Research in Learning Technology

Exploring 30 years of research in learning technology: an analysis of the RLT journal

2024-09-13T13:02:39-07:00

This paper presents the findings from a research project to analyse 30 years of the Research in Learning Technology journal (1993 to 2022). The analysis explores the content of the articles in terms of key topics and their relationship with sector events and policies, discussing key terms such as virtual learning environment, massive open online courses (MOOCs) and virtual reality (VR). It also considers how the terminology used to describe the field has changed over time, starting with a focus on the computer and expanding to include a range of common terms such as e-learning, technology enhanced learning (TEL) and digital. Between 1993 and 2015, issues of the journal were accompanied by editorials. This analysis considers how the role of the editorials helped to shape and establish the journal and influence the field of learning technology to take a more research and theory-based approach. Finally, an analysis of the locations of the authors who have published in the journal has demonstrated a shift from a predominantly UK-based journal to one with more international reach.

Students’ experiences of educational technology use to facilitate university learning: factors influencing their mediation of learning

2024-09-10T04:28:07-07:00

The ability to design effective technology-enhanced learning (TEL) experiences is a critical skill for university teachers. However, challenges endure on how best to develop university teachers in research-intensive universities to design TEL experiences that meet student, professional, and employer expectations. Having a greater insight of the varying ways students use educational technology in their learning benefits university teachers’ TEL design skills. To develop this insight, a qualitative case study comprising differentiated interview strategy was conducted to explore students’ use of educational technology for their university learning. This research drew on phenomenographic and sociocultural theoretical perspectives and analysis techniques to investigate university students’ experiences of educational technology use.

The analysis of the research data collected found a variance in the way students used educational technology for their university learning with three distinct dispositions identified. This study identified that students’ varied dispositions influenced their educational technology use and were mediated by the task and social contexts of their learning. These findings aim to support university teachers further develop their TEL experience design skills.

Assessing students’ perceptions and preferences for Blackboard at a South African public university

2024-07-03T06:08:13-07:00

This study examines students’ perceptions and preferences for Blackboard at a South African public university. When the South African government, driven by COVID-19, announced the closure of schools in March 2020 for high school learners, home-schooling became the only option despite challenges such as lack of internet access, family support and computer access. This paper argued that learners were not prepared for home-schooling, which would negatively affect those in rural areas. It would be worse when they enrol for higher education as most universities in SA had adopted online learning. A quantitative research approach was used, and a sample of 370 first-year students was selected. The result showed that most first years found Blackboard easy and very easy to use. Moreover, the results show that despite this, some students preferred face-to-face learning more than Blackboard. This suggests that whilst Blackboard had its appeal, students still found comfort in familiar learning systems, especially considering that they had used such systems for most of their learning lives.

Technology-infused teams-games-tournaments in English language class: a mixed method study on students’ achievement and perception

2024-06-24T04:37:40-07:00

Technology in language instruction has become a new norm due to its effectiveness, and one example is the Teams-Games-Tournaments (TGT) method. The purpose of this study is to measure students’ achievement in English language classes by using technology-infused TGT and ask the students to evaluate their learning experience with this method. This research involved 30 students as the control group and 30 students as the experimental group from two sections of the same general English course at a Thailand university. Pre- and post-tests of the control and the experimental group were conducted to assess the success of the method. At the end of the term, a questionnaire consisting of closed and open-ended questions was used to record the students’ perceptions. The findings showed that the experimental group’s scores were higher suggesting the success of the method in improving students’ achievement. The experimental group’s perceptions as expressed in the questionnaire under cooperation, motivation, achievement, and satisfaction were highly positive as students gave, on average, ratings of more than 4.0 to all categories. The implication of these findings was the effective application of this method in English classes.

Personal branding strategies in online hashtag communities: the case of #AcademicTwitter

2024-05-31T05:13:49-07:00

Several studies have explored the uses and benefits of social media hashtag communities in higher education… Yet, more research is needed to examine communication structures and strategies for personal branding in educational social media hashtag communities. In otherwords, to understand the dynamics, characteristics, and strategies for faculty, university staff, and graduate students need to brand themselves professionally in social media hashtag communities. This research aims to explore social network structures, dynamics, influencer characteristics, and personal branding strategies of the #AcademicTwitter online community. X (formerly known as Twitter) data on #AcademicTwitter from 2021 were retrieved and analysed using social network and quantitative content analysis. Our study found that most of the recurrent users in the community were scholars (faculty and researchers) predominantly from the STEM field. However, the most influential users were media/fan pages (a profile account created for different purposes such as sharing tips in academia, publishers, etc.) and other professionals (freelancers or university staff). Our research sheds light on the current practice of disclosing specific teaching and research interests or expertise in social media bio profiles for personal branding, especially among scholars. Unique communication contexts such as social media hashtag communities still bring challenges to the dissemination of information, relationship building, and personal branding strategies. Our results also provide recommendations for scholars (faculty and researchers), graduate students, university staff, and practitioners to improve communication practices and personal branding strategies on social media hashtag communities.

Impact and implementation of UNESCO’s Recommendation on Open Educational Resources in academic libraries: SPARC Europe Case Study

2024-05-24T06:23:51-07:00

This paper analyses the role of libraries in the development of Open Educational Resources (OER) and, more specifically, the impact and level of implementation of UNESCO’s (2019) OER Recommendation in Higher Education libraries. This study, the result of a joint undertaking between a national R&D project and SPARC Europe, is based on an online survey, disseminated amongst the European Network of Open Education Librarians (ENOEL) and uses a descriptive research methodology. The results highlight the implementation actions being taken by university libraries (n = 136) in each of the five areas of action of UNESCO’s Recommendation. We find that the main contributions are being made in the areas of capacity building and Open Education policies, but that considerable work has yet to be done in terms of promoting inclusiveness and the sustainability of OER. Thus, the full implementation of UNESCO’s recommendation requires a greater commitment on the part of librarians to joint actions undertaken via international networks and projects, as well as greater institutional commitment and the building of interdepartmental alliances.

Students’ perspectives of a study support (Studiosity) service at a University

2024-05-21T07:07:28-07:00

Supporting students’ success and achievement is a key mission of WP (Widening Participation) institutions such as the University of Bedfordshire. An essential step in ensuring students succeed is the development of academic writing skills – these are vital during students’ studies and when students leave university study and undertake further study or enter graduate-level employment. During the 2021–2022 academic year, the University of Bedfordshire implemented a study support service called Studiosity, a service designed to provide students with formative feedback on drafts of their assessment tasks. This study utilises a survey instrument exploring Studiosity’s Writing Feedback (WF) service and addresses a gap in the literature where there is very little understanding of the details of students’ engagement with the system. The survey’s results indicate a mismatch between students’ assumptions about formative feedback provided by Studiosity. However, when students utilise Studiosity’s WF service, the personalised and specific feedback raises students’ confidence in their ability to write academically.

Improving marking effectiveness and feedback provision in an OSCE assessment using Microsoft Forms: A pilot study in Sport and Exercise Therapy

2024-04-23T11:16:15-07:00

An objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) has been recognised as a reliable but workload-intensive assessment method across health sciences studies. Though a variety of digital marking tools have been employed to improve marking and feedback provision for OSCEs, many of these require specialist software or maintenance. This pilot study examines the development and trialling of Microsoft Forms as a marking and feedback instrument for an OSCE within a Sport and Exercise Therapy module. This study aims to assess whether the use of a non-specialist digital tool, such as Microsoft Forms, might be able overcome limitations in current assessment procedures and ultimately provide a more effective method for marking and feedback provision for an OSCE. Results from OSCE examiners (N = 8) and students (N = 30) who participated in the pilot indicate that Microsoft Forms does have the potential to provide a more effective experience for examiners and ultimately improve upon feedback provision for students when compared with a paper-based marking tool. However, concerns around the form’s ease-of-use may ultimately influence its adoption as a marking instrument above current paper-based methods.

Results of integrating short VR exercises into traditional CBTs

2024-04-25T06:48:27-07:00

The purpose of this research was to investigate the effects of short virtual reality (VR) exercises on knowledge retention for adult learners at a contractor safety training organisation supporting the energy industry who took computer-based training (CBT) courses. The intent was to simulate a delay period similar to that experienced by contractors who support work in the energy industry to determine if traditional CBT can be made more effective for stimulating greater transfer of learning with the addition of VR exercises. The experimental group was exposed to CBTs augmented by VR exercises that reinforced the CBT course learning objectives. The control group for this research took the same CBT course without short VR exercises. A quantitative analysis was performed on data collected from a course exam provided immediately after the course delivery and from a separate follow-up quiz delivered 3 days after the course(s) completion. Data from these testing instruments were analysed to determine the participant’s likelihood of remembering content from the CBT courses and if there was greater knowledge retention of the course learning objectives and procedures within the experimental group than within the control group. The results found a non-statistically significant relationship between the two groups; however, trends between the groups show that there are benefits for transfer of learning when using short VR exercises compared to those groups without short VR exercises.

Students satisfaction, self-efficacy and achievement in an emergency online learning course

2024-04-05T07:01:35-07:00

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of an emergency online learning course on students’ satisfaction, self-efficacy and achievement. This study used a convergent mixed methods approach with an action research design to explore students’ experiences and outcomes in an emergency online science course. This study involved 25 voluntary participants from a private college in Manila, Philippines, who were enrolled in the Science, Technology and Society online course during the 2019–2020 academic year. Data were collected using a variety of instruments, including questionnaires, reflective journals and semi-structured interviews. The results showed that the developed emergency online learning course positively impacted students’ satisfaction, efficacy and achievement. Students were satisfied with their interactions with classmates and teachers and the course content. They also expressed confidence in their ability to perform online tasks independently and master the subject through pre-recorded videos. This study suggests that effective student-teacher interaction, peer relationships, relevant and relatable course content, well-designed lesson materials, clear assessment tasks, differentiated tasks to meet individual learning preferences and teacher creativity are essential factors for student satisfaction, efficacy and achievement in emergency online learning courses.

Educators’ understandings of digital classroom tools and datafication: perceptions from higher education faculty

2024-03-14T03:17:37-07:00

Research has shown that critical data literacies development for educators is seldom a core component of most campus conversations about datafication, even as extractive, datafied systems become pervasive throughout the higher education sector. This article outlines findings from an international, qualitative, Comparative Case Study (CCS) of university professionals teaching online during the COVID-19 pandemic. It overviews beliefs and barriers shaping educators’ responses to datafication and focuses specifically on their perceptions of faculty development opportunities related to digital classroom tools and to datafication more broadly. The article presents insights into how faculty understands higher education’s contemporary datafied infrastructure and highlights participants’ voices about faculty professional development and critical data literacies. Based on our findings, we recommend formal faculty development and broader professional learning conversations as a means of enhancing faculty awareness and agency within the higher education sector.

Enhancing the online learning experience of Chinese college students: an investigation of facilitation strategies and their mixed association with student satisfaction

2024-03-07T13:14:47-08:00

Facilitation strategies play a critical role in helping instructors teach effectively in an online environment. However, there is a lack of research on how different facilitation strategies impact the online learning experience. To address this gap, our study surveyed 5980 college students from two universities in China and analysed the associations between facilitation strategies and student satisfaction using multivariate and logistic regression analyses. Our findings reveal that facilitation strategies aimed at managerial and technical purposes have different effects on student satisfaction with instructors compared to their satisfaction with their own achievement and engagement. Additionally, we found that student group discussion had a negative association with student satisfaction, potentially due to a preference for hierarchical learning in Confucian-heritage culture. In contrast, after-class learning materials were positively associated with student satisfaction. These findings offer important implications for pedagogical practices that aim to enhance the online learning experience for Chinese students on a large scale.

Learning experience design of verbal prompts in virtual reality-based training for autistic children

2024-03-07T13:04:25-08:00

This study aimed to explore the design and development of verbal prompts in virtual reality (VR)-based social skills training for autistic children. Autism indicates a category with neurodiversity that influences individuals’ capability to engage in social and cognitive tasks. This complex neurodevelopmental condition manifests in a wide array of patterns, featuring unique experiences of each individual. This study explored both advantages and challenges encountered when autistic children interact with verbal prompts in multi-user, desktop VR-based social skills training. Our explanatory case study involved VR-based learning experiences of four autistic children. We used a qualitative thematic analysis to analyse the study participants’ interaction patterns with verbal prompts in the VR-based training. Our research can contribute to both theoretical knowledge and practical design guidelines for the creation of verbal prompts in desktop VR-based training programmes tailored for autistic children.

Digital competences of teachers in Lebanon: a comparison of teachers’ competences to educational standards

2024-03-07T12:45:07-08:00

The impact of digitalisation on everyday life has necessitated the need for learners to acquire digital competence as part of their education. In order to prepare students to become digital citizens, it has become necessary for teachers to acquire and implement digital competence in the classroom. This study applied the DigCompEdu framework to Lebanese schools and teachers to examine the digital competences of teachers and their alignment with Ministry of Education & Higher Education (MEHE) standards. This study followed a cross-sectional descriptive design and involved 170 in-service teachers in Lebanese schools. This study found that whilst schoolteachers’ practice meets all MEHE indicators, there is a significant need for training to schoolteachers in using digital tools and resources to promote collaboration in the learning process. The findings highlighted the importance of digital competences in schools and the need for ongoing training and support for teachers in this area.

The mediating role of technostress in the relationship between social outcome expectations and teacher satisfaction: evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic in music education

2024-01-30T01:43:11-08:00

The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted significant changes in education, including a widespread transition from traditional, in-person instruction to online learning, which has also affected music conservatories. This study investigates the relationship between social outcome expectations and teacher satisfaction with remote education (SRE) among conservatory music professors during the pandemic. Rooted in the Social Cognitive Theory (SCT), the study examines whether technostress mediates this relationship and whether the intention to use information and communication technology (ICT) moderates it. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 108 Italian conservatory teachers through an online self-report questionnaire. The results indicate a negative indirect effect of social outcome expectations on teacher satisfaction through technostress. However, surprisingly, the direct effect was positive and stronger. The study suggests that social expectations lead to technostress. Still, they also present an opportunity for music educators to embrace the challenge of remote education and increase their satisfaction with it.

Spatial learning using Google Streetview in an online wayfinding task

2024-01-26T03:59:11-08:00

The use of navigation applications changed the way people find their way in an unfamiliar environment. A combination of maps, images and textual route instructions shown (or with audio) on one screen guides the user to the destination but may sometimes be overwhelming. This article investigated the spatial knowledge participants acquired after being presented with different types of route instructions, human and computer-generated, in an online wayfinding task using Google Streetview (without the 2D map) of an unfamiliar environment. The results showed a significant difference in the wayfinding performance for deviations from computer-generated instructions, whilst there was no difference in the time spent and the scene recall. Sketch maps revealed both route-like and survey-like characteristics. But most sketch maps are characterised by high route-likeness. Furthermore, this study showed a significant effect of the environmental layout on the participant’s performance based on deviations incurred during wayfinding. The results of this study have implications for improving navigation system instructions and design as well as for learning with geospatial technologies.

Enhancing postgraduate students’ learning outcomes through Flipped Mobile-Based Microlearning

2024-01-23T07:44:32-08:00

This study examines the effects of implementing a Flipped Mobile-Based Microlearning (FMM) approach on postgraduate students’ accessibility, engagement, knowledge retention, overall learning experience and academic achievement. A quantitative multiple methods approach was employed, utilising a two-group quasi-experimental design and a survey questionnaire to gather data. The results suggest that the FMM approach may have positive effects on accessibility, engagement, knowledge retention, overall learning experience and final exam scores when compared to the traditional learning approach. The findings support the efficacy of integrating FMM, highlighting its potential for enhancing the learning process and academic outcomes. These results have implications for educational practice and research, emphasising the value of technology-enhanced learning approaches, active and interactive learning experiences and the promotion of student motivation and attitudes towards learning. This study underscores the broader applicability of FMM and suggests its potential for improving educational outcomes across different educational levels and subject areas.