EVALUATING LEARNERS’S ABILITY TO USE TECHNOLOGY IN DISTANCE EDUCATION: THE CASE OF EXTERNAL DEGREE PROGRAMME OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI

We examine the effectiveness and sustainability of the distance teacher education program established by the University of Education, Winneba, Ghana, by investigating the differences in the academic performance of students who are trained in the teacher education program via traditional and distance education modes, respectively, from 2011 to 2015. Close attention is paid to the factors that affect the academic performance of students in the distance mode. Our findings confirm that traditional mode students perform better than their distance mode counterparts in terms of cumulative GPAs. Gender and economic demographics of distance study centers are found to affect the academic performance of distance education students significantly. The policy implications of these findings are discussed and directions of further action are outlined.

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DISTANCE LEARNING AND INFORMATION SECURITY

RSUH/RGGU Bulletin. Series Information Science. Information Security. Mathematics ◽

10.28995/2686-679x-2021-1-51-65 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 51-65

Author(s):

Andrei V. Gavrilenko ◽

Keyword(s):

Distance Education ◽

Distance Learning ◽

Information Security ◽

Learning System ◽

Learning Problems ◽

Security Assessment ◽

Critical Nodes ◽

Distance Learning System ◽

Principal Directions ◽

The University

The article considers an issue of information security of the distance education systems. It analyzes the functions and architecture of the typical distance education system. With considering the requirements of information security it also discusses the university information system for solving the distance learning problems. The author defines valuable assets and information resources and describes the existing security threats. The subjects of interaction in the distance learning mode are presented. There is a consideration of the principal directions of the university’s activity in the distance learning system, requiring constant monitoring of information security. A threat model is worked out and the main security vulnerabilities are highlighted. The analysis of the causes and consequences of information security violation in the distance learning system is carried out and most vulnerable and critical nodes were identified. The hardware and software requirements for the remote mode work are regarded. A recommended list of hardware and software tools that ensure compliance with safety requirements is presented. The major lines of protection for distance learning systems are highlighted. The article proves the necessity of conducting a regular security assessment as a means for monitoring an effectiveness of the protection system.

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Distance Teacher Training in Periods of Emergency (Covid-19 Pandemic)

10.25159/unisarxiv/000005.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Panagiotes Anastasiades ◽

Konstantinos Kotsidis ◽

Christos Synnefakis ◽

Alexia Spanoudaki

Keyword(s):

Distance Education ◽

Educational Process ◽

Asynchronous Learning ◽

Pedagogical Issues ◽

Asynchronous Learning Environments ◽

Teaching Community ◽

Fast Pace ◽

E Learning ◽

The University ◽

Teaching Time

The closing of schools at the beginning of spring 2020 in Greece highlighted the need for school distance education to make up for lost teaching time and to maintain learners’ contact with the educational process and other members of the school community. However, the teachers needed support in this urgent situation since they did not have previous experience in school distance education. The Laboratory for Advanced Teaching Technologies for Lifelong Learning and Distance Education (E-Learning Lab) of the University of Crete, attempted to contribute with its own means to the support of these teachers. Within this framework, fast-pace, distance seminars were designed and implemented to support teachers on pedagogical issues of distance education. A total of 20 distance training seminars were conducted from 19March to 29April2020 in which more than 40000 teachers of primary and secondary education in Greece participated. The overall presentation and assessment of the training actions showed not only the enormous interest of the teaching community but also the need for such training actions with particular emphasis on the principles and the methodology of school distance education, synchronous and asynchronous learning environments, and the designing or planning of teaching scenarios based on the pedagogical approaches compatible with distance learning.

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Delivering subject choice and quality assurance in specialised disciplines

Australian Review of Applied Linguistics ◽

10.2104/aral0819 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 31 (2) ◽

pp. 19.1-19.11

Author(s):

Kerry Dunne

Keyword(s):

Distance Education ◽

Quality Assurance ◽

New England ◽

Host Institution ◽

New Model ◽

Partner Institution ◽

Subject Choice ◽

The University

Using a new model of subject delivery, the University of New England (UNE–Armidale, Australia) offers specialist subjects at partner or host institutions. The model is a modified version of distance education. It is designed to meet the needs of on-campus students who wish to study a subject that their university is unable to offer as a full internal program. Students are enrolled as students of the partner institution, but the content of the courses, the teaching and assessment are the responsibility of UNE staff. The model is attractive to students and to tertiary administrators of both the host and provider universities. For students the model offers greater subject choice and flexibility; for tertiary administrators at the host institution there is built-in quality assurance and continuity of subject offerings, and for UNE an opportunity to develop a new market for distance education and to ensure the survival of low enrolment specialist language subjects

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“You Can Lead the Horse to Water, but … ”

Virtual Learning Environments ◽

10.4018/978-1-4666-0011-9.ch112 ◽

2012 ◽

pp. 182-199

Author(s):

Henk Huijser ◽

Michael Sankey

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Distance Education ◽

Web 2.0 ◽

Learning Management Systems ◽

Web 2.0 Technologies ◽

Learning And Teaching ◽

Potential Benefits ◽

The University

This chapter outlines the potential benefits of incorporating Web 2.0 technologies in a contemporary higher education context, and identifies possible ways of doing this, as well as expected challenges. It uses the University of Southern Queensland (USQ), primarily a distance education provider, as the context for many of its case study examples. In particular, it addresses the important role of the allowances of particular learning management systems (LMSs) in pedagogical applications of Web 2.0 technologies. Overall, this chapter argues that the goals and ideals of Web 2.0/Pedagogy 2.0 can be achieved, or at least stimulated, within an institutional LMS environment, as long as the LMS environment is in alignment with such goals and ideals. It uses the implementation of Moodle at USQ as a case study to reinforce this argument and explore which factors potentially influence a shift in thinking about learning and teaching in a Web 2.0 context.

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Theory and Practice for Distance Education

Distance Learning and University Effectiveness ◽

10.4018/978-1-59140-178-0.ch006 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 119-143 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Charles E. Beck ◽

Gary R. Schornack

Keyword(s):

Distance Education ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Educational Process ◽

Theory And Practice ◽

New Thinking ◽

E Learning ◽

Time Distance ◽

Measures Of Effectiveness ◽

The University ◽

Rich Content

A new world of distance education demands new thinking. Key components to completing the distance educational system requires that institutions determine how the process is designed, delivered, integrated, and supported. Unfortunately, educational administrators tend to view distance education merely as a process of taking existing readings, exercises, handouts, and posting them to the Web. While this approach may seem cost effective, such an approach is not educationally effective. Although the meaningful transition to e-education has just begun, determining measures of effectiveness and efficiency requires innovations in social and political thought beyond the advances in technology. The educational process requires feedback from the professor, from the student, and from the wider community, especially businesses who hire the graduates. As e-learning and higher education reach new heights, they are changing the functions of the university. E-learning changes all the ground rules, including time, distance, and pedagogy. We now have new ways to reach and interact with students, present rich content in courses, and deliver the technologies of the smart classroom to students, wherever they are in the world.

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The Case of Teacher-Librarianship by Distance Learning at the University of Alberta, Canada

Cases on Building Quality Distance Delivery Programs - Advances in Educational Technologies and Instructional Design ◽

10.4018/978-1-60960-111-9.ch006 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 78-90

Author(s):

Dianne Oberg

Keyword(s):

Distance Education ◽

Distance Learning ◽

Elementary Education ◽

Emerging Technologies ◽

Framework Analysis ◽

University Of Alberta ◽

Certificate Programs ◽

Online Distance Education ◽

Online Distance ◽

The University

The online distance education program, Teacher-Librarianship by Distance Learning, was developed and implemented in the Department of Elementary Education at the University of Alberta, Canada beginning in 1996. At the time, neither the university nor the department had the interest, funding or infrastructure required for such an undertaking, but these developed over time through a combination of careful planning and serendipity. The program’s instructional team has utilized various approaches to establish, maintain and continue the program: a distance education theoretical framework, analysis of distance education research, one-time government incentive funding, and on-going policy relevant research and evidence-based practice. Current challenges facing the organization are program growth, new and emerging technologies, and maintaining flexibility. The solutions to these challenges include a cohort model for the majority of program delivery; a stand-alone course introducing new and emerging technologies as a launching pad for integration of these technologies; and graduate certificate programs for meeting the short term needs of teachers new to the field.

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The University of Texas System TeleCampus: A statewide model for collaboration

The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning ◽

10.19173/irrodl.v2i2.53 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Darcy W. Hardy ◽

Robert L. Robinson

Keyword(s):

Distance Education ◽

Distance Learning ◽

Faculty Development ◽

Support Services ◽

Degree Programs ◽

High Quality ◽

Online Programs ◽

University Of Texas ◽

The University ◽

Barriers To Collaboration

The University of Texas (UT) System has been meeting educational needs of students for over 150 years. In 1997, the UT System initiated the development of the UT TeleCampus, a centralized facilitation point for distance learning. The TeleCampus opened its virtual doors in May 1998, focused entirely on support services for students. By late 1998, the TeleCampus had begun developing what would become collaborative benchmark online programs for the UT System. As a result of having developed over 12 complete online degree programs since that time, many lessons have been learned about (1) barriers to collaboration and how to overcome them; (2) faculty development and interaction; and (3) the commitment required to build successful online programs. This article describes the UT TeleCampus initiative and how it has grown from a services-only organization to a nationally recognized model for delivering high quality distance education.

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