Facilitating online learning activities through the discussion board: a first year university students' perspective

2015 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 77
Author(s):  
Tangikina Moimoi Steen
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
University Students ◽  
Discussion Board ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year University

scholarly journals Examining Saudi EFL University Students’ Readiness for Online Learning at the Onset of Covid-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elham Abdullah Ghobain ◽  
Abdullah Ahmed Zughaibi
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Online Education ◽  
University Students ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
English Learners ◽  
Test Performance ◽  
First Year ◽  
English Major ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
First Year University

Nowadays, especially after the COVID-19 crisis lockdown, the heavy reliance on technology and online platforms led to a greater expectation of more learning autonomy among English learners in EFL contexts such as Saudi Arabia. The sudden shift to online learning requires an investigation into students’ readiness and willingness for such a mode of learning. This can provide educators with many prospects about learning outcomes achievement and assessment, test performance, and interaction during classes. Therefore, the current study seeks to contribute to the well-known area of learner autonomy research, which is still lacking in the context of the study, by exploring the readiness of Saudi first-year undergraduate English learners towards online education. Participants’ level of readiness is identified according to their autonomous behaviors and activities. The study will also assess the investigated concept considering the influence of gender and field of study of the participants on their autonomy levels. A total of 802 students participated in this study. It was found that Saudi first-year university students are moderately autonomous, that both males and females have similar levels of aptitude and readiness for taking responsibility for their learning, and that English-major and non-English-major groups showed comparatively similar levels across different learning autonomy dimensions. Yet interestingly, English-major participants displayed a relatively lower autonomy level than students of other majors.

scholarly journals Examining Saudi EFL University Students’ Readiness for Online Learning at the Onset of Covid-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-21
Author(s):  
Elham Abdullah Ghobain ◽  
Abdullah Ahmed Zughaibi
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Online Education ◽  
University Students ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
English Learners ◽  
Test Performance ◽  
First Year ◽  
English Major ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
First Year University

Nowadays, especially after the COVID-19 crisis lockdown, the heavy reliance on technology and online platforms led to a greater expectation of more learning autonomy among English learners in EFL contexts such as Saudi Arabia. The sudden shift to online learning requires an investigation into students’ readiness and willingness for such a mode of learning. This can provide educators with many prospects about learning outcomes achievement and assessment, test performance, and interaction during classes. Therefore, the current study seeks to contribute to the well-known area of learner autonomy research, which is still lacking in the context of the study, by exploring the readiness of Saudi first-year undergraduate English learners towards online education. Participants’ level of readiness is identified according to their autonomous behaviors and activities. The study will also assess the investigated concept considering the influence of gender and field of study of the participants on their autonomy levels. A total of 802 students participated in this study. It was found that Saudi first-year university students are moderately autonomous, that both males and females have similar levels of aptitude and readiness for taking responsibility for their learning, and that English-major and non-English-major groups showed comparatively similar levels across different learning autonomy dimensions. Yet interestingly, English-major participants displayed a relatively lower autonomy level than students of other majors.

scholarly journals Factors associated with depressive episode among first year University students in Serbia

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
S Čanković ◽  
D Čanković ◽  
I Radić ◽  
D Rakić ◽  
S Ukropina ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
University Students ◽  
Depressive Episode ◽  
Social Health ◽  
Support Network ◽  
First Year ◽  
Behavioral Factors ◽  
First Year University

Abstract Background Some findings indicate that university students are at higher risk of depression despite being a socially advantaged population, showing that 15 to 25% of them develop some type of mental disorder during graduation, and depression is one of the most prevalent. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of depressive symptoms and its association with gender, material status, social health, and behavioral factors among university students. Methods The research represents a cross-sectional study conducted at the University of Novi Sad, Serbia. The research involved 455 first-year students. The average age of participants was 19.3 years (72.1% girls and 27.9% boys). Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) was used to measure depressive symptoms (cut point for depressive episode ≥10). Additional questions were focused on self-assessed material status, social health, and behavioral factors (smoking and alcohol use). The binary logistic regression model was used to estimate the association between depression and observed independent variables. Results The prevalence of moderate to severe depressive episode among students was 18.0%, with no gender differences. Out of the total, 11.0% of students had suicidal thoughts or thoughts of hurting themselves. Multivariable logistic regression showed that self-assessed poor material status (OR = 2.04; 95%CI: 1.06-3.89), self-assessed poor social health (OR = 8.9; 95%CI:4.87-16.42) and smoking (OR = 2.18; 95%CI: 1.09-4.39) were significant predictors of depression among first-year university students. Conclusions High prevalence of depressive episode among university students call for the action for the promotion of mental health, particularly among those of lower socioeconomic status, and points out the importance of social health and social network in the prevention of mental disorders. Key messages Students on the first year of University should be screened for depressive symptoms. It is important to educate students on how to create a strong support network and to implement intervention programs for improving mental health through fostering healthy lifestyles change.

Group Projects for First-year University Students: an evaluation

1995 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 273-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. W. Garvin ◽  
A. C. Butcher ◽  
L. A. J. Stefani ◽  
V. N. Tariq ◽  
M. H. R. Lewis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
First Year ◽  
Group Projects ◽  
First Year University
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