Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to examine a specific online pedagogical tool, Digital MomentsŽ that can be an effective strategy for building online communities in a knowledge building environment. While the paper will examine the specific techni ques and teaching methodologies that enabled the authors to create authentic online learning experiences in undergraduate and graduate courses, it also analyses how and why this strategy moves beyond simple constructivist thinking to the complexities of teaching in the digital world. Knowledge building in online environments requires students to take risks, try new digital tools, and find the modalities that work best to express the new knowledge they are creating. This pedagogical approach views studen ts as more than consumers of technology, but creators of new and innovative digital means of expressing concepts. Using both synchronous and asynchronous methodologies, the authors examined the highs and lows of translating meaningful face to face practic e to the online environment. The paper examines teaching strategies used in a six week online graduate course using Adobe connect, Blackboard LMS and synchronous weekly meetings. Through the use of unique strategies such as digital momentsŽ and embracing creative thought, an authentic, constructivist community was created. The authors journey to developing this authenticity, their online pedagogical style and an innovative, safe learning community has been chronicled using narrative qualitative inquiry in this paper. The writers use of digital moments empowers students to create and have ownership of their own online community. This paper articulates their journey into the abyss of digitizing themselves as teachers; it examines the specific techniques used for best practice in online learning, while simultaneously celebrating the splash of colour that is essential to brighten digital learning environments. 

Abstract: Many higher education institutions have embraced e‑Learning and urge, or make compulsory, engagement by academics. Despite this, it is often the educators themselves who take the initiative to engage with innovative e‑learning approaches. These approaches, in turn, can influence both peer‑ and institution‑wide thinking about e‑Learning. This paper focuses on the introduction or extension of ePortfolios within the creative arts at four Australian universities. Each educator adopted the ePortfolio for a different purpose, and in doing so has influenced, or is at least being monitored by, their university. All four studies have resulted in the growth, development and enrichment of teaching and learning because of the ePortfolios facility to engage students in such activities as reflection, ongoing student‑teacher dialogue, collaborative essay writing, peer evaluation, identity formation, and the documentation of skills, competencies and graduate attributes for career awareness and employability. I n sharing this knowledge the studies have also influenced curriculum design and e‑learning policy. The academic literature notes institutional interest in ePortfolios in relation to career preparation, demonstrating and assessing student learning, academi c advising, and addressing public accountability concerns by facilitating internal and external departmental review and accreditation. Within this paper we discuss the bi‑directional impact and sharing of knowledge about ePortfolio use as it occurs betwee n institution and educator. The study findings inform future development of curriculum, policy and practice for creative arts students and academics in a variety of higher education settings. Further, the findings suggest that ePortfolios provide an effic ient and transparent means to archive and access student work, and that they facilitate internal and external departmental review and broader institutional assessment. 

Abstract: In business education advanced collaboration skills and media literacy are important for surviving in a globalized business where virtual communication between enterprises is part of the day‑by‑day business. To transform these global working sit uations into higher education, a learning scenario between two universities in Germany and Austria was created where students worked together in virtual interregional learning groups. This article reports about a study of an interuniversity collaborative learning scenario within the subject of e‑business. Participating students collaborated virtually and documented a shared case study in a Wiki. When working together, learners used different synchronous and asynchronous tools for close virtual collaborati on around a Wiki toolset such as forum, chat, video conferencing and other social media. Students applied given case studies (e.g. from Harvard Business Review) or they worked out a business case from their own experience, which covered a range of upcom ing e‑business topics. In an attending evaluation study with around 460 participants from two universities, 259 questionnaires were evaluated. It reveals several substantive effects likeTremendous influence of interregional group work for media competenci esHidden social aspects and conflict potentialScenario design and different media usageTeaching effort vs. learning outcome of such a scenarioLearning impact for different student groups depending on gender, employment, graduation or online‑moderation.The findings of this study reveal several interesting aspects concerning media usage and show how students benefited from Wiki work in this virtual learning scenario. 

Abstract: The introduction of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) as a vehicle for education delivery presents opportunities and challenges. In the context of the Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre (Wicking Centre), the driver to develop a MOOC was the promise of addressing the international deficit in evidence‑based dementia education, as well as the lack of research into international perspectives on dementia. The Wicking Centres activity integrates research and education, framed by the concept of quality of life across the trajectory of dementia. With dementia emerging as the public health issue of the 21st century, lack of dementia education at multiple levels, professional and non‑professional, is of increasing concern. The disrupt ive character of MOOCs, with associated risks and uncertainties, warranted the application of a research‑oriented project management approach to development. This included investing resources in gathering and analysing data to underpin each phase of decis ion‑making. We used a design‑based research approach incorporating the concept of life‑cycle of an e‑learning design (Phillips et al. 2012). Data collection and analysis focused on three dynamically interacting components: 1) expertise in dementia kn owledge and dementia education; 2) a cohort‑centric approach to design and delivery, and 3) models and designs for MOOCs currently promoted, discussed and reported in the higher education discipline. Laurillards Conversational Framework, relating types of learning, teaching‑learning activities and the digital technologies that support them (2012), informed the selection of digital technology elements for massive‑scale engagement of our identified cohort. The paper describes the initial design process and the outcomes of the limited release pilot that informed the first full offering of the MOOC. 

Abstract: Personalised education is a topical matter today and the impact of ICT on education has been covered extensively. The adaptation of education to various types of student is an issue of a vast number of papers presented at diverse conferences. Th e topic incorporates the fields of information technologies and eLearning, but in no small part also the field of pedagogy. By interconnecting eLearning with the requirement for personalized education, we obtain a new term … automatic adaptive learning. W e asked ourselves a question if the process of automatic adaptive learning (i.e. going through the electronic study course which suits students preferences and learning style) can be modeled. The optimal adaptive process will respect students differen ces based on determined learning styles and with regard to their knowledge and skills as changed during the course. On the basis of identification of their personal characteristics and qualities, students will be presented with a study material which suit s them the most. One of the basic building blocks of adaptive education is the storage of study materials. In order to be able to prepare tailored education for every type of student, study material must be prepared in many different variants, in differen t form. This form should be different from the classic form of text‑books. This article presents the issues connected with the creation of study materials suitable for adaptive education in more detail; the basis for this is the pedagogical analysis of th e starting prerequisites applicable in eLearning. In conclusion, a particular way of use of such created study material in electronic adaptive education will be outlined. 

Abstract: As e‑learning is evolving into a mainstream, widespread practice, adopted by higher education institutions worldwide, much effort is geared towards the articulation of models and strategies for implementing e‑learning in formal education setting s. In the field of pre‑service teacher education, a rising challenge is to equip the ⠜21st century teacher⠀ with the necessary toolset of skills and competencies to grapple with the idiosyncrasies of the new generation of ⠜millenials⠀. To this pur pose, what still remains an open issue is the degree of innovation afforded by specific e‑learning designs, in a field where traditional teacher training pedagogies co‑exist with e‑learning‑specific ones. This article proposes a synthesis of two models, t he Community of Inquiry (COI) model, based on the Practical Inquiry model introduced by Garrison, Anderson, & Archer (2000) and the Learning by Design framework (LbyD), based on the conceptualization of â New Learning⠒, articulated by Kalantzis & Cope (2012). Both models were invented with new learning styles and circumstances in mind. The proposed synthesis guided the design of the six‑month introductory course in Technology Enhanced Learning by the School of Pedagogical and Technological Edu cation (ASPETE) research team (located in Athens) and implemented with 18 pre service student‑teachers at the Higher Education Technological Institute (TEI) of Lamia, located in another geographical area of Greece. In this context, elements of the C OI framework were employed as tools both for designing and for evaluating the contents, structure and activities of the e‑learning course. Two elements of the framework, teaching and cognitive presence were the axes supporting the course structure, whilst the kinds of activities most promoted were discussion, collaboration and reflection. The LbyD framework functioned as an awareness enhancement mechanism for trainee teachers to formulate, collaboratively negotiate and finally articulate and support pedag ogical scenarios integrating the meaningful use of technol 

Abstract: Learning experience has been one of the most debated aspects of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). Various perceptions on learning experience offered by MOOCs have led to many claims about the quality of these courses and their potential imp act on higher education in both developed and developing countries. This paper discusses, from a learners perspective, learning experience across four modes of learning: face‑to‑face, self‑guided/radio, online and MOOCs. My own educational experience exp anded across the first three mode of learning. To gain similar first‑hand experience in MOOCs, I enrolled in one cMOOC and twelve xMOOCs and studied these courses alongside other engaged learners. I conducted a cross‑case analysis of the four modes of lea rning and identified strengths and limitations of each mode. Then I organised recurring patterns across the four learning modes into five themes: openness, availability, diversity, flexibility and interactivity. I found that each of these learning modes c an help learners achieve a significant milestone in learning, and accomplishment in one mode can bridge across to a different learning mode. I argue that a combination of learning modes, where applicable, can lead to better learning experience than an exc lusive use of a single mode. I also argue that each of these modes can contribute enormously to learners educational, socio‑economic, and cross‑cultural migration as well as to their geographical mobility. Each of these modes can also contribute to bridg ing an educational divide if stakeholders in education capitalize on the target learners strengths, on existing access to media and on openness in terms of content, assessment and accreditation. This paper is likely to benefit educational stakeholders wh o want to open up access to education and to reach learners in underprivileged settings, and those who are interested in cross‑cultural education development. 

Abstract: In e‑learning settings, technology plays several crucial roles in the teaching. In addition to enabling students to gain remote access to teaching, it can also change the way time, space and presence are perceived by students and teachers. This paper attempts to analyse and discuss the consequences of the transparency or visibility of e‑learning technology inside and outside the classroom and highlight its opportunities of multiplying the learning spaces. In order to be able to differentiate bet ween learning that occurs in the same place and learning that occurs in more places at the same time across virtual and physical spaces, the paper therefore introduces the concepts of idiotopic and polytopic learning settings. Furthermore, it argues that the development of polytopic learning designs could help address a potential e‑learning demand for teaching presences in more places at the same time. 

Abstract: This paper presents and discusses findings about how students, teachers, and the organization experience a start‑up‑project applying videoconferences between campus and home. This is new territory for adult learning centers. The research is base d on the Global Classroom Model as it is implemented and used at an adult learning center in Denmark, named VUC Storstrøm. . After a couple of years of campus‑to‑campus video streaming, VUC Storstrøm started a fulltime day program in 2011 with the support of a hybrid campus and videoconference model. In this model the teachers and some of the students are present on campus in the classroom, while other students are participating simultaneously from their home using laptops. In this paper, the case and con text of VUC Storstrøm, the research design chosen, and the literature that already exists in this area constitutes the backdrop for the analysis and discussion of the first activities in this long‑term project. The research is based on interviews, on utte rances in feedback sessions, and on the observed interaction taking place in the first sixths month of 2013 (i.e. 1½ year after the first program commenced). Evaluations show that the students are happy with the flexibility this model provides in their everyday life. However, findings also show several obstacles: Technical issues are at play, but also the learning design of the lessons, as well as general organizational and cultural issues. In this paper we focus on the students and teachers experiences and on the organizational issues related to the transition to the Global Classroom Model as well as provide outlines to the consequences these findings may have, for example in relation to the continued development of the teachers educational designs.