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This study investigates the impact of connectivism on knowledge acquisition and the willingness of higher education students to apply that knowledge in practical settings. Using an experimental design, it investigates how connectivism manifests in learning processes, particularly focusing on a collaborative online international session (COIL) with 92 business management students from the UAE and South Korea. These students participated in a COIL session aimed at enhancing their understanding of diversity and inclusion management concepts. The study utilized an independent t-test to evaluate the effectiveness of COIL, comparing groups exposed to different modes of participation (connectivism mode and nonconnectivism mode). The results highlight connectivism's role in increasing students' willingness to utilize acquired knowledge. As a connectivism approach, COIL proves pivotal in applying learning practically. This research offers significant insights for curriculum designers, educators, and scholars, demonstrating the impact of social connectivism on learning enhancement. It provides valuable information for incorporating connectivism into traditional educational models, thereby enriching the theoretical and methodological understanding of the relationship between connectivism, COIL, knowledge acquisition, and application willingness. This study is particularly relevant for educators looking to integrate innovative methods in their teaching and expand the scope of knowledge and skill development for future work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interactive mechanism between social and concept networks is a key question in connectivist learning, which explains the impact of interaction on cognitive development and knowledge generation. The successful practice of "Internet Change Education: Dialogue between Theory and Practice", the first cMOOC in China, provides data support and research context for exploring the learning rules. This study proposed an evaluation framework of individual social network status in cMOOCs and a model for concept network characteristics analysis in cMOOCs. Analysis from 10,598 interactive data points of cMOOC1.0 using complex network analysis, topic clustering algorithm and correlation analysis found that there was a correlation between a learner's individual network status and concept network characteristics, and there are two kinds of special connectivist learners in cMOOC learning: someone with higher network status but lower knowledge output, and someone with higher knowledge output but weaker network status. Furthermore, we put forward three practical suggestions: (1) facilitators should focus on guiding learners' expression and connection to important individuals; (2) according to different correlation trends, facilitators can flexibly tailor activity design strategies, such as providing additional wayfinding support for learners with low centrality; and (3) carry out adaptive learning evaluations and design diversified certificates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports the results of an explorative, quantitative study designed to investigate the pedagogical potential of Flip (formerly Flipgrid) as a connectivist and transmedia tool for developing English language learners’ productive skills to provide a basis for their continued improvement. The study suggests that the connectivist practice via Flip provides significant effect on improving secondary school students’ productive skills. A total of 39 students, divided randomly into one experimental group and one control group, participated in the study during the eight-week curriculum involving an English course. Participants in the experimental group (n = 19) used Flip as a learning tool, whereas the control group participants (n = 20) followed the same curriculum without Flip. Pre- and posttests were used to compare the participants’ speaking and writing productions before and after the project. These tests were evaluated based on a comparison of their mean scores by SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) software. We used Questionnaires to analyze the positive and negative aspects of Flip. An independent samples t-test revealed that the experimental group outperformed the control group and showed the potential of regular Flip narrative-based tasks for developing English language learners’ productive skills (p ≤ 0.05 = 0.039). Thus, Flip can be used by teachers and learners to improve speaking and writing, and thus overcome the limitations on time, practice, and feedback inherent in classroom-based courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Distance Education (1672-0008) is the property of Zhejiang Open University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The paper aims to investigate the impact of mobile assisted language learning on irregular verbs and in a classroom setting. This research uses Siemen (2005) and Downes (2006) Connectivism as a theoretical framework. This is a quantitative research; to investigate the impact of mobile assisted language learning experimental design with pretest posttest will be used. The data was collected from ten (10) participants in each group; experimental group and control group. This study is significant since it will enable the educational institutions and curriculum designers to incorporate mobile technology in ESL classroom context, this research will also be beneficial for the future researchers of this field to investigate the use of technology in ESL classroom context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study takes the value-based adoption model and CIE model of the learning process as the theoretical basis and combines them to explore the influencing factors and mechanisms of learners' online interaction and perceived value. Based on the questionnaire survey data of 81 learners' potential factors and their 45,166 real-time behavior data on the cMOOC platform, this study calculates the level of interaction and perceived value of each learner and analyzes the impact of potential factors on various interactions and perceived value through linear regression method. It was found that cMOOC learners had a higher number of low-level interactions than high-level interactions and that the perceived benefits and sacrifices for low cognitive engagement learning processes were better than those for high-level learning processes. cMOOC learners' perceived value and its various underlying factors had no significant effect on either type of interaction, while low-level interactions had a significant positive effect on high-level interactions. cMOOC learners' perceived benefits of the wayfinding learning process had a significant positive effect on perceived value, and the perceived costs of the operation and innovation learning processes had a significant negative effect on perceived value. The results further develop the understanding of the interaction and perceived value and its influencing factors in cMOOC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Didasc@lia: Didáctica y Educación is the property of Universitaria de Las Tunas, Centro de Estudios de Didactica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The development of the project on creating world-class campuses in Russia heated debates on the topic of the university campus and the educational experience of students. Although it has become extremely relevant, but it remains understudied. This research is aimed at the formation of an understanding of the educational paradigm of modern Russian universities as well as the investigation of the relationship between the university space and the educational experience of students using the example of the Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU), which is a unique case among Russian universities due to its exceptional location and infrastructure. Building on the concept of Beckers and his colleagues’ theory "Purpose - Process - Place," a deductive analysis of 39 semi-structured interviews with FEFU students collected in 2022 was carried out. The study showed that higher education is undergoing a transition from a traditional behavioristic approach to social constructivism, which is manifested in the request for greater freedom in choosing not only what students should study, but when and how. The results of the study show that the educational process has moved beyond the classroom, and the educational environment has become an integral part of the educational experience of students. The results suggest that students have a need not only for learning spaces, but also for places where they can restore their resources. Thus, green spaces on the campus and an embankment with access to the water area have a favorable effect on the emotional state of students. At the same time co-workings and coffee shops can foster more productive learning. However, the location of the campus, its isolation from the mainland and its own rules of behavior and communication, forms in some students the perception of the campus as a “luxury prison” with a comfortable infrastructure but difficult to escape from. This is especially felt during the exams, when the emotional overload of students reaches peak points. The results can be useful for Russian universities participating in the project on creating world-class campuses and for researchers who study the educational environment.

Abstract In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, a discernible shift towards mobile learning tools has emerged, supplanting conventional pedagogical methods. Mobile learning (m-learning) constitutes a subset of e-learning, involving the utilization of portable devices for educational purposes. This research undertakes an examination of the impact of m-learning within the context of Pakistani English language classrooms. The study's target population consisted of university students in Pakistan. Five universities in Lahore, Pakistan, were selected using a convenience sampling method. From these universities, a sample of 100 students, enrolled in the first semester of a Bachelor of Science English language learning preparatory year course, were selected based on a simple random sampling technique. Before the experimental phase, the students underwent a pre-test assessment. Subsequently, based on the results, they were evenly divided into a control group and an experimental group. It was ensured that both groups included students of mixed ability levels. The treatment duration spanned 4 months, equivalent to 48 credit hours. The experimental group engaged in learning activities through mobile phones, while the control group adhered to conventional instructional methods. Finally, upon completion of the treatment period, a post-test assessment was administered to the students. Data analysis revealed that the experimental group (Mean: 15.93) exhibited notably superior performance compared to the control group (Mean: 10.12). This outcome highlights the positive influence of m-learning on learners' academic achievements. Furthermore, this enhanced performance reflects learners' favorable reception of mobile phone utilization within the context of English as a second language academic learning.

This paper explores the development of a special interest group bound by common interests, experiences, and access to opportunities in mobile learning as a model of a networked academic development community. With core members spanning eleven educational institutes across three continents, the Mobile Learning Special Interest Group (MLSIG) was established to facilitate mobile learning praxis to enable authentic learning and learner agency through a networked community of academic practitioners and researchers. The paper identifies critical elements of the MLSIG networked community through an autoethnographic narrative from 14 self-nominated participants. These are woven into a proposed framework and model for nurturing networked academic development communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, a discernible shift towards mobile learning tools has emerged, supplanting conventional pedagogical methods. Mobile learning (m-learning) constitutes a subset of e-learning, involving the utilization of portable devices for educational purposes. This research undertakes an examination of the impact of m-learning within the context of Pakistani English language classrooms. The study's target population consisted of university students in Pakistan. Five universities in Lahore, Pakistan, were selected using a convenience sampling method. From these universities, a sample of 100 students, enrolled in the first semester of a Bachelor of Science English language learning preparatory year course, were selected based on a simple random sampling technique. Before the experimental phase, the students underwent a pre-test assessment. Subsequently, based on the results, they were evenly divided into a control group and an experimental group. It was ensured that both groups included students of mixed ability levels. The treatment duration spanned 4 months, equivalent to 48 credit hours. The experimental group engaged in learning activities through mobile phones, while the control group adhered to conventional instructional methods. Finally, upon completion of the treatment period, a post-test assessment was administered to the students. Data analysis revealed that the experimental group (Mean: 15.93) exhibited notably superior performance compared to the control group (Mean: 10.12). This outcome highlights the positive influence of m-learning on learners' academic achievements. Furthermore, this enhanced performance reflects learners' favorable reception of mobile phone utilization within the context of English as a second language academic learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new mode of knowledge production, known as the 'organic growth pattern', has emerged within the online learning environment. It exhibits several unique features, such as iterative growth, fuelled by collective intelligence, fuzzy complexity, etc. It is more valuable and adaptable to support knowledge innovation within rapidly changing fields. To reveal its new evolutional production pattern and the interaction mechanism of different generative topics, We take a dual perspective of content and behaviour into consideration. A total of 1855 interactive data points were collected from a connectivist massive open online course. The study employed methods, such as latent Dirichlet allocation, content analysis and lag sequential analysis. Results showed that (1) the paths of knowledge innovation were complex and diverse. The process typically began with an ill‐structured question and was driven by collective contribution and cognitive conflict. (2) Knowledge production involved interactive evolution and collaborative growth of multiple generative topics. (3) The four stages of knowledge production were cyclic, with sense‐making acting as a bridge between way‐finding and innovation. Several implications of the findings are recommended to enhance the quality of knowledge growth, such as designing ill‐structured questions, providing discussion activities from easy to difficult, introducing relevant topics, taking advantage of various platforms and mobilizing learners' or participants' quality attention‐related behaviours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current research aims to investigate the impact of the Connectivist Learning Model on the writing skills of ESL learners in Pakistan. Framework based on Connectivism learning theory strives to enable "social connection" and "mental node development" when writing while offering group idea pooling, debate, transliteration, and editing options. Moreover, it examines how authors create their writings while interacting with their peers. Therefore, to obtain the desired data, a Quasi-experimental approach was used to measure the impact of the model. Ninety undergraduate ESL learners were selected and divided into two groups of 45 each. The groups were randomly selected as control and experimental groups, respectively. Both groups were pre-tested. Only the experimental group received the intervention, while the control group was taught writing skills using the traditional method. After three months, the post-test was administered to both groups, and the scores were compared to see the impact. The results of the tests showed that the experimental group's learners exhibited significant improvement in their writing skills. The implications of this research extend across various dimensions of education, ranging from policy and curriculum design to teacher training and technology infrastructure. By taking these implications into account, educators, policymakers, and researchers can contribute to advancing educational practices that are responsive to the needs of students in an increasingly interconnected and digital world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of contemporary coaching, it is necessary to explore approaches that cater to the needs and preferences of modern learners. Given the emergence of online/remote coaching and coach development (ORC/CD) in recent years, this could involve the exploration of frameworks and onto-epistemologies that better ensure alignment with contemporary understandings of learning in the digital era. In the current article, we take the opportunity to explore some of the possible theoretical considerations that can inform future research in this emerging area; and thus support the application of technology-enhanced coaching/learning in sport coaching contexts. First, we philosophically position our arguments within a 'new culture of learning' (NCOL) – a framework that is congruent with online learning experiences. From there, we consider Connectivism – as an expression of New Materialism – as a suitable onto-epistemology to guide future research given its recognition of networked ways of being in the twenty-first century. We conclude by suggesting heutagogy (self-determined learning) as an appropriate signature '∼gogy' for ORC/CD environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The speed of growth and change of knowledge in engineering fields, has led to the need for new approaches. Connectivism theory has solved this problem by placing the learner at the center of learning and providing a new definition of learning. MOOCs have been a successful experience based on this theory. Recently, researchers have introduced hybrid MOOCs by combining the distributive property of xMOOCs and the network property of cMOOCs to earn diverse skills and presented positive results. In order to achieve the goal of the research, which is to identify the components of the personalized learning environment in engineering education with hybrid MOOC technology, the components in cMOOCs and xMOOCs were investigated with the method of qualitative content analysis. For this purpose, 41 domestic and foreign researches were selected from the statistical population of related electronic researches by purposeful sampling method. Then, the data reached theoretical saturation by interviewing 7 experts in this field. Then, the data were qualitatively analyzed and the related themes of coding and the categories of self-learning, selfmotivation, self-leadership, personalization, evaluation of communication, creation of strengthening and elimination of communication and social network platform were obtained in two groups of individual independence and networking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the continuous development of the global economy and the adjustment of industrial structure, there is a growing demand for high-quality skilled talents with practical operational skills. This study aims to explore how to integrate Taylorism and Connectivism in the field of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) to enhance the effectiveness of operational skill cultivation. In the first phase of the research, we focused on the operational skill of escalator troubleshooting, gaining in-depth insights into the current situation in this field. Subsequently, we proposed and implemented an innovative curriculum development framework (BTCC), which fully utilizes the practical orientation of Taylorism and the interactive learning philosophy of Connectivism. This framework focuses on developing a course to enhance the operational skills of escalator troubleshooting. Finally, validated in an actual TVET environment, the research results, referred to as the Innovative Practical Course (ETSC), show that the new course significantly improves students' proficiency in escalator troubleshooting skills and promotes active learning and collaboration in practice. This study provides practical and adaptable escalator troubleshooting course development experience for vocational colleges, offering a feasible approach to address the challenges in cultivating related operational skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Humanities educators are frequently frustrated by students' poor engagement in reading. The contemporary student experience is characterised by disruption and precarity. Similarly, is that of teachers who work in casual employment. This discussion is located within broader conversations around the neoliberal university, but aims to make more visible ways that teaching and learning are increasingly shaped by precarity, and consequences for the humanities. It describes what precarity in higher education looks like and considers the kinds of strategies that students and their teachers are positioned to develop by virtue of engaging in education under such conditions, amid chaos, making these meaningful through the learning theory of connectivism. This discussion points to some examples of humanities-based pedagogical innovations that seek to strengthen reading skills, while also acknowledging the changing circumstances of students to point towards avenues for ongoing consideration, reflection, and innovation in the humanities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Every evolution, rooted in its principles, presents a time-relevant paradigm shift. In the regards, technological evolution has been a significant milestone in the journey of educational contributions. It has today become an integral part of the education eco-system. While generation-z students are characteristically tech-savvy, at the same time it questions the caliber of the faculty to address the needs of these students. To understand the evolution of teaching pedagogies of the classroom, a qualitative study was conducted with Connectivism as the underlying theoretical framework. Through the semi-structured interviews, twenty seven faculty were interviewed with five questions. The first round of coding was carried out using the descriptive and vivo methods and second was carried out using the focused coding. Five themes have been discussed from the round one coding and summarized using the round two. The paper presents the results and discussion of this qualitative study and opens the potential space for future technology-related research questions. Writing learning outcomes, evolving classrooms and selecting technology have been discussed with respect to technological implications. The study concludes that the research groups need to develop philosophies by integrating the technology into the learning styles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, online learning has gained significant attention within the educational context of Vietnam. Nonetheless, there is a shared concern among educators about the effectiveness of the online platform that supports positive learning outcomes. To address this, the Connectivist Learning Environment (CLE), where learning activities were designed and aligned with connectivism theory, was introduced. This study explored whether or not the CLE helped develop the general pedagogical knowledge (GPK) of Vietnamese pre-service English teachers (PETs) and the possible factors that led to their GPK development. This study involved 40 pre-service English teachers at a university in Vietnam and 15 Vietnamese and foreign teachers of English. Data were collected through pre-tests, posttests, online reflective journals, an online survey, and a semi-structured interview. An independent paired sample t-test and repeated measures ANOVA were used to analyze quantitative data, while content analysis was used with qualitative data. The findings revealed that the GPK of pre-service English teachers is significantly higher after 9-weeks of participation. The participants stated that the CLE is a beneficial learning platform with various positive attributes. In addition to the theoretical and pedagogical implications, this study offers insights for future research studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper delves into AI development’s historical and philosophical dimensions while highlighting the symbiotic relationship between philosophy and AI from a technological perspective: philosophy furnishes foundational concepts, and AI supplies practical tools. The paper posits neurosymbolic AI as a solution to present challenges, sparking discussions encompassing both technical and philosophical considerations. Advocating a multidisciplinary approach calls for merging empirical AI insights with philosophy and cognition science to enrich our comprehension of intelligence and propel AI forward.

Abstract One of the key successes of learning through mobile technology comes from the competencies of learners. This study aimed to investigate the overall competency levels of mobile learning readiness and four influential factors (connectivist learners, technology readiness, self-directed learning, and netiquette) that may impact college students’ mobile learning readiness in Thailand. The surveys were given to 583 Thai college students who came from various fields such as Social Science, Agriculture, Engineering and Computer Science, and Science. Descriptive statistical procedures were used to generate overall mobile learning readiness and the confirmatory factor analysis was used to determine whether the competencies of connectivist learners, technology readiness, self-directed learning, and netiquette influence the mobile learning readiness of college students in Thailand. The results showed that overall mobile learning readiness among Thai college students was at a high level in which learners’ competency in technology readiness was the most influential factor related to their mobile learning readiness, followed by the competencies of self-directed learning, netiquette, and connectivist learners. The results of this study could provide useful guidance for instructors in designing effective instruction, activities, and learning materials that encourage learners to be successful in the mobile learning environment. The future study may explore other related factors such as learners’ cultural backgrounds, educational systems, or government supports that may influence mobile learning readiness among learners in higher education in different countries.

Background and Objectives: In recent years, the emergence of information and communication technology has affected the world of education. As some experts believe, the previous methods, models and theories of learning and education are not able to explain learning and education in this era. Connectivism theory is one of the new theories of the digital age that tries to explain learning from a different perspective. The purpose of this research was to explore the elements of a suitable educational model based on connectivism in teaching and learning.Methods: The research was qualitative in terms of paradigm and among the types of qualitative research, it was qualitative content analysis. The research population included original research articles related to connectivism teaching and learning for the last 10 years (from the beginning of 2013 to the end of 2022) available in 4 databases (1) Eric (2) Emerald Insight (3) Springer (4) Science Direct. There were 592 articles, which were reduced to 194 articles after the initial review of the abstract and full text in two stages and the removal of irrelevant items. After organizing the remaining articles and using targeted sampling, 28 of these articles were analyzed, and due to the repetition of the obtained codes and the achievement of theoretical saturation, the analysis of the remaining articles of the studied population was stopped. Free coding with inductive approach was used to analyze the texts.Findings: From the content of the analyzed works, three layers called "theoretical and technological foundations", "principles and assumptions of connectivism" and "learning networks" were extracted as the main components for a connectivism-oriented learning environment. The first layer included 14 theories, approaches, movements and technological developments as sub-components. Each of these theories, movements and approaches with their principles and assumptions had aa direct and an indirect influence on the next layers. The second layer was related to the general and specific principles, characteristics and assumptions about knowledge, learning and network phenomena, and its sub-components contain facts that strongly affected the executive layer of the connectivism-oriented environment, and the learning environment was designed based on this. It distinguished the theory from other theories. In this layer, four sub-components with the titles (1) connectivism principles of Siemens and others (2) connectivism assumptions about learning (3) connectivism assumptions about knowledge (4) features and principles of the network/learning environment were also identified. In the third layer, there were networks, each network had 9 sub-components :(1) types of tasks, actions and learning activities (in 6 overlapping forms of cooperation, interaction, evaluation, communication, involvement and participation) (2) the role of the teacher (3) the role of the student (4) the place of learning (5) the stages/steps of learning (6) the levels of learning (7) the required skills (8) the materials/resources/appendices/media or nodes learning, and (9) building new networks.Conclusion: The results of the research showed that the connectivism-oriented learning environment is an open, non-targeted, chaotic environment that lacks an organized framework and fixed elements. Two theoretical levels and basic assumptions as layers influence the operational environment of connectivism learning. Theories, as the first layer, are the theoretical and technological foundations of connectivism, which dominate the other two layers like an umbrella and determine the assumptions and activities of this environment. The assumptions and principles of connectivism, which are considered as the second layer of this environment, affect the third layer and determine the framework and types of scientific activities of this environment.

Most students in higher education at present are ‘digital natives.’ They use technology in every facet of their life, including their education. They learn from formally organised courses as well as from informal learning. Hence, informal learning has been identified as crucial for the sustainability of higher education in the current global context. Technology facilitates informal learning and, thus, has made substantial changes in how learning occurs in modern age learners. These changes that occurred in the learning process due to the influence of technology should be addressed by the educational approaches used in higher education to achieve the best outcomes in relation to the academic performance of students and students’ satisfaction. This commentary presents an educational approach: ‘Connective Alignment’ for higher education in the digital age, which can fulfil the learning needs of the learners in this digital age.

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), praised for their global scale and open-access elements, are commonly associated with several challenges. These include unequal access, limited interactivity, or insufficient learner background and skills. This article aims to understand how introducing online and offline connectivist elements influences MOOC learners’ engagement and motivation and self-perceived benefits from undertaking MOOCs. To do so, we present descriptive statistics and analyse results from focus groups of regionally and disciplinarily diverse learners of the Federica Web Learning – International Political Science Association (IPSA) MOOCs, who were introduced to connectivist elements in the IPSAMOOCs. We find that limited connectivist elements added to the IPSAMOOCs did not notably affect learner engagement and motivation. However, the IPSAMOOCs have considerable potential to impact engagement and motivation, if combined with offline activities. The findings contribute to studying the prospects of MOOCs as a potential avenue for accessible, global digital Political Science education, advancing the appreciation of democracy.

Learners in connectivist learning are diverse. It's necessary to make a clear understanding of learners' participation types and characteristics for optimizing the learning support service and learning evaluation in connectivist learning. This study aims to describe different types of learners in connectivist learning from two dimensions of social network and concept network characteristics. We analyzed 10598 collected data output during a 12-week cMOOC "Internet Driven Education Reform: Dialogue between Theory and Practice" in China. Using social network analysis, Latent Dirichlet Allocation, the K-means cluster analysis and lag sequential analysis to identify different participation types, we found: 1) Five types of learners in cMOOCs were obtained, namely "connected creative learners", "social learners", "reflective learners", "wandering learners", "marginal learners"; 2) The outstanding learners of connected creative learners, social learners and reflective learners, are in the minority; 3) Most learner types are relatively stable, but there is a possibility of conversion between some different participation types. Based on the above conclusions, this study puts forward some suggestions on cMOOC design. This study gives insight into the characteristics of five types of learners in cMOOC, so that future designers and facilitators can understand, design and support more effective cMOOCs for learners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to examine how far media education for the 21st century skills are included in the new Palestinian science curriculum, to investigate the extent to which these curricula are able to create inhabitants who are skilled to live in this new knowledge era, information explosion, and handle with various media content. The study, also, offers appropriate mechanisms that contribute to enriching the curriculum in light of these skills, including restructuring and formulation of some units and activities of the curriculum in light of the media education for the 21 st century. A qualitative approach with an analytical descriptive design was adopted for the study. The data analysis demonstrated that the Palestinian science curriculum for ninth grade, in general, displays media education skills in a poor manner, as the mean percentage of the skills availability were 3.6%. The percentage of the availability of the media education main themes were as follows: information literacy skill only 1.7%, the ICT literacy skill 1.9%, and with no existence of the media literacy skill. In its second main section, the study offers a general conceptual framework with relevant models for reshaping the ninth science curriculum with relevant authentic tasks, in order to enable them to accommodate the 21st century media education skills. The study ended up with a set of accommodations for practice, and others for further research in the field, among which the necessity to include media literacy skills for the 21st century in all Palestinian school curricula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The introduction of progression policy, which prohibits the repetition of a grade to more than once within each of the four phases of Basic Education, was enforced in South Africa in the Further Education and Training phase in 2013, but appropriate strategies which could be applied to support progressed learners are not addressed. This research was qualitative by nature and approached according to the interpretative paradigm. It was a comparative case study, which investigated strategies to support Grade 12 progressed Mathematics learners using Information Communication Technologies in comparison with other strategies that do not apply ICT instructional technologies. Data collection strategies were semi-structured interviews, questionnaires and support policies. The study population was sixteen FET Mathematics educators from five schools in Ekurhuleni North district. The findings indicated that connectivism, when incorporated into teaching and learning, becomes an effective support tool for progressed learners. ICTs within networks makes teaching and learning more learner centred, improves participation, learner attainment and pass rate. Learners are able to learn at their own pace, in their most convenient set-up and they manage what they learn, how they learn, with whom they learn and what information they require. The study found that there are greater benefits of using ICT instructional technologies in a connectivist classroom to support progressed learners, but that traditional support strategies cannot be ruled out due to the socio-economic challenges schools under research experienced. The findings further indicated that there is a dire need of a comprehensive support policies, strategies and guidelines to support progressed and low-ability learners in Mathematics both digitally and non-digitally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Informal learning activities and workplace learning constitute a substantial part of a PhD student's knowledge as an adult. It is essential to define the concept of workplace learning and the roles and responsibilities of doctoral students clearly and transparently while explaining how doctoral courses and workplace experience correspond to each other. Learning, in this sense, manifests itself in everyday practices of work and social contexts. In this vein, this study explores the informal workplace learning experiences of PhD students working in university settings with different job titles to offer new contributions to the literature on informal adult learning. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews with 10 PhD students who were employed in different university settings. Thematic analysis was used to interpret the data. The findings revealed that doctoral students working at universities learn at work by participating in va work-related tasks, collaborating with their colleagues and other people in these settings, and encountering new challenges that provide learning opportunities for them. The unexpected challenges, tasks, and office conversations that are not directly related to the work play key roles in the learning and skill acquisition of this target group. Doctoral students are among the intellectual assets of their home countries and the world. In addition to their formal graduate education, understanding their informal learning and how they learn in their workplaces will be of value for both academia and organisational effectiveness. In parallel to this, the idea of educating the qualified labour force of the future through graduate education has become a fundamental issue for every country in efforts to compete on a global scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a representative practice of the theory of connectivism, cMOOCs emphasize learners' content-based connective learning. Effectively promoting learners' content production is the focus of cMOOC research and practice. This study explores whether and how learners' online interactions affect the content production of courses. Based on 45166 real-time behavioural data points of learners, this study measures the interaction level and content production degree of each learner and analyses the influence of interaction on content production. The results show that the number of low-level interactions is higher than that of high-level interactions, and content production increases with the development of the curriculum. Low-level active interactions of cMOOC learners have no significant impact on content production, while high-level active interactions have a significant positive impact on content production, and attention in low-level passive interactions has a significant positive impact on content production. However, simple comments in low-level passive interactions and complex comments in high-level passive interactions have a significant negative impact on content production in a certain course. The results of this study further develop the understanding of interaction in the learning theory of connectivism, and we hope that this study can provide support for the interaction design of cMOOCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the modern world, there is a need to organize learning quickly and effectively. Due to the current economic climate, competition in the educational market, and demographic decline, there is an increasing interest in e-learning at all levels of education but especially in higher education. E-education provides the opportunity to attract students from abroad, those with disabilities, and those who cannot give up their professional work but want or should continue their education. This way of acquiring knowledge is of interest to various people who want to complete their higher education or gain a new profession. The article attempts to answer the following questions: which form of education is more attractive for students, stationary or remote; how do they assess the effects of both of these forms; which of them would they prefer in the event of further learning; and what suggestions do they make to improve distance learning? The article also contains a description of the project of changes undertaken by the State Vocational University in the Masovian Voivodeship (Poland) towards adapting to the requirements of digital reality. The aim of this article is to determine students' preferences in terms of forms of studying and the university's response to students' needs in this area. It also discusses the specifics of the recent popularity of a new teaching model called connectivism. It presents what education based on this method is about and explains how it differs from previously functioning models such as behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructionism. The publication also contains a critique of connectivism and an attempt to indicate what risks and doubts arise from the dissemination of this type of education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community-based courses, driven by connectivist learning theory, provide learners with a social environment that supports collaborative problem solving (CPS). The purpose of this study is to investigate the characteristics of potential collaborators before they engage in CPS. This study analyzed a community-based course, a cMOOC with a total of 145 learners participated in the thematic learning stage and 52 of the 145 chose to participate in the CPS. The interaction pattern of the collaborators and the indirect effects of individual attribute-based (exogenous) effects and network structure-based (endogenous) effects on the interaction pattern were examined using the quadratic assignment procedure (QAP) and the stochastic actor-oriented model (SAOM). Results suggest that substantial interaction activeness and interaction attractiveness are key patterns of the collaborators’ social interactions before CPS, and there is some interaction homogeneity among the collaborators. Some individual attribute-based effects, such as age, gender, and occupation, will reduce the early interaction attractiveness of the collaborators. The reciprocity, transitivity, and cumulative advantages of the network structure-based effects will gradually increase collaborators’ interaction attractiveness; in contrast, the network structure-based effects simultaneously limit collaborators’ interaction activeness. This study provides a theoretical foundation and practical experience regarding encouraging learners’ deep collaboration in community-based courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) have reignited discussions about the value of the university and its role in producing and facilitating knowledge. The invention of ChatGPT has led to differing responses in the academy, with some welcoming its abilities and others fearing that it may undermine what schools and universities do, calling it "apocalyptic" (Green 2022). These aspects impact the integrity of the academy and are therefore a fundamental contribution to the debate. The impact, as well as the perceived impact, of AI on teaching and learning in higher education has been consistently documented in popular media. Therefore, the aim of this article is to understand the impact of ChatGPT on plagiarism and scholarly writing. It contributes to the under-researched academic discourse of generative artificial intelligence and teaching and learning by garnering the views of three established professors in South Africa. The findings from this qualitative endeavour demonstrate that, for these professors, these kinds of technology are welcome, and students need to be taught how to engage with them rather than vilifying them. Much of the responsibility rests on the lecturers and the university to create a teaching and learning environment that allows for these technologies to enter the classroom, especially in the way we assess. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]