Research has shown that providing participants with high‐quality learning material is not sufficient to help them profit most from online education. The level of interaction among participants is another key determinant for learning outcomes. However, merely proposing interaction does not automatically lead to fruitful discussion and collaboration. Specifically, social presence and facilitation activities add value to online discussions. In Murphy's collaboration framework, social presence represents the basis of successful online collaboration from which more reflective discussions and co‐construction can evolve. In this paper, an adjusted version of this framework was applied in a workplace learning context. The content analysis of 1170 comments in an online course for careers practitioners of a public employment service showed that the extended framework generated deeper insights into the dynamics of online discussions. The results show that involvement in collaborative learning at the workplace was supported by a high social presence and influenced by course topic and tasks. Facilitation played an important role in creating a sympathetic sense of community and stimulating co‐creation processes.
3 March 2020 in Citizen Science: Theory and Practice
Air pollution is a serious problem that is causing increasing concern among European citizens. It is responsible for more than 400,000 premature deaths in Europe each year and considerably damages human health, agriculture, and the natural environment. Despite these facts, the readiness and power of citizens to take actions is limited. To address this challenge, the citizen science project CAPTOR was launched in 2016. Using low-cost measurement devices, citizens in three European testbeds supported the monitoring of tropospheric ozone. This paper presents the results from 53 interviews with involved residents and shows that the active involvement of individuals in a complex process such as measuring tropospheric ozone can have important impacts on their knowledge and attitudes. In an attempt to expand the benefits of low-cost air quality sensors from an individual to a regional level, certain preconditions are key. Strong support in assuring data quality, visibility of the collected data in online and offline media, broad dissemination of results, and intensified communication with political decision-makers are needed.
Research in STEAM education continues to develop, and yet the literature in this area is often theoretically ‘light’. Given the importance of theory to provide explanatory power, the aim of this paper is to offer a theoretical classification system to be used as a tool for researchers and practitioners in this area. Derived from literature searches on STEAM education within open science/schooling, secondary/tertiary education intersection and global challenges, 26 frameworks were identified from 26 academic sources and refined based on their coherence and strong theoretical heritage. A relational ontology was proposed as a recurring theme and is a foundational aspect of the final classification system, signifying a shift from traditional models of STEAM that trivialise the ‘arts’ as utility disciplines. The 26 individual frameworks are organised into four approaches: ‘experiential real-world interactions’, ‘human psychological and cognitive’, ‘social, spatial, and material interconnectivity’, and ‘cultural and equity’. The overall classification system provides a starting point for researchers and educators navigating theoretically driven yet diverse STEAM implementation and understanding its impact depending on, and in response to, their preferred methodology. This system is novel in its treatment of theoretical perspectives, and its dynamic nature allows for the inclusion of further frameworks in the future.