Samar Ghazal, Hosam Al-Samarraie and Bianca Wright
The purpose of this paper is to address the major findings of published research on the factors influencing students’ knowledge building in an online collaborative environment.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to address the major findings of published research on the factors influencing students’ knowledge building in an online collaborative environment.
Design/methodology/approach
The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses was used to review and synthesize existing empirical studies on knowledge building in a collaborative learning context. In total, 24 studies were identified from major electronic bibliographic databases. The research was conducted between 2017 and 2019. Results of these studies were analyzed to determine potential factors that may influence the knowledge-building process among students.
Findings
Factors related to interaction and participation, task, student and support were found to be the major factors driving students’ knowledge building in the online collaborative learning environment. The association between these factors and certain collaborative tasks was mapped.
Originality/value
Findings from this review can help decision makers of higher education in both developing and developed countries to take the necessary steps in order to promote effective knowledge-building practices in online collaborative learning. It may also help educational policy makers to understand the particulars of collaborative knowledge-building practices, so to increase organizational overall effectiveness and performance.
Details
Keywords
Samar Mouakket and Mohamed Aboelmaged
This paper aims to examine the technology-organization-environment (TOE) predictors of green information technology adoption in an emerging economy, namely, the United Arab…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the technology-organization-environment (TOE) predictors of green information technology adoption in an emerging economy, namely, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and their impact on work performance among UAE organizations.
Design/methodology/approach
A paper-based survey was carried out by engaging employees in different organizations in the UAE. The “partial least squares” (PLS) method was used to test and analyze the measurement and the structural research models.
Findings
The analysis shows support to all the hypotheses, with the exception of the influence of competitive force.
Originality/value
The results can be valuable for practitioners and decision-makers in the emerging economy context as the results will help them validate their adoption decisions and effectively contribute to sustainability strategies.
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Al Bastakiya (now Al Fahidi) historic neighborhood in Dubai stands as one of the last remaining residential historic neighborhoods in a city notoriously known to favor newness…
Abstract
Purpose
Al Bastakiya (now Al Fahidi) historic neighborhood in Dubai stands as one of the last remaining residential historic neighborhoods in a city notoriously known to favor newness. Among the existing research about the neighborhood, most focuses on the allure of the neighborhood’s 13-meter-high wind-catching towers and private courtyards, but some delve into the histories of the merchant families who lived in the neighborhood. I argue that the existing literature does not capture the multiplicity of experiences of Al Bastakiya residents, especially the experiences of women. In fact, at times it sits in opposition to it.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is part of an ongoing research project titled Ayesha Al Bastaki and the Windtower Houses of Old Dubai, which seeks to challenge the male-centered rendition of Al Bastakiya by re-introducing women as active agents in the narrative of Al Bastakiya. Ayesha Al Bastaki is a well-established Dubai-based architectural engineer with over 50 completed projects.
Findings
Using her memories in one of the biggest houses in the neighborhood, the Abbas House (now demolished), and the collective memory of her community in Al Bastakiya in the 1970s and early 1980s, a story is told about the role of women in the development of the Al Bastakiya neighborhood and their negotiation of their built environment.
Originality/value
Bringing to the forefront for the first time, women of the Al Bastakiya.