Technology-based learning environments
R. Raisi; K. Fattahi; S.M. Zakeri; S. Daneshmand
Abstract
Background and Objectives: The learning environment refers to different settings in which students partake in their studies or learning. In recent years, there has been a focus on implementing diverse research to analyze physical settings to improve students' performance in educational settings. ...
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Background and Objectives: The learning environment refers to different settings in which students partake in their studies or learning. In recent years, there has been a focus on implementing diverse research to analyze physical settings to improve students' performance in educational settings. The emergence of Neuro-architecture, a growing field that integrates neuroscience principles into architectural design, has gained popularity in optimizing student engagement and learning outcomes. By understanding the neural mechanisms that influence interactions with the built environment, neuro-architecture provides novel avenues for developing learning spaces that support optimal students’ performance. Previous Neuro-architecture research has explored various physical aspects within educational settings, including classroom size, color palettes, lighting, acoustics, and indoor air quality, revealing their impacts on memory, attention, emotional reactions, cognitive abilities, and learning advancement. However, limited attention has been given to stress-induced arousal, as well as the influence of classroom ceiling slope on students' stress levels and cognitive abilities. This study seeks to fill this gap by examining how the classroom ceiling slope relates to students' stress levels and cognitive function. Employing Virtual Reality (VR) simulations, cognitive assessments, and physiological measures, the study aims to answer the research question: How do varying ceiling slope orientations affect physiological responses linked to stress-induced arousal and cognitive function? The findings of this study will enhance the realm of research on learning environments by providing insight into the influence of physical features, such as the slope angle of classroom ceilings, on student wellness and academic performance.Materials and Methods: The research employed a quasi-experimental design to explore the effects of various Ceiling Slope Variations (CSV) on stress-induced arousal and cognitive performance. A total of 18 participants, comprising nine males and nine females, participated in the experiment, selected based on five inclusion criteria established to maintain study consistency and reliability. In the first phase, participants' stress levels were evaluated through the utilization of an Emotibit bio-data logger and Visual Analogue Scales (VAS) test for measuring and mapping psychological responses. This involved monitoring heart rate variability (HRV) and electrodermal activity (EDA) in the surveyed individuals, with the objective of understanding how various ceiling slope orientations affected stress levels. The subsequent phase focused on assessing participants' cognitive abilities by utilizing the N-back test, a well-established task for gauging working memory and attention. The aim was to investigate how different CSV configurations influenced cognitive performance. In the final phase, the relationship between participants' psychological and physiological responses was analyzed using the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) test. This examination aimed to uncover the connection between stress-induced arousal and cognitive performance in relation to the diverse ceiling slope orientations.Findings: The findings highlight the important role of ceiling slope orientation in impacting stress levels and cognitive performance among students. Specifically, the research emphasizes that a backward-sloping ceiling design, particularly in relation to the class board, is associated with enhanced cognitive abilities, including higher accuracy rates and reduced instances of incorrect answers, compared to traditional classroom layouts. Conversely, the conventional classroom design results in the lowest cognitive performance levels. Furthermore, the study indicates that variations in ceiling slope can also trigger physiological responses in students, such as changes in heart rate and skin conductance, leading to diverse stress levels. The results suggest that integrating a backward sloping ceiling design can significantly alleviate stress levels in the surveyed participants, showcasing the potential benefits of such ceilings in educational environments.Conclusions: This research highlights the critical importance of educational space design in alleviating stress and enhancing cognitive abilities among students. Through the utilization of VR simulations and the assessment of physiological and cognitive reactions, the study offers valuable insights into how variations in ceiling slope can impact stress levels and cognitive performance. The results indicate that integrating a backward sloping ceiling design can play a significant role in reducing stress and boosting cognitive functions in students. These findings underscore the importance of developing educational environments that prioritize neuro-architectural principles to promote optimal learning outcomes and student welfare. It is imperative for educational institutions to take into account these considerations when structuring classrooms, ensuring the creation of spaces that nurture students' cognitive processes and overall well-being.
Technology-based learning environments
Z. Sharei; H. Haji abadi
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Innovation has become one of the key skills of organizations to deal with changes in the external environment. The development of theoretical foundations and requirements of management performance shows that the mechanism of employee innovation should be examined from the perspective ...
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Background and Objectives: Innovation has become one of the key skills of organizations to deal with changes in the external environment. The development of theoretical foundations and requirements of management performance shows that the mechanism of employee innovation should be examined from the perspective of active planning and self-management of employees. Based on the goal-oriented theory, which focuses on initiative and spontaneity, a theoretical basis can be provided to study how to actively manage and promote innovation by employees. Therefore, for the education organization, knowing goal-oriented employees and investigating the effect of this feature on innovative performance can be very important and lay the groundwork for improving innovative performance in this organization. It is worth noting that many studies only focus on the single factor of employee innovation performance while innovative performance requires employees who are creative and whose goals are compatible with the organization's goals. Therefore, the main goal of this research was to investigate the effect of creative personality and goal orientation on innovative performance.Methods: The current research was a part of applied research in terms of its purpose, and in terms of method, it was included in the category of descriptive-correlational research. The statistical population of this research consisted of 500 education workers and teachers from Darmian. The sample size was determined based on Cochran's formula of 217 people, and the questionnaires were distributed in a simple random manner. The data collection tool was the standard goal orientation questionnaire with dimensions of goal learning, proof of performance, and avoidance of performance by Vande (1997), the innovative performance questionnaire by Zhou and George (2001), and Goff's creative personality questionnaire (1979) with a five-point Likert scale. Hypotheses were tested by structural equation modeling method in PLS 3 software and model fit was examined.Findings: The findings showed goal learning orientation, performance proof orientation, and creative personality had a positive and significant effect on innovative performance while the effect of performance avoidance orientation on innovative performance is inverse (T>1.96). Also, the findings showed that goal orientation played a mediating role in the relationship between creative personality and innovative performance (T > 1.96)، but did not moderate this relationship (T < 1.96).Conclusion: When teachers and education staff have a learning goal-oriented approach, they seek to increase their skills and acquire new information about how to do their work and teaching, and they do not need to be rewarded by the organization because of their sense of self-satisfaction and superiority, they seek information to improve the way they do their work. Also, due to the orientation of performance proof, these teachers and staff show interest in learning new ways of doing tasks and welcome learning new skills, which provide the ground for innovative performance of teachers and staff. If learning is only to avoid failure, and teachers and staff turn to learning because their abilities are not questioned، it cannot encourage them to perform innovatively. In the middle education organization and the teachers working in this city, creative personality traits can improve innovative performance, people with creative personalities are not afraid of taking risks and at the same time they only try to do things correctly and meaningfully, this trait is for teachers. It can be very helpful in teaching if they can teach and behave according to the lesson and class environment and create creativity and innovation in students with their innovative performance. So, it can be said that teachers and staff who are creative by using skills acquisition and knowledge exchange and learning new solutions to perform tasks can have an innovative performance, but if they are afraid of asking questions and uncertainties and to avoid the inability to solve problems with other teachers and employees who do not exchange knowledge may not be able to produce innovative performance. According to the obtained results, if the education organization can stimulate and adjust the self-management awareness and goal orientation of teachers and employees through a series of actions, it will play a greater role in improving human resources and achieving sustainable growth.
Technology-based learning environments
M. Jafari; M.S. Ghoraishi khorasgani; P. Samadi
Abstract
Background and Objectives: One of the most important missions of education is the balanced education of researching and creative students with entrepreneurial spirit and thinking. In this regard, the vision and fundamental transformation document of education emphasizes the importance of cultivating ...
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Background and Objectives: One of the most important missions of education is the balanced education of researching and creative students with entrepreneurial spirit and thinking. In this regard, the vision and fundamental transformation document of education emphasizes the importance of cultivating creative and innovative individuals who possess the necessary skills to contribute to science, technology, and entrepreneurship. Based on this importance and emphasis of upstream documents, therefore, schools should play a pivotal role in developing features such as creativity, self-confidence, futurism, risk-taking, and the tendency towards success (entrepreneurial spirit) in students. Promoting entrepreneurial thinking in schools leads to responsibility, increased creativity in achieving goals and discovering new opportunities, and academic and entrepreneurial skills in students. The present research investigated the role of smart and non-smart schools in promoting entrepreneurial thinking among students.Methods: The present study was applied in purpose, quantitative in approach, and comparative causal. The statistical population includes 690 female students from smart and non-smart high schools in Qazvin city. Using the cluster sampling method, 266 students from each group were selected as the research sample. To collect the data, the researchers used a questionnaire consisting of five main components and 20 items. The formal and content validity of the questionnaire was verified by three experts in the field of study. The reliability of the questionnaire was calculated using Cronbach's alpha coefficient and was obtained as 0.779. The data were analyzed using Shapiro-Wilk Test, one-way multivariate of variance test and Levene's test.Findings: The findings indicated that female students in smart schools had higher levels of entrepreneurial thinking in five main components: creative thinking (7.243), independence seeking (6.059), opportunity seeking (7.642), risk-taking (6.473), and internal control locus (5.513) compared to non-smart schools. In general, schools that used modern smart technologies have developed competencies such as creative thinking, independence seeking, opportunity seeking, risk-taking, and internal control locus in students. As a result, students in smart schools felt more successful, motivated, and confident in creating new ideas, ultimately leading to the promotion and emergence of entrepreneurial thinking.Conclusion: Since the entrepreneurial thinking as the basic power of the human mind is one of the main goals of schools and educational centers, therefore schools should be able to provide a suitable platform for the flourishing of characteristics such as; It provided students with creativity, self-confidence, foresight, risk-taking and entrepreneurial spirit. Because, global competition and the need of future jobs for skilled and efficient people show the necessity of creating an entrepreneurial culture in schools. To achieve this goal in the country, it is necessary to raise awareness, promote the culture of entrepreneurship and provide the necessary infrastructure in education. To promote entrepreneurial thinking among students, schools should implement practical teaching methods, team-based and active participation teaching methods, electronic content development of entrepreneurship in multimedia format, periodic feedback on student performance, delegation of school responsibilities, limited options for students, independent problem-solving, and entrepreneurial internships for students.
Technology-based learning environments
M. Ghorbanzadeh; M Golabchi
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Educational technology is divided into three main areas, instrumental, content, and management. The purpose of educational content technology is to create and expand knowledge in order to define educational patterns and methods. The verification of qualitative skills such as ...
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Background and Objectives: Educational technology is divided into three main areas, instrumental, content, and management. The purpose of educational content technology is to create and expand knowledge in order to define educational patterns and methods. The verification of qualitative skills such as architecture can only be done with the help of quantification through the hierarchical definition of design and learning methods. It is necessary to explore patterns and processes in the content technology of structural architecture education, which, while being suitable for teaching students of this field, are compatible with the contemporary content educational technology, which is based on constructivism. These patterns in two general parts, learning processes (and in its subset: education) and structural architecture design processes are separated. These two areas, focusing on the content technology of architecture education, have been considered by many design researchers. Their studies emphasize simulating teaching and architectural design to a research and discovery. This discovery that took place in the form of a cyclical and evolving process, in order to benefit from all the primary generators, included the structure, in improving the architectural concept. A detailed examination of these studies and especially their emphasis on the continuous transformation of the explicit and implicit knowledge of the structure, leads to a detailed understanding of the design process of constructible architecture and the requirements of its learning environment, which is discussed in this article. Therefore, the purpose of this article was to clarify the design process of structural architecture and the requirements of its learning and teaching processes, based on the theory of SCEI, as elements of the content technology of architecture education and for their application in the workshop environments of architecture education.Methods: In this article, firstly, by knowing the theory of structural architecture, the roles of structure in architecture were determined. Then, with the help of the qualitative content analysis method, in the studies of the architectural design process, the main features of structural architecture processes were extracted. In the qualitative content analysis method, first, the unit of analysis should be among the seven main elements, namely, words, themes, characters, paragraphs, items, concepts and symbols should be specified. In this article, the selected analysis unit were words and categories. For this purpose, key words were extracted from the researchers' design opinions and divided in the form of categories in such a way that the semantic content of the researcher's intended design could be specified with the help of a holistic interpretation and from it, in order to know the process of learning, teaching and designing structural architecture. With the help of this method and using a holistic interpretation, first the characteristics of the constructivist learning environment and the learning process in this environment were extracted, and according to the SCEI theory and its strategies, how the education process transformed the explicit and implicit knowledge of the structure. Finally, the design process of structural architecture was refined by focusing on the main known features.Findings: With the help of qualitative content analysis method and then focusing on holistic interpretation, this article identified the characteristics of structural architecture design process and the requirements of its learning environment. Based on the theory of knowledge transformation and especially specifying the role of the teacher in this knowledge transformation, it was determined that in the educational environments of the field of architecture, if there is a constructive teaching and learning process, it can be developed in a continuous cycle with the continuous transformation of tacit knowledge and through the strategies of socialization, externalization, combination and internalization, the structure was explicitly approached to ideation in structural architecture, and in this case, the basical, functional and dramatical roles of the structure would be taken into consideration by the designer. Also, with regard to the parts of the learning process of structural architecture extracted from the article, it was found that the design process in this architecture had six specific stages: Analysis, Initial Conjectures, evaluation, review, Combination, Conjecture. These stages could be defined and identified in the form of an evolving cycle, and in total, they form the process cycle of structural architecture design, which was drawn at the end of the article. The results obtained from the above article would be used in order to update the content technology of architecture education in architecture studios.Conclusion: Improving the content technology of architectural education with the help of exploring the processes of learning, teaching and design of structural architecture, can provide the context for combining structural topics with architectural ideas and lead to the creation of structural architecture that meets the structural requirements and its implicit knowledge along with attention to the beauty and performance of architecture is considered. Architects and especially architecture students, in order to benefit from all the capabilities of the structure, in completing and advancing their concept, need to go through the design process in such a way that it is possible to address the different roles of the structure in the stage of making meaning in the mind and in the form to provide tacit (hidden) knowledge. The roles of the structure in architecture, by separating the implicit and explicit knowledge of the structure and familiarity with the process of their transformation and formation, find the ability to be present in the ideation of architects. Therefore, if in the matter of architectural education and design, during a certain process, attention is paid to the complementary cycle and the transformation of different knowledge into each other; It can be hoped that the final concept will approach the levels of structural architecture. Also, in order to teach such a process, the learning environment must have capabilities that provide the context for the continuous presence of the structure in the learner's ideas. Such environments approach constructivist learning environments and have specific requirements, the most important of which are dynamic and exploratory learning and paying attention to the position of the teacher as a motivation and questioner. A detailed understanding of these requirements in this article and paying attention to the learning and design processes with emphasis on the role of the teacher and the learner, along with the continuous use of implicit and explicit knowledge of structures in architecture, can improve the awareness of the teacher and the learner in order to advance their educational goals and the most important problem of content technology in the current architectural education - the ambiguity in the design and learning processes - could be resolved. In the processes of learning, teaching and design resulting from the article, special emphasis is placed on structured learning environments and the process of discovery and falsification, which is specifically in the form of seven specific stages in the learning process (initial contact, initial reception, supplementary reception, deep reception, control, transmission, awareness, and insight) and continuous transformation of tacit and explicit knowledge of the structure can be seen through four strategies. As a result of focusing on these two processes of learning and teaching, six specific stages in the form of the structural architecture design process (Analysis, Initial Conjectures, evaluation, review, Combination, Conjecture) are defined and verified at the end of the article. The application of the above process in the teaching of introductory courses in architecture improves architectural concepts to structural architecture.
Technology-based learning environments
M. Assarzadegan; M. Khodabakhshian
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Human life and nature are tightly connected as an innate element. Nature is the manifestation of emotions, passion and beauty. For this reason, man always tries to be with it. This type of companionship and coexistence with nature can be well seen in architecture. Biophilic ...
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Background and Objectives: Human life and nature are tightly connected as an innate element. Nature is the manifestation of emotions, passion and beauty. For this reason, man always tries to be with it. This type of companionship and coexistence with nature can be well seen in architecture. Biophilic architecture is one of the new approaches in today's architecture, which follows the design of buildings using elements of nature. Biophilic design is actually an attempt to eliminate the gap between today's architecture and the need of humans to communicate with the natural world and is an innovative approach, which is based on the importance of restoring and maintaining the beneficial experience and use of nature in the built environment. The present research analyzed the hierarchical structure of indicators affecting the user in educational environments designed based on biophilic patterns.Methods: The current research is a descriptive-analytical application, and through a library, it studied the use of 14 biophilic patterns in 8 case examples of nature-related educational environments in a hot and humid climate, which provides the greatest possibility of using nature due to the existing conditions. The four indicators of physiological, psychological, cognitive and socio-spiritual were prioritized based on the opinion of experts and the numbers of ten visual patterns out of 14 biophilic patterns were categorized in these four indicators and then based on the patterns used in each educational environment. Its impact on the user was prioritized in four areas. To select the final indicators for evaluating and prioritizing the studied educational environments, a questionnaire was designed with a Likert scale and was identified and collected using the snowball method. For weighting and prioritizing indicators, pairwise comparisons were used in the form of a 9-hour questionnaire. In this research, in order to meet the qualitative criteria, the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method was used.Findings: The findings showed that the priority of the indicators in the educational environment is physiological, psychological, cognitive and socio-spiritual respectively, and the most impact on the user, according to the patterns used from the four indicators in the physiological, psychological and cognitive "educational environment of Green and "Barn Klong" had the greatest effect on the user. Examining the patterns used in these samples showed that the educational environment of Kensington generally observed the most biophilic indicators and criteria, and the observation of these indicators in the educational environment of Waterengnia was the lowest.Conclusion: Paying attention to the effect of each of the biophilic patterns on one or more indicators of the four indicators, with the aim of using these patterns in the educational environment, the effect of one of the physiological, psychological, cognitive and social spiritual indicators can be made more visible on the user. The use of target biophilic patterns based on the four indicators improves educational performance in various fields and makes people interested in the educational environment and increases academic progress.
Technology-based learning environments
E. Mirzaei; M. Alinejad; B. Daneshmand
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Electronic learning is one of the characteristics of educational courses in this century. In all training courses, especially in virtual learning environments, interaction can increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the training process. Also, the careful and thoughtful ...
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Background and Objectives: Electronic learning is one of the characteristics of educational courses in this century. In all training courses, especially in virtual learning environments, interaction can increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the training process. Also, the careful and thoughtful design of various interactions in the virtual learning environment develops existing capacities to strengthen electronic education programs and increases the quality of learning. Therefore, considering the importance of interactions in the virtual learning environment, the present research aimed to explain the elements of the higher education curriculum (goals, content, teaching-learning activities and evaluation methods) based on the types of educational interactions in the virtual learning environment and by providing solutions It helped the teachers to organize effective e-learning courses.Methods: This research was a descriptive and applied study. The statistical population of the research included the faculty members of Shahid Bahnar, Farhangian and Medical Sciences Universities of Kerman; according to Morgan's table, 297 people were selected as the statistical sample using quota sampling method. To collect research data, a researcher-made questionnaire tool was used, and its validity and reliability were determined as 0.86 and 0.92, respectively. To analyze the research data, one-sample t-test, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equations were used, and SPSS23 and AMOS23 software were used. The measurement model was estimated using structural equation modeling.Findings: The results showed that some categories effectively would create and increase educational interactions in the curriculum elements based on the types of interactions in the virtual learning environment. The effective categories in the element of objectives included teachers' attention to educational interactions, paying attention to educational interactions at the ministry level, realism in objectives, and comprehensiveness of objectives. The effective categories in the content element included students' participation in the preparation of electronic content, ease of access to content, use of interactive content, polling of students, a compilation of course content in accordance with the latest scientific findings, preparation of interactive content by professors, Digital Library Update, and interactions between professors. The effective categories in the element of teaching-learning activities included participatory teaching methods, use of social networks, use of tools such as chat rooms, providing feedback, awareness of the need for interaction, encouraging students to seek information from various sources, sharing their previous experiences, networking among students and various information sources, sharing the latest scientific achievements in the field among fellow professors. The effective categories in the element of evaluation methods included process-oriented evaluation, assigning a part of the grade for individual or teamwork and class participation, evaluation of each student's individual work by her classmates, and critique of other students' opinions. Also, the results showed that the elements of the higher education curriculum based on the types of educational interactions in the virtual learning environment were related to each other. The results showed that the factor analysis model had a suitable fit for the design of the desired model and this model could be used in the higher education curriculum to create and increase various types of educational interactions in the virtual learning environment.Conclusion: In general, the results of this research indicated that the creation and increase of educational interactions in electronic education could improve the quality of education. Therefore, it is recommended that designers, faculty members, planners, managers and in general curators use the model proposed in the current research IN E-learning courses.
Technology-based learning environments
R. Pirouzmand; M. Rostaminezhad; N. Mohammadhasani; M. Ayati
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Recent advances in computer technology, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality technology have enabled instructional designers to create on-screen pedagogical agents in multimedia learning environments. But what is needed is research on how to make pedagogical agents ...
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Background and Objectives: Recent advances in computer technology, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality technology have enabled instructional designers to create on-screen pedagogical agents in multimedia learning environments. But what is needed is research on how to make pedagogical agents more effective in improving learning at the highest possible level for learners. Therefore, what is currently important in the field of research on animated pedagogical agents is increasing the efficiency of pedagogical agents by using supporting strategies. The important point in the priority of choosing among the types of supporting strategies is to pay attention to the individual differences of learners, which determines the necessity of using different types of strategies. Among the individual differences that can affect the learning and processing of learners and need to be considered by designers in educational design is the difference in the cognitive style of learners considering the importance of individual differences in the design of educational content; also, considering the importance of visual attention in the process of receiving and processing educational content, the present research was conducted with the aim of investigating the effect of visual signaling by the animated pedagogical agent on the attention of students with field-dependent cognitive style in a multimedia learning environment.Methods: The current study was applied research and a single-subject quasi-experimental design, and A-B-A design with follow-up was used in it. First, grouped embedded figure test (GEFT) was conducted and three students with field-dependent cognitive style who had the conditions to participate in the experiment were selected. Then, in the baseline stage, the participants were exposed to English grammar training during 8 sessions using multimedia with animated pedagogical agent, and the eye tracking data of the participants were collected at the same time. Afterwards, the participants were exposed to English grammar training for 8 sessions in the test stage using multimedia with animated pedagogical agent along with visual signaling and the desired data were collected according to the previous phase. The stage of returning to the baseline was also done for 8 sessions, like the baseline stage. Descriptive and inferential statistical methods were used for data analysis using SPSS software and visual chart analysis.Findings: The findings of the research showed that, with the addition of visual signaling to the animated pedagogical agent, the attention of the learner with field-dependent cognitive style increased to the educational content (F=42.09, p=0.001). Also, the examination of the visual diagrams in the present study showed, the back and forth of the learners' attention between the content and the pedagogical agent in the intervention situation was effective and targeted.Conclusion: Considering the positive effect of accompanying visual signaling with animated pedagogical agent on the attention of learners with a field-dependent cognitive style, the design of educational multimedia together with animated pedagogical agent with visual signaling can be used as useful educational content for learners with this cognitive style. Also, considering the positive effect of simultaneous visual signaling with verbal and non-verbal cues of the pedagogical agent, on the targeting of the selection process, in learners with cognitive style dependent on the field, it is recommended to use the sum of verbal and non-verbal cues of the pedagogical agent in the design and compilation of multimedia educational contents.
Technology-based learning environments
L. Palashi; M. Haddad Narafshan; L. Anjomshoa
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Due to the changes in education, online learning has become the predominant mode of instruction. There may be a gap between what students learn in school and what they need to survive in the real world. This is due to the constant change in the world and educational system. This puts ...
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Background and Objectives: Due to the changes in education, online learning has become the predominant mode of instruction. There may be a gap between what students learn in school and what they need to survive in the real world. This is due to the constant change in the world and educational system. This puts schools under a lot of pressure to develop their educational instruction processes in an innovative manner that helps students to acquire and develop the needed life skills. These skills can help individuals in leading a meaningful life. One of these strategies is project-based learning. As the name implies, project-based learning involves students refining and honing their language skills by completing projects in and out of the classroom. To accomplish this, teachers must cultivate a culture of creativity and engagement in the classroom. By sharing their work and reflecting on their processes, students can improve their work. This style of teaching moves away from teacher-centered methods, where students sit passively in a classroom and are rarely given opportunities to express themselves or practice their language skills. The act of inquiry is what engages students in project-based learning. This instructional approach is designed to give students the opportunity to develop knowledge and skills through engaging projects and set around challenges and problems they may face in the real world. The purpose of this study was to compare the impact of technology-integrated and traditional project-based instruction on vocabulary development and social identity of English language learners.Methods: In the current quasi-experimental quantitative study, two intact classes were assigned to traditional and technology-integrated project-based learning. The independent variable in this study was technology integration, and the dependent variables were learners' social identity and vocabulary development. Over 6 months, two groups of 30 learners (15 students in each group) were exposed to two forms of project-based instruction: traditional and technology-integrated. The instruction in both groups was based on doing projects. In the technology-integrated group, the projects were done using technology potentials, and in the traditional group, the projects were done using classroom potentials. Pre-tests and post-tests were used to measure learners’ improvements in vocabulary development and social identity level.Findings: The results revealed that the learners involved in technology-integrated instruction proved superior compared to the traditional learning group in their English vocabulary and social identity. It showed that projects done in technology-integrated environments surpassed the projects done in traditional learning contexts. The findings suggested that technology-integrated projects were more effective than traditional ones, possibly due to the enticing features of technology that enhance learners' motivation and interest.Conclusion: PBL has been regarded as influential in the development of vocabulary development and social identity of students but integrating projects with the power of technology provides opportunities for more effective vocabulary development and identity construction. Implementing technology in projects in the current study is beneficial to the realm of school health and adds to a growing body of work exploring how technology-integrated projects impact school students’ academic achievements and identity construction. Inspired by the advantageous effects of technology interventions on learners and the paramount significance of becoming emotionally engaged and accountable during the process of learning, we hope the current study contributes to the realization of technology-engaging school pedagogical agents.
Technology-based learning environments
Z. Karami
Abstract
Background and Objectives: In order to solve the problem of education in complex and unstructured domains, Spiro and his colleagues proposed the theory of cognitive flexibility, in which they advocated multiple forms of pedagogical models, analogies, multiple representations, and multiple information ...
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Background and Objectives: In order to solve the problem of education in complex and unstructured domains, Spiro and his colleagues proposed the theory of cognitive flexibility, in which they advocated multiple forms of pedagogical models, analogies, multiple representations, and multiple information displays. Cognitive flexibility is the ability of humans to adapt to cognitive process strategies in order to cope with new and unexpected conditions in the environment, and can help learners gain a deep understanding of complex concepts. In cognitive flexibility, the transfer of information from one situation to another allows the learners to apply the constructed knowledge to solve current problems. Electronic and virtual learning environments have capabilities that can better enhance learners' cognitive flexibility. Multiplicity in content, activities, interaction, and active participation are among the criteria for cognitive flexibility that can be accessed through electronic and virtual learning environments. Therefore, the aim of this study was to provide a framework for designing electronic and virtual learning environments based on the principles and criteria of cognitive flexibility.Methods: This study was qualitative research that was conducted in a Meta-Synthesis method. To collect data, keywords such as cognitive flexibility theory, electronic and virtual learning environments, cognitive flexibility, principles and criteria of cognitive flexibility, etc. were selected and articles, theses, and related texts were searched in reliable databases, from 1992 to 2020. Finally, 30 related sources were found. Among these sources, 25 of the most relevant texts related to the research questions were selected. After the detailed study of the texts, according to the research questions, the necessary information was extracted. Findings: The results of the findings in response to the first question of the research were to present the principles and criteria of the theory of cognitive flexibility, and in response to the second question of the research, based on the principles and criteria of the theory of cognitive flexibility, the necessary framework for the design of electronic and virtual learning environments was presented. In this framework, two parts of different forms of learning and different views about learning were proposed and in each part, content dimensions, pedagogical tools, human interactions, and evaluation and criteria related to each dimension were introduced. According to the criteria raised in the dimension of different forms of learning, it can be said that to increase the cognitive flexibility of learners in electronic learning environments, variety of content, variety of methods and activities, variety of interactions and variety of assessment tools were of particular importance. Also, according to the criteria raised in the dimension of different perspectives of learning, we can also conclude that to increase cognitive flexibility in electronic learning environments, the variety of examples, exercises, and examples, the variety of mutual relationships between the concepts, diversity in people's points of view, review, analysis and combination of diverse points of view, diversifying the points of view on the discussed topic were important. The diversity of methods and solutions in the process of problem-solving were highly important. These environments should be prepared in such a way that they could provide the context for the learner's involvement and activity so that the learner could have an active involvement in the learning process and build knowledge that would meet the needs of different situations and could be used to solve real problems.Conclusion: Based on the results of the study, the principles and criteria of cognitive flexibility were extracted and based on those principles and criteria, the necessary framework for designing electronic and virtual learning environments was presented, which can be a guide for planners, designers of electronic and virtual learning environments, teachers, and other educators to strengthen the cognitive flexibility of learners through the design of suitable electronic and virtual learning environments.
Technology-based learning environments
V. Bakhshi khilgavani; K. Aliabadi; M.. R. Nili Ahmadabadi; S. Borzoeian; A. Delavar
Abstract
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 ...
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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.
Technology-based learning environments
S. Sahebalzamani; A. Naeimi; M. Haddad Narafshan
Abstract
Background and Objectives: As the result of a rapidly evolving, technology-saturated world, individual development has become increasingly noteworthy. This development makes education systems accountable to incorporate 21st-century skills, especially critical thinking skill into their experiential learning ...
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Background and Objectives: As the result of a rapidly evolving, technology-saturated world, individual development has become increasingly noteworthy. This development makes education systems accountable to incorporate 21st-century skills, especially critical thinking skill into their experiential learning curricula. There may be a divergence between what students learn in school and what they experience to get through the real world and to handle the real-life participations conforming to the unpredictable changes in the world and educational systems. This pressurizes educational sectors to improve and expand their educational instruction processes in an innovative and creative design which helps students to acquire experiences and develop the required life skills. To prepare students to be sufficiently constructive in their personal and social life, education should change its focus from merely content and academic development to individual and non-academic development according to different methods and diverse theories. One of these theories is experiential learning. As the name implies, learning by doing involves students acting and honing their language skills in and out of the classroom. To manage this, teachers must cultivate a culture of creativity, problem-solving and engagement in the classroom by the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from or generated by observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication as a guide to belief and action. The purpose of this study was to find out the impact of technology-integrated experiential leaning on reading comprehension and critical thinking of English language learners (aged 10) in one of the primary schools in Kerman.Methods: This study was quasi-experimental in terms of research method, using pre-test and post-test design with experimental and control groups who were chosen randomly. The independent variable in this study was technology-integrated experiential learning, and the dependent variables were learners' critical thinking and reading comprehension. Over four months, two groups of 60 learners (30 students in each group) were exposed to experiential learning in two forms of technology-mediated and traditional classrooms. The instruction in both groups was based on experiential learning theory by Kolb (1984). In the experimental group, the activities were done using technology potentials, and in the control group, the activities were done using classroom potentials. Pre-tests and post-tests were used to measure learners’ improvements in reading comprehension and Naieni’s (2005) questionnaire was acquired to assess learner’s level of critical thinking. Findings: The results of the Shapiro-Wilk test showed that the equality of variances was established, and the normality of the data distribution was confirmed. According to the findings obtained from the homogeneity of variances test, the assumption of homogeneity of variances was also confirmed. The results of covariance analysis showed that there was a significant difference between the post-test scores of reading comprehension in the technology-integrated experimental group and the traditional control group. Therefore, experiential learning based on technology had a significant effect on improving students' reading comprehension (P < 0.01). Because the square of partial Eta, which is equal to (partial ɳ2= 0.81), expressed the tremendous effect of experience on the basis of technology. In addition, there was a significant difference between the average scores of the technology-integrated group and the traditional control group in connection with the post-test of critical thinking. Although both groups improved in the level of critical thinking, but combining experiential learning with technology had a more significant effect on improving critical thinking. Learners in the experimental group (P < 0.01) with the partial square root equal to (partial ɳ2= 0.90) indicated a significant effect.Conclusion: The present research showed that learning by experience through the integration of technology is extremely significant for language learning. Additionally, it highlights the possibility of research and its effectiveness not only for school achievement but also for developing personal skills and critical thinking in primary school students. Even though experiential learning is effective in improving students' comprehension and critical thinking, combining classes with technology through learning management systems is a more effective way to increase students' understanding and critical thinking. It is hoped that the present research play a significant role in helping identify effective educational factors based on experience.
Technology-based learning environments
M. Maneshi; S. A. Tahaei; Sh. Mirshahzadeh
Abstract
Background and Objectives: There is a large gap between education in architecture schools in Iran and modern educational methods in advanced industrial countries. Iran educational methods are still the same as in the past, which unfortunately have not kept pace with the changes of the new era, and this ...
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Background and Objectives: There is a large gap between education in architecture schools in Iran and modern educational methods in advanced industrial countries. Iran educational methods are still the same as in the past, which unfortunately have not kept pace with the changes of the new era, and this can be one of the reasons for the ineffectiveness of architectural education in Iran. The architecture schools need to be changed due to the changes in the educational system and the increasing needs of students to communication and modern technologies. In other words, the pervasiveness of new technologies has affected the educational system and the educational environment must continuously adapt to the improvements and developments of today's world. The most important goal of the educational system is to educate capable and competent individuals and produce extensive knowledge to meet the changing needs of the modern world for life and a growing society. In fact, the educational system must constantly strive to respond to the educational innovations and evolutions and prepare students for a rapidly changing world. The need for change, modernizing and updating the educational spaces is important in parallel with the new educational flow in architecture and urban planning faculties. This research comparatively examined the curriculum, spaces and new educational technologies in the architecture education system in selected universities of the world. The purpose of the research was to identify solutions for reforming the university architecture education system in Iran.Methods: The present study was descriptive, analytical and applied. Content analysis was based on an inductive approach. The research sample was purposefully selected from among the leading architectural schools in the world, which were selected by valid evaluations. The research method was comparative with qualitative approach and based on the stages of George Bereday's comparative Method in education: Description, Interpretation, Juxtaposition and Comparison. The data and documents were collected from library studies, books and articles, web-based information that were categorized and analyzed in tables and charts format and the common qualitative characteristics of the top schools of architecture in the world were determined.Findings: Analyses performed on the samples showed that the use of new educational technologies would play a central role in the curriculum of the educational system and was effective in improving the level of education and learning of students. Also, some of the innovations of this field were recognized in the top universities of the world. Among the most important of these innovations were frequent revisions of the curriculum, working in workshop environments with advanced equipment, holding educational trips, preparing students for the job market, holding lectures and exhibitions with the presence of contemporary architects, working in work environments with real employers and prominent architectural offices.Conclusion: A comparison of the strategies of MIT, Harvard, Rice, Sci-Arc and Cooper Union universities showed that MIT and Harvard offer the most flexible curriculum among the universities, while using a suitable educational environment with advanced and up-to-date architectural equipment and facilities. Rice University increases the creativity of students with the possibility of apprenticeship in the offices of prominent architects and holding classes and courses about current and future architectural issues and challenges. With the approach of creating flexibility and dynamism in the teaching method, Sci-Arc School emphasizes the innovative innovations and creative solutions in architectural design, holding lectures and exhibitions with the presence of world-renowned professors and architects, and emphasizing the interaction between professors and students. Cooper Union School, in addition to providing a suitable educational environment, focuses on the sociability of gathering spaces and increasing social interactions between the general public, students and professors. As a result, the university architecture curriculum must be in line with new developments in the education process. Technology and its advanced tools and critical thinking are considered as essential and vital factors for success in architecture education. It is necessary to take a step towards improving the quality of architecture education by using technologies and making all necessary changes to revise and reorganize the educational system.
Technology-based learning environments
M. Hosseini; S.B. Hosseini; F. Mozaffar
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Reflective learning has been studied in various studies. Reflecting while learning architecture alongside practice helps the student to evaluate and refine the design idea, and this round-trip process is mostly repeated. The application of reflective learning in the field of ...
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Background and Objectives: Reflective learning has been studied in various studies. Reflecting while learning architecture alongside practice helps the student to evaluate and refine the design idea, and this round-trip process is mostly repeated. The application of reflective learning in the field of architecture while practicing needs to be examined to understand to which extent teachers are committed to this teaching method in studios. The investigation and recognition of assessment features along with reflection in architectural studios was the subject of this research.Methods: In order to know the status of assessment in architecture schools, the behavior of teachers in this field and their preferences during assessment were studied through a semi-open questionnaire and the importance of reflective assessment indicators including rational assessment with micro-score was examined. In this study, the presence of students and round trip evaluation based on the design process were also asked from a sample of fifteen participants from the teaching community. For each question, Likert scale answers from 1 (very low) to 5 (very high) were collected and analyzed. Then, their preferences about choosing between twenty-three indicators in assessing each work were examined.Findings: The study of reflective assessment indicators in the sample population of this study showed that 66% of teachers were committed to reflective assessment in practice and the others did not use it. The results showed that reflective assessment in architecture was equally applicable in all types of universities in the country. The study of the effect of gender factor revealed that females’ assessment was more committed to reflective assessment criteria than that of men. Examination of the age factor in refereeing demonstrated that older referees distanced themselves from microscopic and reciprocal refereeing and showed more tendency to single-stage and intuitive refereeing. The use of reflective assessment showed that for jurors who adhered to the reflective assessment, "efficiency and performance of the plan" were more important than anything else, and “innovation” was placed next, while other jurors called it "innovation". "Design aesthetics", "graphic presentation" and "form quality and composition in architectural design" were more important.Conclusion: Assessment with reflection has been introduced as a new method in current research. By presenting a logical, step-by-step, interactive and back-and-forth form of teaching, this method has changed the assessing process from the end of the semester to the entire semester and made it as a tool for learning. The effect of this method, whose indicators were approved by the experts in this research, showed that changing the teaching method can improve learning the basic concepts among architecture students. The efficiency of this method is when the teachers change the current education process in a purposeful way which prioritizes the efficiency and performance of students' plans. This assessment method has changed from intuitive, single-step, product-oriented and independent of interaction with students towards the indicators presented in this research. The findings of the research show that this goal has been achieved in more than half of the architecture studios, but considering its positive results in improving students' learning and there is a need for more detailed planning and coherent management for this purpose.
Technology-based learning environments
F. Khalvandi; SR. Emadi; MA. Omrani
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Managing the e-learning environment means emphasizing on the design and implementation of those strategies that, on one hand, help to fulfill the mission and goals of the education system, and on the other hand, lead to effective learning. This term refers to a new set of knowledge ...
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Background and Objectives: Managing the e-learning environment means emphasizing on the design and implementation of those strategies that, on one hand, help to fulfill the mission and goals of the education system, and on the other hand, lead to effective learning. This term refers to a new set of knowledge and skills in the field of optimal use of the electronic learning environment advantages and capabilities with a futuristic approach. It aims to prepare the mentality and skill power of learners for the changes and developments that occur as the result of the entry of information and communication technology into the field of education. Since the design and creation of practical and useful models for managing electronic learning environment in education system can play an important role in the realization of educational goals, the current research was conducted with the aim of designing a conceptual model for managing electronic learning environment in schools.Methods: This study was practical by purpose and conducted with a mixed-method approach by means of sequential exploratory design. In a way that by using the qualitative method, firstly the pattern or the research conceptual framework was obtained, and then the desired model was validated by quantitative method. In the qualitative part, the statistical population included university professors of Tehran in the field of educational technology and educational administration. Based on targeted snowball method of sampling and theoretical saturation, 17 people were selected. The data collection tool in the quantitative phase was a semi-structured interview. Participating experts assessed the face and content validity of the quantitative tool and its reliability was calculated by the Holsti’s coefficient as 0.92. In the quantitative part, by census method of sampling, all 114 outstanding teachers, experts and educational technologists of Shahindej Department of Education were selected and finally 103 completed the questionnaires. A researcher-made questionnaire with a 5-point Likert scale was developed including 56 items based on the indicators identified in the qualitative stage. To measure the validity of the questionnaire, in addition to the face and content validity done by experts, the Average Variance Extracted Index (AVE) was used which its value calculated as to be above 0.6. The reliability of the instrument was measured by the two criteria of Cronbach's alpha and composite reliability, which in both criteria, the values were higher than 0.8. Findings: In the qualitative phase, by using the thematic analysis and open, axial and selective coding method of Strauss and Corbin, 4 dimensions, 15 components and 56 indicators were identified and then primary conceptual model of electronic learning environment management was proposed. The four dimensions of model along with their components were “Teaching-learning process" with the components of active learning, teacher's role, learning styles, learning motivation, evaluation methods, "Teaching content" with the components of content suitability, content production, content quality, content presentation, "Curriculum design" with the components of constructivist approach, problem-oriented learning, socialization of learners and "Levels of interactions" with the components of teacher-learner, learner-learner, teacher-parents. Validating the proposed model by using the structural equation modeling method with the help of software (Smart PLS) showed that the proposed model had the required validity.Conclusion: Based on the findings, it can be stated that the management of the electronic learning environment is a holistic approach aiming to identify and design strategies that create active learning among the learners. Creating an integrated and effective management system in the e-learning environment can help to make the e-learning system more efficient and makes its activities transparent. The use of appropriate mechanisms in the management of the electronic learning environment, by specifying the current and desirable state of the electronic education system, helps to reveal the opportunities and challenges that this system faces and to provide a basis for the correction and improvement of the existing trends and the promotion and excellence of the future states of the electronic education system.
Technology-based learning environments
M. Arghiani; M. Saffar; M. Mahvash
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Today, learning various sciences has become one of the basic needs of humans, and there are many obstacles that reduce the speed of learning; among these obstacles, we can mention stress. Stress is a kind of response to emotional or physical changes created in the environment ...
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Background and Objectives: Today, learning various sciences has become one of the basic needs of humans, and there are many obstacles that reduce the speed of learning; among these obstacles, we can mention stress. Stress is a kind of response to emotional or physical changes created in the environment and living conditions of students, which can appear in different ways according to their age, life situation, and personality. If the learning space is designed properly, it can eliminate a lot of stress in students. Reducing stress in students can lead to discovering their hidden talents, increasing self-confidence and making the most of their potential, which will increase learning. Also, various studies have been conducted in western and other countries about the effect of architecture on reducing the stress of users, a limited number of which have been conducted on the effect of the architecture of the educational space on reducing stress with different research methods and approaches, each of which has research problems and flaws in two areas. They are thematic and methodological knowledge. The research showed that various studies have been conducted in the three fields of environmental psychology, psychology and architecture of educational spaces, but no sufficient and accurate studies were found about the interrelationship of these three topics. With quantitative and qualitative approaches, this research aims to deal with the subject in the two scientific fields of psychology (stress, stress theories) and architecture (psychology of the environment of educational spaces, architecture of educational spaces, health and architecture, etc.). The purpose of the present research is to identify the physical factors that are effective in reducing the stress of students in the educational spaces of the school, which is a factor for the scientific progress and improvement of the country and is associated with increasing the productivity of schools. This research aims to evaluate the effect of physical and non-physical dimensions of stress reduction on stress reduction in combined research (description of the survey type and logical reasoning).Methods: With the help of the Delphi method, the experts in the field of architecture were asked to categorize the practical physical factors of stress reduction. Then, the test analysis was done with the help of hierarchical analysis (AHP).Findings: After the complete hierarchical analysis, at first, the main criteria were ranked according to the goal, and then the sub-criteria were ranked in details, and the percentage of importance of each was determined. Among the main criteria, the combination of nature and environment gained the most weight, with a weight of 0.534, so it was the most important among the main criteria. The criteria for modeling nature and the spatial characteristics of the environment were also in the following ranks. A pairwise comparison of the sub-criteria of the integration of nature and the environment and their order of importance was discussed, and it could be seen that the sub-criteria of light with a weight of 0.541 took the first place, and the sub-criteria of plants and natural landscapes and ecosystems were in the following ranks.Conclusion: In designing a conservatory with the approach of reducing stress through biophilic architecture, light is the most critical design factor, and then the plants inside and outside the environment, natural landscapes, and ecosystems should be observed in the design.
Technology-based learning environments
F. Tari; M. Javadipour; R. Hakimzadeh; M. Dehghani
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Following the outbreak of covid19, e-learning has provided a unique opportunity to face the limitations of face-to-face education and achieve the ideal of education for all. Since teachers are considered as the most important influential factor in the teaching-learning process, ...
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Background and Objectives: Following the outbreak of covid19, e-learning has provided a unique opportunity to face the limitations of face-to-face education and achieve the ideal of education for all. Since teachers are considered as the most important influential factor in the teaching-learning process, the analysis of their successful and unsuccessful educational experiences can give us a deeper understanding of the current situation and provide solutions to achieve the desired situation and strengthen it. Given the vast amount of research conducted on the challenges and problems of teachers in the electronic context, the present study aims to focus specifically on the strengths of teachers' teaching experiences in the new learning environment. Therefore, the purpose of this study is identifying and modeling the importance of successful educational experiences of elementary school teachers in the e-learning environment.Methods: This is a qualitative and phenomenological study. Participants in this study include all elementary school teachers who had the experience of teaching in electronic context (Shad Program) in the academic year 2020-2021. Eighteen teachers among them were selected through purposive sampling and semi-structured interviews were used to collect information until the researcher could achieve theoretical saturation. The findings were analyzed, using Colaizzi's seven-step strategy. In-depth analysis of the interviews resulted in the identification of 7 main categories and 25 related sub-categories. In the next step, the identified key categories entered into the Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) software. In this section, first the structure of the communications between the categories was drawn in the form of an interactive network and then the importance of each of them was determined.Findings: The research findings showed that successful educational experiences of elementary school teachers in the e-learning environment in the order of their importance include the development of technological competencies (61 points), progress and modernization of curriculum elements (60 points), paying attention to emotional-psychological needs (53 points), promotion of social skills (51 points), development of scientific education (28 points), paying attention to aspects of biological and physical education (21 points) and strengthening aesthetic capacities (17 points).Conclusion: The results of the present study can be considered as a continuum in which, on the one hand, the development of technological competencies is of the highest importance and, on the other hand, the strengthening of aesthetic capacities is of the least importance. Based on the results obtained, a major overhaul of pre-service and in-service teacher training methods is needed to keep pace with the developments in technology-rich environments. In order to improve the quality of the teaching and learning process in the electronic context, teachers should also pay attention to the specific requirements of this new educational environment and its developmental capacities, and instead of using traditional teaching methods, prioritize their focus on educating students in all areas, encouraging group collaboration and participation in the virtual classroom, fostering students' curiosity and flourishing their individual creativity, strengthening students’ motivation students and paying attention to students’ individual abilities, interests, talents and personal differences of students in the new ecosystem so that they teachers could hope for an effective and active presence of students in their virtual classes.
Technology-based learning environments
M. Moatari; E. pazouki; R. Ebrahimpour; M.R. Rezaee
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Today, e-learning is considered as a transformational technology and an important tool in the process of education and educational activities. On the other hand, the need to learn English as the first language in the world in order to exchange information and communicate with ...
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Background and Objectives: Today, e-learning is considered as a transformational technology and an important tool in the process of education and educational activities. On the other hand, the need to learn English as the first language in the world in order to exchange information and communicate with other nations in order to use up-to-date knowledge is undeniable, so the use of information technology to produce and provide educational services to improve English language teaching and learning is effective. Identifying the effective factors in achieving learning is one of the important and researched cases. Since the factors affecting learning are very wide and extensive, it is important to identify these factors in solving the problems and shortcomings of the educational system. One of these factors is cognitive style. People use different learning styles according to their individual differences. Cognitive style can be defined as the way people process new information and experiences in their minds; therefore, it is necessary to create a personalized environment based on the cognitive style of individuals in order to better adapt the educational strategy to the needs and abilities of the user and increase the efficiency of the learning process. In this research, Riding’s cognitive style, which divides people into two dimensions, verbal-imagery and wholistic-analytic, is used as an effective factor in learning. This study aims to predict the cognitive style of riding, based on the mouse movement of users in a language teaching software. In this regard, the language training software was designed and implemented, in which all the user's mouse movements are recorded on a millisecond scale when reading the English text and using the media designed in the software. Next, by using machine learning methods and interactive data stored from users while working with the software, an intelligent model was presented that categorizes people in two dimensions based on Riding’s cognitive style. This research is practical in terms of purpose.Methods: In this study, Peterson’s cognitive style test is used to extract learners' cognitive style with the aim of constructing labeled data. Also, individuals’ mouse data is recorded when interacting with software, and artificial intelligence-based machine learning algorithms and models are used to build intelligent models for classifying and predicting individuals' cognitive styles. The process of training and building smart models is done through labeled data. Finally, the models used are evaluated by comparing the results of the cognitive style test and the outputs of the intelligent models. In the exams, male and female students aged between 22 and 35, with bachelor's and master's degrees familiar with English participated.Findings: Users stored interactive data was used as the input to the five classifiers of the decision tree, neural network, nearest neighbor, support vector machine, and random forest. Patterson test results were also used as labels for these models; thus, individuals were categorized into two dimensions based on Riding’s cognitive style. The best classification was related to the decision tree with 90% accuracy in the verbal-imagery dimension and 87% accuracy in the wholist-analytic dimension of the results of this research.Conclusion: According to the findings of this study, the designed language teaching system can intelligently extract the cognitive style of people when reading the English passage with appropriate accuracy. Therefore, in the future, the ability to provide personalized content in accordance with the cognitive style of people can be added to the designed software.
Technology-based learning environments
S.R. Emadi; A. Mokhtarisami
Abstract
Background and Objectives: The present age is called the age of communication and the most prominent symbol of that is the media. Today, educators, especially teachers, strive to use a variety of media to improve teaching and learning so that they can provide students with most information in an effective ...
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Background and Objectives: The present age is called the age of communication and the most prominent symbol of that is the media. Today, educators, especially teachers, strive to use a variety of media to improve teaching and learning so that they can provide students with most information in an effective way in the shortest possible time. In many domestic and foreign studies, infographics have been introduced as one of the most effective media in the field of education and researchers in many studies have found that infographics can improve academic performance in normal students and facilitate learning in students with disabilities. In this study, we try to examine the effect of using an infographic in the learning environment based on the Glasersfeld model on the level of motivation, learning, and retention in the fifth grade of the social studies course. This research is practical in terms of purpose.Methods: This study was quasi-experimental in terms of research method, using pre-test and post-test design with separate experimental and control groups. The sample was comprised of 30 fifth-grade students randomly divided into two groups of 15, i.e., the control group and the experimental group. Researcher-made tests as that were used as the main methodological instruments administered for eliciting data in this study were validated by the comments of the experts in this field, the educational technology professors, and the thesis supervisor. Moreover, the Cronbach alpha and scholars’ assessment methods were employed to measure the reliability of multiple choice tests and open-ended question types, respectively. In addition, to analyze the data collected in the study, both descriptive statistics (that is, mean, standard deviation, skewness, and kurtosis) and inferential statistics (that is, Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, T test, Analysis of Covariance( were used by applying the SPSS software.Findings: The results of this study revealed that the amount of learning and retention of the students who were trained with the help of an infographic in the learning environment based on the Glasersfeld model was statistically significant as compared to that of those students who have not used infographics in the social studies course (p<0.05). But with respect to motivation, since P = 0.87 and F = 0.02, no significant difference was observed between the two groups and the hypothesis was not confirmed (P> 0.05).Conclusion: An effective education is one that can attract the attention of students and keep them involved and active in the learning process. Infographics are tools that provide information in the forms of both text and image, enabling learners to use their full capacity for cognition which actually leads to more and better teaching-learning. An infographic is the visualization of information or ideas that convey complex information to the audience in a way that is too fast and easily comprehensible and, therefore, easily retrievable. Since infographics simplify difficult materials, they are very helpful in learning and memorizing complex and difficult lessons. In the teaching method with infographics in a learning environment based on the Glasersfeld model, conditions are provided for the learners to be involved in education and actively build knowledge and be able to visualize complex and difficult content in a simple, concise, and structured way in their minds.
Technology-based learning environments
S. Khazai; M. Arefi
Abstract
Background and Objectives: With the advent of e-learning, the educational perspective has changed. Following these changes and the separation of learners by the e-learning courses, a sense of isolation and alienation has been created which has even become a threat to learning in these courses. ...
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Background and Objectives: With the advent of e-learning, the educational perspective has changed. Following these changes and the separation of learners by the e-learning courses, a sense of isolation and alienation has been created which has even become a threat to learning in these courses. The dropout rate from e-learning courses is about 40% compared to that of 10% in university courses; In other words, more than 50% of learners drop out of online training centers. Challenges related to erosion and dropout have made student retention a determining factor in academic rankings, and this ranking ultimately supports credibility, academic rank, and the most important criteria for success for higher education institutions; therefore, the sense of presence was considered as an important factor because with the proper implementation of the sense of presence in the e-learning environment, not only the dropout rate was reduced but also it led to better learning of the learners. Therefore, the present study focused on translating and validating the Presence Questionnaire version 3 (PQ3) so that for the first time in Iran, by examining the factor structure, validity and reliability of the Presence Questionnaire tool, it can be used in various contexts of virtual learning environments.Methods: The statistical population of this descriptive study included all students participating in virtual learning courses of Tehran universities in the academic year of 1399_1400 (2020-2021). Among these students, 330 Master’s and PhD students were chosen through simple random sampling method. They responded using Witmer and Singer Presence Questionaire [26 but only 200 questionaires were analyzable.Findings: Based on the results of exploratory factor analysis by principal component method, four main factors (that is, involvement, sensory support, interface quality, and adaptation/immersion) were extracted and selected according to the number of eigenvalues above 1. These four factors, with the power of 89.7 percent, explained the change in the total presence in virtual learning environments. The results of Cronbach's alpha test which was used to evaluate the reliability of the test showed that the whole tool enjoys a desirable consistency (0.98). The results of Cronbach's alpha for subscales ranged from 94.0 to 97.0. The results of confirmatory factor analysis to evaluate the construct validity showed that the questionaire structure had an acceptable fit with the data and all goodness indicators confirmed the suitability of the model.Conclusion: Based on the results of the second order confirmatory factor analysis, the factors of involvement, sensory support, adaptation/immersion, and interface quality explained 69, 65, 89, and 71 percent of the variance of presence in virtual learning environments, respectively. Thus, the obtained results indicate the validity, reliability, and acceptability of the structural factors of the translated version of the presence questionaire to be used in researches related to virtual environment among Iranian learners.
Technology-based learning environments
M. Samadpour Shahrak; M. Tahbaz
Abstract
Background and Objectives:Research shows that the presence of students in nature and outdoors reduces stress, increases vitality and mobility, increases concentration, etc. Therefore, children should not be deprived of the blessing of being in this environment. Today, due to the increase in construction ...
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Background and Objectives:Research shows that the presence of students in nature and outdoors reduces stress, increases vitality and mobility, increases concentration, etc. Therefore, children should not be deprived of the blessing of being in this environment. Today, due to the increase in construction in Iran and the development of the culture of apartment living in courtyards, it is smaller and in most cases unusable, and has given way to a terrace in each apartment unit. This has limited the child's contact with nature and natural environments, and since children often spend most of their time in school after home, the school yard can provide a good place for them to spend time in nature. Spending time in the school yard, whether it is a waste of recreational or educational opportunities, can partially compensate for the lack of connection between children and the outdoors. School yard is a part of the physical space which can have a significant impact on raising the level of learning, growth and education of students. Neglecting these spaces in recent decades represents the necessity of attention to this issue. Therefore, the present study seeks to emphasize the importance of open spaces in schools in order to improve the current conditions of schools according to the needs of students as the main beneficiaries. Method and Materials: In order to meet these goals, descriptive-analytical method based on library studies and field studies was used. Eight elementary girls’ schools were randomly selected and studied in Tabriz city. In this paper, it has been tried to use collaborative methods such as drawing, writing, and interviewing students about their expectations of the school's yard. A total of 280students were interviewed and their paintings were examined. The data were coded in MAXQDA11 software and finally, to assess the students’ satisfaction the paired t-test and Wilcoxon test were run using SPSS software. Findings: The results indicate that there is a significant difference between the state of the school yard and its ideal state. Finally, some suggestions are provided to improve the quality of the school yards.The findings of the study could be used in designing elementary schools such as: increasing the connection between outdoors and indoors, division of functions, using of the flexible materials with pretty colors on the floor and walls, and using of the flexible furniture. Conclusion: According to the research and research findings, it can be concluded that the environment of children can act as a deterrent or facilitator in their learning, growth and development. The rate of learning and development of the child increases when they connects with the environment, the open space and nature. Therefore, by creating a suitable environment and in accordance with their opinion, the desire of children to be present in the environment should be increased. A key factor in designing is the ability of children to create their own learning environments, rather than being in an environment where everything is pre-determined. In response to the first question of the research, we can mention the increase of sports equipment and attention to quality and observance of scale by 97% and the increase of greenery by 96%, which have the largest share among students' demands. In response to other research questions, it should be said that there is a difference between their demands from the school yard and the current situation, and with the solutions proposed in this research, their demands can be approached to achieve ideal conditions.
Technology-based learning environments
F. Imani; Kh. Movahed
Abstract
Background and Objectives: One of the effective educational factors in the new education is the architecture of the educational spaces. In the new education, the physical space of the school is not only a strict and soulless environment in the learning process, but also plays a role as a living and dynamic ...
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Background and Objectives: One of the effective educational factors in the new education is the architecture of the educational spaces. In the new education, the physical space of the school is not only a strict and soulless environment in the learning process, but also plays a role as a living and dynamic factor in the quality of students' educational activities. In learning environments, paying attention to design features is not only in order to improve the quality of the environment but also as a tool to increase the impact of the environment on behavioral characteristics. In some recent research, the physical environment is referred to as the "hidden subject in the curriculum." In this interpretation, the meaning of "hidden subject" is anything that, in addition to the common curriculum, by emotionally organizing the educational space, affects the adolescent emotionally and psychologically. This is "hidden" because it does not necessarily have objective and tangible effects or is often overlooked by everyone. Life stresses play a crucial role in mental and physical health and are especially associated with various psychological and social harms. Identifying student stress is the basic basis for designing and developing various preventive programs. In the meantime, school is a special place as a place where teenagers spend a lot of time and should play a role in reducing students' stress with proper design. Stress is a special relationship between a person and the environment in which the person evaluates the environment beyond his or her resources or threatens his or her health. Various factors play a role in stress. One of these factors is environmental factors. The current study has been done with the aim of investigating the effect of natural daylight on students’ stress reduction in the classroom. Methods: This research is a correlational study and in terms of purpose is an applied research. The research method is survey and the data collection instrument includes the standard questionnaire for measuring stress, anxiety, and depression (DASS-21). The reliability of the questionnaire was approved with the Cronbach’s alpha of 0.897. The questionnaires were analyzed by SPSS software version 22. Findings: Hypothesis testing was done by t-statistic, Pearson correlation coefficient, and regression. The Levin test was also used to verify the research hypotheses. The results of this study indicate that there is a relationship between daylight and stress, anxiety, and depression with correlation coefficients of 0.634, 0.742, and 0.698 have been found respectively (p < 0.01) Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that in environments with unfavorable light, the rate of depression, anxiety and stress is higher than in environments with favorable light. In general, it can be said that due to the effect of daylight in reducing stress, anxiety and depression of students and their better performance, the importance of paying attention to the effects that school design has on building users becomes more clear. Architects have a major role in designing educational spaces and with proper design and tailored to the physical and mental needs of students can improve the level of education in society. In order to properly use daylight in educational spaces, the following should be considered: height of windows (with increasing window height, depth and amount of daylight increases), type of canopy (indoor, outdoor canopy or direct beam control) and the properties of glass are effective factors in the amount of daylight that must be designed correctly. Also, in addition to the right amount of light and natural light, direct sunlight should be controlled so as not to dazzle the eyes and disturb the thermal balance of the spaces.
Technology-based learning environments
H. Moradimokhles; J. Heydari; V. Salehi; N. Pouti
Abstract
Interaction element is one of the elements influencing the learning in e-learning environments. This study aimed to compare the effects of computer-based and web-enhanced learning environments on six elements of interaction (student-student, student-teacher, student-content, teacher-teacher, teacher-content ...
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Interaction element is one of the elements influencing the learning in e-learning environments. This study aimed to compare the effects of computer-based and web-enhanced learning environments on six elements of interaction (student-student, student-teacher, student-content, teacher-teacher, teacher-content and content-content) in the process of Occupational Health course.The study was quasi-experimental with pretest-posttest design with a control group. The population of the study included all students of Public Health at Asadabad Faculty of Medical Sciences in the academic year 2015-2016. Of these, 60 students were selected through a random sampling procedure and were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (30 per group). The first group (control) was taught in a computer- based and the second one (experimental) was taught in a web-enhanced learning environment. The materials and instruments included instructional multimedia and the questionnaire of assessing six levels of interaction with 60 questions in likert scale. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to analyze the gathered data. The results showed that there were significant differences between computer-based and web-enhanced learning environments on six elements of interaction (p<0.05). In other words, web-enhanced learning environment is more effective on the six interaction elements in comparison to computer-based learning environment.
Technology-based learning environments
S. Seidi; A. Badeleh
Abstract
The purpose of this study was developing standards of making smart schools and the level of respecting to these standards in the schools of Tehran. The study has a mixed design (quantitative and qualitative). In the quantitative section, it is a descriptive survey type. In the qualitative method, it ...
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The purpose of this study was developing standards of making smart schools and the level of respecting to these standards in the schools of Tehran. The study has a mixed design (quantitative and qualitative). In the quantitative section, it is a descriptive survey type. In the qualitative method, it uses documentary and inductive encoding when all the existing documents were studied first, the existing copies were read line by line (open decoding); and then, considering the written words in the documents, the general factors were extracted (canonic encoding); and eventually in the documentation of similarities and differences of the general factors, the main indices were extracted (selective encoding). The population included all 22 smart schools in Tehran in 5 educational districts (i.e. districts 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8) out of which 20 girls’ smart schools were selected by multi-stage cluster sampling. The instrument was a researcher-made standardized check-list to evaluate the standards of having smart schools (direct observation, cooperation of principals, and the IT managers of the schools) and studying the current status of smart schools. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and single-group t-test. The results of data analysis showed that the current status of smart schools regarding instructional content and learning is below the standards; the status of the hardware infrastructures and trained teachers is higher than the standards; and the software infrastructure and management are at the average level.
Technology-based learning environments
M.S. Taher Tolou Del; Z. Aminifar
Abstract
Physical factors of schools are one of important subjects in improving the quality of students' education and learning. Inappropriate environmental conditions in schools and lack of coordination with the surrounding environment, causes more attention to environmental comfort. The main aim of this study ...
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Physical factors of schools are one of important subjects in improving the quality of students' education and learning. Inappropriate environmental conditions in schools and lack of coordination with the surrounding environment, causes more attention to environmental comfort. The main aim of this study is to evaluate the environmental standards of comfort and presenting strategies for improving the quality of schools framework based on students' learning. The survey research method was used and the studied population are two groups. The first group is expert architectures and psychologist of Tehran Universities; and the second group is chosen from art high schools teachers in Zahedan city in the academic year of 2015-2016. Expert group who were interviewed, including 12 people (By Delfi1 Method) and the second group consisted of 310 subjects. The researchers extracted effective variables through library investigations and interviews with professors and professionals. In the next stage, the obtained variables were analyzed and after confirming the reliability and validity of the questionnaire, it was used to assess the sample’s point of view. The SPSS analysis shows that main factors respectively as: usage of natural light, , reduce noise pollution, temperature control, appropriate windows and air are the most important factors affecting the environmental comfort in learning spaces and they affects the quality of students' learning. In previous researches researchers mainly consider the effect of light, temperature, noise and air condition. In some cases they consider the effect of one of the factors on learning; and it was the criteria for evaluating the students’ score. But in this research the researchers evaluate the effects of five environmental factor on learning. Finally, the research findings have been formulated as the design principles of schools in order to enhance users’ learning.
Technology-based learning environments
B. Nazari; J. Poorkarimi
Abstract
Due to the increasing development of information and communication technologies (ICT) in the community and schools, this study aimed to identify the relationship between the use of information and communication technologies (ICT), and students’ academic achievement in smart and regular schools. ...
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Due to the increasing development of information and communication technologies (ICT) in the community and schools, this study aimed to identify the relationship between the use of information and communication technologies (ICT), and students’ academic achievement in smart and regular schools. The population was primary school students in the fifth grade and the sample included 662 students, which determined through cluster sampling was. The Survey was done through the use of questionnaires. The method for how to collect data for the purpose and descriptive survey that collects data for action. The instrument used in this study was a questionnaire made by utilizing ICT validity of its content validity and reliability was assessed by Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Alpha coefficient was calculated to 0.92, indicating a high reliability of research tool is the tool. The results showed that the relationship between academic achievement (previous year and the previous term) and there is no use of ICT (p = 0.251; r = 0.088; r = 0.048, p = 0.534), as well as the use of ICT in the boys significantly higher than girls is the (p = 0.003; t = -2.98) and the use of ICT in schools was significantly higher than conventional schools is the (p = 0.001; t = 3.68).
