Research | Distance-Educator.com - Part 164 Distance-Educator.com

Archive for the ‘Research’ Category

Identifying Influences on Attitudes and Self-Efficacy Beliefs Towards Technology Integration Among Pre-Service

This pilot study investigated the influences on self-efficacy beliefs toward technology integration among pre-service teachers at two mid-sized public institutions in the Midwest region of the United States. Using pre/post measurements of perceived comfort with using computer technology, perceived usefulness of computer technology, and ratings of self-efficacy beliefs toward technology integration, this study identified possible […]

A Socio-Cultural Perspective on the Free and Open Source Software Movement

This paper examines the history, leading figures, and sub-culture of the Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) movement from a socio-cultural perspective. It makes the argument that the evolution of FOSS movement is an interactional process between the socio-cultural environment and the ideas, negotiations, proposals, strategies, and overall leadership of leading figures of the FOSS […]

The Role of Status Seeking in Online Communities: Giving the Gift of Experience

This article examines online gift giving in the form of opinion, information, and advice that individuals post on websites. Research has highlighted altruism and reciprocity as the key motives behind such gift giving. We argue that informational gift giving is also strongly driven by status and status seeking, and that status sentiments are more likely […]

Assessing Critical Thinking in a New Approach to Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) Transcripts

Critical thinking involves analysis, critique and some evaluation of the information gathered in order to make a reflective and well founded conclusion from the same. It is therefore very important to understand that critical thinking ultimately affects all forms of communication, including speaking, writing, listening and reading. Read the Full Article

Toward an Effective Understanding of Website Users, Advantages and Pitfalls of Linking Transaction Log Analyses and Online Surveys

Almost every American research university and library has made significant investments in digitizing its intellectual and cultural resources and making them publicly available. There is, however, little empirical data about how these resources are actually used or who is using them (Harley, 2007).Read the Full Article

From Shared Databases to Communities of Practice: A Taxonomy of Collaboratories

AbstractPromoting affiliation between scientists is relatively easy, but creating larger organizational structures is much more difficult, due to traditions of scientific independence, difficulties of sharing implicit knowledge, and formal organizational barriers. The Science of Collaboratories (SOC) project conducted a broad five-year review to take stock of the diverse ecosystem of projects that fit our definition […]

Sociology at Microsof

The software giant wants to better understand how people interact on the Internet.Read the Full Article

Evaluating the Impact on Users from Implementing a Course Management System

Nearly all colleges and universities are using some form of e-learning system, usually an expensive course management system (CMS), to create online course offerings or to enhance regular, classroom-oriented courses. Our university has invested a large amount of resources into purchasing and supporting one of the two most popular CMS vendors, and it has become […]

Delays, designs diminish ed-tech research

Critics question impact of Education Department studies on school technologyRead the Full Article

Framework for Conceptualising the Impact of Technology on Teaching and Learning

ABSTRACT: Although there is great interest, and considerable investment, in adopting technology within Higher Education, it is less clear what this change means to the people who implement or experience it. Presently, there is no consistent framework used to study and explain this phenomenon. In this paper, we propose a framework that can structure and […]