[publication] Shifting Patterns in IT Equipment and Communication Application Preferences among Study Beginners: A Longitudinal Analysis at Graz University of Technology, Austria #tugraz #research #students

Our publication about the results of the welcome days, titled „Shifting Patterns in IT Equipment and Communication Application Preferences among Study Beginners: A Longitudinal Analysis at Graz University of Technology, Austria“, is now online available.

Abstract: Within the last 11 years, more than 10.000 students participated in surveys amongst study beginners at Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) in Austria. In autumn 2022, 1,089 students answered questions on their IT equipment, social media, and communication applications. While the evaluations of the last few years did not reveal major changes, this year is different: The apps Tiktok and Discord, newly introduced as an option in the survey, get equally large shares-of one-third and more than 40%, respectively. For the first time, the presentation of the survey data also includes questions regarding the usage of communication applications for learning. That shall give rise to future research on communication apps for teaching at TU Graz.

[draft @ ResearchGate]
[publication @ publisher’s homeage]

Reference: Nagler, W., Mair, B., Ebner, M., Edelsbrunner, S., Harden, J. & Schön, S. (2023). Shifting Patterns in IT Equipment and Communication Application Preferences among Study Beginners: A Longitudinal Analysis at Graz University of Technology, Austria. In T. Bastiaens (Ed.), Proceedings of EdMedia + Innovate Learning (pp. 104-111). Vienna, Austria: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). Retrieved July 14, 2023 from https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/222491/.

[publication] Examining the Digitization Level of First-Year Students at Graz University of Technology (Austria): Insights from a Digitization Index #tugraz #digitazation #index #digitalskill

Our conference paper, titled „Examining the Digitization Level of First-Year Students at Graz University of Technology (Austria): Insights from a Digitization Index„, at EDMedia and Innovative Learning 2023 conference in Vienna is published.

Abstract: The Educational Technology team at Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) tried to measure the degree of digitization among first-year students (n=1,029). To achieve this, a digitization index was constructed that incorporates various dimensions of digitization, including IT equipment, digital skills, and usage of digital applications for learning. The index is based on two existing studies, the German D21-Digital-Index and the Austrian DiKoS study. It was adapted to fit the context of first-year students at university. The study revealed an average digitization level among first-year students at TU Graz was 39.60 on a scale from 0 to 100. The analysis of specific groups indicated variations in the degree of digitization. Female students, students under 20 and over 25 years old, as well as those from natural sciences and mathematics fields exhibited lower levels of digitization compared to their counterparts. Furthermore, students who attended grammar school before university had lower digitization levels compared to those from higher vocational schools or secondary technical schools. Based on the digitization index, the students are classified into three groups: digital laggards, digital center, and digital leaders. Most first-year students fell into the digital center category, while a smaller proportion were identified as digital laggards or leaders. These groups differed in terms of their device ownership, digital skills, and usage of digital applications.

[publication @ ResearchGate]
[publication @ proceeding’s homepage]

Reference: Mair, B., Martin, E., Edelsbrunner, S., Nagler, W. & Schön, S. (2023). Examining the Digitization Level of First-Year Students at Graz University of Technology (Austria): Insights from a Digitization Index. In T. Bastiaens (Ed.), Proceedings of EdMedia + Innovate Learning (pp. 1128-1136). Vienna, Austria: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). Retrieved July 14, 2023 from https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/222629/.

[presentation] Examining the Digitization Level of First-Year Students at Graz University of Technology (Austria): Insights from a Digitization Index #tugraz #index #tel

We present our research about „Examining the Digitization Level of First-Year Students at Graz University of Technology (Austria): Insights from a Digitization Index“ at the EDMedia and Innovative Learning 2023 conference in Vienna. Here you can find the slides:

[slides @ ResearchGate]

[publicaton] Harnessing the power of artificial intelligence and ChatGPT in education – a first rapid literature review #ai #chatgpt #tugraz #research

We did a first rapid literature review about chatGPT is used in education settings. Our paper titled „Harnessing the power of artificial intelligence and ChatGPT in education – a first rapid literature review“ for the EDMedia and Innovative 2023 conference in Vienna is now online available.

Abstract: The usage of AI, more precisely ChatGPT, is almost embedded in our everyday routine. It reduces the time, effort, and cost of performing boring and now also very delicate tasks. It appears that ChatGPT knows everything and knows how to explain everything in a personalized and peculiar way, adjusted to the user’s preferences. In this paper, we will explore how ChatGPT can be used in higher education and what its limitations are, if any at all. We shall endeavor to examine both the advantages and disadvantages of ChatGPT in education and state of the art. We will use a literature review as our research method to explore and find the necessary answers. We will explore and use various scientific articles, newspaper articles, blog posts, and other relevant literature from many authors. Our results and conclusion will show how to use ChatGPT in the best way in education and what to look out for now that ChatGPT is still available to everyone.

[draft @ ResearchGate]
[publication @ AACE]

Reference: Jahic, I., Ebner, M. & Schön, S. (2023). Harnessing the power of artificial intelligence and ChatGPT in education – a first rapid literature review. In T. Bastiaens (Ed.), Proceedings of EdMedia + Innovate Learning (pp. 1462-1470). Vienna, Austria: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). Retrieved July 13, 2023 from https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/222670/


With this post, I get to end the 2022/23 academic year and say goodbye to summer vacation. I will recover on the mountains and who wants to know where I’m just hanging around, can look at my tours: [My Homepage @ Alpenverein]
Will be back with end of August – cu 🙂

[publication] The ReDesign Canvas as a tool for the didactic-methodological redesign of courses and a case study #edil22 #tugraz

Our research, we presented at EdMedia + Innovate Learning 2022, about „The ReDesign Canvas as a tool for the didactic-methodological redesign of courses and a case study“ is now online available:

Abstract:
Initially, in March 2020, when COVID-19 forced conventional face-to-face to pure online teaching, didactic matters were only of secondary importance. At Graz University of Technology (TU Graz, Austria) both the support team for Educational Technology as well as the instructors were mostly concerned with solving technical challenges. Nevertheless, a special tool, the ReDesign Canvas, was available to support lecturers in their endeavor to also address the didactic aspects of their teaching systematically. The article presents the work of the Educational Technology team of TU Graz within the March 2020 COVID-19 crisis as well as the application of the canvas in a redesign of an exemplary lecture.

[full article @ conference homepage]
[draft @ ResearchGate]

Reference: Schön, S., Braun, C., Hohla, K., Mütze, A. & Ebner, M. (2022). The ReDesign Canvas as a tool for the didactic-methodological redesign of courses and a case study. In T. Bastiaens (Ed.), Proceedings of EdMedia + Innovate Learning (pp. 1048-1055). New York City, NY, United States: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). Retrieved July 13, 2022 from https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/221410/.

[publication] A decade of first-semester students surveys concerning IT equipment and communication applications and effect of Covid-19 related experiences for first-year students in 2021 #edil22 #tugraz

One of our contributions to the EdMedia + Innovate Learning 2022 is about „A decade of first-semester students surveys concerning IT equipment and communication applications and effect of Covid-19 related experiences for first-year students in 2021

Abstract:
The technical equipment of first-year students and their preferred communication applications are changing, perhaps also influenced by their experiences in the Covid-19 pandemic concerning digital teaching and learning. This paper presents the 2021 survey of first-year students at Graz University of Technology (N=1,207) and compares the results concerning devices and applications with the results of the surveys conducted since 2011. It is striking that there are no striking changes in the endowment of the that can be interpreted as an effect of Covid-19 pandemic. A question introduced in 2021 about experiences with distance online instruction and experiences with online courses before and after Covid-19 shows clearly that new students‘ prior experiences with online learning here have dramatically changed as a result of school closures in Austria.

[Full paper @ conference homepage]
[draft @ ResearchGate]

Reference: Nagler, W., Schön, S., Mair, B., Ebner, M. & Edelsbrunner, S. (2022). A decade of first-semester students surveys concerning IT equipment and communication applications and effect of Covid-19 related experiences for first-year students in 2021. In T. Bastiaens (Ed.), Proceedings of EdMedia + Innovate Learning (pp. 1060-1067). New York City, NY, United States: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). Retrieved July 12, 2022 from https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/221412/

[publication] Patterns of quiz attempts in a MOOC. The full-points-pattern and other patterns on the way to a successful MOOC in a lecture setting #tugraz #edil22 #MOOC #imoox #LearningAnalytics

Our research about „Patterns of quiz attempts in a MOOC. The full-points-pattern and other patterns on the way to a successful MOOC in a lecture setting“ was presented at EdMedia + Innovate Learning 2022:

Abstract:
The analysis of learner data in MOOCs provides numerous opportunities to look for patterns that may indicate participants‘ learning strategies. In this article, we investigated how participants in a MOOC (N=1,200), in which they must successfully complete a quiz in each unit, deal with the fact that they can repeat this quiz up to five times. On the one hand, patterns can be identified regarding the success of the quiz attempts: For example, 32.7% of the course participants always repeat the quizzes up to a full score, while about 16.0% of the participants repeat, but only until they pass all quizzes. Regarding the number of attempts, independent of the success, there is only a uniformity in „single attempt“; 12.6% of the participants only take exactly one attempt at each of the quizzes in the MOOC. An analysis of a subgroup of 80 learners which were students of a course where the MOOC was obligatory, shows that the proportion of learners attributed to patterns making more attempts is generally bigger. It can be shown as well that learners who uses several attempts, even after a full score results, tend to get better exam. The article concludes by discussing how these patterns can be interpreted and how they might influence future MOOC developments.

[full article @ conference homepage]
[draft @ ResearchGate]

Reference: Mair, B., Schön, S., Ebner, M., Edelsbrunner, S., Leitner, P., Schlager, A., Teufel, M. & Thurner, S. (2022). Patterns of quiz attempts in a MOOC. The full-points-pattern and other patterns on the way to a successful MOOC in a lecture setting. In T. Bastiaens (Ed.), Proceedings of EdMedia + Innovate Learning (pp. 1169-1179). New York City, NY, United States: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). Retrieved July 13, 2022 from https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/221430/

[publication] How Activities Related to Maker Education Contribute to Overcome Entry Barriers for Girls into Formal Technical Education Pathways – Case Study of Holiday Camps at a Technical Secondary Vocational School in Austria #edil22 #tugraz #research #makereducation

One of our publication at ED-Media & Innovative Learning 2022 conference is about „How Activities Related to Maker Education Contribute to Overcome Entry Barriers for Girls into Formal Technical Education Pathways – Case Study of Holiday Camps at a Technical Secondary Vocational School in Austria„.

Abstract:
This research considers the suitability of holiday camps as possible entry routes into technical education pathways. Therefore, two very successful holiday camps at a technical secondary vocational school (HTL) in Austria were observed. Using a mixed method research approach, a gender-mixed camp for 13-year-olds with a technical theme is compared to an all-girls event for 8- to 12-year-olds focusing on creativity. We show the recruitment success of given events, but also consider potential biasing factors in the evaluation. A discussion of the most successful activity specifically designed for girls during the camp, creating luminous jewelry, is provided, and an analysis of the stakeholders´ perception reveals the importance of adapted wording in promoting technical activities for girls, as well as the need for the actions and artifacts produced to be meaningful in order to spark participants‘ interest in the tools used and, beyond that, into formal technical education pathways.

[article @ ResearchGate]
[article @ proceeding’s homepage]

Reference: Sagbauer, N.N., Pollak, M. & Ebner, M. (2022). How Activities Related to Maker Education Contribute to Overcome Entry Barriers for Girls into Formal Technical Education Pathways – Case Study of Holiday Camps at a Technical Secondary Vocational School in Austria. In T. Bastiaens (Ed.), Proceedings of EdMedia + Innovate Learning (pp. 463-469). New York City, NY, United States: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). Retrieved June 30, 2022 from https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/221329/.

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

Our contribuation to this year ED-Media 2021 conference about „Making of an Open Makerspace in a Secondary Vocational School in Austria: Development, Activities, User Behaviour and Gender Balance“ got published. The slides are already here online.

Abstract:
This research shows the development process of an open makerspace on the premises of a higher secondary vocational school (HTL) in Austria from 2017 till today. It illustrates the need for this space, the acquisition of initial funding and the legal framework. User policy and machinery are presented, as well as safety and security systems. An insight on the organizational structure is given. We present regular dedicated maker classes and curricular integration of the makerspace for K-12 students. Makerspace activities like maker challenges and holiday camps for divergent participants like primary school children and girls are discussed and the role of females in engineering education and makerspaces is reviewed. Qualitative observations of different stakeholders are reproduced and supplemented by statistical data. We also show setbacks and difficulties due to the Corona crisis and give an overview of future maker initiatives.

[draft @ ResearchGate]
[final publication @ lerntechlib]

Reference: Sagbauer, N.N., Stocker, K., Pollak, M. & Ebner, M. (2021). Making of an Open Makerspace in a Secondary Vocational School in Austria: Development, Activities, User Behaviour and Gender Balance. In T. Bastiaens (Ed.), Proceedings of EdMedia + Innovate Learning (pp. 467-479). United States: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). Retrieved August 1, 2021 from https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/219695/.

[presentation] How Activities Related to Maker Education Contribute to Overcome Entry Barriers for Girls into Formal Technical Education Pathways – Case Study of Holiday Camps at a Technical Secondary Vocational School in Austria #edil22 #research #makereducation #tugraz

We are happy to present our research about „How Activities Related to Maker Education Contribute to Overcome Entry Barriers for Girls into Formal Technical Education Pathways – Case Study of Holiday Camps at a Technical Secondary Vocational School in Austria“ at EdMedia + Innovate Learning 2022 conference.

Find here our slides of the talk: