Ana-Paula Correia

Transforming Online Teaching Practice: Critical Analysis of the Literature on the Roles and Competencies of Online Teachers.

Understanding what is lacking in the online teaching literature is critical to helping researchers and practitioners develop programs and support mechanisms for online teachers in higher education. This review formulates a critique of the standards- and competency-driven vision of online teaching from the perspective of transformative learning theory, in order to offer an alternative exploration of the professional development of online teachers as adult learners. The results indicate that while research about online teacher roles and competencies guides the development of teacher preparation and training programs, it lacks in terms of addressing the issues of empowerment of online teachers, promoting critical reflection, and integrating technology into pedagogical inquiry. An alternative perspective is suggested that considers teachers as adult learners who continuously transform their meaning of structures related to online teaching through a continuous process of critical reflection and action.

Student-led facilitation strategies in online discussions

This study explored student‐led facilitation strategies used to overcome the challenges of instructor‐dominated facilitation, enhance the sense of learning community, and encourage student participation in online discussions. It presents a series of cases of students’ facilitation strategies and using qualitative data analysis of discussion threads within the naturalistic inquiry framework, identifies three facilitation strategies: inspirational; practice‐oriented; and highly structured. The study shows that these facilitation strategies generated innovative ideas, motivated students to participate, and provided a risk‐free and relaxed atmosphere for participation.

Intersecting communities of practice in distance education: the program team and the online course community

This article is a case study that aimed at understanding the dynamics of two complementary communities involved in a distance education graduate program: one community of practice formed by the instructors and instructional developers, who designed and developed the program, and another created by the students and instructor in one of the online courses. The relationship between both communities and the evolution that occurred within the online course are analyzed. Emergent themes are discussed and recommendations are made for similar contexts and communities.

Exploring the dimensions of nomophobia

Nomophobia was investigated as a theoretical construct among young adults.Dimensions of nomophobia were identified and described.The Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q) was devised and validated.The NMP-Q can be used as a measure of nomophobia.Nomophobia can be considered a situational phobia and included in DSM-5. Nomophobia is considered a modern age phobia introduced to our lives as a byproduct of the interaction between people and mobile information and communication technologies, especially smartphones. This study sought to contribute to the nomophobia research literature by identifying and describing the dimensions of nomophobia and developing a questionnaire to measure nomophobia. Consequently, this study adopted a two-phase, exploratory sequential mixed methods design. The first phase was a qualitative exploration of nomophobia through semi-structured interviews conducted with nine undergraduate students at a large Midwestern university in the U.S. As a result of the first phase, four dimensions of nomophobia were identified: not being able to communicate, losing connectedness, not being able to access information and giving up convenience. The qualitative findings from this initial exploration were then developed into a 20-item nomophobia questionnaire (NMP-Q). In the second phase, the NMP-Q was validated with a sample of 301 undergraduate students. Exploratory factor analysis revealed a four-factor structure for the NMP-Q, corresponding to the dimensions of nomophobia. The NMP-Q was shown to produce valid and reliable scores; and thus, can be used to assess the severity of nomophobia.

Pre-Service Teachers' Preconceptions, Misconceptions, and Concerns about Virtual Schooling

Over the last decade, online distance education has become a common mode of study in most states in the USA, where it is known as virtual schooling (VS), but many people have misconceptions about it. Pre‐service teachers’ personal histories as students and their preconceptions, misconceptions, and concerns influence pre‐service teacher training experiences. A qualitative study of an introductory field experience course that included this new mode of schooling for the first time analyzed the personal journals and online discussion responses of 65 pre‐service teachers in the USA. Analysis identified that common misconceptions and concerns included career threat, viability of VS, academic dishonesty, reduced interaction, teacher feedback, and lack of rigor. The curriculum innovations in this innovative teacher preparation program were shown to address these misconceptions and concerns and facilitate understanding and acceptance of VS as an alternative form of education by many of these pre‐service teachers.

The civic-minded instructional designers framework: An alternative approach to contemporary instructional designers' education in higher education

This paper argues that an emphasis on training-for-the-job approaches has distracted designers from thinking about the meaning of their profession and the grand purpose of practising instructional design. Drawing from literature in the fields of sociology and educational technology, this paper synthesises discourses on civic professionalism in instructional design and technology, and proposes a conceptual framework that highlights the roles and qualities of a civic-minded instructional designer. It is claimed that a critical discussion on civic professionalism in the field of educational technology can offer an alternative perspective on educating instructional designers, and have practical implications on instructional design and technology curricula in higher education.

Team Conflict in ICT-Rich Environments: Roles of Technologies in Conflict Management.

This study looks at how an information and communication technologies (ICT)-rich environment impacts team conflict and conflict management strategies. A case study research method was used. Three teams, part of a graduate class in instructional design, participated in the study. Data were collected through observations of team meetings, interviews with individual members, plus analysis of electronic documents exchanged among team members. Findings indicate that all teams experienced conflict at some level and that conflict management strategies evolved over time. ICT played a dual role in the conflict management of teams. These technologies seemed to facilitate conflict management by offering a formal means of communication, by making communication more effective with minimal waste or unnecessary effort, and by creating opportunities for more thoughtful reactions, with chances for reflection on the content. However, ICT also aggravated conflict, specifically when strategies for use were imposed, when team members became blunt and forthright, and when misinterpretations occurred because of differing senses of urgency in replying to emails.

On becoming a civic-minded instructional designer: An ethnographic study of an instructional design experience

This ethnographic study took place in a graduate course at a large research university in the Midwestern United States. It presents an in-depth examination of the experiences and challenges of a group of four students learning to be Instructional Design and Technology professionals who are concerned with the well-being of all members of a society, and wish to utilize their knowledge and skills to help solve social problems and improve people’s lives. Building on the results of previous research, findings indicate that the course, designed using the Civic-Minded Instructional Designers (CMID) framework, succeeded in enhancing students’ civic-minded agency, the group’s purposeful and reflective acts that aim at addressing the educational needs of community members. The course was designed to mimic a small, multiteam Instructional Design and Technology consulting company offering professional-level services free of charge. Community partners consisted of four real-world clients to whom students addressed an instructional issue. Data were collected from observations, focus groups, individual interviews with students and community partners, and analyses of course artifacts and students’ reflections. Students were found to diligently address community members’ needs, give voice to their community partners, address sustainability of their projects, be sensitive to their community partners’ perspectives and acknowledge their community partners as design partners. Challenges encountered include reconfiguring students’ roles and building trustful relationships with their community partners. This study contributes a deeper understanding of the roles of instructional design professionals within larger social contexts. Lessons learned can inform the implementation of the CMID framework in other educational programs.

Creating Curriculum Within the Context of an Enterprise

Curricula of the twenty first century promote the development of critical skills, content knowledge, expertise, and literacies for the twenty-one-century learner. Creativity, critical thinking, problem solving, communication and collaboration, initiative and self-direction, social and cross-cultural skills, and leadership and responsibility are among the most critical elements a contemporary curriculum should embrace. This chapter provides insights on how to create and sustain an enterprise-based curriculum as an alternative curricular model for educating the twenty-one-century instructional designer. Alternative teaching approaches to instructional design and the experiential learning framework are discussed, as well as the rise of entrepreneurism in education. The chapter concludes with a comprehensive discussion of a case of an enterprise-based curriculum implementation that resulted in the creation of a self-sustaining instructional design consulting organization.

Formative Evaluation of a Web-based Multimedia Intervention to Support Learning of Statistics.

Tailoring information to the needs of the learner is an important strategy in teaching complex concepts. Webbased learning modules informed by multimedia theory for teaching declarative and procedural knowledge (statistical terminology, concepts, and procedures) were introduced to a mathematics course designed to teach undergraduate students. The formative evaluation of these modules was conducted over a period of two trimesters (August to December 2015 and January to April 2016) with a total of 187 students and six instructors. Students’ perceptions on the modules’ usability features (e.g., pace of audio presentations, ease of navigation, and layout) as well as on cognitive support and effectiveness of the modules were analyzed. Students and instructors’ reflections on their experiences with the modules were also gathered and analyzed. Both set of participants were overwhelmingly positive about their online learning and teaching experiences of statistics. Suggestions for improvement included having more multimedia lectures, showing more examples as well as calculator tutorials, and asking more comprehension questions in the modules.