Using information technology to support teaching and learning is becoming ubiquitous in tertiary education. However, how students participate and perform when a major component of the learning experience is conducted via an online learning environment is still an open question. The objective of this study was to investigate any relationships between the participation, demographics and academic performance of students in an information technology course that was taught wholly online. Through a detailed analysis of tracking data of student participation, which was automatically collected by the online learning environment, it was found that a relationship existed between students' participation in the online learning environment and their performance, as measured by final results in the course. Relationships also existed between gender, nationality, participation and performance. However, there was no relationship between age and performance and participation. These findings suggest that when designing online learning for a diverse population, student demographics should be taken into account to maximise the benefits of the learning experience.

We had an Interpersonal Relationships course, a large class, around fifty students, working collaboratively in groups where students from different degrees, academic years, and ages, most of them deaf, tried, and to some extent were able, to communicate. We analyze this example of how diversity can be an asset and how learning management systems can act as mediators to overcome the challenges of diversity and the barriers of emotional isolation. We were carrying out a participatory action research project, within a blended learning environment supported by Moodle, to develop collaborative and personal pedagogical strategies to improve the inclusion and engagement of higher education students in their own learning and evaluation. We were using content analysis of the online discussions held by the students, of the reflective descriptions of the classes, of the students’ e‑portfolios, and of the interviews with the students. The paper describes how, in the context of this project, we have discovered that a learning management systems can be a powerful mediator in promoting the inclusion of deaf students and in establishing emotional bridges across gaps that face‑to‑face environments are sometimes unable to span.

Abstract: Online learning constitutes the most popular distance‑learning method, with flexibility, accessibility, visibility, manageability and availability as its core features. However, current research indicates that its efficacy is not consistent acro ss all learners. This study aimed to modify and extend the factors of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to examine perceived satisfaction of an Arabic sample in online learning. The integrated factors in the modified model includes: deep level (lea rning styles), surface level (gender), and cognitive (online self‑efficacy) factors. Learning styles were chosen as a central factor. Hence, the online course was purposefully developed to support one pole in each dimension of Felder and Silverman Le arning Styles Model (FSLSM) in order to reveal the pedagogical implications of learning styles on learner satisfaction. A total of 70 learners participated voluntarily in the research. At the end of the online course, they were requested to fill in two questionnaires: the Index of Learning Styles (ILS) and a standard questionnaire. The psychometric properties of the latter were firstly analysed to validate the instrument. Then, Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS‑SEM) was conduc ted to examine the proposed hypotheses. The model achieves an acceptable fit and explains 44.8% of variance. Perceived usefulness represented the best predictor, whereas online self‑efficacy and perceived ease of use failed to show a direct impact on perc eived satisfaction. Furthermore, neither learning styles nor gender diversity had direct influence on the dependent factors. Accordingly, the research suggested that other variables may have to be integrated to enhance the power of the model.

Abstract: The task of integrating games into an educational setting is a demanding one, and integrating games as a harmonious part of a bigger ecosystem of learning requires teachers to orchestrate a myriad of complex organizational resources. Historicall y, research on digital game‑based learning has focused heavily on the coupling between game designs, previously established learning principles, student engagement, and learning outcomes much to the expense of understanding how games function in their int ended educational contexts and how they impact the working processes of teachers. Given the significant investments of time and resources teachers need to make in order to conduct game‑based learning activities, the foci of past research is problematic as it obfuscates some of the pressing realities that highly affect games viability as tools for teaching and learning. This paper aims to highlight the demands that the implementation and use of an educational game in formal educational settings puts on te achers working processes and skillsets. The paper is based on two case studies in which a researcher collaborated with K‑12 teachers to use MinecraftEdu (TeacherGaming LLC, 2012) as a classroom activity over a five‑month long period. By documenting bot h the working processes involved in implementing the game into the classroom environment, as well as the execution of the actual game‑based classroom activities, the studies identified a wide variety roles that a teacher needs to take on if they are to ma ke games a central part of a school curriculum. Ultimately, the paper highlights the importance of understanding the constraints under which teachers work, and argues that a better understanding of the contexts in which games are to be used, and the roles teachers play during game‑based learning scenarios, is a necessary foundation for improving games viability as educational tools.