Lowering the threshold for online learning with Facebook

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 154-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Fourie
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Learning Processes ◽  
Metacognitive Awareness ◽  
First Year ◽  
Learning Needs ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Communication Course ◽  
Grounded Theory Method

Students’ understanding of their own learning needs can improve, if they can be made more aware of their own learning processes by supporting their metacognitive development. Research has shown that membership of online communities can positively contribute to the social acculturation process of first year students (Wohn, Ellison, Khan, Fewins-Bliss, & Gray, 2013). Moreover, these social networking sites could meet specific learning needs. A group of South African first year medical students doing a second language communication course were invited to become members of a closed Facebook group with the purpose of lowering the threshold of online learning. These students reported that their metacognitive awareness about their own learning processes was raised, which made it possible for them to progress towards and access the online learning experience. Data collected during the course were analysed following the grounded theory method and a framework for raising metacognitive awareness was created.

scholarly journals Closing the Feedback Loop: Collaborative Design of a Musculoskeletal Revision Course

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 118-124
Author(s):  
Charlotte Leahy ◽  
Hannah Hawrot ◽  
Hannah Bonfield ◽  
Krupa Samani ◽  
Karam Aboud ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Student Satisfaction ◽  
Collaborative Design ◽  
Feedback Loop ◽  
Clinical Teaching ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
First Year ◽  
Learning Needs ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Teaching Fellows ◽  
Interactive Nature

Clinical Teaching Fellows (CTFs) at Leicester Medical School decided to supplement the learning needs of first year students on the musculoskeletal (MSK) module. Mid-unit evaluation had demonstrated that students had remarked positively on CTF teaching and many requested further anatomy teaching and demonstrations using prosections. It is increasingly important to provide students with evidence that their feedback is being acted upon, therefore CTFs collaborated in providing additional learning resources in the form of CTF-led revision courses while the MSK module was still ongoing. A survey was designed which aimed to engage students and to further explore their learning needs when developing the course. Based on these responses, two half-day CTF-led revision courses were designed, which included educational methods and topics the students themselves had suggested. CTFs collaboratively developed eight different stations, with one CTF designing and delivering the teaching material. Attendance was high and feedback indicated this was a valuable learning experience for students, with particularly positive responses about the interactive nature and high quality of the teaching. This experience demonstrates the benefits of working in partnership with students when developing learning activities, closing the feedback loop to improve student satisfaction, and collaborative planning when designing revision resources.

scholarly journals Students’ Learning Experience in Introduction to Drama Theatre Classes During COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-133
Author(s):  
Muhammad Azri Ali
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
First Year ◽  
Online Classes ◽  
Positive Perception ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Materials Used

The pandemic has caused the closure of educational institutions, which halted face-to-face teaching and learning. The unprecedented situation has left the institutions with no other choice other than implementing online learning to ensure the educational process's continuity. This study examines students' perceptions in Introduction to Drama and Theatre online classes. Three components of perceptions were investigated: the experience in learning the subject online, students' participation in the class, and the materials used in online classes. The quantitative data were collected from 38 first-year students enrolling in the Drama and Theatre programme at UNIMAS. The questionnaire was distributed online using Google Form. The findings showed a positive perception of learning Introduction to Drama and Theatre online, while moderate perception was identified in students' participation in the class. A positive perception was also seen in the materials and platforms used in online classes. Most of the students enjoyed the learning process due to the support from the lecturer. Moving forward, better infrastructure is needed in order to ensure the ability to conduct online learning without any obstacles. All stakeholders are responsible for playing their role to contribute to the online learning environment.

Thai Students' Experiences of Online Learning at Indonesian Universities in the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (S3) ◽  
pp. 58-74
Author(s):  
Sandi Ferdiansyah ◽  
Supiastutik ◽  
Ria Angin
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
International Students ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Emotional Support ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Learning Motivation ◽  
Learning Needs ◽  
Important Data ◽  
Thematic Content Analysis ◽  
Thai Students

The present interview study reports on eight Thai undergraduate students’ experiences of online learning at three different Indonesian universities based in East Java, Indonesia. Semi-structured interviewing was designed based on the sociocultural framework proposed by Ma (2017) to elucidate the students’ voices of online learning experience. The data garnered from online interviewing were transcribed and interpreted using thematic content analysis. The study elicits three important data themes: the agility of the student participants to adapt online learning to suit their learning needs, the participants’ strategies to build learning autonomy, and the participants’ ability to sustain their learning motivation. This study stresses the important roles of such other agents as teachers, parents, and friends in providing international students with mental and emotional support to help them get through COVID-19 affected online learning.

CAD Platform Independent Software for Automatic Grading of Technical Drawings

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanchit Ingale ◽  
Anirudh Srinivasan ◽  
Diana Bairaktarova
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Students ◽  
Spatial Reasoning ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Spatial Visualization ◽  
First Year ◽  
Spatial Skills ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Pedagogical Tool ◽  
Students Success ◽  
Mechanical Objects

Spatial visualization is the ability of an individual to imagine an object mentally and understand its spatial orientation. There have been multiple works proving that spatial visualization skills can be improved with an appropriate training. Such training warrant a critical place in the undergraduate engineering curricula in many engineering schools as spatial skills are considered vital for students’ success in the technical and design fields [1–4]. Enhanced spatial skills help not only professionals in the engineering field but also everyone in the 21st century environment. Drawing sectional views requires mental manipulation and visual thinking. To enhance students spatial reasoning, one of the authors of this study, conducted a class in spatial visualization. The course-learning goal aimed at improving first-year engineering students’ spatial reasoning through instruction on freehand drawings of sectional view. During the semester, two teaching assistants had to grade more than 500 assignments that consisted of sectional views of mechanical objects. This was a tedious and a time consuming task. Motivated by this experience, this paper proposes a software aiming at automating grading of students’ sectional view drawings. The proposed software will also give live feedback to students while they are working on the drawings. This interactive tool aims to 1) improve the learning experience of first year students, with limited CAD knowledge, and 2) introduce a pedagogical tool that can enhance spatial visualization training.

scholarly journals Fostering students’ autonomy in learning English in nonlinguistic university

2020 ◽  
Vol 75 ◽  
pp. 03007
Author(s):  
Oksana Pershukova ◽  
Nina Nikolska ◽  
Oksana Vasiukovych
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Learner Autonomy ◽  
Autonomous Learning ◽  
Control Group ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Autonomy Development ◽  
Special Approach ◽  
And Control

The study aims to find out whether it is possible to foster students’ learner autonomy in the context of ESP language learning in non-linguistic universities by using a special approach. The experiment was carried out at National Aviation University in Ukraine with two groups of first-year students of electronics (experimental and control) in 2018-2019. Testings to determine students’ level of communicative competence in English and surveys to identify students’ level of learner autonomy development were conducted in September and May of the same year of education. The control group did not receive any special training, while in the experimental group were created special learning conditions. With the purpose to prepare students to accept responsibility for their learning, they were given the opportunities to choose educational materials; to set goals of their learning; to reflect the process and evaluate the results of learning, etc. Modern technologies were widely used as well as scaffolding (if necessary). According to the results of the experiment, it was stated that only a part of the most active students used the created conditions and gained experience in autonomous learning. The conclusion was made about creating such an environment. It is a challenge that is appropriate to realize to give an autonomous learning experience to aspiring students.

ANALYSIS OF THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE TRANSITION TO ONLINE LEARNING ON THE EXAMPLE OF MOOC PHILOSOPHY DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 1083-1093
Author(s):  
Daria Bylieva ◽  
Zafer Bekirogullari ◽  
Victoria Lobatyuk ◽  
Tatiana Nam
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Sharp Increase ◽  
Educational Technologies ◽  
Online Course ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Peter The Great ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Learning Portfolios

Purpose of the study: The situation of a mass transition of Universities to online education in the period of the COVID-19 pandemic allowed us to see the challenges of distance e-learning in practice. In this unique situation, the same students studying the same course changed only the form of education, which allows us to see the consequences of such a transition. The purpose of the study is the analysis of changes in students' educational activities in the transition to online learning. Methodology: The article provides a quantitative statistical analysis of changes in the behaviour of first-year students of Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University (N=3122) in the framework of studying the mass open online course “Philosophy” on the platform open.edu when switching to fully e-learning in March 2020. The authors have applied data mining MOOCs from students’ learning portfolios. Main Findings: Existing technological solutions and educational technologies made it possible to quickly adapt the education system to the distance format. However, the transition to fully e-learning has led to a sharp increase (by 16-17%) in the number of students who do not participate in intermediate tests and not doing homework in the e-course and later did not return to normal learning. Applications of this study: Since modern higher education is increasingly using e-learning, it is necessary to anticipate the consequences of the implementation of e-learning. The study helps to see general trends in this area. Novelty/Originality of this study: The study provides an analysis of students’ learning when switching to online education based on data taken directly from students’ learning portfolios, which allows us to see a completely objective picture of changes in students' behaviour.

UNDERGRADUATE HEALTHCARE STUDENTS’ ATTITUDE TO E-LEARNING AT MEDICAL UNIVERSITY - PLOVDIV

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 855-861 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yordanka Tsokova ◽  
Tanya Taneva ◽  
Biyanka Tornyova ◽  
Todor Cherkezov
Keyword(s):  
Time Management ◽  
Management System ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Content Management ◽  
University Education ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Traditional Classroom Teaching ◽  
Medical University

E-learning is seen as a possible solution to the problem of modernization of the university education in response to the changing needs of the society. In undergraduate healthcare training, e-learning is implemented predominantly as blended learning in addition to the traditional classroom teaching. A major factor in the success of e-learning are learners’ attitudes, beliefs and concerns. The aim of the present study was to investigate undergraduate healthcare students’ attitude to e-learning at Medical University – Plovdiv. In this case, e-learning is considered to be electronic educational resources organized as an interactive e-learning unit or course, provided through a learning content management system. The survey was carried out in 2016 through a self-reported questionnaire among 270 first year students from ten healthcare specialties. Participants were asked to express a degree of agreement with nine statements on a five point Likert scale. The influence of gender, age, specialty and previous e-learning experience on the opinion of students was investigated. The results showed that students’ attitudes towards e-learning were positive, but learners were not enthusiastic about it. Genders have different views about e-learning implementation – women are more likely to accept it. The experience first year students had did not allow them to judge if e-learning supports better time-management or life-long learning skills. Students agreed that implementation of e-learning depends on the subjects and there are disciplines that can be provided as distant courses within the learning management system.

scholarly journals Features of the Development of Auditory and Pronunciation Skills in Online German Classes

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Olena H. Vasylchenko
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
National University ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Video And Audio ◽  
Two Stages

The relevance of the research is determined by the need to find new methods of teaching a foreign language in the context of the transition to an online learning environment, which will contribute to ensuring an appropriate level of development of future specialists' communicative foreign competence. The purpose of the study is to determine the features of the development of students' phonetic competence in online German classes on the example of the pedagogical activity of teachers of the I.I. Mechnikov Odessa National University. The study of the selected problems was carried out in two stages based on logical and system approaches using general scientific methods, including the method of analysis, synthesis, comparison, concretisation, systematisation, and the method of analogies. It was identified that the modern educational space is characterised by the digitalisation of the educational process, as a result of which approaches to teaching a foreign language are changing. The paper considers foreign practices of using multimedia technologies in foreign language classes to form students' auditory and pronunciation skills in online learning. The necessity of changing the conventional methods of teaching an introductory phonetic course in a foreign language according to the requirements of distance learning was substantiated. It was established that the key factor in the development of auditory and pronunciation skills in online German classes is the use of video and audio materials (video conferences and messengers), animated images of articulation of sounds, as well as a system of exercises for the practical application of the theoretical knowledge obtained. On the example of teaching an introductory phonetic course in German for first-year students of the Department of International Relations of the I.I. Mechnikov Odessa National University, the basic principles of using mobile applications in the process of distance learning, including Padlet, LearningApps, Voki, PicVoice, and ChatterPix are described. The prospects for further research lie in the practice of using the online environment of an introductory German phonetic course among students of related specialisations

scholarly journals Easing the transition from secondary school to higher education through recognition of the skills of our students

2016 ◽  
pp. 51-55
Author(s):  
Orla C Kelly ◽  
Odilla E Finlayson
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Short Communication ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
First Year ◽  
Physical Sciences ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Business Innovation ◽  
University Level ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Chemical Events

This short communication discusses research, which has investigated students‟ self-perception of their skills. This was to identify which skills they felt most and least confident in upon starting university. General and scientific and practical skills as well as skills related to improving learning were explored. The results suggested that students felt most confident in working in groups, interacting with people to obtain the necessary information and assistance, and observing chemical events and changes among others. In contrast students felt least confident in planning and presenting an oral presentation, analysing and evaluating experimental data, and using the internet and other resources to gain information. Details of how the findings were used to make effective changes to an existing module will be discussed. Furthermore, the relevance of this in terms of supporting our first year students in their transition to university-level work and subsequently planning appropriate modules will be discussed in relation to the recently published results from the UK Physical Sciences Centre Review of the Student Learning Experience in Chemistry and in light of the Department for Business Innovation and Skills Higher Ambitions and Skills for Growth papers.

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