Computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) has been an effective pedagogy in the field of education. However, productive collaborative learning often does not occur spontaneously, and learners often have difficulties with collaborative knowledge building and socially shared regulation. To address this research gap, this study proposes an…

This study investigated the effectiveness of visual training or verbal training on how to use a text-picture processing strategy for learning from computer-based multimedia instructional material. Sixty-nine university students were randomly assigned to the verbal training group (students received text-based instruction for a text-picture…

Assessment feedback is increasingly being provided in digital modes, from electronic annotations to digital recordings. Digitally recorded feedback is generally considered to be more detailed than text-based feedback. However, few studies have compared digital recordings with other common feedback modes, including non-digital forms such as…

This paper focuses on student attitudes about using a virtual world (VW) learning platform. VWs allow students to meet via avatars and experience events that simulate real social experiences. It can also enhance student motivation, learning and collaboration. However, studies have reported that many students and teachers find VW difficult to use,…

The increasing use of information and communication technology (ICT) in higher education has been explored largely in relation to student experience of coursework and university life. Students' lives and experience beyond the university have been largely unexplored. Research into student experience of ICT used a validated model--the technology…

Student life has changed a lot since 2005 when the idea to create a Social Network Service (SNS) for students in the School of Systems Engineering at the University of Reading was conceived and went live in 2006. Over the next few years, this service (known as RedGloo) was offered to students at the university with the aim of supporting their…

The rapid development of the Internet along with increasing computer literacy has made it easy and tempting for digital natives to copy-paste someone's work. Plagiarism is now a burning issue in education, industry and even in the research community. In this study, the authors concentrate on plagiarism detection with particular focus on the…

Students' non-posting behaviour in online discussions is often neglected in educational research. However, it can be a potential indicator of student learning. This study examined the relationships between motivation, peer feedback and students’ posting and non-posting behaviours in online discussions in a distance learning class. Fifty-seven…

In June 2010, a survey was carried out to explore access to digital technology, attitudes to digital technology and approaches to studying across the adult life span in students taking courses with the UK Open University. In total, 7000 people were surveyed, of whom more than 4000 responded. Nearly all these students had access to a computer and…

Online discussion forums represent "online collaborative learning spaces in which communities become engaged in the discourse on a topic about which they share common interests or goals" (Montero, Watts & Garcia-Carbonell, 2007, p. 568). This digital communication modality has been claimed to enhance second/foreign language (L2)…

This paper has focused on the productive use of information and communications technology (ICT) by university students and its influence on academic performance. The objective is to determine whether a comparison of successful and non-successful students (in relation to academic achievements) versus the variables studied (linked to the process of…

The influence of asynchronous discussion in a virtual learning environment, Blackboard, on subsequent coursework grades was examined with 166 psychology students to determine whether asking questions of the tutor online, and/or reading the questions and the given advice, influenced the grades on the report they were writing. A repeated-measures…

The use of learning management systems (LMS) has grown considerably in universities around the world. The University of Minho (UM) has pioneered in this area in Portugal, adopting Blackboard as its official LMS. Moodle is also used in UM in scattered initiatives, allowing for interesting comparisons. Previous studies comparing Blackboard and…

In the last decade, we have seen the emergence of virtual learning environments. Initially, these environments were a little more than document repositories that tutor used unicast to the students. Informed in part by social constructivist theories of education, later environments included capabilities for tutor-student and student-student,…

This paper presents an alternative application of e-portfolio in a university student assessment context. A concept based on student collaboration (called netfolio) is developed, that differs from the classical e-portfolio concept. The use of a netfolio, a network of student e-portfolios, in a virtual classroom is explained through an exploratory…