Active learning strategies increase student engagement and performances, however, there is student resistance toward such instructional interventions. To overcome student resistance groupwork can be useful. In addition, digital technology can be used to re-design courses to add active learning techniques and support learning "with" and…

Student engagement as an important predictor of peer interaction and academic achievement has received considerable attention in second language classes. Despite its significance, how study groups engage in online writing activities in collaborative learning settings remains underexplored. To fill this gap, the present study explored how a group…

Despite the numerous studies on social interaction in collaborative learning, little is known about interaction forms in successful computer-supported collaborative learning situations. The purpose of this study was to explore and understand student interaction in successful collaborative learning during a university course which was mediated by…

The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of collaborative activities on group identity in a virtual world such as "Second Life." To achieve this purpose, this study adopted events that promoted participants' interactions using tools inherent in "Second Life." The interactive tools given to the control group in this…

During the past two decades, digital games have become an increasingly popular source of study for academics, educational researchers and instructional designers. Much has been written about the potential of games for teaching and learning, both in the design of educational/serious games and the implementation of off-the-shelf games for learning.…

This study examines the online writing and revision behaviors of university language learners. In small groups, 53 intermediate German students from three classes at three different universities created wiki pages with background information about a novel read in class. All meaning- and language-related revisions were analyzed to determine whether…

For language learning, online environments allowing for user generated content are becoming increasingly important since they offer possibilities for learners to elaborate on assignments and projects. This study investigates what wikis can do as a means to enhance group interaction, when students are encouraged to participate in constructing text…

Peer evaluations are often used to improve learning in educational settings. As more and more online courses are offered, it is becoming increasingly important to explore new techniques for conducting peer evaluation in online courses. In recent years, wikis have increasingly been used in higher education to support learning and group work.…

In this paper we present a general framework, called NUCLEO, for the application of socio-constructive educational approaches in higher education. The underlying pedagogical approach relies on an adaptation model in order to improve group dynamics, as this has been identified as one of the key features in the success of collaborative learning…

A study investigated electronic mail use in three groups of freshman biology students: learning team members with laptop computers and e-mail support provided; learning team members without personal computers but with e-mail support; and students not in learning teams, with no personal computers. Results indicate e-mail use promoted cohesiveness…

Online learning environments offer efficient ways of interconnecting group members and satisfying their communicative needs. However, learning does not proceed through shared communication alone; all groups imply social processes and learning groups demand an additional pedagogical intention. Popular online learning systems satisfactorily enable…

Describes one Internet-based model for implementing university classes that uses listservs, electronic mail, and the World Wide Web. Compares Internet and conventional classes; looks at the potential of both asynchronous and synchronous virtual learning experiences and activities. Argues that an Internet-based virtual learning community, with its…

This study was undertaken to better understand the nature of preservice teachers' reflective thinking during case discussions about classroom management in two online formats: synchronous versus asynchronous. Findings indicated that when participants engaged in synchronous online case discussions they had higher levels of critical reflection than…

For the twenty-ninth year, the Research and Theory Division of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) is sponsoring the publication of these Proceedings. Papers published in this volume were presented at the National AECT Convention in Orlando, Florida. The Proceedings of AECT's Convention are published in two…