Although a number of claims have been made describing massive open online courses (MOOCs) as a disruptive innovation in education, these claims have not yet been proven through research. Instead, MOOCs should perhaps be considered as an integrative model for higher education systems, but to do so will require recognition of credentials. Initial experiments of MOOCs were not offer academic credit, but recently there have been some attempts to offer course credit for MOOCs or MOOC-like courses. More...

This study examines a MOOC instructor’s use of social presence, teaching presence, and dissonance for attitudinal change in a MOOC on Human Trafficking, designed to promote attitudinal change. Researchers explored the MOOC instructor’s use of social presence and teaching presence, using the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework as a lens, and examined the facilitation of attitudinal dissonance within the discussion forum, announcements and blog postings in the course. More...

In online learning research, the theoretical community of inquiry framework has been used extensively to analyze processes of inquiry among learners and instructors within a community. This paper examines a special case of community of inquiry consisting of only one learner and one instructor. Together they en­gage in an online coaching discourse to form a relationship of inquiry. More...

The Community of Inquiry framework has been widely supported by research to provide a model of online learning that informs the design and implementation of distance learning courses.  However, the relationship between elements of the CoI framework and perceived learning warrants further examination as a predictive model for online graduate student success. More...

Social presence is a difficult to achieve, but an imperative component of online learning. In this study, we investigated the effect of group size on students' perceptions of social presence in two graduate-level online courses, comparing small group versus whole class discussions. More...

Many research studies have highlighted the low completion rate and slow progress in PhD education. Universities strive to improve throughput and quality in their PhD education programs. In this study, the perceived problems of PhD education are investigated from PhD students’ points of view, and how an Information and Communication Technology Support System (ICTSS) may alleviate these problems. More...

Table of Contents

Editorial

Research Articles

Book Notes

La mise en oeuvre de la Loi du 5 mars 2014 qui a confié de nouvelles missions à la CNCP a été source d’un surcroît d’activité dès les premiers jours de janvier. L’Inventaire, créé par la Loi du 24 novembre 2009 qui n’avait pas pu être mis en oeuvre auparavant faute de moyens, a été bâti dans des délais particulièrement contraints. Tant dans son contenu que dans ses modalités opérationnelles, la Commission a redoublé d’efforts pour en ouvrir l’accès dès le début du mois de février et l’asseoir sur un premier système d’information.
La réforme de mars 2014 a aussi entrainé la poursuite d’un niveau élevé de premières demandes d’enregistrement au RNCP qui est venue s’ajouter au fil des mois aux demandes de renouvellement. Si le répertoire présente aujourd’hui près de 10000 certifications actives, il n’en demeure pas moins que celles qui y sont enregistrées sur demande n’en représentent que moins du quart. La réforme engagée par le ministère de l’enseignement supérieur sur l’identification des diplômes sous l’angle de la « mention » est de nature à réduire substantiellement leur nombre dans les années qui viennent et sans doute atténuer la critique récurrente du trop grand nombre de certifications enregistrées au RNCP.

Rapport d'activité 2015. Voir l'article...

By Chris Havergal. Study says that staff and students are uncertain about how to maximise the educational potential of flexible teaching spaces. More...

By Matthew Reisz. Researchers have much to contribute to the study of law, education, engineering and healthcare, suggests new collection. More...