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Considerable research has been dedicated to studying teachers' digital competence, yet limited insights have been gained regarding its impact on online teacher autonomy support. Based on the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework, this study utilized a multiple regression analysis model to explore how teachers' digital competence affects online teacher autonomy support. Drawing on data from 652 Chinese primary school teachers, the study revealed that teachers' digital competence positively influenced online teacher autonomy support via teachers' cognitive empathy. Teachers' emotional empathy strengthened the direct effect of cognitive empathy on online teacher autonomy support, and its indirect effect on teachers' digital competence on online teacher autonomy support. The findings inform TPACK framework development and practical considerations in online teaching, deepening understanding of the impact of digital competence on online teacher autonomy support.Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topicPrevious research has recognized the importance of teachers' digital competence in supporting learners' autonomy and enhancing their online learning experiences.Existing studies have explored different dimensions of teachers' digital competence, including technological proficiency, pedagogical knowledge and content expertise.Studies have also examined the role of empathy in online teaching and learning, emphasizing its importance in fostering positive teacher–student relationships and promoting student engagement and motivation.What this paper addsThis study introduces digital competence as a novel and comprehensive assessment of technology integration in teaching, bridging an existing gap in the literature.This study recognizes the importance of socio‐emotional skills in online teaching by including teachers' empathic traits within the expanded TPACK framework.Teachers' cognitive empathy acts as a mediator and emotional empathy functions as a moderator in the relationship between digital competence and online teacher autonomy support, offering new insights into the underlying mechanisms.Implications for practice and/or policyTeacher educators should find ways to support teachers' digital competence in facilitating learners' autonomy in online learning environments effectively.Teacher educators should incorporate teacher empathy development into teachers' professional development programmes for online teaching, offering tailored interventions to differentiate and enhance both cognitive and emotional empathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study is to explore new ways of assessing collaborative problem solving (CPS) processes based on different modalities of audio data and their combination. The data collection took place in an educational lab setting during an experiment with adult teams from professional contexts who collaboratively solved multiple problems as part of a CPS training. From audio data, both verbal (ie, speech) and non‐verbal (ie, pitch) aspects were extracted. Four analysis methods were used, including (a) content analysis; (b) linguistic inquiry and word count; (c) verbal entrainment analysis; and (d) acoustic–prosodic entrainment based on pitch data. Insights are given into the CPS processes of the participating groups using these measures and relevant relationships between some of these measures are further investigated. Based on content analysis, it was found that most of the interactions during the CPS process are task oriented, whereas team‐oriented interactions are less present. Second, three measures of proportion of contribution in CPS were investigated and clear differences in participation patterns between and within teams were found. We suggest that a combination of utterance count and words per sentence could provide valuable insights for quantity and equality of participation. Third, the study explored pronoun use and found that the most frequently used personal pronouns were first‐person singular. Next, the results indicated a relationship between pronoun use and the relative frequency of interactions. Fourth, a rather weak relationship between lexical entrainment measures and the acoustic–prosodic measures were found, suggesting that these measures are indicative of separate communicative aspects in CPS. This study contributes to a better understanding of which type of audio‐based data is most informative to teachers and students as a feedback or assessment tool. This study complements previous research as it focuses on spoken human‐to‐human communication collected in an authentic context. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic Support and guidance systems for learning coaches, teachers and learners are needed to foster the educational quality of collaborative problem solving (CPS) activities.CPS is a complex process and measuring the quality of CPS processes remains challenging.Multimodal learning analytics, focusing on verbal and non‐verbal data sources and using content analysis, linguistic inquiry and word count and verbal and acoustic entrainment measures could be valuable to measure the quality of CPS.What this paper adds The majority of interactions during CPS processes are task oriented or cognitive of nature, whereas team‐oriented interactions are less present.Utterance count and words per sentence should be used in combination, as they are indicative of different aspects.Pronoun use in learners' discourse is related to the types of CPS interactions.Lexical entrainment measures and acoustic–prosodic are indicative of distinctive communicative aspects in CPS.Implications for practice and/or policy Quality indicators of CPS processes should include both verbal and non‐verbal measures of students' interactions.Educational researchers and the (Edtech) industry should further leverage their forces to foster the development of (semi‐)automated systems for measuring the quality of CPS processes.It should be further investigated how quality indicators of CPS processes can be most meaningful to trainers, teachers and learners, for example, through the use of dashboards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Design studio teaching has historically been based on the direct transmission of knowledge from teacher to apprentice, as well as on the skills students acquire from repeated practice of the trade. While this tradition has been the basis for the architecture´s educational models for more than three centuries, the role of the student remains passive throughout the process. With the inclusion of new technologies in teaching, the opportunity to update studio methodologies arises. This paper presents a case study where inverted classroom model (ICM) was used in the first‐year design studio in the School of Architecture at Universidad de Los Andes in Bogota, Colombia. Through tangible results and surveys designed specifically to investigate critical issues at different stages, this study reflects on the significance of ICM and its application to the teaching of architecture. The experience shows pedagogical, didactic and technological challenges shifting from traditional studio model to ICM. Through this experience, it has become clear that although teaching in an ICM is a process that must be contextualized within local teaching practices, it contributes toward learner autonomy, promotes individual and collaborative work and transforms the whole methodological scheme of the classroom. Practitioner NotesWhat is already known about this topic Inverted classroom model (ICM) environments allow for teaching and learning based on the transmission of knowledge from teacher to student and enable the student as agent of his/her own learning process.ICM promotes individual and collaborative work.What this paper adds This paper discusses ICM as an alternative to traditional studio model, focused on first year modules.Pedagogical, didactic and technological challenges shifting from traditional studio model to ICM in architecture.A case study of ICM in a Latin American context.Implications for practice/policy ICM changes the relationship between teacher and student, and as a result, transforms the whole methodological scheme of the classroom.ICM is a process that must be contextualized within local teaching practices.ICM opens the possibility for the creation of content as a collaborative project between teachers and students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous models have been developed to help teachers efficiently and effectively design learning opportunities using new and emerging technologies. However, the literature to date makes little reference to the variation that exists within the models and frameworks as far as their scope, context, epistemological and pedagogical underpinnings and so on. In this paper, we critically contrast models of technology‐enhanced learning design in order to support educator selection of models, as well as to derive an overarching understanding of how learning design models may differ ontologically. A total of 21 models were selected from a systematic search of the technology‐enhanced learning design research literature. Findings indicated that technology‐enhanced learning design models can be differentiated according to whether they constitute a conceptual framework or a procedural method, their epistemological and pedagogical underpinnings, the level of granularity of the model, the extent to which contextual elements are considered, whether interactions between teachers and students are integral, whether guidance for selecting technologies is included and whether any sort of evaluation of the model has been conducted. The utility of each of these dimensions in terms of supporting technology‐enhanced learning design is considered, and the value more broadly of learning design models is critically discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates whether the selective use of technology can begin to overcome the challenge of large cohort teaching and deliver an enhanced student learning experience. It describes the initial development and evaluation of a campus-based management course taught to 270 third year engineering undergraduates at The University of Manchester. The course is structured around weekly keynote lectures, supplemented with extensive use of a virtual learning environment (VLE) and key Web 2.0 applications. The preliminary findings are that technology is not a panacea: face-to-face contact with teaching staff remains the priority for most students. Nevertheless, the VLE was found to improve the student learning experience provided that Use of technology does not reduce face-to-face teaching time;, Teaching faculty acknowledges that students are, for the most part, highly strategic learners, engaging deeper with those technology tools that help them achieve their desired course outcomes;, Close attention is paid to learning design, aligning technology tools with the desired learning outcomes., Further work is now required to explore more effectively the use of the VLE and Web 2.0 as a vehicle for promoting collaborative learning. In addition, the authors will be redesigning course activities, both assessed and unassessed, to start to address the more lofty ambition of moving students from an acquisitive to a participative model of learning. Practitioner Notes What is already known about this topic There is an ongoing debate about the effectiveness of learning technology in enhancing the student learning experience., There are a number of published case studies describing and evaluating the effectiveness of VLEs in enhancing student learning across a range of disciplines, the majority of which involve small- to medium-sized cohorts., Learning technology can be used to achieve more constructivist pedagogical principles., What this paper adds A well-conducted case study of the use of learning technology to enhance large cohort teaching., A critical review of the literature on the use of learning technology to enhance student learning., An empirical contribution to the debate on whether learning technology can enhance the student learning experience., Implications for practice and/or policy Technology is not a panacea to enable higher education institutions to do more with less., Technology can enhance the student learning experience provided that it does not reduce face-to-face teaching time., In utilising learning technology, close attention should be paid to learning design, aligning technology tools with the desired learning outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a process for negotiating aspects of flexible learning through the consideration of flexibility from student, teacher and institutional perspectives. The process aimed to reconcile, in an Australian school of architecture, the competing demands of learner's increasing flexibility demands, teacher's attributes and pedagogical objectives and the structural limitations that militate against the delivery, resourcing and maintenance of flexibility. Results indicated that the only categories of flexibility (out of time, content, access/entry requirements, pedagogy and delivery) that were demanded by students were pedagogy (but only in the choice of working in groups) and delivery; whereas teachers were merely willing to offer flexibility in delivery. Thus, what students desired of teaching, and what teachers were able to provide, were multiple mediums of knowledge delivery that allowed students flexibility in when and where they could learn. These findings, it is suggested, have relevance for course redesign throughout the creative/visual arts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital media have unique potential to amplify student voice in both high school teacher preparation and academic development for college faculty. This paper applies narrative analysis to participant descriptions of how three uses of digital media amplify student voice in the context of a single higher education consortium: (1) high school students and prospective high school teachers use email to engage in dialogue as part of a larger project within the consortium's secondary teacher preparation program, (2) undergraduate student consultants use visual mapping technology as a classroom observation tool through one of the consortium's academic development programs for college faculty and (3) graduate and undergraduate students, faculty and staff engaged in pedagogical partnerships within and beyond this consortium use on an online platform to publish reflective essays on their collaborative work. Amplifying student voice through these uses of digital media has the following actual effects: it creates the possibility for exchanges between students and teachers across space and time; it supports the development of reflective practice; and it encourages the embrace of a partnership approach to teaching and learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little research has examined the critical components of successful K-12 online schools, due in part to the theoretical focus of current frameworks on higher education rather than characteristics of K-12 online learners and environments. Using K-12 online research, this paper examined teaching presence as explained by the Community of Inquiry framework and identified additional teacher roles that needed stronger emphasis. We termed the new construct teacher engagement. Teacher engagement was shown to be helpful in describing and identifying effective teacher practices at the Open High School of Utah ( OHSU), a successful online charter school. Through a series of 22 interviews with over half of the OHSU faculty, it was found that teachers worked to improve student outcomes by (1) designing and organizing learning activities, (2) facilitating discourse with students and parents, (3) providing students with one-on-one instruction, (4) nurturing a safe and caring learning environment, (5) motivating students to engage in learning activities and (6) closely monitoring student behavior and learning. These six elements describe the core of teacher engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) appear to be one of the most widely used computer-based technologies for teaching and learning, and may emerge as a potential tool for e-assessment. However, little is known about how VLE tools are used in various forms of assessment and what kinds of teaching practice the use of such technologies brings about. Based on interviews and personal diaries, actor-network theory is applied to describe and understand emerging teaching practices with VLE tools, such as multiple-choice tests, portfolios and collaborative writing tools. A tight relationship is found between the documentation of student attainment, the teacher-student-parent conference and the use of VLE tools, all constituting a network of aligned interests in assessment. Practitioner Notes What is already known about this topic The use of educational technology (e-assessment) brings about new assessment practices such as peer- and self-assessment., Most studies in e-assessment are related to higher education and further education., There is a growing interest in how e-assessment can foster new educational goals, such as metacognition, creativity, project work and communication skills., What this paper adds A primary school perspective on e-assessment, in particular the implementation of e-assessment in a school system where traditional grading is not applied., An insight into how the virtual learning environment plays a part in establishing a new assessment practice., Deeper knowledge about the usefulness of actor-network theory in empirical educational research., Implications for practice and/or policy There is a need for a critical perspective on virtual learning environments as tools for assessment and what kinds of pedagogical philosophies they can support., The use of a virtual learning environment can foster certain assessment practices, and has the potential to influence assessment policies at all levels of education. [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]

An editorial is presented on the movement to give students and student teachers a voice in their education. Topics include the use of educational technologies and online social networks in student teaching and learning. The author presents the view that technology-enhanced learning environments help to increase student participation and engagement in the learning process and in their communities.

Pedagogical theories and the applications of information technology for language learning have been widely researched in various dimensions. However, ethical issues, such as online privacy and security, and learners' personal data disclosure, are not receiving enough research attention. The perceptions and attitudes from those who participate in Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL)—instructors and learners—towards these issues have been particularly neglected. This research investigated the following issues: privacy protection and learners' personal data disclosure, along with teachers' and students' ethics self-assessments, and their perceptions and ideals of ethical issues in technology-assisted language learning. The results of two surveys of teacher and learner perspectives on these issues are outlined, along with some possible solutions to these ethical problems for teachers who are teaching languages through CALL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reports on an investigation of teacher interventions in students' collaborative work in an educational makerspace. We draw on a qualitative analysis of video data on teacher–student interaction derived from 94 students (aged 9–12) and their teachers in a Finnish school. The results show that the teacher interventions were both student‐ and teacher‐initiated. Three leading teacher intervention strategies were identified, namely authoritative, orchestrating and unleashing which emerged in teacher–student interactions dealing with conceptual, procedural, technological, behavioural and motivational issues. The study demonstrates the demands makerspaces pose for teacher–student interaction, and how moving from authoritative to collaborative interaction requires collective efforts and cultural change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this study, a blended synchronous learning environment (BSLE) was designed from pedagogical, social and technical perspectives. It was created for a group of master's students to attend lessons in the classroom and at the same time allow a few of them to join the identical sessions using video conferencing from different sites. The purpose of the study was to describe the guiding principles for pedagogical, social and technical designs and specific strategies applied, and identify the students' learning experiences and perceptions of the environment. Results showed that the BSLE could extend certain features of classroom instruction to the online students and they had equivalent learning experiences. They also liked the flexibility and convenience of attending lessons via video conferencing. This study further found that smooth and clear audio communication, redesign of certain learning activities and the quality of audio were crucial for the BSLE to be useful in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efforts to identify K-12 online instructional best practices and standards have been limited because they largely ignored students' voice-the primary stakeholder in any educational context. In this case study, we conducted 20 interviews among 10 students enrolled in a cyber charter high school. Qualitative analysis of interviews found that students valued teachers' efforts to nurture caring relationships, facilitate sustained dialogue, design and organize engaging learning activities, and provide personalized instruction. However, students found that teachers varied in their abilities to effectively perform these activities and provided recommendations to improve how courses were designed and how teachers interacted with students. Although findings from this case study should not be generalized, these findings may prove insightful to those in similar contexts. Research should continue to obtain and understand online students' voices and assist cyber schools as they work to respond to students' needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A key stimulus of learning efficacy for students in the classroom is active participation and engagement in the learning process. This study examines the nature of teacher-student and student-student discourse when leveraged by an interactive technology-Group Scribbles (GS) in a Primary 5 Science classroom in Singapore which supports rapid collaborative knowledge building (RCKB). We envisaged nine design principles for RCKB in the design of lessons and postulated a logic model that links and explains the effects of our design principles to the ultimate goal of learning efficacy. We presented a case study of a GS lesson which shows that GS affordances leveraged by good lesson and activity design could enable the students to have more epistemic agency. Students had opportunities to participate spontaneously in class discussions by fully expressing their ideas without inhibition. The technology effect is used to support instant formative feedback and interactions among students effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the OpenHabitat project, an initiative aimed at exploring the use of multi-user virtual environments (MUVEs) in higher education. OpenHabitat consists of two iterative, 2-step pilots in which it was anticipated the second steps would incorporate lessons learned in the first steps. The author observes that the first pilot revealed the key role played by social literacies in shaping a successful MUVE experience. More than technical virtuosity, the dialog between teacher and student turned out to be vital to the successful use of an MUVE.

The supervision of undergraduate student dissertations is an area in need of research. Although some studies have already addressed this, these are primarily based on academic staff responses. This study contributes to knowledge by gathering the responses of students and focusing on formative electronic assessment. Data was collected using a student focus group and student questionnaire. Unsurprisingly, the findings suggest that good supervisor–student communication is crucial to the supervision process and a number of students felt unhappy with this aspect. However, to facilitate this communication, the perceived absolute necessity of regular supervisor–student meetings is being questioned and a combination of technology-enabled communication is advocated. It is suggested that to improve the undergraduate student dissertation experience, a combination of face-to-face and electronic formative assessment is used. In addition, the blended e-learning skeleton of conversation model provides a sound theoretical framework that could guide supervisors and students in the supervision process. This model is advocated for use in dissertation module design and in supervisor development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the results of an exploratory study on student and staff perceptions on the use of staff's web notes from their lectures. The goals of the study were to better understand students' attitudes toward web notes, investigate whether or not web notes' availability impacts student in-class attendance, and explore several issues related to the use of web notes from the staff's perspective. A questionnaire-based survey of students and on staff perceptions were collected. It was found that students thought that web notes should be available before a lecture and that the notes don't impact attendance. Staff replied they felt pressure to make web notes available.