[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] Teaching German as a Foreign Language with Open Educational Resources (OER) #OER #research

Our article about „Teaching German as a Foreign Language with Open Educational Resources (OER)“ got published in the International Journal of Emerging Technologies:

Abstract:
The focus of this research is to find OER to be used in learning German as a foreign language levels A1 to B1 of the The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) standards and to implement in teaching at University of Malang (Indonesia). An overview of the OER will be given, which was categorized language learning level, themes, among others level and themes. From the implementation in university classes with about 19-21 years old, our interviews with five lecturers and their answers in an online questionnaire showed that the OER material in learning did provide many benefits for lecturers and students, including the variety of materials, the forms, and the economic aspect. However, the existing OER still have some downsides, like their suitability to the needs of lecturers and students, in terms of their themes, the technical requirements and levels of difficulty.

[full article @ ResearchGate]
[full article @ Journal’s Homepage]

Reference: Wijayati, P. H., Kharis, M., Hidayat, E., Ardiyani, D. K., Ebner, M., & Schön, S. (2022). Teaching German as a Foreign Language with Open Educational Resources (OER): Implementation in and Experiences from an Indonesian University. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (iJET)17(04), pp. 225–238. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v17i04.23225

[publication] Evaluation of Mixed Reality Technologies in Remote Teaching #VirtualReality #tugraz #education

Our chapter for the HCII conference 2022 about „Evaluation of Mixed Reality Technologies in Remote Teaching“ got published.

Abstract:
The trend towards remote teaching is steadily increasing and intensified by the current situation of the global pandemic. This is a particular challenge for subjects with a high practical relevance, such as mining engineering education, as practical experiences and on-site excursions are an integral part of the curriculum. In face-to-face teaching settings, mixed reality technologies are already considered a promising medium for the implementation of e.g., virtual field trips. Based on this, the current study addresses the question to what extent the integration of mixed reality technologies is suitable for remote teaching and which strengths and challenges are perceived by students and teachers. For this purpose, two 60-min remote lectures in the field of mining engineering were conducted, in which the use of mixed reality was tested on the basis of shared 360° experiences and 3D models and evaluated by students and teachers. Results reveal that the use of mixed reality in remote teaching was perceived as useful, enabled a realistic experience and improved students’ understanding of presented theory compared to traditional teaching methods. In this paper, we discuss possible potentials and risks of using mixed reality in remote teaching and derive directions for further research.

[full article @ book’s homepage]
[draft @ ResearchGate]

Reference: Daling, L.M., Khoadei, S., Kalkofen, D., Thurner, S., Sieger, J., Shepel, T., Abdelrazeq, A., Ebner, Markus, Ebner, Martin & Isenhardt, I (2022). Evaluation of Mixed Reality Technologies in Remote Teaching. In: Zaphiris, P., Ioannou, A. (eds) Learning and Collaboration Technologies. Novel Technological Environments. HCII 2022. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 13329. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-05675-8_3

[publication] Potential Impact of Open Educational Resources and Practices for Good Teaching at Universities. The OER Impact Assessment at TU Graz #OER #tugraz #research

We contributed to the book „Learning with Technologies and Technologies in Learning“ with a chapter named „Potential Impact of Open Educational Resources and Practices for Good Teaching at Universities. The OER Impact Assessment at TU Graz

Abstract:
Based on the increasing demand for and promotion of Open Educational Resources (OER, see (UNESCO (2019), this chapter describes the objectives of Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) in Austria for good teaching. A description of how the impact of OER at TU Graz will be analysed and considerations around it is the central contribution. In addition, the effects, and potentials of selected OER initiatives of the university are described as examples and discussed as key potential for good teaching. For a better understanding of the role of OER at TU Graz, the national context of OER in the Austrian higher education landscape is described at the beginning of the chapter.

[draft @ ResearchGate]
[chapter @ book’s homepage]

Citation: Ebner, Martin; Schön, Sandra; Ebner, Markus; Edelsbrunner, Sarah; Hohla, Katharina (2022). Potential Impact of Open Educational Resources and Practices for Good Teaching at Universities. The OER Impact Assessment at TU Graz. In: Michael E. Auer, Andreas Pester, Dominik May (Eds.), Learning with Technologies and Technologies in Learning. Experience, Trends and Challenges in Higher Education, Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems, Volume 45, Cham: Springer, pp. 79-100.

[publication] Introduction to ‘The Future of Learning’ #education #book #chapter

I manged the section „Future of Learning“ for the book Learning with Technologies and Technologies in Learning:

This section deals with the “future of learning” and asked for contributions dealing with meta-studies ore forecasts. This is not a simple task because we all know from the pandemic that changes are unpredictable sometimes. Anyway, we are very happy that seven groups of researchers out of more than 23 proposals tried to give us insights to their research. Those 7 publications deal with different topics—meta studies, Social Interaction and communication, Open Educational Resources, Augmented and Virtual Reality.

[chapter @ book’s homepage]
[draft @ ResearchGate]

Rerference: Ebner, M. (2022). Introduction to ‘The Future of Learning’. In: Auer, M.E., Pester, A., May, D. (eds) Learning with Technologies and Technologies in Learning. Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems, vol 456. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-04286-7_1

[publication] Towards Trustworthy Learning Analytics Applications: An Interdisciplinary Approach Using the Example of Learning Diaries #LearningAnalytics #tugraz

Our poster/chapter about „Towards Trustworthy Learning Analytics Applications: An Interdisciplinary Approach Using the Example of Learning Diaries“ at HCII 2022 conference is published and available.

Abstract:
Learning analytics (LA) is an emerging field of science due to its great potential to better understand, support and improve the learning and teaching process. Many higher education institutions (HEIs) have already included LA in their digitalisation strategies. This process has been additionally accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic when HEIs transitioned from face-2-face learning environments to hybrid and e-learning environments and entirely relied on technology to continue operating. Undoubtedly, there was never a time when so much student data was collected, analysed, and reported, which brings numerous ethical and data protection concerns to the forefront. For example, a critical issue when implementing LA is to determine which data should be processed to fulfil pedagogical purposes while making sure that LA is in line with ethical principles and data protection law, such as the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This article contributes to the discussion on how to design LA applications that are not only useful and innovative but also trustworthy and enable higher education learners to make data-informed decisions about their learning process. For that purpose, we first present the idea and methodology behind the development of our interdisciplinary Criteria Catalogue for trustworthy LA applications intended for students. The Criteria Catalogue is a new normative framework that supports students to assess the trustworthiness of LA applications. It consists of seven defined Core Areas (i.e., autonomy, protection, respect, non-discrimination, responsibility and accountability, transparency, and privacy and good data governance) and corresponding criteria and indicators. Next, we apply this normative framework to learning diaries as a specific LA application. Our goal is to demonstrate how ethical and legal aspects could be translated into specific recommendations and design implications that should accompany the whole lifecycle of LA applications.

[article @ book’s homepage]
[draft @ ResearchGate]

Reference: Veljanova, H., Barreiros, C., Gosch, N., Staudegger, E., Ebner, M., Lindstaedt, S. (2022). Towards Trustworthy Learning Analytics Applications: An Interdisciplinary Approach Using the Example of Learning Diaries. In: Stephanidis, C., Antona, M., Ntoa, S. (eds) HCI International 2022 Posters. HCII 2022. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 1582. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-06391-6_19

[publication] OER Impact Assessment: A framework for higher education institutions and beyond. Approaches to assess the impact of Open Educational Resources #OER #research #OEAA

Our publication about „OER Impact Assessment: A framework for higher education institutions and beyond. Approaches to assess the impact of Open Educational Resources“ got published.

Abstract:
The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of approaches to and insights for impact assessment on open educational resources (OER) in higher education and building on this to sketch a framework for university focussed OER impact assessment. The authors describe the literature on impact assessment in the OER context and the existing contributions to OER impact assessment in higher education. Findings of the analysis are that there are few contributions on the effects of OER in general or of specific OER initiatives. Four contributions are presented in more detail. From these examples and the literature analysis, derivations, and challenges for OER impact assessment are drawn, such as the large diversity in OER purposes and the invisibility of the re-usage of OER. The contribution sketches a framework model for describing OER-relevant results, outcomes, and impact, and more specifically demonstrates how this can be done for exemplary OER-related objectives. This contribution is thus of relevance to funding bodies and institutions working in the context of higher education that wish to systematically evaluate and monitor statements about the effectiveness of OER activities according to the UNESCO (2019) OER recommendation.

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

Reference: Ebner, Martin, Orr, Dominic and Schön, Sandra. „OER Impact Assessment: A framework for higher education institutions and beyond. Approaches to assess the impact of Open Educational Resources“ Open Education Studies, vol. 4, no. 1, 2022, pp. 296-309. https://doi.org/10.1515/edu-2022-0018

[publication] Strategien zu offenen Bildungsressourcen an österreichischen öffentlichen Universitäten #OER #gmw2022

Bei der GMW 2022 haben wir eine Publikation zu „Strategien zu offenen Bildungsressourcen an österreichischen öffentlichen Universitäten“ eingereicht, wo wir systematisch die Leistungsvereinbarungen der österreichischen Universitäten hinsichtlich OER untersucht haben.

Zusammenfassung:
Bezugnehmend auf eine Analyse der Rolle von offenen Bildungsressourcen (OER für „Open Educational Resources“) in den Leistungsvereinbarungen österreichischer öf- fentlicher Universitäten der Jahre 2019–2021 (Edelsbrunner, Ebner & Schön, 2021) werden in diesem Beitrag die Entwicklungen des vergangenen Jahres in Bezug zu OER und den Hochschulen in Österreich beschrieben. Zentral ist dabei die Analyse der neuen Leistungsvereinbarungen der 22 öffentlichen österreichischen Universitäten für die Periode 2022–2024 und der Nennung von OER-Aktivitäten. Dabei wird auf- gezeigt, dass nun alle öffentlichen Universitäten OER in den Leistungsvereinbarungen erwähnen, 16 der 22 Universitäten planen sogar weitreichende OER-Aktivitäten. Auch haben weitere Hochschulen OER-Strategien veröffentlicht.

[Artikel @ ResearchGate]
[Tagungsband]

Zitation: Edelsbrunner, S., Ebner, M., Schön, S. (2022) Strategien zu offenen Bildungsressourcen an österreichischen Hochschulen. In: Digitale Lehre nachhaltig gestalten, Standl B. (ed.), S. 209-214, Waxmann Verlag. ISBN 978-3-8309-4633-5

[publication] Using learning analytics to improve the educational design of MOOCs #MOOC #imoox

Our article about „Using learning analytics to improve the educational design of MOOCs“ got published now in the International Journal of Education and Learning.

Abstract:
In recent years, the interest in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and Learning Analytics research have highly increased in the areas of educational technologies. The emergence of new learning technologies requires new perspectives on Educational Design. When the areas of MOOCs, Learning Analytics and Instructional Design developed, the interest and connection between these three concepts became important for research. Learning Analytics provides progress information and other individualized support in MOOC settings where teachers are not able to provide learners with individual attention, which would be possible in a traditional face-to-face setting. Through collective views over the learning process, the overall progress and performance are indicated. Moreover, results can lead to Educational Design improvements. Every time a learner interacts with the system, data is created and collected. Many Educational Designers do not take advantage of this data and thereby, losing the possibility to impact the course design in a powerful way. This research work strongly focuses on the implication of Learning Analytics for Educational Design in MOOCs. Many methods and algorithms are used in the analytical learning process in MOOCs. Currently, a great variety of learning data exists. First, well-known Instructional Design patterns from different models were collected and listed. In a second step, through the collected data is used to point out which of these patterns can be answered by using Learning Analytics methods. The findings of the study show that it is possible to better understand which environments and experiences are best suited for learning by analyzing students‘ behaviors online. These results have great potential for a rapidly and easier understanding and optimization of the learning process for educators.

[full article @ journal’s homepage]
[full article @ ResearchGate]

Reference: Khalil, H., Ebner, M., & Leitner, P. (2022). Using learning analytics to improve the educational design of MOOCs. International Journal of Education and Learning, 4(2), 100-108. doi:https://doi.org/10.31763/ijele.v4i2.641

[publication] Math Trainer as a Chatbot Via System (Push) Messages for Android #education #TechnologyEnhancedLearning

Our research titled „Math Trainer as a Chatbot Via System (Push) Messages for Android“ got published in the newest issue of the International Journal of Interactive Mobile Technologies.

Abstract:
In the recent years, as technology grew, so did the chatbot technology. More and more companies and people are using and reaping the benefits from them. This paper shows how a chatbot for mathematical tasks, named mathbot, was developed. The chatbot uses mathematical exercises from the “Schulapps” of the LearningLab of Graz, University of Technology and combines them with textual questions to provide a useful utility for practicing. It is shown that such a chatbot could be useful for pupils and teachers by evaluating a test run in an elementary school.

[publication @ journal’s homepage]
[publication @ researchgate]

Reference: Kabiljagić, M., Wachtler, J., Ebner, M., & Ebner, M. (2022). Math Trainer as a Chatbot Via System (Push) Messages for Android. International Journal of Interactive Mobile Technologies (iJIM), 16(17), pp. 75–87. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v16i17.33351