A framework to enhance and research the interactional capabilities and instructional potential of virtual characters and pedagogical agents

George Veletsianos

(2008) pp. 1–122

How can humans communicate effectively with computers? Human-like virtual characters are becoming increasingly popular in a world where online education is widespread. Yet, when human learners interact with digital characters employed in educational ...

Open practices and identity: Evidence from researchers and educators' social media participation

George Veletsianos

British Journal of Educational Technology Vol. 44, No. 4 (Jul 05, 2013) pp. 639–651

The ways that emerging technologies and social media are used and experienced by researchers and educators are poorly understood and inadequately researched. The goal of this study is to examine the online practices of individual scholars in order...

A Case Study of Scholars’ Open and Sharing Practices

George Veletsianos

Open Praxis Vol. 7, No. 3 (Jul 30, 2015) pp. 199–209

Although the open scholarship movement has successfully captured the attention and interest of higher education stakeholders, researchers currently lack an understanding of the degree to which open scholarship is enacted in institutions that lack...

Transformative Online Learning Experiences

George Veletsianos

World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education 2010 (Oct 18, 2010) pp. 1252–1256

Historically online learning and education have focused on cognitive concerns, such as how to best structure or chunk online learning materials for effective and efficient retention. This approach to online learning focuses on using technology to...

Professors’ Mix of Open and Sharing Practices

George Veletsianos

E-Learn: World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education 2015 (Oct 19, 2015) p. 965

Researchers currently lack an understanding of the degree to which professors engage in open and sharing practices in different contexts. I help fill this gap in the literature by presenting a descriptive case study that illustrates the variety of...

Topics: Social & Cultural Issues, research, Faculty

Cognitive and Affective Benefits of an Animated Pedagogical Agent: Considering Contextual Relevance and Aesthetics

George Veletsianos

Journal of Educational Computing Research Vol. 36, No. 4 (2007) pp. 373–377

Choi and Clark (2006) argue that learning is attributed to the instructional method rather than the specific medium used to deliver instruction (i.e., the pedagogical agent). Additionally, they consider pedagogical agents as unnecessarily expensive...

Contextually relevant pedagogical agents: Visual appearance, stereotypes, and first impressions and their impact on learning

George Veletsianos

Computers & Education Vol. 55, No. 2 (September 2010) pp. 576–585

Humans draw on their stereotypic beliefs to make assumptions about others. Even though prior research has shown that individuals respond socially to media, there is little evidence with regards to learners stereotyping and categorizing pedagogical...

Language: English

Assumptions and challenges of open scholarship

George Veletsianos; Royce Kimmons

International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning Vol. 13, No. 4 (Sep 12, 2012) pp. 166–189

Researchers, educators, policymakers, and other education stakeholders hope and anticipate that openness and open scholarship will generate positive outcomes for education and scholarship. Given the emerging nature of open practices, educators and...

Networked Participatory Scholarship: Socio-cultural & Techno-cultural Pressures on Scholarly Practice

George Veletsianos; Royce Kimmons

World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education 2010 (Oct 18, 2010) pp. 2260–2267

We discuss networked participatory scholarship by investigating technological and cultural stimuli for transforming education scholarship. We note that participation in online spaces is important for research, teaching, and professional development, ...

Who Studies MOOCs? Interdisciplinarity in MOOC Research and Its Changes over Time

George Veletsianos; Peter Shepherdson

The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning Vol. 16, No. 3 (Jun 19, 2015) pp. 1–17

The complexity of digital and online education is becoming increasingly evident in the context of research into networked learning/participation. Interdisciplinary research is often proposed as a way to address complex scientific problems and enable ...

Scholars and faculty members' lived experiences in online social networks

George Veletsianos; Royce Kimmons

Internet and Higher Education Vol. 16, No. 1 (January 2013) pp. 43–50

Research into faculty members' use of technology and social networking sites has largely focused upon pedagogical practice, at the expense of understanding user experiences with these technologies. Through phenomenological interviews with three...

Language: English

Public Internet Data Mining Methods in Instructional Design, Educational Technology, and Online Learning Research

Royce Kimmons; George Veletsianos

TechTrends: Linking Research and Practice to Improve Learning Vol. 62, No. 5 (2018) pp. 492–500

We describe the benefits and challenges of engaging in public data mining methods and situate our discussion in the context of studies that we have conducted. Practical, methodological, and scholarly benefits include the ability to access large...

Integration Models for Hybrid Online Education in the K-12 Classroom

Aaron Doering; George Veletsianos

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2008 (Mar 03, 2008) pp. 1069–1074

In this paper we sought to understand how teachers chose to integrate a hybrid online education program in their classrooms and how how students' experiences were influenced by the integration. Data collected via classroom observations, personal...

What lies beyond effectiveness and efficiency? Adventure learning design

Aaron Doering; George Veletsianos

Internet and Higher Education Vol. 11, No. 3 (2008) pp. 137–144

Educational technology and instructional design research has focused on evaluating interventions and innovations in terms of their effectiveness, efficiency, and appeal. While such indicators of learning outcomes are important, designers should also ...

Language: English

The fragmented educator 2.0: Social networking sites, acceptable identity fragments, and the identity constellation

Royce Kimmons; George Veletsianos

Computers & Education Vol. 72, No. 1 (March 2014) pp. 292–301

Social networking sites (SNS) have been used to support educational and professional endeavors. However, little research has been done to understand the relationship between educator identity and participation in SNS or to examine the implications...

Language: English

Scholars in an increasingly open and digital world: How do education professors and students use Twitter?

George Veletsianos; Royce Kimmons

Internet and Higher Education Vol. 30, No. 1 (July 2016) pp. 1–10

There has been a lack of large-scale research examining education scholars' (professors' and doctoral students') social media participation. We address this weakness in the literature by using data mining methods to capture a large data set of...

Language: English

Online social networks as formal learning environments: Learner experiences and activities

George Veletsianos; Cesar Navarrete

International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning Vol. 13, No. 1 (Jan 17, 2012) pp. 144–166

While the potential of social networking sites to contribute to educational endeavors is highlighted by researchers and practitioners alike, empirical evidence on the use of such sites for formal online learning is scant. To fill this gap in the...

Authentic Learning with Geospatial Data: An Investigation of the use of Real-Time Authentic Data with Geospatial Technologies in the K-12 Classroom

Aaron Doering; George Veletsianos

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2007 (Mar 26, 2007) pp. 2187–2193

This research examines how seven classrooms of middle-school students from the Midwest and Northwest United States used real-time authentic data, provided through an online hybrid adventure learning environment, with the geospatial technology Google ...

Education scholars’ evolving uses of twitter as a conference backchannel and social commentary platform

Royce Kimmons; George Veletsianos

British Journal of Educational Technology Vol. 47, No. 3 (May 2016) pp. 445–464

The scholarly community faces a lack of large-scale research examining how students and professors use social media in authentic contexts and how such use changes over time. This study uses data mining methods to better understand academic Twitter...

A posthumanist critique of flexible online learning and its “anytime anyplace” claims

Shandell Houlden; George Veletsianos

British Journal of Educational Technology Vol. 50, No. 3 (May 2019) pp. 1005–1018

Flexible approaches to online learning are gaining renewed interest in some part due to their capacity to address emergent opportunities and concerns facing higher education. Importantly, flexible approaches to online learning are purported to be...

Who studies MOOCs? Interdisciplinarity in MOOC research and its changes over time

George Veletsianos; Peter Shepherdson

The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning Vol. 16, No. 3 (Jun 19, 2015)

The complexity of digital and online education is becoming increasingly evident in the context of research into networked learning/participation. Interdisciplinary research is often proposed as a way to address complex scientific problems and enable ...

Teacher Professionalization in the Age of Social Networking Sites

Royce Kimmons; George Veletsianos

Learning, Media and Technology Vol. 40, No. 4 (2015) pp. 480–501

As teacher education students become professionals, they face a number of tensions related to identity, social participation, and work-life balance, which may be further complicated by social networking sites (SNS). This qualitative study sought to...

Scholars in an Increasingly Open and Digital World: Imagined Audiences and Their Impact on Scholars' Online Participation

George Veletsianos; Ashley Shaw

Learning, Media and Technology Vol. 43, No. 1 (2018) pp. 17–30

This study investigates the audiences that scholars imagine encountering online and the ways in which these audiences impact scholars' online participation and presentation of self. Prior research suggests that imagined audiences affect what users...

The Use of an Animated Pedagogical Agent to Assist Learners Develop their Electronic Portfolios

George Veletsianos; Theano Yerasimou

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2005 (2005) pp. 224–227

This paper examines the use of a pedagogical agent to help learners develop their electronic portfolio. Our pedagogical agent is Penelope: a "virtual human", who is characterized by reasoning, reactivity, and emotion. She converses via text with...

Topics: Portfolios

Information Visualization Instruction through the Implementation of a Wireless Delivery System in a Localized Environment

Charles Miller; George Veletsianos

World Conference on Educational Media and Technology 2005 (Jun 27, 2005) pp. 3992–3997

Traditional techniques of information visualization instruction through classroom display and theoretical presentation have become inadequate in providing learners with the educational opportunity of interactive engagement. Through advanced research ...

Topics: Distance Education, Interaction, Classrooms, Virtual Environments

An Investigation of the Use of Real-Time, Authentic Geospatial Data in the K-12 Classroom

Aaron Doering; George Veletsianos

Journal of Geography Vol. 106, No. 6 (November 2007) pp. 217–225

This article situates geospatial technologies as a constructivist tool in the K-12 classroom and examines student experiences with real-time authentic geospatial data provided through a hybrid adventure learning environment. Qualitative data from...

A review of adventure learning

George Veletsianos; Irene Kleanthous

International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning Vol. 10, No. 6 (Dec 14, 2009) pp. 84–105

Adventure learning (AL) is an approach for the design of digitally-enhanced teaching and learning environments driven by a framework of guidelines grounded on experiential and inquiry-based education. The purpose of this paper is to review the...

A Systematic Analysis and Synthesis of the Empirical MOOC Literature Published in 2013–2015

George Veletsianos; Peter Shepherdson

The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning Vol. 17, No. 2 (Mar 01, 2016)

A deluge of empirical research became available on MOOCs in 2013–2015 and this research is available in disparate sources. This paper addresses a number of gaps in the scholarly understanding of MOOCs and presents a comprehensive picture of the...

Hybrid Online Education: Identifying Integration Models Using Adventure Learning

Aaron Doering; George Veletsianos

Journal of Research on Technology in Education Vol. 41, No. 1 (2008) pp. 23–41

In this paper we sought to understand how teachers chose to integrate a hybrid online education program in their classrooms, how students responded to this choice, and how students' experiences were influenced by the integration model chosen by the...

Multi-Scaffolding Environment: An Analysis of Scaffolding and Its Impact on Cognitive Load and Problem-Solving Ability

Aaron Doering; George Veletsianos

Journal of Educational Computing Research Vol. 37, No. 2 (2007) pp. 107–129

A Multi-Scaffolding Environment (MSE) is a multimedia environment reliant on authentic scaffolding. We examine the impact of the availability of multiple scaffolds on learning and cognitive load within an MSE where learners are assigned a real-world ...

Networked Participatory Scholarship: Emergent techno-cultural pressures toward open and digital scholarship in online networks

George Veletsianos; Royce Kimmons

Computers & Education Vol. 58, No. 2 (February 2012) pp. 766–774

We examine the relationship between scholarly practice and participatory technologies and explore how such technologies invite and reflect the emergence of a new form of scholarship that we call "Networked Participatory Scholarship": scholars’...

Language: English

Conceptualizing the use of technology to foster peace via Adventure Learning

George Veletsianos; Annita Eliadou

Internet and Higher Education Vol. 12, No. 2 (June 2009) pp. 63–70

In this paper we present and discuss the findings of a systematic literature review on the use of educational technology initiatives to foster peace outcomes, and we relate those findings to Adventure Learning. In the first section of the paper, we...

Language: English

The Structure and Characteristics of #PhDChat, an Emergent Online Social Network

Kasey C. Ford; George Veletsianos; Paul Resta

Journal of Interactive Media in Education Vol. 2014, No. 1 (2014)

#PhDChat is an online network of individuals that has its roots to a group of UK doctoral students who began using Twitter in 2010 to hold discussions. Since then, the network around #PhDchat has evolved and grown. In this study, we examine this...

Topics: Social Studies

Instructor Experiences with a Social Networking Site in a Higher Education Setting: Expectations, Frustrations, Appropriation, and Compartmentalization

George Veletsianos; Royce Kimmons; Karen D. French

Educational Technology Research and Development Vol. 61, No. 2 (April 2013) pp. 255–278

Researchers and practitioners have suggested that the use of social networking sites in formal education may be a worthwhile endeavor. Toward this goal, emerging learning platforms have included social networking features. Nevertheless, empirical...

Curriculum at Forty below: A Phenomenological Inquiry of an Educator/Explorer's Experience with Adventure Learning in the Arctic

Charles Miller; George Veletsianos; Aaron Doering

Distance Education Vol. 29, No. 3 (November 2008) pp. 253–267

Grounded in the theoretical approaches of experiential learning and inquiry-based learning, adventure learning (AL) is a hybrid distance education approach that seeks to transform the experiences of students by having learners explore real-world...

EnALI: A Research and Design Framework for Virtual Characters and Pedagogical Agents

George Veletsianos; Charles Miller; Aaron Doering

Journal of Educational Computing Research Vol. 41, No. 2 (2009) pp. 171–194

Conflicts occur when learners interact with pedagogical agents and virtual characters. Such conflicts--arising from technological limitations, psychosocial perceptions, and pedagogical inadequacies--hinder communication and interaction between...

Avenue ASL: Transforming Language Assessment and Learning through Networked Video Integration

Simon Hooper; Charles Miller; George Veletsianos

World Conference on Educational Media and Technology 2005 (Jun 27, 2005) pp. 3919–3924

Avenue ASL, an integrated software environment to capture, evaluate, self-assess, and manage American Sign Language (ASL) performance, is being developed at the University of Minnesota to improve student language learning and increase the efficiency ...

Topics: Assessment, Software, Students, Languages, Video

Long-term student experiences in a hybrid, open-ended and problem based Adventure Learning program

George Veletsianos; Aaron Doering; Aaron Doering

Australasian Journal of Educational Technology Vol. 26, No. 2 (Jan 01, 2010)

In this paper we investigate the experiences of elementary school children over a two-year period during which they engaged with a hybrid Adventure Learning program. In addition to delineating Adventure Learning experiences, we report on educational ...

Language: English

The Life between Big Data Log Events: Learners' Strategies to Overcome Challenges in MOOCs

George Veletsianos; Justin Reich; Laura A. Pasquini

AERA Open Vol. 2, No. 3 (2016)

Big data from massive open online courses (MOOCs) have enabled researchers to examine learning processes at almost infinite levels of granularity. Yet, such data sets do not track every important element in the learning process. Many strategies that ...

Digging deeper into learners' experiences in MOOCs: Participation in social networks outside of MOOCs, notetaking and contexts surrounding content consumption

George Veletsianos; Amy Collier; Emily Schneider

British Journal of Educational Technology Vol. 46, No. 3 (May 01, 2015) pp. 570–587

Researchers describe with increasing confidence what they observe participants doing in massive open online courses (MOOCs). However, our understanding of learner activities in open courses is limited by researchers' extensive dependence on log file ...

A Comparison of Three Pedagogies Within an Online Learning Environment

Aaron Doering; George Veletsianos; Cassie Scharber

World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education 2009 (Oct 26, 2009) pp. 886–891

In this paper we evaluate three technology-enhanced pedagogical models to teach problem-solving and critical-thinking skills in geography. These models were devised and used with 309 middle-school students and 3 teachers. We explore the influence of ...

The Role of Intelligent Agents on Learner Performance

George Veletsianos; Theano Yerasimou; Aaron Doering

World Conference on Educational Media and Technology 2005 (Jun 27, 2005) pp. 3638–3643

This paper explores the use of a male and a female intelligent agent in education. Qualitative analysis of learner performance, motivation, availability and support of the agents, agent gender, and human-like characteristics is presented. Our...

Adventure Learning: Educational, Social, and Technological Affordances for Collaborative Hybrid Distance Education

Aaron Doering; Charles Miller; George Veletsianos

Quarterly Review of Distance Education Vol. 9, No. 3 (2008) pp. 249–265

Adventure learning (AL) is a hybrid distance education approach that provides students with opportunities to explore real-world issues through authentic learning experiences within collaborative learning environments. Within hybrid environments,...

Field-Based Professional Development of Teachers Engaged in Distance Education: Experiences from the Arctic

George Veletsianos; Aaron Doering; Jeni Henrickson

Distance Education Vol. 33, No. 1 (2012) pp. 45–59

We examine the experiences of five teachers who traveled with a team of educators, scientists, and explorers on circumpolar Arctic expeditions to deliver adventure learning (AL) programs to K-12 students at a distance. Results highlight the personal ...

Examining the interplay of aesthetics and the learner experience in an online assessment environment

Charles Miller; George Veletsianos; Aaron Doering

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2008 (Mar 03, 2008) pp. 1208–1210

The traditional methodology of the instructional design field encompasses the analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation of instructional processes and products, also known as the life-cycle of design. However, to orient the field ...

Multi-Scaffolding Environment (MSE): Providing Authentic Assistance in an Online Learning Environment

Aaron Doering; Theano Yerasimou; George Veletsianos

World Conference on Educational Media and Technology 2005 (Jun 27, 2005) pp. 3853–3857

A Multi-Scaffolding Environment (MSE), an online learning environment that provides authentic assistance to learners when solving authentic problems, is presented in this paper. The authentic module principles for which an MSE can be used to assist...

Topics: Video

Conversational Agents and Their Longitudinal Affordances on Communication and Interaction

Aaron Doering; George Veletsianos; Theano Yerasimou

Journal of Interactive Learning Research Vol. 19, No. 2 (April 2008) pp. 251–270

In this study, we investigate the effects of conversational agents on communication and interaction when used to assist participants in developing an online portfolio. Data from 52 participants were gathered and analyzed through questionnaires,...

Topics: Instructional Design, Educational Technology, Human Computer Interaction, eLearning, Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Environments

Social media use by instructional design departments

Enilda Romero-Hall; Royce Kimmons; George Veletsianos

Australasian Journal of Educational Technology Vol. 34, No. 5 (Nov 25, 2018)

The aim of this investigation was to gain an understanding of the use of institutional social media accounts by graduate departments. This study focused particularly on the social media accounts of instructional design (ID) graduate programs....

Language: English

Content is King: An Analysis of How the Twitter Discourse Surrounding Open Education Unfolded From 2009 to 2016

Michael Paskevicius; George Veletsianos; Royce Kimmons

The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning Vol. 19, No. 1 (Feb 23, 2018)

Inspired by open educational resources, open pedagogy, and open source software, the openness movement in education has different meanings for different people. In this study, we use Twitter data to examine the discourses surrounding openness as...

Language: English

GeoThentic: Designing and Assessing with Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge

Aaron Doering; Cassandra Scharber; Charles Miller; George Veletsianos

Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education Vol. 9, No. 3 (September 2009) pp. 316–336

GeoThentic, an online teaching and learning environment, focuses on engaging teachers and learners in solving real-world geography problems through use of geospatial technologies. The design of GeoThentic is grounded on the technology, pedagogy, and ...

Topics: Instructional Materials, Teaching Methods, Instructional Design, Educational Technology, Social Studies