Research | Distance-Educator.com - Part 140 Distance-Educator.com

Archive for the ‘Research’ Category

Online Graduate Education: Developing Scholars through Asynchronous Discussion

Abstract: Considerable effort has been placed on understanding and enhancing online interaction to increase student learning, examine teaching strategies, and build learning communities. This research explored another aspect of interaction: the emergence of scholarship by graduate students through asynchronous discussion. Qualitative analysis of archived discussion postings found that graduate students rely on their experience, expertise, […]

Linking theory to practice in learning technology research

Abstract We present a case to reposition theory so that it plays a pivotal role in learning technology research and helps to build an ecology of learning. To support the case, we present a critique of current practice based on a review of articles published in two leading international journals from 2005 to 2010. Our […]

The development of distance education in the Russian Federation and the former Soviet Union

Abstract Distance education in the present Russian Federation and former Soviet Union has a long tradition that prevails to this day. The majority of students in Russia are enrolled in distance learning programs. The numbers indicate the existence of a well-established system for distance education, of which little is known in Western literature. A review […]

Economies of Scope in Distance Education: The Case of Chinese Research Universities

Abstract With the rapid development of information technologies, distance education has become “another form of product differentiation in the output mix produced by the multi-product university or college” (Cohn & Cooper, 2004, p. 607). This article aims at analyzing the economies of scope of distance education (as an educational output) in Chinese research universities. The […]

Distance Education and Community Learning Networks linked by a Library of Culture

Abstract Humans are relational beings with their modeled behavior as practical examples of cultural routines that they hear, see, read, and assemble on their own from communal pieces of information to answer the needs of their everyday lives (Bandura, & Jeffrey, 1973). Yet few researchers have looked at the differing synthesis of culture and generally […]

Between Purpose and Method: A Review of Educational Research on 3D Virtual Worlds

Abstract This study aims to enhance our holistic understanding of 3D virtual worlds by providing a detailed analysis of the research methods and research trends related to the research of 3D virtual worlds for educational environments. Data was collected by searching for the ubiquitous term, “virtual world,” from databases. Snowball sampling was also employed. The […]

Guiding Students from Consuming Information to Creating Knowledge: A Freshman English Library Instruction Collaboration

Abstract In this paper we examine how faculty and librarians’ own approaches to and attitudes toward library tools, as well as their assumptions about student research practices, impede students’ ability to view learning as a recursive, creative, and ongoing inquiry. We propose first that librarians and faculty examine the assumptions of knowledge that characterize their […]

Business information literacy teaching at different academic levels: An exploration of skills and implications for instructional design

Abstract This study investigates the difference among students’ discipline-specific information literacy (IL) skills by studying first-year and final-year undergraduate business students. An online IL tutorial was designed and delivered to both student groups with a two-fold goal.First, the researchers wanted to compare students’ IL skills to test the faculty’s assumptions that business students who are […]

Academic Librarians in Second Life

Abstract The multi-user virtual world Second Life is an online software platform that allows users to jointly explore realistic three-dimensional environments via avatar characters, communicate via voice and text chat, and collaborate using shared creation tools. Librarians and educators have been developing academic content and services in Second Life for use with students and other […]

Semantic Web and Internet of Things Supporting Enhanced Learning

Abstract This paper outlines possible evolution trends of e-learning, supported by most recent advancements in the World Wide Web. Specifically, we consider a situation in which the Semantic Web technology and tools are widely adopted, and fully integrated within a context of applications exploiting the Internet of Things paradigm. Such a scenario will dramatically impact […]