Browsing by Author "Chu, Man-Wai"

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    Assessing Serious Games: The GRAND Assessment Framework
    (Society for Digital Humanities Société pour l'étude des médias interactifs, 2014) Gee, Domini; Chu, Man-Wai; Blimke, Simeon; Rockwell, Geoffrey; Gouglas, Sean; Holmes, David; Lucky, Shannon
    The videogame industry is a considerable market: in 2012, the industry was worth over $86 billion USD and about seventy-two percent of American households play videogames. It is unsurprising, then, that commercial and educational developers and/or researchers have sought to capitalise on videogames. Games and simulation technologies have been used for educational purposes for thousands of years prior to the digital era (Gee 2007). Digital games, however, offer many new affordances including increased accessibility, reinforced automation (i.e., fair and consistent application of rules), embedded data-gathering for assessment, dynamic adaptation to student needs, the ability to simulate complex situations for student inquiry in a safe context, and reduced overall costs (Jin and Low 2011). However, it is difficult to assess the process of serious game development and effectiveness of educational play. Many serious games retrofit assessment late into the project, creating a gap between original intents and the game's current uses, limiting effectiveness of measuring and meeting the project's goals. As such, we propose an assessment framework that synthesises work from various fields (educational assessment, game design, usability, project management) that aims to guide researchers and game developers through a project from its inception to the end by presenting specific topics to address and questions to answer throughout the game design phase of the project. By building assessment into the game development from the get-go, original intents and a game's current uses can more closely align, allowing for stronger, purposeful games. L’industrie du jeu vidéo est un marché appréciable. En 2012, elle dépassait 86 milliards de dollars US et environ soixante-douze pour cent des ménages américains jouent aux jeux vidéo. Il n’est pas surprenant alors que des concepteurs et des chercheurs de la sphère commerciale et éducationnelle ont cherché à tirer profit des jeux vidéo. Bien avant l’avènement de l’ère numérique, jeux et technologie de simulation étaient utilisés à des fins pédagogiques (Gee 2007). Le jeu vidéo offre toutefois de nouvelles affordances : accessibilité accrue, automatisation renforcée (c.-à-d. l’application juste et systématique des règles), collecte de données intégrée pour l’évaluation, adaptation dynamique aux besoins des élèves, possibilité de simuler des situations complexes pour l’expérience de recherche de l’élève dans un contexte sécuritaire et, finalement, réduction des coûts globaux (Jin and Low 2011). Il est toutefois difficile d’évaluer le processus de conception de jeux sérieux et l’efficacité du jeu éducationnel. De nombreux jeux sérieux intègrent l’évaluation tard dans le projet, créant un écart entre les intentions originelles et les utilisations actuelles du jeu, limitant ainsi l’efficacité à mesurer et respecter les objectifs du projet. À ce titre, nous proposons un cadre d’évaluation synthétisant les travaux dans divers domaines (évaluation pédagogique, conception de jeu, facilité d’utilisation, gestion de projet) qui guiderait chercheurs et concepteurs de jeux dans un projet, de son lancement à sa fin, en présentant des sujets précis à traiter et des questions à répondre pendant la phase conception du jeu du projet. L’incorporation dès le départ de l’évaluation dans la conception du jeu permettrait un meilleur alignement des intentions premières et des utilisations actuelles du jeu, permettant ainsi une expérience de jeux plus forte et plus significative.
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    Canadian second language teachers’ technology use following the COVID-19 pandemic.
    (University of Toronto Press, 2023-08-02) Dressler, Roswita; Guida, Rochelle; Chu, Man-Wai
    If teachers have previously used technology (e.g., Learning Management Systems, document sharing, video conferencing, gamification, social media or video recording), they are likely to use it again. For second language (L2) teachers, sudden or planned for online instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic may have resulted in their using new or familiar technology to support their pedagogy, engage students, or provide authentic target language input. However, since online instruction was temporary, perhaps their use of certain technologies was temporary as well. To investigate L2 teachers’ use of technology before, during and (anticipatedly) post-pandemic, we statistically analyzed data on technology use (n=18 items) from a survey of Canadian L2 teachers (n=203). We inquired about their use of Learning Management Systems, document sharing, video conferencing, gamification, social media, and video recording. Our findings revealed that teachers’ use of technology during the pandemic predicted their anticipated use post-pandemic. Teachers who used any of the six technologies during the pandemic were significantly more likely to anticipate using those same ones post-pandemic than those who did not. Despite the challenges of implementing these tools under these circumstances, these six technologies may remain as part of L2 teaching moving forward.
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    Correlated Data Analysis via Variants of EM Algorithm: Application to Data on Physical Activity and Maternal Health
    (2024-09-13) Li, Jia; De Leon, Alexander; Li, Haocheng; Wu, Jingjing; Lu, Xuewen; Chu, Man-Wai; Sheng, Xiaoming
    The thesis concerns the analysis of correlated data on multiple variables via the EM algorithm and its variants. Specifically, we focus on (cross-sectional) multivariate iid data comprising a disparate mix of binary and non-Gaussian variables (including the special case of multivariate binary data), and on longitudinal data on multiple Gaussian responses in a regression setting. For the case with correlated data on multiple binary variables and that with mixed data on binary and non-Gaussian continuous variables, we introduced the class of meta-probit (MPMs) and extended meta-probit models (XMPMs) as generalizations to non-Gaussian settings of the grouped continuous model (GCM) – also known as the multivariate probit model (MVPM) – and its extension to mixed data, the conditional GCM (CGCM). Con- structed from Gaussian copula distributions (GCDs), a class of meta-Gaussian distributions based on the Gaussian copula, MPMs and XMPMs broaden the sphere of applications of joint models to settings that involve complex non-standard data on variables with different measurement scales and with marginal distributions, latent and otherwise, from different parametric families. To avoid the computational challenges of maximum likelihood (ML) estimation in MPMs/XMPMs, we adopted the method of inference function for margins, a two-part estimation method that first estimates marginal parameters marginally via (marginal) ML estimation, and then estimates joint parameters (i.e., normal correlations) jointly via profile ML estimation based on the full joint likelihood function, with marginal parameters evaluated at their marginal estimates. The method is especially appropriate for copula models, in general, and MPMs/XMPMs, in particular, because marginal distributions are specified completely independently of their dependence structure in copula models. For joint estimation of the normal correlations, we adopted a parameter expanded EM (PX-EM) algorithm to simplify E-step calculations – all done numerically exactly using freely available R packages – and to make possible a closed-form M-step update, allowing us to avoid the complications associated with having to estimate a correlation matrix. We used the standard theory of inference functions to obtain the (joint) asymptotic Gaussian distribution of the resulting maximum pseudo-likelihood estimates (MPLEs). Results of Monte Carlo simulations confirmed the consistency and asymptotic unbiasedness of MPLEs, with SEs that generally reflected the estimates’ true sampling variability. Finally, we generalized the ECME algorithm to multiple-outcomes setting to implement ML estimation for the joint Gaussian LMMs with atypically large numbers of random effects. Monte Carlo simulations show that the resulting estimates are consistent, with comparable efficiencies with those obtained by pairwise methods. We further illustrate our methodology with longitudinal survey data on physical activity collected by ActivPALTM (www.paltech. plus.com).
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    Designing an Authentic Assessment of Elementary Citizenship Competency Through Real-World Democratic Deliberation
    (2022-01-27) Waatainen, Paula Joann; Chu, Man-Wai; Friesen, Sharon; Scott, David
    As education systems increasingly emphasize the development of competency, teachers need support in building their assessment literacy in how to design classroom assessments of competency. Teachers who aim to plan classroom assessment and instruction to support their students as they learn democracy together (Biesta & Lawy, 2006) will not find a cohesive, useful framework operationalizing what the citizenship competencies associated with this learning entail. In this design-based research study, a researcher and teachers designed and administered an authentic assessment (e.g., Gulikers et al., 2004; Koh & Luke, 2009) of citizenship competencies that grade 6 and 7 students may have developed in deliberating together as participants in a real-world public consultation process in their city. Data was collected through student self-assessments, artifacts of the design process, observation, and semi-structured interviews with students, teachers, and city representatives. Thematic analysis identified potential contributions to theory and practice from this first three-stage cycle of design in what will be a multi-cycle design process. The practical significance of this study is in the creation of an exemplar of practice and a graphic organizer, adapted from the conceptual framework, which together provide procedural scaffolding and provocations for discussion to help teachers develop their assessment literacy in designing authentic assessments of competency. Theoretical significance is in some promising contributions to our understanding of how citizenship competency might be operationalized for assessment. Findings included: a) the value of using a situated approach over a generic framework to operationalize what competency might entail in a real-world context b) the ability to prioritize and deliberate as potentially transferable citizenship competencies, c) the value of supportive task framing through graphic organizers and games in supporting young students in their authentic participation as citizens, and d) the capability of students as partners in conversations about the assessment of their competency. A contribution to the problem of practice was made in the design of an exemplar of practice and graphic organizer that are intended to be used as provocations and scaffolding for professional conversations about the design of authentic assessments of competency. Findings described in the exemplar of practice include: a) student reports of fairness and clarity of the assessment, b) the challenge of assessing student learning when socio-emotional dynamics impact student comfort in civic engagement with other students, c) the challenge of using a multi-pronged approach to assessment in a realistically busy classroom and teaching context, and d) the great value of exploring competency requirements in a real-world context before designing assessment and instruction. Recommendations are made to enhance use of authentic assessment strategies in teacher-education and teacher professional learning and to provide significantly more support for teachers in this work. Recommendations for future research include field-testing the exemplar of practice and graphic organizer with Bachelor of Education students, a second iteration of design with a new class in the next phase of the city public consultation process, and a study with a purpose to design an authentic assessment of citizenship competency in a high school context that requires grading.
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    Effective Teaching Practices for English as an Additional Language Learning in Alberta, Canada
    (2023-07) Salmon, Katherine Lee; Friesen, Sharon; Chu, Man-Wai; Dressler, Roswita
    English as an additional language (EAL) learners lag behind their English-speaking peers academically and it takes longer for them to achieve high school completion requirements (Alberta Education, 2017; 2018, 2019a). Teachers play a critical role in providing intentional language instruction alongside content instruction to support these vulnerable learners. This study addressed three research questions: i) What instructional practices do teachers use to support EAL learners? ii) How does background knowledge inform teachers in their decision making and in determining the effectiveness of the instructional practices they use to support EAL learners? iii) In what ways do pre-service and in-service teacher education impact teachers’ effective instruction for EAL learning? Participants (n=17) were teachers who were recognized as holding specialized EAL knowledge and administrators who lead EAL learning in their jurisdiction. They participated in semi-structured interviews about the instructional practices that they perceived as the most effective for EAL learning. Six key findings were identified: i) positive relationships are foundational for EAL learners, ii) explicit language instruction needs to be embedded in the content areas, iii) teachers ideology influences their background knowledge and impacts their decision making, iv) knowledge of learning theories that impact EAL learning informs teacher’s decision making, v) effective instructional practices for EAL learning should be embedded in post-secondary courses for pre-service teachers, and vi) professional learning in EAL learning is needed for in-service teachers’ and administrators’ decision making for instruction and programming. A conclusion drawn from this study is that the language intentions have to be explicitly identified and stated along with learning intentions for each lesson/unit of study. Another conclusion is that there are some Alberta educators who have a strong theoretical knowledge and a repertoire of effective instructional strategies for EAL learning, however, many teachers and administrators do not have solid theoretical and practical knowledge. As such a recommendation from this study is that professional learning about EAL Learning is required for pre-service and in-service teachers and for practicing administrators.
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    Evaluating the Quality of ELA Performance Assessments for Developing Students’ Academic Language Proficiency
    (2024-04-11) Abidi, Ali Ahmad; Koh, Kim; Chapman, Olive; Chu, Man-Wai
    According to Wiggins (1989), authentic assessment can help foster students’ deep understanding, higher-order thinking, and complex problem solving through the performance of exemplary tasks. In academic language, authentic assessment consisting of rich and open-ended tasks is deemed to provide students with the opportunity to apply their language skills in real-world contexts. In the context of English language teaching and learning, it is important to ensure that performance assessments replicate the real-world challenges and performance standards as outlined in the intended curriculum to promote students’ learning and mastery of academic language. The authenticity of performance assessments can be determined by well-established criteria. This quantitative study investigated the quality of English Language Arts (ELA) performance assessments, assembled by an external assessment agency to develop elementary (Grades 1–6) students’ academic language proficiency (ALP) with a particular focus on: the authentic intellectual quality of the performance assessments and the alignment between the performance assessments and the learning outcomes as stipulated in the ELA programs of study (i.e., the ELA curriculum). My quantitative analyses included descriptive statistics of 27 ELA performance assessments assembled by an external assessment agency in the Canadian province. The quality of the performance assessments was analyzed using the Koh Authentic Intellectual Quality (AIQ) criteria (2011a). The criteria provided a basis to determine the authenticity and intellectual demands of the ELA performance assessments for engaging student learning and development of ALP. Results indicated that although there was a close alignment between the performance assessments and the intended curriculum in most grade levels, the AIQ of all performance assessments was low. These findings underscore the importance of designing high quality ELA performance assessments for elementary ELA students. High quality performance assessments should place greater emphasis on the intellectual or cognitive demands of the tasks in addition to the authenticity of the tasks. Recommendations are offered on future lines of research that would pave way for a better understanding of the design and use of ELA performance assessments that promote elementary school students’ ALP.
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    Examining Educators' Perceptions About Teaching Students Identified with Reading Disabilities
    (2022-07-22) Funke Robinson, Kirstin; Lock, Jennifer; Brown, Barbara; Chu, Man-Wai; Friesen, Sharon; Specht, Jacqueline
    The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of secondary sociocultural artifacts on educators’ perceptions about teaching students identified with reading disabilities (RD). This investigation offered an alternative to traditional special education research by considering sociocultural influences, rather than emphasizing innate characteristics within students. A definitive conceptual model that explained how secondary sociocultural artifacts shape educators’ perceptions of teaching students identified with RD was not found in a review of related literature. Therefore, a specific examination of these perceptions of educators as situated within the unique context within which they were employed was sought. Using a descriptive case study design, a detailed account of the themes within sociocultural artifacts and the perceptions of educators across various roles were gathered within one school district. Since RD tends to be identified in late elementary grades, educators with responsibilities for grades 4-7 were included. Data were gathered across three phases using the methods of document analysis, questionnaires, and interviews. Twelve participants completed the questionnaires and six participants completed interviews. Four major findings were identified from this study. First, the contents of the secondary sociocultural artifacts salient to this school district aligned with either a special or an inclusive education model. Second, classroom teachers’ perspectives on reading disabilities aligned with a fixed deficit model overall, rationalized by their personal experiences with artifacts of special education. Third, classroom teachers’ beliefs about their own self-efficacy to teach students identified with RD varied, based on different aspects emphasized in their reflections on teaching students identified with RD. Fourth, those artifacts aligned with special education were perceived as inhibiting classroom teaching of students identified with RD. The findings from this study contributed to a conceptual framework for how secondary sociocultural artifacts shape educators’ perceptions. Given the important influence of educators’ perceptions on their actual practices, this study was critical to understand how to stimulate actions aimed at improving teaching practices for students identified with RD.
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    Exploring the Role of a Learner-Centered Assessment Approach in Developing Undergraduate Business Students’ Entrepreneurial Knowledge, Skills, and Mindset
    (2022-01) Khan, Sharaz; Koh, Kim; Chu, Man-Wai; Lock, Jennifer; Simmons, Marlon; Kelly, Robert; Li, Qing
    Unlike the traditional teacher/instructor-centered approach, Learner-Centered Assessment (LCA) promotes students’ active learning that occurs according to the needs of the 21st-century society. The process of creating LCA is not a ready-made solution, making it possible to develop a unique, inclusive model that could be implemented with the same success in different education settings. Research has shown that LCA makes student learning more meaningful by being applied through discovery, creative, and inductive approaches. It enables independent work of learners to be more apparent and better represented and focused on individualization and individual gains. Using LCA, students in undergraduate business programs are expected to develop the following entrepreneurial skills: dynamic strategies, research, creativity, and an entrepreneurial mindset (e.g., the ability to recognize an entrepreneurial culture and effectively manage a team). The characteristics of LCA have been recognized to go above the definition and conceptual delimitation of standardized testing and rote learning. Using LCA, a balanced approach to teaching and learning the necessary 21st-century entrepreneurial skills and recognizing the responsibility of being the mediator of the LCA approach can be manifested through innovative instructional strategies involving the use of technology. In my study of the role of LCA in the development of undergraduate students’ entrepreneurship through the redesign of learning tasks in a course, the mixed methods research design guided my data collection using pre- and post-LCA questionnaires, one-on-on interviews, and observations. The data enabled me to answer research questions pertaining to undergraduate business students’ perceptions of the value of LCA on developing their entrepreneurial knowledge, skills, and mindset, as well as their learning experiences of LCA in the course and the affordances and challenges of incorporating the use of technology into LCA.
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    Optimum Learning for All Students Implementing Alberta’s 2018 Professional Practice Standards 2021-2022 Year 3 Survey Report
    (2022-08-03) Friesen, Sharon; Chu, Man-Wai; Hunter, Darryl; Brown, Barbara; Parsons, Dennis; Stelmach, Bonnie; Schmidt, Edgar; Adams, Pamela; Burleigh, Dawn; Mombourquette, Carmen
    Alberta Education commissioned this 4-year longitudinal, mixed methods research study, which is designed to assess, deepen, and extend the implementation process for Alberta’s three professional practice standards: The Teaching Quality Standard (TQS) the Leadership Quality Standard (LQS), and the Superintendent Leadership Quality Standard (SLQS). This report presents the survey findings from the third year of the study. Findings are presented for each of the three standards. Results overall indicate: 1. educators across the province are in the adapting stage of implementation--– where teachers, school leaders, and superintendents are still adapting in their practice to novel problems– they reported much flexibility. The ongoing public health situation continue to require flexibility and continuing adaptivity. The standards and their implementation do not appear to be rigidifying practice since interquartile ranges and standard deviations remain professionally healthy for fostering discussion and multiple perspectives. 2. leaders must continue to engage the wider community. While small gains have been made in year 2 of the study, year 3 results indicate that leaders are negatively experiencing most of the impact from the ongoing pandemic. 3. forms and formats of professional learning and leadership development to build capacity in teachers, leaders, and superintendent leaders continue to shifted markedly. What that means for changing educator behaviour and enacting standards to support “optimal” learning remains unclear, and 4. Organization drivers indicate the need to create more hospitable administrative, funding, policy, and procedures to ensure that the competency drivers are accessible and effective as well as to ensure continuous quality monitoring and improvement with particular attention needed to student outcomes.
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    Optimum Learning for All Students Implementing Alberta’s 2018 Professional Practice Standards A Longitudinal, Mixed Methods Research Study: 2019-2020 Provincial Year 1 Survey Research Report
    (2021-04-15) Friesen, Sharon; Chu, Man-Wai; Hunter, Darryl; Brandon, Jim; Brown, Barb; Louie, Dustin; Stelmach, Bonnie; Schmidt, Edgar; Adams, Pamela; Burleigh, Dawn; Mombourquette, Carmen; Parsons, Dennis
    Alberta Education commissioned this 4-year longitudinal, mixed methods research study, which is designed to assess, deepen, and extend the implementation process for Alberta’s three professional practice standards: The Teaching Quality Standard (TQS) the Leadership Quality Standard (LQS), and the Superintendent Leadership Quality Standard (SLQS). This report presents the survey findings from the first year of the study. Findings are presented for each of the three standards. Results overall indicate: 1. educators across the province are in the adapting stage of implementation. The standards and their implementation do not appear to be rigidifying practice since interquartile ranges and standard deviations remain professionally healthy for fostering discussion and multiple perspectives. 2. leaders must engage the wider community in schools. Those competencies in leading those within the system are stronger than for leading those beyond the system. 3. pedagogy as it relates to First Nations, Métis and Inuit foundational knowledge, alongside traditional Western ideas in mathematics and the sciences, are a challenge.
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    Optimum Learning for All Students Implementing Alberta’s 2018 Professional Practice Standards A Longitudinal, Mixed Methods Research Study: 2020-2021 Provincial Year 2 Survey Research Report
    (2021-04-15) Friesen, Sharon; Chu, Man-Wai; Hunter, Darryl; Brandon, Jim; Brown, Barb; Louie, Dustin; Hunter, Darryl; Stelmach, Bonnie; Schmidt, Edgar; Adams, Pamela; Burleigh, Dawn; Mombourquette, Carmen
    Alberta Education commissioned this 4-year longitudinal, mixed methods research study, which is designed to assess, deepen, and extend the implementation process for Alberta’s three professional practice standards: The Teaching Quality Standard (TQS) the Leadership Quality Standard (LQS), and the Superintendent Leadership Quality Standard (SLQS). This report presents the survey findings from the first year of the study. Findings are presented for each of the three standards. Results overall indicate: 1. educators across the province are in the adapting stage of implementation--– where teachers, school leaders, and superintendents are still adapting in their practice to novel problems– they reported much flexibility. The public health situation in 2020 and 2021 have required such flexibility and continuing adaptivityThe standards and their implementation do not appear to be rigidifying practice since interquartile ranges and standard deviations remain professionally healthy for fostering discussion and multiple perspectives. 2. leaders must engage the wider community in schools. Those competencies in leading those within the system are stronger than for leading those beyond the system. While small gains have been made in year 2 of the study, leaders must continue to engage with the public to continue constructing public confidence. 3. forms and formats of professional learning and leadership development have shifted markedly over the past year, and will continue to shift after the pandemic. More technological delivery of customized courses, more collegial approaches in virtual learning space, and greater demand for both credentialed and non-credentialed learning will be necessary. What that means for changing educator behaviour and enacting standards to support “optimal” learning remains unclear.
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    Optimum Learning for All Students: A Research Study of Teaching Quality Standard, Leadership Quality Standard, and Superintendent Leader Quality Standard Implementation and Enactment in Alberta
    (2023-06-30) Friesen, Sharon; Brown, Barbara; Chu, Man-Wai; Parsons, Dennis; Hunter, Darryl; Stelmach, Bonnie; Adams, Pamela; Mombourquette, Carmen; Burleigh, Dawn; Edgar Schmidt
    February 7, 2018, the Ministerial Order in Alberta of three Professional Practice Standards conceptualized the professional practice of Alberta teachers, school and system leaders, and superintendents using a nested design which provided consistency in the way K-12 educators practice in Alberta. The four-year longitudinal convergent mixed methods study began in March 2018, prior to the beginning of the required implementation of the three standards and concluded in June 2023. Four research questions guided this study. Survey and case study were gathered from a total of 5536 teachers, 1832 leaders, and 106 superintendent leaders over the four years. Fifteen findings were identified through a process of merging the quantitative and qualitative data over four years. The study concluded there was a strong interplay between the professional practice standards as policy and the implementation into practice, the implementation of the standards was successful in the face of the 2.5 years of COVID in the midst of their implementation, the participating 35 school authorities cultivated a culture of continuous professional learning and improvement, implementation enhanced educators' understanding of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Knowledge, participants used an evidence-informed approach to guide practice, and all participants acknowledged the role of external supports and collaboration to realize policy in action.
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    Optimum Learning for all Students: Implementing Alberta’s 2018 Professional Practice Standards 2022-2023 Year 4 Survey Report
    (2023-03-20) Friesen, Sharon; Chu, Man-Wai; Hunter, Darryl
    Alberta Education commissioned this 4-year longitudinal, mixed methods research study, which is designed to assess, deepen, and extend the implementation process for Alberta’s three professional practice standards: The Teaching Quality Standard (TQS) the Leadership Quality Standard (LQS), and the Superintendent Leadership Quality Standard (SLQS). This report presents the survey findings from the third year of the study. Findings are presented for each of the three standards. Results overall indicate: 1. educators across the province are in the later adapting stages or within the embedding/sustaining phases of implementation. 2. Results indicate that those competencies in leading those within the system are stronger than for leading those beyond the system. 3. Attention must be drawn to a troubling trend in both the teacher and leader data. While only teachers report the impact of professional learning on their professional practice, both teachers and leaders report participation in a network formed specifically for the professional learning. The teacher results indicate that teachers are accessing various forms of professional learning within their school; however, only half the teachers indicate that the school based professional learning is having a positive impact on their practice. Leaders report a decline in a network formed specifically for the purposes of professional learning over the four years. This leads us to conclude that one of the essential conditions required to realize collective efficacy is not yet being met.
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    Quantity and quality of uptake: Examining surface and meaning-level feedback provided by peers and an instructor in a graduate research course
    (Elsevier, 2019-01) Dressler, Roswita; Chu, Man-Wai; Crossman, Katie; Hilman, Brianna
    We examine the quantity and quality of uptake of surface-level and meaning-level feedback provided by peers and an instructor on writing assignments in an online graduate-level research course at a North American English-medium university. In this study, the instructor and peers (9 graduate students) endeavored to provide feedback that was timely, specific and embedded in writing (Wolsey, 2008). Students integrated this feedback on their writing assignments approximately 84.89% of the time, with the rate of uptake for instructor-provided feedback slightly higher than that of peer-provided feedback. This study also found that students addressed surface-level feedback focusing on writing mechanics, more frequently than meaning-level feedback, which focuses on argumentation, flow, and content. Overall, instructor surface-level feedback was most likely to be taken up, peer meaning-level feedback items was least likely. These results reveal the need for student training in the provision and uptake of feedback in online graduate contexts and beyond.
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    Social Emotions in Cognition and Learning: Integrating Perspectives from the Educational Learning Sciences and Neurosciences
    (2022-11-09) Hachem, Maryam; Shanahan, Marie-Claire; Sengupta, Pratim; Chu, Man-Wai
    Social emotions, like empathy, compassion, admiration, and envy, are dynamic and complex as they not only involve the neural systems of simple emotions (e.g. happiness, sadness, fear), but also systems that support aspects of cognition, memory and emotion regulation. Research in neuroscience sheds light on the nested relationships between emotion, cognition and social functioning, and could provide a pivot for new research on the role of social emotions in education, however, studies that investigate neuroscientific insights in dynamic real-life settings rather than lab settings are scarce. Merging of perspectives from both fields has begun through the field of Mind, Brain and Education, which brings together the fields of neuroscience, psychology and education. The objective of this study is to examine the concept of social emotions primarily from an education perspective while integrating findings from cognitive and social-affective neuroscience. The study is divided into 2 phases (I & II). Through an interpretive methodological approach, this study examines the conceptualization of social emotions by preservice teachers and investigates how experiencing social emotions may impact cognition and learning in a real and dynamic learning setting. During Phase I, U of C Year 1 BEd students (n=107) were asked to define social emotions and how they would use this understanding in their design of classroom learning environments. In a different task, they were asked to reflect on video prompts that were either informative or emotional (i.e. targeting social emotions). During Phase II, U of C Year 2 BEd students (n=12) learned about 2 scientific topics, and worked in groups of 4 to complete learning tasks following similar videos used in Phase I. The final outcome was a collaboratively designed lesson plan about what they learned. Semi-structured individual interviews were held afterwards to discuss thoughts and perceptions about themselves as learners and teachers and their emotional states in relation to their learning experience overall. Emerged findings from the multiple layers of analysis help support neuroscientific hypotheses of the positive impact of social emotions on brain development and learning, and more importantly, shed light on the intricacies of learning in an authentic learning context through understanding the connections between cognition, emotions, and social context. Findings are discussed through a biopsychosocial model, and recommendations for future teaching education programs and learning environments, more generally, are made.