Life‑long learning is currently being embraced as a central process that could disrupt traditional educational paths. Apparently, the (ideal) type of learning often promoted is deep and meaningful learning, though it is not always required to be so. Deep learning goes beyond superficial knowledge assimilation of unlinked facts; it aims at developing deep disciplinary understanding, transformative knowledge, personal meaning, emotional intelligence, critical thinking, creativity and metacognitive skills. Meaningful learning occurs when learning is active, constructive, intentional, authentic, and cooperative. Technology enhanced teaching and learning methods should prove their potential to transform life‑long learning provision and facilitate the achievement of deep and meaningful learning. In the context of distance education in life‑long learning, one important challenge is the design of versatile quality assurance strategies for e‑training. Based on the experiences in distance lifelong learning programmes in the University of Patras’ Educational Center for Life‑Long Learning (KEDIVIM) the authors present how the principles and attributes of deep and meaningful learning can be combined with project management in practice and be incorporated in an e‑Learning quality strategy. We present i) the methods used to assess the quality of the e‑Learning programmes, ii) key findings of the evaluation process and iii) first research evaluation results on the quality of learning. This research study on learning process quality was conducted by using an online questionnaire, which aimed at estimating the level of participants’ satisfaction while using interactive learning methods such as collaborative learning. Some results of the evaluation indicate that the e‑Learning quality strategy led to e‑Learning programmes that used active learning methods to achieve high learners’ satisfaction towards deep and meaningful learning.

In the traditional lab setting, it is reasonably straightforward to monitor student learning and provide ongoing feedback. Such formative assessments can help students identify their strengths and weaknesses, and assist faculty to recognize where students are struggling and address problems immediately. But in an online virtual lab setting, formative assessment has challenges that go beyond space‑time synchrony of online classroom. As we see increased enrollment in online courses, learning science needs to address the problem of formative assessment in online laboratory sessions. We developed a student team learning monitor (STLM module) in an electronic health record system to measure student engagement and actualize the social constructivist approach of Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL). Using iterative Plan‑Do‑Study‑Act cycles in two undergraduate courses over a period of two years, we identified critical components that are required for online implementation of POGIL. We reviewed published research on POGIL classroom implementations for the last ten years and identified some common elements that affect learning gains. We present the critical components that are necessary for implementing POGIL in online lab settings, and refer to this as Cyber POGIL. Incorporating these critical components are required to determine when, how and the circumstances under which Cyber POGIL may be successfully implemented. We recommend that more online tools be developed for POGIL classrooms, which evolve from just providing synchronous communication to improved task monitoring and assistive feedback.

Pre‑service teachers frequently express negative prejudices towards science and the methodologies traditionally used during their training. Gamification is a booming technology based on combining the psychological aspects, mechanics and dynamics of a game in non‑ludic environments. The use of gamification has shown good outcomes in terms of increasing students´ motivation towards the sciences. In this study, new laboratory practices were developed under the umbrella of gamification methodology for pre‑service teachers. The general objectives were to eliminate negative prejudices, fear and rejection attitudes towards science, to foster the conceptual and procedural learning of science among students and to provide students with real‑life examples and an experience of applying gamification themselves. First, the theoretical basis of the main components and dynamics of gamification in the Education context are summarized. Secondly, their application in a specific subject from the curriculum for the Teaching Training in Primary Education degree (Didactics of Natural Science (DNS), 3rd year) are presented. The methodology was applied twice in laboratory practice in two consecutive academic years: 2017/2018 (5 groups, 150 students ) and 2018/2019 (6 groups, 183 students) . The steps, dynamics, components and the tools used for the gamification experience are described (i.e. Kahoot, Class Dojo). Several pre and post‑tests were carried out to explore: (i) the students’ relationship with games; (ii) their preferred role as players; (iii) their assessment of the different elements involved in the gamification methodology; (iv) their motivation towards science laboratories attitude and (v) their self‑perception with regards to their newly acquired skills to put gamification into practice in their professional future.

This paper reports on a study carried out with pre‑service teachers who first developed a course by designing it in a Learning Design (LD) tool and then implemented it as a course in Moodle. The research explores the potential of the Learning Designer, the LD tool utilized in the study, by addressing three aspects of the LD tool’s added value for teachers as designers: a) the development of a learning design, b) the reflection on a design and c) the usefulness of the LD process using an LD tool towards the implementation of a design in a Learning Management System (LMS). The findings suggest that the graphical representation of a learning design provided by the LD tool supports designers to structure learning activities. The components of a learning design incorporated in the LD tool such as the learning outcomes, the type of a learning activity according to a typology and how learners are organized scaffold the articulation of the pedagogy of a learning design. Moreover, the pre‑service teachers requested more components e.g. for organizing technology‑enhanced learning and more customizable features e.g. for defining and combining activity types. All means of design analysis, especially the graphical ones trigger the designers’ reflection on the nature of the activities included in a learning design and provoke them to improve it. The pre‑service teachers perceived as beneficial the LD process in the Learning Designer towards considering components of the learning design which are applicable in its implementation as a course in an LMS. Nevertheless, difficulties were reported concerning non‑matching and missing components leading to the reconsideration of aspects of the original design during the implementation. The conclusions drawn from the study’s findings reveal the potential of the Learning Designer to support teachers as designers and are of value both to researchers involved with developing LD tools and to practitioners interested in harnessing an LD tool to promote LD practices.

Today, online learning is prospering from the widely available and easily accessible connection to the Web. Massive open online course (MOOC) platforms such as Coursera, edX, and Udemy have made available several thousands of short courses at several difficulty levels in a wide variety of disciplines, ranging from business, computer science to literature, for learners to select from. Learners who are looking to earn credentials for career advancement or personal interest would find MOOCs attractive not only because of the time and place flexibility these courses offer, but also because of the free enrollment or the very small certificate fee upon completion, as well as the emergent recognition these courses are receiving for their high quality learning delivery from leading educational institutions. Learners who enroll in a MOOC would typically need to participate in various learning activities and complete a few assessment tasks to complete the course. However, it has been commonly reported that the completion rates of MOOCs are low. Based on the common notion that when learners are more motivated to learn, they are likely to better engage in learning and have a higher likelihood to complete a MOOC, this study adopted the Motivation and Engagement Scale (MES) by Martin (2007, 2009) to collect responses from university students to examine whether positive motivation resulted in positive engagement; whether negative motivation resulted in negative engagement; and how positive or negative engagement swayed learners’ inclination to complete a MOOC if they were to enroll in one. Findings show that there was a statistically significant positive relationship between positive motivation and positive engagement, between negative motivation and negative engagement, and between positive engagement and inclination to complete a MOOC. However, the relationship between negative engagement and inclination to complete a MOOC was statistically not significant. Findings of this study can be useful to MOOC providers and learners in their effort to develop strategies to increase completion rates of MOOCs.

Abstract: A growing trend in higher education institutions (HE) to move course offerings to Blended Learning (BL) modes is challenging many of our traditional views and practices of teaching and learning. Part of the problem is that many of those working within these institutions at the macro, meso and micro levels have stubbornly resisted abandoning the view that knowledge is imparted by the institution and that knowledge is consumed by students. Advances in technology have upturned this positionality as learners and institutions alike realize that roles are evolving in the process of education. Tracking the scholarship on BL, for example, reveals a major issue preventing successful learning outcomes is reticence on the part of learners to be socially interactive and engaged online. Through the lens of socialcultural and identity theories and a conceptualization of engagement being composed of behavioural, emotional and cognitive components, this paper aims to respond to a call for greater insight into this pressing issue. With findings from a recent qualitative longitudinal study of a BL program in a large private‑for‑profit university in Chile we unravel the complex social psychological aspects that contribute to learners’ willingness, or unwillingness, to engage in interacting with others and with content online – an essential determinant of successful learning and quality BL programs. A critical discussion of the findings from multiple qualitative data sources reveals that the general lack of undergraduate students’ incentive to develop agency and adopt empowered learner identities characteristic of active participators online, is strongly influenced by the assumed or imposed identities of teachers, academic leaders and institutional decision makers that create a climate that fails to nurture community building in these contexts. Abundant evidence suggests a model for BL in HE that could lead to decisive, strategic and coordinated action at each level and measurable improvement in student online learning engagement and outcomes.

Abstract: Educational practices are constantly adjusting to technological advances, in order to improve their effectiveness in delivering knowledge and preparing students for the challenges of modern digital society. Electronic games and augmented reality environments are two such media that can shape powerful modes of interactive and immersive experiences. Audio games in particular, i.e. electronic games that utilise data sonification and audio interaction techniques to express all narrative and gameplay content, have been proven to enhance players’ skills, such as concentration, memory, fantasy, emotional response, perception, data management and cooperation. However, despite the promising research findings reported in literature, there has been no systematic approach in integrating systems based on audio interaction into formal education. This article suggests that audio games can be designed and implemented for the delivery of targeted curricula through an engaging learning experience, whereas fusing audio game mechanics into new interactive technologies, such as augmented reality environments, will further enhance the students’ immersiveness in the learning process. Towards establishing the theoretical framework for the design of educational audio games, as well as educational augmented reality audio games, the authors review existing approaches and argue that the inherent features of both audio interaction and augmented reality systems agree with the official educational goals formulated by the Greek Ministry of Education and the International Baccalaureate Institution. Then, they discuss four original projects in terms of sound and mechanics design to demonstrate that audio games can address a wide range of subjects, adopt cross‑curricular strategies, facilitate complex modes of interaction, and realise creative, collaborative and inclusive learning activities.

Immersive technologies are gaining momentum in professional training. Advanced AR/VR and gaming technologies allow for authentic learning experiences that are close to real‑life conditions, problems, and applications, something that can revolutionise fields like medical training, which traditionally relied on textbook‑based theoretical education and clinical placements. The present paper discusses the application of advanced gaming and immersion technologies for the continuous training of physiotherapists. Presently, this professional group remains largely underserved by online training services. The paper argues that the inherent complexity of physical therapy training could be served effectively by immersive learning innovations and professionals could benefit greatly. The paper applies the Design Science Research Methodology (DSRM) to design a suitable training solution for the promotion of authentic, comprehensive learning. Our analysis targets and consolidates the findings from three distinct pillars: (a) the requirements of the application area in question; (b) the current state‑of‑the‑art and emerging directions in game‑based professional education and training; and (c) existing applications of game‑based learning in the field of healthcare. Subsequently, the paper consolidates the findings to produce the system requirements and presents the design of a prototype training environment for physiotherapists that builds on advanced gaming technologies. Within the proposed system design, augmented reality modules are embedded alongside the game simulation and virtual world environment to provide participants with an authentic simulated game scenario in which to immerse themselves.