The main purpose of this study is to compare students' behaviors in three types of learning activities (drills, games, and self-tests) in order to explore students' motivation to learn in each one of them. For that purpose, the actions of 7,434 third to sixth grade students, who learned in two learning units, were documented in log files and analyzed. The comparison between their behaviors was based on three variables: (a) the number of students who performed each activity, (b) the percentage of students who completed each activity until they succeeded, and (c) the average response time to questions in each activity. The study was carried out in two stages. Firstly, the students' behavior was examined in one unit and the results were recorded. Thereafter, the behavior was examined in another unit with different activities, in order to validate the results. Results show significant differences in students' behavior with respect to activities in both units. This implies that the drills and the self-test served as motivating tools for learning to a greater extent than the games. We conclude that a greater emphasis should be given to identify under which conditions online activities are more motivating for students' learning processes.

The research objectives of this study are: (a) to compare learning behaviors in an online science learning environment -in school vs. at home; and (b) to explore the existence of some behavioral differences, in school and at home, in terms of age and gender. The actions of 1,179 elementary school students in an online science learning environment were documented in a log file and statistically analyzed. Results suggest that students who learn at home tend to spend more time learning; they learn at a slower pace and score higher on a test than students who learn in school. However, no significant differences were found between home and school in terms of the amount of completed activities, the rate of simulation use, and the sequence of learning. Comparison between age groups indicates that younger students tend to learn for more time, at a slower pace, and complete fewer activities than older students. Comparison between genders, on the other hand, reflects similar learning behaviors for boys and girls. The results also suggest that neither age nor gender affect the differences found between school and home behaviors. Our conclusions indicate that extending teaching time to the home by means of online learning environments is possible and worthwhile, regardless of age or gender. Nevertheless, it should be noticed that in some cases more learning time is necessary for young students in online assignments.

Aim/Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic demanded an immediate and massive adaptation of higher education to distance learning. Teachers had to transform from face-to-face to distance teaching, with insufficient pedagogical and technological knowledge and resources. This study aims to capture higher education faculty experiences in the very early stages of the crisis-prompted transition into synchronous distance education in order to obtain a broader view on the faculty’s perspectives (benefits, challenges and insights) on distance teaching through synchronous online environments. Background: Although online teaching and learning have been part of higher education teaching for more than two decades, many instructors found themselves teaching remotely for the first time and facing new and unpredicted challenges. Methodology: This study explored and analyzed an e-mail thread discourse between teachers in a higher education institute, two months after “going online” due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A singular case study was conducted, and a retrospective and snapshot case study approach was used. Data analysis was an iterative exploratory process of going back and forth the empirical material, resulting in the construction of categories, then themes, and finally a conceptual framework was developed. Contribution: The findings contribute the knowledge domain of implementation of immediate and massive online teaching and learning from the faculty perspective. Findings: Two main focal points, students and teachers, were encountered. Three main recurring themes were identified associated with both students and teachers: Convenience, Ethical Issues, and Insights for the future. Two themes were identified associated with faculty: Pedagogy and Tools, and Resources. In addition, two themes were identified for students: Attendance and Responses. Each of the themes was decomposed into several aspects. Recommendations for Practitioners: Higher education institutions and stakeholders should build a campus wide e-learning agenda including appropriate infrastructure and professional development for the future. Recommendations for Researchers: The study presented a conceptual model based on qualitative case study methodology. The impact and influence of each of the components of the model should be further researched and measured using quantitative methodologies. Impact on Society: Understanding the benefits and challenges of distance learning from the faculty perspectives in order to implement better distance learning strategies. Future Research: The impact and influence of each of the components of the model should be further researched and measured using quantitative methodologies.

A qualitative model of a system is an abstraction that captures ordinal knowledge and predicts the set of qualitatively possible behaviours of the system, given a qualitative description of its structure and initial state. This paper examines an innovative approach to science education using an interactive learning environment that supports learners in expressing and simulating conceptual knowledge by building qualitative models in ecology. The learning environment and tools are being developed as part of the Dynalearn qualitative modeling research project, funded by the European Union's 7th framework programme and carried out by a consortium of eight participant universities. In summing up the results, it is clear that from the perspective of systems thinking, the modeling activity affected students' perception of systems making them able to represent it in a more dynamic and comprehensive way.

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