Kyungmee Lee

Examining the Characteristics of Student Postings That Are Liked and Linked in a CSCL Environment.

This case study is the first iteration of a large-scale design-based research project to improve Pepper, an interactive discussion-based learning environment. In this phase, we designed and implemented two social features to scaffold positive learner interactivity behaviors: a “Like” button and linking tool. A mixed-methods approach was used to examine communicative and cognitive characteristics of notes. Additionally, we develop and apply a new metric for cognitive complexity that acknowledges a range of cognitive behavior valuable to a learning community. The findings suggest that the Like and linking functions positively cultivated and sustained interactive behaviors among students, which also led to an increase in the cognitive complexity of student contributions to the online discussion. Suggestions for future iterations of this project are offered.

Discursive Effects of a Paradigm Shift Rhetoric in Online Higher Education: Implications on Networked Learning Research and Practice

The aim of this chapter is to critically examine some discursive effects of the ‘paradigm shift’ rhetoric that is commonly used in the advocacy of online higher education. The chapter will unpack how that particular rhetoric—which permeates generalist discourse about online higher education—impacts upon actual distance education practices in specific higher education settings, such as ‘open universities’, where distance education is the core institutional function and where the historical development of practice has been separated from that of ‘mainstream’ higher education. The chapter focuses on the transition from the earlier form of distance education, which was largely associated with and led by dedicated distance universities, to the current form of online higher education, which operates and is discussed more and more frequently in mainstream higher education contexts, such as traditional campus-based universities. The particular ‘paradigm shift’ rhetoric that emerged during that transition will be discussed, and its discursive effects on distance education practices in open universities will be analysed. The main argument is that the rhetoric, as a widespread academic discourse, has generated and continues to perpetuate a ‘gap’ between learning theories and instructional practices in the open university settings—where current distance education practices have arisen from a unique course of historical development but which are now subjected to ‘paradigm shift’ rhetoric being imposed from outside. The implications for networked learning research and practice will be discussed, and several suggestions will be made, whereby the networked learning community might develop a more balanced and critical discourse about online higher education.

A computer-assisted multiliteracies programme as an alternative approach to EFL instruction

The aim of this article is to introduce a computer-assisted multiliteracies programme (CaMP) as an alternative approach to English as a Foreign Language (EFL) instruction in order to overcome the educational limitations that are inherent in most EFL settings. In a number of monolingual societies with a dominant language other than English, students have had unequal access to authentic English communication opportunities and consequently have a limited understanding of English as American English or native speakers’ English. Although communication technologies have been regarded as a promising solution, the limitations within EFL education have not been fully addressed. In this article, multiliteracies pedagogy is offered as a promising solution enabling students to improve English and both cultural and media literacies. This article provides an in-depth description of effective ways to integrate the multiliteracies pedagogy in EFL instruction and its potential effects on EFL students’ learning experiences.