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This paper presents the results of a study evaluating student perceptions of online assignment submission. 47 students submitted assignments and received feedback via features within the Virtual Learning Environment Blackboard™. The students then completed questionnaires comparing their experience of online submission and feedback with traditional methods. Results indicated that 88% of students reported a time saving and many reported financial benefits using online submission. 93% of students preferred having their feedback available online rather than printed and handed to them. Overall, students preferred online assignment management to postal or physical hand-in. The main disadvantage of electronic submission appeared to be student distrust of the receipt system. The use of online assignment submission and management is recommended for use in Higher Education establishments where students may be remote. It is most suitable for assignments that do not require inclusion of many images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the publication of research papers from the Asia-Pacific region concerning developments in distance education. It states that a survey of 695 papers published between 2000 and 2008 in five education journals found that 80 percent of the papers originated from the U.S., Great Britain, Canada, Australia and China, and that only a third of contributions to the "British Journal of Educational Technology" came from the Asia-Pacific region. It comments on the expansion of distance education in the Asia-Pacific and integration of information and communications technology in open and conventional schooling. It talks about reasons for rejected papers including questionable research methodologies and data analysis and a lack of coherence, persuasiveness and logic in arguments.

The purpose of the study was to examine the relationships among information and communication technology (ICT) engagement, meta‐cognitive strategies and digital reading. Specifically, we used PISA 2018 data to examine whether (a) the behavioural aspect of ICT engagement negatively impacted digital reading, (b) the motivational aspect of ICT engagement positively impacted digital reading and (c) meta‐cognitive strategies mediated or moderated the relationship between ICT engagement and digital reading. Our findings revealed that (a) the behavioural aspect of ICT engagement negatively impacted digital reading, whereas the motivational aspect of ICT engagement, except ICT social motivation, positively impacted digital reading; (b) the behavioural aspect of ICT engagement, as well as ICT social motivation, had significant negative indirect effects on digital reading achievement through meta‐cognitive strategies, whereas all other motivational aspects of ICT engagement were differentially mediated by the meta‐cognitive strategies; (c) the impact of ICT social motivation on ICT engagement was mediated and moderated by meta‐cognitive strategies. These findings are discussed in terms of the educational implications, limitations and future directions. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic There is ambiguity in the literature regarding the relationship between ICT engagement and achievement.The nature of the relationships among ICT engagement, meta‐cognitive strategy use and achievement in digital reading remains unclear.What this paper adds The behavioural aspect of ICT engagement, as well as ICT social motivation, had significant negative indirect effects on digital reading achievement through meta‐cognitive strategies, whereas all other motivational aspects of ICT engagement were differentially mediated by the meta‐cognitive strategies.The impact of ICT social motivation on ICT engagement was mediated and moderated by meta‐cognitive strategies.Implications for practice and/or policy Practitioners should focus on how to utilize ICT by applying appropriate strategies.Students' knowledge about and use of meta‐cognitive strategies play positive roles even in the contexts when rote learning activities predominate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital competence is among the basic key competences for digital learning and employability. For this reason, its acquisition and development should be on the agenda of higher education institutions (HEIs) who wish to prepare their students to thrive in an ever faster evolving digital labour market. However, the existence of a valid instrument that can help HEIs measuring and further integrating digital competence into pedagogical and organisational practices with sufficient precision is yet to be accomplished. This article provides a valid and reliable instrument to measure higher education students' digital competence on the basis of the European Digital Competence Framework for Citizens, also known as DigComp. The instrument was applied to a sample of 411 students from a mid‐large public HEI and the results attest its validity and reliability. In addition, the study explores proficiency differences among students from different fields of education and training, and gender. Results demystify the idea that ICT students are more digitally competent than those in other fields of study, but suggest males score higher than females, which feeds into the ongoing debate of gender differences in relation to digital technologies and the readiness of females for the digital labour market. The results lead to clear implications for research and practice. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topicDigital competence is critical for higher education (HE) students to benefit from digital learning, strive in a digital society and increase employability prospects.There is a lack of valid instruments to measure higher education (HE) students' digital competence and facilitate the identification of digital competence gaps.Few studies focus on the relationship between HE students' digital competence, gender and fields of education and training (FET).What this paper addsA valid and reliable instrument based on a common European framework for digital competence.HE students lack the necessary digital competences to effectively cope with digital environments.Digital proficiency is particularly low regarding "Safety", "Problem solving" and "Digital content creation" competence areas.ICT students show less proficiency than those from other FET.Male students score higher than females.Implications for practice and/or policyThe instrument can be adopted by different stakeholders to assess students/future job seekers' digital competence.HE institutions could benefit from such an instrument as a diagnosis to design specific teaching and learning strategies and target students' proficiency and particular needs.Tackling specific FET and competence areas can better support the development of students' digital competence and facilitate their employability prospects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues that ecological frameworks offer a powerful way of explaining the take‐up of information and communication technology (ICT) in schools. Past research has focused on teachers and their willingness and readiness to use ICT but this has not satisfactorily explained the use (or non‐use) of ICT. Gaps in this research can be addressed by an ecological approach which shifts attention from the teacher to the context in which ICT is expected to be used. Such an approach, following Bronfenbrenner and others, looks at the relationship of individuals to the system in which they act, a relationship which is seen as interdependent. An ecological perspective explains how take‐up of ICT is influenced by the degree to which different levels of a system, eg, micro, meso, exo and macro levels, are aligned. It is recommended that researchers and policy makers should pay greater attention to context when advocating the use of ICT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We are experiencing a serious health crisis due to COVID‐19 that has a major impact on the field of education. The educational system therefore needs to be updated and innovated, with the addition of digital resources, to adapt the teaching and learning processes to students with disabilities. To meet the goal of high‐quality education, teachers must have adequate digital competence to face the educational demands that are placed on them. Therefore, the purposes of this study are: to know the teachers' knowledge about digital resources to support students with disabilities (O1); at each educational stage (O2), identify the variables that have a significant impact on the acquisition of teacher competence (O3); propose a selection of useful ICT resources for each type of disability (O4). An ex post facto design was used with 1194 teachers from Andalusia (Spain). The results showed the medium‐low level of the teaching staff, especially in the higher education stage. In addition, gender, motivation, attitude and having students with special needs are determining factors in the development of teacher knowledge. The results highlight the urgent need for teachers to be trained in digital resources. We hope that the range of resources proposed in this study will help teachers enhance their teaching practice. Practitioner notesWhat we already know about this topic Teachers have to find and adapt educational technology to achieve a higher level of success in students with disabilities.The use of ICT resources by teachers acts as a bridge to promote learning in students with disabilities.What this paper adds Identification of those predictors that significantly influence the acquisition of digital competence in teaching staff at various stages of education: gender, educational stage, motivation, attitude towards technologies and having students with specific educational support needs.A proposal of didactic applications is provided to address the different types of functional diversity.Implications for practice and/or policy It is essential that training plans on digital competence are established to assist students with functional diversity in their different learning stages. In this sense, personalised training itineraries or TMOOCs can be of major assistance.Expansion of the study sample (macro level) to identify digital factors, which affect the acquisition of the digital competence of the teaching staff to support their students' disabilities.Change regarding the type of diagnosis through self‐perception tests, such as those presented by these models, and subsequent work in other fields such as e‐portfolios of evidence or instruments in the form of problem solving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The supposed benefits of teachers' use of information and communications technology (digital technology) are well reported throughout the academic literature-most often involving issues of enhanced learning outcomes, increased pupil engagement and more efficient management and organisation of learning. This paper uses survey data from 683 teachers in 24 secondary schools across the UK to analyse the factors influencing how these benefits are being experienced. In particular, the paper explores the complex relationships between teachers' perceptions of technology-related benefits and a range of individual, classroom, school and system-level issues. A number of mediating issues and influences are identified and discussed throughout these analyses. In particular, it is suggested that teachers' perceptions of the benefits of using technology are influenced more by institutional rather than individual characteristics. A number of possible reasons are discussed, highlighting the importance of social and cultural contexts of digital technology use in education. Practitioner Notes What is already known about this topic So far, research on teachers' perceptions of the benefits of information and communication technologies (ICTs) has shown that while some teachers effortlessly 'assimilate' and incorporate digital technologies into their teaching, and are more inclined to see the benefits of technology use in their classrooms, many others are often 'blamed' for failing to see the 'obvious' benefits of ICTs in the classroom., Descriptions and analyses currently available therefore position particular groups and 'types' of teachers as having rather uneasy relationships with technology, while at the same time representing technology use as the most rational and obvious choice for all teachers, irrespective of social and cultural differences., What this paper adds The paper argues that there is a need for more attention to be paid to how digital technologies are being used between different schools and, more problematically, to explore the relationship between teachers' perceptions and a range of individual and institutional factors., The paper attempts to move beyond the 'discourses of deficiency' that characterise some schoolteachers as lacking individual attributes, capabilities and the required rational mindset to appreciate the 'compelling potential' of ICTs., In particular, this paper explores in more detail the complex relationships between the benefits of technology use as perceived by schoolteachers and the various individual, classroom, school and system-level issues that may underlie these perceptions. The findings suggest that broader contextual and cultural dimensions may mediate and significantly alter individual perceptions., Implications for practice and/or policy This paper points to the need to develop a more rounded picture of the relationship(s) between the social contexts that surround schools, teachers and technology use. Indeed, there is arguably a need to move beyond 'blaming' certain groups of teachers for not making best use of technology (ie, those who are older, female and so on)., As such, the data presented in this paper support the emerging argument to move beyond placing 'dangerous moral imperatives' onto individual teachers to change their practices and processes in line with the assumed 'affordances' of digital technology., Individual teachers or whole schools could draw on the social shaping perspective and the findings presented in this paper to articulate a more critically minded set of responses in relation to digital technologies in their contexts, resisting individualising and blaming discourses that unfairly position them as the weak link in an otherwise linear, robust and unproblematic chain of deterministic assumptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the role that eCompetence of faculty members play in the integration of eLearning in higher education. Learning technologies have the potential to enhance educational innovation, but the eLearning adoption rate of faculty in universities is so far disappointing. The motivation and capability of faculty to use information and communication technologies (ICT) in teaching and learning is influenced by competence development measures and wider institutional incentives that universities offer. The paper presents the findings of an international survey on eCompetence measures for faculty in 23 universities. Results show that traditional ICT training courses do not sufficiently motivate faculty to acquire the required competences and to engage in eLearning. Universities have to create innovative portfolios for faculty development which extend both the scope and breadth of formal training with non-formal measures like communities of practice, peer groups and networks. Beyond these competence development measures, institutional incentives like eLearning rewards and career opportunities for eLearning champions increase the motivation of faculty to sustainably use learning technologies for their courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper gives a brief introduction to the project called Education Technology Capacity Building Plan for All Primary and Secondary Teachers now being implemented in China. Because information and communication technology skills training cannot match the demand of teachers' professional development, the Chinese Ministry of Education established the education technology standard for teachers and launched the project. This paper introduced the features of standard training and testing, and discusses the output and influence of the project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews the teaching and learning practices and processes that were adopted in a study that incorporated multi-user virtual environments to support General Paper teaching and learning. The paper discusses the roles of the teacher, student and ICT in facilitating engaged learning. As this project is the first of its kind for the subject in Singapore, the paper seeks to highlight strategies that were adopted or could have been adopted to facilitate the enactment of such teacher and student roles as well as ensure effective deployment of ICT to support engaged learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teachers' readiness for technology integration depends also on their beliefs about the contribution of technology to teaching and learning, which influence their motivation for its adoption. Initial pre‐service teacher education is critical in reducing the attitude‐behaviour divide supporting technology acceptability, acceptance and use. Acceptance of interaction between human and robot is more complicated than human‐computer interaction acceptance. Social robots are radical innovations, harder for potential users to accept in human social spaces than are incremental innovations. In 2019, a survey using a convenience sample of 121 first‐year students was conducted to examine pre‐service teachers' beliefs about social robot educational technology. It examined the following factors derived from the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology adopted for social robots in education: Perceived social dimension, Intention to use, Perceived usability, Anxiety. Based on our findings, it seems there is a critical disjunction between researchers' efforts to equip social robots with human manners and social intelligence and participants' rejection of this technology precisely because it mimics being human. Further, we report that ICT familiarity as assessed using PISA's Information Communication Technology—ICT familiarity factors is related to robot acceptability. These findings need further examination to inform educational robotics design and Human‐Robot Interaction research and teacher education and training. Practitioners notesWhat is already known about this topic In the age of robotic technology, teachers face requirements to prepare students for work and life with social robots.Social robots are tested for classroom integration.Teachers' readiness to implement robot lessons depends on their beliefs about social robotic technology's contribution to teaching.Research and development in the field of social robotics still tend to focus more frequently on technology applications rather than pedagogical issues and advancing teaching and learning.What this paper adds Participants refuse to accept the idea of social robot‐based instruction.The identified belief pattern is based mainly on the perceived social dimension, intention to use, perceived usability and anxiety.Participants critically perceive the robot's social dimension.Some of PISA's ICT familiarity factors are related to robots acceptability factors.Implication for policy and/or practice The policy and practice need to address how social robots could be integrated into current teaching and learning practices and more importantly how could robotic technology facilitate innovative pedagogical models for effective and efficient learning.The introduction of social robots should follow instructional design requirements and not merely technological advancement.Teacher initial education has to provide social robotic learning environments for pre‐service teachers to experiment and design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A thorough understanding of how ICT support provided by teacher preparation programmes influences preservice teachers' technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) has become increasingly essential. This study aimed at exploring the mediating role of ICT perception, perceived ICT competence and ICT self‐efficacy between university ICT support and preservice teachers' TPACK. Data were collected through an online self‐assessment questionnaire translated and adapted from existing studies and verified with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). A total of 298 preservice teachers, who were senior students studying at three different normal universities in China, participated in this study. Structural equation modelling revealed the following: (a) university ICT support significantly predicted preservice teachers' ICT perception, perceivedICT competence and ICT self‐efficacy, but had no significant direct effects on their TPACK; (b) ICT self‐efficacy was a strong predictor of preservice teachers' TPACK and ICT perception was a weak one, while perceived ICT competence did not predict TPACK at all; and (c) among three potential mediators, ICT self‐efficacy mediated the most effects of university ICT support on preservice teachers' TPACK. These findings demonstrate strong positive effects of institutional support on preservice teachers' TPACK development, which was strongly underestimated in previous studies. Findings suggest normal universities should create practical opportunities for preservice teachers to perceive the power of technology, especially opportunities that could improve preservice teachers' self‐efficacy while applying technology into instruction. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topicICT support from schools is an essential precondition while enhancing in‐service teachers' motivation to apply ICT into instruction.Research revealing how ICT support provided by teacher preparation programmes affects preservice teachers' TPACK is absent.What the paper addsThis study adds to the previous literature by exploring the mediating role of ICT perception, perceived ICT competence and ICT self‐efficacy in the relationship between university ICT support and preservice teachers' TPACK.This study found that university ICT support significantly predicted preservice teachers' ICT perception, perceivedICT competence and ICT self‐efficacy, but had no significant direct effects on their TPACK.Among the three potential mediators, ICT self‐efficacy mediated the most effects of university ICT support on preservice teachers' TPACK.Implications for practice and/or policyNormal universities need to provide effective and professionally targeted ICT support to meet preservice teachers' needs.The mediating role of ICT self‐efficacy should be highlighted on the path from university ICT support to TPACK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information and communication technology ( ICT) use became of major importance for primary schools across the world as ICT has the potential to foster teaching and learning processes. ICT use is therefore a central measurement concept (dependent variable) in many ICT integration studies. This data paper presents two datasets (2008 and 2011) that contain measurements on ICT use in primary schools on the one hand and contributing conditions on the other hand. In both datasets, ICT use refers to different types of use: basic ICT use, ICT as a learning tool and ICT as an information tool. The influencing conditions refer to variables situated on the individual teacher level (eg, ICT competences, ICT professional development, etc) and the school organization level (eg, ICT school vision, ICT leadership, etc) that support or hinder the use of ICT for teaching and learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a growing body of research looking at young people's use of digital technology in informal contexts. However, there is a gap in the literature about how to describe and categorise young people's digital practices in such contexts. This gap is important because in order to be able to understand the differences between young people's digital practices in informal contexts and how these differences arise, you first need to be able to describe and categorise those differences in meaningful ways. You need to be able to answer the question "How do young people use digital technology in informal contexts?" in order to be able to answer questions such as "How do children's digital practices in informal contexts vary?" and "Why do children's digital practices vary?". This paper is significant because it introduces The Digital Practice Framework, an original, theoretically informed, tool to fill this critical gap in the literature. It goes on to indicate how this framework has been used to analyse the factors that facilitate or hinder the development of young people's digital practices in informal contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the pivotal role of parents in their children's educational development, numerous studies have examined the impacts of parents' information and communications technology (ICT) proficiency on adolescents' information literacy. However, previous research has tended to treat parents as a holistic unit, ignoring the individual uniqueness of each parent in analyses. Thus, the first aim of this study was to explore the parent profiles in terms of ICT proficiency, which were developed through a person‐centered approach employing latent profile analysis. Three distinct parent profiles were identified: quiescent users, compliant users and active users. The second aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the parents' profile memberships and adolescents' information literacy. The results showed that, in general, adolescents whose parents were identified as active users and compliant users tended to perform better on an information literacy test than those of parents categorized as quiescent users. More specifically, those adolescents whose parents were classified as active users achieved significantly higher scores in the information literacy test than those of parents who fit within the profiles of compliant users and quiescent users. Based on the findings, this paper discusses several implications and strategies for enhancing the adolescents' information literacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As school networks get more available, reading instruction in a computer classroom has become more and more popular in China. Although information and communication technology (ICT) has brought about some improvements in classroom teaching, it must be admitted that the phenomenon of fast reading with low-level cognitions is threatening school children's reading literacy. In order to address this problem, a collaborative annotation tool called Sharing Unique Reading Feeling (SURF) was developed for creating and sharing annotations. This study explored SURF-based collaborative reading instruction, and investigated the effect of collaborative annotation supported by SURF on primary school students' Chinese reading levels with methods of equal group experiment, interview and comparative analysis. Finally, some suggestions were proposed for the development of instructional annotation tools and the implementation of current reading instruction especially in computer classrooms. Results showed that the collaborative annotation supported by SURF could promote students' reading performance, enhance their Chinese reading levels in primary schools, and it was also helpful to develop the higher-level cognitive abilities such as analyzing, summarizing and evaluating. Practitioner Notes What is already known about this topic Annotation could improve students' reading and writing., Annotation could enhance reading comprehension., Full annotation sharing could improve learning outcome., Reading passages with hypermedia annotations significantly benefited passage comprehension and vocabulary., What this paper adds Collaborative annotation could enhance Chinese reading levels in primary schools of China, and is very helpful in addressing the issue of surface reading in Chinese class., Collaborative annotation is also helpful to develop higher-level cognitive abilities such as analyzing, summarizing and evaluating., Implications for practice and/or policy Collaborative reading assisted by annotation tool should be given profound attention and be applied more generally., Collaboration is rather significant in developing students' reading literacy, but abuse of collaboration will be a waste of time and will not get good effect., Do not lose the dominant role of teachers, because excessive freedom for students will result in failure in achieving teaching objectives., Some competition activities (eg, setting up Reading Stars, giving little and red flowers) should be provided to inspire students to do annotating passionately and seriously., The Ministry of Education in China should actively encourage Chinese teachers in primary and secondary schools to implement annotation reading instruction in computer classrooms., Some wonderful annotation tools just like SURF should be developed and generalized in a larger scope supported by the government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A pair of papers re-examined the evidence from a national initiative to train all teachers in England to bring them up to the level of newly qualified teachers, who are required to know when to use and when not to use information and communication technologies (ICT) in their professional practice. The first paper confirmed that multilevel evaluation of professional development was robust for ICT teacher training. This second paper contrasts the highest and lowest rated designs for ICT teacher training: an ‘organic’ approach that provided training in schools was highly rated, whereas a centralised computer-assisted learning approach with online access to trainers was the lowest rated design. The study supports an ecological view of the diffusion of ICT innovations in education and recommends that ICT teacher training be designed to support evolution of each teacher's classroom, school and region, as well as the training of the ICT teacher trainers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is one of a pair that re-examines the evidence from a national initiative to train all teachers in England to bring them up to the level of newly qualified teachers, who are required to know when to use and when not to use information and communication technologies (ICT) in their professional practice. Reanalysis of data gathered for the 2004 evaluation uncovers the complexity of such professional development. The effectiveness of contrasting approaches to ICT-related teacher training was analysed using the national survey of 496 trainees and experts’ reports on 11 of the 47 training providers. multilevel evaluation of professional development was shown to be robust for ICT teacher training, including a significant correlation between the views of experts and those of teachers. The presence of the middle level of ‘organisational support and change’ emerged as a particularly discriminating factor, indicating that higher-quality teacher training supports change in the classroom and in the school. Therefore, we recommend that all five of Guskey's levels be consistently adopted for the evaluation of ICT teacher training, and that research should also adopt a multilevel model. A second paper delves deeper to describe and contrast the highest and lowest-rated approaches to ICT teacher training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper uses data from a 15‐country study to discuss the factors which affect the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) and learning technologies by disabled people and consequently their access to education. Significant differences were found both between and within countries: income and language were the main factors affecting availability. Thus, the greatest availability was in the higher income English‐speaking countries and the richer European countries. The main barriers to technology use included cost, lack of funding and lack of information. A particular disparity in technology access was found between the English‐speaking European population and Aboriginal speakers of indigenous languages in Australia, with considerably greater access by the former than the latter group. A number of recommendations are presented to increase access to learning and assistive technologies by disabled people. They include encouragement for developers to produce free of charge (minority language) technologies, research on more effective provision of technologies and personal assistance, assistive technology centres in all learning institutions, simple funding mechanisms and a fund to support technology provision in poorer countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The addition of computing to England's National Curriculum was welcomed as a much‐needed modernization of the country's digital skills curriculum, replacing a poorly regarded ICT program of study with an industry‐supported scheme of computer science, robotics and computational thinking. This paper will demonstrate how teachers have acted as gatekeepers to block a curriculum that they view as narrow, difficult to teach and in conflict with their beliefs and practices as educational professionals. Extensive qualitative data were collected through classroom observations, teacher and student interviews and student artifact creation in four state‐maintained primary school classrooms to explore how teachers acted agentically to minimize or altogether reject a legally mandated curriculum that clashed with their local, professional knowledge. Analysis of this data was supported by official documents and personal accounts of the creation of the computing program of study, which highlight a discourse of economic anxiety and post‐imperialist nostalgia on the part of the curriculum's designers. This study will illuminate the significant influence that teachers wield as gatekeepers for subject content, with the ability to reject digital technology curricula even when it is supported by industry and mandated by law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The myriad of possibilities brought about by the advent of Web 2.0 in terms of communication and interaction have revolutionised educational practices over the past few years. One of the most promising educational approaches resulting from this revolution is online intercultural exchange or telecollaboration, which has been reported to contribute towards the development of 21st century competences. Many of the benefits of online intercultural exchange have been extensively explored in the literature and numerous studies have been carried out. However, very few studies have looked into the differences between an L1 or mother tongue exchange and an L2 or lingua franca exchange as far as the development of 21st century competences is concerned. This paper aims at filling this gap by exploring and comparing the results of two configurations of Online Intercultural Exchange carried out over a period of 4 months with 125 participants. The results indicate that the L1 exchange was perceived as more beneficial than the L2 exchange for most of the competences studied (linguistic and communicative competences, Language for Specific Purposes learning, learner autonomy and teamwork). Meanwhile, the L2 exchange was considered as more beneficial for the development of intercultural competence. Furthermore, no significant differences were observed regarding digital literacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incorporation of advanced information and communication technologies into the field of education has made the design and deployment of courses and instructional units more and more complicated. In order to support such complex task, methods and techniques have been proposed in the last years for the standardization, formalization and modelling of learning scenarios. Thus, several Visual Instructional Design Languages (VIDL) have been developed, with few of them giving an adequate and complete support for group learning processes. In this paper, we outline a domain‐specific language (DSL) for the modelling of collaborative learning scenarios. This DSL is called Learn‐CIAN. This notation has been validated by a sample of the students of Computer Science and Education degrees such that we could obtain a first view about the understandability and acceptance of this language from potential final users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper has focused on the productive use of information and communications technology (ICT) by university students and its influence on academic performance. The objective is to determine whether a comparison of successful and non-successful students (in relation to academic achievements) versus the variables studied (linked to the process of ICT incorporation) can help us to establish contextual and behavioral patterns associated with good academic performance. This differential analysis is carried out by making basic statistical comparisons (student's t-test). The data analysis is completed by applying receiver operating characteristic curves, a methodology of new application in the area of education. The sample was composed of 1194 students enrolled in 40 different subjects at various universities in two countries, Mexico and Spain. Students gave a very positive appraisal of the value of ICTs to support the teaching process, but they express an intermediate level of satisfaction with the teaching conditions in subjects, which are using the support of these technologies. Moreover, there is a clear relation between high scores in the variables associated with the processes of incorporation of ICT (satisfaction with teaching, higher levels of competence in ICT, less training needs in ICT, more favorable attitudes toward their integration in training processes) and achieving higher academic qualifications. Practitioner Notes What is already known about this topic The incorporation of information and communications technology (ICT) into teaching and learning processes is going on at the university as a whole., A number of researches have been developed to know the influence of different variables (personal, organizational, ...) in the integration of ICT and its impact on academic success., The results do not show clear evidence about how certain variables help to improve achievements in ICT-mediated contexts, although most studies consider relevant variables as teaching conditions, students' competence in ICT, ICT assessment for learning and students' attitudes toward ICT., What this paper adds Analysis of the impact of the aforementioned variables on students' academic success on two related cultural contexts (Salamanca and Chihuahua), both in a similar process of incorporating ICT., In terms of methodology, the use of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves to plot the differences in the variables studied between groups of successful and unsuccessful academic achievements., Implications for practice and/or policy Knowledge of the importance of studied variables on the academic success in developing training programs to meet their training needs and achieve the improved skills of students., Assessment of ICT by students as academic self-learning tools., To suggest the use of ROC curves to express graphically the differences between groups for the study variables in the field of educational research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper proposes a model for e-education in instruction, training, initiation and induction based upon the concept of extended teaching spaces involving execution, facilitation and liberation, and extended learning spaces used for acquisition, application and construction cemented by dialogue and reflection. The proposed model is based upon theory, research and practice in education and information and communications technology (ICT). In this paper, the focus is on K-12 schooling, but the model may be applied to ICT integration in all sectors of education and training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on survey data from 612 pupils in five English primary schools, this paper investigates children's engagement with information and communication technologies (ICTs) inside and outside the school context. Analysis of the data shows pupils' engagements with ICTs to be often perfunctory and unspectacular, especially within the school setting, where the influence of year group and school attended are prominent. Whilst the majority of children felt that ICT use led to gains in learning, the paper discusses how there was a strong sense of educational uses of ICTs being constrained by the nature of the schools within which ‘educational’ use was largely framed and often situated. The paper concludes by suggesting possible changes to ICT provision in primary schools, most notably relaxing school restrictions regarding Internet access and developing meaningful dialogues with pupils about future forms of educational ICT use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A major challenge for researchers and educators has been to discern the effect of ICT use on student learning outcomes. This paper maps the achievements in Year 10 Science of two cohorts of students over two years where students in the first year studied in a traditional environment while students in the second took part in a blended or e-learning environment. Using both quantitative and qualitative methods, the authors have shown that ICT, through an e-learning intervention, did improve student performance in terms of test scores. They have also shown that this improvement was not global with the results for previously high-performing female students tending to fall while the results for lower-achieving boys rose. There was also a seeming mismatch between some students' affective responses to the new environment and their test scores. This study shows the complexity of ICT-mediated environments through its identification and description of three core issues which beset the credibility of research in ICT in education. These are (1) ICT as an agent of learning, (b) site specificity, and (c) global improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper reports on an investigation into the 1998–2003 Phase 1 of the information and communication technologies (ICTs) component of the Basic Education Program, a major project jointly funded by the Turkish Ministry of National Education (MONE) and the World Bank designed to integrate ICT into the national primary school system. The study involved a search of the literature regarding ICT integration in primary schools, an analysis of MONE and World Bank documentation and face-to-face interviews and a questionnaire survey to gauge the experiences and views of the administrators and computer coordinators involved in the project. The findings revealed major shortcomings in the project, and the paper concludes with recommendations for addressing these shortcomings in Phase 2 of the project, which is now under way, again under the aegis of MONE and the World Bank. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The last few years have seen an increase in research studies on the impact and effectiveness of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the teaching and learning of English as a school subject. It is against that research background and against recent developments in policy and practice in the UK that the present systematic review of the effectiveness of different ICTs in the teaching and learning of English has been undertaken. The aim of this review was to shed light on whether ICTs are effective in the teaching and learning of English for 5- to 16-year-olds. A total of 2103 papers were found in the initial search of studies published between 1998 and 2003 on the topic of the review. An in-depth review on the effectiveness of ICT in the teaching and learning of written composition in English concentrated on nine studies. As eight of the nine studies were judged to be of medium weight of evidence and were also different from each other in nature, it was not possible to arrive at a clear answer to our in-depth research question. Rather, we wish to report that the field is in a preparadigmatic state where definitions of English, literacy and ICT are still relatively unclear, and where the causal and/or reciprocal relationships between them have yet to be fully theorised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globalisation has changed the way most people live, work and study in the 21st century. Teachers and teacher educators, like other professionals, must embrace these changes to be effective in their jobs and one ongoing change is the use of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) for lifelong learning. In this paper we describe how one group of academics in a university programme preparing new teachers has embraced change to introduce innovative programmes using ICTs and heutagogy rather than pedagogy. Heutagogy prepares students for the self-determined lifelong learning which is essential for survival in a 21st century world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the widespread availability of information and communication technologies ( ICTs) and some research into specific pedagogical practices using them, there has been little research on the role of these technologies in shaping broader pedagogical approaches in higher education ( HE). Increased experimentation in using ICTs raises questions about their pedagogical role in teaching, learning and assessment provision, and in creating innovative pedagogies. An accepted approach is needed to compare the different ways ICTs and rich media are used in HE teaching models. Within the SusTEACH HE sustainability research project this was needed to support the carbon-based environmental assessment of HE courses using ICTs. Building on a review of learning design theories and models, and ICTs used for pedagogical purposes, this paper considers several approaches to conceptualising the role of ICTs in HE courses, leading to the development of the Teaching Models Rating Tool designed to examine the role of ICTs in course provision. This tool characterises courses as using Face-to-Face Teaching Models, Distance Teaching Models, ICT-Enhanced Blended Teaching Models or Online Teaching Models. Whilst this tool was designed to support research on sustainable HE teaching models in the UK, it has wider applications to support comparative assessments of pedagogical and economic impacts. Further developments will be informed by the complex and evolving role of ICTs in HE teaching models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports an illuminative small-scale study that trialled a survey instrument with 55 final-year undergraduates categorised by age. The survey investigated students' use of information and communication technologies ( ICT), including the Internet, and students' engagement in lecturer impressing strategies and cheating behaviours such as plagiarism. The study disclosed differences in ICT usage by age, but these differences did not achieve significance. The study disclosed also that 0.27 of the sample had reported a single instance of cheating behaviours while 0.2 of the sample had reported multiple instances of cheating behaviours. Analyses of data discerned no significant correlations between these cheating behaviours and age or ICT capability, but significant negative correlations were found between cheating behaviours and engagement in certain Internet activities. Inferences are tentatively drawn for further research and for academic practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Facilitating educational modernisation through information and communication technology (ICT) application in education is an important strategic measure taken by the Chinese government on the requirement of educational reform and development. After briefly introducing the status quo of Chinese basic education, this paper elaborates the significant measures for promoting ICT application in basic education adopted by Chinese government. From seven aspects of basic education (ICT infrastructure, ICT resources construction, the status quo of ICT education in schools, educational technology standards for teachers in schools, policies and regulations, criterion building about ICT application in instruction, and ICT in Chinese rural areas) the authors comprehensively introduce the latest progress of ICT in Chinese basic education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Centring on the application of information and communication technology (ICT) in Chinese higher education, this paper discusses the development of e-campus in Chinese universities from three different aspects: campus network infrastructure and various management information systems; three modes of e-learning and its application in higher education institutions; and educational digital resources sharing. Finally, problems encountered during the application of ICT in Chinese higher education and possible solutions are also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information and communication technology (ICT) has increasingly been bringing about significant changes in education in an ongoing process. The educational reform is not a mere technological issue but rather is based on an empirical grounding in a psychological research approach to learning and instruction. This paper introduces the research work on the application of ICT in education from the psychological perspective in China in the past three decades. The introduction focuses on four important issues with systemic theoretical thinking based on continuous empirical research and innovative practices. The first is dialectic constructivism which has offered some dialectic explanation for knowledge, learning and teaching, and balanced various contradictory aspects of learning and teaching. The second is theoretical thinking and instructional practice about the principles of learning environment design which emphasises learners' higher-order thinking, deep understanding, collaboration and self-regulated learning. The third is a model for the effectiveness and conditions of Computer-Assisted Instruction. The fourth is a framework for the integration of ICT and education and a zigzag training model for teacher training for integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of the Internet on our lives has been pervasive. People are increasingly turning to the social interaction available on the Internet to satisfy their needs, whether these are professional or personal. The Internet offers users fast access to social contacts such as online chat groups and discussion lists, helping us to make connections with others. Online communities are being increasingly used by teachers for professional support, guidance and inspiration. These are often organised around subject areas and offer teachers opportunities to develop both personally and professionally. Online communities may present as a source of continuous professional development for teachers as they are able to deliver authentic and personalised opportunities for learning. This paper will present the findings of a study that was conducted on three online communities for teachers. It will explore the nature of online community membership and offer some conclusions regarding their potential as a source of professional learning for teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports a study aimed at revealing special-educational-needs pupils' learning potential by means of an ICT-based assessment including a dynamic visual tool that might help pupils when solving mathematics problems. The study focused on subtraction problems up to 100, which require ‘borrowing’. These problems, in which the value of the ones-digit of the subtrahend is larger than the ones-digit of the minuend, are known as a serious difficulty for weak pupils in mathematics. Seven of such problems from a standardised test were placed in the ICT environment. Data were collected from two test conditions: the standardised written test format and the ICT version of the test items including the tool that provided pupils with a set of virtual manipulatives. The 37 pupils involved in the study were 8–12 years old and from two special-education schools in the Netherlands. Comparison of the performance scores in the two formats showed that an ICT-based assessment format, including a dynamic visual tool, can reveal weak pupils' learning potential and strategy use. The study also pointed out that ‘partial-tool use’, ie, not carrying out the complete subtraction operation with the tool, can provide sufficient support to find the correct answer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many countries, information and communication technology (ICT) has a clear impact on the development of educational curricula. In Flanders, the education government has identified and defined a framework of ICT competencies for expected outcomes, related to knowledge, skills and attitudes that pupils are expected to achieve at the end of primary school. However, it has never been examined whether teachers are using ICT in accordance with the competencies proposed by the Flemish government. In order to answer this question, a survey was conducted among 570 respondents in a stratified sample of 53 primary schools. Results show that teachers mainly focus on the development of technical ICT skills, whereas the ICT curriculum centres on the integrated use of ICT within the learning and teaching process. This indicates the existence of a gap between the proposed and the implemented curriculum for ICT. The paper concludes with the potential value of a school-based ICT curriculum that ‘translates’ the national ICT-related curriculum into an ICT plan as part of the overall school policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the results of a study on strategic planning and implementation of information and communication technology (ICT) in teaching and describes the level of quality awareness in web-based teaching at the University of Helsinki. Questionnaire survey data obtained from deans and institutional leaders, ICT support staff, teachers and students ( n = 333) at the University indicate that strategic planning has proceeded well, and all the faculties of the University have developed virtual university strategies in order to continue existing ICT initiatives, to further increase the use of ICT in teaching and to assure student information literacy. The data indicate that all the faculties and institutions have monitored and reported the use of ICT in teaching, but quality assurance or enhancement as tools for monitoring were mentioned less frequently. The available ICT training was found satisfactory to meet the actual training needs of the teachers, but their lack of time was judged to be the main obstacle to their participation in it. The teachers identified two basic functions of ICT in teaching: (1) distribution of course material via the web, and (2) the creation of interactive and collaborative learning opportunities. The male teachers and students consistently estimated that their ICT skills were stronger when compared with the judgements made by female teachers and students. The teachers generally felt that the greatest problems arose from students’ lack of time management skills and from deficiencies in the usability of the technology. The students did not perceive lack of time management as a problem. Rather, they experienced isolation, loneliness and the lack of practical ICT usability to be the main obstacles to learning. The teachers had a higher assessment of students’ learning than the students did. The greatest difference between teachers and students concerned the contextual nature of learning in a virtual environment. The fact that the teachers’ views were markedly more positive signals a distinct challenge for pedagogy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rise in UK government funding for information and communications technologies (ICTs) since 1997 has created a large capital infrastructure, which schools are required to support with their own funds. Simultaneously, both nationally and internationally, the model of self-managing schools gathers momentum. In the UK, the government supports the key principle of local management of schools, which points towards the leadership team and governors as the body best placed to make decisions on how funding will support school improvement. The complexity of policy formation with respect to e-learning funding in schools is further compounded by the requirement to address the needs of a range of stakeholders in the state and commercial sectors. This goal of this paper was to explore this potential paradox between centralised funding of school ICTs and local planning and decision-making. Five possible funding policy models were suggested and discussed, and key questions in relation to policy formation were identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the use of serious games for education and inclusion for disabled people. Topics discussed include indicators of the popularity of digital games including serious games and their applications as learning tools, the role of video games and information and communications technologies (ICT) in the lives of students, main approaches to designing educational games and examples of games designed to be accessible to several different groups of disabled people.

This paper presents findings of a study in information communication technology (ICT) implementation, on the principal's leadership style in relation to other factors that influence implementation. The principal's leadership style is perceived-on the basis of the characteristics of the context where the study was conducted-as a personal quality, rather than a change/transformational leadership behaviour or related to the principals' positional authority. The study employed firstly a large-scale survey based on which case studies of four schools were selected for further research. The findings have implications for practice, more specifically, for principals' training and for the support provided to schools for embedding ICT. The paper draws on an institutionalist implementation approach to describe the principals' role in theorising the concept of ICT in education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In China, after many years, the current status and challenges of e-learning development in higher education have been gradually understood. The educational technology centre (ECT) serves as the key unit to promote e-learning initiatives, but the performance of some centres still trails their foreign counterparts. Under such conditions, the project ‘Construction Model of the ETC in Chinese Universities and Colleges’ was conducted. An investigation of the e-learning performance of 70 ETCs was provided and the main problems were identified through quantitative analysis. Then, with the guidance of international standards, the ‘functional-level’ model coupled with some common strategies for its application was created as an innovative blueprint to help the ETCs towards excellence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article brings to bear the wisdom of nine practitioners of learning technology (LT) on the five guidelines for innovative thinking in LT research. Each of the twelve frame their input within the context of evaluating a framework consisting of components from the ADDIE instructional design model, as well as nine events of instruction proposed by Gagne in 1985. The exercise is motivated by the lack of design research aimed at determining how novel LT research topics are created. Several examples of such topics are presented.

The article provides information on the result of a focus group study called the Tourism and Hospitality Studies in Central Asia, which is to modernize the curriculum in the field of tourism and hospitality through the development of an e-readiness model for higher education institutions. Based on the findings, the session has pinpointed that institutional policies and strategies has enhanced significant elements in the implementation and elaboration of online practices including access to Internet, technical resources and provision of infrastructure. Moreover, it has also confirmed that administrators have a role to play in facilitating and improving the capacity of teachers and students in the learning process.

The use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) by adults with learning disabilities has been positively promoted over the past decade. More recently, policy statements and guidance from the UK government have underlined the importance of ICT for adults with learning disabilities specifically, as well as for the population in general, through the potential it offers for social inclusion. The aim of the present study was to provide a picture of how ICT is currently being used within one organisation providing specialist services for adults with learning disabilities and more specifically to provide a picture of its use in promoting community participation. Nine day and 14 residential services were visited as part of a qualitative study to answer three main questions: What kinds of computer programs are being used? What are they being used for? Does this differ between day and residential services? Computers and digital cameras were used for a wide range of activities and ‘mainstream’ programs were used more widely than those developed for specific user groups. In day services, ICT was often embedded in wider projects and activities, whilst use in houses was based around leisure interests. In both contexts, ICT was being used to facilitate communication, although this was more linked to within-service activities, rather than those external to service provision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contemporary digital divide is characterised by the uneven distribution of access to information communication technology (ICT), originating in the different motivation, physical access and skills of users. We synthesised existing theories and frameworks to develop and then empirically validate a theoretical model to predict university students' use of online learning resources (OLRs) at the crossroads of formal and informal learning. Because access to digital content may be a bigger issue for students with special educational needs (SEN), we also examined OLR use among this group. Fifty‐six students with SEN and 1642 mainstream students participated in the survey. Our main conclusions are as follows. In the whole sample, personal socio‐cognitive factors (beliefs, self‐efficacy) are the only significant predictors of OLR use. The results suggest that motivational and skills‐related differences between students contribute more to the digital divide than do either differences related to unpleasant environmental conditions (eg, inaccessibility, high prices, etc.) or personal context (eg, study‐fit, learning preferences, etc.). Separate regressions show that beliefs were significant predictors for both SEN students and their peers, while self‐efficacy was a significant predictor for the mainstream students only. Measuring unpleasant environmental factors as a continuum (environmental and contextual barriers) explained OLRs better than solely differentiating between SEN and mainstream students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]