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For many heart failure patients, a heart transplant is required. Few hospitals in Canada perform heart transplants; thus, patients and caregivers must relocate to access transplant care.This study explores Canadian patients' and caregivers' experiences of to access transplant care and how patients and caregivers define home. The study's goal is to gain insights from the patient and caregiver experience and identify opportunities to improve the experience for those who relocate to access heart transplants. The research question was: How is the concept of home connected to the heart transplant journey?We conducted 18 interviews with advanced heart failure patients and caregivers, to explore patient and caregiver experiences of relocating to access transplant care. Patients and caregivers ranged in ages from 20's to 60's and had left their home of origin to move to a new location where medical care was available. 7 patients were male, 3 were female. All caregivers were female.Patients and caregivers identified three supports during relocation: other patients and caregivers, medical team and family. Patients and caregivers defined home as friends, family, community, warmth, safety, belonging and comfort.During relocation, patients and caregivers were supported by: other patients and caregivers, their medical team and family, and how these people made them feel: safe, warm, comfortable and that they belonged is how they defined home. The supports and definitions of home are connected; thus, a sense of home is inextricably linked to the transplant journey for patients and caregivers.

Algorithmic systems shape every aspect of our daily lives and impact our perceptions of the world. The ubiquity and profound impact of algorithms mean that algorithm literacy – awareness and knowledge of algorithm use, and the ability to evaluate algorithms critically and exercise agency when engaging with algorithmic systems – is a vital competence for navigating life in the 21st century. Professional digital competence (PDC) frameworks for teachers include technological, pedagogical, and social competence areas and are intended to illustrate the necessary knowledge, skills, and attitudes for digitally competent teachers. Using document analysis, we undertook a systematised review and evaluation of selected PDC frameworks through the lens of algorithm literacy. This analysis demonstrated that although some aspects of algorithm literacy could be inferred within the PDC frameworks analysed, there is a need for further explicit integration. Just as the DigComp framework for citizens has been updated to recognise the vital importance of understanding algorithmic systems' impact, so should PDC frameworks be revised. Recommendations are provided for incorporating understandings of algorithmic governance and bias and ensuring digital Bildung development in PDC frameworks. Implications for teacher education programs are also discussed.

Vocational education and training (VET) or technology education (TE) has the creating, making, and doing aspects of human activity at its foundation. This article presents a comparison of the teaching sense of efficacy (TSE) of practicing VET teachers and teacher candidates (TC) during a forced switch to emergency remote teaching (ERT). In Phase 1, the switch to ERT had a significantly negative effect on VET teachers (N = 42; r = -.60). In Phase 2, VET TCs (N = 16) were similarly affected (r = -.53). Results of a two-way mixed ANOVA in Phase 3 suggest that ERT had a greater negative impact on practicing VET teachers’ TSE for student engagement (partial eta squared = .11) and classroom management (partial eta squared = .19) than it did on VET TCs’ TSE. As novice teachers tend to draw more from contextual factors than mastery experiences, this research suggests that experienced teachers were at a greater loss due to the pandemic than TCs.

The key to education reform lies in exploring alternative forms of assessment. Alternative performance assessments provide a more valid measure than multiple-choice tests of students��� conceptual understanding and higher-level skills such as problem solving and inquiry. Advances in game-based and virtual environment technologies are creating new possibilities for learning and assessment. One such possibility is through the use of immersive 3D technologies that aim to situate students in an environment that promotes problem solving and inquiry and sets the context for assessment. This paper describes three on-going research projects that are using immersive 3D virtual environments as a platform in which to enable the summative, self-, and formative assessments of student learning.

Academic success in any context is dependent upon a student's belief in their ability to succeed. While learning online, a students’ self-efficacy is affected by their confidence in their ability to interact within the online environment. With the proliferation of personalized learning and the growth of Massive Open Online Courses, this growing trend is a shift in focus from the centralized brick-and-mortar locus of control, to one of enabling student choice and agency for how, when, and where they learn. In the pre-pandemic setting, this research study examined the personality types of students enrolled in eight sections of four online courses in educational technology, and the role self-efficacy for learning online played in their academic performance. Key findings reveal that personality affects learners’ academic achievement is moderately significant, self-efficacy for online learning affects learners’ academic achievement in a small but significant way, and student conscientiousness and academic performance were significantly and fully mediated by self-efficacy for learning online while controlling for gender and English language proficiency. There were no mediation effects with the other personality traits. A discussion around learning design strategies is provided. The authors recommend that institutions adopt more flexible learning options for teaching and learning that include both online and blended learning options that provide student’s choice and agency over the learning experience but also enable the institution to be better equipped for what the uncertain future of education holds.

The way individuals interpret and reinterpret their experience is central to meaning-making and, ultimately, to teaching learning. Grounded in Mezirow’s Transformative Learning Theory, this research explores whether pandemic-related emergency remote teaching manifested in a disorienting dilemma for technology educators. Educators negotiated curricular outcomes between physical aspects of making and doing and design and creative problem solving resulting in a pandemic transformed pedagogy. Thematic analysis revealed that making and doing was severely challenged due to decreased communication, student motivation and engagement. However, most concerning to educators was the heightened disparity in equity and access in their most vulnerable and at-risk students.

Theory of Mind (ToM) is an individual’s ability to understand the cognitive states of others, including their desires, beliefs, and knowledge. ToM describes how children, by the age of four, unders...

Introduction Heart failure (HF) symptoms improve through self-care, for which adherence remains low among patients despite the provision of education for these behaviours by clinical teams. Open Access Digital Community Promoting Self-Care, Peer Support and Health Literacy (ODYSSEE–vCHAT) combines automated digital counselling with social network support to improve mortality and morbidity, engagement with self–care materials, and health-related quality of life. Methods and analysis Use of ODYSSEE-vCHAT via Internet-connected personal computer by 162 HF patients will be compared with a control condition over 22 months. The primary outcome is a composite index score of all-cause mortality, all-cause emergency department visits, and HF-related hospitalisation at trial completion. Secondary outcomes include individual components of the composite index, engagement with self-care materials, and patient-reported measures of physical and psychosocial well-being, disease management, health literacy, and substance use. Patients are recruited from tertiary care hospitals in Toronto, Canada and randomised on a 1:1 ratio to both arms of the trial. Online assessments occur at baseline (t=0), months 4, 8 and 12, and trial completion. Ordinal logistic regression analyses and generalised linear models will evaluate primary and secondary outcomes. Ethics and dissemination The trial has been approved by the research ethics boards at the University Health Network (20-5960), Sunnybrook Hospital (5117), and Mount Sinai Hospital (21-022-E). Informed consent of eligible patients occurs in person or online. Findings will be shared with key stakeholders and the public. Results will allow for the preparation of a Canada-wide phase III trial to evaluate the efficacy of ODYSSEE-vCHAT in improving clinical outcomes and raising the standard of outpatient care. Trial registration number NCT04966104

Background Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is a leading cause of hospital admission in North America. Many patients with ACS experience challenges after discharge that impact their clinical outcomes and psychosocial well-being. SMS text messaging has the potential to provide support to patients during this postdischarge period. Objective This study pilot tested a 60-day SMS text messaging intervention (Txt2Prevent) for patients with ACS. The primary objective was to compare self-management domains between usual care and usual care plus Txt2Prevent. The secondary objectives were to compare medication adherence, health-related quality of life, self-efficacy, and health care resource use between groups. The third objective was to assess the feasibility of the study protocol and the acceptability of the intervention. Methods This was a randomized controlled trial with blinding of outcome assessors. We recruited 76 patients with ACS from St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver, Canada, and randomized them to 1 of 2 groups within 7 days of discharge. The Txt2Prevent program included automated 1-way SMS text messages about follow-up care, self-management, and healthy living. Data were collected during the index admission and at 60 days after randomization. The primary outcome was measured with the Health Education Impact Questionnaire (heiQ). Other outcomes included the EQ-5D-5L, EQ-5D-5L Visual Analog Scale, a modified Sullivan Cardiac Self-Efficacy Scale, and Morisky Medication Adherence Scale scores, and self-reported health care resource use. Analyses of covariance were used to test the effect of group assignment on follow-up scores (controlling for baseline) and were considered exploratory in nature. Feasibility was assessed with descriptive characteristics of the study protocol. Acceptability was assessed with 2 survey questions and semistructured interviews. Results There were no statistically significant differences between the groups for the heiQ domains (adjusted mean difference [Txt2Prevent minus usual care] for each domain—Health-directed activity: –0.13, 95% CI –0.39 to 0.13, P=.31; Positive and active engagement in life: 0.03, 95% CI –0.19 to 0.25, P=.76; Emotional distress: 0.04, 95% CI –0.22 to 0.29, P=.77; Self-monitoring and insight: –0.14, 95% CI –0.33 to 0.05, P=.15; Constructive attitudes and approaches: –0.10, 95% CI –0.36 to 0.17, P=.47; Skill technique and acquisition: 0.05, 95% CI –0.18 to 0.27, P=.69; Social integration and support: –0.12, 95% CI –0.34 to 0.10, P=.27; and Health services navigation: –0.05, 95% CI –0.29 to 0.19, P=.69). For the secondary outcomes, there were no statistically significant differences in adjusted analyses except in 1 self-efficacy domain (Total plus), where the Txt2Prevent group had lower scores (mean difference –0.36, 95% CI –0.66 to –0.50, P=.03). The study protocol was feasible, but recruitment took longer than expected. Over 90% (29/31 [94%]) of participants reported they were satisfied with the program. Conclusions The Txt2Prevent study was feasible to implement; however, although exploratory, there were no differences between the 2 groups in adjusted analyses except for 1 self-efficacy domain. As the intervention appeared acceptable, there is potential in using SMS text messages in this context. The design of the intervention may need to be reconsidered to have more impact on outcome measures. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02336919; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02336919 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) RR2-10.2196/resprot.6968

BACKGROUND Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is a leading cause of hospital admission in North America. Many patients with ACS experience challenges after discharge that impact their clinical outcomes and psychosocial well-being. SMS text messaging has the potential to provide support to patients during this postdischarge period. OBJECTIVE This study pilot tested a 60-day SMS text messaging intervention (Txt2Prevent) for patients with ACS. The primary objective was to compare self-management domains between usual care and usual care plus Txt2Prevent. The secondary objectives were to compare medication adherence, health-related quality of life, self-efficacy, and health care resource use between groups. The third objective was to assess the feasibility of the study protocol and the acceptability of the intervention. METHODS This was a randomized controlled trial with blinding of outcome assessors. We recruited 76 patients with ACS from St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver, Canada, and randomized them to 1 of 2 groups within 7 days of discharge. The Txt2Prevent program included automated 1-way SMS text messages about follow-up care, self-management, and healthy living. Data were collected during the index admission and at 60 days after randomization. The primary outcome was measured with the Health Education Impact Questionnaire (heiQ). Other outcomes included the EQ-5D-5L, EQ-5D-5L Visual Analog Scale, a modified Sullivan Cardiac Self-Efficacy Scale, and Morisky Medication Adherence Scale scores, and self-reported health care resource use. Analyses of covariance were used to test the effect of group assignment on follow-up scores (controlling for baseline) and were considered exploratory in nature. Feasibility was assessed with descriptive characteristics of the study protocol. Acceptability was assessed with 2 survey questions and semistructured interviews. RESULTS There were no statistically significant differences between the groups for the heiQ domains (adjusted mean difference [Txt2Prevent minus usual care] for each domain—Health-directed activity: –0.13, 95% CI –0.39 to 0.13, P=.31; Positive and active engagement in life: 0.03, 95% CI –0.19 to 0.25, P=.76; Emotional distress: 0.04, 95% CI –0.22 to 0.29, P=.77; Self-monitoring and insight: –0.14, 95% CI –0.33 to 0.05, P=.15; Constructive attitudes and approaches: –0.10, 95% CI –0.36 to 0.17, P=.47; Skill technique and acquisition: 0.05, 95% CI –0.18 to 0.27, P=.69; Social integration and support: –0.12, 95% CI –0.34 to 0.10, P=.27; and Health services navigation: –0.05, 95% CI –0.29 to 0.19, P=.69). For the secondary outcomes, there were no statistically significant differences in adjusted analyses except in 1 self-efficacy domain (Total plus), where the Txt2Prevent group had lower scores (mean difference –0.36, 95% CI –0.66 to –0.50, P=.03). The study protocol was feasible, but recruitment took longer than expected. Over 90% (29/31 [94%]) of participants reported they were satisfied with the program. CONCLUSIONS The Txt2Prevent study was feasible to implement; however, although exploratory, there were no differences between the 2 groups in adjusted analyses except for 1 self-efficacy domain. As the intervention appeared acceptable, there is potential in using SMS text messages in this context. The design of the intervention may need to be reconsidered to have more impact on outcome measures. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02336919; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02336919 INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT RR2-10.2196/resprot.6968

Purpose The disruption caused by the pandemic declaration and subsequent public health measures put in place have had a substantial effect on teachers’ abilities to support student engagement in technology education (TE). The purpose of this paper is to explore the following research question: How do TE teachers see emergency remote teaching (ERT) transitions to blended learning into the next academic year affecting their profession? Design/methodology/approach A snowball and convenience sampling design was used to recruit specialist teachers in TE through their professional organization and were asked to respond to the question: What are your concerns about the future of teaching TE remotely? The qualitative data collected from the participants (N = 42) was analyzed thematically (Braun and Clarke, 2006). Findings The analysis revealed that the switch to ERT impacted the teachers’ ability to support hands-on competency development owing to inequitable student access to tools, materials and resources, all of which affected student motivation and engagement. As a result, teachers raised questions about the overall effectiveness of online learning approaches and TE’s future and sustainability if offered completely online. Originality/value This research is the first of its kind exploring the experiences of TE teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic. In answer to the challenges identified by teachers, the authors offer a blended learning design framework informed by pandemic transformed pedagogy that can serve as a model for educators to use when designing blended instruction.

The Binding Force: A Practical Model for Building and Maintaining the Coach-Athlete Relationship in Canadian Intercollegiate Team Sport Coaches at Canadian post-secondary institutions have immense responsibilities: operating a successful sport program, managing the academic and athletic success of their athletes and ultimately delivering results, in other words, winning. “When athletes first join a team, they begin to familiarize themselves with their coach, the coach-athlete relationship, the environment, and the system” (Becker, 2009 p. 97) the athlete will compete in. Successful coaches are consistent in who they are (coach attributes), and how they maintain relationships, manage the team environment, and carry out their system (Becker, 2009); they provide a stable environment in order to develop the overall person and student-athlete. To date, the coach-athlete relationship remains to be an area of further exploration within team sport. The coach–athlete relationship is currently defined as a situation shaped by coaches’ and athletes’ interconnected feelings, thoughts, and behaviors (Jowett, 2005, 2007; Jowett & Poczardowski, 2007). This study addresses the need for a more systematic qualitative understanding of the coach-athlete relationship through the eyes of champion post-secondary team sport coaches. The emergence of various themes within the relationship are discussed, demonstrating a reciprocal bond that leads to, and continually feeds the connection between the coach and athlete, even afterwards, once it has been established. The importance of the coach-athlete relationship, its impact, the development, and maintenance are discussed.

Coach-athlete relationships are the fundamental fabric thatbinds a team together, impacts performance and athletebehavior in order to succeed in the competitive environment.Numerous authors suggest that an effective coachathleterelationship is necessary for a successful outcome(Lafreniere, Jowett, Vallerand, & Carbonneau, 2011 Shields,Gardner, Bredemeier, & Bostro, 1997) and it is conceivablethat the key to a successful coach-athlete relationshipis the development of human relationships by the coaches(Jowett & Cockerill, 2003; Philippe et al., 2011). Therefore“the most important encounter (in sport) may be theone between the athlete and their coach” (Ayer, 2015, p.28). This relationship is dynamically unique and complex,it can vary in both depth and quality, and is one that simultaneouslyinfluences and is influenced by a number ofvariables and contexts (Ayer, 2015; Allen & Eby, 2012;Jowett & Poczwardowski, 2007). Broadly the coach-athleterelationship is defined as a situation in which two individual’s(coach and athlete) feelings, thoughts, and behaviorsare mutually and causally interdependent (Jowett & Meek,2000).Research has shown that the athletes’ perceptions oftheir coaches’ behaviors have an impact on academics, performance,actions, leadership, morals, and beliefs (Horn,Bloom, Berglund, & Packard, 2011; Jowett & Cockerill,2003;); plausibly, athletes can be manipulated by the coachathleterelationship (Felton & Jowett, 2013; Philippe, Sagar,Huguet, Paquet, & Jowett, 2011).

Substantive research investigates the effects and impacts of tablets, in particular iPads, on children's education, but few papers discuss support for teachers in deciding which iPad applications can be integrated into the classroom. Even fewer articles are directed towards application developers. This chapter explores two standards for choosing apps for children - the four-pillar model of Hirsh-Pasek et al. (2015) and the rubric for the evaluations of educational apps for preschool children (REVEAC) by Papadakis, Kalogiannakis, and Zaranis (2017). This chapter draws from two standards for choosing iPad applications for young children in the classroom and through analysis of two applications will propose the REVEAC for educators and developers while also suggesting specific features that developers could consider when targeting children under 5 years old in educational contexts.

At the recent 15th annual Cardiovascular Clinical Trialist forum held in Washington, DC, I was one of several expert panelists to be asked to look into the crystal ball, to look into the future of clinical trials in heart failure. The panelists were doctors or physician-scientists who specialize in

Background: Among social media (SoMe) platforms, Twitter and YouTube have gained popularity, facilitating communication between cardiovascular professionals and patients. Objective: This mixed method systematic review aimed to assess the source profile and content of Twitter and YouTube posts about heart failure (HF). Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase and Medline using the terms “cardiology,” “social media,” and “heart failure.” We included full-text manuscripts published between January 1, 1999 and April 14, 2019. We searched Twitter and YouTube for posts using the hashtags “#heartfailure”, “#HF”, “#CHF” on May 15, 2019 and July 6, 2019. We performed a descriptive analysis of the data. Results:: Three publications met inclusion criteria, providing 677 tweets for source profile analysis; institutions (54.8%), health professionals (26.6%), and patients (19.4%) were the most common source profiles. The publications provided 1194 tweets for content analysis: 83.3% were on the education of professionals; 33.7% on patient empowerment; and 22.3% on research promotion. Our search on Twitter and YouTube generated 2,252 tweets and >400 videos, of which we analyzed 260 tweets and 260 videos. Sources included institutions (53.5% Twitter, 64.2% YouTube), health professionals (42.3%, 28.5%), and patients (4.2%, 7.3%). Content included education of professionals (39.2% Twitter, 62.3% YouTube), patient empowerment (20.4%, 21.9%), research promotion (28.8%, 13.1%), advocacy of professionals (5.8%, 2.7%), and research collaboration (5.8%, 0%). Conclusions: Twitter and YouTube are platforms for knowledge translation in HF, with contributions from institutions, health professionals, and less commonly, patients. Both focus largely on education of professionals and less commonly, on patient empowerment. Twitter includes more research promotion, research collaboration, and professional advocacy than YouTube.

Educators are embracing technology as a key to transforming learning for the 21st century. As the 21st century learning movement emphasizes the development of skills that are seen as uniquely relevant to the modern world, in the educational community, many are looking to technology, such as tablets, as a tool to modernizing classrooms. This research presents a case study of a participatory action research project, where participants provide input into the research process, examining the experiences of a secondary education level student-teacher implementing iPads during practicum. For two weeks, the student teacher integrated a set of 22 iPads into a grade ten Media Literacy unit. Qualitative data from the teacher’s daily blog and a post-practicum interview revealed six main themes in two categories: Teacher Impacts (Planning and Curricular Design, Delivery, Practicum Experience) and Student Impacts (Classroom, Learning Outcomes, Learning Experience). While generalizations to other English Language Arts (ELA) classes cannot be made, the results of this pilot study suggest that tablet technology has the potential to aid the transition to 21st century learning at the secondary level, and warrants further research and attention.

This exploratory case study examined in depth the studying activities of eight students across two studying episodes, and compared traces of actual studying activities to self-reports of self-regulated learning. Students participated in a 2-hour activity using our gStudy software to complete a course assignment. We used log file data to construct profiles of self-regulated learning activity in four ways: (a) frequency of studying events, (b) patterns of studying activity, (c) timing and sequencing of events, and (d) content analyses of students’ notes and summaries. Findings indicate that students’ self-reports may not calibrate to actual studying activity. Analyses of log file traces of studying activities provide important information for defining strategies and sequences of fine-grained studying actions. We contrast these analytic methods and illustrate how trace-based profiles of students’ self-regulated studying inform models of metacognitive monitoring, evaluation, and self-regulated adaptation.

Links between students' achievement goal orientations and learning tactics were investigated using software (gStudy) that supports a variety of learning tactics and strategies. An achievement goal questionnaire was administered to 307 students enrolled in an introductory educational psychology course. Data tracing study tactics were logged for 80 of these students who prepared for a test by studying a textbook chapter presented as a multimedia document. Using correlations and canonical correlations, we found relationships between goal orientations and activity traces indicating different forms of cognitive engagement. Notably, mastery goal orientation (approach or avoidance) was negatively related to amount of highlighting, a study tactic that is theorized to be less effective than summarizing and other forms of elaborative annotation for assembling and integrating knowledge.

As technology revolutionizes instruction, conceptual models of influence are necessary to guide implementation and evaluation of specific applications such as online peer discussion. Students in an educational psychology course analyzed five case studies that applied and integrated course content. Some students (n = 42) used WebCT Discussions to submit their case studies; other students (n = 82) submitted written case-study analyses to their instructor. Unexpected WebCT server difficulties allowed for analysis of the impact of technology malfunction on student learning. At the beginning of the course, the groups did not differ from each other. Subsequent differences between the groups suggested benefits of online discussion until the point at which the technology malfunctioned. A model of the influence of online peer discussion is generated from the data and includes proposed mechanisms by which student learning is both positively and negatively affected by the utilization of instructional technology.

Background: Acute coronary syndrome, including acute myocardial infarction (AMI), is one of the leading causes for hospitalization, with AMI 30-day readmission rates around 20%. Supporting patient information needs and increasing adherence to recommended self-management behaviors during transition from hospital to home has the potential to improve patient outcomes. Text messages have been effective in other interventions and may be suitable to provide support to patients during this transition period. Objective: The goal of this study is to pilot test a text messaging intervention program (Txt2Prevent) that supports acute coronary syndrome patients for 60 days postdischarge. The primary objective is to compare self-management, as measured by the Health Education Impact Questionnaire, between patients receiving only usual care versus those who receive usual care plus the Txt2Prevent intervention. The secondary objectives are to compare medication adherence, health-related quality of life, self-efficacy, health care resource use (and associated costs), all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) readmission, and all-cause and CVD mortality rates between the 2 groups. The third objective is to assess acceptability of the text messaging intervention and feasibility of the study protocol. Methods: This is a randomized controlled trial with blinding of outcome assessors. The Txt2Prevent program includes automated text messages to patients about standard follow-up care, general self-management, and healthy living. The content of the text messages was informed by and developed based on interviews with patients, discharge materials, theoretical domains of behavior, and a clinical advisory group composed of patients, clinicians, and researchers. We will recruit 76 consecutive cardiac in-patients with acute coronary syndrome who are treated with either medical management or percutaneous coronary intervention from a hospital in Vancouver, Canada. Results: Assessments at baseline will include measures for demographic information, self-management, health-related quality of life, and self-efficacy. Assessments at follow-up will include medication adherence, readmissions, health care resource use, and mortality in addition to the reassessment of baseline measures. Baseline assessments are done in-person while follow-up assessments are completed through a combination of mailed packages and phone calls. Semistructured interviews with participants will also be performed to better understand participant experiences managing their condition and with the text messages. Conclusions: This study will determine preliminary efficacy, feasibility, and acceptability of the Txt2Prevent program to support acute coronary syndrome patients in the transition to home following hospital discharge. The results of this study will be used to inform a larger trial. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02336919; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02336919 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6qMjEqo6O) [JMIR Res Protoc 2017;6(5):e91]

Social and group interactions in online and virtual communities develop and evolve from expressions of human agency. The exploration of the emergence of agency in social situations is of critical importance to understanding the psychology of agency and group interactions in social media. The purpose of this chapter is to explore the prevalence of agency in existing research in educational psychology relative to its potential impact on the bourgeoning field of identity in social media. Published articles from leading theorists in identity theory, agency, life course studies, and educational psychology provide a framework in which agentic behavior and digital identity formation in social media can be studied. Through an examination of Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory of Agency (Bandura, 1989, 2000, 2006), this chapter identifies and discusses agentic behavior evident in social media and its potential impacts for research and practice.

Validating interactions in immersive virtual environments (IVE) used in educational settings is critical for ensuring their effectiveness for learning. The effectiveness of any educational technology depends upon teachers’ and learners’ perception of the functional utility of that medium for teaching, learning, and assessment. The purpose of this chapter is to offer a framework for the design and validation of interactions in IVEs as they are linked to learning outcomes. In order to illustrate this framework, we present a case study of the Virtual Performance Assessment (VPA) project at Harvard University (http://vpa.gse.harvard.edu). Through our framework and case study, this chapter will provide educators, designers, and researchers with a model for how to effectively design immersive virtual and game-based learning environments for the purpose of assessing student inquiry learning.

Science inquiry is a cognitive process that depends upon the active engagement of students and is something that students do and is minds-on. However, given its active nature, assessing science inquiry process skills remains a challenge for educators. In this chapter, the authors describe research being carried out to develop Virtual Performance Assessments (VPAs) that measure science inquiry practices. They provide a case study of how VPAs are being used to design summative assessments that measure middle school students’ scientific inquiry aligned with national standards. The goal is to provide educators with a model of how they can assess science inquiry skills in their classrooms.

Social and group interactions in online and virtual communities develop and evolve from expressions of human agency. The exploration of the emergence of agency in social situations is of critical importance to understanding the psychology of agency and group interactions in social networks. This chapter explores how agency emerges from social interactions, how this emergence influences the development of social networks, and the role of social software’s potential as a powerful tool for educational purposes. Practical implications of agency as an emergent property within social networks provide a psychological framework that forms the basis for pedagogy of social interactivity. This chapter identifies and discusses the psychological processes necessary for the development of agency and to further understanding of individual’s engagement in online interactions for socialization and learning.

Video games engage players in rapid and complex interactions of self-regulatory processes. The way individuals regulate their cognitive, affective, and behavioral process while playing electronic games, relates to their ability to cope with the onslaught of information that electronic games require for their mastery. The psychological factors that produce self-regulated learning are explored as they relate to a player’s intentionality, interest, aptitude, motivation, goal-setting, and affect while playing games. A discussion of video games as authentic learning environments looks at the roles of student initiated learning in authentic contexts and specific design strategies are outlined. Practical learning strategies that promote SRL are presented to facilitate the use of conscious self-regulatory skills that students can implement in these authentic learning environments. This chapter opens the discussion of the role of self-regulated learning in video game environments and its impact in the field of educational gaming.

Central to research in social psychology is the means in which communities form, attract new members, and develop over time. Research has found that the relative anonymity of Internet communication encourages self-expression and facilitates the formation of relationships based on shared values and beliefs. Self-expression in online social networks enables identity experimentation and development. As identities are fluid, situationally contingent, and are the perpetual subject and object of negotiation within the individual, the presented and perceived identity of the individual may not match reality. In this chapter, the authors consider the psychological challenges unique to understanding the dynamics of social identity formation and strategic interaction in online social networks. The psychological development of social identities in online social network interaction is discussed, highlighting how collective identity and self-categorization associates social identity to online group formation. The overall aim of this chapter is to explore how social identity affects the formation and development of online communities, how to analyze the development of these communities, and the implications such social networks have within education.

Instructional designers can use evidence-based theories of motivation and self-regulated learning to construct e-learning environments that promote goal-setting and achievement. We have used gStudy, educational software designed according to principles of self-regulated learning, to construct a Goal-Setting Kit. The Goal-Setting Kit incorporates tests, scaffolds, concept maps, and exercises that allow students to express, organize, and monitor their strategies for achieving personal and instructional goals