Journal of e-Learning and Knowledge Society

Conceptualizing the future of e-Learning: examining students’ readiness, satisfaction, and intention to continue employing remote learning in higher education landscape

Nahla Moussa — 2023-08-28

Online learning is a flexible education environment in which instructions and learning activities are delivered through the internet. This quantitative research study seeks to explore students’ readiness to continue employing e-Learning whilst also measuring students’ satisfaction with the e-Learning platform/system among higher education students in a Middle Eastern country, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Furthermore, the paper discovers the factors that predict students’ intention to continue utilizing e-Learning in the future. Liaw’s model (2008) was employed to report students’ readiness, satisfaction with e-Learning system quality, multimedia integrated into instructions, interactive learning activities, and students’ intention to continue using online learning. A sample consisting of 476 higher education students from multiple backgrounds and different majors volunteered to take part in the study. Descriptive analysis and Multivariate analysis techniques including Correlation Coefficient, and Stepwise Linear Regression were chosen to achieve the study objectives. Data analysis demonstrated that higher education students showed a high readiness level (82%) towards e-Learning and were found with a medium satisfaction level (77%) with the e-Learning system that they are using. Moreover, students’ satisfaction with e-Learning, the e-Learning system quality, and students’ perceived usefulness were found to be significant contributors to students’ behavioral intention to keep on utilizing the e-Learning platform potentially. The findings recommend examining students’ readiness for e-Learning at the beginning of each semester before starting teaching to set up academic plans that promote the effectiveness of e-Learning.

A survey research for e-learning readiness of faculty members during the COVID-19 pandemic: Technological, Pedagogical, and Content Knowledge Solution for e-Learning improvement from the viewpoint of faculty members

Mahshid Naghashpour — 2023-08-28

This study aimed to evaluate the e-readiness of faculty members during the pandemic COVID-19. It also identified the technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge solutions influencing the success of e-learning in medical education from the viewpoint of faculty members. Hundred faculty members working at Abadan University of Medical Sciences, Abadan, Iran participated in a mixed-method study including quantitative and qualitative phases. In the quantitative arm, the Likert-based Archambault & Crippen questionnaire was applied to measure the e-readiness of faculty members. In the qualitative arm, participants answered the 4 online open-ended questions consisting of three domains (pedagogical, technical, and content), and several themes were constructed from the gathered qualitative data. In quantitative analysis the Friedman test revealed that the knowledge of faculty members in the field of content knowledge was the most and in the field of technological knowledge was the least (p≤0.001(. Besides, in the subjective interpretation of qualitative data, leadership and educational management were the most frequent themes. Moreover, regarding the pedagogical solutions, the focus principally was on the teaching-learning domain followed by revising curriculum planning. In addition, considering the content solution, the concentration predominantly was on the domain of the development of educational resources. From the viewpoint of faculty members, the challenge of the shift to e-learning and pedagogical, technological, and content solutions for e-readiness of faculty members can be resolved through planning and performing professional development programs and this cannot be achieved without effective leadership.

Teaching and Learning Centers and Coordinated Technologies for an Effective Transition at COVID-19 Pandemic Time to Massive Distance Learning and Online Exams

Marco Bernardo — 2023-08-30

In higher education two key factors for achieving resilience during an emergency are the presence of a teaching and learning center, in charge of supervising all the switchover activities and providing daily assistance to lecturers and students, and the adoption of a variety of technological tools, each with a specific purpose but used in a coordinated way. In this paper we illustrate the rapid transition in the second half of the academic year 2019/2020 to massive distance learning and online exams guided by the teaching and learning center of the University of Urbino. The toolset featured the learning management system Moodle and the webconference tool Blackboard Collaborate, both employed for online lectures and oral exams, together with the e-proctoring tool Smowl for computer monitoring and the webconference tool Google Meet used on students smartphones for environmental monitoring, additionally employed for online written exams. We finally present the outcome of a survey of students opinions on massive distance learning.

Problematic Smartphone Use and University Students’ Academic Performance

Daniele Agostini — 2023-08-31

One of the most pressing emergent educational issues addressed by the international research literature concerns the effects that excessive or problematic smartphone use can have on students’ academic performance. An exploratory study was thus carried out with 46 students enrolled in a five-year degree program at the University of Padova (Italy) who were asked to provide their perceptions of their level of smartphone dependence and academic performance. Findings seem to indicate a significant correlation between high levels of smartphone addiction, difficulty concentrating while studying, and a frequent tendency to procrastinate on completing assigned tasks. Responses regarding smartphone distraction during in-person classes were particularly interesting: over 75% of respondents reported using their smartphones frequently in class. In order of importance, their reasons for doing so were to view and answer social media messages (61%), “boredom” due to the teaching strategies employed by some teachers in presenting lessons (41%), and the need to take a break from concentrating in class (35%). Lastly, smartphone use and its effects on academic performance involve three principal components: usage time, distraction in class, and frequency of smartphone checks. Smartphone usage time seems to have a direct negative effect on exam grades. Distraction in class is most significant for respondents who use their smartphones for messaging, while the frequency with which respondents check their smartphones is inversely proportional to their age...

Distance Learning according to Special Education Teachers: pedagogical considerations and educational instructions

Sara Rizzo — 2023-09-19

The consequences of the pandemic on the school system are currently being debated in the main international organizations, in the scientific and educational communities. Over the last year, several researches in the educational field have had the purpose, on the one hand, of analyzing the educational implications connected to the introduction of Distance Learning (DaD) then Integrated Distance Learning (DiD), on the other hand, to reflect on aspects related to initial and in service teacher training. The aim is to provide some suggestions for facing the educational challenges of the current situation. In this broad debate, a further focus of analysis concerns the impacts of DAD on the most fragile subjects of the school system such as students with disabilities. For this reason, the research aims to explore some aspects inherent to the teaching experiences carried out by a sample of support teachers of different school grades in the last two years. The research analyzed the strategies used in the perspective of inclusive teaching as well as the results achieved and the personal and contextual resources activated by teachers to face this educational challenge. In line with the results of the main international and national researches, the results here presented give back some pedagogical reflections and some indications for teaching. These considerations can be a further element to hoard the lessons learned from the current educational challenge also in relation to the initial and in-service training of teachers.

Mapping Open Education: an analysis of the Open Educational Resources landscape in Brazil and South Africa

Jako Olivier — 2023-09-19

Initiatives such as the Open Educational Resources (OER) World Map provide a systematic means towards recording activities, documents and individuals related to open education (OE). In this article – which is part of a larger effort to evaluate and extend this World Map – the entries on Brazil and South Africa were critically evaluated in terms of the existing scholarship on open education from these two countries. Clear trends were evident from the World Map and the usefulness of both the methodology and platform to inform gaps and challenges within and across countries in terms of open education, providing inputs that can aid in the design of strategies and international cooperation.

Using infographics to teach object-oriented programming to future computer science teachers

Altynshash Bekezhanova — 2023-09-28

This study presents the results of a pedagogical experiment in teaching object-oriented programming to students of a pedagogical university. The pedagogical experiment was conducted at the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of the Abai Kazakh National Pedagogical University and at the Kazakh National Women’s Teacher Training University. The aim of this study was to test the proposed hypothesis on the use of infographics when teaching object-oriented programming. In the process of conducting the pedagogical experiment, the students involved in the study were divided into 2 subgroups: a control group and an experimental group. The control group used traditional teaching methods and tools, while the experimental group used visualisation tools, in particular infographics. In order to assess the learning outcomes, tests were conducted in both the control and experimental groups. The authors of the study used statistical methods to confirm or refute the proposed hypothesis of the study, i.e., at the end of the pedagogical experiment, a valid conclusion about the difference and coincidence between the data obtained was drawn. The main purpose of the experiment was to test the scientific hypothesis of the study in practice and to evaluate the methodology applied.

Mapping the field: a bibliometric analysis for Distance Education with a focus on Management Studies

Sandrina B. Moreira — 2023-09-28

The pandemic context has presented new challenges for education. In a short time, higher education institutions (HEIs) adapted their students, staff, technology, and infrastructures for a fast migration to distance learning. This change brought new challenges but also new opportunities that justify more contributions. The purpose of this paper is to study distance education (DE) methods and approaches, with a focus on management studies that are understudied. The research adopted a descriptive quantitative approach. Based on a sample of 400 documents using the Scopus database, a bibliometric analysis was carried out, aiming to identify the most prominent keywords, authors, sources, and countries for DE in general, with a focus on management courses in HEIs. The results suggest that innovation can be an asset for HEIs and can be seen as an ally for both teachers and students in learning new practices that involve digitalization. The bibliometric analysis highlights that motivation and collaboration are very important aspects and should be considered, especially when students are at the center of the teaching process. The main limitation regards the dominance of papers about DE, mostly based on the education sciences, and just a small number focusing on management courses. This limitation can influence the results achieved, but also allows this research to contribute for a better understanding of this field. This is one of few studies that has innovated by identifying the main subjects in DE literature, with a special emphasis on management courses, thus complementing previous scarce research in the field.