Background: We examine the efficacy of an online collaborative problem-solving (CPS) teaching approach in academic performance and student connections with other peers, among first-year engineering calculus students at a Latin American university. Our research uses communities of practice (CoP) to emphasize the social nature of learning and the…

Fostering a culture of professionalism is the work of all stakeholders in a school and can be influenced by participating in self-selected professional development. Professionalism is a trait among teachers that has garnered significant attention within mathematics education. Central to the principle of professionalism is the recognition that…

This dissertation in practice created a new form of educator development called the Virtual Educator Network (VEN) and examined its impact on educators' attitudes towards inclusion, feelings of support, and incorporation of new strategies to solve problems of practice they find important. The VEN is a form of professional development that pulls…

This Dissertation in Practice (DIP) was a group dissertation as required by the Doctorate in Educational Leadership program and created a new form of educator development called the Virtual Educator Network (VEN). This DIP examined the VENs' impact on educators' attitudes towards inclusion, feelings of support, and incorporation of new strategies…

This paper presents a study of group cohesion as it arises in online small group different time and place collaboration. Cohesion is modeled in terms of the extent to which a group makes progress together through contentful and meaningful collaborative interactions. This paper makes the case that cohesion in a small group working collaboratively…

Assessment is a central feature of teaching and learning. It is both complex and challenging in ordinary times, and these aspects are magnified in an online learning environment. Given its central role, it is crucial that its design and purpose is rigorous and robust. This paper presents justification for using interactive oral assessment as an…

The purpose of this study was to gain insight into how employing Case-based (CB) and Non-case-based (NCB) discussions facilitate high-level learning, and whether or not there is a relationship between students' learning outcomes. Findings revealed that students' perceived cognitive presence, learning and satisfaction were significantly higher in…

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is increasingly embedded in higher education (HE) due to the current emphasis on tackling the environmental crisis. Similarly, Civic Society Organisations are expanding their mobilization and practical action in communities. These approaches can reach almost all people on the planet and open avenues for…

Teacher education programs all around the world are challenged with the emergency transition to remote teaching due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Human-centered design can help generate creative solutions to the pedagogical problems that teacher educators face during this transition. In this paper, we present a case of the Advanced Learning…

Enabling pre-service teachers to develop a critical view of their practice and to acquire the higher order inquiry skills necessary for pedagogic research has been and continues to be a challenge. The present study presents a unique intervention in the training of pre-service teachers in research literacy (RL) skills using a Problem Based Learning…

The adoption of social media in e-learning signals the end of distance education as we know it in higher education. However, it appears to have very little impact on the way in which open and distance learning (ODL) institutions are functioning. Earlier research suggests that a significant part of the explanation for the slow uptake of social…

This qualitative interpretive case study used Wenger's (1998) communities of practice (CoP) framework to analyze how the electronic learning community (eLC) process at an established state virtual high school operated like a community of practice. Components of the eLC process were analyzed according to elements of the CoP framework, which…

There has been widespread comment on the use and impact of Web 2.0 technologies in education. Given the use of such technologies, particularly social networking sites such as Facebook amongst the student body, it would be remiss of educators to not consider their use as part of a pedagogical strategy. This paper provides a preliminary…

This paper depicts a study carried out in Rwanda concerning university students who participated in a contest to produce short documentary films. The purpose of this research is to conceptualize these kinds of technology-based learning projects (TBLPs) through a sociocultural perspective. The methodology included focus-group discussions and field…

This paper depicts a study carried out in Rwanda concerning university students who participated in a contest to produce short documentary films. The purpose of this research is to conceptualize these kinds of technology-based learning projects (TBLPs) through a sociocultural perspective. The methodology included focus group discussions and field…