David Wicks is Professor of Curriculum and Instruction and Chair of the Digital Education Leadership graduate program at Seattle Pacific University. He has worked within the educational technology community throughout his career, including jobs as a high school computer science and technology teacher, university computer science lecturer, school district technology facilitator, multimedia author and director of platforms and applications for an educational technology company, and director of instructional technology at SPU. His research and teaching interests include student blogging for reflective assessment, online and blended learning, and learning spaces. You can view an ongoing stream of his students’ learning portfolios at http://edtechsandbox.org. Other project examples include developing a blended graduate program based on the ISTE coaching standards and designing a blog-based electronic portfolio system. He collaborates with other Puget Sound-area educators to host EdCamps through http://edcamppugetsound.org, shares and learns from teachers through social media, participates in NCCE, ISTE, NWACC, EDUCAUSE, and the Online Learning Consortium. He recently became editor-in-chief of an open journal, International Dialogues in Education https://www.ide-journal.org/, and is moving IDE to an open journal platform. His current research projects include a study using the Community of Inquiry framework to examine instructors’ strategies during emergency remote teaching and a study on telepresence robots engagement in synchronous hybrid courses.
This presentation explores how SPU’s Digital Education Leadership program’s courses are designed ... more This presentation explores how SPU’s Digital Education Leadership program’s courses are designed to promote cognitive presence through inquiry-based learning using synchronous and asynchronous collaboration technologies. Cognitive presence is the extent to which participants in a community of inquiry are able to construct meaning through sustained communication
LLT Journal: A Journal on Language and Language Learning, 2024
This research is grounded in the theoretical foundation of the Community of Inquiry (CoI) Framewo... more This research is grounded in the theoretical foundation of the Community of Inquiry (CoI) Framework, exploring its application within the context of Indonesian cultural values in English education. The objective of this case study is to examine how English instructors adapt their teaching strategies to the challenges of online learning. The research design employs a qualitative approach, centered on interviews with three instructors from an English department at a private university in Jakarta. The participants, representing a small but focused population, were selected through a reputational purposive sampling technique, based on nominations from students who identified them for their effectiveness and expertise in online English learning. Data collection involved in-depth interviews, providing insights into the instructors' perspectives and experiences. The analysis involved a thematic examination of teaching, cognitive, and social presence in the CoI framework. Findings show a robust teaching presence and a significant cognitive presence. Notably, social presence, crucial to CoI, subtly aligns with Indonesian hierarchical culture. This study underlines the complex relationship between CoI and cultural factors in online education. It suggests incorporating pedagogies aligned with local cultural values to improve engagement and outcomes in Indonesian online English learning.
Tackling Online Education: Implications of Responses to COVID-19 in Higher Education Globally, 2021
The 2020 pandemic forced many professors to use educational technology for which they had little ... more The 2020 pandemic forced many professors to use educational technology for which they had little training and a limited understanding of the pedagogical decisions that needed to be considered. Furthermore, because there was little time for training, professors chose to adopt digital tools that they thought would replicate their current teaching practices. Therefore, many professors turned to synchronous web meeting tools such as Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams because the dominant form of instruction in higher education is lecture. Professors and students found themselves spending many hours each week in lectures which resulted in a number of cases of zoom fatigue which is mental exhaustion associated with having to concentrate on small video windows to read student body language. This chapter examines how web-based synchronous class meetings are conducted in the Digital Education Leadership (DEL) graduate program at Seattle Pacific University. Strategies for research-based synchronous online learning will be shared including how to prepare for a synchronous class meeting, how to facilitate a synchronous class meeting, and what needs to be done following class. When synchronous online learning tools are used effectively, instructors and students report having positive experiences with this technology rather than complaining about Zoom fatigue.
The researchers explored the Community of Inquiry framework and how collaborative technologies, s... more The researchers explored the Community of Inquiry framework and how collaborative technologies, specifically wikis, can be used to impact student perception of social presence in online learning. The subjects were 78 graduate education students in three differently contrived sections of the same online course. Participants completed the Community of Inquiry (CoI) Survey at the end of the term measuring their perceived level of teaching, social, and cognitive presence during the course. The experimental setting utilized a single instructor teaching one course, and randomly assigned students. Each section had students collaborate using a different tool (synchronous wiki, asynchronous wiki, and discussion board). All subjects perceived high levels of the three presences when compared with previous studies. Students collaborating using an asynchronous wiki perceived significantly more social presence than those using only a discussion board. Specifically, students perceived greater levels of trust and group cohesion when the course design incorporated a wiki for small group collaboration.
This study continues the exploration of the Community of Inquiry framework and how
collaborative... more This study continues the exploration of the Community of Inquiry framework and how
collaborative technologies, specifically, wikis can be used to impact student perception of
social presence. The subjects were 78 graduate education students in three differently
contrived sections of the same online course. Participants completed the Community of
Inquiry Survey at the end of the term, which measured their perceived level of teaching,
social, and cognitive presence during the course. The experimental setting utilized a
single instructor teaching one course, and randomly assigned students. Each section had
students collaborate using a different tool (synchronous wiki, asynchronous wiki, and
discussion board-only). All subjects perceived high levels of the three presences when
compared with previous studies. Students collaborating using an asynchronous wiki
perceived significantly more social presence than those using only a discussion board.
Specifically, students perceived greater levels of trust and group cohesion when the
course design incorporated a wiki for small group collaboration.
A faculty learning community (FLC) comprised of six professors representing different disciplines... more A faculty learning community (FLC) comprised of six professors representing different disciplines came together to study, develop, and teach blended learning courses. As an FLC, the researchers sought to evaluate student perceptions of the blended learning courses, measured using the Community of Inquiry (CoI) survey, and how these differed across the courses taught. In addition to this objective, a secondary objective of how the experience of learning to design blended learning courses in an FLC differed across the faculty was also explored. This exploratory case study found evidence to suggest that student perceptions of a blended course, as measured by the CoI framework, can be used to determine differences in students' blended learning experiences. The results of the study also suggest that perceived differences in blended learning experiences varied by discipline, highlighting an important area for future research experiments. An additional research outcome was that an FLC may be a useful form of faculty development when correctly implemented. For example, participating faculty benefited from participation in an FLC when they received helpful advice on promising practices and encouragement when experiencing instructional or technical challenges.
Researchers in a recent study found that online students’ ability to self-regulate led to more fo... more Researchers in a recent study found that online students’ ability to self-regulate led to more focused attention and time on task, and in turn, these skills could lead to better learning. Given the need for more theoretical work in this area, as well as the potential practical benefits from the use of these pedagogical strategies, we sought to compare differences between high- versus low-collaboration teams in an online assignment to determine if higher levels of student-to-student collaboration led to higher levels of self-regulation or learning presence (forethought and planning, monitoring, strategy use, and reflection). Specifically, we explored how the use of high-collaboration technologies, such as Google Docs and Google Hangouts, impacted the level of learning presence students demonstrated while participating in a small group project. The low-collaboration group made minimal use of an asynchronous discussion forum for collaboration. Differences in collaboration were measured using student grades, peer evaluations, pre- and posttests, and community of inquiry surveys. In addition, quantitative content analysis and social network analysis were used to assess collaboration by examining learning presence in the two groups.
Online students' ability to self-regulate led to focused attention and time on-task. Given a need... more Online students' ability to self-regulate led to focused attention and time on-task. Given a need for more theoretical work in this area, as well as the potential practical benefits, we sought to compare differences between high versus low-collaboration teams in an online assignment to determine if higher levels of student-to-student collaboration lead to higher levels of semantic writing. Specifically, we explored how the use of collaboration technologies such as Google Docs and Google Hangouts impacted the level of ideas generated while participating in a group project. It was found that in terms of total generated semantic themes, low collaboration groups developed significantly more than their high collaboration counterparts in both online discussions and post course meta-reflective blog writings. The high collaboration students did, however, generate a wider variety of unique semantic themes in both the online discussions and blog posts.
The researchers explored the Community of Inquiry framework and how collaborative technologies, s... more The researchers explored the Community of Inquiry framework and how collaborative technologies, specifically wikis, can be used to impact student perception of social presence in online learning. The subjects were 78 graduate education students in three differently contrived sections of the same online course. Participants completed the Community of Inquiry (CoI) Survey at the end of the term measuring their perceived level of teaching, social, and cognitive presence during the course. The experimental setting utilized a single instructor teaching one course, and randomly assigned students. Each section had students collaborate using a different tool (synchronous wiki, asynchronous wiki, and discussion board). All subjects perceived high levels of the three presences when compared with previous studies. Students collaborating using an asynchronous wiki perceived significantly more social presence than those using only a discussion board. Specifically, students perceived greater levels of trust and group cohesion when the course design incorporated a wiki for small group collaboration.
Online students' ability to collaborate with peers may lead to increased learning and positive at... more Online students' ability to collaborate with peers may lead to increased learning and positive attitude toward their learning. Given a need for more theoretical and practical work in this area, we sought to compare differences between high and low-collaboration groups in an assignment to determine if higher levels of collaboration lead to higher levels of semantic writing. We explored how the use of collaboration strategies in group work through the use of online tools impacted the ideas generated while participating in a group project as compared to an individual project. We sought to compare the degree of document sentiment between the two groups. For total generated themes, the low collaboration group developed significantly more themes than the high collaboration group. The high collaboration group yielded 349 more facets than the low collaboration group with 50% of the facets being unique between the two groups. We found neutral document sentiment in both groups overall.
The Learner-Centered Instructional Designer: Purposes, Processes, and Practicalities of Creating Online Courses in Higher Education, 2020
Between the two of us, we have been incorporating synchronous learn- ing into our online instruct... more Between the two of us, we have been incorporating synchronous learn- ing into our online instruction for more than 8 years, most notably as part of the Seattle Pacific University Digital Education Leadership graduate program, designed for educators specializing in the exploration of how digital technology can be used to enhance learning and teaching. Many people assume that synchronous online learning is a live lecture, where a large group of learners watch and listen to their instructor online rather than in a lecture hall. We have been wondering how we disrupt this assumption. As proponents of synchronous learning that is student-centered and focused on highlighting learner voices, the class conversations we facilitate must have fewer participants. Although the option of synchronous learning in larger classes exists, the focus of this chapter is on learning environments with less instructor talk and more learner voices. Our courses always include asynchronous components as well as learners sharing their research and engaging in peer teaching and assessment through discussion board comments (Park & Kim, 2015).
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 and the ensuing public health crisis, thousands of h... more In response to the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 and the ensuing public health crisis, thousands of higher education institutions (HEIs) worldwide have had to grapple with rapid pivots to emergency remote online learning modalities with relatively little time to prepare, and the need to maintain these modalities continues to extend longer than most institutions anticipated. However, this is not the first time HEIs have had to enact an emergency switch to online learning in a time of crisis, and there is perhaps much to be learned from examining the experiences of institutions that have been through this before. Resilient pedagogy is an emerging field in education, but it is intrinsically tied to online learning in a crisis insofar as it describes the ability to intentionally and effectively shift instructional tactics given a change in environment or context. Using a case study approach, this paper explores indicators of resilient pedagogy in emergency pivots to online learning following crisis situations—including the COVID-19 pandemic—in the United States, New Zealand, and South Africa. The data informing this research are qualitative, derived from interviews with faculty members and students in each higher education context.
Researchers in a recent study found that online students’ ability to self-regulate led to more fo... more Researchers in a recent study found that online students’ ability to self-regulate led to more focused attention and time on task, and in turn, these skills could lead to better learning. Given the need for more theoretical work in this area, as well as the potential practical benefits from the use of these pedagogical strategies, we sought to compare differences between high- versus low-collaboration teams in an online assignment to determine if higher levels of student-to-student collaboration led to higher levels of self-regulation or learning presence (forethought and planning, monitoring, strategy use, and reflection). Specifically, we explored how the use of high-collaboration technologies, such as Google Docs and Google Hangouts, impacted the level of learning presence students demonstrated while participating in a small group project. The low-collaboration group made minimal use of an asynchronous discussion forum for collaboration. Differences in collaboration were measured...
This presentation explores how SPU’s Digital Education Leadership program’s courses are designed ... more This presentation explores how SPU’s Digital Education Leadership program’s courses are designed to promote cognitive presence through inquiry-based learning using synchronous and asynchronous collaboration technologies. Cognitive presence is the extent to which participants in a community of inquiry are able to construct meaning through sustained communication
LLT Journal: A Journal on Language and Language Learning, 2024
This research is grounded in the theoretical foundation of the Community of Inquiry (CoI) Framewo... more This research is grounded in the theoretical foundation of the Community of Inquiry (CoI) Framework, exploring its application within the context of Indonesian cultural values in English education. The objective of this case study is to examine how English instructors adapt their teaching strategies to the challenges of online learning. The research design employs a qualitative approach, centered on interviews with three instructors from an English department at a private university in Jakarta. The participants, representing a small but focused population, were selected through a reputational purposive sampling technique, based on nominations from students who identified them for their effectiveness and expertise in online English learning. Data collection involved in-depth interviews, providing insights into the instructors' perspectives and experiences. The analysis involved a thematic examination of teaching, cognitive, and social presence in the CoI framework. Findings show a robust teaching presence and a significant cognitive presence. Notably, social presence, crucial to CoI, subtly aligns with Indonesian hierarchical culture. This study underlines the complex relationship between CoI and cultural factors in online education. It suggests incorporating pedagogies aligned with local cultural values to improve engagement and outcomes in Indonesian online English learning.
Tackling Online Education: Implications of Responses to COVID-19 in Higher Education Globally, 2021
The 2020 pandemic forced many professors to use educational technology for which they had little ... more The 2020 pandemic forced many professors to use educational technology for which they had little training and a limited understanding of the pedagogical decisions that needed to be considered. Furthermore, because there was little time for training, professors chose to adopt digital tools that they thought would replicate their current teaching practices. Therefore, many professors turned to synchronous web meeting tools such as Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams because the dominant form of instruction in higher education is lecture. Professors and students found themselves spending many hours each week in lectures which resulted in a number of cases of zoom fatigue which is mental exhaustion associated with having to concentrate on small video windows to read student body language. This chapter examines how web-based synchronous class meetings are conducted in the Digital Education Leadership (DEL) graduate program at Seattle Pacific University. Strategies for research-based synchronous online learning will be shared including how to prepare for a synchronous class meeting, how to facilitate a synchronous class meeting, and what needs to be done following class. When synchronous online learning tools are used effectively, instructors and students report having positive experiences with this technology rather than complaining about Zoom fatigue.
The researchers explored the Community of Inquiry framework and how collaborative technologies, s... more The researchers explored the Community of Inquiry framework and how collaborative technologies, specifically wikis, can be used to impact student perception of social presence in online learning. The subjects were 78 graduate education students in three differently contrived sections of the same online course. Participants completed the Community of Inquiry (CoI) Survey at the end of the term measuring their perceived level of teaching, social, and cognitive presence during the course. The experimental setting utilized a single instructor teaching one course, and randomly assigned students. Each section had students collaborate using a different tool (synchronous wiki, asynchronous wiki, and discussion board). All subjects perceived high levels of the three presences when compared with previous studies. Students collaborating using an asynchronous wiki perceived significantly more social presence than those using only a discussion board. Specifically, students perceived greater levels of trust and group cohesion when the course design incorporated a wiki for small group collaboration.
This study continues the exploration of the Community of Inquiry framework and how
collaborative... more This study continues the exploration of the Community of Inquiry framework and how
collaborative technologies, specifically, wikis can be used to impact student perception of
social presence. The subjects were 78 graduate education students in three differently
contrived sections of the same online course. Participants completed the Community of
Inquiry Survey at the end of the term, which measured their perceived level of teaching,
social, and cognitive presence during the course. The experimental setting utilized a
single instructor teaching one course, and randomly assigned students. Each section had
students collaborate using a different tool (synchronous wiki, asynchronous wiki, and
discussion board-only). All subjects perceived high levels of the three presences when
compared with previous studies. Students collaborating using an asynchronous wiki
perceived significantly more social presence than those using only a discussion board.
Specifically, students perceived greater levels of trust and group cohesion when the
course design incorporated a wiki for small group collaboration.
A faculty learning community (FLC) comprised of six professors representing different disciplines... more A faculty learning community (FLC) comprised of six professors representing different disciplines came together to study, develop, and teach blended learning courses. As an FLC, the researchers sought to evaluate student perceptions of the blended learning courses, measured using the Community of Inquiry (CoI) survey, and how these differed across the courses taught. In addition to this objective, a secondary objective of how the experience of learning to design blended learning courses in an FLC differed across the faculty was also explored. This exploratory case study found evidence to suggest that student perceptions of a blended course, as measured by the CoI framework, can be used to determine differences in students' blended learning experiences. The results of the study also suggest that perceived differences in blended learning experiences varied by discipline, highlighting an important area for future research experiments. An additional research outcome was that an FLC may be a useful form of faculty development when correctly implemented. For example, participating faculty benefited from participation in an FLC when they received helpful advice on promising practices and encouragement when experiencing instructional or technical challenges.
Researchers in a recent study found that online students’ ability to self-regulate led to more fo... more Researchers in a recent study found that online students’ ability to self-regulate led to more focused attention and time on task, and in turn, these skills could lead to better learning. Given the need for more theoretical work in this area, as well as the potential practical benefits from the use of these pedagogical strategies, we sought to compare differences between high- versus low-collaboration teams in an online assignment to determine if higher levels of student-to-student collaboration led to higher levels of self-regulation or learning presence (forethought and planning, monitoring, strategy use, and reflection). Specifically, we explored how the use of high-collaboration technologies, such as Google Docs and Google Hangouts, impacted the level of learning presence students demonstrated while participating in a small group project. The low-collaboration group made minimal use of an asynchronous discussion forum for collaboration. Differences in collaboration were measured using student grades, peer evaluations, pre- and posttests, and community of inquiry surveys. In addition, quantitative content analysis and social network analysis were used to assess collaboration by examining learning presence in the two groups.
Online students' ability to self-regulate led to focused attention and time on-task. Given a need... more Online students' ability to self-regulate led to focused attention and time on-task. Given a need for more theoretical work in this area, as well as the potential practical benefits, we sought to compare differences between high versus low-collaboration teams in an online assignment to determine if higher levels of student-to-student collaboration lead to higher levels of semantic writing. Specifically, we explored how the use of collaboration technologies such as Google Docs and Google Hangouts impacted the level of ideas generated while participating in a group project. It was found that in terms of total generated semantic themes, low collaboration groups developed significantly more than their high collaboration counterparts in both online discussions and post course meta-reflective blog writings. The high collaboration students did, however, generate a wider variety of unique semantic themes in both the online discussions and blog posts.
The researchers explored the Community of Inquiry framework and how collaborative technologies, s... more The researchers explored the Community of Inquiry framework and how collaborative technologies, specifically wikis, can be used to impact student perception of social presence in online learning. The subjects were 78 graduate education students in three differently contrived sections of the same online course. Participants completed the Community of Inquiry (CoI) Survey at the end of the term measuring their perceived level of teaching, social, and cognitive presence during the course. The experimental setting utilized a single instructor teaching one course, and randomly assigned students. Each section had students collaborate using a different tool (synchronous wiki, asynchronous wiki, and discussion board). All subjects perceived high levels of the three presences when compared with previous studies. Students collaborating using an asynchronous wiki perceived significantly more social presence than those using only a discussion board. Specifically, students perceived greater levels of trust and group cohesion when the course design incorporated a wiki for small group collaboration.
Online students' ability to collaborate with peers may lead to increased learning and positive at... more Online students' ability to collaborate with peers may lead to increased learning and positive attitude toward their learning. Given a need for more theoretical and practical work in this area, we sought to compare differences between high and low-collaboration groups in an assignment to determine if higher levels of collaboration lead to higher levels of semantic writing. We explored how the use of collaboration strategies in group work through the use of online tools impacted the ideas generated while participating in a group project as compared to an individual project. We sought to compare the degree of document sentiment between the two groups. For total generated themes, the low collaboration group developed significantly more themes than the high collaboration group. The high collaboration group yielded 349 more facets than the low collaboration group with 50% of the facets being unique between the two groups. We found neutral document sentiment in both groups overall.
The Learner-Centered Instructional Designer: Purposes, Processes, and Practicalities of Creating Online Courses in Higher Education, 2020
Between the two of us, we have been incorporating synchronous learn- ing into our online instruct... more Between the two of us, we have been incorporating synchronous learn- ing into our online instruction for more than 8 years, most notably as part of the Seattle Pacific University Digital Education Leadership graduate program, designed for educators specializing in the exploration of how digital technology can be used to enhance learning and teaching. Many people assume that synchronous online learning is a live lecture, where a large group of learners watch and listen to their instructor online rather than in a lecture hall. We have been wondering how we disrupt this assumption. As proponents of synchronous learning that is student-centered and focused on highlighting learner voices, the class conversations we facilitate must have fewer participants. Although the option of synchronous learning in larger classes exists, the focus of this chapter is on learning environments with less instructor talk and more learner voices. Our courses always include asynchronous components as well as learners sharing their research and engaging in peer teaching and assessment through discussion board comments (Park & Kim, 2015).
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 and the ensuing public health crisis, thousands of h... more In response to the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 and the ensuing public health crisis, thousands of higher education institutions (HEIs) worldwide have had to grapple with rapid pivots to emergency remote online learning modalities with relatively little time to prepare, and the need to maintain these modalities continues to extend longer than most institutions anticipated. However, this is not the first time HEIs have had to enact an emergency switch to online learning in a time of crisis, and there is perhaps much to be learned from examining the experiences of institutions that have been through this before. Resilient pedagogy is an emerging field in education, but it is intrinsically tied to online learning in a crisis insofar as it describes the ability to intentionally and effectively shift instructional tactics given a change in environment or context. Using a case study approach, this paper explores indicators of resilient pedagogy in emergency pivots to online learning following crisis situations—including the COVID-19 pandemic—in the United States, New Zealand, and South Africa. The data informing this research are qualitative, derived from interviews with faculty members and students in each higher education context.
Researchers in a recent study found that online students’ ability to self-regulate led to more fo... more Researchers in a recent study found that online students’ ability to self-regulate led to more focused attention and time on task, and in turn, these skills could lead to better learning. Given the need for more theoretical work in this area, as well as the potential practical benefits from the use of these pedagogical strategies, we sought to compare differences between high- versus low-collaboration teams in an online assignment to determine if higher levels of student-to-student collaboration led to higher levels of self-regulation or learning presence (forethought and planning, monitoring, strategy use, and reflection). Specifically, we explored how the use of high-collaboration technologies, such as Google Docs and Google Hangouts, impacted the level of learning presence students demonstrated while participating in a small group project. The low-collaboration group made minimal use of an asynchronous discussion forum for collaboration. Differences in collaboration were measured...
This study investigates how instructor teaching philosophy (traditional vs. constructivist) and t... more This study investigates how instructor teaching philosophy (traditional vs. constructivist) and type of learning space (traditional vs. active) influence instructor perceptions of student engagement. In a quasi-experimental study, we found that instructors perceived that students were more engaged in the active learning classroom (ALC) than in the traditional classroom. In addition, we found that instructors with a more constructivist philosophy perceived that students engaged more actively in learning. On closer analysis, however, the difference in perceived student engagement was only significant between more versus less constructivist philosophy when in the ALC. Finally, we found that the relationship between teaching philosophy and student engagement in the ALC was mediated by instructor behavior.
This study investigates how instructor teaching philosophy (traditional vs. constructivist) and t... more This study investigates how instructor teaching philosophy (traditional vs. constructivist) and type of learning space (traditional vs. active) influences instructor perceptions of student engagement. In a quasi-experimental study, we found that instructors perceived that students were more engaged in the ALC than the traditional classroom. In addition, we found that instructors with a more constructivist philosophy perceived that students were more engaged. On closer analysis, however, the difference in perceived student engagement was only significant between more versus less constructivist philosophy when in the ALC. Finally, we found that the relationship between teaching philosophy and student engagement in the ALC was mediated by instructor behavior.
Abstract Web 2.0 technologies, such as blogging, allow for locally developed, cost-effective, and... more Abstract Web 2.0 technologies, such as blogging, allow for locally developed, cost-effective, and holistic alternative portfolio assessment systems. By enhancing critical reflection and fostering social interaction, blogging portfolios or bPortfolios become integral formative and summative assessment tools for all teacher education students enrolled in a university program. Blogging platforms such as WordPress.com are free to use and are available worldwide allowing bPortfolios to be implemented at any institution where students have Internet access.
Web 2.0 technologies, such as blogging, allow for locally developed, cost-effective, and holistic... more Web 2.0 technologies, such as blogging, allow for locally developed, cost-effective, and holistic alternative portfolio assessment systems. By enhancing critical reflection and fostering social interaction, blogging portfolios or bPortfolios become integral formative and summative assessment tools for all teacher education students enrolled in a university program. Blogging platforms such as WordPress.com are free to use and are available worldwide allowing bPortfolios to be implemented at any institution where students have Internet access.
Over the last two decades, students and teachers, across educational levels and disciplines, have... more Over the last two decades, students and teachers, across educational levels and disciplines, have been subject to a variety of school reform efforts. Nevertheless, some instructional practices, such as portfolio assessment, persist and grow in popularity even in the midst of changing educational reform goals and shifting priorities. Teacher education programs have used paper-based portfolios for more than three decades. Recently, institutions have migrated to electronic portfolios since these provide several advantages. Early models of these systems required special technical skills, hardware, or fee-based contracts with service providers. The newest iteration of portfolio platforms are based on social media applications, which are easy to use, free, and customizable. However, the accelerated adoption of social media applications as repositories for student portfolio content has produced several gaps in the literature. Three of these include steps for implementing electronic portfol...
International Teacher Education: Promising Pedagogies (Part C), 2015
Abstract Web 2.0 technologies, such as blogging, allow for locally developed, cost-effective, and... more Abstract Web 2.0 technologies, such as blogging, allow for locally developed, cost-effective, and holistic alternative portfolio assessment systems. By enhancing critical reflection and fostering social interaction, blogging portfolios or bPortfolios become integral formative and summative assessment tools for all teacher education students enrolled in a university program. Blogging platforms such as WordPress.com are free to use and are available worldwide allowing bPortfolios to be implemented at any institution where students have Internet access.
Abstract MERLOT is an online community of faculty with technology-enriched teaching as a shared g... more Abstract MERLOT is an online community of faculty with technology-enriched teaching as a shared goal. A survey of MERLOT Editorial Board members reveals key attributes of the academic community including on-going and sustained interactions, shared purpose or goals, reciprocity of information, support, and services, and conventions for establishing strong ties among participants. Patterns in the survey responses highlight camaraderie, leadership, and online community design as factors that support improved teaching. Benefits outweigh faculty time costs in accordance with sociological theory of distributed leadership. Introduction The Internet provides electronic support for virtual communities where people find others who share their interests. One study of online communities found 90 million Americans using the Internet to contact a group and referred to network users who nurture long-distance online community memberships as Cyber Groupies (Hoorigan et al, 2001). The subject of this paper is a survey of one particular higher education community of practice that has been functioning online for five years. Though it seems natural that academic communities would move some of their work to the virtual realm of online communities, not much is known about community attributes that can actually sustain the productivity of one type of online community in higher education: a faculty community of practice to improve effectiveness of teaching and learning. Indeed, many apparently consensus ideas about successful online communities remain to be tested for this particular group for whom information satisfaction and rigor are of particular concern. Sociological theories suggest that building community requires on-going and sustained interactions, shared purpose or goals, shared resources with policies to control access, reciprocity of information and services, and protocols or conventions for establishing strong ties among participants (Kollock, 1998; Whittaker et al, 1997). Leimeister & Sidiris (2004) suggest that online communities are built on common interests or common tasks performed with both implicit and explicit codes of behavior. But very little published research explores the application of these theories to academic online communities in higher education. In fact, some proposed core attributes of online communities, such as the need for rules to govern the use of shared resources, seem largely hypothetical. Clearly, work in a virtual community of practice reduces threat of theft, but an idea that remains to be tested is the suggestion by Kollock (1998) and others that low risk makes a community dull and lacking in opportunity to build trust. This study attempts to identify those elements that assist in building and sustaining an academic online community about teaching and learning. The context for the study is a nationwide community of Cyber Groupies who work together as Editorial Board members of the Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching (MERLOT), a project that started in 1999. MERLOT is a free and open collection of online learning materials designed primarily for faculty and students of higher education. MERLOT is also a grassroots community of faculty who make the resource collection grow by contributing materials and adding assignments and comments. Results of this study question the need to control access to academic resources shared online. Results also suggest that for the MERLOT editors, benefits of membership in the online community outweigh faculty time costs in accordance with sociological theory of distributed leadership and in spite of little professional status or recognition. The lynchpin that sustains the MERLOT online community is the camaraderie members view as important support for their productivity. Results illuminate the openness of the MERLOT online community to welcoming new members. But relationships between size and productivity of an online community merit further investigation, since the MERLOT community depends upon personal contact for interactions among working members. …
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Online Learning by David Wicks
collaborative technologies, specifically, wikis can be used to impact student perception of
social presence. The subjects were 78 graduate education students in three differently
contrived sections of the same online course. Participants completed the Community of
Inquiry Survey at the end of the term, which measured their perceived level of teaching,
social, and cognitive presence during the course. The experimental setting utilized a
single instructor teaching one course, and randomly assigned students. Each section had
students collaborate using a different tool (synchronous wiki, asynchronous wiki, and
discussion board-only). All subjects perceived high levels of the three presences when
compared with previous studies. Students collaborating using an asynchronous wiki
perceived significantly more social presence than those using only a discussion board.
Specifically, students perceived greater levels of trust and group cohesion when the
course design incorporated a wiki for small group collaboration.
collaborative technologies, specifically, wikis can be used to impact student perception of
social presence. The subjects were 78 graduate education students in three differently
contrived sections of the same online course. Participants completed the Community of
Inquiry Survey at the end of the term, which measured their perceived level of teaching,
social, and cognitive presence during the course. The experimental setting utilized a
single instructor teaching one course, and randomly assigned students. Each section had
students collaborate using a different tool (synchronous wiki, asynchronous wiki, and
discussion board-only). All subjects perceived high levels of the three presences when
compared with previous studies. Students collaborating using an asynchronous wiki
perceived significantly more social presence than those using only a discussion board.
Specifically, students perceived greater levels of trust and group cohesion when the
course design incorporated a wiki for small group collaboration.