[publication] The relation of prior IT usage, IT skills and field of study: A multiple correspondence analysis of first-year students at a University of Technology #edil21 #tugraz #research

Our contribuation to this year ED-Media 2021 conference about „The relation of prior IT usage, IT skills and field of study: A multiple correspondence analysis of first-year students at a University of Technology“ got published. The slides are already here online.

Abstract:
Starting from the question of whether the students in the different fields of study differ in terms of several variables related to IT and learning with IT, namely their general extent of IT usage, the extent of IT usage for learning, the IT skills of the students, their participation in online courses, if they learned coding basics at school and the extent of IT usage in class at school, a multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) was chosen to find answers. The MCA resulted in four clusters of fields of study. The inclusion of the variables in the biplot shows that for one dimension the IT skills of the students are crucial, and for the second dimension a further variable, the type of school added as supplementary points, explains the differences between subjects. Finally, the article discusses that these insights might change drastically – especially due to the changed conditions of first-year students with regard to their experiences with the use of IT in learning as a result of the school closures during COVID-19 pandemic. The data for this analysis come from the survey of first-year students at Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) in 2020 (N=955) which is subjected to a secondary analysis in this article.

[article @ learntechlib]
[preprint @ ResearchGate]

Refrence: Mair, B., Ebner, M., Nagler, W., Edelsbrunner, S. & Schön, S. (2021). The relation of prior IT usage, IT skills and field of study: A multiple correspondence analysis of first-year students at a University of Technology. In T. Bastiaens (Ed.), Proceedings of EdMedia + Innovate Learning (pp. 304-312). United States: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). Retrieved August 15, 2021 from https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/219673/.

[publication] Change of IT equipment and communication applications used by first-semester students from 2011 to 2020 and possible effects of the COVID-19 pandemic: Analysis of a long-term #tugraz #research #edil21

Our contribuation to this year ED-Media 2021 conference about “Change of IT equipment and communication applications used by first-semester students from 2011 to 2020 and possible effects of the COVID-19 pandemic: Analysis of a long-term” got published. The slides are already here online.

Abstract:
The technical equipment of first-year students and their preferred communication applications are changing. This paper presents the two latest, unpublished surveys of first-year students at Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) from 2019 (N=824) and 2020 (N=955) and compares the results concerning devices and applications with the results of the surveys conducted since 2011. The analysis shows that laptops, desktop computers and smartphones are among the most important and widespread multifunctional devices, while the MP3 player in particular or the social media application Facebook have lost most of their former importance. The increasing importance of photo-based social media applications, first and foremost Instagram, is striking. If comparing the data from 2019 to those from 2020, the first academic year start that took place within the COVID-19 pandemic, the same applies to the use of Facebook and Facebook Messenger, which now only have the same minor significance as Telegram, Signal, Skype, or others. Concerning effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the equipment and communication tools used, the authors see a major impact on the prevalence of portable powerpacks.

[article @ learntechlib]
[preprint @ ResearchGate]

Reference: Nagler, W., Mair, B., Ebner, M., Edelsbrunner, S. & Schön, S. (2021). Change of IT equipment and communication applications used by first-semester students from 2011 to 2020 and possible effects of the COVID-19 pandemic: Analysis of a long-term survey. In T. Bastiaens (Ed.), Proceedings of EdMedia + Innovate Learning (pp. 107-114). United States: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). Retrieved August 15, 2021 from https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/219645/.

[presentation] Making of an Open Makerspace in a Secondary Vocational School in Austria: Development, Activities, User Behaviour and Gender Balance #edil21 #research

We were happy to present our research about “Making of an Open Makerspace in a Secondary Vocational School in Austria: Development, Activities, User Behaviour and Gender Balance ” at this year “EdMedia + Innovate Learning 2021” conference.

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[presentation] Effects of Remote Learning on Practitioner Integration #edil21 #research

We were happy to present our research about “Effects of Remote Learning on Practitioner Integration” at this year “EdMedia + Innovate Learning 2021” conference.

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[presentation] The relation of prior IT usage, IT skills and field of study: A multiple correspondence analysis of first-year students at a University of Technology #edil21 #research #tugraz

We were happy to present our research about “The relation of prior IT usage, IT skills and field of study: A multiple correspondence analysis of first-year students at a University of Technology” at this year “EdMedia + Innovate Learning 2021” conference.

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[presentation] Change of IT equipment and communication applications used by first-semester students from 2011 to 2020 and possible effects of the COVID-19 pandemic: Analysis of a long-term survey #edil21 #research #tugraz

We were happy to present our research about “Change of IT equipment and communication applications used by first-semester students from 2011 to 2020 and possible effects of the COVID-19 pandemic: Analysis of a long-term survey ” at this year “EdMedia + Innovate Learning 2021” conference.

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[presentation] Speech-based Learning with Amazon Alexa #edil21 #research #tugraz

We are happy to present today our research about “Speech-based Learning with Amazon Alexa” at this year “EdMedia + Innovate Learning 2021” conference.

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[publication] Implementation of Interactive Learning Objects for German Language Acquisition in Primary School based on Learning Analytics Measurements #edil2020 #tugraz #alexa #TEL

At this year EDMedia conference (online) we did a publication about “Implementation of Interactive Learning Objects for German Language Acquisition in Primary School based on Learning Analytics Measurements”.

Abstract:
Obviously, reading and writing are important qualities nowadays, likely more so than ever before. Whether that be in school, work or everyday life, it is a skill set that is omnipresent. This is also evident by the countless contributions that are created and published on various online platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or WhatsApp. In order to avoid being misunderstood, it is crucial to have the ability to express one’s written thoughts in a structured and error-free manner. To help children in the early age with their spelling skills, the IDeRBlog platform provides a possibility to reach their goals and support their German spelling learning process. On this platform children can create own blog entries which are then corrected by teachers and an intelligent dictionary before they can finally publish it. Mistakes made by the kids are evaluated and on basis of these mistakes, exercises can be recommended so that the kids can improve their spelling. This paper will present these exercises (also called learning objects), which should help children to practice writing, reading and also listening carefully. It focuses not only on the evaluation setup and process but also results will be explained in the end.

[Draft @ ResearchGate]

Reference: Burazer, M., Ebner, M. & Ebner, M. (2020). Implementation of Interactive Learning Objects for German Language Acquisition in Primary School based on Learning Analytics Measurements. In Proceedings of EdMedia + Innovate Learning (pp. 672-679). Online, The Netherlands: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE).

[publication] Practitioner Integration in Computational Thinking Education #edil20 #CT #tugraz

At this year EDMedia conference (online) we did a publication about “Practitioner Integration in Computational Thinking Education”.

Abstract:
This pilot study implemented an expert driven participatory workshop in a rural Austrian economic school. An action research approach was utilised to introduce the problem solving method named computational thinking (CT) to students aged 16 to 18 (K-12) in five after school workshop sessions. This research revealed the basic benefits of industry expert integration in a classroom setting with the aim to develop sustainable interdisciplinary interfaces that allow schools and individual teachers to independently showcase possible pathways. Drawbacks of the methods were identified, for example the high overhead efforts currently required without interfaces between practitioners and educators in place or the demanding time requirements. To create a strong, inclusive path to CT education for all young minds, these challenges need to be addressed and ultimately overcome with the support of all involved stakeholders.

[Draft @ ResearchGate]

Reference: Pollak, M. & Ebner, M. (2020). Practitioner Integration in Computational Thinking Education. In Proceedings of EdMedia + Innovate Learning (pp. 570-580). Online, The Netherlands: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). Retrieved July 14, 2020 from https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/217354/.

[publication] The use of Alexa for mass education #edil2020 #tugraz #alexa #TEL

At this year EDMedia conference (online) we did a publication about “The Use of Alexa for Mass education”.

Abstract:
The amount of digitalized information increases day by day. Everyone connected to the internet through different devices or interfaces can acquire information of specific topics and interests at every time on every place. Nowadays, nearly every child owns a mobile device or at least has access to a mobile device connected to the internet. The main focus of children is to watch videos or play games on their device, so they always see it as an interesting, entertaining virtual friend. The use of mobile devices containing apps which deliver selected information opens a very interesting channel to deliver knowledge in a hidden way to children. This research deals with the development of an Alexa skill prototype to train 1×1 calculation skills of children in primary school in a very funny and playfully way. To evaluate the speech-assistant technology connected to an education game, a field study in was realized. As the Alexa speech-assistant is anyway absolutely magnetic to children, the feedback of the 1×1 calculation skill was better than expected and motivated us to enhance the base functionalities.

[Draft @ ResearchGate]

Reference: Schoegler, P., Ebner, M. & Ebner, M. (2020). The Use of Alexa for Mass Education. In Proceedings of EdMedia + Innovate Learning (pp. 721-730). Online, The Netherlands: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE)