How insights from the social sciences, including social psychology and economics, can improve the design of online communities.Online communities are among the most popular destinations on the Internet, but not all online communities are equally successful. For every flourishing Facebook, there is a moribund Friendster—not to mention the scores of smaller social networking sites that never attracted enough members to be viable. This book offers lessons from theory ...

This book seeks to establish an interdisciplinary, applied social scientific model for researchers and students that advocates a cooperative effort between machines and people. After showing that basic research on social processes offers much needed guidance for those creating technology and designing tools for group work, its papers demonstrate the mutual relevance of social science and information system design, and encourage better integration of these disciplines.This comprehen...

Teaching in Blended Leaning Environments provides a coherent framework in which to explore the transformative concept of blended learning. Blended learning can be defined as the organic integration of thoughtfully selected and complementary face-to-face and online approaches and technologies. A direct result of the transformative innovation of virtual communication and online learning communities, blended learning environments have created new ways for teachers and students to eng...

Instructional-Design Theories and Models, Volume III: Building a Common Knowledge Base is perhaps best described by its new subtitle. Whereas Volume II sought to comprehensively review the proliferating theories and models of instruction of the 1980’s and 1990’s, Volume III takes on an even more daunting task: starting to build a common knowledge base that underlies and supports the vast array of instructional theories, models and strategies that constitute the field of Instructio...

This volume presents the narrative sections from grant proposals by Gerry Stahl to NSF and other funding sources. Included are proposals that won grants that supported his research at the University of Colorado and Drexel University. They propose multi-year research projects in computer-supported collaborative learning and related domains. Even those that were not funded provide visionary ideas. Proposals for ecological preservation are also included.

This is a book for anyone who has ever considered engaging in the scholarship of teaching and learning – known familiarly as SoTL – and needs a better understanding of what it is, and how to engage in it. The authors describe how to create a SoTL project, its implications for promotion and tenure, and how it fosters:* Increased satisfaction and fulfillment in teaching* Improved student learning* Increased productivity of scholarly publication* Collaboration with...

Sponsored by the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT), this book presents a definition of the field of study and practice known as educational technology or instructional technology. It reflects the collaborative efforts of all members of the AECT Definition and Terminology Committee.The volume begins with the statement of the definition itself (chapter 1), followed by commentary chapters on each of the key terms and concepts contained in the definition ...

50 Techniques for Engaging Students and Assessing Learning in College CoursesDo you want to:Know what and how well your students are learning?Promote active learning in ways that readily integrate assessment?Gather information that can help make grading more systematic and streamlined?Efficiently collect solid learning outcomes data for institutional assessment?Provide evidence of your teaching effectiveness for...

What knowledge and skills do designers of learning technologies need? What is the best way to train them to create high-quality educational technologies? Distilling the wisdom of expert instructors and designers, this cutting-edge guide offers a clear, accessible balance of theory and practical examples.This cutting-edge guide:synthesizes learning, instructional design, and educational technology perspectives on learning-centered technology — highlighting how...

Research has identified the importance of helping students develop the ability to monitor their own comprehension and to make their thinking processes explicit, and indeed demonstrates that metacognitive teaching strategies greatly improve student engagement with course material.This book -- by presenting principles that teachers in higher education can put into practice in their own classrooms -- explains how to lay the ground for this engagement, and help students become self-reg...

This book summarizes the results of the second year in the Design Thinking Research Program, a joint venture of Stanford University in Palo Alto and Hasso Plattner Institute in Potsdam. The authors have taken a closer look at the issue of co-creation from different points-of-view. The concept of co-creation can also be applied to the phase in which new ideas and related thought start to influence companies, the economy, our culture, and society. The perpetual pursuit for invention...

The new field of learning design has the potential to revolutionize not only technology in education, but the whole field of teaching and learning through the application of design thinking to education. Learning Design looks inside the "black box" of pedagogy to understand what teachers and learners do together, and how the best teaching ideas can be shared on a global scale. Learning design supports all pedagogical approaches, content areas, and fields of education.The b...