Archive for the ‘Research’ Category

The Effects of Captioning Videos on Academic Achievement and Motivation: Reconsideration of Redundancy Principle in Instructional Videos

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of captioned vs. non-captioned instructional videos on the motivation and achievement. To this end, a pre-test and post-test experimental design was used on 109 sophomores from a Turkish state university. Videos with and without captions of the unit in question were prepared by the […]

Student perspectives: redesigning a research assignment handout through the academic literacies model

This study explores student responses to a research assignment handout that was redesigned in light of the recommendations from a 2010 Project Information Literacy report. Framed through Lea and Street’s Academic Literacies model, which positions information literacy as a social and situated practice rather than as a generic skill set or a process of socialisation, […]

Instructor perceptions of student information literacy: comparing international IL models to reality

This study assesses the information literacy (IL) perceptions of instructors at a technical college in the Middle East, the College of the North Atlantic – Qatar. Students at this college are instructed in four areas of study – engineering technology, information technology, business studies and health sciences – which takes place exclusively in English and […]

‘I Create Therefore I Virtually Exist’: Digital Content Creation, Virtual Consumption, and Motivation in Second Life

User-generated content (UGC) has been receiving increasing attention given its spread throughout digital media platforms and applications. Previous research focusing on Web 2.0 based platforms highlighted linkages with personal characteristics, user attitudes, and social as well as individual motivators. Interestingly, UGC has not been addressed on other platforms such as 3D virtual worlds, and the […]

Implementing Moodle for e-learning for a successful knowledge management strategy

A knowledge management strategy was implemented in a call centre organization. Part of this strategy included an e-learning tool ‘Moodle’ to support employee training and knowledge management (KM) initiatives. The research looked at the ways in which the e-learning tool could be used to help successfully implement the knowledge management strategy – specifically, to improve […]

Press learning: The potential of podcasting through pause, record, play and stop

Podcasts are entering their second decade. However, this article does not present a chronological narrative of this history or focus groups exploring their effectiveness. Instead, this paper probes the enlivening capacity of podcasting when inserted into the much wider discourse of sonic media. My research probes the impact on teaching and learning when cutting away […]

From Presences to Linked Influences Within Communities of Inquiry

Much research has identified and confirmed the core elements of the well-known Community of Inquiry Framework (CoIF): Social, Cognitive and Teaching Presence (Garrison, 2011). The overlap of these Presences, their definitions and roles, and their subsequent impact on the educational experience, has received less attention. This article is prompted by the acceptance of that omission (Garrison, […]

The Effects of a Pedagogical Agent’s Smiling Expression on the Learner’s Emotions and Motivation in a Virtual Learning Environment

The present study aimed to test the hypothesis that a smiling expression on the face of a talking pedagogical agent could positively affect a learner’s emotions, motivation, and learning outcomes in a virtual learning environment. Contrary to the hypothesis, results from Experiment 1 demonstrated that the pedagogical agent’s smile induced negative emotional and motivational responses […]

Download Report: 2016 Online Education Trends

2016 Online Education Trends This report is designed to inform a diverse group of stakeholders in online education. Administrators, instructors, students and parents are faced with an increasing number of online options to consider as they pursue affordability and academic goals. Our goal in conducting the research and conversations that frame this work was to […]

Positioning Identity in Computer-mediated Discourse among ESOL Learners

The present study explores a linguistic mechanism in which the identity of English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) learners can be influenced online. Analyzing the discourse of ESOL chat room participants and how they uptake positioning statements through online conversations, we present two vignettes that illustrate the kind of discourse in which participants position […]