Research Outputs
Theoretical and empirical models underlying the teaching use of LMS platforms in higher education: A systematic review
The Learning Management Systems (LMS) have garnered attention in Higher Education due to their significant potential as a robust learning tool; however, their mere existence does not guarantee adoption and acceptance. The objective of this study was to analyze quantitative research on the intention and usage of LMS among university professors. The method employed was a systematic review following PRISMA guidelines. Databases such as Scopus, WOS, EBSCOhost, and SciElo were explored from 2013 to 2023. The results indicated that (a) the most frequent objective was to determine factors influencing LMS usage, (b) the average number of participants was 239, (c) the highest productivity (61%) was observed in Asia, (d) the most common limitation about the sample, (e) the most frequently used theoretical model (69%) was the Technology Acceptance Model, (f) the models also included other variables grouped into personal, technological, social, and institutional factors; (g) The predictive power of the models on LMS usage intention was moderate, while for current LMS usage, it ranged from small to moderate; (h) measurements were self-reported; (i) ultimately, the majority measured only the intention of LMS usage (54%), 15% measured only the current usage of LMS, and 31% measured both. In conclusion, limitations, future research directions, and recommendations for the integration and consolidation of LMS usage by faculty are presented.
Students’ immersive experience in initial teacher training in a virtual world to promote sustainable education: interactivity, presence, and flow
The Virtual World is a technology that has created countless opportunities for teaching and learning, innovating traditional and online education, and promoting a more sustainable and accessible education. Through their avatars and digital representations, students can navigate, observe, and manipulate virtual objects, while interacting with their classmates inside the simulated 3D environment. This study examined how preservice teachers experience and participate in a VW that simulates a university campus, considering three main components: interactivity, sense of presence, and state of flow. A total of 103 pedagogy students, enrolled in an educational technology course, participated in the study. A postintervention survey was implemented, as well as a self-report about the immersive experience. The results show a high level of agreement with the survey’s affirmations, which allows for the determination of the favorable levels of interactivity, presence, and flow, as well as the meaningful and positive associations among these technological properties. Guidelines are argued to deepen the Virtual World’s potential and are given for the design of pedagogical activities in those environments.
Analysis of psychometric properties and validation of the Personal Learning Environments Questionnaire (B-PLE) in higher education students
We are living through a cultural transition, characterized by technological disruption and the erosion of the modern ideology, which are redefining the behavior of citizens in their physical and digital spaces. Virtuality emerges as a new human dimension, making it necessary to rethink social and educational paradigms for a new two-dimensional citizen. In this context, the psychometric features and validation procedure of an instrument (B-PLE) for analyzing Personal Learning Environments (PLE) in students of higher education institutions in the Biobío Region of Chile are described. There were four phases to the validation method: (i) content validity, as determined by six experts in education and ICT; (ii) pilot test, with a non-probabilistic sample of 327 subjects; (iii) principal components analysis (PCA); and (iv) confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The results of the dimensional analysis made it possible to define the structure of the new instrument, explaining 72% of the total variance. The reliability analysis yielded an alpha coefficient of 0.92. The confirmatory factor analysis showed fit indexes that support the proposed theoretical model. In conclusion, the instrument was composed of three latent variables: Open learning (OL), with six questions, Information management (IM), with two questions, and Knowledge creation and transfer (KCT), with three questions.