E-Learning and Technology Enhanced Learning

A special issue of Future Internet (ISSN 1999-5903). This special issue belongs to the section "Network Virtualization and Edge/Fog Computing".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2021) | Viewed by 27293

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Computer Science Centre, University of Geneva, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland
Interests: e-assessment; e-health; e-learning; game-based learning; knowledge management; mixed reality; personal learning environment; social learning; technology enhanced learning; multimedia
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The current state of technology makes it possible to distribute learning resources anytime and anywhere. But technologies open up many more opportunities than simply delivering content. They must also make it possible to change and redesign the way people learn: reviewing current learning environments; making teaching learner-centred by enabling learners to take control of their learning; enabling peer learning and peer assessment; adapting teaching to the learner, his or her knowledge, skills, location and mood; integrating formal, informal and lifelong learning; enabling learners to assess their knowledge and skills; enabling learning by doing, by making and solving concrete problems; or increasing and enriching the knowledge environment and also by mediating with knowledge, culture and the arts.. The aim of this Special Issue is to report on the contributions of technologies to support the next stage of the digitalisation of education.

Dr. Laurent Moccozet
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Future Internet is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • adaptive learning
  • augmented/mixed reality
  • distance learning
  • e-assessement
  • learning analytics
  • mobile learning
  • ubiquitous learning
  • gamification
  • machine learning
  • semantic web

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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22 pages, 2288 KiB  
Article
Online Professional Learning in Response to COVID-19—Towards Robust Evaluation
by Alireza Ahadi, Matt Bower, Abhay Singh and Michael Garrett
Future Internet 2021, 13(3), 56; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/fi13030056 - 24 Feb 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3641
Abstract
As COVID-19 continues to impact upon education worldwide, systems and organizations are rapidly transiting their professional learning to online mode. This raises concerns, not simply about whether online professional learning can result in equivalent outcomes to face-to-face learning, but more importantly about how [...] Read more.
As COVID-19 continues to impact upon education worldwide, systems and organizations are rapidly transiting their professional learning to online mode. This raises concerns, not simply about whether online professional learning can result in equivalent outcomes to face-to-face learning, but more importantly about how to best evaluate online professional learning so we can iteratively improve our approaches. This case study analyses the evaluation of an online teacher professional development workshop for the purpose of critically reflecting upon the efficacy of workshop evaluation techniques. The evaluation approach was theoretically based in a synthesis of six seminal workshop evaluation models, and structured around eight critical dimensions of educational technology evaluation. The approach involving collection of pre-workshop participant background information, pre-/post-teacher perceptions data, and post-workshop focus group perceptions, enabled the changes in teacher knowledge, skills, and beliefs to be objectively evaluated, at the same time as providing qualitative information to effectively improve future iterations of the workshops along a broad range of dimensions. The evaluation approach demonstrated that the professional learning that was shifted into online mode in response to COVID-19 could unequivocally result in significant improvements to professional learning outcomes. More importantly, the evaluation approach is critically contrasted with previous evaluation models, and a series of recommendations for the evaluation of technology-enhanced teacher professional development workshops are proposed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue E-Learning and Technology Enhanced Learning)
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22 pages, 685 KiB  
Article
Digital Communication Tools and Knowledge Creation Processes for Enriched Intellectual Outcome—Experience of Short-Term E-Learning Courses during Pandemic
by Nadezhda N. Pokrovskaia, Veronika L. Leontyeva, Marianna Yu. Ababkova, Lucio Cappelli and Fabrizio D’Ascenzo
Future Internet 2021, 13(2), 43; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/fi13020043 - 05 Feb 2021
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 8492
Abstract
Social isolation during the pandemic contributed to the transition of educational processes to e-learning. A short-term e-marketing education program for a variety of students was introduced in May 2020 and is taught entirely online. A survey was conducted regularly in the last week [...] Read more.
Social isolation during the pandemic contributed to the transition of educational processes to e-learning. A short-term e-marketing education program for a variety of students was introduced in May 2020 and is taught entirely online. A survey was conducted regularly in the last week of training using Google Forms, and three cohorts were surveyed in July, September, and December 2020. A high level of satisfaction indicates an interest in the content and a positive assessment of the level of comfort of an organization adapted to the needs of students; this positive result contrasted with the negative opinion of the remote learning in Russia since March 2020, and this surprising satisfaction of students has motivated the study to try to explain its reasons. This result was compared with the short-term course taught through the educational pedagogical platform of a university. The students of traditional short- and long-term university programs were asked to assess their satisfaction with different digital communication tools used for e-learning. They showed low satisfaction with the pedagogical platform and a positive reaction to the e-communication tools (messengers, social media, short surveys, video conferences, etc.). The qualitative responses helped to better understand the real problems of the cognitive process and the triple structure of intellectual production during e-learning, including interest in the intellectual outcome, the need for emotional and motivational elements of cooperation and competition between students, and smooth behavioral enrichment, which requires special efforts from students and their leading from teachers. The main conclusion concerns a practical decision to continue the implementation of the educational program in the form of an online course with the use of the mixed digital communication tools of social media, messengers, and video conferences, which most likely meets the expectations and capabilities of students. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue E-Learning and Technology Enhanced Learning)
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17 pages, 1563 KiB  
Article
Technology Enhanced Learning Using Humanoid Robots
by Diego Reforgiato Recupero
Future Internet 2021, 13(2), 32; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/fi13020032 - 27 Jan 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2537
Abstract
In this paper we present a mixture of technologies tailored for e-learning related to the Deep Learning, Sentiment Analysis, and Semantic Web domains, which we have employed to show four different use cases that we have validated in the field of Human-Robot Interaction. [...] Read more.
In this paper we present a mixture of technologies tailored for e-learning related to the Deep Learning, Sentiment Analysis, and Semantic Web domains, which we have employed to show four different use cases that we have validated in the field of Human-Robot Interaction. The approach has been designed using Zora, a humanoid robot that can be easily extended with new software behaviors. The goal is to make the robot able to engage users through natural language for different tasks. Using our software the robot can (i) talk to the user and understand their sentiments through a dedicated Semantic Sentiment Analysis engine; (ii) answer to open-dialog natural language utterances by means of a Generative Conversational Agent; (iii) perform action commands leveraging a defined Robot Action ontology and open-dialog natural language utterances; and (iv) detect which objects the user is handing by using convolutional neural networks trained on a huge collection of annotated objects. Each module can be extended with more data and information and the overall architectural design is general, flexible, and scalable and can be expanded with other components, thus enriching the interaction with the human. Different applications within the e-learning domains are foreseen: The robot can either be a trainer and autonomously perform physical actions (e.g., in rehabilitation centers) or it can interact with the users (performing simple tests or even identifying emotions) according to the program developed by the teachers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue E-Learning and Technology Enhanced Learning)
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11 pages, 2409 KiB  
Article
A Model for Creating Interactive eBooks for eLearning
by Antonio Sarasa-Cabezuelo
Future Internet 2020, 12(12), 223; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/fi12120223 - 07 Dec 2020
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2881
Abstract
In recent decades, electronic books have revolutionized the publishing world. In this sense, an area of application is education, where electronic books can be used as educational resources to implement learning strategies about content and in eLearning environments. For this, it is necessary [...] Read more.
In recent decades, electronic books have revolutionized the publishing world. In this sense, an area of application is education, where electronic books can be used as educational resources to implement learning strategies about content and in eLearning environments. For this, it is necessary to introduce interactive elements in the electronic books that turn the reader into an active actor in the reading process. However, ebooks have a limitation regarding their creation process. In this sense, the tools can be user-oriented or programmer-oriented. The former are intuitive to use and have user-friendly interfaces, but they offer a reduced number of functionalities to add to books. The second are aimed at programmers, allowing for the implementation of any functionality, but limiting the number of content creators who can use them. The main motivation of this work is to propose an intermediate solution that offers a wide number of functionalities while not requiring deep programming knowledge to use them. In this sense, the solution of this article is novel since it proposes the use of extensible markup language (XML) documents to specify the structure of the electronic book in such a way that its processing will lead to the electronic book. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue E-Learning and Technology Enhanced Learning)
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13 pages, 3927 KiB  
Article
Online Group Student Peer-Communication as an Element of Open Education
by Daria Bylieva, Zafer Bekirogullari, Dmitry Kuznetsov, Nadezhda Almazova, Victoria Lobatyuk and Anna Rubtsova
Future Internet 2020, 12(9), 143; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/fi12090143 - 26 Aug 2020
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 3978
Abstract
Information and communication technologies transform modern education into a more available learning matrix. One of the unexplored aspects of open education is the constant communicative interaction within the student group by using social media. The aim of the study was to determine principal [...] Read more.
Information and communication technologies transform modern education into a more available learning matrix. One of the unexplored aspects of open education is the constant communicative interaction within the student group by using social media. The aim of the study was to determine principal functions of student-led communication in the educational process, the method for assessing its strong points and the disadvantages disrupting traditional learning. For the primary study of the phenomenon, we used methods that made it possible to propose approaches to further analysis. Netnography is the main research method defining the essence and characteristics of the student-led peer-communication. In our research, we applied data visualization, analytical and quantitative methods and developed a set of quantitative indicators that can be used to assess various aspects of student communication in chats. The elaborated visual model can serve as a simple tool for diagnosing group communication processes. We revealed that online group chats perform a support function in learning. They provide constant informational resource on educational and organizational issues and create emotional comfort. Identified features serve to define shortcomings (e.g., lack of students’ readiness to freely exchange answers to assignments) and significant factors (e.g., underutilized opportunities for self-organization) that exist in the modern system of higher education. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue E-Learning and Technology Enhanced Learning)
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Review

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20 pages, 1644 KiB  
Review
Challenges and Possibilities of ICT-Mediated Assessment in Virtual Teaching and Learning Processes
by Esperanza Milena Torres-Madroñero, Maria C. Torres-Madroñero and Luz Dary Ruiz Botero
Future Internet 2020, 12(12), 232; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/fi12120232 - 18 Dec 2020
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 5387
Abstract
The transformations in educational environments due to the immersion of information and communication technologies (ICT) make it necessary to analyze the limits and possibilities of the assessment of the virtual training process. This paper presents an analysis of the meanings of ICT-mediated assessment, [...] Read more.
The transformations in educational environments due to the immersion of information and communication technologies (ICT) make it necessary to analyze the limits and possibilities of the assessment of the virtual training process. This paper presents an analysis of the meanings of ICT-mediated assessment, establishing what kinds of knowledge are suitable for this type of evaluation, and the challenges and possibilities of virtual tools. For this, we present a systematic review of ICT-mediated evaluation and assessment according to the educational paradigms and their implementation. We highlight that contemporary pedagogical models and their implementation in ICT mediation tools show a trend towards quantitative and summative valuation. The commonly used learning management systems (LMS) include several types of questions oriented to quantitative evaluation, with multiple-choice being the most common. However, new technological approaches like gamification, virtual reality and mobile learning open new assessment possibilities. The ICT educational platforms and new technologies demand new skills for all educational actors, such as digital literacy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue E-Learning and Technology Enhanced Learning)
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