Trial lecture
Place: Auditorium 2, Helga Engs hus
Time: 10:00 - 10:45
Title: TBA
Public Defence
Place: Auditorium 2, Helga Engs hus
Time: 12:00 -
Adjudication committee
- 1st opponent: Professor Lesley Gourlay, UCL Institute of Education, University College London, United Kingdom
- 2nd opponent: Professor Thomas Hillman, Deptartment of Applied IT, Division of Learning, Communication & IT, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
- Chair of committee: Professor Anders Mørch, Department of Education, University of Oslo, Norway
Chair of defence:
- Professor Anne Line Wittek, Department of Education, University of Oslo, Norway
Supervisors
- Principal supervisor: Professor Crina Damşa, Department of Education, University of Oslo, Norway
- Co-supervisor: Professor Dragan Gasevic, Department of Human Centred Computing, Monash Data Futures Institute, Australia
Summary
This dissertation explores how online platforms are reshaping student learning beyond traditional institutional boundaries in higher education. It comprises three empirical articles that investigate how computer and software engineering students utilize openly available online platforms to enhance their learning experiences during their studies. It dives into the evolving landscape of digital technology in higher education and explores how the use of such online platforms shape and influence learning practices in what is known as platformisation.
Using a mixed methods research design and an ecological perspective on learning, the articles examine patterns in students' engagement with online platforms and the resources within them. These patterns’ impact on students’ learning experiences is examined in a personal, domain-specific, and institutional context. Data collection involved a combination of interviews and analysis of web-browsing history. Analytical methods include latent class analysis (LCA), thematic analysis, principal component analysis (PCA), and negative binomial regression.
Through these methods, the empirical work in this dissertation identifies distinct usage patterns of online platforms by students. Specifically, Article 1 uncovers five primary learning practices that students employ when using online platforms, driven by their career aspirations and interests in software development. Article 2 highlights that students experience the use of resources within platforms as four main affordances, and that students’ agency is expressed as shared and distributed, influenced by professionals and companies. Article 3 explores the intricate relationship between assessment tasks and students' use of online platforms. It reveals that the design and workload of assessment tasks shape students' learning activities in diverse ways.
The findings shed light on the wide array of online platforms and resources that students purposefully combine, underscoring the influence of actors such as professionals and online communities. Furthermore, the articles provide detailed insights into the micro dynamics that characterize students' knowledge construction through the use of online platforms and the resources these platforms offer. This dissertation enriches both empirical and conceptual understanding of the role of platformisation in student learning and introduces innovative methodologies for analyzing digital traces in education alongside qualitative methods. It emphasizes the importance of comprehending the impact and challenges of platformisation beyond technical aspects and institutional boundaries, thus paving the way for further research and practical recommendations in higher education practice.
The dissertation enriches empirical and conceptual understandings of the role of platformisation in student learning, and introduces innovative methodological approaches for analysing digital traces in education alongside qualitative methods. It underscores the importance of understanding the role of platformisation in student learning and its challenges beyond technical aspects and institutional boundaries, laying the groundwork for future research and practical recommendations for practice in higher education.