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Background: Computer‐based assessment allows for the monitoring of reader behaviour. The identification of patterns in this behaviour can provide insights that may be useful in informing educational interventions. Objectives: Our study aims to explore what different patterns of reading activity exist, and investigates their interpretation and consistency across different task sets (units), countries, and languages. Three patterns were expected: on‐task, exploring and disengaged. Methods: Using log data from the PISA 2012 digital reading assessment (9226 students from seven countries), we conducted hierarchical cluster analyses with typical process indicators of digital reading assessments. We identified different patterns and explored whether they remained consistent across different units. To validate the interpretation of the identified patterns, we examined their relationship to performance and student characteristics (gender, socio‐economic status, print reading skills). Results and Conclusions: The results indicate a small number of transnational clusters, with unit‐specific differences. Cluster interpretation is supported by associations with student characteristics—for example, students with low print reading skills were more likely to show a disengaged pattern than proficient readers. Exploring behaviour tended to be exhibited only once across the three units: It occurred in the first unit for proficient readers and in later units for less skilled readers. Major Takeaways: Behavioural patterns can be identified in digital reading tasks that may prove useful for educational monitoring and intervention. Although task situations are designed to evoke certain behaviours, the interpretation of observed behavioural patterns requires validation based on task requirements, assessment context and relationships to other available information. Lay Description: What is already known about the subject matter?: Students differ in how they read, comprehend and use digital information.Indicators from process data provide insight about how students engage with digital reading tasks. What does this paper add to the subject matter?: Based on multiple process indicators, a small number of clusters indicating different behavioural activity can be distinguished.These clusters can be described as on‐task, passive, hasty, exploring, disengaged, persistent and lost interest.A meaningful interpretation of the clusters must consider the requirements of the underlying tasks. Implications for practice and/or policy: Knowledge of how students engage with digital resources may provide useful feedback for teachers to guide students' learning or intervene when they struggle.Educational monitoring: The high comparability of country‐specific results suggests an invariant set of solution strategies in the digital reading assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children are vulnerable in earthquakes, but they are also essential to foster earthquake‐resilient communities. It is critical to enhance the preparedness of children against earthquakes through effective education and training. Immersive virtual reality (IVR) and serious games (SGs) are innovative digital technologies that enable realistic and engaging training environments. However, little research has been made on the applications of IVR SGs for earthquake training targeting children. In order to fill this gap, this paper presents an IVR SG training system based on a problem‐based gaming framework. Three instructional mechanisms within the training system, namely prior instruction, immediate feedback, and post‐game assessment, were investigated to promote learning through effective reflection. A controlled experiment involving 125 secondary school students aged from 11 to 15 years old was undertaken, using leaflets as a traditional training approach for the control group and the IVR SG training system as the main intervention. Results revealed that the IVR SG training system with post‐game assessment was the most effective way to train children, with greater knowledge acquisition and self‐efficacy improvement observed. Possible improvements, such as increasing the time for reflection and differentiating the stimulation between positive and negative feedback, are suggested for further research. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic?: IVR SGs have potentials to train people in emergency behavioural responses, corresponding to problem‐based learning principles.Instructional mechanisms including immediate feedback, post‐game assessment, and prior instruction have been applied in IVR SGs in the literature. What this paper adds?: The present paper examines the pedagogical impacts of the three instructional mechanisms within IVR SGs.The present paper investigates the effectiveness of IVR SG‐based earthquake emergency training, targeting children. Implications for practice and/or policy: IVR SGs with the three instructional mechanisms effectively improve the self‐efficacy of children in the case of dealing with earthquake emergencies.IVR SGs with prior instruction and post‐game assessment facilitate learning, manifesting in significant knowledge gain after training.IVR SGs have the potential to train children in earthquake emergency responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Formative online multiple‐choice tests are ubiquitous in higher education and potentially powerful learning tools. However, commonly used feedback approaches in online multiple‐choice tests can discourage meaningful engagement and enable strategies, such as trial‐and‐error, that circumvent intended learning outcomes. These strategies will not prepare graduates as self‐regulated learners, nor for the complexities of contemporary work settings. Objectives: To investigate whether providing only a score after formative online multiple‐choice test attempts (score‐only feedback) increases the likelihood of students to engage in self‐regulated learning compared with more directive feedback. Measurable outcomes included deeper learning, collaboration, information seeking, and satisfaction. Methods: Data in this mixed methods study were collected from nursing students through surveys, test results, focus groups, and student discussion board contributions. A quasi‐experimental design was used for quantitative data, and qualitative data were analysed thematically against domains of self‐regulated learning. Results and Conclusions: Students receiving score‐only feedback were more cognitively engaged with the content, collaborated constructively, and sought out richer sources of information. However, it was also associated with lower satisfaction. In this study, minimal feedback created states of uncertainty, which resulted in the activation of self‐regulatory actions. Implications for Practice: Providing overly directive feedback for formative online multiple‐choice tests is conducive to surface‐level learning strategies. By minimising feedback and allowing for extended states of uncertainty, students are more likely to regulate their learning through self‐assessment and problem‐solving strategies, all of which are required by graduates to meet the challenges of real‐world work settings. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: Formative online multiple‐choice tests are widely used in higher education.Feedback is a critical element in the design of effective online multiple‐choice tests.Formative feedback should promote self‐regulated learning.Feedback types used in multiple‐choice tests facilitate strategies not conducive to self‐regulation. What this paper adds: Online multiple‐choice test feedback can influence how students self‐regulate their learning.Less feedback can result in greater self‐evaluation and performance in summative assessment.Less feedback can encourage richer help‐seeking strategies (collaboration and information seeking).However, less feedback can result in student dissatisfaction. Implications for practice and/or policy: Judicious use of feedback is required in the design of online multiple‐choice tests.Educators should consider providing less feedback to promote learner self‐regulation.Satisfaction with online multiple‐choice tests does not necessarily equate to greater learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The rapid globalization along with the growing trend of openness and sharing approach enabled widespread of digital technologies all over the world. However, we can still find differences between countries in technology use and perceptions of usefulness for learning. Understanding students' use of educational technology and their perceptions of its usefulness is especially significant today, given the rapid penetration of online learning into higher education as a response to Covid‐19. Objectives: This research aimed to understand students' actual experiences with digital technologies during their academic studies and their perceptions of technology usefulness across institutional and international contexts (Israel and Australia). Methods: This quantitative study used data from a large‐scale bi‐national online survey of 3003 students in both countries. Comparative analyses were conducted. In addition, factor analysis was used to identify latent factors from 16 variables of students' perceptions of the usefulness of digital resources usefulness. Results and conclusion: The results revealed significant differences in technology usage and its perceived usefulness between students in the two countries. They confirmed the predominance of 'official' digital resources, such as learning management systems and online library resources. However, large percentages also reported the use of 'non‐official' digital resources, including academic search services; subject‐related videos and audio recordings on content‐sharing websites such as YouTube and Wikipedia; and communication and/or collaboration with other students through social networks. Thus, universities need to consider the potential use of incorporating these resources for improving teaching and learning. Moreover, understanding the differences will assist in implementing tailored techno‐pedagogical solutions to the students. Lay Description: What is currently known about the subject matter: Technologies can enhance learning experiences, however the actual usage and sense of usefulness by higher education students is not well understood.Most technologies are under‐utilized for learning purposes, partly because the quality of students' learning experience is not yet guaranteed.Learning‐environment culture is important factor in the adoption of digital resources and practices in academic studies. What the paper adds to this: A large‐scale bi‐national survey of 3003 students at Monash University in Australia and Tel Aviv University in Israel adds to our empirical understanding of student use and perception of usefulness of digital technologies for their studies.'Official' digital resources, such as LMS and online library resources as well as 'non‐official' digital resources, including specialized academic search services, subject‐related videos and audio recordings on content‐sharing websites and communication were found to be in predominance.Significant international differences in technology usage and its perceived usefulness were found in 'official' and 'non‐official' digital resources. Implication of the study findings: Students use a range of 'non‐official' technologies to support their studies, which suggests universities need to consider the potential use of incorporating these resources and practices.The advantage of the digital technologies for academic learning is not utilized yet. We still have work to do in order to cross the chasm.The high usage and perceived usefulness of the external video materials (OER, such as MOOCs) raise questions regarding how to integrate them in academic learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the extent to which the learning orientations identified by student self‐reports and the observation of their online learning events were related to each other and to their academic performance. The participants were 322 first‐year engineering undergraduates, who were enrolled in a blended course. Using students' self‐report on a questionnaire about their approaches to learning and perceptions of the blended learning environment, 'understanding' and 'reproducing' learning orientations were identified. Using observations of student activity online, a Hidden Markov Model (HMM) and agglomerative sequence clustering detected four qualitatively different patterns of online learning orientations. Cross‐tabulations showed significant and logical associations amongst the learning orientations derived by the self‐report and observational methods. Significant differences were also consistently found in the students' academic performance across the mid‐term and final assessments based on their learning orientations detected by both self‐report and observational methods, results which have important implications for learning research. Lay Description: What is currently known about the subject matter: Learning analytics research uses observational data to investigate learning.Students Approaches to Learning research uses self‐report data to examine learning experiences.Little research combines observational and self‐report data to investigate variations in learning outcomes. What this paper adds: This study uses both observational and self‐report data to investigate learning orientations.The learning orientations predicted mid‐ and final‐ assessment marks.Significant associations were found between learning orientations identified by observational and self‐report data. Implications for practitioners: Combining data sources enables teachers to better understand students' learning orientations.Interventions can be designed based on an understanding of different learning orientations to improve learning.The approach used in this study is transferrable to other similar research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few contemporary pre-service teachers would have completed their schooling with the extensive aid of computers. Yet, classroom use of information and communication technology (ICT) is now ubiquitous in much of the world. Today's pre-service teachers are the 'cusp generation' who, at a unique moment in history, straddle the two worlds of the ballpoint pen and the computer mouse. This study examined pre-service teachers' beliefs about their stakeholder role in terms of influencing ICT innovation and adoption. The pre-service teachers expected their future pupils to learn with computers much more extensively than they had; however, their beliefs about the transformative use of ICT in schooling were divergent. To address these findings, a teaching intervention was designed, which enabled pre-service teachers to 'envision' their practice in the digital classroom of the future. This involved the generation of new learning outcomes only achievable using ICT in pedagogy and assessment, and unfettered by the confines of the traditional pre-digital curriculum. Ninety-five per cent of the cohort was assessed as completing the intervention successfully. This paper finishes by discussing methods of equipping the cusp generation to negotiate the tensions inherent between current classroom practice and the rapid emergence of digital technologies in schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on a detailed investigation into the beliefs and practices of teachers in 22 computer-assisted learning projects in Australia in the mid-1990s. Detailed interview data were obtained, supported by the project software and other curriculum materials. The interview transcripts and documentary material were collated and condensed into rich descriptions; these were then coded on a number of belief and practice dimensions. The resulting profiles were clustered into five belief–practice categories: thoughtful instructors, pre-emptive professionals, conversational constructivists, learning facilitators and situated knowledge negotiators. These complex, yet interpretable, patterns of relationships between beliefs and practices are useful in understanding teachers' reluctance to change their teaching, one instance of which is the relatively limited uptake of technology in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses the literature of educational technology as the site of analysis in order to map the field of educational technology. Having considered Kuhn and Bourdieu's theories, the paper frames the analysis of the field in Bernsteinian terms as a horizontal knowledge structure in a vertical knowledge discourse. Using the concepts of interacting discursive planes, the paper maps the field in terms of its general approach planes and its problem planes. Finally, the paper shows that researchers in the field themselves acknowledge its weak grammar, and calls for commensurability of approaches to be acknowledged in order for robust knowledge to be developed and the legitimacy of the field to be enhanced. (Contains 4 notes.)

Previously assumed to be a homogenous and highly skilled group with respect to information and communications technology, the so-called Net Generation has instead been shown to possess a diverse range of technology skills and preferences. To better understand this diversity, we subjected data from 2096 students aged between 17 and 26 from three Australian universities to a cluster analysis. Through this analysis, we identified four distinct types of technology users: power users (14% of sample), ordinary users (27%), irregular users (14%) and basic users (45%). A series of exploratory chi-square analyses revealed significant associations between the different types of technology users and the university that students attended, their gender and age and whether the student was local or international. No associations were found for analyses related discipline area, socio-economic status or rurality of residence. The findings are discussed in light of the rhetoric associated with commentaries about the Net Generation, and suggestions about their implications for teaching and learning in universities are offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is based on a study into the social and ethical implications of computer education in secondary schools in Queensland (Australia). The relationship between computer technology and philosophy is discussed; three curriculum orientations are described--(1) vocational, (2) liberal, and (3) socially critical; and a socially critical orientation for computer education is advocated. (20 references) (LRW)

Abstract Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are now widespread in Australian schools but with variation in how, where, when and how much they are used. Computers may be located in a computer laboratory, distributed throughout the school, or students may use their own laptop computers. IT may be a subject in its own right or ICT may be used across all areas of the curriculum. It is how ICT is used in the school setting that is important in providing students with the skills to be participate in a ‘knowledge society’. This paper examines the ways in which information and communication technologies influence teaching and learning in five Australian schools. Data were gathered through observation, interviews and document analysis in schools operating at the elementary and secondary grades in relatively technology rich environments. Each of the schools participated in the Australian component of the Second Information Technology in Education Study – Module 2 (SITES-M2) of innovative pedagogical practices. Several of the studies were of specific projects where ICT was the key enabler of the learning programme. Others focused on an entire school's approach to ICT as an agent for changed approaches to learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This paper describes a study which explored students' responses and reactions to a web-based environment supporting problem-based learning. The study was undertaken among undergraduate students in an Australian university. The findings revealed that while the majority of the students saw value to be gained from learning in a student-centred and collaborative setting, many expressed a preference for learning in the more conventional teacher-directed forms. The study also sought to explore the potential of the environment to develop problem-solving skills and to determine factors which impeded students' success and achievement. The results did not demonstrate any discernible development of problem-solving skills despite students' extensive experience and participation in problem-solving activities. The findings have suggested a number of important factors missing in the implemented setting including an organising strategy to aid students in the problem-solving process and adequate feedback to ensure reflection among the learners on the quality of the solutions they were developing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights trends in the use of computing technology in education in Australia. Increased interest in the use of computers in education at the level of government and the teaching and academic professions; Level of activity of local researchers and practitioners; Use of individually owned laptop computers by students.

The framing of "implementation" of learning technologies in universities can have profound effects on approaches to teaching and learning that may be insufficiently acknowledged by practitioners. This paper investigates a case that demonstrated the formation of strong connections between technology and pedagogy, in which a learning content management system called for a series of accommodations between technology work and academic work. The site for this study was the meso-level in the university: those practitioners working in-between academics and institutional learning technologies, and draws on the accounts of practice by learning technologists during this implementation. The discussion of practice that emerges from these accounts draws on "sociomaterial" perspectives to draw attention to the contingencies of particular connections during the implementation process. This study does not assume that the work of implementation follows naturally from plans and intentions of human actors, rather it investigates actual arrangements and the entangled practices that bring significant unintended consequences. The findings suggest the need to attend to the potential for conflicting practices when system technologies become a key component of e-learning, and I argue for implementation to be scoped early to encompass pedagogical goals, and for interventions by learning technologists and teaching academics over all the social, material, and discursive factors that are critical to e-learning practice. (Contains 1 table, 1 figure, and 2 notes.)

Few contemporary pre-service teachers would have completed their schooling with the extensive aid of computers. Yet, classroom use of information and communication technology (ICT) is now ubiquitous in much of the world. Today's pre-service teachers are the "cusp generation" who, at a unique moment in history, straddle the two worlds of the ballpoint pen and the computer mouse. This study examined pre-service teachers' beliefs about their stakeholder role in terms of influencing ICT innovation and adoption. The pre-service teachers expected their future pupils to learn with computers much more extensively than they had; however, their beliefs about the transformative use of ICT in schooling were divergent. To address these findings, a teaching intervention was designed, which enabled pre-service teachers to "envision" their practice in the digital classroom of the future. This involved the generation of new learning outcomes only achievable using ICT in pedagogy and assessment, and unfettered by the confines of the traditional pre-digital curriculum. Ninety-five percent of the cohort was assessed as completing the intervention successfully. This paper finishes by discussing methods of equipping the cusp generation to negotiate the tensions inherent between current classroom practice and the rapid emergence of digital technologies in schools. (Contains 3 tables.)

This paper reports on a detailed investigation into the beliefs and practices of teachers in 22 computer-assisted learning projects in Australia in the mid-1990s. Detailed interview data were obtained, supported by the project software and other curriculum materials. The interview transcripts and documentary material were collated and condensed into rich descriptions; these were then coded on a number of belief and practice dimensions. The resulting profiles were clustered into five belief-practice categories: thoughtful instructors, pre-emptive professionals, conversational constructivists, learning facilitators and situated knowledge negotiators. These complex, yet interpretable, patterns of relationships between beliefs and practices are useful in understanding teachers' reluctance to change their teaching, one instance of which is the relatively limited uptake of technology in higher education.

Often with large classes of students it is difficult to cater for individual needs. Large classes hold many students, some of whom may be under-prepared for the course they are taking and some who will already have a high degree of familiarity with much of the planned content and learning outcomes. In catering for the diversity of students, teachers often teach to the lowest common denominator, catering for the former, but failing to provide a challenging and fulfilling learning programme for the latter. This paper describes a project undertaken in an Australian university where students enrolled in a large class were provided with the opportunity and incentive to undertake a technology-facilitated individual authentic learning project in place of the more structured coursework pathway. The purpose of the activity was to enable advanced students to extend their learning through an independent project. An inquiry was undertaken to explore the effectiveness of such an approach as a means to cater for diversity in the cohort and to investigate the factors influencing the learning outcomes that were achieved.

Describes experiences with computer-mediated communication (CMC) in a postgraduate information systems course at Central Queensland University (Australia). Highlights include a description of a case study discussion via electronic mail; use by off-campus students; examples of CMC interactions; responses to a student survey, including student attitudes; and future directions. (Contains 17 references.) (LRW)