Browsing by Author "Heinrich E"

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    An exploration of course and cohort communication spaces in Discord, Teams, and Moodle
    (ASCILITE, 2022-12-30) Heinrich E; Thomas H; Kahu ER
    This research examined the impact of supplementing a learning management system, Moodle, with communication tools, Discord and Teams, to support communication in blended and distance undergraduate courses in computer science, information technology, mathematics and statistics at a New Zealand university with well-established use of Moodle. Nineteen students participated in semi-structured interviews. Findings show that adding Discord or Teams increases information and knowledge exchange and helps students to connect with peers and teachers in their courses. Teams was beneficial particularly in settings with formal group work. Discord, which enables both students and staff to set up additional communication channels that are not restricted to course enrolments, was instrumental in connecting students across year levels with peers and alumni. This enabled discussions on course selection, career options and disciplinary topics beyond the course curriculum. Importantly, these beyond-course communication spaces nurtured belonging to wider discipline and study communities. The research establishes the importance of the increased levels of communication by highlighting the effects on student learning and connections to others. Looking beyond the specific tools, the level of formality and the degree of student co-ownership are identified as key factors in supporting the within- and beyond-course communication spaces. Implications for practice or policy: Learning management systems provide valuable course support but do not meet all learning and teaching communication needs, partly due to their formal and university-controlled nature. Educators and students benefit from using strong chat tools with improved information and knowledge exchange. Both educators and students experience enhanced belonging when using collaboration and chat tools. Students value Discord’s informality and student-led characteristics. Educators who use Teams to support formal group work must carefully manage integration with Moodle.
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    Revolutionising educational technology: The imperative for authentic qualitative research
    (Elsevier Ltd., 2024-08-17) Heinrich E
    The field of educational technology research has been described as dominated by quantitative approaches, superficial and lacking methodological capacity. Calls for more qualitative research and for bringing researchers from diverse backgrounds together have been made to contribute towards solving complex educational challenges. This research employed a critical methodological literature review to examine 1538 research articles published in 2021 editions of 13 top educational technology research journals and identified 168 qualitative and 231 mixed research articles. Applying a research description framework, a detailed study of these two subsets shows that only half of the articles describe their research design and even less address researcher beliefs (31.5% for qualitative, 6.5% for mixed research). Of the mixed research articles, only 20% demonstrate strong qualitative characteristics. The detailed examination of the methodological descriptions undertaken in this research highlights that prior reviews overestimate the qualitative characteristics of especially mixed research studies and that those studies in general do not have the methodological underpinning required for drawing on different perspectives. The article contributes a simplified framework for the description of research approaches which can be used by editors to outline their expectations for research descriptions in a way accessible to prospective authors from a wide variety of backgrounds. The article calls on journal editors to proactively facilitate publication of educational technology research that brings together researchers from different substantive areas and belief systems. Articles that provide authentic qualitative research that is rigorously defended will offer new conceptualizations for addressing the complex challenges educational technologies aim to address.