[publication] Maker-MOOC – How to Foster STEM Education with an Open Online Course on Creative Digital Development and Construction with Children #making #imoox

Our publication on „Maker-MOOC – How to Foster STEM Education with an Open Online Course on Creative Digital Development and Construction with Children“ at this year ICL conference in publication got published.

Abstract:

The Maker Movement or do-it-yourself culture is a concept uses novel, mostly via digital applications and tools to emphasize the learning- through-doing in the social environment. This culture inspires teachers through learning by construction and is seen as an important driver for education. In this chapter, we introduce the Maker Movement and describe how it contributes to the STEM education. The authors recite their experience through the project “Maker Days for Kids” which after that, was served as a fundamental base for a following Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). This online course brought some of the emerging technologies together with an appropriate didactical pro- ject about “Making activities for classrooms” to the public. It can be concluded that the MOOC assists in fostering the STEM education by rapidly transferring knowledge to the involved teachers.

[Draft version @ ResearchGate]

Reference: Ebner, M., Schön, S., Khalil, M. (2016) Maker-MOOC – How to Foster STEM Education with an Open Online Course on Creative Digital Development and Construction with Children. Conference Proceeding 19th International Conference on Interactive Collaborative Learning (ICL2016), Belfast, pp. 1233-1244

[publication] How to foster forum discussions within MOOCs: A case study #imoox #mooc

Our research work titled „How to foster forum discussions within MOOCs: A case study“ got published as part of the International Journal of Academic Research in Education. We introduce some of our experiences concerning discussion forums in MOOCs.
Abstract:

Discussion forums are an essential part to foster interaction among teachers and students, as well as students and students, in virtual learning settings. If interaction can be enhanced, this has a positive influence on motivation and finally also on dropout rates. These days, a special form of online courses, so-called MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses), are popping up massively. Those courses are characterized by a high number of students. In this paper, we would like to examine discussion forums and their role concerning interaction. Therefore, Gilly Salmon’s well-known Five stage model is taken and adapted to MOOCs based on a case study. As a method, we tracked learners’ data through learning analytics applications and concluded that there is a positive correlation between reading from one side and writing in forums from the other side.

[Link to Full Paper @ IJARE]

[Link to Full Paper @ ResearchGate]

Reference: Lackner, E., Khalil, M. & Ebner, M. (2016). How to foster forum discussions within MOOCs: A case study, International Journal of Academic Research in Education, 2(2), 01‐13. DOI: 10.17985/ijare.31432

[ijet, journal] Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning Vol. 11 / No. 11 #ijet #research

iTEL 11/11Issue 11(11) of our journal on emerging technologies for learning got published. Enjoy the readings as usual for free :-).

Table of Contents:

  • Teaching Quality Assessment System Based on Support Vector Machine Technology
  • Application of Virtual Reality Technology in Swimming Teaching
  • Personalized Teaching Platform Based on Web Data Mining
  • Application of Virtual Reality in Music Teaching System
  • A Ship Driving Teaching System Based on Multi-level Virtual Reality Technology
  • Application of Visual Interactive Concept Map in College English Writing Teaching
  • Adaptive Learning Environment System Based on Multi-event Driven Technology
  • Design of Multi-level Teaching System Based on Association Rule Mining
  • Design and Implementation of Digital Art Teaching System Based on Interactive Virtual Technology
  • A Top-N Algorithm-based Personalized Learning Recommendation System for Digital Library
  • Field of View and Skill Training of Table Tennis Teaching Based on Virtual Environment Technology
  • Application of Spectrogram Analysis in Traditional Vocal Music Teaching and Multimedia Animation Vocal Music Teaching
  • Design of Interactive Teaching System for Color Design Course
  • Application of Visual Simulation Technology in College English Teaching
  • Application of Virtual Reality Technology in Distance Learning

[Link to Issue 11/11]

Nevertheless, if you are interested to become a reviewer for the journal, please just contact me :-).

[publication] ResXplorer: Revealing relations between resources for researchers in the Web of Data #science #tugraz

Our publication about „ResXplorer: Revealing relations between resources for researchers in the Web of Data“ is now online available – enjoy the results of a very increasing research field.

Abstract:

Recent developments on sharing research results and ideas on the Web, such as research collaboration platforms like Mendeley or ResearchGate, enable novel ways to explore research information. Current search interfaces in this field focus mostly on narrowing down the search scope through faceted search, keyword matching, or filtering. The interactive visual aspect and the focus on exploring relationships between items in the results has not sufficiently been addressed before. To facilitate this exploration, we developed ResXplorer, a search interface that interactively visualizes linked data of research-related sources. By visualizing resources such as conferences, publications and proceedings, we reveal relationships between researchers and those resources. We evaluate our search interface by measuring how it affects the search productivity of targeted lean users. Furthermore, expert users reviewed its information retrieval potential and compared it against both popular academic search engines and highly specialized academic search interfaces. The results indicate how well lean users perceive the system and expert users rate it for its main goal: revealing relationships between resources for researchers.

[Link to full arcticle @ Journal Homepage]

[Link to full article @ ResearchGate]

Reference: De Vocht, L., Softic, S., Verborgh, R., Mannens, E., Ebner, M. (2016) ResXplorer: Revealing relations between resources for researchers in the Web of Data. Computer Science and Information Systems. (doi:10.2298/CSIS151028031D)

[publication] Mediale Megatrends und die Position(-ierung) der Hochschulen zur Digitalisierung #gmw #workshop

Die Publikation zu unserem Workshop über „Mediale Megatrends und die Position(-ierung) der Hochschulen zur Digitalisierung“ bei der diesjährigen Jahrestagung der Gesellschaft für Medien in der Wissenschaft (GMW) in Innsbruck ist online verfügbar. Im Workshop selbst haben wir alles in einem edupad festgehalten.

Zusammenfassung:

Die Digitalisierung erfordert die Positionierung der Hochschulen. Sie ver- eint unterschiedliche bzw. separierte Medien-Entwicklungen in Forschung, Lehre und Transfer. Aber: Um welche medien- und bildungstechnologischen Entwicklungen handelt es sich im Einzelnen? Wie steht es um deren Verbreitung an Hochschulen? Wer sind die handelnden Akteure? Der Workshop untersucht diese Fragen in Form eines Stakeholder-Dialogs aus Hochschulen, Dienst- leisterInnen und Netzwerken.

[Full article @ ResearchGate]

Zitation: Bremer, C., Ebner, M., Gumpert, A., Hofhues, S., Doebeli Honegger, B., Köhler, T., Lorenz, A., Wollersheim, H. W. (2016) Mediale Megatrends und die Position(-ierung) der Hochschulen zur Digitalisierung. In: Wachtler, J., Ebner, M., Gröblinger, O., Kopp, M., Bratengeyer, E., Steinbacher, H.-P., Freisleben-Teutscher, C., Kapper, C. (ed.). Digitale Medien: Zusammenarbeit in der Bildung. Waxmann Verlag, S. 345-347

[publication] Pocket Code – Freier Online-Kurs für Kinder #imoox #pocketcode

Im Rahmen einer Sonderausgabe von Schule Aktiv zum Thema „Coding – Ein Baustein der informatischen Bildung“ haben wir einen kleinen Beitrag zu „Pocket Code – Freier Online-Kurs für Kinder“ verfasst. Dort wird auf den iMooX-Kurs hingewiesen zu dem man sich auch jetzt noch anmelden kann.

Da dies mit Hilfe leichter geht, wird dazu im Herbst 2016 eine kostenloser Online- Kurs zum Thema „Learning to code – Programmieren mit Pocket Code“ angeboten, dessen Zielgruppe Kinder im Alter von 10-14 Jahren sind. Dieser Kurs wird auf der MOOC-Plattform iMooX (https://imoox.at) zur Verfügung gestellt (Kopp & Ebner, 2015) und soll Kindern die Möglichkeit geben, erste kleine Apps selber zu gestalten. Darüber hinaus kann der Kurs auch von Lehrerinnen und Lehrern als Material für den Informatik bzw. Programmierunterricht herangezogen werden

[Link zum Beitrag @ ResearchGate]

Zitation: Janisch, S., Ebner, M., Slany, W. (2016) Pocket Code – freier Online-Kurs für Kinder. In: Schule Aktiv, Sonderheft Oktober 2016, CDA-Verlag, S. 43-46

[publication] Potentiale von Smartwatches für Audience-Response-Systeme #ZFHE #research

Im Rahmen der Seamless Learning Tagung in Graz haben wir einen Beitrag rund um unsere Forschungsarbeiten mit Smart Watches und Audience-Response-Systemen verfasst.

Zusammenfassung:

Audience-Response-Systeme ermöglichen dem Auditorium, während eines Vortrages aktiv zu werden. Die vortragendene Person gewinnt damit wertvolle Informationen aus dem Publikum. Mobile, internetfähige Geräte lassen sich in webbasierte Systeme integrieren und zur Benutzereingabe nutzen. Um dieses Feedback den Vortragenden leichter zugänglich zu machen, können die Potentiale der Smartwatch als ein direkt am Körper anliegendes Gerät genutzt werden. Sie schränken die Vortragenden nicht in ihrer Mobilität ein und fördern durch Vibrationssignale und visuelle Signale eine schnellere Reaktion. Vor allem die Integration der Smartwatch in ein Live-Backchannel-System kann den Nutzen des Systemes enorm steigern.

[Full Paper @ ReserachGate]

[Full Paper @ ZFHE]

Zitation: Urwalek, H., Ebner, M. (2016) Potentiale von Smartwatches für Audience-Response-Systeme. Zeitschrift für Hochschulentwicklung, 11/4. S. 39-50

[publication] Seamless Learning – Lernen überall und jederzeit #ZFHE #journal

Im Zusammenhang mit der iUNIG-Tagung in Graz zum Thema Seamless Learning haben wir auch ein Sonderheft der Zeitschrift für Hochschulentwicklung gemacht. Wir sind Herwig Rehatschek, Ursula Leopold, Michael Kopp, Manfred Rechberger, Patrick Schweighofer, Martin Teufel, Anastasia Sfiri und meine Wenigkeit.
Das Journal enthält sieben spannende Beiträge im Themenfeld:

Das vorliegende Sonderheft der ZFHE steht in unmittelbarem Zusammenhang mit dem Symposium „Seamless Learning“ an der Medizinischen Universität Graz am 8. September 2016. Das Generalthema des Symposiums (und der Sonderausgabe, die zugleich den Tagungsband darstellt) ist die Implementierung von Seamless Learning in allen Ausprägungen; die sieben enthaltenen Beiträge erörtern, wie das Lehren und Lernen mit Hilfe von digitalen Technologien die Grenzen der Bildungsinstitution hinter sich lassen kann.

  1. iMobilePhysics: Seamless Learning durch Experimente mit Smartphones & Tablets in Physik
  2. Potentiale von Smartwatches für Audience-Response-Systeme
  3. Seamless Learning oder Seam-aware Learning? Überlegungen aus einem medienübergreifenden Projekt
  4. Point of Learning: ein Projektbericht der Hohenheimer Lernorte
  5. Was nützt Seamless Learning als neues didaktisches Konzept in der Politikwissenschaft?
  6. Flexibilisierung von Studiengängen: Lernen im Zwischenraum von formellen und informellen Kontexten
  7. Walk this way!? – Konzepte der Stadtplanung für die (Aus-)Gestaltung von Seamless-Learning-Räumen

[Link zum Editorial @ ResearchGate]

[Link zum gesamten Heft]

[publication] An analysis of the use and effect of questions in interactive learning-videos

Our publication about „An analysis of the use and effect of questions in interactive learning-videos“ got published in the Open Journal Smart Learning Environments.

Abstract:

This study focuses on the positioning of interactive questions within learning videos. It is attempted to show that the position of a question’s occurrence has an impact on the correctness rate of its answer and the learning success. As part of the study, the interactive learning videos in which the questions are placed are used as teaching materials with a class. The pupils have been working with the videos for around one month and some interesting results could be obtained. It is shown that questions which are asked too early in the videos are answered incorrectly more often than other questions. This manuscript also recommends an adequate positioning of the first question in learning videos. The new hypothesis that the length of intervals between popping up questions plays a minor role at rather short learning videos is constructed in this publication. Moreover, the positive impact on the long-term learning success of the participants of learning videos is determined.

[Full Article @ ResearchGate]

[Full Article @ Springer]

Reference: Wachtler, J., Hubmann, M., Zöhrer, H., & Ebner, M. (2016). An analysis of the use and effect of questions in interactive learning-videos. Smart Learning Environments, 13(3). 10.1186/s40561-016-0033-3