procedures and analysis. This introduction of Educational Design Research and its methodological specifics is based on the author’s experience within a three-year doctoral study with the methodology implemented for the first time in Bulgaria in the context of higher education with a brief discussion of procedures or results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of BABUR is the property of BABUR and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, youth unemployment has been growing with increased risks of social exclusion. Vocational rehabilitation helps young people to plan their future and find their way into education and working life. New methods based on the needs of young people are needed for youth vocational rehabilitation, whose target group is young people aged 16–29. This article describes the design and development process of a virtual reality escape game for vocational rehabilitation. The study uses a design-based research methodology. As a result of the research process, a new and innovative tool, an escape game played with a virtual headset and controllers, was developed for young people needing support with life management skills. The results of testing sessions held as part of the process showed that young people, social workers and rehabilitation professionals found gaming useful for vocational rehabilitation. As a practical implication, the virtual reality escape game can be used with young people to identify and develop life management, study and work skills. However, more research is needed on its use and effectiveness in vocational rehabilitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to its constructivist nature, interdisciplinary teaching appears ideal for increasing students' interests in subjects (Brassler, 2020; Kramer & Wegner, 2021). Although many argue in favor of a more comprehensive implementation of interdisciplinary teaching in schools, many practical barriers arise during the realization that need to be resolved following the design-based research approach (DBR) (Kramer & Wegner, 2022b). Especially at the upper secondary school level, implementation seems to be difficult. The question arises of how interdisciplinary instruction can be usefully implemented in the upper grades. As a first potential solution, interdisciplinary project days were developed in the subject combination of biology and physical education and evaluated with the help of an initial study. The prototypes developed increased both students' situational interests and their perceptions of the utility value of the subjects involved (Kramer & Wegner, 2021; 2022a). However, the implementation process could be optimized, as it currently depends on reducing other school subjects. Therefore, following the iterative cycle of DBR, a new prototype was developed involving interdisciplinary units within the regular subject lessons. The second prototype was empirically evaluated with a control-group design. In contrast to the first prototype, only descriptive trends were found, indicating that the interdisciplinary units trigger situational interest and stabilize individual interest. However, this cannot be supported statistically. Due to a high data dropout, the sample size should be increased, and the trends should be further investigated. In terms of practical feasibility, the second prototype has an advantage as it does not require any cancellation of subject lessons. However, implementing a second subject may reduce the time available for subject-specific content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past decades, the demand for scientific research to link theory and practice so that innovative solutions can be developed through research has steadily increased (Klees & Tillmann, 2015; Sandoval & Bell, 2004). In this context, the design-based research (DBR) approach was developed, which examines the research object and the research setting from multiple perspectives through a cyclicaliterative process (Shavelson et al., 2003; Reinmann, 2005). The connection between research and practice is not only relevant for school contexts, but also for early childhood education (Schäfers & Wegner, 2021a). Therefore, the project "Kleine BegInNa" utilizes the DBR approach. A preliminary examination revealed that early promotion has a great influence on the children's later school performance, yet that there is not any test to survey their competences. However, this is essential in order to be able to offer appropriate support. In the prototyping phase, a scientific talent test for pre-school aged children was developed. This test was validated in several cycles in the assessment phase (Schäfers & Wegner, 2022a). The last validity test for the elicitation of the internal structure by an exploratory factor analysis shows that both the loadings and the screeplot, output one factor. This one factor solution explains 43.56% of the variance. This may be the "scientific talent" factor, which needs to be verified in further studies and by confirmatory factor analysis. While Reinmann (2022) has established comprehensive standards for science and methodology in DBR, we also focus on what extent conventional quality criteria for qualitative and quantitative research can be applied to a DBR approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aims to examine prospective history teachers' process of using digital games to design history lessons and delivering the designed lessons in virtual classrooms. The study employed a design-based research model and was conducted with 31 participants selected based on the criterion sampling method. Data were collected through design documents, interview forms, and video recordings and were analyzed using descriptive and content analysis techniques. During the process, participants were able to design history lessons with digital games and deliver the designed lessons in virtual classrooms. Analysis of participants' views on the process led to the emergence of the following themes: "The Problems Emerging in the Process," "The Pedagogical Effects of the Process," "The Technological Effects of the Process," "The Effects of the Process on Reflective Thinking," "The Effects of the Process on Participants' Thoughts about Virtual Learning Settings," and "The Effects of the Process on Participants' Thoughts about the Researcher." The study results show that despite some problems with the use of technology, the process had a positive effect on the participants. In this regard, future studies may be recommended to focus on prospective teachers' competencies in using technology effectively when teaching lessons in virtual learning environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past 20 years most countries, particularly developing countries, have seen a large increase in the number of students seeking higher education. A consequence of this growth is increasing pressure on teaching staff and institutions, usually resulting in, among other effects, increased class size. Large classes of between 300 and 1,000, and even more, at the undergraduate level are not uncommon in a number of countries (Mulryan-Kyne in Teach High Educ 15(2):175-185, ). Large classes are often perceived as one of the major obstacles to the attainment of quality education. Despite the difficulties associated with teaching and learning in large classes, they remain a reality in many countries affecting learners across all levels of the education system and are often the only perceived option available to meet growing demand for higher education in Sub-Saharan Africa (Mohamedbhai in The effects of massification on higher education in Africa. Report from the Working Group on Higher Education of the Association for the Development of Education in Africa, ). We contend that the challenges of delivering large classes can be confronted, and in many ways diminished, through the use of current and emerging technologies and enhanced faculty development. In this expository paper, we present findings from project activities focused on higher education faculty development and capacity building. The findings include both formative and summative development activities, as well as data collected in faculty professional development workshops and the results of two surveys. We use these data to lay out issues, challenges (e.g., skills, resources, logistics-including poor campus infrastructure), and opportunities (e.g., mobile capacity, distance tools such as Moodle) of large class pedagogy using a design-based research framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent U.S. national documents have laid the foundation for highlighting the connection between science, technology, engineering and mathematics at the K-12 level. However, there is not a clear definition or a well-established tradition of what constitutes a quality engineering education at the K-12 level. The purpose of the current work has been the development of a framework for describing what constitutes a quality K-12 engineering education. The framework presented in this paper is the result of a research project focused on understanding and identifying the ways in which teachers and schools implement engineering and engineering design in their classrooms. The development of the key indicators that are included in the framework were determined based on an extensive review of the literature, established criteria for undergraduate and professional organizations, document content analysis of state academic content standards in science, mathematics, and technology, and in consultation with experts in the fields of engineering and engineering education. The framework is designed to be used as a tool for evaluating the degree to which academic standards, curricula, and teaching practices address the important components of a quality K-12 engineering education. Additionally, this framework can be used to inform the development and structure of future K-12 engineering and STEM education standards and initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This design-based research project focuses on documenting statistical learning among 16–17-year-old Finnish upper secondary school students (N= 78) in a computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) environment. One novel value of this study is in reporting the shift from teacher-led mathematical teaching to autonomous small-group learning in statistics. The main aim of this study is to examine how student collaboration occurs in learning statistics in a CSCL environment. The data include material from videotaped classroom observations and the researcher's notes. In this paper, the inter-subjective phenomena of students’ interactions in a CSCL environment are analysed by using a contact summary sheet (CSS). The development of the multi-dimensional coding procedure of the CSS instrument is presented. Aptly selected video episodes were transcribed and coded in terms of conversational acts, which were divided into non-task-related and task-related categories to depict students’ levels of collaboration. The results show that collaborative learning (CL) can facilitate cohesion and responsibility and reduce students’ feelings of detachment in our classless, periodic school system. The interactive .pdf material and collaboration in small groups enable statistical learning. It is concluded that CSCL is one possible method of promoting statistical teaching. CL using interactive materials seems to foster and facilitate statistical learning processes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]