Yinghui Shi

The impact of interactive whiteboards on education

This study examines key ideas, evidences, and works of interactive whiteboards on education over the ten-year period from 2002 to 2011. It focuses on seven research hotspots and priority areas: teaching strategies and methods, instructional effectiveness, technology diffusion and infusion, users, mathematics education, science education in primary schools, language teaching and learning.

Study on the research hotspots of interactive whiteboards in education

Based upon 107 research studies on educational applications of interactive whiteboards (IWBs) from ERIC database in the latest decade, this study selects 36 high-frequency descriptors to conduct co-word analysis for exploring the research hotspots of IWBs on educational applications. The results show that over the past decade, the research hotspots of IWBs on educational applications are mainly concentrated on seven areas, including: teaching strategies and methods, instructional effectiveness, technology diffusion and infusion, the users, mathematics education, science education in primary schools, and language teaching and learning.

Technological Factors and Student-to-Student Connected Classroom Climate in Cloud Classrooms:

In an effort to address student engagement challenges, much research has explored student-to-student connected classroom climate (CCC). Research positively associates CCC to the benefits of student integration, learning, and retention in face-to-face environments. However, few studies have examined CCC in computer-mediated environments. This study provides empirical evidence of the relationships between key technological factors and CCC in cloud classrooms. A survey was administered to 641 college students, and the results indicate that four of the five technological factors examined were positively associated with CCC: advanced computer self-efficacy, program/software computer experience, Internet/entertainment computer experience, and computer importance. Basic computer self-efficacy was not related to CCC. These findings identify mechanisms that can improve CCC in cloud classrooms. Researchers and practitioners should use this knowledge to develop, implement, and assess the cloud classroom. In addition, this study contributes knowledge that can direct student training of digital literacies for improving the learning processes of cloud classrooms in higher education.

Interactive Whiteboard-Based Instruction Versus Lecture-Based Instruction: A Study on College Students’ Academic Self-efficacy and Academic Press

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of interactive whiteboard (IWB)-based instruction on students’ academic self-efficacy and academic press. A quasi-experiment study was conducted using a sample of 103 freshmen from a university in central China. While students in one class employed the IWB-based instructional approach, students in the other class employed the traditional lecture-based instructional approach. Students in both classes studied English for three months. The pre- and post- surveys showed that the students with the IWB-based instructional approach had a higher level of academic self-efficacy and academic press than did the students’ with the lecture-based instruction approach, which indicated that the use of IWB can increase students’ self-efficacy and academic press when cooperated with an appropriate instructional approach.

Trends of Cloud Computing in Education

As an emerging technology, cloud computing has been increasingly and widely used in the field of education. Based upon 132 research studies on education of cloud computing from the Education Resources Information Center database over the recent years, this study selected 42 high-frequency descriptors to conduct co-word analysis of cloud computing in education. The results show that cloud computing in education is mainly concentrated on five areas: conceptual and pedagogical aspects, educational applications, processing of information and resources, pros and cons of cloud computing in education, and database management system integrated with cloud-based services. In addition, it provides a detailed discussion of the impact of cloud computing in these five areas.

Examining interactive whiteboard-based instruction on the academic self-efficacy, academic press and achievement of college students*

Abstract The study reported here examined college students’ academic self-efficacy, ‘academic press’ and learning achievement, as well as the association between these three variables within learning contexts using interactive whiteboard-based instruction. A quasi-experimental study was conducted using a sample (n = 103) of first-year college students in China. Participants were taught English by either an interactive whiteboard-based or traditional lecture-based instructional approach for three months. The results showed that the interactive whiteboard-based instructional intervention cultivated higher levels of academic press and academic self-efficacy among students and a significant, positive correlation was identified between these two variables. Students’ learning achievement was not affected by the instructional intervention. These results indicate that interactive whiteboard-based instruction offers some distinct benefits. In future work, additional research is needed to clarify how the instructional model relates to understanding learning achievement.

The Effects of Smart Classroom-Based Instruction on College Students’ Learning Engagement and Internet Self-efficacy

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of smart classroom-based instruction on students’ learning engagement and internet self-efficacy. A quasi-experiment study was conducted using a sample of 96 freshmen from a university in central China. While students in one class employed the smart classroom-based instructional approach, students in the other class employed the traditional one. Students in both classes studied the course of literature texts reading for three months. Students’ pre- and post- surveys showed that the students with the smart classroom-based instructional approach had a significantly higher level of learning engagement and internet self-efficacy than did the students with the traditional one, which indicated that using smart classroom can increase students’ learning engagement and internet self-efficacy when cooperated with an appropriate instructional approach.

Development of School Technology Leadership: Cases in the United Kingdom and United States

School technology leadership plays a key role on the integration of technology into education. Developing professional preparation programs to meet the technology needs of school leaders in the 21st century is a complex challenge. This paper provides a glimpse into two national school technology leadership programs respectively in the UK and USA in terms of the background, features, and sustainability. Discussion and conclusion of developing strong school technology leadership programs in China are included.

The Effect of Hybrid Learning in Vocational Education Based on Cloud Space: Taking the Vocational Education Cyber-Platform as an Example

In recent years, instructors have had an increasing interest in integrating cloud-based education platform into their classroom as part of the learning environment, especially in China’s vocational education. Hunan provincial Vocational Education Cyber-Platform (VECP) is the largest vocational education cloud in China. Compared with other information systems, vocational students’ attitude, effect and behavioral intention towards hybrid learning have not been assessed and thoroughly understood. This paper analyses the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) in order to examine students’ behavioral intention to use an electronic portfolio system. A Hybrid Learning Usage Questionnaire was developed using existing scales from prior TAM instruments and modified where appropriate. In our survey, 180 students completed the questionnaire measuring their responses to perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEOU), attitudes towards usage (ATU) and behavioral intention to use (BIU) the VECP. The results of the study indicated that students’ perceived ease of use (PEOU) had a significant influence on attitude towards usage (ATU). Subsequently, perceived ease of use (PEOU) had the strongest significant influence on perceived usefulness (PU). The research further demonstrated that individual characteristics, technological factors and training experience may have a significant influence on instructors in adopting cloud-based hybrid learning into their courses in vocational education.