This study investigates how the use of visual facilitation and representations, e.g. visualisations and video productions, combined with peer‑feedback sessions can create exploratory approaches to game design in online teaching. The article analyses an iterative game development process in an online learning context. The empirical data is primarily based on an explorative case study of “Games for change”; a course held in 2018 in which master students from the international Nordic Visual Studies and Art Education (NoVA) design games that address issues in society. Throughout the course, the students from universities in Finland, Sweden and Denmark engaged in a cross‑cultural collaboration across campuses. The purpose of the study was to explore how to establish an online space for joint design inquiry in the context of ‘games for change’ across time and space as well as cultural and professional barriers. The data used for analysis includes teaching observations, videos of play sessions, photos and visual representations, students’ reflection papers and students’ written and oral evaluations after completion of the course. The analysis is based on different problem‑based learning (PBL) activities; lectures, video instructions, presentation‑ and feedback sessions, reflexive exercises and students’ self‑directed design and learning processes in groups. As part of the game course, teachers presented game theory and exercises through videos and visualisations to support the students’ iterative game design processes. The analysis of the PBL activities shows that teachers’ video instructions relating theoretical game concepts to the students’ actual group work supported the introduction to the game field as well as their design processes. The balance between the value of video instructions with specific feedback and teachers’ time for preparation is a relevant issue for further exploration in online teaching. Moreover, findings show that the students’ visualisations and video productions exemplifying game situations created a visible reference point for further discussions in feedback sessions across campuses, which guided game development. Thus, the combination of inquiry approaches, critical game theory and design processes combined with students’ visualisations and video productions provides interesting connections for bridging gaps between cultures and professions, e.g. in art and games. By the rich and visual descriptions of PBL activities, student work and reflective evaluations, the exploratory case study can function as inspiration for applying similar approaches to new local contexts in higher education. 

This paper is a mixed methods case study measuring student perceptions of a pedagogical strategy called “Digital Moments” (DM) for developing creative interactive online learning communities. The theoretical framework within which this resides is the Fully Online Learning Community (FOLC) model (vanOostveen et al, 2016), based on a foundation of problem‑based learning, cognitive and social presence, and learner‑centred pedagogies.The article reviews a specific teaching strategy for increasing social presence and student engagement through the use of creative and artistic expression in problem‑based learning spaces. Using “Digital Moments” as a way to build inclusion in two synchronous graduate online courses, the author describes how the teaching strategy increased student participation, developed student ownership of learning, and encouraged collaborative processes between participants. This teaching strategy makes a significant contribution to digital pedagogy. Although the growth of online learning is quite substantial, our ability to develop online communities that inspire critical and creative thinking has not kept pace. Traditional teacher‑centred learning environments do not meet the needs of students in today’s Fourth Industrial Revolution. As such, the FOLC model provides an online learning community model that removes traditional teacher‑learner roles, allows the instructor to act as a facilitator and challenges learners to co‑design and co‑create the learning process. Within this digital space, collaborative disruption is encouraged, and, in fact necessary for the types of critical and creative thinking to emerge that are central to the FOLC model. Digital Moments, is one example of a pedagogical strategy that enables learners to co‑create and own the digital learning space, within a fully online learning community. 

The Flipped Classroom (FC) is an instruction method, where the traditional lecture and homework sessions are inverted. Online material is given to students in order to gain necessary knowledge before class, while class time is devoted to application of this knowledge and reflection. The hypothesis is that there could be deep and creative discussions when teacher and students physically meet, which has known a significant surge of popularity in the past decade. A marked recent trend in the FC is the increased use of Learning Analytics (LA) to support the development of the FC and students’ reflexive learning. The aim of this paper is to investigate the literature on applications of LA in FCs, and to determine the best practices and needs for technological development supporting LA in the FC by means of a scoping review. This literature review revealed that there is potential in using LA in the FC, especially as a means to predict students’ learning outcome and to support adaptive learning and improvement on the curriculum. However, further long‑term studies and development is necessary to encourage self‑directed learning in students and to develop the whole of the FC for a more diverse population of students. We anticipate an increased and expanded use of LA to come, with focus on predictive and prescriptive analytics providing more adaptive learning experience. We also anticipate that LA will expand beyond data mining to correlate student performance and online engagement with the aim to include a wider range of possibilities of interventions and adaptation of the learning experience. 

To have sustainable societies, we need to accelerate the energy transition towards clean energy solutions, however, awareness and understanding of the process as well as intentions to change behaviors are still limited, especially among young people. An optimal balance considering the point of view from all parties involved is out of sight without a focus on social structures and a dialogue among all parties. In this context, universities have a critical role to play: these institutions build capacity through the development of new knowledge, new understanding and new insights, and can therefore provide effective solutions to complex societal challenges. In search of innovative approaches to reach young people, whose communicative paradigm has become more interactive and participatory, the use of serious gaming in formal education is gaining attention among scholars and practitioners: they can foster skills and abilities, contribute to content development of complex issues by integrating insights from different disciplines, and permit learning experiences that are not possible in real life. In this paper, we introduce “We‑Energy Game”, a serious game that address the urgency and complexities in the provision of affordable energy from renewable sources for an entire town. During the game, players negotiate, from their respective roles, which energy source they want to employ and on which location, with the goal to make a village or city energy neutral. Then, we present findings from a pretest and posttest completed by a hundred university students in The Netherlands to analyze the effects of the game on players awareness, understanding and efficacy beliefs. Results reveal positive outcomes on all variables. 

This study investigated the possible factors that predict e‑learning integration into the teaching and learning of science subjects among preservice science teachers. A unified e‑learning integration model was developed in which factors such as attitude, intention, skill and flow experience served as precursors of e‑learning integration. This was done to help close the gap that no previous studies have developed a structural model to statistically explain the interactions among the most influential factors in various technology integration models. The survey method was used to gather data from 100 preservice science teachers and partial least square structural equation modelling technique was applied for structural path analysis and testing of the developed model. Results revealed a good model fit and hypotheses formulated in this study were faithfully supported. The results also revealed that all factors investigated were found to be significant predictors of e‑learning integration with skill standing out as the most significant and strongest factor that predicts the integration of e‑learning by preservice science teachers. 

Digitally mediated role plays indicate potential for collaboration, social exchange of information and knowledge as well as motivation for learning beyond classroom time. These elements are critical for ESL learners’ development of language and argumentative writing practices. The aim of this research project was to investigate how students’ engagement with and participation in online role play collaborative arguments shaped their literacy practices, and influenced their beliefs and thinking regarding particular societal issue. This qualitative research project based on a larger ethnographic case study and tools of action research investigated students’ interactions and experiences before, during and after the online role play. The study involved 20 ESL pre‑service students at one university in Uganda and was conducted in both the real and online spaces. The real space involved face‑to‑face sessions aimed at building students’ confidence in using blogs for online role play. While the online space involved non‑participant observations to gain understanding of the social dynamics of students’ engagement in online role play, and the opportunities for students to engage in literacy practices related to online argumentative compositions. The study findings indicated that engagement in online role play using blog platform provided a rich environment for learners to exercise their creativity, orchestrate multiple ways of meaning‑making and build tactical relations for purposes of collective action. Furthermore, the use of online role play collaborative arguments facilitated a shift from “ascribed” to “achieved” identities where students did not only become aware that they were dealing with issues larger than individual perspectives, associated with school, family, culture and the legal system, but also that there need for them to take part in the civic action. 

Video is a rich medium that conveys more social cues than text. Use of video in an online discussion forum therefore has the potential to increase social presence in online learning environments. This experimental study compared a group using video for a portion of the required discussion posts to a group using only text in an online undergraduate course. While there was a correlation between perceived social presence and satisfaction with the course, there were no significant differences in perceived social presence or course satisfaction between the two groups. Open‑ended comments revealed a mix of positive and negative reactions to the use of video. This study highlights the need for continuing research on the use of video in online discussion forums to assess the benefits of video relative to its possible negative effect on “anytime, anywhere” flexibility