Abstract

Educational technologists might well describe online distance education as ‘a series of instructional events over the Internet that find their expression as learning events in a student’. As a legal construct however, ‘online distance education’ is simply ‘the intellectual property of its owner’. This description is too simplistic for educational technologists, however — for two reasons. First there can be no such thing as ‘typical intellectual property ownership in online distance education’, because there is no such thing as ‘the typical distance education course'. No single law or appellate court decision can adequately protect at once the online course and the blended course, or the stand-alone course and the Web course management system.  A second, related reason why intellectual property ownership is too simplistic is that most of today’s online courses have multiple creators, each creator making a different original contribution to the course, each contribution being afforded a different type of legal protection within a jurisdiction. Ownership complexity rises with the number of contributors as well as the different types of legal protection available in the jurisdiction. This paper attempts to reconcile ongoing political rhetoric over everyone’s right to an education with recent leaks in the media about the increasing likelihood of a global lock-down of intellectual property that could criminalize contemporary online distance education for every user.

Abstract

The System Dynamics approach can be seen as a new way of understanding dynamical phenonema (natural, physical, biological, etc.) that occur in our daily lives taking into consideration not only single pairs of cause-effect variables, but the functioning of the system as a whole. This approach also provides the students with a new understanding in learning. This conceptual paper discusses how various online learning tools promote systems thinking and concludes that they not only bring the subject-related concepts to life, but also help especially the visual learners to see the reactions in easy schematics so that the related thought process is made simpler.

Abstract

This paper discusses the theoretical underpinning and main aspects of the development and application of the web orientation agent (WOA) and presents preliminary results concerning its use in university studies. The web-orientation agent (WOA) is a software based tool which produces an interactive learning environment offering support and guidance in teaching and learning that makes use of local applications, in this case, an electronic circuit design and simulation application.

The WOA and its supportive role in the teaching-learning process is based on activity theory (Kaptelinin & Nardi 1997) along with the constructive view of teaching, studying and learning (Miettinen 2002). The study draws on learning psychology and user evaluation of the use of computer-based learning environments. The basic principles of such planning include activity theory in computer-based environments (Nardi 1997; Kapetelinin & Nardi 1997), the theory of internalisation (Podolskij 1997), the zone of proximal development (Vygotsy 1978; Tella & Mononen-Aaltonen 1998), the NeoGalperin model for stage-by-stage formation of mind actions, and the notion of reducing the cognitive load of students (Sweller & Chandler 1994; Wilson & Cole 1996).

The tool developed in this research seeks to move away from traditional methods taken from multimedia technologies towards maximising the scope of present computer screens in a way which permits learner application software to be used simultaneously alongside the web agent. The web-orientation agent is an interactive aid and guide which enables the student user to view multiple applications. Each of these applications use as small a part of the computer screen area. Furthermore, these applications demand as little of the student users' attention as the supportive information for study activity requires.

Abstract

This paper will describe the use of developed resources for doctoral students taking a literature review class (DOC722) at the University of Phoenix. The paper offers a description of several Mindtools along with their educational advantages for research projects. Today's graduate students are challenged to identify and interpret relevant research materials in the midst of vast amounts of information that is available through the Internet and digital libraries. Mindtools enable individuals to develop research narratives that reflect intellectual depth and a clear understanding of the literature.

Abstract

The fields of Computer Information Systems (CIS) and Information Technology (IT) are experiencing rapid change. In 2003, an analysis of IT degree programs and those of competing disciplines at 10 post-secondary institutions concluded that an information technology program is perceived differently from information systems and computer science. In these new subjects, voluntary professional certifications, generally known in the Information Technology field as “IT” certifications, are increasingly used as indicators of professional skill. Recent trends, including two studies described here, one measuring student outcomes and one measuring a subject group’s responses to items that are nearly identical except for IT certification information, investigated the effectiveness and the student perceptions of IT industry certified instructors.

The results indicated that faculty with IT certification affected both student outcomes and student perceptions of instructor effectiveness, teaching methodology, student engagement in the class, and instructor technical qualifications. The results suggested that students’ learning outcomes improved and student perceptions of CIS instructors with IT certifications positively enhanced their assessment of the instructor effectiveness, teaching methodology, and student engagement, and the perception of the instructor’s technical competence. This has implications for CIS and especially IT academic programs, their faculty, recruiting, and professional development.

Abstract

The focus of this paper is on knowledge-building in a technology-supported learning environment in higher education through a longitudinal study of a graduate course from 2003 to 2007. The primary question is: how do learning conditions designed into a graduate course contribute to collaborative knowledge building? In particular, two major issues -- theory acquisition and the ethics related to technology -- are explored. The result indicates that the blended learning approach has proved to be particularly helpful in enhancing students' learning of more abstract ideas such as theory and philosophy. In addition, a holistic design of the course and its assignment has fostered collaborative knowledge building. Two special concerns are identified. First, students' group work needs to be flexible enough in order to promote learning and motivation. Second, appropriate integration of threaded discussion should consider the amount of work involved.

Abstract

Obtaining diversity among admitted applicants is often a challenging task for most post secondary institutions. As a proposed solution to this challenge, Applications Quest (AQ) was created. AQ addresses the dilemma of how to achieve diversity while still upholding institutional academic standards and objectives while adhering to the law. A steady rise in admission applications, however, has lead to steep competition for admission slots. This in turn, has compelled many students to act less than ethical when completing their applications, often lying to try to gain an unfair advantage. So, this study investigates if applicants could “game” the application process, to their advantage, under AQ. New applicants are provided with information about the current applicant pool and details of how AQ works. They are then instructed to complete a true application, with their factual information, and a fake application, in an attempt to game the system. This study finds that even when provided with the aforementioned information, the null hypothesis that “a student will not be able to increase their chances of being admitted to an institution by lying on their application in an effort to game the system” cannot be rejected, thus furthering the case for the use of AQ in the application selection process.