Tabletit opetuskäytössä : opettajien kokemuksia Mobiluck-hankkeesta

Tableteista on muodostunut potentiaalinen vaihtoehto kouluissa käytettäväksi teknologiaksi. Tutkimuksessa haastateltiin yhteensä kahtatoista opettajaa Mobiluck- hankkeen lukioista. Tutkimusongelmana oli selvittää, miten tabletteja on hyödynnetty opetuksessa ja millaisia vaikutuksia niillä on ollut. Opettajien kokemuksien perusteella tablettien opetuskäytöstä muodostettiin pedagogisia esimerkkejä. Lisäksi kartoitettiin, miten opettajat käyttivät tablettia henkilökohtaisena välineenä, mitä hyötyä tableteista oli ja millaisia ongelmia kohdattiin. Tutkimuksessa havaittiin, että tabletti mahdollisti paikasta riippumattoman oppimisen ja opiskeltavan sisällön integroimisen autenttiseen maailmaan. …

Using Slack for computer-mediated communication to support higher education students’ peer interactions during Master’s thesis seminar

Our study contributes to the research on computer-mediated communication in higher education by experimenting a modern communication tool called Slack. In particular, we consider using Slack to support students’ peer interactions during Master’s thesis work. For this purpose, we designed a case study that was executed in a Master’s thesis seminar course. During the course, all out-of-class communication was carried out by using Slack, instead of e-mails or learning management systems. After the course, we used a questionnaire to investigate how the students perceived Slack for asking for assistance, their intention to use Slack, and Slack’s ease of use. Furthermore, the questionnaire asked …

Taulutietokoneet opettajan työssä

Tutkimuksessa selvitettiin systemaattisella kirjallisuuskatsauksella, miten taulutietokoneita opettajan työssä on tutkittu. Kirjallisuuskatsauksen perusteella tutkimustietoa on vähän. Tutkimuskirjallisuudesta on poimittu menetelmät, tutkimuskysymykset ja johtopäätökset. Tuloksia on tarkasteltu iPadien mahdollisuuksien, tutkimusmenetelmien sekä opettajien ja oppilaiden kokemuksien pohjalta.

A systematic literature review of participatory design studies involving teachers

Participatory design is a well-known approach that involves stakeholders in designing technologies and other innovations. In education, participatory design is especially advocated for involving students with special needs. However, less attention has been paid to how participatory design can help in collaborations with teachers. This paper presents a systematic literature review of participatory design studies conducted between 2007 and 2017 that involved teachers. A comprehensive compilation of studies was collected from fourteen search engines and databases. Participatory design studies that involved teachers were analysed, organised and synthesised to produce an overview of the studies.…

Technology Comprehension

We account for the first research results from a government initiatedexperiment that scales Making to a national discipline.The Ministry of Education, in Denmark, has introducedTechnology Comprehension as a new discipline for lowersecondary education. Technology Comprehension is first experimentedas an elective subject in 13 schools. The disciplinecombines elements from computing, design, and the societalaspect of technology and, thus, resonates with the existingFabLearn and Making initiatives in Scandinavia. We reportthe identified opportunities and challenges based on interviews,surveys, and a theme discussion with experiencedteachers from the 13 schools. The main takeaways are: First,the…

Identifying objectives for a learning space management system with value-focused thinking

A classroom with a blackboard and some rows of desks is obsolete in special education. Depending on the needs, some students may need more tactile and inspiring surroundings with various pedagogical accessories while others benefit from a simplified environment without unnecessary stimuli. This understanding is applied to a new Finnish special education school building with open and adaptable learning spaces. We have joined the initiative creation process by developing software support for these new spaces in the form of a learning space management system. Participatory design and value-focused thinking were implemented to elicit the actual values of all the stakeholders involved and transf…

Tensions of student voice in higher education : Involving students in degree programme curricula design

This paper considers the direct involvement of students in degree programme curricula design, specifically four computer science teacher students designing new curricula for the Faculty of Information Technology of the University of Jyväskylä. They participated in a project to make recommendations for the 2017–2020 master’s and bachelor’s programme curricula. We examined how these recommendations were implemented in the new curricula and what hindered student voice. The project led to major changes: making basic studies in mathematics optional, adding three new courses, and defining new learning goal descriptions for two master’s programmes. Several factors hindered student voice: insuffici…

Semi-automatic literature mapping of participatory design studies 2006--2016

The paper presents a process of semi-automatic literature mapping of a comprehensive set of participatory design studies between 2006--2016. The data of 2939 abstracts were collected from 14 academic search engines and databases. With the presented method, we were able to identify six education-related clusters of PD articles. Furthermore, we point out that the identified clusters cover the majority of education-related words in the whole data. This is the first attempt to systematically map the participatory design literature. We argue that by continuing our work, we can help to perceive a coherent structure in the body of PD research.

Virtual Enterprise Simulation Game as an Environment for Collaborative Creativity and Learning

AbstractWhen employees become accustomed to everyday working habits it can prevent them from generating creative ideas. This familiarity takes the forms of mainly collaborating with familiar colleagues, playing roles that develop over years, and solving encountered problems with proven strategies. This chapter considers how a virtual enterprise simulation game (RealGame) can potentially foster digital creativity and collaborative learning. The game simulates a situation where team members take responsibility for managing a virtual manufacturing company and its supply chain. Theoretically, we consider RealGame a facilitating environment for people to collaborate by offering a safe environmen…

Staying at the front line of literature: How can topic modelling help researchers follow recent studies?

Staying at the front line in learning research is challenging because many fields are rapidly developing. One such field is research on the temporal aspects of computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL). To obtain an overview of these fields, systematic literature reviews can capture patterns of existing research. However, conducting systematic literature reviews is time-consuming and do not reveal future developments in the field. This study proposes a machine learning method based on topic modelling that takes articles from a systematic literature review on the temporal aspects of CSCL (49 original articles published before 2019) as a starting point to describe the most recent devel…

Enablers and Constraints of STEM Programme Implementation: an External Change Agent Perspective from a National STEM Programme in Finland

AbstractAn international need exists for effective programmes that will enhance learners’ interest in studies and careers related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics, i.e. STEM. When considering the impact of STEM programmes, it is important to identify what can enable or constrain effective programme implementation. As such, enablers can be systematically supported and constraints tackled to maximise a programme’s impact. This study considers a nationwide STEM programme in Finland that involved 450 teachers and their learning communities. The study followed an interpretative paradigm, collecting data through semi-structured interviews and analysed with data-driven thematic …

Technology Comprehension — Combining computing, design, and societal reflection as a national subject

This article considers the implementation of a new learning subject ”Technology Comprehension” into lower secondary schools in Denmark, as part of an initiative by the Danish Ministry of Education. The subject consists of learning objectives related to computing, design, and societal reflection and was first introduced as an elective course in 13 schools to investigate how it could be integrated into the Danish education system. We present four key findings based on school visits, interviews, an electronical survey, two questionnaires, and workshops including theme discussions: (1) teachers did not perceive Technology Comprehension as a distinct subject, but rather as a set of skills that c…

An intelligent learning support system

Fast-growing technologies are shaping many aspects of societies. Educational systems, in general, are still rather traditional: learner applies for school or university, chooses the subject, takes the courses, and finally graduates. The problem is that labor markets are constantly changing and the needed professional skills might not match with the curriculum of the educational program. It might be that it is not even possible to learn a combination of desired skills within one educational organization. For example, there are only a few universities that can provide high-quality teaching in several different areas. Therefore, learners may have to study specific modules and units somewhere e…

A systematic literature review of participatory design studies involving teachers

Capturing cognitive load management during authentic virtual reality flight training with behavioural and physiological indicators

Background Cognitive load (CL) management is essential in safety-critical fields so that professionals can monitor and control their cognitive resources efficiently to perform and solve scenarios in a timely and safe manner, even in complex and unexpected circumstances. Thus, cognitive load theory (CLT) can be used to design virtual reality (VR) training programmes for professional learning in these fields. Objectives We studied CL management performance through behavioural indicators in authentic VR flight training and explored if and to what extent physiological data was associated with CL management performance. Methods The expert (n = 8) and novice pilots (n = 6) performed three approac…