Archive for the ‘Theory’ Category

Conceptualising OEP: A review of theoretical and empirical literature in Open Educational Practices

Conceptualisations of open educational practices (OEP) vary widely, ranging from those centred primarily on the creation and use of open educational resources (OER) to broader definitions of OEP, inclusive of but not necessarily focused on OER. The latter, referred to in this paper as expansive definitions of OEP, encompass open content but also allow for multiple […]

No Significant Difference – Unless you are a Jumper

Much of the e-education literature suggests that there is no significant difference in aggregate student learning outcomes between online and face-to-face instruction. In this study, we develop a model that forecasts the grade that individual students would have most likely earned in the alternate class setting. Students for whom the difference between the actual grade […]

The Moderating Effects of Group Work on the Relationship Between Motivation and Cognitive Load

Semi-formal learning is used to describe learning that is directed towards the goals of a formal learning institution but outside of the learning structure of a specific class. Students studying online may form semi-formal groups to increase their knowledge of the content by interacting with other learners taking the same class. This study of cyber […]

Space as a tool for analysis: Examining digital learning spaces

Over the past decade we have seen a rise in the adoption and proliferation of social technologies, and along with these a move to build on the capacity to embrace new pedagogies and practices that can open our boundaries for both teaching and learning. How do we determine what we mean by space specifically in […]

How Learners Participate in Connectivist Learning: An Analysis of the Interaction Traces From a cMOOC

In this research paper, the authors analyse the collected data output during a 36 week cMOOC. Six-week data streams from blogs, Twitter, a Facebook group, and video conferences were tracked from the daily newsletter and the MOOCs’ hashtag (#change11). This data was analysed using content analysis and social network analysis within an interpretative research paradigm. […]

Measuring Self-Regulation in Self-Paced Open and Distance Learning Environments

Previous studies have described many scales for measuring self-regulation; however, no scale has been developed specifically for self-paced open and distance learning environments. Therefore, the aim of this study is to develop a scale for determining the self-regulated learning skills of distance learners in self-paced open and distance learning courses. Participants of this study were […]

A comprehensive overview on the foundations of formal concept analysis

The immersion of voluminous collection of data is inevitable almost everywhere. The invention of mathematical models to analyse the patterns and trends of the data is an emerging necessity to extract and predict useful information in any Knowledge Discovery from Data (KDD) process. The Formal Concept Analysis (FCA) is an efficient mathematical model used in […]

Privacy Literacy: From Theory to Practice

Libraries and librarians have dealt with patron privacy issues since their inception, often serving as educators and advocates. In today’s social media-filled landscape, patron privacy has moved from the safeguarding of traditional library records to the creation, use, and ownership of information maintained in an online world. As the core educators for many aspects of […]

The viability of online competency based education: An organizational analysis of the impending paradigm shift

Over the past several decades, workplace demands have changed from having an industrial emphasis on physical inputs and natural resources, to a knowledge based economy with a reliance on intellectual capabilities (Block, 1990; Ronchi, 1985; Sum & Jessop, 2013). The knowledge economy is defined as “production and service based on knowledge-intensive activities that contribute to […]

The ecology of the open practitioner: a conceptual framework for open research

Open Educational Practices (OEP) have gained traction internationally over the last fifteen years, with individuals, institutions, and governments increasingly interested in the affordances of openness. Whilst initiatives, policies, and support mechanisms are evident, there is an ever-present danger of localised contexts being unintentionally unrecognised, which has a negative effect on mainstreaming the practice sustainably. This […]