Research Article
Michael Ayodele Fakomogbon, Hameed Olalekan Bolaji
CONTEMP EDUC TECHNOL, Volume 8, Issue 3, pp. 268-279
ABSTRACT
Collaborative learning is an approach employed by instructors to facilitate learning and improve learner’s performance. Mobile learning can accommodate a variety of learning approaches. This study, therefore, investigated the effects of collaborative learning styles on performance of students in a mobile learning environment. The specific purposes of this study are to: examine the difference in the performance of students in mobile learning platform; examine the difference in performance of students in the five collaborative learning styles; examine the significant difference in performance between collaborative and non-collaborative learning styles; and determine the effect of collaborative learning style on student’s performance in a mobile learning platform. Purposive sampling technique was used to choose 36 secondary school students as the sample. The study adopted a pretest-posttest experimental approach and subjects were randomly assigned into the five collaborative and one non-collaborative learning group. The groups were exposed to mobile learning on the mole concept (MLMC) in Chemistry. The results showed that there was significant gains regarding the difference between pretest and posttest scores of students in the mobile learning experience, and think-aloud-pair problem-solving technique is the most effective collaborative learning style. Also, all the collaborative learning styles are more effective for learning in a mobile learning environment compared to non-collaborative learning style.
Keywords: Collaborative learning, Mobile learning, Ubiquitous learning, Academice performance, Mole concept
Research Article
Tor Soderstrom, Lars Hall, Tore Nilsson, Jan Ahlqvist
CONTEMP EDUC TECHNOL, Volume 3, Issue 4, pp. 293-307
ABSTRACT
This study compares the influence of two learning conditions – a screen-based virtual reality radiology simulator and a conventional PowerPoint slide presentation – that teach radiographic interpretation to dental students working in small collaborative groups. The study focused on how the students communicated and how proficient they became at radiographic interpretation. The sample consisted of 36 participants – 20 women and 16 men – and used a pretest/posttest group design with the participants randomly assigned to either a simulation-training group (SIM) or conventional-training group (CON) with three students in each collaborative group. The proficiency tests administered before and after training assessed interpretations of spatial relations in radiographs using parallax. The training sessions were video-recorded. The results showed that SIM groups exhibited significant development between pretest and posttest results, whereas the CON groups did not. The collaboration in the CON groups involved inclusive peer discussions, thorough interpretations of the images, and extensive use of subject-specific terminology. The SIM group discussions were much more fragmented and included more action proposals based on their actions with the simulator. The different learning conditions produced different results with respect to acquiring understanding of radiographic principles.
Keywords: Educational computer based simulations, Collaborative learning, Health care education, 3D Simulations, Peer communication
Research Article
Jyoon Yoon, Lynn Brice
CONTEMP EDUC TECHNOL, Volume 2, Issue 3, pp. 250-263
ABSTRACT
This article reports a qualitative study on computer-supported collaborative learning during a multidisciplinary education project on environment. The water project is designed to provide the elementary teacher candidates opportunities to explore issues related to water and find solutions to them through the Internet. As a production of the water project, they created posters and fliers in a photograph application to educate people regarding water issues and discussed how their creations affected people’s awareness of water issues, using a web-discussion tool. The teacher candidates’ reflections revealed that the water project was a meaningful e-learning activity to raise awareness of the global water issues and create an opportunity for them to share their learning, incorporating science and social studies. This water project provided a computer-supported collaborative e-learning model for integrating science and social studies.
Keywords: E-learning, Computer supported learning, Collaborative learning, Integrated education, Science education, Social studies
Research Article
Tomas Cerny, Bozena Mannova
CONTEMP EDUC TECHNOL, Volume 2, Issue 2, pp. 163-173
ABSTRACT
To provide computer scientists with good materials and interesting topics in a class does not necessarily mean that their education is of a high quality, students need to be motivated and evolve skills needed in a real-life employment. Social skills, teamwork, collaboration and competition are valuable aspects they should know in other to become professionals. This paper presents a study with intention to improve education of computer science students in employment-like environments. The study utilizes experience with competitive and collaborative learning in education and Programming Olympiads. Multiple methodological aspects are applied and discussed with regard to students’ evaluation. The results show increased student motivation and interest in the course, which produces larger workload in the class.
Keywords: Competitive learning, Collaborative learning, Pace environment, Computer Science Education
Research Article
Hwee Ling Lim
CONTEMP EDUC TECHNOL, Volume 1, Issue 4, pp. 306-321
ABSTRACT
Sociocultural constructivism assumes that a learner’s capacity for intellectual growth increases with the presence of scaffolding or support during interaction. Moreover, from participating in dialogic interaction, there is appropriation of the knowledge shared and jointly created by learners which could transform individual understandings. Hence, interactions are opportunities for scaffolding and appropriation that affect intellectual development. This paper presents a study of an online course based on constructivist principles and evaluates the extent to which an instructional activity, supported by synchronous communication technology in a virtual environment, fosters collaborative learning. Survey findings on two student groups’ experiences of collaborative learning during online tutorials are presented. The results indicated that scaffolding was available as peers’ efforts in provision and clarification of ideas during tutorial discussions. Also, appropriation of shared knowledge was present as students’ perceptions of own attainment of learning from peer contributions during discussions. The conclusion discusses the effectiveness of the instructional activity in facilitating collaborative learning and offers recommendations for future research.
Keywords: Collaborative learning, Computer-mediated communication, Educational technology, Sociocultural constructivism, Virtual learning environment.
Research Article
Ming Nie, Paula Roush, Matthew Wheeler
CONTEMP EDUC TECHNOL, Volume 1, Issue 3, pp. 267-280
ABSTRACT
Second Life (SL) is an emerging technology in higher education. Academics are showing strong interest in it, but so far have more imaginative ideas about using it than experience of actual practice. This paper reports on a pilot study of using SL with six undergraduate students studying Digital Photography in October 2008 at the London South Bank University. The students took part in a group activity in SL that involved creating and manipulating virtual cubes, taking digital photos of avatars, putting these images onto the cubes and telling a story about them. The researchers used qualitative methods, namely personal interviews and a focus group. The findings illustrate benefits of SL for the subject of Digital Photography, particularly with regard to engaging students with active learning, gaining publicity for students as photographers and extending research into subcultures. The study demonstrates how SL can be used as a virtual space to create collaborative learning opportunities that might not be easy to generate in real life. It also examines the issue of user identity through avatars and its impact on group discussion. The paper showcases an example of SL being used for media and art education and offers insights into how this practice might be expanded and transferred to other disciplines and contexts in higher education.
Keywords: Second Life, Digital Photography, 3D Multi User Virtual Environments, Collaborative learning, Avatar identity