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EDU681102 - Module 2, Week 2. Mark Ness, article #3.

Edited link - https://diigo.com/08285j

Cao, M. (2014). Understanding learners' experience in MOOCs: a review of literature. Retrieved from http://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/handle/2152/26325 Abstract "MOOCs have become a popular topic in the educational field since 2008. This report reviews the literature from 2008 to March 2014 on the development of MOOCs with a focus on learners' experience. By looking into the topics researchers have been investigating, this review identifies eight themes on this topic: (1) Platforms and Technology, (2) Instructional Materials and Assessment, (3) Instructors, (4) Participants' demographics, (5) Motivation and Engagement Patterns, (6) Self-directed Learning and Learner Interaction, (7) Blended Education, and (8) Completion rates. The review also indicates that MOOC course design (pedagogies, technical support, assessment and instructors) and learner characteristics (motivation, engagement levels, self-directed learning and digital literacy) influence learners' experience. Possible future research questions are also proposed in this report." (p.1) This report is a literature review for a masters by a student at University of Texas at Austin. At the time of writing (March 2014) the author found relatively few references focusing on learners' experience in MOOCs from scholarly journals- 15 in total and she reported on them. These articles disproportionately analyzed cMOOCs as compared with xMOOCs and in both cases data was drawn from relatively early courses. Most references cover only one course. The report identifies 8 themes to categorize the articles' content: (1) Platforms and Technology, (2) Instructional Materials and Assessment, (3) Instructors, (4) Participants' demographics, (5) Motivation and Engagement Patterns, (6) Self-directed Learning and Learner Interaction, (7) Blended Education, and (8) Completion rates. Analysis shows that all these categories are inter-related and affect each other. The author identifies 5 areas for further r

Reference Gasevic, D., Kovanovic, V. Joksimovic, S., Siemens, G. (2014). Where is Research on Massive Open Online Courses Headed ? A Data Analysis of the MOOC Research Initiative. The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 15(5), 135 -176. Retrieved from http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/1954/3111

Marian, this is an involved research report on MOOC research initiative! Specifically, the issue of low course completion and high degree of student attrition was often pronounced as the key challenge of MOOCs & that understanding factors that affect student engagement, completion and success in MOOCs is a complicated psychological process. Theory of planned behavior (TPB) - used to study behavioral change - in the study's case, changing students intention to complete a MOOC and thus, increase their likelihood of course completion - it remains to be seen to what extent a student's intention can be changed if the student did not have an intention to complete a MOOC in the first place. What would be a reason that could motivate a student to change their intention in cases when she/he only enrolled in a MOOC to access information provided without intentions to take any formal assessments? Side note - are you aware of (or have you already taken) ESC's EDU-681111 Metacognitive Analysis: U Albany & Empire State College MOOC? Also, you may be interested in reading this article - Beyond MOOCs: Is IT Creating a New, Connected Age? EDUCAUSE Sprint 2013.

"Technology acceptance in education has been and continues to be a central concern for researchers, application and platform developers, and educators. Rapid advancements in miniaturization along with the availability of fast, reliable, and affordable networks have sparked an increasing demand by students for better ways to complement their mobile lifestyles in support of their learning. Based on a review of the literature of technology acceptance and trends in mobile device usage in learning, this researcher tested the predictive power of the Mobile Learning Acceptance Model (MLAM) in an online higher education setting. MLAM is an extension of the technology acceptance model (TAM) inasmuch as it seeks to obtain user perceptions of usefulness and ease of use and their effect on user attitude and behavioral intention to use mobile devices for learning. For this research, users included students and faculty. Current literature indicates that student desire for access to a variety of learning resources anywhere anytime is growing yet little is known regarding faculty perceptions regarding mobile learning (m-learning) or on how institutions can position themselves to meet the growing demand. A web-based survey design was used to test MLAM using a previously developed and validated instrument, though updated to include and exclude what is now or no longer applicable and the wording modified to ensure relevancy to the target population studied. Exploratory factor analysis was performed to validate the factor structure. Multiple regression analysis was performed to determine which factors had the greatest influence on m-learning acceptance." [Abstract from ERIC database.] Link: http://search.proquest.com.library.esc.edu/docview/1399418322/abstract?accountid=8067 Marrs, K. (2013). An investigation of the factors that influence faculty and student acceptance of mobile learning in online higher education. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.library.esc.edu/pqrl/doc

March 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Mobile use among students was on the rise from 2013 to 2014, according to new research released today by McGraw-Hill Education.

Ho, A. D., Reich, J., Nesterko, S., Seaton, D. T., Mullaney, T., Waldo, J., & Chuang, I. (2014). HarvardX and MITx: The first year of open online courses (HarvardX and MITx Working Paper No. 1). Retrieved from http://ssrn.com/abstract=2381263 The report analyzes in detail the interaction between the students and courses and draws conclusions based on the findings and suggests further research. One of the insights that makes MOOCs quite different than traditional classroom courses is the usage patterns. The authors pointed out that "[n]ew metrics, far beyond grades and course certification, are necessary to capture the diverse usage patterns in the data. A simple comparison of grades and viewed content shows thousands of users who fit a range of profiles. Of particular interest may be those students who accessed substantial course content but did not participate in assessments." (Ho, et al., 2014, p. 3.)

To Marian: I never really paid that much attention to MOOCs until you presented all this information on them. I suppose distance learning and MOOCs are the wave of the future. I am going to have to learn a lot more about MOOCs to understand where higher education may well be going -- at least at the undergraduate level.

Marian: We have an unusual culture where I work. If there is work, it comes with a price. We have many faculty who feel that they need to be paid a lot more to develop in this platform model. 100 students in a course is hard for them to imagine, but much of the grading can be automated. I would like to encourage the use of MOOCs for a few reasons, but I have two that are of value to the education industry. The first is students who are unsure of their educational goals can take advantage of the free or very low cost access to content to see if the path is for them. Second, there seems to be an opportunity for increased enrollment. This is an area that many institutions across the nation are struggling with. Having so much more online availability and larger classes could be part of the solution.

Baum, S, Harris, D. Kelly, A. and Mitchell, T (2017) A Principled Federal Role in Higher Education, Brief https://nscresearchcenter.org/current-term-enrollment-estimates/ A brief from the Urban Institute that discusses the role of the federal government in higher education and describes points of action recommended to improve higher education across the nation. These include subsiding costs, data gathering for market function improvement, accountability and quality assurance, and support for research at public institutions. College enrollment continues a downward trend for undergraduate enrollment and an upward trend in graduate enrollment.

This journal focuses on digital Immigrants in distance education and understands teachers as leaders capable of communicating in virtual environments and students as participants facing unfavorable technological factors.

"The advantages of mobile technologies have not been lost on higher education institutions, and they have tried to provide educational services through the use of mobile learning management system (LMS). However, offering such services does not necessarily mean that the students will adopt the new technology. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine what factors facilitate and hinder the students' adoption of the mobile campus. The study was based on the diffusion of innovation model and compared the perceptions of mobile LMS users and nonusers. Eighty-five students in a cyber university responded to the survey, and the results revealed that even though nonusers perceived the advantages of using mobile LMS, they did not adopt the system because of its complexity and resistance. A discussion and the implications for further development of mobile LMS followed." [Abstract from ERIC database.] Han, I., & Han, S. (2014). Adoption of the Mobile Campus in a Cyber University. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning. 15(6), 237-256.

"The 2009 "Horizon Report" called mobile technologies "an opportunity for higher education to reach its constituents in new and compelling ways." The report implied that academic libraries would find them to be the ideal tools for bringing reluctant researchers to the library, mainly for their convenience. It's not hard to see why--in 2008, mobile phones were in the hands of more than 4 billion users, a 61% penetration rate worldwide. By 2012, the mobile phone is expected to outsell the personal computer. The leaders in mobile communication are, not surprisingly, adults in the 18 to 29 age group, the traditional college-age student. Academic libraries are not blind to this--a 2009 "Library Journal" survey found that 65% of academic libraries either already offer or plan to offer mobile services. If one's library is in that 35% with no plans for mobile outreach keep reading--one will find ideas to make his/her library a true 21st-century information hub." [Abstract from ERIC Database.] Link to the full-text article in the ESC EbscoHost Education Source database: http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.library.esc.edu/ehost/detail/detail?vid=28&sid=777400f5-917a-43a0-83b8-26cdc83f8315%40sessionmgr4003&hid=4103&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=63993342&db=a9h Kosturski, K., & Skornia, F. (2011). Handheld Libraries 101: Using mobile technologies in the academic library. Computers in Libraries, 31(6), 11-13.

Hi Robert, the proliferation of mobile technologies and the need for all Internet using facitilties, including libraries, to make their content available and searchable is definitely here. My personal experience is that I keep toggling back and forth between my smartphone and my laptop. However, I notice that my children (now in their 20s) are using their phones for everything. So keeping abreast of the changes this requires, like keeping everything legible within the relatively small screen, expecting users to use the 'portrait' version more frequently than landscape, is something that all web designers have to adapt to. Thanks for this article. M

The increasing development of virtual reality (VR) technologies has matured enough as to expand research from the military and scientific visualization realm into more multidisciplinary areas, such as education, art, and psychology.

"This study which is based on the Technological Acceptance Model (TAM), seeks to explore whether librarians and LIS students are familiar with the newest technological innovations and whether they are ready to accept them. The research was conducted in Israel during the first and second semesters of the 2012 academic year and considered two populations: librarians and LIS students. Researchers used two questionnaires to gather data: a personal details questionnaire, and a mobile technology questionnaire. On the whole, the current study supported the two core variables of the TAM (perceived ease of use and usefulness), as well as personal innovativeness that may predict librarians' and students' behavioral intention to use mobile services in the library." [Abstract from ERIC database.] Link to full-text EbscoHost Education Source database at ESC: http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.library.esc.edu/ehost/detail/detail?vid=9&sid=6b435564-9bcd-4f6f-95df-581478f9b036%40sessionmgr4004&hid=4103&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=94658055&db=eue Aharony, N. (2014). Mobile Libraries: Librarians' and Students' Perspectives. College & Research Libraries, 75 (2), 202-217.

Another "round-up" of articles, but a great place to go for more information on game-based learning.

Yousef, A. M. F., Chatti, M. A., Wosnitza, M., & Schroeder, U. (2015). A Cluster Analysis of MOOC Stakeholder Perspectives. RUSC. Universities and Knowledge Society Journal, 12(1). pp. 74-90. doi http://dx.doi.org/10.7238/rusc.v12i1.2253 Abstract "Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are providing opportunities for thousands of learners to participate in free higher education courses online. MOOCs have unique features that make them an effective Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) approach. Institutions are offering a growing variety of MOOCs. Nevertheless, there are several crucial challenges that should be considered in the development of MOOCs, e.g., the drop-out rate of over 95% of course participants. One of the potential reasons for that is the complexity and diversity of MOOC participants. This diversity is not only related to the cultural and demographic profile, but also considers the diverse motives and perspectives when enrolled in MOOCs. This paper aims to cluster and analyze the different objectives of MOOC stakeholders to build a deeper and better understanding of their behaviors. Our main finding was a set of eight clusters, i.e., blended learning, flexibility, high quality content, instructional design and learning methodologies, lifelong learning, network learning, openness, and student-centered learning. This cluster schema creates a meaningful picture for the MOOC community" (p. 71). This is a peer reviewed scholarly article that uses qualitative and quantitative methods to analyze survey data on MOOC instructors and learners. Responses were relatively low: 158. The context is unclear - where did they get the sampling frame from? And why did they combine the learners and instructors? So there is some question as to the sample and it cannot be generalized. That said, they are innovative in their qualitative analysis. The qualitative work analyzed the open ended questions in their survey. They used a research method that allowed them to catego

What is the current state of mobile services among academic libraries of the country's top 100 universities, and what are the best practices for librarians implementing mobile services at the university level? Through in--‐depth website visits and survey questionnaires, the authors studied each of the top 100 universities' libraries' experiences with mobile services. Results showed that all of these libraries offered at least one mobile service, and the majority offered multiple services. The most common mobile services offered were mobile sites, text messaging services, e--‐books, and mobile access to databases and the catalog. In addition, chat/IM services, social media accounts and apps were very popular. Survey responses also indicated a trend towards responsive design for websites so that patrons can access the library's full site on any mobile device. Respondents recommend that libraries considering offering mobile services begin as soon as possible as patron demand for these services is expected to increase. [Abstract from EBSCOHost Education Source: Full-text article available in ESC library databases.] Link: http://search.proquest.com.library.esc.edu/pqrl/docview/1691586122/5530379CBA1C4741PQ/3?accountid=8067 Yan Quan, L., & Briggs, S. (2015). A Library in the Palm of Your Hand: Mobile Services in Top 100 University Libraries. Information Technology & Libraries, 34(2), 133-148. doi:10.6017/ital.v34i2.5650

Robert, This link takes me to the ESC login, but after logging in I receive the following message: Failure to connect due an internal server error. I thought maybe this was due to a browser issue, but it occurred with Safari, FireFox & Chrome. I searched for and located the article online (http://ejournals.bc.edu/ojs/index.php/ital/article/view/5650/pdf) - the research is interesting. Research presented confirms that "mobile [library] services are already ubiquitous among the country's top universities". My university's library services, catalogs, databases, ebook collections, etc. are also all accessible via online access from the university's library website page and directly via a link every LMS course shell. We have standardized certain items in all our LMS course shells and a link to the university's library resources is one of these standardized course shell items. If students have the mobile LMS app on a tablet/phone, again, all library services, catalogs, databases, & I believe ebooks?, etc. are accessible.

To Mark: I added in a link to get to this article and to all the articles I posted in the commercial databases. It is very interesting that ALL the ERIC links work but all the commercial links directly to the full-text PDF articles do not. Robert, December 1, 2015 I am sorry about this. I copied the link directly. Perhaps it did not work because you have to log in to the database first. The link will not take you there because you need to authenticate first, etc. Anyway, you can find the article in the EBSCOHost Education Source by title in the ESC databases. I realize that you already found it at another web site. That's OK, too. As long as you can access it. -- Robert

Data is drawn from an inductive research project, which examined school Internet risk discourses, institutional attempts to control 'net' use and student responses to such practices, in eight educational establishments in the north of England. over three years. In examining internet regulation policy, Oswell (1998) notes that distinctions are drawn between the 'child-in-danger' and the dangerous child.While exaggerated risk discourses might result in over-blocking, with students being pushed away from using school cyberspace, the Internet simultaneously offers seductive pulls, encouraging teachers and students to be adventurous in their pursuit of knowledge online.

This article examines technology trends in higher education and how they impact student habits and preferences in college libraries. A study was conducted among students at the Sam Houston State University in East Texas to investigate their usage of electronic devices and technologies such as text messaging, Twitter, podcasts, Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds, and social networks. Results indicate that students do wish that basic library services were available through the most popular social networking sites and Internet technologies. Topics include a review of literature consulted, methods used, and the demographics of the student body researched. [Abstract from ESC Academic Search Complete database] Link: http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.library.esc.edu/ehost/detail/detail?vid=7&sid=32d26eef-5aab-4af2-ad1a-c9624344797d%40sessionmgr115&hid=126&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=61993848&db=a9h Cassidy, E. D., Britsch, J., Griffin, G., Manolovitz, T., Shen, L., & Turney, L. (2011). Higher Education and Emerging Technologies: Student Usage, Preferences, and Lessons for Library Services. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 50(4), 380-391.

"Mobile cloud learning, a combination of mobile learning and cloud computing, is a relatively new concept that holds considerable promise for future development and delivery in the education sectors. Cloud computing helps mobile learning overcome obstacles related to mobile computing. The main focus of this paper is to explore how cloud computing changes traditional mobile learning. A case study of the usage of Moodle in the cloud via mobile learning in Khalifa University was conducted." [Abstract from ERIC database.] Wang, M., Chen, Y., & Khan, M. J. (2014). Mobile Cloud Learning for Higher Education: A Case Study of Moodle in the Cloud. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning. 15(2), 254-267.

I liked this article. I did some research on learning styles and have often wondered how this made a difference in online learning and if anything was being done about it. Just have not had any time to do any research. This is definitely one to save thanks.