Anchal Garg

Discussion Forums are important collaborative spaces to enhance
learning experiences, however, the research shows that they are used
sparingly. Hence, there is a need to design innovative strategies to
promote participation in the Discussion Forums. A Moderator Augmented
Extended Discussion Forum was created based on the Learner-Centric
MOOC Model. The aim of this study is to examine the effect of this
intervention on participation and course completion, as well as identify
the factors influencing forum participation through the extended UTUAT
model. Data was collected from MOOC course logs and a survey. Partial
Least Square-Structural Equation Modelling and Necessary Condition
Analysis were used to determine the intentions to use the Discussion
Forum. The results indicate that usage of the forum was instrumental in
increasing participation and motivation to complete the course.
Subsequently, the results from the extended Unified Theory of
Acceptance and Use of Technology model indicate that Performance
Expectancy, Self-Efficacy, and Discussion Forum uniqueness were the
major factors influencing the Behavioural Intention and Usage
Behaviour. The study concludes that the Augmented Discussion Forum
facilitated peer learning, improved participation, and enhanced learner
performance, thus resulting in better course completion rates. These
findings provide course designers, course instructors, MOOC developers,
peer researchers, and academicians with insights into the optimization
of forums and adoption of learner-centric strategies while designing
Discussion Forums and related activities.

The decline of traditional media and channels of communication has led to policymakers experiencing difficulty in understanding public sentiment. A case study was conducted to explore how games-based activities can be used to provide a link between citizens and policy makers. A system developed by PlanetPlay, and extended in the GREAT project, was used to embed a survey in the game SMITE. The intervention and survey questions were designed in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Hi-Rez game studio. The effectiveness of the infrastructure and the collaborative approach were demonstrated. The results revealed some significant differences in views on climate change between different age groups, genders, and education level. However, the data was heavily skewed towards males in the 18-35 age group, and to respondents in the United States, which limited the generalizability of the findings. It was concluded that in-game placement in collaboration with games studios is more effective than paid placement, and that a wider variety of games is needed to ensure that a study has an adequate range of respondent profiles. Finally, reflections are offered on the possible role of AI in gathering such data.

Procrastination is one of the issues affecting more than half of the student population and is known to impact them negatively. It is also one of the major reasons for failure and dropout. Therefore, several studies have been conducted in this domain to understand when and why students procrastinate. The existing studies use self-reported procrastination scales and/or digital traces of student interactions recorded in learning environments to identify procrastination behavior. The majority of the extant studies leverage individual tasks such as assignments submission, quizzes attempted, course materials assessed by a student, etc., to study such behavior.
This paper uses group-based collaborative wiki activity to explore the procrastination behavior among the students. This study will help us explore student behavior in a group activity. The results would help us investigate if the student’s behavior changes when it comes to a group activity. The results would be beneficial for instructors, practitioners, and educational researchers to know if group activity could be utilized to overcome procrastination behavior

One can observe the dramatic change in the ongoing global pandemic impacts, and the speed of advancement in the educational learning system, particularly in virtual teaching learning process, has been extremely quick. Teachers' use of technology to deliver instruction to students via a variety of platforms has a significant impact on how well those students learn. A variety of factors influence how well students learn and how well teachers teach, including how well they use the most effective teaching technique. Teachers' and students' perspectives on instructional strategies should take precedence. Empirical study will be undertaken to demonstrate that there are tactics and approaches, such as Gamification, that teachers may use to improve their teaching. The proposed study looked into teachers' reported usage and implementation of these instructional tactics in their classrooms in different schools in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) & India. The parents also adopted the strategies for digital transformation of their children. Participants in the research included teachers from schools in the United Arab Emirates and India. Motivation is to find and reveal that teachers are employing ICT approaches such as Gamification and are also extremely aware of and comfortable with new teaching methodologies. Other findings show that teachers in both countries agree on the necessity of using digital tools to improve the learning outcomes of their students.

Purpose The use of technology in teaching and learning process for children is gaining importance. Children with specific learning disabilities have shown positive results with assistive technology tools. Dyscalculia is a specific learning disability in which an individual faces problem in mathematical skills. Around 3-7% of the world population is affected with it. The aim of the current research study is to determine the effectiveness of an assistive technology tool, Mathlete on children with dyscalculia's early numeracy skills. Such assistive technology tools can serve as a boon for these children. Method A total of 40 children with dyscalculia (M-age = 6.8 years) were a part of the study. The group of 40 children were randomly divided into two groups: experiment group using mathlete for improving their learning (30 children) and a control group using only traditional teaching for learning (10 children). The children were screened for dyscalculia using the screening module of mathlete. Results The two groups showed no significant difference in terms of their socio-economic status, gender and parents education level. Children in the experiment group showed improvement from pre-test to post-test after using mathlete. Also, there was significant difference in learning of both the groups, children in experiment group could understand the concepts better than the ones in control group. Conclusion Mathlete helped improve the mathematical learning of children with dyscalculia from pre-test to post-test.