Online Learning Research
The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on a MOOC in Aerospace Structures and Materials
Article written by Ioana Jivet and Gillian N. Saunders-Smits and published in the Proceedings of the SEFI 49th Annual Conference.
Abstract
In March 2020 COVID-19 brought the world and with that aviation to a standstill. Also in March 2020, the third run of the DelftX MOOC Introduction to Aerospace Structures and Materials started on edX. This MOOC generally attracts a mixture of young aviation enthusiasts (often students) and aviation professionals. Given the large interest MOOCs have received as the pandemic hit, we investigate how the new global context affected the motivation and the way learners interact with our course material. For this project, we will use learning analytics approaches to analyse the log data available from the edX platform and the data from pre- and post-course evaluations of two runs of the same MOOC (2019 and 2020). With the insights gathered through this analysis, we wish to better understand our learners and adjust the learning design of the course to better suit their needs. Our paper will present the first insights of this analysis.
Keywords
MOOC, Aerospace Engineering, Learning Analytics, Lifelong Learning
Reference
Jivet, I., & Saunders-Smits, G. (2021). THE EFFECT OF THE COVID-19 PANDAMIC ON A MOOC IN AEROSPACE STRUCTURES AND MATERIALS. In H-U. Heiß, H-M. Järvinen, A. Mayer, & A. Schulz (Eds.), Blended Learning in Engineering Education: challenging, enlightening – and lasting? (pp. 258-267)
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Presentation
Presentation of the work of dr. ir. I. Jivet and dr.ir. Gillian N. Saunders-Smits at the 49th Annual SEFI conference held online from 13-16 September 2021 hosted by TU Berlin:
Shifting from Blended to Online Learning: Students’ and Teachers’ Perspectives
Article written by Esra Polat, Sonja van Dam and Conny Bakker and published in the Proceedings of the Design Society.
Abstract
The Covid-19 outbreak forced many universities across the world to transition from a traditional or blended format to fully online education. This paper presents a case study on the transition to an online education format for a circular design course. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected through a survey with 26 students and interviews with six course teachers. The findings revealed that students preferred the on-campus versions over the online course components. They indicated the perceived lack of motivation, lack of sense of community, and a high workload as influencing factors. Teachers indicated the lack of connection with students as a drawback to online education but identified advantages to their teaching and the student’s learning experience. Suggestions for addressing an optimal blended course format are provided.
Keywords
Design education, Online learning, Circular economy, Case study, Covid-19
Reference
Polat, E., Van Dam, S., & Bakker, C. (2021). SHIFTING FROM BLENDED TO ONLINE LEARNING: STUDENTS’ AND TEACHERS’ PERSPECTIVES. Proceedings of the Design Society, 1, 2651-2660. doi:10.1017/pds.2021.526
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License
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is unaltered and is properly cited. The written permission of Cambridge University Press must be obtained for commercial re-use or in order to create a derivative work.
Development of a maturity model for blended education: A delphi study
Article written by Katie Goeman, Wiebe Dijkstra, Stephan Poelmans, Pavani Vemuri, Willem Van Valkenburg and published in the International Journal on E-Learning: Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education.
Abstract
In order to embed blended learning environments in a strategic and sustainable manner, a multi-actor, multidimensional approach is necessary. This paper reports the results of a 3-round Delphi study involving 28 experts which focuses on the refinement and validation of a layered maturity model that assesses key aspects of blended practices in higher education. The study examines the wording of the proposed assumptions, dimensions and indicators, whether they bear validity and if there are others that are not accounted for. We present the findings of each round, the confirmed maturity model and a series of recommendations for its future usage. As such, it is helpful for lecturers, program coordinators, support services or institutional leaders to decide upon follow-up actions and to achieve up-scaled blended programs and courses in higher education institutions.
Keywords
Maturity model, blended learning, blended teaching, blended education, EMM, higher education
Reference
Goeman, K., Dijkstra, W., Poelmans, S., Vemuri, P., & Van Valkenburg, W. (2021). DEVELOPMENT OF A MATURITY MODEL FOR BLENDED EDUCATION: A DELPHI STUDY. International Journal on E-Learning: Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education, 20(3), 229-258. https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/217682/
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De lerende als rode draad: Weten wat de (werkende) student nodig heeft
Artikel geschreven door Nida K. van Leersum, Willem F. van Valkenburg en Rob F. Mudde en gepubliceerd in het Tijdschrift voor Hoger Onderwijs
Samenvatting
Het permanent najagen van kennis en vaardigheden voor onze persoonlijke en professionele ontwikkeling zal ons steeds meer veranderen in levenslang lerenden. Maar wat houdt ‘een leven lang ontwikkelen’ precies in, en welke rol kunnen universiteiten daarin spelen?
Keywords
Higher education, lifelong learning
Referentie
van Leersum, N. K., van Valkenburg, W. F., & Mudde, R. F. (2021). DE LERENDE ALS RODE DRAAD: WETEN WAT DE (WERKENDE) STUDENT NODIG HEEFT. Tijdschrift voor Hoger Onderwijs, jaargang 28(2), 32-37. https://www.themahogeronderwijs.org/bladerversie/
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Book Review of Responsive Open Learning Environments: Outcomes of Research from the ROLE Project
Book review written by Naomi Wahls and published in Open Praxis.
Abstract
In summary, Responsive Open Learning Environments (ROLE): Outcomes of Research from the ROLE Project is an ebook that covered the Responsive Open Learning Environment (ROLE) Project between multiple universities. ROLE investigated and operationalized PLEs. PLEs could provide new outlets for online education. Student or participant responses could have been covered more in the book and how ROLE affects culture could have been explored. The academic book is commendable for the number of authors and universities represented and is recommend for those interested in OER.
Reference
Wahls, N. (2019). BOOK REVIEW OF RESPONSIVE OPEN LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS: OUTCOMES OF RESEARCH FROM THE ROLE PROJECT. Open Praxis. https://doi.org/10.5944/openpraxis.11.3.988
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License
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use.
Pioneering Online Design Teaching in a MOOC Format: Tools for Facilitating Experiential Learning
Article written by Jaap Daalhuizen and Jan Schoormans and published in International Journal of Design.
Abstract
Providing online design education offers a unique opportunity for learning, by providing high quality learning experiences to distributed audiences for free. It has its challenges as well, particularly when the aim is use ‘active learning’ strategies (Biggs & Tang, 2011), which are necessary when teaching design. In this paper, we report on the development of one of the first massive open online courses (MOOC) in the field of product design. We provide insight into the way the course was designed to stimulate active learning, highlighting the tools that were developed to engage students in a mode of experiential learning (Kolb, 1984). We present the results of the course evaluation, through (post-course) surveys and interviews, focusing on the way the newly developed active learning tools were experienced by the students. We found that experiential learning strategies are applicable to the MOOC context, and that dedicated didactic tools were evaluated more positively in terms of stimulating reflection, motivation and learning that conventional ones. We conclude with an analysis of the outlook on future developments for online design education.
Keywords
Design Education, Design Methods, Massive Open Online Learning.
Reference
Daalhuizen, J., & Schoormans, J. (2018). Pioneering online design teaching in a MOOC format: tools for facilitating experiential learning. International Journal of Design, 12(2), 1-14.
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Online Courses on Business Model Innovation for Practitioners in SMEs
This article is published in the Journal of Business Models (2019), Vol. 7, No. 3.
Abstract
We develop and evaluate five online courses (MOOCs) on business model innovation, tailored to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). Six design principles are found for such courses: regarding type and form of learning contents; time investments from participants; practical examples and tools; integration with daily practice; and participative learning.
Keywords
Business model innovation; Online learning; MOOC
Reference
de Reuver, M., Cligge, M., and Haaker, T. (2019), Online courses on business model innovation for practitioners in SMEs, Vol. 7, No. 3, pp. 13-24
Acknowledgements
This publication was developed within the project `Regeling open en online hoger onderwijs’ of the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, guided by SURF (www.surf.nl). The course development received part of its funding from the European Community’s Horizon 2020 Program (2014–2020) under grant agreement 645791. The content herein reflects only the authors’ view. The European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains. We thank the other course team members Harry Bouwman, Gudo Reekers, Stephan Kool, Thea Dullemans and Johannetta Gordijn for invaluable contributions to the courses. We also thank our colleagues from the H2020 ENVISION project. An earlier version of this paper was presented to Open Education Global Conference 2018, and we thank the reviewers and audience for helpful comments.
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MOOC Analytics: Learner Modeling and Content Generation
Doctoral thesis of Guanliang Chen, successfully defended on May 6th 2019.
Abstract
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), as one of the popular options for people to receive education and learn, are endowed with the mission to educate the world. Typically, there are two types of MOOC platforms: topic-agnostic and topic-specific. Topic-agnostic platforms such as edX and Coursera provide courses covering a wide range of topics, while topic-specific MOOC platforms such as Duolingo and Codeacademy focus on courses in one specific topic. To better support MOOC learners, many works have been proposed to investigate MOOC learning in the past decade. Still, there are many other aspects of MOOC learning to be explored.In this thesis, we focused on (i) learner modeling and (ii) generation of educational material for both topic-agnostic and topic-specific MOOC platforms.
Keywords
Reference
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Large-Scale Learning Analytics: Modeling Learner Behavior & Improving Learning Outcomes in Massive Open Online Courses
Doctoral thesis of Dan Davis defended on May 7th 2019.
Keywords
learning analytics, web information systems, learning science, educational data mining, MOOCs
Reference
Davis, D. (2019). Large-Scale Learning Analytics: Modeling Learner Behavior & Improving Learning Outcomes in Massive Open Online Courses. https://doi.org/10.4233/uuid:b8be8302-84a0-4b29-a6fe- 761a3f872420
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Social Presence in MOOCs
This article is published in the international journal IRRODL Vol 19, No 3 (2018).
Abstract
The capacity to foster interpersonal interactions in massive open online courses (MOOCs) has frequently been contested, particularly when learner interactions are limited to MOOC forums. The establishment of social presence—a perceived sense of somebody being present and “real”—is among the strategies to tackle the challenges of online learning and could be applied in MOOCs. Thus far, social presence in MOOCs has been under-researched. Studies that previously examined social presence in MOOCs did not account for the peculiar nature of open online learning. In contrast to the existing work, this study seeks to understand how learners perceive social presence, and the different nuances of social presence in diverse MOOC populations. In particular, we compare perceptions of social presence across the groups of learners with different patterns of forum participation in three edX MOOCs. The findings reveal substantial differences in how learners with varying forum activity perceive social presence. Perceptions of social presence also differed in courses with the varying volume of forum interaction and duration. Finally, learners with sustained forum activity generally reported higher social presence scores that included low affectivity and strong group cohesion perceptions. With this in mind, this study is significant because of the insights into brings to the current body of knowledge around social presence in MOOCs. The study’s findings also raise questions about the effectiveness of transferring existing socio-constructivist constructs into the MOOC contexts.
Keywords
social presence, MOOCs, forum participation
Reference
Poquet, O., Kovanović, V., de Vries, P., Hennis, T., Joksimović, S., Gašević, D., & Dawson, S. (2018). Social Presence in Massive Open Online Courses. The International Review Of Research In Open And Distributed Learning, 19(3). doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v19i3.3370