Kevin Oliver

Developing and Refining Mental Models in Open-Ended Learning Environments: A Case Study.

This qualitative case study focused on the nature of science learning through open-ended problem solving. Twelve eighth graders were asked to find, frame, and resolve subproblems associated with structural failures resulting from earthquakes. Coded interviews, artifacts, and observations from the four-week study suggested students only partially derived accurate mental models about earthquake engineering problems. Recommendations for improving student problem understanding in open-ended environments include the explication of student hypotheses related to problems, and the continual testing of belief via analogical reasoning, research, communication, and tool use.

Needs of elementary and middle school teachers developing online courses for a virtual school

Eight teams of elementary and middle school teachers developed pilot online courses for the North Carolina Virtual Public School (NCVPS) in the USA. A qualitative case study with focus groups and a follow‐up survey helped to identify common needs of these non‐traditional course designers during course development efforts. Findings suggest virtual schools can better support non‐traditional course designers by providing leadership components such as technical expertise, regular feedback, and clear expectations, including an understanding of the target students. Findings further suggest designers need a range of bite‐sized professional development on replicating model courses, using course management systems, assessing learners online, designing with copyright and safety issues in mind, integrating Web tools, and developing course documentation for deployment. The article concludes with a discussion of support structures that may aid instructors tasked with online course development.

What Are Secondary Students' Expectations for Teachers in Virtual School Environments?

A recent evaluation of the new North Carolina Virtual Public School (NCVPS) in the USA revealed numerous expectations for virtual school teachers from secondary students. Specifically, students expected their teachers to actually teach rather than moderate a course shell, supplement course shells with content and projects that illustrate relevance, provide for both content and peer interaction, and respond to questions and provide feedback quickly. The data suggest a possible content‐related interaction where a limited course shell can be bolstered by a proactive teacher, but potentially flounder among teachers who do not expect or know how to supplement an online course. Data further suggest a potential communication‐related interaction where increased opportunities for student–student and student–teacher interaction could potentially decrease the actual or perceived need for individualized attention that is particularly challenging for virtual teachers to provide. These results can be used to establish teacher expectations and design professional development experiences that prepare teachers to undertake divergent roles unique to online instruction.

The New Learning Ecology of One-to-One Computing Environments: Preparing Teachers for Shifting Dynamics and Relationships.

Abstract Despite growing research and evaluation results on one-to-one computing environments, how these environments affect learning in schools remains underexamined. The purpose of this article is twofold: (a) to use a theoretical lens, namely a new learning ecology, to frame the dynamic changes as well as challenges that are introduced by a one-to-one laptop computing initiative; and (b) to highlight the shifting dynamics and relationships in the new learning ecology that emerging research has shown have implications for better preparing teachers and students to manage the change. The new learning ecology is an evolving attempt to create a multifaceted theoretical frame that takes into account the complexity of one-to-one teaching and learning environments. Future scholarly activity on one-to-one environments should provide coherence around research and theoretical agendas so that practitioners can better operationalize findings in their practice.

Recommendations for Student Tools in Online Course Management Systems.

AT LEAST THREE PURPOSES FOR ONLINE TEACHING can be conceptualized: quick dissemination of course information, Web-enabled supplements, and Web-engaged activity. Simply disseminating course information online is necessary for distance courses and promotes efficiency for face-to-face courses, but arguably does not improve learning for either. Web-enabled supplements, however, take advantage of the multimedia nature of the Web, allowing students to research course-related materials previously unavailable or only available in dispersed locations. To promote higher-order thinking, Web-engaged activities can be designed that capitalize on student information processing tools.A major concern of online course management systems is that they emphasize faculty dissemination tools over student processing tools, even though the latter are more likely to promote student interaction and engagement (e.g., debating, sharing data, developing common products, synthesizing information, exploring cases). Online course management systems should be evaluated on the basis of their ability to support planned learning goals and teaching strategies. Currently, many high-level goals and strategies are supported only by individual online tools. Faculty who rely upon integrated course management systems may be unable to involve their students in such activities as community building, research into ill-defined problems, and knowledge construction. If faculty find online course management systems only support information delivery and low-level knowledge comprehension goals, they should seek alternative tools and development options to engender high-level student analysis, synthesis, and evaluation activity.

Faculty Recommendations for Web Tools: Implications for Course Management Systems

AGAP ANALYSIS OF WEB TOOLS in Engineering was undertaken as one part of the Digital Library Network for Engineering and Technology (DLNET) grant funded by NSF (DUE-0085849). DLNET represents a Web portal and an online review process to archive quality knowledge objects in Engineering and Technology disciplines. The gap analysis coincided with the development of DLNET to identify Web tools that faculty or students might use to help process information in the portal. Products of a two-phase online Delphi process with a panel of 65 Engineering and Technology faculty include: 51 tool suggestions rank-ordered by need, categorized in ten groups, and sub-ranked by faculty in four Engineering disciplines. Gaps between desired tool features and actual tool features currently available in online course management systems were identified to aid in improved software systems. Recommendations are provided for new tools. Faculty ratings suggest a preference for instructor-centered tools consistent with previous studies of course management systems. Findings imply new tool systems better aligned with pedagogical strategies are needed, as well as innovative models of faculty peer-to-peer support in order to move from standard tool use to student-centered tool use.

A Comparison of Web-Based Concept Mapping Tasks for Alternative Assessment in Distance Teacher Education

Abstract Three sections of the same distance education class completed a series of Web-based concept map assessments using one of two methods. Open-ended maps applied in section 1 led students to conduct more relational thinking overall, but variance in map items was very high introducing more subjectivity in scoring. Preselected term mapping applied in sections 2—3 led students to correctly classify many concepts and express proper relationships compared to an instructors map. Identifying expected concept sets from the instructors maps caused students some difficulty. The high volume of readings associated with the task appeared to further this problem. Students touted many benefits of mapping, including synthesizing and connecting course material, reading more intentionally, and thinking critically.

Depth Perception in Media Design: From Sensory Psychology Cues to Interactive Tools

Abstract Considerable research in sensory psychology has demonstrated the ability to generate depth perception in media by manipulating the physical presentation, relative motion, or pictorial qualities of objects. These research results can enable educational developers to create more realistic educational materials when depth perception is key to comprehension. Developers may also utilize research results and modern software tools to create exploratory environments for learners to alter, position, or interact with spatial elements in a scene.

Academic domains as political battlegrounds : a global enquiry by 99 academics in the fields of education and technology

This article theorizes the functional relationship between the human components (i.e., scholars) and non-human components (i.e., structural configurations) of academic domains. It is organized around the following question: in what ways have scholars formed and been formed by the structural configurations of their academic domain? The article uses as a case study the academic domain of education and technology to examine this question. Its authorship approach is innovative, with a worldwide collection of academics (99 authors) collaborating to address the proposed question based on their reflections on daily social and academic practices. This collaboration followed a three-round process of contributions via email. Analysis of these scholars’ reflective accounts was carried out, and a theoretical proposition was established from this analysis. The proposition is of a mutual (yet not necessarily balanced) power (and therefore political) relationship between the human and non-human constituents of an academic realm, with the two shaping one another. One implication of this proposition is that these non-human elements exist as political ‘actors’, just like their human counterparts, having ‘agency’ – which they exercise over humans. This turns academic domains into political (functional or dysfunctional) ‘battlefields’ wherein both humans and non-humans engage in political activities and actions that form the identity of the academic domain.

Software security education at scale

Massively Open Online Courses (MOOCs) provide a unique opportunity to reach out to students who would not normally be reached by alleviating the need to be physically present in the classroom. However, teaching software security coursework outside of a classroom setting can be challenging. What are the challenges when converting security material from an on-campus course to the MOOC format? The goal of this research is to assist educators in constructing software security coursework by providing a comparison of classroom courses and MOOCs. In this work, we compare demographic information, student motivations, and student results from an on-campus software security course and a MOOC version of the same course. We found that the two populations of students differed, with the MOOC reaching a more diverse set of students than the on-campus course. We found that students in the on-campus course had higher quiz scores, on average, than students in the MOOC. Finally, we document our experience running the courses and what we would do differently to assist future educators constructing similar MOOC’s.