New Pub: Emotional and motivational effects of automated and personalized feedback

New Pub: Emotional and motivational effects of automated and personalized feedback

Computer-supported collaborative learning, Empirical Study, Feedback, Higher Education, Journal, Learning Analytics, New Pub, Open access
With increasingly large student numbers, providing personalized teacher feedback becomes untenable. On the other hand, providing students feedback about their work is an integral part of ensuring student support throughout their learning trajectory. Fortunately, Learning Analytics now makes it feasible to automatically deploy feedback to many students at once. However, the design of effective feedback still remains an area of investigation Joshua Weidlich, Aron Fink, Ioana Jivet, Jane Yau, Tornike Giorgashvili, Hendrik Drachsler, and Andreas Frey's recently published paper in the Journal of Computer-Assisted Learning focused on one key design feature: the reference frame. Any feedback content must be formulated in reference to some performance level, be it the average of the student group (social comparison), the desired performance level (criterion-referenced comparison), or past performance. A longstanding literature on this…
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New Pub: Students Want to Experiment While Teachers Care More About Assessment! Exploring How Novices and Experts Engage in Course Design

New Pub: Students Want to Experiment While Teachers Care More About Assessment! Exploring How Novices and Experts Engage in Course Design

Computer-supported collaborative learning, Conference, Conference, Higher Education, Learning Analytics, Learning Design, New Pub, Open access, Open science, Publication, Technical paper
Abstract: Learning Design (LD) is the strategic orchestration of educational components to create a rewarding experience for students and educators. Adapting it to real-world scenarios with evolving technologies, like learning analytics (LA), adds complexity but offers the potential for enhanced learning outcomes and engagement. Prior research highlights the growing importance of LA in informing LD decisions. The FoLA2 method offers a collaborative approach to course design considering LA implications. This study pursues two primary objectives. Firstly, to enhance the FoLA2 method by granting course designers access to the Open Learning Analytics Indicator Repository (OpenLAIR) that facilitates visual connections between LD pedagogies, LDLA activities, LA indicators and their metrics. Secondly, to explore how novice and expert groups utilize the FoLA2 methodology to design a course in Technology Enhanced Learning. The findings…
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New Article – Gender diversity dynamics in a Computer Supported Collaborative Learning

New Article – Gender diversity dynamics in a Computer Supported Collaborative Learning

Artificial Intelligence, Computer-supported collaborative learning, Digitalisation, Empirical Study, Gender, Higher Education, Journal, Learning Design, New Pub, Open access, Publication, Special Issue, Team
🎉 Exciting News! Our article has just been published in the magazine of Computer Assisted Learning! 📰 We delved into the fascinating world of online group learning among adults, unravelling the mysteries of emergent team roles and their intricate connection to gender dynamics in communication. 🌐👥 Have you ever wondered how team roles subtly surface and evolve in online group learning discussions? We did, too! Our research explores the subtle nuances of team roles and their subversive emergence, especially when viewed through the lens of gender diversity, in order to understand how to support more productive learning for all participants. Gender and gender diversity are group features affecting social interaction and are critical for gender-inclusive and equitable education. As such, the role of gender and gender diversity is of particular…
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New Pub: Toward a comprehensive framework of social presence

New Pub: Toward a comprehensive framework of social presence

Computer-supported collaborative learning, Higher Education, Journal, Literature review, New Pub, Open access, Special Issue
Today, students in higher education likely come into contact with different modes of learning, e.g. online learning, blended learning, and, increasingly, hybrid learning. To the extent that communication is mediated by technology in these learning modes, students can experience varying degrees of social presence with regard to their peers. Social presence refers to the feeling that others are 'real' and 'close' despite the physical separation. Especially in learning scenarios that require communication and collaboration, social presence is a crucial consideration. Despite this, research on social presence is fragmented and many other relevant theoretical accounts, while potentially informative, have been neglected. This paper, coauthored by Karel Kreijns, Jane Yau, Joshua Weidlich, and Armin Weinberger, published in Frontiers in Education, Section Digital Education, attempts to provide a comprehensive account of social presence…
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New Pub: LAxplore: An NLP-Based Tool for Distilling Learning Analytics and Learning Design Instruments out of Scientific Publications

New Pub: LAxplore: An NLP-Based Tool for Distilling Learning Analytics and Learning Design Instruments out of Scientific Publications

Artificial Intelligence, Conference, Conference, Learning Analytics, Learning Design, New Pub, Open access, Publication, Technical paper
Abstract: Each year, the amount of research publications is increasing. Staying on top of the state of the art is a pressing issue. The field of Learning Analytics (LA) is no exception, with the rise of digital education systems that are used broadly these days from K12 up to Higher Education. Keeping track of the advances in LA is challenging. This is especially the case for newcomers to the field, as well as for the increasing number of LA units that consult their teachers and scholars on applying evidence-based research outcomes in their lectures. To keep an overview of the rapidly growing research findings on LA, we developed LAxplore, a tool that uses NLP to extract relevant information from the LA literature. In this article, we present the evaluation of…
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Unveiling Gender Bias in Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning: Insights from a CS Hackathon Study

Unveiling Gender Bias in Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning: Insights from a CS Hackathon Study

Computer-supported collaborative learning, Digitalisation, Event, Gender, Higher Education, Journal, Learning Design, New Pub, Open access, Publication, Research topic
Gender stereotypes about women and men are prevalent in computer science (CS). The study's goal was to investigate the role of gender bias in computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL), group work in a CS context, by elaborating on gendered experiences in the perception of individual and team performance in mixed-gender teams in a hackathon. We applied an exploratory mixed-method approach using quantitative survey data, including collective self-esteem scales, at several time points during the hackathon, which was analysed with clustering and descriptive statistics and complemented with qualitative coding of interviews with participants. The Figure shows that, for both clusters, the self-esteem scores are predominantly located in the upper half of the scale, indicating a generally high (collective) self-esteem among all our participants. Nonetheless, all respective scores were lower for the women-dominated…
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New Pub: Development and initial validation of an instrument to measure student feedback literacy

New Pub: Development and initial validation of an instrument to measure student feedback literacy

Empirical Study, Feedback, Higher Education, Journal, Open access, Publication
To ensure quality higher education, students should routinely receive feedback on their academic endeavors. Alongside the question of what makes feedback effective, there is also an emerging research literature about empowering students to understand and utilize that feedback effectively. These abilities and attitudes of students have recently been subsumed under the concept of feedback literacy. The concept of feedback literacy was conceived by Carless and Boud (2018) as “the understandings, capacities, and dispositions needed to make sense of information and use it to enhance work or learning strategies.” Since then, a vibrant research literature has developed theoretical frameworks, explored dimensions of feedback literacy, and investigated whether feedback literacy can systematically be enhanced, etc. However, what is still missing are larger-scale rigorous investigations of the extent to which feedback literacy actually…
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New Pub: Two Peer Commentaries on Aligning the Goals of Learning Analytics with its Research Scholarship

New Pub: Two Peer Commentaries on Aligning the Goals of Learning Analytics with its Research Scholarship

Commentary, General education, Learning Analytics, Open access
To promote cross-community dialogue on matters of significance within the field of learning analytics (LA), the editors-in-chief of the Journal of Learning Analytics (JLA) have introduced a section for papers that are open to peer commentary. The first submission that was open to peer commentary is “A LAK of Direction: Misalignment Between the Goals of Learning Analytics and its Research Scholarship” by Motz et al. (2023) in which the authors compare the current state of research with the definition of learning analytics by reviewing research published in the past three years in LAK and JLA. Their aim is to answer the question: Is the learning analytics community doing what it set out to do, i.e. understand and optimise learning? Two of the peer commentaries submitted in response to this article are…
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New publication: Use of digital self-control tools in higher education

New publication: Use of digital self-control tools in higher education

Empirical Study, Higher Education, Open access, Publication, Research topic, Self-Regulation, Target group
Digital Self-Control Tools in Higher Education: A Dive into Effectiveness and Perception While the accessibility to information and the myriad of online learning resources offer a wealth of benefits, the potential for distraction can hinder academic progress. Addressing this paradox, our educational technologies research group has delved into the realm of digital self-control tools (DSCTs) to better understand their utilization, effectiveness, and perception among higher education students. Our findings have been published in the article "Use of digital self-control tools in higher education – a survey study" in the  journal "Education and Information Technologies". A widespread issue among students today is the struggle between immediate gratification and the pursuit of long-term academic goals. Distractions such as social media browsing and video watching can often compete with essential study time. The…
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New Publication: Contextualized Logging of On-Task and Off-Task Behaviours During Learning

New Publication: Contextualized Logging of On-Task and Off-Task Behaviours During Learning

Journal, Open access, Publication, Report, Technical paper
We are happy to announce the publication of our latest research paper that delves into the intricate relationship between digital media usage and the learning experience. The paper addresses key challenges related to monitoring on-task and off-task behavior and suggests innovative solutions for a more effective and ethical study of learners' media habits.Traditionally, researchers have faced a myriad of challenges in accurately gauging how students utilize digital media while learning. Self-reported data often suffer from issues like faulty memory, subjective perceptions, and bias. Understanding whether digital media use enhances or hinders the learning experience is an incredibly complex issue. We identified and addressed four core challenges in logging digital media use during learning: The logging system must only be active during the learning period to capture relevant data. Data collection…
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