J. Inf. Technol. Educ. Res.最新文献

{"title":"Applying Social Media to Scaffold University Students' Inquiry Group Project Work - Theoretical and Practical Implications","authors":"Wan Yee Winsy Lai, Chao-zheng Yang, S. Chu","doi":"10.28945/4703","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.28945/4703","url":null,"abstract":"Aim/Purpose: This study serves a constructive purpose on the effective use of social media as a technical tool in formal learning at higher education. It outlines practical suggestions for institutions to leverage the participatory design method and refine social media pedagogies.\u0000\u0000Background: Social media gains widespread usage from the majority of university students worldwide. Educators examine the potential of social media’s affordances in teaching and learning. While the use of social media in formal learning has garnered much interest among educators, the implementation of such pedagogies remains individually motivated rather than institution-wide. \u0000\u0000Methodology: This research empirically examined university students who took part in inquiry group project work in two courses (undergraduate and postgraduate) under implementation of participatory design approach. It adopted a mixed-method approach by collecting both quantitative and qualitative data to examine their expectations and preferences on social media tools. \u0000\u0000Contribution: Despite the technology’s potential for facilitating teaching and learning, the effective use of social media in higher education has been a recurring problem for many educators and institutions. This study addresses the deficit and proposes a theoretical framework that consists of student’s own experience and teacher-initiated scaffolding students’ adequate use of social media in formal learning using participatory design approach. \u0000\u0000Findings: Results indicate that students wanted to use social media to gain knowledge, collaborate, communicate with each other and embraced the implementation of the participatory design approach, which offered them a greater sense of participation and ownership. Furthermore, our research has revealed that despite generally being familiar with social media use in everyday life, students relied at least partially on their lecturer’s guidance in adopting social media in the specific domain of formal learning.\u0000\u0000Recommendations for Practitioners: To incorporate social media in education, the ultimate goal is to enhance students’ use of social media tools for better and more effective learning. Our study recommends initiating organizational change in universities to the adoption of new pedagogies which allows students’ autonomy and lecturer’s scaffolding support to demonstrate the pedagogy’s positive influence by social media in teaching and learning. \u0000\u0000Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers could examine and compare the effects by implementing the theoretical framework suggested in this research in different education levels, e.g., secondary school education. The researchers could consider cognitive, psychological, and social factors on incorporating social media into formal learning. \u0000\u0000Impact on Society: Social media has gained its recognition in everyday lives and academic field; however, the feasibility of social media-assisted pedagogies depends on individual educator solely. Th","PeriodicalId":220667,"journal":{"name":"J. Inf. Technol. Educ. Res.","volume":"18 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-02-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115005777","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Lifelong Learning: Principles for Designing University Education","authors":"Stefan Cronholm","doi":"10.28945/4686","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.28945/4686","url":null,"abstract":"Aim/Purpose: Due to the rapid development of digital technology, create knowledge to support the development of education for lifelong learning. \u0000\u0000Background: There is a lack of normative and prescriptive support that can guide the development of education concerning lifelong learning.\u0000\u0000Methodology: Design science research, interviews, grounded theory and root-cause analysis.\u0000\u0000Contribution: Contribution to practice: A master program in Information Systems that supports lifelong learning. Contribution to theory: Advancements on design knowledge that can guide the development of education programs concerning rapid advancements in digital technology.\u0000\u0000Findings: Five design principles: consider rapid development of digital technology, balance time-consuming bureaucratic procedures with companies’ demands for speedy access to modern courses, simplify procedures for students applying with work experience qualifications, implement plans for competence development of teachers, and base courses on rigour and relevance.\u0000\u0000Recommendations for Practitioners: Companies could enter the whole education program or select interesting courses or course modules.\u0000\u0000Recommendation for Researchers: The design principles should be considered when research on guidance concerning lifelong learning for adult learners is conducted.\u0000\u0000Impact on Society: Lifelong learning enhances social inclusion, active citizenship and personal development, as well as competitiveness and employability. \u0000\u0000Future Research: Further validation of the design principles in order to create knowledge that can support the development of education for lifelong learning.\u0000\u0000","PeriodicalId":220667,"journal":{"name":"J. Inf. Technol. Educ. Res.","volume":"8 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-01-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126638586","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effectiveness of Using Thinking Maps Through the Edmodo Network to Develop Achievement and Mathematical Connections Skills Among Middle School Students","authors":"M. Alabdulaziz, Ali Alhammadi","doi":"10.28945/4681","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.28945/4681","url":null,"abstract":"Aim/Purpose: This research aimed to measure the effectiveness of using thinking maps through the Edmodo network to develop achievement and mathematical connections skills among middle school students.\u0000\u0000Background: One of the most important and major problems in education is reduced levels of academic achievement among students generally and in mathematics specifically. This is having a negative impact on academic outcomes. As mentioned in statement of the problem, several studies have identified weaknesses in academic achievement in mathematics. The results and recommendations of previous studies have referred to the effectiveness of thinking maps in developing numerous variables. Previous studies have identified weaknesses in mathematical connections skills. No Arabic studies have addressed the effectiveness of thinking maps through the Edmodo network in developing achievement and mathematical connections skills among middle school students.\u0000\u0000Methodology: The participants were a purposive sample of 102 second-year middle school students. These were divided into two groups: experimental (n = 49) and control (n = 53). To achieve the research objectives, the experimental approach in its quasi-experimental design was adopted with (pre-post) measurement for both groups. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS).\u0000\u0000Contribution: This study added information to the literature on the effectiveness of the thinking maps strategy through the Edmodo network in developing achievement and mathematical connections skills. Devising a modern teaching strategy to help students solve mathematical problems and thus can be generalized to various fields of life. This also the first study on this subject in Saudi Arabia.\u0000\u0000Findings: The results showed there was a significant difference between the mean post-test scores of the experimental and control groups on the achievement test in favor of the experimental group. Additionally, there was a significant difference between the mean post-test scores of the experimental and control groups on the mathematical connections skills test in favor of the experimental group. There was also a positive correlation between the development of achievement and mathematical connections skills among middle school students who used thinking maps through the Edmodo network.\u0000\u0000Recommendations for Practitioners: At a practice level, holding courses and training workshops for middle school mathematics teachers that include training on how to use modern learning models enhanced with technology, including the thinking Maps strategy, in the mathematics curriculum. Preparing guidelines for middle school mathematics teachers on how to use Thinking Maps via the Edmodo Network and how to train students in its use.\u0000\u0000Recommendation for Researchers: Further research is needed to study the Effectiveness of the Thinking Maps strategy via the Edmodo network on developing achievement and mathematical connections skills in ot","PeriodicalId":220667,"journal":{"name":"J. Inf. Technol. Educ. Res.","volume":"41 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-01-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"132724639","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Printable Table of Contents. JITE: Research, Volume 21, 2022","authors":"C. Cheong","doi":"10.28945/4688","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.28945/4688","url":null,"abstract":"Table of Contents for JITE: Research, Volume 20, 2021","PeriodicalId":220667,"journal":{"name":"J. Inf. Technol. Educ. Res.","volume":"21 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-01-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129560182","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Effectiveness of Using Virtual Experiments on Students' Learning in the General Physics Lab","authors":"Ghadeer Hamed, A. Aljanazrah","doi":"10.28945/4668","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.28945/4668","url":null,"abstract":"Aim/Purpose: The objective of this study is to explore the effectiveness of using virtual experiments on students’ level of achievement and on their practical skills as well as their views on applying the virtual experiments in a general physics lab.\u0000\u0000Background: There is a continuous debate in the literature on the effect of using virtual experiments/ lab on students’ physics learning and whether those virtual experiments can substitute and/or enhance students’ performance in the real lab. Also, there is a need to design effective learning environments which are more suitable to students’ characteristics in the digital age and can help them to acquire science inquiry and practical skills.\u0000\u0000Methodology: Mixed research methodology is adopted including quasi-experimental design, achievement test, participatory observation, and semi-structured interviews. Two groups of students were selected: an experimental group (45 students) and control group (45 students).\u0000\u0000Contribution: The study results contribute to the ongoing discussion on the role of virtual lab in learning and teaching general physics lab and provide a model of combining virtual and real lab as well as an alternative solution under the times of COVID 19. \u0000\u0000Findings: The results of the study showed that substituting face-to-face theoretical preparation in the general physics lab is at least equally effective as using virtual experiments. Students with virtual components acquired deeper understanding of physics concepts and were better prepared for carrying out real experiments. Attending online videos spared students’ time and provided them with a more flexible and rich learning environment.\u0000\u0000Recommendations for Practitioners: Faculty members are encouraged to use virtual experiments instead of face-to-face lab preparation. It is important to include more interactive multimedia and short online videos in the design of the virtual experiments.\u0000\u0000Recommendation for Researchers: The development of virtual experiments can be extended to other experiments and topics in science. Researchers are encouraged to combine both quantitative and qualitative data collection tools to allow deeper exploration of students learning in the virtual environments.\u0000\u0000Impact on Society: Virtual labs have the potential to save time and cost for both students and university as they reduce presence hours at the university in the real lab. Virtual experiments provide flexible learning opportunities that can overcome time, pace, and place barriers for learners from the community. They also provide a solution for physical distancing needed due to the emergency conditions imposed by the pandemic.\u0000\u0000Future Research: Further investigations are needed to include the development of the whole introductory physics lab into virtual course and to explore the digital (virtual) transformation of other topics in physics and science as well.\u0000\u0000","PeriodicalId":220667,"journal":{"name":"J. Inf. Technol. Educ. Res.","volume":"11 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-12-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115632078","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Investigating the Impact of Social Media Use on Student's Perception of Academic Performance in Higher Education: Evidence from Jordan","authors":"A. Al-Adwan, Nour Awni Albelbisi, Shadia Hasan Aladwan, O. Horani, Amro Al-Madadha, M. Khasawneh","doi":"10.28945/4661","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.28945/4661","url":null,"abstract":"Aim/Purpose: The main objective of this study is to explore students’ beliefs with regard to social media use (SMU) in higher education and the consequences of such use on the perception of their academic performance. Additionally, the study aims to determine the major influential factors with regard to SMU in student learning settings as a means of enhancing their performance. To achieve these objectives, drawing on the literature related to SMU in higher education settings, a research model has been developed.\u0000\u0000Background: Social media platforms have led to a significant transformation with regard to the communication landscape in higher education in terms of offering enhanced learning and improved teaching experience. Nevertheless, little is known, particularly in developing countries such as Jordan, as to whether or not the use of such platforms by students in higher education increases the perceptions of their academic performance. Therefore, this study has developed a model to examine the perceptions of higher education students with regard to social media use and its effect on their performance.\u0000\u0000Methodology: The Structural Equation Modelling approach is used to analyze data collected via an online survey in the form of a questionnaire to examine the use of such a model. The study sample is drawn from undergraduate and postgraduate students from three universities (one public and two private) in Jordan. Convenience sampling is used to collect data. Out of 730 sent questionnaire, 513 responses were received, of which 403 were deemed qualified to be part of the data analysis process.\u0000\u0000Contribution: This study contributes to the literature on social media in higher education by enhancing our understanding of the perceptions of higher education students on the use of social media in their learning. The tested model can be used as a benchmark for other studies that target the impact of social media on student performance in higher education. \u0000\u0000Findings: The results reveal that perceptions of (1) usefulness, collaborative learning, enhanced communication, enjoyment, and ease of use of social media have a positive effect on the use of such media in student learning; (2) resource sharing has an insignificant effect on social media use in student learning, and (3) social media use has a positive influence on students’ perceptions of their academic performance.\u0000\u0000Recommendations for Practitioners: Senior management and policy makers in higher education institutions will have to train faculty members on effective strategies and methods in order to effectively integrate social media into education. This would equip faculty members with the necessary digital skills needed to help them to be fully informed regarding the benefits of social media and its tools in learning and teaching activities and would also allow them to avoid any possible drawbacks. Furthermore, faculty members should reconsider their current techniques and strategies, and adopt new me","PeriodicalId":220667,"journal":{"name":"J. Inf. Technol. Educ. Res.","volume":"21 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-11-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114271169","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Affordances in Educational Technology: Perceptions of Teachers and Students in Oman","authors":"Wafa Al-Maawali","doi":"10.28945/4662","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.28945/4662","url":null,"abstract":"Aim/Purpose: This study of affordances in educational technology focuses on how the self-perceptions of teachers influence the creation of educational opportunities and how these are received by learners.\u0000\u0000Background: It is important to explore the affordances offered by teachers, when using educational technology, from the perspective of their students. Within this topic, the interface of the educational technology affordances with the two agents—teachers and students—has often been neglected. Hence, the learning possibilities in educational interactions for the learners cannot be separated from the interactional possibilities created by teachers. The extent to which teachers can create opportunities to address their students’ needs, while effectively conveying the value of these opportunities to their students, is likely to impact on how well these affordances for learning and collaboration are utilised.\u0000\u0000Methodology: A survey that includes two questionnaires was used. The questionnaires were circulated to 102 teachers and their 354 adult students in six higher education institutions in Oman. The questionnaires were analysed by SPSS Amos v20 for statistical measures such as mean, standard deviation, and correlation.\u0000\u0000Contribution: The study contributes to the field of e-learning because it demonstrates that the affordances offered by teachers for e-learning have an impact on the possibilities for students to engage. Both affordances were found to be highly correlated statistically. Further, teachers were found to primarily use the lowest level of engagement for online tasks, requiring low levels of cognitive challenge and social involvement from the learner. \u0000\u0000Findings: The results indicate a low to medium level of self-directed learning that significantly correlates with perceptions of teaching possibilities for learning interactions.\u0000\u0000Recommendations for Practitioners: Teachers are encouraged to vary approaches to student engagement in online teaching materials such as enhancement, additional engagement opportunities, and extension so that students are encouraged to use different cognitive abilities and capabilities to engage in social interactions.\u0000\u0000Impact on Society: This study presents a strong recommendation with regards to extending the online affordances towards social interactions of learning beyond the boundary of the classroom. \u0000\u0000Future Research: Further studies on e-heutagogy and affordances of both teachers and students are needed. The effect of teachers created opportunities on students learning actions is an area that grants further investigation. \u0000\u0000","PeriodicalId":220667,"journal":{"name":"J. Inf. Technol. Educ. Res.","volume":"18 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-11-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114778610","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Effects of UTAUT and Usability Qualities on Students' Use of Learning Management Systems in Saudi Tertiary Education","authors":"A. Alshehri, M. Rutter, Sally G. Smith","doi":"10.28945/4659","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.28945/4659","url":null,"abstract":"Aim/Purpose: This study proposes a theoretical framework that amalgamates Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) variables with usability metrics to investigate the impact on students’ intention and use of the Learning Management System (LMS) in Saudi higher education.\u0000\u0000Background: There is a dearth of academic research on Saudi higher education to examine the effects of usability factors on students use of LMSs, so significant issues have not yet been examined.\u0000\u0000Methodology: Based on survey data from 605 respondents, the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) technique was employed to assess the model.\u0000\u0000Contribution: The findings of the study may help colleges and universities to gain insights into the best way to promote e-learning system perceived usefulness and acceptance among students. \u0000\u0000Findings: The results confirmed that the UTAUT parameters are valid and robust in the context of LMS in Saudi Arabia. The dimension of social influence emerged to significantly influence the students’ intention and usage behaviour. The performance expectancy was affected by information quality and the system interactivity whereas the effort expectancy was influenced by system navigation, system learnability, and instructional assessment. The usability feature of interactivity was also demonstrated to influence students’ willingness to use the system.\u0000\u0000Recommendations for Practitioners: University policymakers are expected to benefit from this research for e-learning system acceptance in an academic setting and eliminate any impediments to its implementation. University students will be able to identify the factors and motivations driving their adoption of the system. In particular, usability, social, and organisational factors that affect their use of an e-learning system would be better understood.\u0000\u0000Recommendation for Researchers: The study should aid the research community in technology acceptance and usability studies to determine the students’ perceptions and experiences towards e-learning usability, social, and organisational factors that influence their acceptance, specifically in a Saudi context where students have unique psychological and social characteristics. Administrators and designers could also better understand areas of improvement for usability issues and develop design solutions based on the findings of this study.\u0000\u0000Impact on Society: The suggestions have been offered in order to accelerate and increase the use of e-learning services in Saudi higher education. System designers and administrators should have a better insight into the user interface design, considering system-independent metrics that could enhance user acceptance of e-learning systems.\u0000\u0000Future Research: The study focused on the students’ perspective, a natural progression of this work is to involve other e-learning stakeholders (teachers and administrators). This could enrich the research by providing a better understanding of undis","PeriodicalId":220667,"journal":{"name":"J. Inf. Technol. Educ. Res.","volume":"31 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-11-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130042663","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Antecedents and Consequences of User Acceptance of Three-Dimensional Virtual Worlds in Higher Education","authors":"Reza Ghanbarzadeh, A. Ghapanchi","doi":"10.28945/4660","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.28945/4660","url":null,"abstract":"Aim/Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of five factors on the user acceptance of Three-Dimensional Virtual Worlds (3DVWs) in higher education. Another objective of the study was to investigate the effects of the application of 3DVWs on five variables relevant to positive outcomes for higher education students.\u0000\u0000Background: Three-Dimensional Virtual Worlds (3DVW) are of considerable importance and potential for the creation of the next generation of teaching and learning environments. There has been a remarkable interest in the educational communities in applying virtual environments for teaching and learning, and this technology has been largely adopted to favour educational settings. With the increasing development of 3DVW technologies in the education sector, two uncertainties have emerged with respect to higher education that significantly influence the applicability of the technology in the field: user acceptance of the technology and educational benefits of the technology for both individuals and institutions. Thus, this study examined the relationship between various factors and the user acceptance of 3DVWs in higher education as well as the relationship between the application of 3DVWs in higher education and positive educational outcomes.\u0000\u0000Methodology: By conducting a quantitative study, an extensive research model was developed by which 21 hypotheses were examined to assess the relationships between 12 variables. In order to evaluate the hypotheses, an online survey with 32 questions was developed and distributed among the participants. The questionnaire was developed to analyse the relationship between independent and dependent constructs of the research model. By applying a purposive convenience sampling technique, 135 undergraduate students, who were enrolled in a first-year elective course, participated in the survey. The PLS-SEM method was used to analyse the relationships between variables based on the hypothesised hypotheses. Second Life was used as the primary 3DVW environment for the research experiment in this study.\u0000\u0000Contribution: This study is among the first to conduct a quantitative method by developing an extensive research model to examine both antecedents and consequences of the application of 3DVWs in higher education. The research model exam-ined several self-developed variables relevant to the antecedents and conse-quences of user acceptance of 3DVWs those had not been defined or exam-ined previously in this field. The study takes 3DVW engagement into account, which is a variable associated with not only use, but also with continuous use of the technology, and deeper involvement with the technology. This study contributes to the research and practitioner body of knowledge by introduc-ing various factors significant in preparing a distance learning environment and activities that can be adapted in higher education.\u0000\u0000Findings: The findings suggest the effectiveness of ease of use, usefulness, e","PeriodicalId":220667,"journal":{"name":"J. Inf. Technol. Educ. Res.","volume":"121 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-11-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123240134","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Gamification as an Engagement Tool in E-Learning Websites","authors":"Sofia Rebelo, P. Isaías","doi":"10.28945/4653","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.28945/4653","url":null,"abstract":"Aim/Purpose: As e-Learning becomes increasingly pervasive, students’ engagement in online settings emerges as a central challenge, as it is often more demanding to ensure in this context. The core importance of engagement for e-Learning, places a focus on various instruments and strategies that can be deployed to foster its enhancement. \u0000\u0000Background: Gamification is often depicted as a significant instrument to drive engagement, behavior change, and loyalty, which can be of great significance to online learning. This paper aims to examine the relationship between the application of gamification tools and the level of engagement in e-Learning websites.\u0000\u0000Methodology: This research used two methods: the analysis of e-Learning websites and an online survey with a convenience and purposive sample of e-Learning and/or gamification experts.\u0000\u0000Contribution: This paper adds to the existing body of research by placing and emphasis on and examining the positive role of gamification as an engagement instrument with valuable potential for e-Learning.\u0000\u0000Findings: The results showed that the majority of the selected e-Learning websites use gamification and engagement elements and that the tools that are more commonly used were deemed as the most effective, by the experts. It became equally evident that the deployment of a larger number of gamification and engagement elements have positive repercussions in the enhancement of engagement, which can have constructive ramifications for the effectiveness of e-Learning.\u0000\u0000Recommendations for Practitioners: From a practitioner’s viewpoint the findings can assist both learning designers and teachers in the creation of gamification strategies to enhance students’ engagement. As a central challenge of e-Learning courses, engagement requires a multifaceted approach to be addressed effectively and knowing the strategies that have positive outcomes is a step forward in ensuring that the students can enroll in online courses and not be compromised with respect to their engagement. Finally, the lack of engagement can have serious repercussions not only on the learning experience of the students, but also on their actual academic performance. Hence, it is important to guide educators towards good design practices that can maximize engagement in these settings. \u0000\u0000Recommendation for Researchers: From a research perspective, these findings add to a growing body of studies that focus on the benefits of gamification by highlighting its positive repercussions on engagement and identifying which elements are more effective. In addition, the use of different sources of data provided a wider illustration of what is currently the use of gamification elements by functioning e-Learning websites and how those who apply them in practice in their courses perceive these elements.\u0000\u0000Future Research: Future research endeavours can focus on exploring students’ perceptions of gamification and how it influences their leaning performance.\u0000\u0000","PeriodicalId":220667,"journal":{"name":"J. Inf. Technol. Educ. Res.","volume":"19 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-10-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129578341","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}