{"title":"A Validation of AI-Enabled Discussion Platform Metrics and Relationships to Student Efforts.","authors":"Audon Archibald, Cassie Hudson, Tania Heap, Ruthanne Rudi Thompson, Lin Lin, Jaqueline DeMeritt, Heather Lucke","doi":"10.1007/s11528-022-00825-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-022-00825-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Asynchronous discussions are a popular feature in online higher education as they enable instructor-student and student-student interactions at the users' own time and pace. AI-driven discussion platforms are designed to relieve instructors of automatable tasks, e.g., low-stakes grading and post moderation. Our study investigated the validity of an AI-generated score compared to human-driven methods of evaluating student effort and the impact of instructor interaction on students' discussion post quality. A series of within-subjects MANOVAs was conducted on 14,599 discussion posts among over 800 students across four classes to measure post 'curiosity score' (i.e., an AI-generated metric of post quality) and word count. After checking assumptions, one MANOVA was run for each type of instructor interaction: private coaching, public praising, and public featuring. Instructor coaching appears to impact curiosity scores and word count, with later posts being an average of 40 words longer and scoring an average of 15 points higher than the original post that received instructor coaching. AI-driven tools appear to free up time for more creative human interventions, particularly among instructors teaching high-enrollment classes, where a traditional discussion forum is less scalable.</p>","PeriodicalId":47534,"journal":{"name":"TechTrends","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9862231/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9535814","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
TechTrendsPub Date : 2023-01-01DOI: 10.1007/s11528-022-00805-x
Laura McNeill, Donna Fitch
{"title":"Microlearning through the Lens of Gagne's Nine Events of Instruction: A Qualitative Study.","authors":"Laura McNeill, Donna Fitch","doi":"10.1007/s11528-022-00805-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-022-00805-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Microlearning provides a valuable and efficient strategy for delivering content to students. As online enrollments continue to increase, further research is needed to determine how students experience microlearning in an online learning format. In this qualitative study, a focus group was used to explore how learners experienced an online microlearning activity through the lens of Robert Gagné's nine events of instruction. Gagné's framework is designed to maximize cognitive processing and learner engagement. Using a hybrid process of deductive and inductive thematic analysis, learners' experiences were used to determine if each of Gagné's nine events were present during a selected online microlearning activity. This study revealed that eight of Gagné's nine events were detected. The results provide faculty with a better understanding of how students experience online microlearning and will inform faculty and course designers of critical elements to consider in the development of future online microlearning instruction.</p>","PeriodicalId":47534,"journal":{"name":"TechTrends","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9631595/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9499672","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Teacher and School Concerns and Actions on Elementary School Children Digital Safety.","authors":"Florence Martin, Julie Bacak, Drew Polly, Weichao Wang, Lynn Ahlgrim-Delzell","doi":"10.1007/s11528-022-00803-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-022-00803-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Elementary school children are spending more time using digital technologies. Teachers and schools are concerned about the student's digital safety. We interviewed ten elementary school teachers virtually to understand their concerns and understand the actions they take regarding elementary school children's digital safety. Using thematic analysis, we identified themes of concerns and actions of teachers and schools on elementary school children's digital safety. Some digital safety concerns discussed by the teachers included content-related concerns such as accessing inappropriate content, contact-related concerns, inappropriate contact with others online, sharing personal information, lack of understanding of danger, conduct-related concerns regarding cyberbullying and digital footprint, contract-related concerns such as digital security and privacy, and home-related concerns. Teachers and schools have taken several actions to address these concerns. Some of the digital safety actions included security measures and limits, monitoring student activities, providing education on digital safety, and support from guidance counselors. This study has implications for elementary school educators, administrators, parents, and students on the safe use of digital technologies.</p><p><strong>Supplementary information: </strong>The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11528-022-00803-z.</p>","PeriodicalId":47534,"journal":{"name":"TechTrends","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9540205/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9504467","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
TechTrendsPub Date : 2023-01-01DOI: 10.1007/s11528-022-00776-z
Franz Coelho, Ana Maria Abreu
{"title":"The Corporate (Magic) Circle: Fun Work or Controlled Play?","authors":"Franz Coelho, Ana Maria Abreu","doi":"10.1007/s11528-022-00776-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-022-00776-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Entertainment games have traditionally been articulated as leisure. However, they have also been used in the work context, in the form of serious games or gamification. In this qualitative research, we aimed to investigate the purpose of games used in the work context. To accomplish this, we conducted six semi-structured interviews and analyzed the discourses of the heads of the companies that produce serious games or gamification projects for work environments. Based on these statements, we assessed the views of the work context, the workers, and the projects the companies produce. We found that games have acquired different purposes, such as employee control to increase organizational results or enhance workers' happiness and wellbeing. Although these purposes seemed to stand out in all the analyzed speeches, several other different purposes emerged, according to the conditions of entry into the market and the type of projects produced.</p>","PeriodicalId":47534,"journal":{"name":"TechTrends","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9483275/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9081217","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
TechTrendsPub Date : 2023-01-01DOI: 10.1007/s11528-022-00790-1
Patrick R Lowenthal, Amy Lomellini
{"title":"Accessible Online Learning: A Preliminary Investigation of Educational Technologists' and Faculty Members' Knowledge and Skills.","authors":"Patrick R Lowenthal, Amy Lomellini","doi":"10.1007/s11528-022-00790-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-022-00790-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Colleges and Universities have a more diverse student body than ever before-this includes a growing number of students with disabilities. Many of these students are attracted to the flexibility and anonymity of learning online. However, research suggests that students with disabilities often face barriers learning online. Given this, we set out to investigate how faculty and educational technologists are prepared to design accessible online courses and instructional materials. We surveyed 95 educational technologists, directors, and disability access personnel in this exploratory study. In the following paper, we report the results of our inquiry into these professionals' perspectives on faculty and educational technologists' knowledge and skills in creating accessible courses and instructional materials. We conclude by discussing the implications for research and practice.</p>","PeriodicalId":47534,"journal":{"name":"TechTrends","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9549443/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9173615","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
TechTrendsPub Date : 2023-01-01DOI: 10.1007/s11528-022-00818-6
Christopher Luchs
{"title":"Instructional Design: A Workforce Perspective for 2023.","authors":"Christopher Luchs","doi":"10.1007/s11528-022-00818-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-022-00818-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Instructional design like many fields is experiencing the effects of workforce pressures and struggles to hire, retain, and promote employees. This article looks at several global trends affecting the industry, industry forecasts and trends, and ends with a look at instructional design and recent trends in online learning executive positions.</p>","PeriodicalId":47534,"journal":{"name":"TechTrends","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9741753/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10519488","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
TechTrendsPub Date : 2023-01-01Epub Date: 2022-09-19DOI: 10.1007/s11528-022-00783-0
Nettrice Gaskins
{"title":"Interrogating Algorithmic Bias: From Speculative Fiction to Liberatory Design.","authors":"Nettrice Gaskins","doi":"10.1007/s11528-022-00783-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11528-022-00783-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This paper reviews algorithmic or artificial intelligence (AI) bias in education technology, especially through the lenses of speculative fiction, speculative and liberatory design. It discusses the causes of the bias and reviews literature on various ways that algorithmic/AI bias manifests in education and in communities that are underrepresented in EdTech software development. While other recent work has responded to mainstream or private sector technology development, this review looks elsewhere where practitioners, artists, and activists engage underrepresented communities in brainstorming processes to identify and solve tough challenges. Their creative work includes films, toolkits, applications, prototypes and other physical artifacts, and other future-facing ideas that can provide guideposts for private sector development. Acknowledging the gaps in what has been studied, this paper proposes a different approach that includes speculative and liberatory design thinking, which can help developers better understand the educational and personal contexts of underrepresented groups. Early efforts to advocate for fairness and equity in AI and EdTech by groups such as the Algorithmic Justice League, the EdTech Equity Project, and EdSAFE AI Alliance is also explored.</p>","PeriodicalId":47534,"journal":{"name":"TechTrends","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9483409/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9501866","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
TechTrendsPub Date : 2023-01-01DOI: 10.1007/s11528-022-00828-4
John Baaki, Monica W Tracey, Elizabeth Bailey
{"title":"Exploring the two sides of a moment of use approach to design.","authors":"John Baaki, Monica W Tracey, Elizabeth Bailey","doi":"10.1007/s11528-022-00828-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-022-00828-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>We have explored designers having empathy for the audience of focus, designers using empathy as a means to an end, and designers using empathy to deliver a meaningful design deliverable. Our research has evolved from studying how designers reflect on their own design context and the audience's given circumstance to designers acting on moments of use. Our purpose was to explore two sides of a moment of use approach to design by observing one team of graduate student designers, tasked with designing an online training course from beginning to end. Our research question was the following: how did the design team act on a moment of use approach to design a meaningful design deliverable? Our findings indicated that although the design team designed a meaningful design deliverable the client did not implement the final deliverable. We discuss why this happened and the implications for designers and those who prepare designers.</p>","PeriodicalId":47534,"journal":{"name":"TechTrends","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9890407/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9855392","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
TechTrendsPub Date : 2023-01-01DOI: 10.1007/s11528-022-00813-x
Mei-Hui Liu, Robert Kleinsasser
{"title":"Multiple Perspectives with Online EFL Practicum Technology Learning: Case Study on a Cloud.","authors":"Mei-Hui Liu, Robert Kleinsasser","doi":"10.1007/s11528-022-00813-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-022-00813-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This yearlong study describes multiple stakeholders' perspectives of 20 preservice English as Foreign Language (EFL) teachers, 43 elementary school students, 2 online mentors, and a teacher-researcher during a technology professional development practicum on a cloud. The case study provides qualitative and quantitative data from stakeholders concerning technology integration after participating in online project-based EFL instruction. The participating stakeholders encountered affordances and challenges that enhanced their online learning and teaching repertoires and offered nuanced evidence within this online professional development community. The findings call for continuing exploration of online practicums in preservice (language) teacher education and further research documenting complexities of multiple stakeholders' technology professional development.</p>","PeriodicalId":47534,"journal":{"name":"TechTrends","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9684924/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9177203","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}