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The purpose of this paper is to present design principles for holistic design of online degree programmes (ODPs) in higher education (HE). The study adds to previous research on online programme design by examining how the digital competence and pedagogical strategy of a HE organisation can inform holistic ODP design.

This paper presents a case study placed in the context of a Finnish applied HE organisation. Design-based research (DBR) process is used to create holistic design principles for new ODPs. Theoretical framework for the study is digitally competent organisation (Kampylis et al., 2015) and pedagogical strategy is innovation pedagogy (Kettunen et al., 2013).

Design principles for pedagogically informed holistic design of ODPs are presented as a three-tiered model comprising organisational, pedagogical and ODP layers. Each layer includes various principles for holistic design to integrate an organisation's pedagogical strategy in a digitally competent context to create quality ODPs.

The paper presents a case study from a HE organisation in Finland, but results are applicable to a wider global audience.

As a contribution to practitioners, this paper presents a three-tiered holistic design of ODP in HE organisation, where the design principles are categorised in organisational, pedagogical and ODP design layers. In addition, suggestions to managers, instructional designers and educators are made for the holistic design of ODPs.

Building the sense of community in ODPs and offering continuous support in pedagogy and technology are valuable for the well-being of the staff, students and the wider society.

The paper draws relationships between holistic design of ODPs, digital competence and pedagogical strategy. The paper provides managerial and operational viewpoints to managers, administrators and educators of HE organisations that plan to create new ODPs with a holistic focus on the educational organisation, its pedagogical strategy and digital competence. Recommendations for further development, possible applications and research of ODP education are made.

The purpose of this paper is to identify how pedagogical mentoring contributed to the transformation of teachers’ pedagogical practices and to the consolidation of a team of autonomous leaders in a Colombian regional university, within the framework of a curricular reform.

The paper is a qualitative research under the methodology of experience systematization. In this methodology, the participants and researchers analyze experiences and generate knowledge about why processes are developed in a particular way. This requires organizing, reconstructing and interpreting facts and experiences. In education, the main actors (teachers) research their own pedagogical practice, developing critical thinking and generating curricular and pedagogical knowledge.

Results show that pedagogical mentoring was effective in achieving the proposed objectives by means of learning conversations. The entire process addressed the curriculum in all its complexity, encouraged reflection about the teachers’ pedagogical practice and empowered them as designers, implementers and evaluators of the curriculum.

Curricular reforms are complex educational phenomena. In this study, the authors limited the analysis to understanding how to generate a new community of practice with teachers to implement curricular changes in all their complexity. Other actors such as principals or students were not included in the process.

The systematization of this experience shows that pedagogical mentoring is a successful strategy to develop a curricular reform in a participative manner. In addition, it provides elements – from both pedagogical practice and theory – to foster communities of reflexive teachers who are ultimately the actual designers and implementers of curricula that can tackle the challenges of education for the twenty-first century.

This paper aims to examine the pedagogical strategies and challenges of selected multigrade (MG) schoolteachers in Albay, Philippines.

This study utilized a case study design using a validated semi-structured instrument with in-depth interviews to ten MG teachers, observation and document analysis. Qualitative data analyses such as content and thematic analyses were used in analyzing the data.

The results show that MG teachers use a variety of overlapping and supplementary instructional strategies such as (1) teaching one topic to all grades and at varying levels of difficulty using differentiated activity, (2) “jump-jump strategy”/teaching one grade while others work independently and (3) peer teaching or tutoring. However, there are several pedagogical challenges that MG teachers are faced with: (1) conflict between the medium of instructions and grade grouping, (2) problems with lesson planning, (3) unfocused instruction, (4) insufficient learners' materials, (5) absence of training prior to MG teaching and (6) the negative perception of the effectiveness of MG instructions.

The research is limited within the context of the participants and focuses on the pedagogical strategies and challenges in the implementation of MG teaching.

The results of this study can serve as a reference on how to support and strengthen MG instruction.

This study provides a research-based overview of MG schools from the grassroots level and adds to the limited studies of MG education in the Philippines.

Writing a thesis is a difficult endeavor for undergraduate students, especially in management careers, due to the highly practical approach of the discipline. Students often find difficult to understand and apply research methods in concrete research projects, so a proper set of teaching-learning strategies is critical. This study aimed to examine the effect of these strategies on the academic performance of students in two research seminars in an undergraduate management program in Peru.

The research adopted a mixed approach. The quantitative component included a survey of 249 students in both seminars, while the qualitative one involved only some of the students using three focus groups. The corresponding data analysis included stepwise linear regression models and content analysis.

The study found that a clear course structure, adequate research methods literature, good advisor–student communication and goal planning and achievement were the key determinants of the students' final grades.

This research fills a gap in previous studies on the subject by including a broader set of strategies and by statistically estimating the strategies' effects on academic performance.

This paper aims to present recently published resources on library instruction and information literacy, providing an introductory overview and a selected annotated bibliography of publications covering various library types, study populations and research contexts.

This paper introduces and annotates English-language periodical articles, monographs, dissertations, reports and other materials on library instruction and information literacy published in 2019.

The paper provides a brief description of all 370 sources and highlights sources that contain unique or significant scholarly contributions.

The information may be used by librarians, researchers and anyone interested as a quick and comprehensive reference to literature on library instruction and information literacy.

The purpose of this paper is to present Zeuss, a software-based tool designed to improve grammar learning process in elementary school children. Despite efforts by the Colombian Government, the results of the final high school test indicate that students have major deficiencies with language, grammar and reading comprehension. Several difficulties have been evidenced in activities like writing essays or understanding academic papers. Among the reasons that may lead to these results include outdated courses, overcrowded classrooms and lack of interest.

A diagnostic test is performed on third-grade elementary school students to assess the current grammar knowledge and identify areas for improvement. The test results are used to design a software-based tool called Zeuss. The authors include playful activities inspired by several pedagogic exercises found in the literature and personalization so that interaction is tailored to specific user preferences and tastes.

Zeuss has been tested with third-grade students of the Gimnasio Campestre San Francisco de Sales elementary school in Bogotá, Colombia. The results show that using the tool leads to an overall improvement in the grammar construction learning process.

Zeuss aims at improving the learning process in elementary schools helping teachers to overcome several limitations like overcrowded classrooms and outdated pedagogic strategies. Zeuss focuses specifically on the grammar learning process.

Zeuss features updated pedagogical strategies, playful activities and a personalization model to tailor the learning process and help in context. It also allows teachers to track individual and classroom progress.

This chapter considers teacher learning in inclusive co-teaching contexts, specifically the moral dimensions embedded within it. The chapter draws data from a study focusing on teachers’ perceptions of their learning during co-teaching in inclusive classrooms, and salient moral features embedded in co-teaching situations. Data from joint stimulated recall interviews conducted with three co-teacher pairs illuminate that teachers perceived both possibilities and challenges in key learning situations during co-teaching in inclusive classrooms. In these situations, it is possible for teachers to articulate and extract their guiding beliefs toward salient moral aspects in inclusive teaching in order to extend their understanding and revise their inclusive teaching practices. This chapter suggests that co-teaching is a promising practice for promoting inclusive classroom communities where teachers and students can learn together.

In this chapter, we discuss teaching physical education to Black male students in urban schools. We present a brief account of the history and status of physical education and specifically examine school physical education, particularly for Black male students in urban geographical contexts. We also offer strategies to counter the narrative of Black male school failure and present strategies for addressing the needs of urban teachers and Black male students.

This paper aims to examine students’ perception, views and opinions about the usage of mobile phones in an educational setting in a higher education institution located in Jamaica. The results of these findings were used to gain insights and to assist education policymakers in adopting most suitable approaches to integrating mobile technology in learning.

A survey approach was used for this study. A total of 145 students participated in the study using structured questionnaire design containing 14 questions.

The results indicated an overall positive student perception toward cell phones usage as a learning tool and integrating cell phones into learning activities. Students were keen on its usage as a social connectivity and collaborative tool, which they can use for flexible and personalized learning activities.

Less research has been done in Caribbean and developing countries in analyzing student perception toward using cell phones for learning purposes. This research provides insights in developing policies to assist with the integration of mobile phone technology in learning and how institutions can respond to the advent of advancing mobile technology.

The purpose of this paper is to review the use of adaptive systems in education. It is intended to be a useful introduction for the non-specialist reader.

A distinction is made between intelligent tutoring systems (ITSs) and adaptive hypermedia systems (AHSs). The two kinds of system are defined, compared and contrasted. Examples of the implementation of the two kinds of system are included.

Similarities and differences between the two kinds of system are highlighted. A conceptual unification is proposed based on the architecture of Course Assembly System and Tutorial Environment, a seminal prototype learning environment developed by Pask and Scott in the 1970s as an application of Pask’s conversation theory.

The architecture shows how the key aspects of ITSs and AHSs can be combined to complement each other. It is intended to be an original contribution that is of particular interest for the specialist reader.