Tom 17 (2014): Zeszyt 2 (December 2014)

Background We evaluated the satisfaction and improvement in learning outcomes of students taking a distance course in Public Health facilitated by the Institute for Preventive Medicine and Public Health at the Hanoi Medical University and the State University of New York at Albany.

Methods A total of 36 students participated in pre- and post- course surveys online. We developed the Vietnamese E-Learning Student Outcomes Profile (VESOP) to evaluate the impact of distance learning methods on students’ learning outcomes. Factor analysis was applied to construct the measure items into five domains: Academic Skills, Intellectual Abilities, Interactions, Responsibility and Educational Engagement. Multivariate regression models, selected using stepwise approach, determined factors associated with changes in students’ learning outcomes. Student satisfaction with the course was assessed by determining their willingness to participate in and pay for future distance learning courses.

Results The students showed moderate improvement in “Interactions” and large improvements in the other four domains. Factors associated with improvements included previous academic performance, English proficiency, ease of access to the internet and computers, and time spent studying. All students passed the course, all would be willing to take another distance learning course, and 26 students would be willing to pay for such as course with certification.

Conclusions Findings of this study highlight the potential of distance learning as a complementary educational method that could greatly benefit Public Health students. It encourages and supports the development of such training programs for Public Health students in Vietnam.

In this paper we propose a new Technopedagogical Disciplinary Knowledge model. This model integrates four separate dimensions, which we use to measure a teacher’s effectiveness. These are the individual teacher’s discipline (D), personal epistemology (E), pedagogical knowledge (P), and knowledge of technology (T). We also acknowledge the existence of relationships between these components. These can be more or less correlated depending on the teacher’s individual profile. They are always present, but they do not necessarily have the same weighting. In order to test the potential differences between teachers’ profiles, we designed a questionnaire, which tested our model’s components, and the relationships between them. This questionnaire was initially submitted to a group of teachers with whom we were familiar, to ensure the questions were understandable and that, based on what we already knew of the teachers’ characteristics, the profiles that emerged were reliable. A second test was then carried out, which we used to compare the answers of university and non-university level teachers, based in the two institutions in which we work. This second questionnaire was used to test the consistency of responses, and the correlations between the model’s different dimensions. Having analysed the outcome of these questionnaires, it appears that “pedagogical knowledge” is significantly correlated with the other three dimensions. This consolidated framework has helped us to build a system of education development coaching for teaching practices that use technology widely.

This paper examines the reasons for study of adult beginner distance learners of Spanish and the relationships between those reasons and motivation maintenance. A survey of 563 Open University UK students found motivational orientations distinct from those of young people in earlier studies. Adult learners who maintained their motivation also demonstrated a greater number of reasons for study. Their motivation embraced intrinsic and extrinsic, integrative and instrumental orientations, short-term and long-term ambitions, and an L2 self both ideal and realistically attainable. During their course module they focused more consistently than others on the language skills they had targeted, and expressed increased enjoyment of the learning experience. This study suggests that achieving ‘softer’ short-term goals encourages persistence towards longer-term goals which reflect the ideal L2 self.

The general aim of this study is to determine the effects of learning management systems supported by social networking sites on learners’ academic achievements in distance education. The study group consisted of 75 undergraduate students from a state university in eastern Turkey. The data for the study, in which an experimental research design was used, were collected through an achievement test, which consisted of 40 multiple-choice questions. Within the scope of the research, a learning management system and a social networking site were utilized in a distance education course. As a result of the research, it was seen that social network supported distance learning activities created a more positive effect on the achievements of the learners than the distance learning activities. Also, it was determined that social network supported distance education activities were more effective in the acquisition of behaviours at the knowledge level of the cognitive domain than activities in other groups; however, the groups were not different from each other in relation to the acquisition of behaviours at the comprehension level of the cognitive domain. In this context, it was concluded that the learning management systems used in distance education should be supported by social networking sites to increase the academic achievement of learners.

Open textbook initiatives have emerged as an alternative to traditional publications, boosting the creation of educational resources based on open licenses. In order to make them sustainable, it is necessary to define strategies for the adoption of these initiatives by the different actors involved in the education institutions where they will be implemented. In this article we present the components of the adoption strategy designed for the LATIn Initiative. In Section 2 we present the relevant background information collected in a state-of-the-art reviewing. We then present in Section 3 the components defined for the Strategy for the Adoption of the LATIn Project. In this respect, in Section 4 we present the main processes defined. Furthermore, in Section 5 we identify the intervention of Actors and Contexts. Finally, in Section 6 we include the Phases of Implementation of the strategy, defined as Initial Phase, Generalization Phase and Institutionalization Phase. In Section 7 we present the Conclusions of this work.

This paper examines two modules within the Faculty of Social Sciences at The Open University (OU) and considers the extent to which ‘passive’ learning may be taking place. Both are level one modules (first year undergraduate) and use a combination of asynchronous (forums) and synchronous (Blackboard Collaborate technology, branded ‘OU Live’) technologies for teaching. The data reveals that student ‘passive engagement’ with forums (reading messages in a forum, but not ‘actively’ posting, colloquially known as lurking) is far higher than ‘active engagement’ (posting in the forum). The data also shows that participation in OU Live is very low. This initially suggests that teaching and learning strategies needs to be reconsidered, to encourage or increase ‘active engagement’. However, the data, alongside literature, also suggests that some students may find value in engaging ‘passively’. From the perspective of a Higher Education (HE) institute such as the OU, this may have implications for the tuition delivery strategy used to deliver the module material, as well as how staff development occurs for the tutors that deliver the material. For example, rather than focus a significant effort on encouraging students to participate in active forum use, the emphasis may need to be shifted to ensuring that appropriate/sufficient material is available to ‘passive engagers’.

This study aims at empirically examining the relation of self-esteem and loneliness with social presence, academic performance, satisfaction with the course and intention for academic drop out, in a blended distance learning environment in Greece. The study involved both undergraduate and postgraduate students of the Hellenic Open University (HOU). Data were collected via a four-section questionnaire. The correlational data analysis yielded a negative correlation between self-esteem and intention for academic drop out, while there is a positive correlation between self-esteem and satisfaction derived from the course. Results also suggested that there is no correlation between self-esteem and academic performance. Findings also revealed that there is no statistically significant correlation between loneliness and the other variables under examination. Furthermore, the results showed that there were no statistically significant differences between the examined variables in relation to the demographic features (gender, age, etc.). The findings of the present study are discussed in relation to the relevant literature, taking into consideration the blended learning educational format offered by the HOU which is based on methodologies used in other European institutions that offer distance learning courses. Finally, recommendations for further research are presented.

Higher education institutions face conflicting challenges; they must equip students with up-to-date knowledge in fields in which knowledge is constantly being renewed, while they also need to guide students to examine reality through broad-based observation and consider different scientific disciplines. They operate within different constrictions such as: learning program boundaries, budgetary constrictions, and lack of accessibility to experts in different areas, and the range of courses offered to students is limited. To cope with these constrictions, Ort Braude Academic College of Engineering opened an experimental program. As part of this program, students were allowed to study MOOC courses under the college’s supervision, and were eligible for accreditation if they completed the courses successfully. Only 15 out of the 600 students offered the program, registered for these courses. Only seven were accepted for the program. This paper describes the background for the college’s decision, the registration process and supervision of students, detailing students’ challenges and achievements in the MOOC courses. Students who completed the MOOC courses reported that they enjoyed meaningful learning, requiring serious efforts in comparison to the courses that the MOOC courses replaced. Given this positive feedback by the students, it was decided to continue with the experiment.

This study analyzed current uses of emerging Web 2.0 technologies in higher education with the intent to better understand which tools teachers are using in the classroom. A total of 189 faculty in higher education from three western US universities were invited to participate, with 54 completing the survey. The survey included open-ended questions as well to offer an alternative analysis approach. In this study, the respondents claimed that the intrinsic factors of a lack of time and training were the main barriers to use, and reported positive views of Web 2.0 use in class, with 75% saying that these tools would benefit students and 83% saying they would benefit teacher-student interactions. In contrast to these results only 44% of the respondents used at least 4 of the 13 listed Web 2.0 tools with students. The reported uses did not match with the reported benefits, and this would support the results that extrinsic factors (time, training, support), instead of intrinsic factors (beliefs, motivation, confidence) are the main barriers to faculty in this study using more Web 2.0 in education. The top five Web 2.0 tools used, in order of preference, follow: (a) video sharing with tools like YouTube; (b) instant messaging; (c) blogs; (d) social communities, such as Facebook; and (e) podcasts or video casts. This data was originally submitted to the Abraham S. Fischler School of Education in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education.

This article presents the experiences and results of using a simple learning design for transforming a traditional, large-scale, face-to-face science module in calculus into blended learning where all face-to-face lectures were replaced by webcasts and online activities. The article presents the impact on teaching and learning in terms of how the teacher and the students used the materials and the impact on the students’ performance and satisfaction. The article concludes that replacing face-to-face lectures with webcasts and online activities has the potential to improve learning in terms of a better student performance, higher student satisfaction, and a higher degree of flexibility for the students. In addition, the article discusses implications of using learning design for educational development, how learning design may help breaking with the perception that facilitating blended learning is a daunting process, and, ultimately, its potential for addressing some of the grand challenges in science education and the political agenda of today

This paper describes our experience of introducing a structured format for students requesting formative feedback on draft work. Initially the aims were to encourage the development of selfassessment skills in distance-learning students and to develop the dialogue between student and tutor. In 2013 we considered the benefits of this initiative could be applied to campus based students with a similar profile. The experiences of staff involved in this process were collated and the advantages and challenges recorded.

Our experience confirms this process results in high quality, specific and consistent feedback which can impact on students’ success in summative assessment. The development of trust in the process results in useful dialogue and increased self-esteem as students gain confidence in their critical-thinking skills. An unexpected benefit shows students utilise the process to express anxieties about, not only their studies, but personal and work challenges, thereby enabling us to provide additional support.

The most challenging aspect for tutors is the time required to provide feedback in this format. This process highlights distinct benefits for students and in our view these outweigh the issue of tutor time, but resources need to be addressed before it can be used effectively for larger cohorts.

The study examines students’ assessments of the use of the flipped classroom approach in an undergraduate course in the Business Department at the College for Academic Studies in Israel. In its essence, learners prepare for classes by watching videos away from class, allowing the classroom encounter to focus on discussion, exercises, and discourse. Data were collected by a questionnaire distributed toward the end of the course. The students reported that watching videos between lessons enhanced interest, alleviated boredom, and enriched the learning. To a lesser extent, they reported it increased their involvement in learning, understanding of the learning material, and confidence in their ability to understand it. While acknowledging the convenience of watching course videos between classes, however, the participants clearly preferred to watch them in class. Multivariate analysis revealed that working students were less positive about using the flipped-classroom approach than non-working students, female students were more positive than male ones, and older students were more positive than younger ones. Furthermore, the stronger the senses of having classmates nearby, the more positive the participants were about the contribution of watching the videos.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the main barriers and enablers for integrating technology enhanced learning (TEL) into a business organization based on a responsive paradigm. The study is based on a current literature review on challenges and learners’ needs for TEL and the preconditions for TEL curriculum integration into business organizations. The theoretical study is matched with a qualitative research on learners’ needs for TEL in two international business organizations from IT sector. Technology enhanced learning (TEL) is tackling different barriers for learning in organizations. However, to make it effective, specific technological and teaching solutions must be implemented. The research revealed that companies’ employees give preference to TEL than other forms of learning, and defined specific requirements for successful technology enhanced learning integration into business organisations. A theoretical literature review is followed by empirical findings of a qualitative research (focus group interviews) in two international IT companies. The findings of the research offer valuable insights for a responsive TEL integration into business organizations from the point of view of companies’ employees.

Post-secondary institutions around the world use various methods to evaluate the teaching performance of faculty members. Effective evaluations identify areas of instructional strength, provide faculty with opportunities for growth, and allow for reflective inquiry. While there is an extensive body of research related to the evaluation of faculty in traditional settings, there have been few studies examining online faculty members’ perceptions of evaluation processes. The present study involved dissemination of an e-survey to online full-time faculty at a large university in the Southwest United States, as well as qualitative content analysis of survey data. Findings suggest that online full-time faculty expressed interest in improvement as instructors, distinct from modality, and preferred descriptive, qualitative, and holistic feedback rather than quantitative or punitive feedback. Further, participants articulated a desire to be evaluated by those with content-specific knowledge rather than teaching expertise in the online environment. This study has implications for online distance administrators and those stakeholders involved in online faculty evaluation. Additional research is needed to continue to establish a baseline for how online faculty members conceptualize ideal evaluation processes.

Learning with and through technological enhancements operates in a landscape unrecognisable only a few years ago. Focussing on Higher Education, this article shows how to capture and model complex strategic processes that will move the potential of online and blended learning in universities to new stages of development. It offers the example of a four quadrant model created as a framework for an online and blended learning innovation strategy, and its successful implementation in practice.