Possibilities and challenges of augmented learning Rebecca Ferguson

Digital technologies are becoming cheaper， more powerful and more widely used in daily life. At the same time， opportunities are increasing for making use of them to augment learning by extending learners' interactions with and perceptions of their environment. Augmented learning can make use of augmented reality and virtual reality， as well as a range of technologies that extend human awareness. This paper introduces some of the possibilities opened up by augmented learning and examines one area in which they are currently being employed： the use of virtual realities and tools to augment formal learning. It considers the elements of social presence that are employed when augmenting learning in this way， and discusses different approaches to augmentation.

Keywords： augmented learning； augmented reality； social presence； virtual field trips； virtual reality； virtual tools

A logistic regression analysis of learning behaviors and learning outcomes in MOOCs

Yang Zong， Hongtao Sun， Hengguo Zhang， Qinhua Zheng and Li Chen

The rapid growth of Massive Open Online Courses （MOOC） on a global scale has brought with them doubts about learning quality and concerns about their high attrition rates. Generally speaking， MOOC platforms keep a detailed record of learners online learning behaviors. Analysis， modeling and interpretation of these data is top on the educational research agenda in the era of big data.

Logistic regression analysis is used in this study to explore the impact of online learning behaviors on learning outcomes. Findings from the study indicate that learning outcomes are correlated with delay in course registration， how many times that learners log in and submit their assignments/quizzes， the average number of times they save their exercises， and the extent to which video clips are watched. It is also found that assignment/quiz submissions can serve as a key index in predicting MOOC learning outcomes and that the resultant logistic regression model has 98% prediction accuracy.

Keywords： Massive Open Online Course （MOOC）； logistic regression； online learning behavior； learning outcome

Failure to follow learning rules in blended teaching： possible causes

and recommended solutions

Hang Shu， Fan Wang and Lu Yuan

Proper learning rules are key to ensuring the implementation of blended learning， the success of which is directly affected by what rules are formulated and how students accept and respond to them. Findings from this study indicate that students showed strong resistance to the preset learning rules， which led to their perfunctory participation in online discussion. To be specific， in order to pass the course， students were found to contribute a large number of posts which involved no meaningful interaction as expected in online discussion. Causes of this phenomenon are identified， including information overload， imbalance of cognitive surplus， subjective evaluation mechanism， and unhealthy competition. Based on the findings， the article suggests that teachers make timely informed adjustments to their teaching approaches and pace， and increase acceptability of the rules to be followed through negotiation with students and appropriate external interference from authoritative figures.

Keywords： blended teaching； disobeying rules； learning rules； information overload； cognitive surplus；

evaluation mechanism； unhealthy competition

Project-based flipped classroom： the case of Computer-Assisted Graphic Design

Rong Zhu， Xiaofei Li and Shun Li

Project-based teaching is a common teaching model for computer application software courses whereby students learn by completing a series of projects and solving real-world problems with the guidance of their teachers in order to achieve their learning objectives. Project-based flipped classroom was adopted for the course Computer-Assisted Graphic Design. Accordingly， the course content was rearranged in the form of projects at different levels， and the teaching process divided into three stages： pre-course preparation， classroom interaction and practice， and post-course summary and evaluation. This new teaching model places great emphasis on teachers expertise and technology literacy as well as learning material design at the pre-course stage， requires students to collect materials fit for specific learning objectives and engage in active learning， and diversifies forms of assessment， hence empowering students to take responsibility for their own learning， enhancing learning outcomes， and increasing their graphic design proficiency and learning ability.

Keywords： graphic design； project-based teaching； flipped classroom； teaching process

Towards an external quality assurance system for distance education provision of Chinese universities

Shiyuan Lin， Li Chen and Yiping Peng

The current external quality assurance system for distance education provision of Chinese universities covers four areas： application review process， annual assessment， national online examinations for designated subjects， and enrollment management. Administered by the national and provincial education authorities， this system targets at universities， public service networks and off-campus learning centers.

Despite the fact that its implementation is the job of education authorities， this system fails to define different responsibilities for education authorities at different levels， draw on the expertise of third party evaluation agencies or professional associations and societies， and offer well-established criteria. Quality assurance is an essential component of an education management system and it is of utmost importance to strengthen external quality assurance systems in terms of organizational construction， criteria development， and operational mechanism adjustment.

Keywords： higher education； modern distance education； quality assurance system； external quality

assurance； constitution