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Background: Personal learning environments are the networks of tools, activities, and connections that each person uses for their learning. Although there have been increasing numbers of studies, measurement instruments in this regard are still limited. The aim of this study is to construct and validate a scale to assess the activities that make up Personal Learning Environments., Method: The sample comprised 1,187 students in their final year of undergraduate degrees. 64% were women and 36% men, with a mean age of 24 and a standard deviation of 4.21 years., Results: The scale consists of 27 Likert-type items responding to three factors according to the theoretical construct reviewed, and produced high coefficients in internal consistency tests., Conclusions: The analyses demonstrate a valid instrument with solid psychometric properties. More specifically, the results indicate suitable content validity. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses indicate appropriate construct validation, with consistency between the theoretical and factorial model.

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There is extensive research on interaction frameworks in distance education and studies in Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) have also focused on establishing interaction models. There is still research to be done, though, in order to identify the elements that configure interaction to build up a framework for their integration, aligned with the learning goals. The purpose of this study is to understand the key elements that configure effective interaction in the implementation phase of CSCL and to analyze the different types of interactions that occur during collaborative learning processes. The study was designed under a non-experimental quantitative methodology and 106 learners answered a questionnaire after participating in 5 different higher education subjects implementing CSCL. A factorial analysis of results prove that students identify three types of interaction to be necessary during the implementation phase of collaboration in order to reach knowledge convergence: cognitive, social and organizational interaction. Therefore, instructors and institutions who wish to promote effective CSCL should bear in mind the learning goals together with the social and organizational aspects interwoven in the design, implementation and assessment phases of collaborative learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The practicum is an essential component of teacher training plans and a key element the process of learning to teach. Various documents, guides and protocols have defined the aims of this training phase and the functions of those involved: supervisors, tutors and students. To identify the tasks student teachers perform during the practicum, a quantitative study was designed using a questionnaire completed by 248 students in their final year of teacher training. The results show that the student teachers did not have the chance to tackle the broad range of teaching tasks, limiting their view of teaching and reducing their training potential. It is necessary to clearly establish the obligations of institutions who collaborate in the practicum, defining participants' roles and ensuring that this experience encourages appropriate learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The analysis of the processes and elements articulating effective Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) constitutes a focal research stream in education. Following these streams, satisfaction and perceived impact on learning have already been stablished as determining aspects of any type of learning and, particularly, of CSCL. The goal of this study was to identify factors affecting students' satisfaction and perception of impact on learning in CSCL. The Partial Least Squares technique was used, applying a questionnaire to 701 students in a virtual university. The proposed model exhibited high predictive performance, confirming the 13 hypotheses established. The variables confirmation, perceived usefulness, and perceived enjoyment positively and significantly influenced students' satisfaction with CSCL. Perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness positively and significantly influenced attitude, and attitude, together with perceived enjoyment, were determining factors in perceived impact on learning. These are factors that should be considered when designing CSCL to be implemented both at the institutional and class level, and teachers and students should be aware of these interdependencies for CSCL to be successful. • We identified factors influencing satisfaction and perceived learning in CSCL students. • Confirmation and perceived usefulness positively influence students' satisfaction with CSCL. • Satisfaction significantly influences the perception of the impact of learning in CSCL. • Perceived usefulness and ease of use influence attitudes towards CSCL. • Attitude and perceived enjoyment are variables that predict perceived impact on learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]