scholarly journals Athabasca University: Conversion from Traditional Distance Education to Online Courses, Programs and Services

Author(s):  
Alan Davis

In its 30 years of operation, Athabasca University has witnessed the full impact of the growth of online distance education. Its conversion from mixed media course production and telephone/mail tutoring to a variety of electronic information and communication technologies has been heterogeneous across disciplines and programs. Undergraduate programs in business, computing, and some social science programs have largely led the conversion, and all graduate programs have, since their inception, employed various features of online delivery. The parallel conversion of student services has been equally important to the effectiveness of these processes. The implications of this approach for the quality of offerings, support systems, costing, and the primary mandate of the University (which is to remove barriers, not create them) are discussed.

Author(s):  
Hasan Ucar

Developments in information and communication technologies have reached an all-time high. These improvements have accelerated the transformation of higher education milieus on all sides. Accordingly, higher education institutions have begun to be delineated by these technological developments, activities, and practices. This technoculture era has started a new interaction among communication technologies, teachers, and learners. Herein, transhumanism regards changes in societies through these technological interactions and transformations. The worldwide technological transformation is approximating all societies and cultures to Marshall McLuhan's notion of a global village day by day as a consequence of the technology paradigm. The heydays of the developments in technologies affect all human beings at all points from living, learning, communicating to eating and even thinking styles. Taking these points into account, this chapter will explore how these variables may influence the online distance education milieus in terms of technoculture and transhumanism perspectives.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 121-133
Author(s):  
Burak Ayçiçek ◽  

The paper aims to investigate lifelong learning tendencies of university students in terms of different variables. For this purpose, the survey method was employed. The sample of the study consisted of 500 university students studying at various undergraduate programs at a state university in Turkey during 2018-2019 academic year. The personal information form prepared by the researchers and the “Lifelong Learning Tendency Scale” was used to collect data. Descriptive statistics such as frequencies, means, and standard deviations were computed to display students’ overall responses to the lifelong learning tendency scale items. The findings of the study showed that the lifelong learning tendency levels of students differed significantly according to variables as gender, grade, following developments in information and communication technologies, faculty and participation in activities such as conferences, panels, symposiums etc. held at the university. Results also indicated that lifelong learning tendencies of university students were at a moderate level.


Eduweb ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 101-109
Author(s):  
Anton V. Lebedev ◽  
Mariia I. Murneva ◽  
Nadezhda A. Shestakova ◽  
Iuliia S. Pinkovetskaia ◽  
Marina V. Bakanova

The objective of the study was to develop and implement modern information and communication technologies in the online learning process of university students. The subject of the study is the modernization of the educational process based on communicative competence in distance education. The sociological survey carried out showed the high effectiveness of the proposed methodology. The article presents the practical foundations of the application of information and communication technology in the implementation of distance education in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. The results of the study made it possible to develop modern means of information and communication, including video and remote-controlled complexes.


Author(s):  
Okçana Battini ◽  
Vinicius Salvi ◽  
Sandra Regina Reis

No momento atual, o crescimento da Educação a Distância (EaD) atende outros direcionamentos. A oferta, que tinha forte vinculação somente com o ensino, passa a se estender à pesquisa e à extensão. As universidades públicas e privadas começam a investir em pesquisa com aluno de EaD e inserir programas de iniciação científica nesta modalidade. Nos cursos de formação de professores na EaD essa tendência tende a ser mais presente e apontam para a necessidade de fortalecimento. As questões aqui apontadas decorrem de um recorte do projeto de Pesquisa: “Professor seu lugar é aqui EaD: estudos mediados pelas tecnologias sobre a formação, trabalho e práticas pedagógicas no espaço escolar”. O recorte apresentado recai sobre a descrição de como foram realizadas as atividades com os alunos de Iniciação Científica matriculados nos cursos de Licenciatura EaD da Unopar. É importante salientar que o atendimento ao estudante de iniciação cientifica EaD foi realizado por meio das tecnologias da informação e da comunicação, via AVA, sendo acompanhado por professores doutores e alunos do Mestrado em Ensino da Universidade. As discussões apresentadas demonstram o ineditismo de ações de Iniciação Científica no Ensino a Distância e apontam para caminhos possíveis para se expandir e consolidar este processo na EaD.Palavras chaves: Iniciação Científica. Modalidade Ensino a Distância. Formação Inicial de Professores.AbstractNowadays, the growth of distance education (EAD) serves other directions. The offer that had a strong connection only with teaching began to be extended to research and extension. Public and private universities begin to invest in research with EaD students and to introduce scientific initiation programs in this modality. In teacher  training courses in EaD this trend tends to be more present and point to the need for strengthening. The questions mentioned in the study herein derive from a cut-off of the research project “Professor seu lugar é Aqui Ead”: studies mediated by technologies on training, work and pedagogical practices in the school space”. The cut-off exhibited , falls on the description of how the activities were carried out with the students of Scientific Initiation enrolled in the courses of Bachelor Degree EADS of Unopar. It is important to point out that the service to the scientific initiation student EaD was carried out through the information and communication technologies, via AVA, being followed up by professors doctors and students of the Master’s degree Teaching of the University. The discussions presented demonstrate the novelty of Scientific Initiation actions in Distance Learning and point to possible ways to expand and consolidate this process in EaD.Keywords: Scientific Initiation. Distance Learning Modality. Initial Teacher’s Training.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 6363
Author(s):  
Johanna Andrea Espinosa-Navarro ◽  
Manuel Vaquero-Abellán ◽  
Alberto-Jesús Perea-Moreno ◽  
Gerardo Pedrós-Pérez ◽  
Pilar Aparicio-Martínez ◽  
...  

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are key to create sustainable higher education institutions (HEIs). Most researchers focused on the students’ perspective, especially during the online teaching caused by COVID-19; however, university teachers are often forgotten, having their opinion missing. This study’s objective was to determine the factors that contribute to the inclusion of ICTs. The research based on a comparative study through an online qualitative survey focused on the inclusion and use of ICTs in two HEIs and two different moments (pre-and post-lockdowns). There were differences regarding country and working experience (p < 0.001), being linked to the ICTs use, evaluation of obstacles, and the role given to ICTs (p < 0.05). The COVID-19 caused modifications of the teachers’ perspectives, including an improvement of the opinion of older teachers regarding the essentialness of ICTs in the teaching process (p < 0.001) and worsening their perception about their ICTs skill (p < 0.05). Additionally, an initial model focused only on the university teachers and their use of ICTs has been proposed. In conclusion, the less experienced university teachers used more ICTs, identified more greatly the problematic factors, and considered more important the ICTs, with the perception of all teachers modified by COVID-19.


2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-56
Author(s):  
Bakhytzhan Akhmetov ◽  
◽  
Valery Lakhno ◽  
Asselkhan Adranova ◽  
Baurzhan Kassymbergebayev ◽  
...  

This article discusses the problems of ever-increasing demands on the organization and quality of the educational process on the part of society. Today there are new opportunities for the comprehensive development of students of the XXI century, new, more effective information and communication technologies (ICT), in particular cloud- oriented learning environments (COLE), are developing rapidly. The problems of the development of theoretical and methodological foundations for designing a cloud-oriented educational environment of the university and the justification of the structural scheme of its interaction with the methodological center of the ministry based on the use of cloud technologies are analyzed. It is necessary to introduce such models of the learning environment, which will allow to fully satisfy the demands of teaching staff on the organization and conduct of classes of a new type, the activation of educational activities of students, the formation of digital competence and the comprehensive development of personality. Such opportunities are provided by the use of a cloud-based educational environment of the university.


Author(s):  
José Ricardo López Espinosa ◽  
Edgar Oswaldo González Bello ◽  
Rocío López González

En este trabajo se analizan las deficiencias y avances que se han generado en el marco del Programa Institucional de Formación Docente de la Universidad de Sonora y su contribución al desarrollo de la enseñanza mediante la capacitación del profesorado sobre el uso de Tecnologías de Información y Comunicación en la enseñanza. Es un estudio de corte cuantitativo en el cual se aplicó un cuestionario a 80 profesores, de distintas disciplinas, quienes han participado en cursos de capacitación que ofrece la institución para el uso de recursos digitales. Los resultados revelan la necesidad de ofrecer capacitaciones acordes a los requerimientos particulares de la planta docente, así como cursos especializados enfocados en instruir cómo emplear pedagógicamente las tecnologías en cada asignatura con el propósito de mejorar el ejercicio docente. También se advierte que la formación ofrecida en la institución poco ha logrado motivar a los profesores para utilizar las tecnologías.Training and use of ICT in higher education: teachers opinionsAbstractThis paper analyzes the deficiencies and progress that has been generated under the Institutional Program of Teacher Training of the University of Sonora and its contribution to the development of teaching through teacher training on the use of Information and Communication Technologies in teaching. It is a descriptive study of quantitative methodology in which questionnaires were applied to 80 teachers from different disciplines who have participated in training courses offered by the institution the use of ICT. The results reveal the need for trainings according to the requirements of teachers, as well as the lack of specialized courses focused on instructing how to use the technologies in each subject for the purpose of improving the teaching performance. It is also noted that the training provided in the institution has not managed to motivate teachers to use the technologies. Recibido: 18 de agosto de 2017Aceptado: 10 de julio de 2018


2012 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 8-19
Author(s):  
Iqbal S. Alsaleh ◽  
Shaymaa M. Rashad

Due to the undesirable effects of the gap between citizens to access and use information and communication technologies (ICT), most researchers have been paying much attention to the threat of a digital divide. Unfortunately an amazingly large number of people do not have the abilities to use the ICTs in a proper way and, therefore, cannot draw advantages from its usage. As a result, digital divide is commonly regarded as a potential barrier for participation in the information society. This study measure the digital divide in Saudi Arabia by analyzing the results of a small-scale study conducted at the University KAU, regarding students’ and university members’ perceptions toward the usage of ICT. This analysis measure the digital divide concerning some factors like gender, educational level using a questionnaire. The analysis shows that KAU has no digital divide. Key words: digital divide, information and communications technology, ICT, diffusion of technology, second order effects.


2018 ◽  
Vol 55 (4) ◽  
pp. 293-312 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mammar Belagra ◽  
Belkacem Draoui

The purpose of this research was to study the impact of project-based learning and information and communication technologies on students’ motivation. Two second-year classes in electrical engineering at the University Tahri Mohamed in Béchar, Algeria, were involved in the study. The experiment compared the level to which one class of students mastered goals without the use of information and communication technologies, to the mastery achieved by a second class which participated in a tutorial that has a technological tool built into the project-based approach. The subject of power electronics was chosen for this study because of its different knowledge, which is strongly represented in difficult learning contents for students. A questionnaire about motivation was used to collect data within an experimental research plan. After three months of conducting the study, the results demonstrated that the integration of the tutorial with the project-based approach is likely to increase students’ motivation to learn and to master the subject of power electronics.


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