35 research outputs found
Student perspectives on using virtual reality to create informal connection and engagement: The Challenge of Educating EU Professionals
No full textFollowing the global pandemic, educators relied heavily on live videoconferencing options and online meeting spaces to host class in lieu of traditional, in-person classroom learning. Yet, exhaustion and Zoom fatigue fueled a lack of engagement in such online spaces, while simultaneously the need for more informal connection to support learners’ emotional well-being emerged. This study aims to better understand how online learners perceive the use of virtual reality (VR) as an alternative platform to informally connect and engage with one another, and to ascertain the impact on their satisfaction and motivation for such engagement. Specifically, the investigation sought to examine participant perceptions of social presence felt, the ability to connect and exchange informally, and the impact on motivation, digital literacy, and satisfaction overall. Following the global pandemic, the world grew to rely more heavily on technology to maintain workflow, synchronous meetings, and connection (Vargo et al., 2021). Videoconferencing platforms (such as Zoom, Skype for Business, Google Hangouts, GoToMeetings, and Cisco WebX) replaced live, in-person meetings, classrooms, and offices. In particular, higher education institutions rapidly transitioned to online and hybrid modalities using learning management systems (LMS) and supportive asynchronous communication tools (such as document sharing repositories, screen sharing/recording tools, virtual workboards and workspaces). Although these tools afforded a way to remain connected while learning and working remotely, individuals also began to suffer from an abundance of screen-time and overscheduled synchronous meetings using these technology-supported meeting spaces–leading to “Zoom-fatigue”, distraction, and a lack of interest in online social events (Fosslien & Duffy, 2020; Wiederhold, 2020). During this time, researchers also discovered the need for more intentional and informal opportunities to socially connect with classmates, peers, and colleagues–demonstrating the detrimental effect of isolation, anxiety, and burn out as a consequence of unanticipated remote working and learning (Brooks et al., 2020; Hwang et al., 2020; Toscano & Zappala, 2020; Wang et al., 2020). While individuals and organizations sought to combine (and simultaneously felt overwhelmed by) the use of synchronous and asynchronous tools to maintain productivity, they also unearthed the need for informal, social connection and engagement to support the emotional aspects lost from the move to these online environments (Toscano & Zappala, 2020). However, utilizing the same work-based platforms (LMS and videoconferencing) proved to be somewhat exhausting, unmotivating, and lacked the authentic feel of the social environments they tried to replicate–from the office water cooler to celebratory events to informal conversations over coffee (Fosslien & Duffy, 2020; Wiederhold, 2020). InSight: A Journal of Scholarly Teaching 29 With an understanding that learning and working remotely were essential tasks at hand, the importance of supporting the social and emotional needs of our learners and workers became evident. In particular, the need for meaningful social engagement, informal exchange, and (for lack of a better word)–fun! Yet, given the lack of motivation or interest to socially connect, using the same technologies that were leading to exhaustion and fatigue, this investigator sought to explore options to address this need by using virtual reality
Does Increased Teaching Equate to Increased Learning?
No full textAmid continuous growth in student enrolments, the proliferation of e-learning technology and the global accessibility of vast repositories of information on the web, higher education (he) is struggling to keep pace with these changes. The classic response involves adjusting the amount of instructional time to achieve excellence, as evidenced by the 50-minute lecture-based learning structure still used widely in many institutions today. However, dutch research in the 1980s and 1990s suggested that it is the learning process which accounts for learning outcomes and not the amount of teaching. Furthermore, such research found that after an optimal learning outcome is attained, increased teaching time is associated with a decline in learning outcomes. However, many he institutions persist in their focus on teaching time to maintain ‘control’ over students’ learning activities. The present chapter examines the underlying cause of (and changes in) student learning behaviour in response to increased teaching time.keywordsdirect instructionteaching timeteaching behaviourinstructional timeglobal accessibilitythese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves
Hidden in plain sight : capturing freshmen emotional experiences and their effects on performance at university
No full textSuccess at university has been traditionally explained by students’ effort and intelligence. This thesis looks at academic success through a factor commonly ignored in academia, students’ emotions. In an attempt to help first years at Maastricht University perform better, our findings show that the emotions about learning , their amount of control towards study activities and the importance attributed to it, determine performance over an entire academic year. Overall, this research offers insight and suggestion on how we can engage students – emotionally and intellectually – in their learning process in order to achieve academic success
Modeling Technology Integration in Teacher Preparation Programs
No full textTeacher preparation programs are expected to prepare teacher candidates to integrate technology with instruction in meaningful ways to support PK-12 student learning (U.S. Department of Education, Office of Technology, 2017). Consequently, teacher candidates must experience technology in their teacher preparation coursework, including modeling by faculty, experiencing opportunities to practice integration through course assignments, and observing technology integration being implemented in K-12 classrooms. To accomplish these tasks, faculty must develop knowledge, skills, resources, and professional learning networks for themselves, including actively developing K-12 partnerships. </jats:p
