Perceptions and use of cloud in academic activities: a study of a public university in Bangladesh

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 66-79
Author(s):  
Md. Anwarul Islam
Keyword(s):  
Cloud Computing ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Research Collaboration ◽  
Public University ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Areas ◽  
Academic Activities

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the initial understanding of what perceptions have the faculty members of Dhaka University and how they use cloud for academic activities. Design/methodology/approach A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect responses from the faculty members of Dhaka University. An online questionnaire was sent out to the faculty members of Dhaka University via e-mail. The questionnaire was both open and close-ended. Overall, 125 respondents participated in this survey and convenience sampling method was used. Mann–Whitney and chi-square test were carried out to see the influence of demographic characteristics on cloud use for teaching and learning activities. Findings The results showed that faculty members are generally aware of cloud computing, and they are using some of the cloud applications for teaching and learning purposes. They use cloud for research, collaboration, faculty-students engagement, student supporting activities and sharing course materials. They identified limited wireless access or internet facilities, lack of ICT infrastructure and lack of cloud training and knowledge as major constraints. However, these constraints are mainly related to the poor IT infrastructure and limited access to internet, which may also lead to other constraints. Originality/value This is the first time an attempt has been made to explore the perception and use of cloud among the faculty members in a public university, Bangladesh. The findings of this study may shed light to other align research areas of cloud computing in Bangladesh.

A Thematic Analysis Of Incivility In Online Classroom: A Study In Indian Context

2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (09) ◽  
pp. 65-84
Author(s):  
Aditi Gupta ◽  
◽  
Anshika Sharma ◽  
Prof. Patiraj Kumari ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Online Education ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Online Classroom ◽  
School Closures ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Academic Activities ◽  
Almost All

The current situation of COVID 19 not only involves global health crisis but also economic and social crises. It has brought about a change in the system of education by conducting all academic activities online. Acc. to ILO, a world of universal distance education (as nearly 94% of learners have faced school closures) is created. Online education is a new concept for most Indians, creates room for incivility. Incivility is defined as a lack of manners, courteousness, and respect which deteriorates the decorum leading to disturbance in teaching and learning of the class. This study is focused on incivility in online teaching and learning. A total of 130 college students from around the country were asked to fill an open-ended online questionnaire to know their views on incivility in the online classroom. The overall thematic analysis resulted in the identification of three themes i.e. reported incidents, possible causes, and measures to reduce incivility in the online classrooms. In the time of pandemic where almost all the dissemination of education is done online to minimize the effect of the pandemic on the education system, incivility is a stumbling block. Therefore, it is important to bring incivility in online education in limelight as tackling incivility is the need of the hour.

New approach for target setting mechanism of course outcomes in higher education accreditation

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dayananda P ◽  
Mrityunjaya V. Latte ◽  
Mahesh S. Raisinghani ◽  
Sowmyarani CN
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Target Setting ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Standard Quality ◽  
Faculty Experience ◽  
Course Outcomes

PurposeStandard quality is very highly important parameter in the education sector. Accreditation is a process where standard quality of education is given and the process of continuous improvement is defined. Emphasizing quality of student education is achieved through outcome-based education system (OBE). Program outcomes signify the comprehension, skills and attitude the students should have at the end of the program. At the end of each course, course outcomes signify the knowledge acquired by the students. Course outcomes assessment is one of the key aspects of the OBE model. In this research, the following four factors: subject quality, number of times subject handled by faculty members, faculty experience and student quality with different weightage, are used for analysis of the target setting for individual courses, used for higher education accreditation. This new approach for target setting will improve the teaching and learning process.Design/methodology/approachFour factors: subject quality, number of times subject handled by faculty members, faculty experience and student quality with different weightage, are used for analysis of the target setting for individual courses, used for higher education accreditation.Practical implicationsUsing proposed approach, higher targets can be achieved in teaching and learning.FindingsNew approach for target setting will improve the teaching and learning process.Research limitations/implicationsProposed approach for target setting will improve the teaching and learning process; it should be implemented across all engineering colleges or universities.Social implicationsAll engineering colleges will have impact on teaching and learning process.Originality/valueThe following four factors: subject quality, number of times subject handled by faculty members, faculty experience and student quality with different weightage, are used for analysis of the target setting for individual courses, used for higher education accreditation.

Higher education accreditation, quality assurance and their impact to teaching and learning enhancement

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 235-250
Author(s):  
Samar Aad Makhoul
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Student Attrition ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Faculty Retention ◽  
Regional Accreditation ◽  
Learning Enhancement ◽  
Attrition Rates ◽  
Content Type

Purpose This paper aims to study the relationship between higher education accreditation and teaching and learning enhancements in academic institutions. Higher education institutions are now looking at satisfying the standard by standard list assigned by internationally recognized accreditation agencies. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether outside quality confirmation can truly influence the inward life of higher education institutions. Will accreditation implementation have an impact on teaching and learning enhancement and drive institution change? Design/methodology/approach This study was based on an explanatory qualitative design whereby individual faculty members who are tenured or in tenure-track positions in business schools in Lebanese universities were interviewed. The latter universities from which interviewees were questioned are either the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accredited or currently pursuing accreditation. The sample included 30 faculty members from four different higher education Lebanese institutions. Findings Following thorough review of previous literature, and building on the outcomes of the interviews conducted for the purpose of this research, the author deduced that AACSB serves as the optimal guiding mechanism that incorporates effective evaluation criteria for learning quality and universities. There also exist a lack of commonality and shared standards among accrediting agencies. The researchers also highlight the need to introduce further quantification into the accrediting measures adopted including faculty retention and student attrition rates. Research limitations/implications Ranking agencies were not considered in this study. Those can be used to assess the effectiveness of higher education institutions and will provide fair quality assurance of learning. It is encouraged to incorporate the ranking agencies variable within the scope of future studies for further analysis. Practical implications The paper includes the need to introduce further quantification into the accrediting measures adopted including faculty retention and student attrition rates. Originality/value The focus of this study will be of particular interest to Business school seeking or maintaining accreditation. It will also be of interest to the Lebanese government if they want to look at having a regional accreditation. Future research could possibly explore the need to have a regional accreditation especially with the emerging numbers of higher education institutions in Lebanon.

Understanding and predicting teachers’ intention to use cloud computing in smart education

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zoleixa Asadi ◽  
Mohammadhiwa Abdekhoda ◽  
Haidar Nadrian
Keyword(s):  
Cloud Computing ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Intention To Use ◽  
Extended Model ◽  
Great Opportunity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Smart Education

Purpose Applying cloud computing (CC) in education is a great opportunity to globalize knowledge with the minimum costs and maximum accessibility. This study aims to understand and predict teacher intention to use cloud commuting as infrastructure in Smart education. Design/methodology/approach This was a cross-sectional study in which faculty members’ perception concerning CC services adoption in education were assessed based on the extended model of theory of planned behavior, by researcher-developed questionnaire (a = 0.9). Collected data were analyzed by regression analysis and the final model was tested by structural equation modeling. Findings Attitude towards the behavior, perceived behavior control and privacy; had direct and significant associations with faculty members’ intention to use CC. However, subjective norms (p = 0.311) and security (p = 0.505 ) were not significant predictors of intention to use CC. Originality/value The results of this study elucidate the critical factors associated with teacher’s behavioral intentions toward CC services and also serve as a valuable reference for education sector to plan for the better use of these services. The presented model can be considered as best practice framework for adapting cloud commuting as infrastructure in education. Applying CC services in education is great opportunity and should be subsequently the major concern of educational organizations. This study clearly identified significant and non-significant factors that should be considered when successful implementation on could computing services is in progress.

scholarly journals Media students using mobile phones in the Arabian Gulf to improve English writing and video production skills

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-15
Author(s):  
Najat AlSaied ◽  
Fokiya Akhtar
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Phone ◽  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Writing Skills ◽  
Arabian Gulf ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Video Production ◽  
Content Type ◽  
English Writing ◽  
Mobile Phone Applications

Purpose A variety of alternate technology-enhanced teaching approaches are now available to university students to broaden their learning experiences and complement conventional face-to-face teaching. This paper aims to outline a study conducted at an English Medium Instruction (EMI) University in the Arabian Gulf where students were studying media. The study explored an innovative teaching approach that sought to enhance the students’ interaction with mobile phone applications as part of their learning experiences during the course. Design/methodology/approach The focus of the study was on enhancing the students’ English writing skills such as vocabulary, spelling and grammar and on improving their technical skills such as in video production. The study collected both quantitative and qualitative data. Findings The results indicated that mobile phone applications were helpful in improving students’ journalistic writing skills where they had a good level of proficiency in English, more so than students with poor English who are more dependent on traditional learning methods. Students also benefitted from mobile phone video production workshops that were intensive and creative. Based on the results of this study, it is recommended that courses and labs in media courses have skilled technicians that can train students in creative mobile phone video production while faculty members need to be trained and proactively encouraged to use mobile phones for teaching and learning purposes. Originality/value wBased on the results of this study, it is recommended that courses and labs in media courses have skilled technicians that can train students in creative mobile phone video production while faculty members need to be trained and proactively encouraged to use mobile phones for teaching and learning purposes.

scholarly journals Information Behavior of Faculty Members of NSTU, Public University of Bangladesh

2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-46
Author(s):  
Umme Habiba ◽  
Shamima Yesmin ◽  
Rozifa Akhter
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Search Engines ◽  
Keyword Search ◽  
Public University ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Search Techniques ◽  
Advanced Search ◽  
Access Information ◽  
Test Result

The study’s main purpose was to investigate faculty members’ information searching behaviors while administering any research. This study designed an online questionnaire and printed questionnaires used for data collection. The data were analysed using several descriptive statistics, such as frequencies, percentages, and non-parametric tests, i.e., Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis. The findings showed that faculty members were heavily dependent on search engines to access information, and they have mainly used academic social media sites such as Google Scholar (n=139) and ResearchGate (n=133). Additionally, to keep up-to-date with new publications, they primarily relied on journal alerts (n=126). In the case of applying searching strategies, they used more than one keyword search and sometimes one keyword. Conversely, they do not apply proximity operators, discovery and federated tools and Boolean operators in their search techniques. Furthermore, for modifying search techniques, they used several keywords searching and utilise search engines, databases, and advanced search techniques. Moreover, the Mann-Whitney test result found no significant differences in terms of their gender regarding the types of e-resources used by them, and the Kruskal-Wallis tests found substantial differences in terms of faculty demographic characteristics of using only indexed databases, search engines, academic, social media sites (e.g., ResearchGate, and Zotero Network), current awareness services (i.e., Journal alerts, Web alerts, and discussion lists), and search techniques (i.e., Boolean operators, and Truncation).

Integration of e-learning technologies for interactive teaching and learning process: an empirical study on higher education institutes of Pakistan

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Mujtaba Asad ◽  
Nadia Hussain ◽  
Maria Wadho ◽  
Zahid Hussain Khand ◽  
Prathamesh P. Churi
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Research Study ◽  
Public University ◽  
Learning Technologies ◽  
Learning Processes ◽  
Interactive Teaching ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Modern Era

PurposeThe use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) has become a major driving force in transforming education worldwide. Similarly, in the last ten years, the usage of ICTs and e-learning in Pakistan has increased. Whereas the latest educational policy of the Government of Pakistan has focused on using ICTs and e-learning in schools and universities. The national professional standards for teachers have also suggested teachers to integrate ICTs in their classrooms and develop e-learning platforms for teaching and learning processes. However, in this study the effectiveness of information and communication and e-learning technologies integration in teaching and learning has been assessed. The context selected for this research study is a public university of Sindh, Pakistan. The research gap, which has been founded through the extensive literature review, indicated that most of the students are not able to utilize ICTs effectively. The first objective of this study is to enable students to gain wider range of knowledge and access Internet for developing a global outlook. Moreover, the second objective of this study is to develop students' capabilities of processing information more effectively and efficiently for teaching and learning.Design/methodology/approachBy nature, this study is quantitative survey-based research study. For this purpose, data has been collected from students and teachers of English, Computer Science and Business Administration departments of targeted university, survey questionnaires have been adopted as a data collection tool. Whereas the random sampling technique is used for the collection of data by using Morgan table of sample size. Additionally, data has been collected from 100 participants, 80 of them were students and 20 were teachers, and data has been analyzed by using SPSS 22.0 software.FindingsThe findings of this study have indicated the student's level of interest toward the integration of ICTs and e-learning in science and social science courses. Similarly, the findings specify that through ICT and e-learning materials, students can learn more effectively, which can also facilitate teachers for their teaching process in this modern era of technology. Whereas the issue that has been specified through the findings is that the teachers are not encouraged by the management of the university to implement the ICT in their teaching and learning due to their concerns on the limited resources and lack of competencies.Practical implicationsFor the practical implication, the findings of this study will facilitate the teachers and learners for integrating the ICTs and e-learning in their course curriculums and interactive teaching practices as per modern era of technology. Also, this study will help the provincial leader and policymakers by addressing the teachers’ concern to encourage the integration of ICT tools and develop capabilities for interactive classrooms for effective teaching and learning.Originality/valueThis is the first study of its nature that has been conducted in the Pakistani public university in rural setting, and the finding of this study will facilitate and help the institutional and government stakeholders to where and how they can effectively integrate ICTs and e-learning in classrooms for interactive teaching and learning processes in the rural Sindh.

An updated survey of factors influencing property valuation accuracy in Australia

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rotimi Boluwatife Abidoye ◽  
Wei Huang ◽  
Abdul-Rasheed Amidu ◽  
Ashad Ali Javad
Keyword(s):  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Property Valuation ◽  
Current State ◽  
Chi Square Test ◽  
The Subject ◽  
And Training ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThis study updates and extends the current work on the issue of accuracy of property valuation. The paper investigates the factors that contribute to property valuation inaccuracy and examines different strategies to achieve greater accuracy in practice.Design/methodology/approachAn online questionnaire was designed and administered on the Australian Property Institute (API) registered valuers, attempting to examine their perceptions on the current state of valuation accuracy in Australia. The variables/statements from responses are ranked overall and compared for differences by the characteristics of respondents.FindingsUsing mean rating point, the survey ranked three factors; inexperience valuers, the selection, interpretation and use of comparable evidence in property valuation exercise and the complexity of the subject property in terms of design, age, material specification and state of repairs as the most significant factors currently affecting valuation inaccuracy. The results of a Chi-square test did not, however, show a significant statistical relationship between respondents' profile and the perception on the comparative importance of the factors identified. Except for valuers' age and inexperience valuers and valuers' educational qualification and inexperience valuers and the selection, interpretation and use of comparable evidence in property valuation exercise. Also, the three highly ranked strategies for reducing the level of inaccuracy are: developing a global mindset, use of advanced methodology and training valuers on market forecasting skills.Practical implicationsIn order for valuers to provide state-of-the-art service to the public and to remain relevant, there is a need to accurately and reliably estimate valuation figures. Hence, the strategies highlighted in this study could be considered in a bid to reduce property valuation inaccuracy in practice.Originality/valueThis study provides an updated overview of the issue of property valuation inaccuracy in the Australia valuation practice and examines the strategies to reduce it.

Emerging EdTechs Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
pp. 93-107
Author(s):  
Trevor Wood-Harper
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Cloud Computing ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Learning Processes ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Learning Engagement ◽  
Optimal Learning ◽  
Role Of Information

The role of information technology (IT) transforming higher education (HE) institutions is flourishing. Students, lecturers, and faculty staff adopt overarching platforms and applications that are driven by ubiquitous technology such as big data and cloud computing to support their teaching and learning activities. In this chapter, the authors analysed cases of EdTechs (apps) used in the higher education institutions (HEIs) and their impact on teaching and learning processes. They draw the benefits, challenges, and appropriate cases pertaining to the apps used in HEIs in supporting such processes. They find that EdTechs have a high potential to provide better education for students, easier teaching process for lecturers, and clearer managerial process for administrators and faculty members. The chapter concludes that while EdTechs used during the pandemic can provide an alternative learning experience, it still lacks in providing optimal learning engagement.

Investigating the role of regulatory focus in apparel attribute prioritization

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonghan Hyun
Keyword(s):  
Regulatory Focus ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Amazon Mechanical Turk ◽  
Dynamic Nature ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Dynamic Segmentation ◽  
Current Context

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to utilize consumers' regulatory focus as a segmentation variable to understand how and why consumers shift their tendency to prioritize certain apparel attributes.Design/methodology/approachSix hypotheses are developed and then tested via two experiments. Self-administered online questionnaire is used to collect data from a total of 1,178 participants recruited via Amazon Mechanical Turk. The collected data is analyzed using series of Chi-square tests and ANOVAs.FindingsResults show that promotion-focused (prevention-focused)) consumers are not only more likely to prioritize apparel attributes that ensure the attainment of satisfaction (avoidance of dissatisfaction) but also attach higher monetary value to apparel products bearing such attributes.Originality/valuePrevious studies of apparel attribute prioritization utilized static segmentation variables such as age or gender despite the dynamic nature of attribute prioritization tendency. This study extends the literature by demonstrating the significance of consumers' regulatory focus – a dynamic segmentation variable that has not been studied in the current context.

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