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Background: Communities of practice (CoP) have been proposed as a promising form of continuing professional development for teachers' learning. However, there remains limited understanding of the processes and factors that sustain teacher-initiated CoP. Purpose: This study provides a qualitative examination of a group of internal leaders' perspectives on how a large teacher-initiated CoP in South Korea was established and sustained as an effective form of continuing professional development. Methods: Data included semistructured interviews with the internal leaders, Website artifacts, and researchers' reflective journals, and were analyzed through inductive analysis. Results: Findings included the following: (a) shared passion for good teaching, (b) widening professional network, (c) collaboration through sharing, and (d) continuing professional development opportunities via technology. Discussion: The CoP were initiated by a group of teachers with a shared value for improving their teaching in schools and were sustained through online and offline interactions that created a safe space for sharing ideas, collaborative interactions, and learning opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the growing interest in using multimodal data to analyse students' actions in Computers‐Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) settings, studying teacher's orchestration load in such settings remains overlooked. The notion of classroom orchestration, and orchestration load, offer a lens to study the implications of increasingly complex technology‐supported learning environments on teacher performance. A combination of multimodal data may aid in understanding teachers' orchestration actions and, as a result, gain insights regarding the orchestration load teachers perceive in scripted CSCL situations. Studying teacher orchestration load in CSCL helps understand the workload teachers experience while facilitating student collaboration and assists in informing design decisions for teacher supporting tools. In this paper, we collect and analyse data from different modalities (i.e. electrodermal activity, observation notes, log data, dashboard screen recordings and responses to self‐reported questionnaires) to study teachers' orchestration load in scripted CSCL. A tool called PyramidApp was used to deploy CSCL activities and a teacher‐facing dashboard was used to facilitate teachers in managing collaboration in real time. The findings of the study show the potential of multimodal data analysis in investigating and estimating the orchestration load experienced by teachers in scripted CSCL activities. Study findings further demonstrate factors emerging from multimodal data such as task type, activity duration, and number of students influenced teachers' orchestration load. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multimodal learning analytics (MMLA) offers the potential to provide evidence‐based insights into complex learning phenomena such as collaborative learning. Yet, few MMLA applications have closed the learning analytics loop by being evaluated in real‐world educational settings. This study evaluates the effectiveness of an MMLA solution in enhancing feedback and reflection within a complex and highly dynamic collaborative learning environment. A two‐year longitudinal study was conducted with 399 students and 17 teachers, utilising an MMLA system in reflective debriefings in the context of healthcare education. We analysed the survey data of 74 students and 11 teachers regarding their perceptions of the MMLA system. We applied the Evaluation Framework for Learning Analytics, augmented by complexity, accuracy and trust measures, to assess both teachers' and students' perspectives. The findings illustrated that teachers and students both had generally positive perceptions of the MMLA solution. Teachers found the MMLA solution helpful in facilitating feedback provision and reflection during debriefing sessions. Similarly, students found the MMLA solution effective in providing clarity on the data collected, stimulating reflection on their learning behaviours, and prompting considerations for adaptation in their learning behaviours. However, the complexity of the MMLA solution and the need for qualitative measures of communication emerged as areas for improvement. Additionally, the study highlighted the importance of data accuracy, transparency, and privacy protection to maintain user trust. The findings provide valuable contributions to advancing our understanding of the use of MMLA in supporting feedback and reflection practices in intricate collaborative learning while identifying avenues for further research and improvement. We also provided several insights and practical recommendations for successful MMLA implementation in authentic learning contexts. Practitioner notesWhat is currently known about this topic Multimodal learning analytics (MMLA) seeks to generate data‐informed insights about learners' metacognitive and emotional states as well as their learning behaviours, by utilising intricate physical and physiological signals.MMLA has not only pioneered novel data analytic methods but also aspired to complete the learning analytics loop by crafting innovative, tangible solutions that relay these insights to the concerned stakeholders.A prominent direction within MMLA research has been the formulation of tools to support feedback and reflection in collaborative learning scenarios, given MMLA's capacity to discern intricate and dynamic learning behaviours.What this paper adds Teachers' and students' positive perceptions of an MMLA implementation in stimulating considerations of adaptations in their pedagogical practices and learning behaviours, respectively.Empirical evidence supporting the potential of MMLA in assisting teachers to facilitate students' reflective practices during intricate collaborative learning scenarios.The importance of addressing issues related to design complexity, interpretability for users with disabilities, aggregated data representation, and concerns related to trust for building a practical MMLA solution in real learning settings.Implications for practice and/or policy The MMLA solution can provide teachers with a comprehensive view of student performance, illuminate areas for improvement, and confirm learning scenario outcomes.The MMLA solution can stimulate students' reflections on their learning behaviours and promote considerations of adaptation in their learning behaviours.Providing clear explanations and guidance on how to interpret analytics, as well as addressing concerns related to data completeness and representation, are essential to maximising utility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collaborative learning, driven by knowledge co‐construction and meaning negotiation, is a pivotal aspect of educational contexts. While gesture's importance in conveying shared meaning is recognized, its role in collaborative group settings remains understudied. This gap hinders accurate and equitable assessment and instruction, particularly for linguistically diverse students. Advancements in multimodal learning analytics, leveraging sensor technologies, offer innovative solutions for capturing and analysing body movements. This study employs these novel approaches to demonstrate how learners' machine‐detected body movements during the learning process relate to their verbal and nonverbal contributions to the co‐construction of embodied math knowledge. These findings substantiate the feasibility of utilizing learners' machine‐detected body movements as a valid indicator for inferring their engagement with the collaborative knowledge construction process. In addition, we empirically validate that these inferred different levels of learner engagement indeed impact the desired learning outcomes of the intervention. This study contributes to our scientific understanding of multimodal approaches to knowledge expression and assessment in learning, teaching, and collaboration.Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topicPrevious research emphasizes the importance of gestures as essential tools for constructing common ground and reflecting shared meaning‐making in learning and teaching contexts.The prior studies in multimodal learning analytics (MMLA) suggest that certain forms of body movements and postures can be differentiated based on the automatic detection of upper body joint locations.Empirical observations indicate that co‐thought gestures typically involve smaller hand or arms movement that are closer to the gesturer's body than co‐speech gestures used in interpersonal communication.What this paper addsThis paper fills the research gap by examining the use of gestures in collaborative learning, offering insights into how individuals contribute verbally and nonverbally to collaborative knowledge construction.This paper introduces the concept of using machine‐detected body movements as a viable proxy for inferring learners' engagement in collaborative knowledge‐building activities.Leverages sensor technologies for automatic detection of body movements, the innovative approach in this work seeks to overcome the time‐intensive and laborious process of manually coding gestures.Implications for practice and/or policyBy recognizing the potential significance of learners' body movements in indicating engagement levels with collaborative knowledge‐building activities, instructors can set up computer‐supported collaborative learning (CSCL) environments to enable capturing these movements.Given the crucial role of gestures in learning, teaching, and collaboration, educators can create more equitable formative assessment practices for linguistically diverse students by developing strategies that align with multimodal forms of knowledge expression.Research can expand beyond mathematics to explore the transferability of these findings to other subjects, helping educators create comprehensive pedagogical approaches that leverage multimodal interactions across disciplines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Upvotes serve important purposes in online social annotation environments. However, limited studies have explored the influential factors affecting peer upvoting in online collaborative learning. In this study, we analysed the factors influencing students' upvotes received from their peers as 91 participants utilized Perusall, an online social annotation system, for collaborative reading. The participants were asked to collaboratively annotate 29 reading materials in a semester. We collected student reading behaviours and analysed their annotations with a text‐mining tool of Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC). Moreover, conditional inference tree was used to determine the relative importance of explanatory factors to the upvotes students received. The results showed that the high‐upvote group made significantly more annotations, posted more responses to others' annotations and displayed fewer negative emotions in annotations than those who did not receive upvotes. The two groups of students had no significant differences in the upvotes given to others, as well as cognitive activities and positive emotions involved in annotations. Moreover, the number of annotations was the determining factor in predicting the upvotes that one could receive in social annotation activities. This study has significant practical implications regarding providing interventions in social annotation‐based collaborative reading.Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topicSocial annotations enhance students' reading experience, facilitate knowledge sharing and collaboration, promote high‐quality learning interactions and ultimately lead to improved performance.In social annotation environments, receiving upvotes from peers is not only a type of feedback but also a form of motivation, social interaction and social validation.No study has explored the influential factors in peer upvoting within social annotation‐based learning.What this paper addsThis study was the first to examine social annotations through the lens of the community of inquiry framework.We investigated the relationships between students' cognitive and social presence in their annotations and the upvotes they received in an online social annotation environment.Our study revealed the strategies for obtaining upvotes from peers in social annotation‐based learning environments.Implications for practice and/or policyThe high‐upvote group made significantly more annotations, posted more responses to others' annotations and displayed fewer negative emotions in annotations compared to the low‐upvote group.The two groups of students did not show significant differences in the upvotes they gave to others or in the cognitive activities and positive emotions involved in annotations.The number of annotations was the primary factor predicting the number of upvotes received in the collaborative reading.This study could inform the design of future online social annotation systems to better support collaborative learning and peer interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investment in preschool education is increasingly seen as a policy priority in middle and high-income countries due to the early benefits it provides children in their educational journeys. This article discusses the impact of recent increased investment in preschool education in China which has served as a correction to relative historical neglect. In this study a parental satisfaction survey evaluated the cost-sharing, equity of enrollment and quality of preschool education in a local urban governmental-led and multi-participant public service system of preschool education. In the context of the continued challenges of bridging gaps between policy and practice, results show that Government investment is beginning to have positive effects in terms of cost-sharing of preschool education with benefits to family incomes and significantly increasing the quality of preschool education. Parents of children in public provincial kindergartens provided higher satisfaction ratings for students' development than parents of those in private provincial kindergartens. The article concludes by discussing the differing, but related roles of the Government and private providers in Chinese preschool education including the development of what is termed a "High-Quality Collaborative Education Ecosystem." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The teaching and creative movement course incorporates details of physical movements most suitable to be conducted face-to-face. However, the Covid-19 pandemic has undeniably changed pedagogical methodologies, forcing this course to be conducted online via the medium of technology. Therefore, this paper explains the challenges and advantages of the synchronous and asynchronous video conferencing mixed strategies in the teaching and creative movement course. The setting in this research is a semester of the teaching and learning conducted at a university in Malaysia using the Google Meet application and video. The factors of resources and technological capability as well as the psychological factor that is related to social activity hinder the full advantage of video conferencing and technological usage in this course. The researcher also pointed out the security and safety problem experienced by one of our students to get internet access from a remote area, and the need to consider individual student home situations before sending them to learn from home. The identification of strengths and weaknesses faced by this course will enable further efforts in improving the quality of online dance education which incorporate the use of technology to obtain maximum results, especially for developing countries such as Malaysia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To develop independent healthcare professionals able to collaborate in interprofessional teams, health professions education aims to support students in transitioning from an individual perspective to interprofessional collaboration. The five elements that yield the conditions for effective interprofessional collaboration are: (1) positive interdependence, (2) individual accountability, (3) promotive interaction, (4) interpersonal skills, and (5) reflection on team processes. The aim of the current study is to gain insights into how to design tasks to assess a student team as a whole on their interprofessional collaboration. This was a pilot study using a qualitative design to evaluate an interprofessional assessment task. Four interprofessional student teams, comprising physiotherapy, occupational therapy, arts therapy and nursing students (N = 13), completed this task and five assessors used a rubric to assess video recordings of the teams' task completion, and then participated in a group interview. The completed rubrics and the interview transcript were analyzed using content analysis. Findings showed that the combination of individual preparation, an interprofessional team meeting resulting in care agreements and team reflection was a strength of the assessment task, enabling the task to elicit sufficient promotive interaction between students. Areas for improvement of the assessment task were however, due to a lack of interdependence, the care agreements which now proved to be the sum of students' intraprofessional ideas rather than an interprofessional integration of agreements. Additionally, assessors suggested that a series of varying assessment tasks is required to draw conclusions about students' interprofessional competence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article adopts a Bakhtinian understanding of dialogue to explore the affordances of virtual book clubs, and how they can foster dialogues and encourage dialogic thinking in students. Drawing on a qualitative case study of 11-year-old students participating in an online book club, we explore how digital book clubs open dialogic spaces for students to build on discussions of texts. Readers learn to read beyond the text by becoming more aware of the text and other readers, and also learn collaboratively by building on each other's responses and being exposed to different perspectives and ideas. We demonstrate how online spaces such as virtual book clubs can enhance students' reading engagement and open dialogic spaces for the different exchanges they have with others. Implications for using online book clubs for offering students opportunities to read and think critical and collaborative learning are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-term corrosion and external disturbances can lead to defects in sewer pipes, which threaten important parts of urban infrastructure. The automatic defect detection algorithm based on closed-circuit televisions (CCTV) has gradually matured using supervised deep learning. However, there are different types and sizes of sewer pipe defects, and relying on human inspection to detect defects is time-consuming and subjective. Therefore, a few-shot, accurate and automatic method for sewer pipe defect with localization and fine-grained classification is needed. Thus, this study constructs a few-shot image-level dataset of 15 categories using the sewer dataset ML-Sewer and then presents a collaborative localization network based on weakly supervised learning to automatically classify and detect defects. Specifically, an attention refinement module (ARM) is designed to obtain classification results and high-level semantic features. Furthermore, considering the correlation between target regions and the extraction of target edge information, we designed a collaborative localization module (CLM) consisting of two branches. Then, to ensure that the network focuses on the complete target area, this study applies an image iteration module (IIM). Finally, the results of the two branches in the CLM are fused to acquire target localization. The experimental results show that the proposed model exhibits favorable performance in detecting sewer pipe defects. The proposed method exhibits prediction classification accuracy that reaches 69.76 % and a positioning accuracy rate that reaches 65.32 % , which is higher than the performances of other weakly supervised detection models in sewer pipe defect detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research investigated the role of continuing professional development (CPD) in further education (FE) through a small-scale study involving two general FE colleges and two independent training providers (ITP) in England. Teachers' experiences of their continuing development were collected through focus groups. These encouraged the teachers to disclose formal and informal learning, together with development opportunities that they undertook. Analysis of the data revealed that the purposes of these developmental activities could be divided into two categories: organisational and occupational. Organisational training functioned to transmit knowledge linked to externally-driven objectives, whilst occupational development functioned to update vocational subject specialisms and develop classroom pedagogy. Organisational training was college/provider-led, whereas occupational development was teacher-controlled. Essentially, both were needed to support teachers in their full professional roles, but organisational training took precedence. The study will further an understanding of professional development processes and purposes in FE, thereby informing the planning of CPD systems and policy in the sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on a model for participatory curriculum development that builds on a 'connected learning communities' (CLC) approach. We describe and analyse the trajectory of six CLC‐cases using a framework informed by Social Practice Theory (SPT). The activities we report on took place during the first pilot year (2020–2021) of a transnational University Alliance involving six European universities. Data were drawn from document analysis, direct observations and ongoing dialogue with students and staff involved in the CLCs. Our findings illustrate the affordances of building on existing practice for curriculum development in international contexts and point out the importance of well‐equipped collaborative environments that encourage critical analysis and active experimentation. We found that the CLC model and SPT framework are helpful contributions in the field of curriculum development and argue that connected curriculum‐making approaches help shape versatile environments that can effectively transform and enhance educational provisions, experiences and outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In online learning at scale, wherein instructional videos play a central role, interactive tools are often integrated to counteract passive consumption. For example, the forum or discussion board is widely used, and an emerging functionality, danmaku, which enables messages to be synchronized with video playback, has also been utilized recently. To explore how mass participation is accommodated and what categories of interaction learners implement, this study utilizes analysis of interaction and manual content analysis through learner-generated text data from two specific tools employed in a massive open online course (MOOC) setting: the discussion board (N = 739) and danmaku (N = 2435). Results of the analysis of interaction indicate that mass participation is managed differently by the tools: danmaku fosters a collective space for massive participants, while the discussion board organizes them into threaded small groups. In addition, results of the content analysis show danmaku primarily supports indirect interaction with a focus on the socio-emotional dimension, while the discussion board serves as a platform for direct discussions, particularly in the cognitive dimension. Furthermore, within the context of large-scale engagement, various levels of joint interaction, in addition to collaboration, are discerned and discussed in both socio-emotional and cognitive interactions. The findings offer insights for developing sociable and scalable socio-technical environments in computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL), addressing emerging educational trends. Practical implications for educational design based on these findings are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Team cohesion is critical in driving successful outcomes for teams in collaborative learning settings. It shapes team behaviour, fostering shared perceptions, group synchrony and a common goal-oriented approach. This affinity becomes evident in dynamic interactions, offering insights into team behaviour through interaction data analysis. Interpreting interaction data proves complex, hampering our understanding and insights into shared team perceptions and task cohesion development. This paper used temporal motif analysis to examine the changes in team members' cohesive perceptions and behaviours, including task cohesion, performance outcomes, engagement and group synchrony. Trace data from an online work-integrated learning environment captured learning behaviours, while responses to a questionnaire at different stages of a study program captured task cohesion and cohesive perceptions. The findings reveal teams with strong task cohesion and high performance tend to share similar cohesive perceptions driven by interdependent interactions. Conversely, teams with different cohesion perceptions have lower interaction interdependence and poorer performance. Through analysing team interaction data, this study uncovered key insights to promote positive adjustments aligning team perceptions, enhancing collaborative learning and offering support for improved performance, engagement and synchrony among teams, ultimately benefiting learning outcomes and the cultivation of skills and competencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article takes stock of the current trends in research, policy and practice regarding the role of language in the dialogic classroom. The article uses the policies of two different educational jurisdictions as counterpoints to highlight the different ways that oral language can be positioned within primary curricula. It reflects on current and recent research literature, exploring how language can promote the collaborative learning that is central to dialogic pedagogy, highlighting the value of less formal registers or less 'certainty' in the proposal of ideas. The article then offers a linguistic-ethnographic analysis of what this looks like in practice, drawing on classroom observational data gathered in English primary schools. Finally, these three strands of theory, policy and practice are brought together, scoping ways forward for the inclusion of language and dialogue in primary education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Interprofessional collaboration involves coordinated efforts by individuals from different professions. Trust is defined as an individual's willingness to be vulnerable within a relationship, while expecting the other party to act in their best interests. This study aimed to assess the attitudes of collaboration and trust among dental and medical professionals in Saudi Arabia. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study evaluated the attitudes of collaboration and trust among dental and medical professionals in Saudi Arabia using an online self-reported questionnaire distributed via social media. Data analysis was performed using SPSS. Results: The overall mean score for collaborative attitude was 6.2 (SD = 1.52), with 69.23% of participants exhibiting a positive attitude about collaboration. Participants rated family medicine (76.67%) and pediatric medicine (76.41%) as the medical specialties most relevant to dentistry, while obstetrics/gynecology was rated the lowest (32.31%). Dental professionals had a significantly higher mean score for collaborative attitude (m = 6.46, SD = 1.48) than did medical professionals (m = 5.93, SD = 1.51; p < 0.001). The score for dental professionals' trust in medical professionals (DTM) (m = 36.94, SD = 8.06) was significantly higher (p < 0.001) than the score for medical professionals' trust in dental professionals (MTD) (m = 33.81, SD = 8.20). The collaborative attitude scores among dental and medical professionals were not statistically significant when tested against the MTD score (p = 0.777) and DTM score (p = 0.419). Conclusions: There is a high level of collaborative attitude and trust between dental and medical professionals in Saudi Arabia. Dentists exhibit a higher degree of these attributes than medical professionals. These findings support the implementation of a collaborative medical–dental education framework in Saudi Arabia, where both specialties can train together during their undergraduate years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored patterns of social interaction and group-level regulation in terms of co- and socially shared regulation in collaborative learning and their relation to learners’ metacognitive task perceptions. 72 secondary school students performed collaborative physics tasks in small groups over multiple 90-minute sessions. Video recordings (∼148.5 h) of collaborative interactions and pre- and post- situated self-reports of learners’ task perceptions were collected. The collaborative sessions were clustered and collaborative interaction patterns were examined. Finally, learners’ task perceptions in the clusters were investigated. The results showed different collaborative interaction patterns and differences in learners’ task perceptions between the clusters. The main finding is that continuous active participation in socioemotional interactions alongside cognitive-focused interactions and appropriate group-level regulation of learning positively influence learners’ perceived task understanding. These findings add to current understanding of collaborative interactions as temporal processes and contribute to practical implications for supporting collaborative interactions to enhance metacognitive skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to analyze the effectiveness of differentiated instruction, collaborative learning, and flexible groupings on the academic achievements of pupils in multi-grade classrooms during the 2022-2023 school year. Five multi-grade teachers from various schools in the district were purposively chosen, along with 230 pupils, utilizing a descriptive correlational design. The data were analyzed using means, standard deviation, frequency counts, and Pearson product correlation at a significance level of 0.05. The findings indicate that the majority of respondents perceive differentiated instruction, collaborative learning, and flexible groupings as highly effective strategies. Additionally, a significant proportion of pupils demonstrate satisfactory academic achievements, with many falling within the "Very Satisfactory" GPA range. Pearson correlation analysis reveals a strong positive relationship between differentiated instruction and academic achievement, underscoring the importance of tailoring teaching methods to individual student needs. In conclusion, understanding the effectiveness of multi-grade teaching strategies can provide valuable insights for educators and policymakers. By acknowledging the positive impact of differentiated instruction and other collaborative strategies on academic achievement, educators can better support multi-grade teachers and learners in achieving academic success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rise of precision education has encouraged teachers to use intelligent diagnostic systems to understand students' learning processes and provide immediate guidance to prevent students from giving up when facing learning difficulties. However, current research on precision education rarely employs multimodal learning analytics approaches to understand students' learning behaviors. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the impact of teachers intervene based on different modalities of learning analytics diagnosing systems on students' learning behaviors, learning performance, and motivation in STEM collaborative learning activities. We conducted a quasi-experiment with three groups: a control group without any learning analytics system assistance, experimental group 1 with a unimodal learning analytics approach based on image data, and experimental group 2 with a multimodal learning analytics approach based on both image and voice data. We collected students' image or voice data according to the experimental design and employed artificial intelligence techniques for facial expression recognition, eye gaze tracking, and speech recognition to identify students' learning behaviors. The results of this research indicate that teacher interventions, augmented by learning analytics systems, have a significant positive impact on student learning outcomes and motivation. In experimental group 2, the acquisition of multimodal data facilitated a more precise identification and addressing of student learning challenges. Relative to the control group, students in the experimental groups exhibited heightened self-efficacy and were more motivated learners. Moreover, students in experimental group 2 demonstrated a deeper level of engagement in collaborative processes and the behavior associated with constructing knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advent of the digital age represents a transformative era in which technology, primarily social media platforms, has become an integral part of the daily lives of individuals worldwide. Students are the most prolific users of social media, utilizing these platforms for a variety of purposes, including communication, information sharing, entertainment, and social networking. This study evaluated the connection between student social media use and academic performance through family bonding and collaborative learning. This research also explores how mental wellbeing moderates the link between students' family bonding, collaborative learning, and academic performance. This research article analyzes a sample of 330 university students from the public and private sectors and tests the proposed hypothesized relationships. The study used the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) methodological approach for evaluating proposed parameters. The findings indicated that social media use positively correlated with students' academic performance. Second, family bonding and collaborative learning significantly moderated the association between students' academic performance and social media use. Finally, mental well-being significantly moderated the connection between students' collaborative learning, family bonding, and academic performance. This study's findings contribute to the knowledge of global education with valuable insights into students' psychological well-being and academic performance. In theory, the current research advances the scientific understanding of education by assessing social media usage's effects on students' academic performance and psychological well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to understand the dynamics and impact of emotional presence in a collaborative learning environment and its effects on the learning process and outcomes. Emotional presence, defined as the experience of emotion arising from cognitive appraisals in learner-environment interactions, encompasses four dimensions: interest-curiosity, emotional regulation, expression management, and emotional awareness. Using a mixed-methods approach, we surveyed 33 Japanese college students engaged in collaborative learning activities and conducted in-depth interviews with 10 participants to gather qualitative insights. The study revealed that emotional presence evolves throughout the collaborative process, with increased emotional regulation in response to complex tasks, reflecting learners' adaptations to varying task demands. It highlighted the importance of emotional regulation in shaping the learning process and improving outcomes in collaborative learning. Our findings suggest that heightened emotional presence, with increased emotional awareness and regulation, fosters cognitive development and learner well-being, supporting more effective and fulfilling collaborative learning experiences. The study also emphasizes the crucial role of cognitive appraisal in shaping emotional experiences, significantly influencing outcomes in technology-enhanced environments. The study concludes by proposing future research directions, such as examining the longitudinal impacts of emotional presence and exploring interventions to enhance emotional regulation skills in diverse learning contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The study presents the development and validation of the Teaching Approach Scale (TAS), a tool aimed at assessing teaching approaches in educational settings. Literature emphasizes the significance of collaboration and a student-centered approach in enhancing learning environments. However, the translation of these approaches into daily practices faces challenges due to entrenched traditions and individual perspectives. The TAS addresses this gap by assessing educators' perspectives on teaching approaches. Method: Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses carried on a sample of 642 teachers revealed four dimensions defining learning approaches: (a) Development of students' autonomy, (b) Comparison and synergy in the teacher's group, (c) Development of the student as a person, and (d) Standardization of teaching. Results and discussion: The TAS serves as a valuable instrument for capturing teachers' perspectives on teaching, thereby offering valuable insights for enhancing teaching practices and fostering professional development. Further studies need to face TAS validity and reliability, nevertheless, this study underscores the importance of considering teacher learning cultures in improving educational procedures, highlighting the role of individual perspectives in shaping teaching practices and learning environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the rapidly evolving digital landscape, e-learning methods have emerged as a highly influential phenomenon in higher educational institutions. The adoption of e-learning has transformed traditional face-to-face teaching environments into flexible and collaborative modes of education through the utilization of the metaverse platform. However, limited research has addressed the educational aspect of students' adoption of the metaverse platform. This study aims to bridge this gap by examining a conceptual model that incorporates crucial factors such as Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK), Technology Self Efficacy (TSE), Perceived Enjoyment (PE), Perceived Complexity (PC), Perceived Value (PV), and Controlled immersion, interaction, and imagination (III). A survey involving 342 students from Omani universities was conducted, revealing that TPACK positively influences metaverse adoption. The noteworthy impact of perceived enjoyment, perceived complexity, and perceived value were also observed. These findings underscore the significance of these factors in shaping the adoption of the metaverse and enhancing the e-learning experience. The practical implication of this study emphasizes the need for educational institutions to develop strategies enhancing technological skills, engagement, and content relevance in e-learning, particularly in the metaverse, to improve student adoption and learning experiences. This involves focusing on technological pedagogy, student confidence in technology use, and creating immersive, enjoyable, and valuable learning environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The onset of the pandemic catalyzed a paradigm shift in educational methodologies, bringing various forms, such as hybrid, distance, and fully online models, into focus. The following study explores the affective domain in online learning, focusing on how emotions, facial expressions, and body language influence engagement and support community building in fully online learning environments. This research explores the role of emotional intelligence in Fully Online Learning Communities (FOLC) and examines the impact of positive and negative emotions on interpersonal engagement and participation. Findings indicate positive emotions to be closely linked to increased engagement and active participation. The study also highlights the importance of exploring body language in digital learning environments and addresses challenges posed by technological barriers in fully online learning spaces. Emotional intelligence is pivotal in online learning and community building, emphasizing the need to understand how to create emotionally supportive digital learning environments. Outcomes indicate a need for future research to focus on understanding the role of cultural dimensions in supporting learner agency and community building in the fully online learning context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Students' self-regulation skills and self-efficacy are linked to performance and are considered essential for lifelong learning. Understanding these skills and their development is crucial for educational success and long-term personal growth. Methods: In this study, 60 students attending a university-level collaborative design course were recruited as participants. They were initially classified into three groups [high, mixed, and low self-efficacy (SE)] based on the initial test results. Students' written reflections were then analyzed using epistemic network analysis (ENA), aiming to explore the characteristics and developmental trajectories of self-regulated learning (SRL). Results: Comparing with the other two groups, the high self-efficacy (HSE) group demonstrated: (1) more behavioral characteristics of SRL in the performance and self-reflection stages, (2) an earlier development of interest 91 in the task and recognition of its value during collaborative design activities, 92 followed by the utilization of more cognitive and metacognitive strategies; and (3) an "anticipation-behavior-reflection" loop in the self-regulation process. Discussion: These findings highlight the importance of fostering high self-efficacy among students to enhance their self-regulated learning capabilities and overall academic performance. Strategies for improving learners' SRL and future research directions were provided accordingly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThis paper introduces the concept of polyphonic relational epistemology, an extension of relational epistemology that emphasizes knowledge as a dialogic and multivocal process. Drawing on Mikhail Bakhtin's theory of polyphony, the paper argues that the act of knowing emerges from the interaction of multiple, irreducible voices. This approach challenges traditional epistemological frameworks that prioritize individual coherence and logical consistency, proposing instead a view of truth as a dynamic interplay of diverse perspectives. The paper examines the contributions of key scholars in relational epistemology, such as Kenneth Gergen, Barbara Thayer-Bacon, and Lorraine Code, and builds upon their insights to develop a polyphonic understanding of knowledge. The practical implications of polyphonic relational epistemology are explored in the context of education, highlighting its potential to foster inclusive and collaborative learning environments. By embracing the complexity and multiplicity of human experience, polyphonic relational epistemology offers a rich framework for rethinking the nature of knowledge and its role in our lives. The paper concludes by outlining avenues for future scholarship, including empirical research, interdisciplinary approaches, and the integration of technology, to further refine and apply this conceptual framework in educational practice and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite extensive research on collaborative learning and sociocognitive conflict, its impact on executive education and managers’ learning is less understood. This study addresses this gap by identifying the manifestations and topics of verbalised sociocognitive conflicts and reflective collaborative discussions in managers’ collaborative small-group learning settings. The research material comprises approximately 40.5 hours of video recordings from three separate small groups. This video material was analysed qualitatively using thematic analysis, guided by prior collaborative learning research, focusing on the role of sociocognitive conflict. Various forms of challenging as manifestations of verbalised sociocognitive conflicts were identified in the small-group setting at both the group and structural and individual and peer levels. The study demonstrates how managers’ discussions evolve from sociocognitive conflict to reflective conversations fostering collaborative learning, highlighting the crucial role of these conflicts in managers’ learning. Theoretical implications provide insights into how sociocognitive conflict evolves into collaborative learning in managers’ education, suggesting insights for further research. This study has practical implications for developing collaborative learning and executive education for managers by leveraging sociocognitive conflicts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sparse identification of nonlinear dynamics is a popular approach to system identification. In this approach system identification is reformulated as a sparse regression problem, and the use of a good sparse regression method is crucial. Sparse Bayesian learning based on collaborative neurodynamic optimization is a recent method that consistently produces high-quality solutions. In this article, we extensively assess how this method performs for ordinary differential equation identification. We find that it works very well compared with sparse regression algorithms currently used for this task in terms of the tradeoff between the approximation accuracy and the complexity of the identified system. We also propose a way to substantially reduce the computational complexity of this algorithm compared with its original implementation, thus making it even more practical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Computational thinking (CT) is crucial to fostering critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Many elementary schools have been cultivating students' CT through block-based programming languages such as Scratch using traditional teacher-centered teaching methods. However, the approach excessively relies on teacher lectures, so the teacher's teaching load is hefty, and most students cannot receive timely assistance from teachers, thus reducing students' programming learning performance, interest, and confidence. Therefore, this study designs a Jigsaw collaborative learning method implemented in a metaverse virtual space (JCLM-MVS) for peer-to-peer Scratch programming learning to promote learners' programming learning performance, CT, and learning attitudes. This study used a quasi-experimental research method, with 48 fifth-grade students from two classes in Taiwan's elementary school as the research participants. One class of 24 students was randomly assigned to the experimental group using JCLM-MVS to conduct Scratch programming learning, whereas the other class of 24 students was assigned to the control group using the traditional teacher-centered teaching method. Main findings: The study found that the experimental group of learners showed significantly better Scratch programming learning performance and attitude than the control group, and there was no statistically significant difference in CT between both groups, but both learning approaches effectively promoted CT. Additionally, the interview results showed that most interviewees stated that using JCLM-MVS for Scratch programming learning could receive timely assistance from peers, make collaborative learning more efficient and learning more enjoyable, and more intend to use JCLM-MVS for Scratch programming learning than using traditional teacher-centered teaching method due to the effective collaborative interaction mechanisms and realistic learning space provided in the metaverse virtual space. Conclusions/potential implications: This study presents a novel and engaging learning approach by integrating a metaverse virtual space with the Jigsaw collaborative learning method, referred to as JCLM-MVS, which enhances the effectiveness of the Jigsaw collaborative learning method in promoting Scratch programming learning performance, CT, and attitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study examined the impact of co-teaching on students and lecturers, assessing its benefits and drawbacks, and suggesting ways to enhance collaborative learning. Methods: Fifty undergraduate student teachers participated in two sports sciences seminar courses jointly taught by two lecturers. Data was collected via student reflections; course evaluation feedback; word clouds; and teacher reflections. Thematic analysis was used for qualitative data. Results: The findings indicate that the short intensive seminar course resulted in three parallel processes: emotional, students transitioning from negative feelings of chaos, frustration, and a sense of incompetence to positive feelings of satisfaction and sense of accomplishment; social, students learning to listen, request assistance, support, encourage, and collaborate; and cognitive, students learning to ask fruitful questions, plan experiments, summarize, and present. Nevertheless, the time and effort demands involved in the planning and management of such courses may constitute a significant barrier to the future implementation of this teaching method. In terms of course outcomes, no indications of higher quality were seen compared to traditional instruction. Discussion: Drawing on the symbolic interactionism theory, the study advocates for preparing students for inclusive and collaborative learning environments to improve academic engagement and success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the potential of empowering children as peace agents through education by using the case of the TEC4Schools program. The program is based on Allport's Contact Theory and promotes prolonged exposure to the 'other' culture among culturally diverse groups of students. It is based on the hypothesis that extended contact periods encourage more positive attitudes towards different cultures. The study involved three groups of mainly 5th and 6th grade students: The first group participated in the program for the first time, and we call them first-year participants and some of them participated in the program for second year and we call them second-year program participants, and the control group who never participated. Surveys were distributed at the beginning and end of the year, exploring attitudes, proximity, and friendships with peers from the other group. The results showed that second-year participants improved their attitudes towards and willingness to be close to children from other cultures. These findings suggest that the TEC4Schools project and the TEC Model effectively improve attitudes towards children from other cultures among second-year participants. Further research is needed to understand these differences and refine the project to be more effective for all participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The following teaching brief advocates for the integration of lived experiences in course design as a means to facilitate equity, inclusion, and culturally responsive teaching. To address persisting inequalities and colonized structures, the authors propose an actionable insight and strategy by sharing a discussion activity in which students share photos and videos of their "backyards" as a vehicle to accentuate similarity within difference—the celebration of a diverse learning community that can only exist online. The proposed instructional activity, "Welcome to My Backyard," is informed by an understanding of how power dynamics, cultural biases, and lived experiences intersect in online education. By outlining how instructors can facilitate online discussions that drive a meta-awareness of diversity, equity, and inclusion among online learners, digital learning can be leveraged to build connections and community while encouraging critical thinking and active engagement with course materials that subvert traditional, colonial models of education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Operations Research (OR) is a branch of applied mathematics that deals with optimization problems arising from different real contexts. The solving process of its problems is based on the construction and resolution of mathematical models, showing the possible connections between mathematics and the real world. Nevertheless, OR is not typically included in most curricula of higher secondary schools (i.e. Grades 9–12), but it is usually presented mainly at university level. To show how OR could be significant for these school students' education, the authors of this paper developed an educational project consisting of three teaching units. In this paper, we share the result of the teaching experiment related to the first unit, addressed to Grade 10. Qualitative and quantitative analyses show how it is appropriate to include OR and its typology of problems in regular school mathematics lectures. Second, these data also show how modelling and problem-solving skills, developed working with OR, can be fostered by implementing a collaborative way of working, also by making use of digital technologies. Last but not least, we demonstrate the positive impact such activities have on students' appreciation of OR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To confront global environmental challenges, architectural design can play an important role to achieve sustainability. This paper addresses the Online collaborative approach to support the integration of environmental sustainability. It will assess the efficacy of integrating collaborative online international learning exchange (COIL) and cross-cultural dialogue pedagogy into a sustainable architecture studio course to develop students’ architectural and intercultural competencies. In this study 16 groups, each group consists of 3-4 students, from An Najah university in Palestine and Memphis university in USA were involved in shared learning classroom model. Different methods were used to assess the students’ outcomes, such as reflection reports written by the students, the use of new technologies for design and communication, and the outcomes from the architectural design. The results show changes in the students' understanding of different cultures, they improved their communication skills, and their ability to design in different contexts. The findings also underline the importance of integrating COIL into architectural design education to create professionals who are able to design a resilient and sustainable built environment. The paper introduces intercultural dialogue framework and a new pedagogical technique in the field of virtual exchange. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A student's middle school science experience strongly impacts their future science, technology, engineering, and mathematics interest. The Japanese lesson study (JLS) model strengthens the student's experience through a research-based, collaborative, multistep, teaching-centered process focused on transforming local instructional practices. The JLS model has seen very limited application to middle school life science classrooms. The six-year-long implementation of JLS to core standards in the seventh-grade life science curriculum at a Los Angeles area school serving a historically underrepresented population found large, gender-independent increases in student mastery of key science standards, increased teacher collaboration in the areas of lesson development and data analysis, and school-site reform yielding district and statewide recognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study developed a realistic, interactive English blockade-running game that integrates virtual environments and mobile devices to conduct a collaborative and competitive contest to promote English learning among technical college students. In addition, it also explored students' learning effectiveness, perception of peer collaboration, and the use of grouping strategies for collaborative learning. This study adopted a quasi-experimental design and separated 120 participants into four groups (Baseline, Smartphone, Collaborative Learning, and Smartphone + Collaborative Learning). The procedure included the pretest, English blockade-running contest, peer collaboration perception questionnaire, focus interview, and the posttest at the end of the semester. Our findings in terms of learning effectiveness, the Collaborative Learning Group and the Smartphone + Collaborative Learning Group exhibited significant improvements in their scores. In terms of peer collaboration, we also found that the Smartphone + Collaborative Learning Group reported increased perceptions of collaboration in Take Action and Group Organization dimensions when compared with the Collaborative Learning Group. Regarding grouping strategies for collaborative learning, the Smartphone + Collaborative Learning Group used smartphones to ensure continuous communication between team members during both individual and collaborative blockades. Team members performed their respective duties, jointly participated in the contest, and worked together to overcome the challenges of the different blockades. The implications and research limitations are also discussed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Engineering education has seen a growing interest in how students regulate their learning as a group in interdisciplinary projects. This study adds to the current literature on social regulation of learning by conducting a comparative case study of three interdisciplinary group projects addressing real-world challenges. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were synthesised into narrative episodes representing key aspects of the groups' regulative behaviours. We found indications of co- and socially shared regulation across all groups, with noteworthy differences in the project phases that led to varying student experiences. We discuss key factors that affected regulation along four themes we identified: (1) goal setting and planning, (2) implementation, monitoring, and evaluation, (3) the role of supervisors, and (4) the impact of disciplines. We offer insights for practitioners and provide a foundation for future research on social regulation in interdisciplinary group learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collaborative inference has recently emerged as an attractive framework for applying deep learning to Internet of Things (IoT) applications by splitting a DNN model into several subpart models among resource-constrained IoT devices and the cloud. However, the reconstruction attack was proposed recently to recover the original input image from intermediate outputs that can be collected from local models in collaborative inference. For addressing such privacy issues, a promising technique is to adopt differential privacy so that the intermediate outputs are protected with a small accuracy loss. In this paper, we provide the first systematic study to reveal insights regarding the effectiveness of differential privacy for collaborative inference against the reconstruction attack. We specifically explore the privacy-accuracy trade-offs for three collaborative inference models with four datasets (SVHN, GTSRB, STL-10, and CIFAR-10). Our experimental analysis demonstrates that differential privacy can practically be applied to collaborative inference when a dataset has small intra-class variations in appearance. With the (empirically) optimized privacy budget parameter in our study, the differential privacy technique incurs accuracy loss of 0.476%, 2.066%, 5.021%, and 12.454% on SVHN, GTSRB, STL-10, and CIFAR-10 datasets, respectively, while thwarting the reconstruction attack. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated how different learning tasks influence students' collaborative interactions in immersive Virtual Reality (iVR). A set of chemistry learning activities was designed with iVR, and 35 pairs of undergraduate students went through the activities. Videos of students' interactions were analysed to identify patterns in students' physical, conceptual, and social interactions. When students were manipulating conceptually familiar virtual objects (several water molecules), they perceived the tasks as a simple extension of prior knowledge and did not attempt to explore the 3D visualisation much. They did not move around to take different perspectives, and conceptual discussions were brief. Their prior power relations (leader–follower) carried over in iVR environments. In contrast, when conceptually unfamiliar chemical structures (protein enzyme) were displayed, students perceived the tasks as complex, demanding a new mode of learning. They spontaneously moved around to explore and appreciate the 3D visualisation of iVR. Walking to different positions to observe the virtual objects from multiple angles, students engaged in more collaborative, exploratory conceptual discussions. As the perceived complexity of learning tasks or virtual objects triggers different collaborative interactions amongst students, careful considerations need to be placed on the design of iVR tasks to encourage productive collaborative learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To make full use of heterogeneous nodes data from IIoT to train high-accuracy models while protecting data privacy, this paper proposed a privacy-preserving two-stage collaborative learning system based on blockchain. Firstly, it used a grouped federated learning framework to divide participating nodes into different groups based on their computing power. Each group trained a global model suitable for its computing power through federated learning. Secondly, it introduced split learning to enable nodes to collaborate with mobile edge computing servers to train a larger scale model, and used differential privacy technology to further protect data privacy. It stored trained models on the blockchain, and used the consensus algorithm of the blockchain to further prevent attacks from malicious nodes and protect the security of the model. Finally, to combine the advantages of multiple heterogeneous global models and further improve model accuracy, it used the feature extractor of each global model to extract features from user data, and used these features as training datasets to train a higher accuracy complex model. Experimental results show that the performance of system on Fashion-MNIST and CIFAR-10 datasets is better than the performance of traditional federated learning. It is suitable for obtaining high-accuracy models in IIoT scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teachers' language assessment literacy (LAL) refers to teachers' ability to perform assessmentrelated tasks. Despite the significant role of language assessment literacy in English language teaching and learning, many teachers reported to have an inadequate ability to perform assessment-related tasks because of the lack of assessment training programs that prepared them for the tasks. This study aimed at investigating the existing assessment training programs to develop EFL teachers' LAL. A systematic literature review was conducted to observe trends in how assessment training programs were carried out in the past decades. PRISMA model was used for identifying, screening, and selecting. Twenty-eight studies published between 2012 and 2022 were reviewed. The results reveal that the assessment training models comprised theoretical and practical components of language assessments. The results also show that the methods for delivering the content are collaborative and reflective practices. The findings of this study should be considered in the design of EFL teacher training programs on assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the evolving landscape of post-industrial society and the knowledge economy, the cultural dimensions of social development, particularly in the realm of spiritual civilization, are garnering increasing attention. Within this context, university culture stands out as a pivotal component of cultural manifestation, crucial to the enhancement of a university's soft power and overall competitiveness. Recent advancements in the field of ideological and political education have prompted scholars to revisit and innovate the methods of imparting this education to college students, focusing specifically on athletes in sports programs. This study explores the integration of ideological and political education within collegiate athletic training programs through the lens of collaborative education. By examining the inherent processes that shape human ideological perspectives, this research aims to reformulate and expand the methodologies and strategies of ideological and political education. The approach combines traditional educational objectives with the specific needs of athletes, emphasizing the development of well-rounded individuals who are not only physically adept but also culturally and politically informed. The integration of these educational facets is vital for fostering a holistic athletic environment that enhances both physical fitness and intellectual growth. This strategic fusion is shown to be crucial in not only advancing the educational goals but also in promoting the broader societal values within the athletic community. The findings underscore the practical significance of broadening the scope and methods of ideological and political education to include collaborative strategies tailored to the unique needs of athletes, thereby enriching their educational and developmental journey in universities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyses the scientific literature publications from 2015 to 2022 on collaborative learning published in the reputable database Scopus. The study uses the recommended preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis (PRISMA) protocol to conduct a systematic analysis of the literature. A total of 664 relevant journal articles were included following the PRISMA framework. The study examined trends in journal article publications, the field of study in which the collaborative learning approach is applied, the participants used as study subjects, and the first authors' country of affiliation. The review highlights a significant growth in the amount of educational research that utilizes collaborative learning approaches. Researchers paid more attention to studies that focused on tertiary education settings, next on elementary school environments and a few studies examined collaborative learning within the context of the workplace. Based on the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) fields of study, many of the collaborative learning studies conducted over the recent four years (2019–2022) were aimed at enhancing students’ performance in multidisciplinary settings, followed by computing and physical sciences. The results indicate a considerable rise in technologyenhanced collaborative learning practices [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conversational Recommender Systems (CRS) aim to provide high-quality items to users in fewer conversation rounds using natural language. Despite various attempts that have been made, there are still some problems: Previous CRS only learned item representations in a single knowledge graph and ignored item tags; information gaps exist in the same items from different knowledge graphs and information popularity both affect user preferences; system generated responses lack descriptiveness and diversity. To address these problems and fully utilize external knowledge, we propose a Multi-source Information Contrastive Learning Collaborative Augmented method (MCCA ), which aims to mine the potential tag preferences of users in dialogues as well as enhance the accuracy of item representation and user preference modeling. Specifically, we utilize the obtained items and their tags to construct a new knowledge graph that incorporates movie tags. We design a Multi-source Item Fusion mechanism (MIF ) to bridge the information gaps between items from different knowledge graphs and then utilize unsupervised contrastive learning to enhance the items' representation capability after MIF. Additionally, a Multi-Tag Fusion mechanism (MTF ) is designed to combine user-perceived information (i.e., tag popularity) and keywords obtained from reviews to co-enhance user preference representations through items and tags, and to incorporate fused item and tag features into the conversation module. Extensive experiments on two datasets show that MCCA significantly outperforms state-of-the-art methods. The source code will be available at https://github.com/lhy-cqut/MCCA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sequential recommendation (SR) predicts the user's future preferences based on the sequence of interactions. Recently, some methods for SR have utilized contrastive learning to incorporate self-supervised signals into SR to alleviate the data sparsity problem. Despite these achievements, they overlook the fact that users' multi-behavior interactions in real-world scenarios (e.g., page view, favorite, add to cart, and purchase). Moreover, they disregard the temporal dependencies in users' preferences and their influence on attribute information, leading to models that struggle to accurately capture users' personalized preferences. Therefore, we propose a multi-behavior collaborative contrastive learning for sequential recommendation model. First, we introduce both user-side and item-side attribute information and design an attribute-weight-enhanced attention in multi-behavior interaction scenarios. It enhances the model's ability to capture user's multi-behavior preferences while considering the influence of attribute information. Second, in order to capture users' fine-grained temporal preferences. We divide the interaction sequences into different time scales based on the users' multi-behavior interaction timestamps. In addition, introduce temporal aware attention to generate temporal embeddings for different time scales and effectively integrate them with the user's multi-behavior embeddings. Finally, we design collaborative contrastive learning, which collaboratively captures users' multi-behavior personalized preferences from both temporal and attribute perspectives. This approach alleviates the issue of data sparsity. We conduct extensive experiments on two datasets to validate the effectiveness and superiority of our model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is abundant research on the use of concept maps in education. However, the most notable efforts have focused on learning outcomes as a consequence of individually constructed concept mapping for science concept learning. In the less explored field of history, some studies have found positive effects of collaborative concept mapping. However, student interaction has not been analyzed. This study employed quantitative and qualitative methods based on classroom discourse analysis to examine the extent to which students engage in historical reasoning and transactive interaction when they collaboratively complete a semiempty concept map, versus when they collaboratively write a summary, about 19th-century Western imperialism. The participants were 20 secondary education students from two history classes with an average age of 16 years. Within each class, the students were randomly assigned to the different conditions: collaborative concept mapping and collaborative summary writing. Student interaction was analyzed at two different levels: the content level and modes of co-construction. The results show that the students in the semiempty concept mapping condition engaged significantly more in causal explanation and argumentation and used more historical and metahistorical concepts in their reasoning than the students in the summary writing condition. Interaction in the semiempty concept mapping condition included a much higher percentage of utterances which denoted the convergence and integration of the knowledge contributed by the partners in the dyad. This kind of transactive interaction not only reflected co-construction but also historical reasoning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enabled by technological innovations and evolving theories of cognition, embodied learning designs have proliferated over the last few decades. Collaborative tasks in particular offer rich learning opportunities as learners overtly coordinate and negotiate their work. However, less attention has been paid to the ways in which social relationships among participants—be they strangers, friends, or family members—can shape and constrain their movement and learning opportunities. I propose a five-part framework to characterize participants' physical proximity, a marker of familiarity. I demonstrate the efficacy of this framework by using it to analyze video recordings of 41 dyads of families, friends, and strangers as they work on a body-scale geometry and spatial reasoning exhibit at a science museum. Findings suggest that all dyads established successful collaborative movement patterns, though strangers shared space and established physical touch markedly less than family members and friends. Considering these patterns in the design of other collaborative embodied learning activities could create a more comfortable and supportive environment for learners to move and learn together. The analytic framework could also inform the design and evaluation of other movement-based collaborative educational activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collaborative learning (CL) is the instructional use of small groups in such a way that students work together to maximize their own and others' learning. In this study, the aim was to implement online collaborative learning (OCL) using the Microsoft Teams (MT) platform and to analyze the students' preferences regarding presential or online learning. Material and Methods: A descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study was conducted with 79 students from the Degree in Dentistry. Four groups were created with MT and clinical cases or problems were uploaded for online discussion with each group. Additionally, as part of the course program, the students were divided into the same groups for to carry out Problem-Based Learning (PBL) in person. Afterwards, students completed a project assessment and satisfaction survey. Results: The survey revealed that the students found participation in this project to be useful or very useful. Their experiences with MT were rated as positive or very positive. However, a significant portion of the students (42.6%) preferred conventional face-to-face (FF) problem-solving, while 27.9% preferred using online tools. Based on the execution of this project and the open feedback on the use of MT, we have outlined a series of recommendations to enhance the use of this platform. Conclusions: MT is a highly useful platform for online teaching, offering multiple tools to promote learning in a virtual and asynchronous manner. However, when comparing CL through PBL conducted FF versus online, students still prefer in-person teaching to virtual methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A decline in European students' interest in STEM subjects, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic's disruption of education, has raised concerns about the continent's future workforce. To address this challenge, this study investigates the efficacy of the BIG GAME project methodology, a cooperative story-driven digital game approach designed to engage secondary students in collaborative environmental problem-solving. Implemented across Romania, Italy, Estonia, and Finland, this six-month study employed a mixed-methods design involving 62 teachers and 239 students in ten distinct game missions focused on environmental challenges. The quantitative results indicated significant improvements in students' transversal skills (teamwork, communication, and critical thinking), as reported by over 75% of teachers. The qualitative data emphasised the value of structured peer review in developing students' reflective practices. This research underscores the importance of teacher facilitation in game-based learning and problem-based simulations and highlights the potential of such methodologies to boost student engagement and environmental awareness. These findings suggest that the BIG GAME project approach could be a valuable tool for revitalising STEM education and cultivating future-ready citizens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]