Applying adaptive swarm intelligence technology with structuration in web-based collaborative learning

Web-based learning is becoming a popular learning approach with the rapid development of Web technology, and collaborative learning can improve learning performance of students. Web-based collaborative learning provides students with collaborative skills, communication skills, creativity, critical thinking skills, and skills in information technology application. This paper presents a Web-based collaborative learning model which emphasizes student-centered instruction. The procedure in this learning model consists of five steps: definition of learning task, team plan, collaborate research, achievement summary, and final assessment. Then the application structure of the Web-based collaborative learning model is developed with latest information technology and data technology. A case based on the collaborative learning model is developed in the end, and the collaborative learning environment could foster students to be cooperative, caring, reflective, critical and creative.

The purpose of this study is to explore the interaction and human communication on a Web-Based Collaborative Learning Environment (WBCLE). WBCLE is an integrative, interactive and collaborative learning environment for web based courses. With optimized learning materials, WBCLE also provides interactive functions such as login, students’ works upload the instructor’s comment feedback, Real-time chat Room and discussion forum and provides collaborative functions such as group management, group collaborative learning, shared resources. Based on the investigations of web courses in WBCLE, the paper analyses the interactive and collaborative functions and web learning patterns, and the impact of human communication. Learning technology can not completely take place of instructor’s supervision and communication with students. Strategies for collaborative learning and human communication can improve the educational effectiveness, and they include enhancing message flows among students and the instructor, creating communities in the course, and providing more interactive functions and supervision to the students.KeywordsHuman CommunicationDiscussion ForumInteractive FunctionChat RoomComputer Mediate CommunicationThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

In this paper we examine problems of synchronous collaboration of users in web-based learning environments. It is a strong challenge to develop efficient synchronous groupware systems which provide transparent collaboration of existing applications whereas participants may start at different points in time. Existing collaboration systems either provide transparency or the accommodation of latecomers. We developed a transparent support for accommodating latecomers which may be integrated in any Java-based groupware system on the web.

Examining high-school students’ preferences toward learning environments, personal beliefs and concept learning in web-based contexts

This study aims to assess the viability of blogging in the context of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) as a productive web-based learning environment (WBLE). The blog sections of three English as a second language (ESL) websites were evaluated and Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) which appears in the comments sections of blog posts was examined through reference to excerpts of various comments. The analysis indicates that as a supplementary means of language education, both the blog content and the debate that hosts in its comments section are useful to language learners all over the world who have access to the internet. It may not facilitate certain areas of cognition that are maximized by Communicative Language Teaching (CLT), however it does expose readers to necessary information in an educational context and provide them with an outlet for spontaneous CMC (SCMC), allowing autonomous parsing of the target language (English).

Learning is a cognitive process that occurs either
 in a formal or informal learning environment, by way of
 adopting either formal or informal learning process. While
 the significance of former has been widely accepted, later is
 still researched and lacks relevant studies on its implications
 for web-based learning, especially by way of instigating
 learning motivation. This paper presents descriptive analysis
 of learning motivation factors within (i) formal and informal
 learning environments, and (ii) formal and informal
 learning processes, and then examines their influence on
 web-based learning by computing Pearson correlations. To
 achieve study objectives, the paper discusses relevant literature
 and then conceptualizes a research model to be tested
 through a survey based questionnaire. Formal learning
 process is discussed with reference to learning activities as
 promoted by formal learning institutes, while informal
 learning process is examined by way of investigating learning
 motivation factors associated with (i) video-games, (ii)
 social networking websites and (iii) motion-pictures. Results
 illustrate interesting revelation of learning motivational
 factors, particularly motivational factors associated with
 informal learning environment and processes have been
 found to have a statistically significant relationship with
 web-based learning. The paper concludes implications of the
 statistical findings for designing of cognitively engaging
 web-based learning environments.

In Web-based cooperative learning environments, peer-to-peer interaction often suffers from the difficulty due to lack of exploring useful social interaction information, so that peers cannot find appropriate learning partners to make an effective cooperative learning. This problem easily results in poor learning outcomes in Web-based cooperative learning environments. Generally, learning partners assigned by instructors cannot ensure to compose suitable learning groups for individual learners in cooperative learning environments. Inappropriate learning partners not only easily lead to poor learning interaction and achievement, but also lose the meaning of cooperative learning. As a result, this study presents a novel scheme of mining social interactive networks for recommending appropriate learning partners for individual learners in a cooperative problem-based learning environment. The preliminary experimental results reveal that the proposed scheme provides likely benefits in terms of promoting learnerspsila learning interaction and learning performance in cooperative learning environments.

Aim/Purpose: Drawing on transactional distance theory (TDT) and collaborative learning, this research proposes a research model to examine the role of collaborative learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. It investigates the potential antecedents that influence students’ academic achievements, autonomy, and satisfaction with online learning platforms. Background: The coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic devastating the world has shaken the global educational system; such a transformation compelled all educational institutes to utilize online learning platforms. Malaysian higher educational institutions were greatly concerned by this disease and faced considerable transformations that affected higher education learners. Additionally, the campus closure and movement regulations impacted traditional education. Thus, the Malaysian Government ordered students at higher education institutions to return to their hometowns and continue their studies through online learning. Therefore, online learning was the most reasonable alternative to resume the learning process. Furthermore, in the educational world, collaborative learning is pivotal to forming students’ interpersonal skills. Collaborative learning practice is working in pairs or small groups to attain the learning objectives collaboratively. Collaborative learning refers to the process of acquiring knowledge in a collaborative setting as opposed to alone. Since the instructor and students are in separate locations, it is challenging for the teacher to facilitate collaborative learning. Methodology: This study utilized a quantitative method; purposive sampling was implemented, and the data were collected from 260 university students, both undergraduate and postgraduate, as long as they were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia. The questionnaire for this research was designed to fit the research hypothesis. The items of the questionnaire have been adapted to certify the content’s validity. The collected data were analyzed using Smart PLS software, which has been utilized as an essential data analysis tool. Contribution: This research contributes to: (1) a better understanding of the importance of communication and connection among students-students and teachers in online learning environments, as the results suggest that the more communication between students, teachers, and the environment itself, the greater the academic achievements, learners’ autonomy, and satisfaction; and (2) the role of both collaborative learning and TDT on learners’ academic achievements, autonomy, and satisfaction. Findings: This study advances by incorporating TDT and collaborative learning theories. This research model illustrates six main factors in online learning platforms that enhance students’ academic achievements, autonomy, and satisfaction through collaborative learning. The results showed a strong association between TDT and collaborative learning regarding the online learning platforms’ utilization for improving academic achievements, learners’ autonomy, and satisfaction. Recommendations for Practitioners: This model provided exceptional support to students during this sudden switch to online alternatives and helped them cope with the considerable challenges they faced under the current circumstances. Moreover, this model provides a guideline for higher education teachers and administrators for coping with online learning platforms. Recommendation for Researchers: Drawing on the association between TDT and collaborative learning regarding the utilization of online learning platforms for improving academic achievements, learners’ autonomy, and learner satisfaction, the research result presents a road map for researchers in the field of online learning. Accordingly, researchers are encouraged to utilize these theories, as they can lead to improvements among online learners in higher education institutions. Impact on Society: This preliminary model, which was developed throughout this research, will be a great support to both researchers and instructors to be able to utilize and elaborate in accordance with the role of online platforms on students’ satisfaction, autonomy, and academic achievements. It is critical for higher education administrators to pay more attention to the nature of communication between students and student instructors, which has been shown to have a positive influence on their academic achievements, to implement online learning. Moreover, instructors and course developers must be trained and skilled to achieve online learning platform goals. Future Research: Future research could include more information about blended learning environments and their relationship to the technology acceptance model as an online learning model. Researchers may extend the model used in this study.

There is a growing global interest in extending the field of study from stand-alone learning environment to collaborative or cooperative learning environment. In the light of the recent explosive growth of information communication technology, the platform for collaborative or cooperative activities should be revisited. This paper investigates the technological challenges in using distributed multimedia in a collaborative learning environment and proposes an architecture for multimedia processing in the collaborative learning environment. V-Class, a Java application suite with intensive distributed multimedia support, has been developed and deployed, allowing collaborative learning between students and tutors at remote locations. Students can engage in group activities and also collaborate with tutors. Each student sees a common shared window on which text or graphical objects may be added and which can then be shared online. A built-in chat room supports collaborative dialogue. Students can work either in collaborative groups or in teams as directed by the tutor. This paper summarizes the technical architecture of the V-Class system as well as the pedagogical implications of the suite.

In today’s world, digital technology enables us to access knowledge from anywhere, anytime and learn at our pace. This online learning process when made interactive and collaborative can lead to effective learning. Synchronous online learning satisfies these requirements of online and distant learning with focus on the quality of instruction and how effectively learners are engaged. As the name implies, synchronous learning allows instruction and learning to happen in real-time, but not necessarily in the same place. It provides all the advantages of digital, online and distant learning with an added benefit of bringing human interaction to the learning environment which is not available in an asynchronous learning platform. This paper focuses on using synchronous learning environment to enhance mathematics learning. While an abundant source of materials are available online related to mathematics, support from the teacher is always an added advantage especially since mathematics includes problem-solving and logical reasoning. The students will remain engaged and motivated in a synchronous learning environment than in an asynchronous one since immediate feedback is highly appreciated by the students when faced with a critical and challenging concept. If both the teacher and the students are familiar with the use of the synchronous technology tools, synchronous learning can combine the benefits of both face-to-face and online digital learning while bringing the learners together through collaborative learning. Collaboration brings in new ideas and methods of learning. Hence it is inevitable that the present educators make use of this opportunity to humanize online and distant learning by familiarizing themselves with efficient tools and making use of the discoveries and inventions in the field of education, computer science, anthropology, and psychology. There are many tools and software packages available for implementing synchronous learning, and the choice depends on the type of interactions and the pedagogy preferred by the teacher.

The global crisis brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic paved the way for a new normal. As a result, the higher education system has opted for a delivery model based on flexible learning. To help with the implementation of flexible learning, Google Classroom was used. Google Classroom, as learning management system, is part of the online Google Apps for Education suite of productivity applications for teachers and students in flexible learning. The goal of this study is to assess the perception and satisfaction of college education students on Google Classroom as a teaching and learning tool. This research employed a descriptive method, with the students responding to an online survey questionnaire. The sample for this study was drawn using stratified random sampling and Slovins' formula was used to determine the number of samples drawn from the total population, which consisted of 321 students enrolled during the first semester of the school year 2021–2022. In order to answer research questions frequency count, average, percentile, and inferential statistics such as the independent-samples t-test and one-way ANOVA were used. The findings from the survey showed that majority of the college education students agreed that Google Classroom is easy to access, useful, supports communication and interaction and instruction delivery in flexible learning. When asked about their level of satisfaction, the respondents were very satisfied with the Google Classroom as instructional medium for teaching and learning. Moreover, results revealed that Google Classroom supports flexible language learning through the following: (a) assists them in completing their assignments on time; (b) helps them to be interactive in participating and engaging in fruitful discussion; and (c) motivates students to manage time. Therefore, it occurs that Google Classroom, as an educational interactive tool, has the potential to contribute to the effective delivery of flexible language teaching and learning. Furthermore, an independent sample t-test revealed that there is no statistically significant difference of the respondents’ perceptions on the utilization of Google Classroom when grouped according to their profile. In addition, one-way Anova analysis of the data revealed no statistically significant differences in student perceptions and satisfaction when classified by profile. On the other hand, when the respondents' courses are taken into consideration, there is a statistically significant difference in their satisfaction with Google Classroom. This study concludes that Google Classroom as instructional medium for teaching and learning contributes to effective flexible learning. It is recommended that professional development and capacity-building programs in college majors and courses should be tailored to the current teaching and learning environment and also to help the transition into other learning management systems used in higher education, undergraduate students should be exposed to free web-based learning applications like Google Classroom.

Designing an educational online learning environment requires proper planning as it will influence students' learning experiences. For the purpose of developing a computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) environment, the development process should be properly designed to meet the objectives of learning. In this research, the design of a CSCL environment is explained using the Three-phase Development Model (3PD) which serves as a guideline for developing a functional learning environment. This study attempts at promoting interaction in CSCL by designing interaction during the development process of the CSCL environment rather than scaffolding interaction during the online learning process.

The advance of online technology and instructional delivery such as Web‐based learning (WBL) has heralded new changes in education. Students using the WBL environment in various courses at eight universities in Malaysia were surveyed. Results showed that five main factors influence the effectiveness of the online learning process: students' behavior, characteristics of lecturers, interactive application, technology or system, and the institutions. Results indicated that students' grades are highly correlated with student perception, self‐efficacy and interactivity. The WBL learners do not outperform traditional learners. There is also a need to improve the quality of WBL due to differences in adaptation styles of learners in the process.

Empirical research has shown that applying authentic tasks can create a collaborative learning environment for learners, which enables them to engage in meaningful language exchanges that promote their second language acquisition. Although new technologies make collaboration among learners possible in virtual classrooms, few studies have investigated task design in multimodal learning environments or its influence on learners’ interaction and collaborative language learning. To fill the gap, this study was carried out to explore the best practice by applying a task-based language teaching approach via a web conferencing-based online Chinese class. The purpose of the current research was to answer the following questions: (1) How do communicative tasks stimulate learners’ collaboration and interaction in an online Chinese language class?, (2) What are learners’ perceptions of the task design in the web-conferencing-based multimodal learning environment?, and (3) What are the impacts of technology-mediated task-based language teaching on learners’ learning experience? In this study, 16 university beginner learners of Chinese participated in this two-stage project. Data were collected through post-session surveys, in-depth interviews, and web conferencing archive recordings. The results confirmed that the designed communicative tasks showed great pedagogical value in facilitating learners’ collaboration and interaction in an online learning environment.KeywordsComputer-assisted language learning (CALL)Collaborative learningLearners’ interactionMultimodal learning

Many institutions of higher education, educational organizations, the business community, and learners are embracing e-learning for a variety of reasons and needs. These parties refer to key factors such as flexibility, the use of mixed interactive multimedia, Internet research, archiving, electronic networks, telecommunications, and cost to support the idea that e-learning could serve as a viable and qualitative learning alternative. Some educators and learners, however, believe that e-learning cannot, and should not, replace classroom instruction, pointing out that the quality of face-to-face education must not be compromised by e-learning. Nevertheless, professional and scholastic individuals with such reservations often recognize that e-learning can be a valuable supplement and effective learning tool for mature and responsible students and should be pursued. Hence, quality of learning is a deciding factor as to whether e-learning should be considered as a total and effective learning environment.Recent educational statistics and forecasts have revealed that e-learning is gaining ground in community colleges and universities nationwide. Investigating and assessing the planning and implementation processes of e-learning courses and programs at these institutions of higher education is necessary to determine the quality of a Web-based learning environment. Quality e-learning is a Web-based learning environment designed, developed, and delivered based on several dynamic principles, such as institutional support, course development, teaching/learning, course structure, student support, faculty support, and evaluation and assessment (Phipps & Merisotis, 2000).Ensuring a quality e-learning environment is essential in providing students with the full range of benefits that e-learning entails.Advanced new technology has provided educators with valuable tools to design, develop, and teach quality e-learning courses. Educators could use effective technology-based applications, such as microworlds, virtual realities, and case studies to simulate active and quality e-learning environments that might otherwise be unavailable to the learner. Evolving technology is making it even very possible for learners at a distance to interact fully with fellow learners in course related activities. Participating in high-quality e-learning courses and programs, community college and university learners gain an ability to obtain educational instruction under almost any circumstances. There will be no more excuses about the lack of time or availability of courses or transportation.E-learning is now occupying part of the higher education agenda. Depending on the individual and type of degree, course, and program, e-learning could be described as a “total” education option. To achieve successful e-learning experiences for all student participants, institutions of higher education should ensure that the academic needs of the learner are met and the quality of education is guaranteed.There is a critical need for more research in the area of planning for quality e-learning courses and programs at colleges and universities. Educators must find ways to effectively plan for and offer comprehensive e-learning courses and programs in a variety of subject areas for learners and workers. Community colleges and universities could serve more individuals and businesses, at the location of their choosing, with a wide range of developing e-learning courses, programs, and projects. Technology has given us great opportunity to reach more potential learners and employers than we ever have had before. Institutions of higher education need to harness and manage this energy successfully and ride it into the future.Based on current distance learning research and personal e-learning experience, the author designed an operational definition of establishing a quality e-learning course and program. Figure 1 demonstrates the four main pillars of a solid foundation of building such a course and program: (1) Durable pedagogical strategies to design, develop, and implement effective e-learning courses and programs in which students assume significant responsibility toward their own learning; (2) flexible and convenient access to resources and support services; (3) an organizational base that has a long-term vision and mission in place, managed by proactive leaders who seek collaboration and monetary support to develop and implement quality e-learning courses and programs, driven by market needs, and complying with the laws of ownership and intellectual property rights; and (4) robust technological tools that meet the instructional and learning demands of students and instructors and integrate well with diverse content to obtain the desired learning outcomes. Figure 1 elaborates on and expands the current principles of quality e-learning identified in the e-learning literature.