Computer science concepts have an important part in other subjects and thinking computationally is being recognized as an important skill for everyone, which leads to the increasing interest in ...developing computational thinking (CT) as early as at the comprehensive school level. Therefore, research is needed to have a common understanding of CT skills and develop a model to describe the dimensions of CT. Through a systematic literature review, using the EBSCO Discovery Service and the ACM Digital Library search, this paper presents an overview of the dimensions of CT defined in scientific papers. A model for developing CT skills in three stages is proposed: i) defining the problem, ii) solving the problem, and iii) analyzing the solution. Those three stages consist of ten CT skills: problem formulation, abstraction, problem reformulation, decomposition, data collection and analysis, algorithmic design, parallelization and iteration, automation, generalization, and evaluation.
Data sharing is one of the cornerstones of modern science that enables large-scale analyses and reproducibility. We evaluated data availability in research articles across nine disciplines in Nature ...and Science magazines and recorded corresponding authors' concerns, requests and reasons for declining data sharing. Although data sharing has improved in the last decade and particularly in recent years, data availability and willingness to share data still differ greatly among disciplines. We observed that statements of data availability upon (reasonable) request are inefficient and should not be allowed by journals. To improve data sharing at the time of manuscript acceptance, researchers should be better motivated to release their data with real benefits such as recognition, or bonus points in grant and job applications. We recommend that data management costs should be covered by funding agencies; publicly available research data ought to be included in the evaluation of applications; and surveillance of data sharing should be enforced by both academic publishers and funders. These cross-discipline survey data are available from the plutoF repository.
Travel restrictions regarding COVID-19 have created new challenges for organizing international scientific conferences. Most of the conferences have to be moved to a fully online format. In our ...study, we analyzed what challenges it created in organizing the International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies and Technology-Enhanced Learning in July 2020 in Estonia at the University of Tartu. The conference had 131 attendees from all over the world – this resulted in significant challenges due to differences in time zones and difficulties in engaging and socializing people in an online event. In our study, we collected feedback on conference-organization related challenges from five local organizing team members with different roles in the team. Their interviews were analyzed using an abductive approach. The results showed that the challenges could be identified through eight main categories: value, management, timing, program, people, protection, scaffolds, and money. In each of them, several sub-categories were specified. It was concluded that there were both advantages and challenges in organizing an online conference compared to a regular one. For example, fewer challenges are related to travel, accommodation, food and drinks, but more attention needs to be paid to supporting the socialization of people, especially those living in different time zones. Another major challenge appeared to be uncertainty related to the conference budget. Significant advantages were that the carbon footprint of the conference was smaller, the conference was more accessible, and it was easier to solve all the technical issues of the participants.
•We identified and summarized the core features of the inquiry learning process.•We identified five general inquiry phases: Orientation, Conceptualization, Investigation, Conclusion, and ...Discussion.•Our inquiry framework can be flexibly applied to build different pathways between 9 inquiry phases and sub-phases.
Inquiry-based learning is gaining popularity in science curricula, international research and development projects as well as teaching. One of the underlying reasons is that its success can be significantly improved due to the recent technical developments that allow the inquiry process to be supported by electronic learning environments. Inquiry-based learning is often organized into inquiry phases that together form an inquiry cycle. However, different variations on what is called the inquiry cycle can be found throughout the literature. The current article focuses on identifying and summarizing the core features of inquiry-based learning by means of a systematic literature review and develops a synthesized inquiry cycle that combines the strengths of existing inquiry-based learning frameworks. The review was conducted using the EBSCO host Library; a total of 32 articles describing inquiry phases or whole inquiry cycles were selected based on specific search criteria. An analysis of the articles resulted in the identification of five distinct general inquiry phases: Orientation, Conceptualization, Investigation, Conclusion, and Discussion. Some of these phases are divided into sub-phases. In particular, the Conceptualization phase is divided into two (alternative) sub-phases, Questioning and Hypothesis Generation; the Investigation phase is divided into three sub-phases, Exploration or Experimentation leading to Data Interpretation; and the Discussion phase is divided into two sub-phases, Reflection and Communication. No framework bringing together all of these phases and sub-phases was found in the literature. Thus, a synthesized framework was developed to describe an inquiry cycle in which all of these phases and sub-phases would be present. In this framework, inquiry-based learning begins with Orientation and flows through Conceptualization to Investigation, where several cycles are possible. Inquiry-based learning usually ends with the Conclusion phase. The Discussion phase (which includes Communication and Reflection) is potentially present at every point during inquiry-based learning and connects to all the other phases, because it can occur at any time during (discussion in-action) or after inquiry-based learning when looking back (discussion on-action).
Despite the development of policies and research supporting it, inclusion remains a challenge in contemporary education. We have developed a theoretical model for implementing inclusive education, ...thereby supporting early childhood education quality. It is necessary to establish the applicability of this model in order to apply it to improve the practices for adopting inclusive education. We conducted a case study, which showed that all levels and key characteristics of the theoretical model were also relevant in practice. However, as a result of the case study, the features describing the key characteristics were modified compared with the initial model. Additionally, the case study revealed that some of the features did not appear in practice. Those undetected features were mostly related to understanding the concept of inclusive education and the philosophy of inclusion. There appeared a need for a clearer understanding of inclusion on both the institutional and state level. The implementation of inclusive education does not in itself always increase inclusion or reduce exclusion. Therefore, when implementing inclusive education, it is necessary to think carefully about what is being done to allow all children to be meaningfully involved in the same classroom and by their teachers.
Digital competence for learning (skills, knowledge and attitudes needed for learning with digital devices) is a factor that affects the effectiveness of both the traditional and e-learning process. ...More specifically, technical competence is considered to be one of the four pillars of successful e-learning. Several studies show that in practice, digital technology has not always been used successfully, even in countries with very high digital readiness. Therefore, it is important to assess the different dimensions of digital competence for learning and analyse the interrelations between these dimensions in order to make suggestions for advancements. In our study, we applied a test with students from primary and lower secondary schools in Estonia to assess their digital competence for learning and used Structural Equation Modelling to understand how attitudes predict digital skills and knowledge that can be acquired in the individual and social settings. The findings confirm that only behavioural intention to use digital devices predicts the development of digital skills and knowledge. Moreover, some knowledge and skills acquired in the individual settings predict the development of knowledge and skills acquired in the social settings. The study provides researchers and practitioners with suggestions for improving the structure and quality of e-learning.
Shifting learning to distant formats especially at the higher education level has been unprecedented during the past decade. Diverse digital learning media have been emerging which allow learner ...autonomy, and at the same time, require the ability of efficient regulation of various aspects of the learning process for sustainable academic progress. In this context, supporting students in self-regulated learning (SRL) in an optimal way becomes an important factor for their academic success. The present study attempts through a systematic review of 38 studies to provide an overview of the interventions identified as supporting all areas of SRL (metacognitive, cognitive, motivational and emotional), in its three phases (preparatory, performance, appraisal) in distance education environments at the higher education level. As the study results show, there are a number of SRL support interventions available with proven positive effect on SRL. However, their distribution has been found to be uneven. Whereas metacognition regulation and the performance phase of learning is vastly investigated, the emotion regulation, and the preparatory and appraisal phases of the SRL cycle are somewhat underexplored. As complex and multi-component as the process of SRL is, the combination of various interventions, and specific features, for more comprehensive support has also been found beneficial. Additionally, it has been revealed that the emotion regulation, in most cases, is closely related to motivation regulation, and similar interventions support these two. Future studies can further explore the efficiency and relevance of the identified interventions, taking closer look at the effects of various digital media, learner characteristics as well as different levels of education on learners' self-regulation needs.
Designing and implementing online or digital learning material is a demanding task for teachers. This is even more the case when this material is used for more engaged forms of learning, such as ...inquiry learning. In this article, we give an informed account of Go-Lab, an ecosystem that supports teachers in creating Inquiry Learning Spaces (ILSs). These ILSs are built around STEM–related online laboratories. Within the Go-Lab ecosystem, teachers can combine these online laboratories with multimedia material and learning apps, which are small applications that support learners in their inquiry learning process. The Go-Lab ecosystem offers teachers ready–made structures, such as a standard inquiry cycle, alternative scenarios or complete ILSs that can be used as they are, but it also allows teachers to configure these structures to create personalized ILSs. For this article, we analyzed data on the design process and structure of 2414 ILSs that were (co)created by teachers and that our usage data suggest have been used in classrooms. Our data show that teachers prefer to start their design from empty templates instead of more domain–related elements, that the makeup of the design team (a single teacher, a group of collaborating teachers, or a mix of teachers and project members) influences key design process characteristics such as time spent designing the ILS and number of actions involved, that the characteristics of the resulting ILSs also depend on the type of design team and that ILSs that are openly shared (i.e., published in a public repository) have different characteristics than those that are kept private.
A systematic review of the potential of implementing augmented reality (AR) in inquiry-based learning was conducted. We considered the purposes, potential advantages, application characteristics and ...the effects of using AR in inquiry-based learning. The findings reveal that AR, in the context of inquiry-based learning, is mostly implemented successfully to achieve cognitive and, less often, motivational and emotional learning goals. The AR solutions have mainly been applied in the Conceptualization phase and less in the Investigation phase. The affordances of AR in the Orientation, Conclusion and Discussion phases need to be applied in further studies.
Springeri kirjastuse raamat "New developments in science and technology education" ("Uued suundumused loodusteaduslikus ja tehnoloogiahariduses") ilmus 2016. aastal raamatusarja "Innovations in ...science education and technology" ("Innovatsioon loodusteaduslikus hariduses ja tehnoloogias") 23. väljaandena. Raamat võtab kokku 17 teadlaste kollektiivi viimaste aastate tööd ja pakub head ülevaadet käsitlustest, mille alusel saab arendada õpetajakoolitust ülikoolides, riiklikke üldhariduskoolide õppekavasid, loodusteaduste ja tehnoloogiaainete õppimisel kasutatavaid meetodeid ning võtta kasutusele uusi lahendusi, mis toetavad nüüdisaegsete õpieesmärkide saavutamist. Viimased on mõjutatud eelkõige uurimuslikule õppele omaste ideede levikust.
PDF
