scholarly journals Measuring Teachers-As-Learners’ Digital Skills and Readiness to Study Online for Successful e-Learning Experience

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 5-16
Author(s):  
Evija Mirķe ◽  
Sarma Cakula ◽  
Lilian Tzivian
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Education Reform ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Self Evaluation ◽  
Survey Form ◽  
Digital Skills ◽  
Education Levels ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Online Learning Readiness

Abstract Previous studies have analysed the need to measure learners’ readiness for online learning. In the framework of education reform in Latvia, by the end of 2021 the National Centre for Education will implement online courses for all school teachers. However, there is a lack of studies investigating teachers-as-learners’ readiness to study online in Latvia. The aim of the study was to assess Latvian teachers’ readiness to study online with focus on the differences of respondents’ socio-demographic or professional characteristics. 1092 teachers from 100 schools filled in the self-evaluation survey form online. Statistically significant differences were found in all subscales of the survey. Differences in digital skills and in readiness to study online were found at all education levels by respondents’ gender, age group or place of living. Younger respondents, males or city inhabitants showed higher rates. E-learning course should be customized, taking into account learners’ socio-demographic parameters and online learning readiness rate.

A Case Study Exploring Quality Standards for Quality E-Learning

2011 ◽  
pp. 232-240
Author(s):  
Colla J. MacDonald ◽  
Terrie Lynn Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Quality Standards ◽  
Critical Issue ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Online Programs ◽  
Learning Programs ◽  
E Learning

In order to satisfy the needs of growing numbers of adult learners, the availability of well-designed, effectively implemented, and efficiently delivered online courses is essential (MacDonald, Stodel & Casimiro, 2006; Palloff & Pratt, 2001). Despite the demand and prevalence of e-learning, there are still concerns regarding the quality and effectiveness of education offered online (Carstens & Worsfold, 2000; Noble, 2002). Too often, in an “effort to simply get something up and running” (Dick, 1996, p. 59), educators have been forced to compromise quality and design. Intensive competition among educational institutions has resulted in quality assurance becoming a critical issue for promoting learning and learning programs. Within this economically motivated environment, online learning has not escaped the scrutiny of quality standards. Quality in online programs is generally defined in terms of the design of the learning experience, the contextualized experience of learners, and evidence of learning outcomes (Jung, 2000; Salmon, 2000). However, the plethora of online learning courses and programs with few standards to ensure the quality of content, delivery, and/or service creates a challenge. The resulting variance in quality makes it difficult for an organization or learner to choose a program that meets their needs and is also of high quality.

scholarly journals The Use of e-Learning Course during the COVID-19: A Systems Thinking Approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 2157-2160
Author(s):  
Chin-Yen Alice Liu
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Systems Thinking ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Cloud Services ◽  
Learning Platform ◽  
E Learning ◽  
National Emergency

In the era of theInternet, most educators have been supported by powerful tools ranging from e-books and e-learning sites to cloud services, and students’ learning environment has been a mix between traditional study (in class) and e-learning through some kind of online learning platform. Due to the uncertainty of the rapidly changing COVID-19 situation, all colleges and universities have to shutter their physical campuses and move their courses to remote and online formats hastily. This prompted many to wonder if all of the faculty are ready and qualified to teach online courses and/or if all of the students are ready to learn in the comprehensive online environment. If not, what ultimate impact will be to our higher education during this national emergency virus pandemic since there is no choice but depend on where they sit currently, not to mention the negative reviews and concerns regarding the online education. To make this transfer seamlessly and conflict mitigation, this paper applied systems thinking for an e-Learning course and proposed a flexible grading method for an e-learning environment, which will enhance students’ grades by allowing students to control their own study paces and the amount of efforts spent in the course, which can bring a successful online learning experience.

scholarly journals University students’ perceptions on e-Learning: Cross-study in Portugal and Italy

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 2324-2335
Author(s):  
Susana Moreira Bastos ◽  
Manuel Moreira Silva ◽  
Valeria Caggiano
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
Computer Literacy ◽  
Positive Attitude ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Survey Questionnaire ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Digital Skills ◽  
E Learning

The COVID-19 pandemic imposed dramatic changes on educational practices worldwide. This study aims to evaluate the distance learning experience of students during the COVID-19 pandemic by comparing results obtained in two countries: Italy and Portugal. A cross-sectional survey was used to analyse a survey questionnaire focused on two domains: digital skills and motivation to engage in distance learning. The results from Italian and Portuguese students indicated that majority showed a positive attitude towards online learning and the digital hybrid pedagogy. The recent e-learning experience created complex challenges and a variety of opportunities at the same time. Students and university staffs’ need for training was highly associated with motivation, engagement and connection with colleagues rather than with the infrastructures offered or the development of computer literacy. Keywords: COVID-19; digital skills; students' perceptions; students’ motivation.

scholarly journals A guide for evaluation of online learning in medical education: a qualitative reflective analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nourhan F. Wasfy ◽  
Enjy Abouzeid ◽  
Asmaa Abdel Nasser ◽  
Samar A. Ahmed ◽  
Ilham Youssry ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Education ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Organizational Capacity ◽  
Expert Consensus ◽  
Educational Effectiveness ◽  
Education Community ◽  
Rapid Shift

Abstract Background With the strike of Covid-19, an unprecedented rapid shift to remote learning happened worldwide with a paradigm shift to online learning from an institutional adjuvant luxury package and learner choice into a forced solo choice. This raises the question of quality assurance. While some groups have already established standards for online courses, teaching and programs yet very little information is included on methodology of their development and very little emphasis is placed on the online learning experience. Nevertheless, no work has been done specifically for medical education institutions. Aim To develop a set of descriptors for best practice in online learning in medical education utilizing existing expertise and needs. Methods This work utilizes a qualitative multistage approach to identify the descriptors of best practice in online learning starting with a question guided focus group, thematic analysis, Delphi technique and an expert consensus session done simultaneously for triangulation. This was done involving 32 institution in 19 countries. Results This materialized into the development of a set of standards, indicators, and development of a checklist for each standard area. The standard areas identified were organizational capacity, educational effectiveness, and human resources each of which listed a number of standards. Expert consensus sessions identified the need for qualification of data and thus the development of indicators for best practice. Conclusion Standards are needed for online learning experience and their development and redesign is situational and needs to be enhanced methodologically in axes that are pertaining to the needs of the education community. Taking such axes into consideration by educators and institutions will lead to planning and implementing successful online learning activities, while taking them into consideration by the evaluators will help them conduct comprehensive audits and provide stakeholders with highly informative evaluation reports.

scholarly journals Teaching and Learning in Survival Mode: Students and Faculty Perceptions of Distance Education during the COVID-19 Lockdown

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 8053
Author(s):  
Maram Meccawy ◽  
Zilal Meccawy ◽  
Aisha Alsobhi
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Student Satisfaction ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Faculty Perceptions ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Negative Perception ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Online Distance Learning ◽  
Online Distance

(1) This study demonstrates how a Saudi university has responded to the COVID-19 lockdown in order to examine the success factors and highlight any challenges. The main purpose was to determine the perceptions of students and faculty towards emergency online distance learning from a teaching and learning perspective; (2) A cross-faculty study was conducted: two different self-administered questionnaires were developed for students and faculty, respectively. In addition, data was collected from official reports; (3) The results show that students had a more positive perception of e-Learning despite the difficulties that they may have faced, while faculty results leaned slightly towards a negative perception. However, there was not a definite positive or negative perception, depending on the aspect of teaching that was being evaluated. The study also indicated that faculty and students’ gender had no significant effect on their perceptions. Overall results showed that the university performed well in accordance with three of the five pillars of online learning quality framework in terms of student satisfaction, access and scalability. On the other, improvements are needed to achieve better results for faculty satisfaction and learning effectiveness; (4) The findings present a number of suggestions for increasing satisfaction to improve the online learning experience post COVID-19.

scholarly journals Approaches to the development of online learning In the digital environment of higher education in Yakutia

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (Extra-B) ◽  
pp. 173-180
Author(s):  
Elizaveta Afanasyevna Barakhsanova ◽  
Mikhail Petrovich Sivtsev ◽  
Nyurgun Mikhailovich Pavlov ◽  
Afanasy Radnaevich Batorov ◽  
Maria Egorovna Alekseeva
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Learning Tools ◽  
Digital Environment ◽  
Professional Activities ◽  
E Learning ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Online Distance Learning ◽  
Online Distance ◽  
Educational Applications

The authors justified the idea of developing online courses based on the use of Moodle tools, allowing the formation of knowledge in the field of technological and methodological skills and abilities to use educational applications, services, and their application in professional activities in the implementation of online learning in the digital environment of the university.  Assessment of the effectiveness of the online course is confirmed by the solution of professional tasks from the knowledge of the digital educational environment with interdisciplinary content and tasks requiring the use of e-learning tools. Analysis of the results using two-way analysis of variance revealed a significant effect of factors on the effective feature using the F-test. The significance of the study lies in the development of online advanced training courses aimed at improving the technological level of teachers and educators of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) in the implementation of the remote format of training using online distance learning tools and technologies. 

scholarly journals Understanding Learner Behaviour in Online Courses through Learning Analytics

2021 ◽  
pp. 381-390
Author(s):  
D. Thammi Raju ◽  
G. R. K. Murthy ◽  
S. B. Khade ◽  
B. Padmaja ◽  
B. S. Yashavanth ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Learning Analytics ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Training Needs ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Quality Of Education ◽  
Time Data

Building an effective online course requires an understanding of learning analytics. The study assumes significance in the COVID 19 pandemic situation as there is a sudden surge in online courses. Analysis of the online course using the data generated from the Moodle Learning Management System (LMS), Google Forms and Google Analytics was carried out to understand the tenants of an effective online course. About 515 learners participated in the initial pre-training needs & expectations’ survey and 472 learners gave feedback at the end, apart from the real-time data generated from LMS and Google Analytics during the course period. This case study analysed online learning behaviour and the supporting learning environment and suggest critical factors to be at the centre stage in the design and development of online courses; leads to the improved online learning experience and thus the quality of education. User needs, quality of resources and effectiveness of online courses are equally important in taking further online courses.

scholarly journals A snapshot of online learners: e-Readiness, e-Satisfaction and expectations

2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hale Ilgaz ◽  
Yasemin Gülbahar
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Adult Learners ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Online Learners ◽  
Satisfaction Scale ◽  
Online Programs ◽  
Program Administrators ◽  
Learning Programs ◽  
E Learning

The popularity of online programs that educational institutions offer is continuously increasing at varying degrees, with the major demand coming from adult learners who have no opportunity to access traditional education. These adult learners have to be sufficiently ready and competent for online learning, and have their own varied expectations from the online learning process. Hence, this mixed method study is conducted to explore the participants’ readiness and expectations at the beginning and their satisfaction levels at the end of an online learning experience. An e-readiness scale and an e-satisfaction scale was administered as quantitative measures, with open-ended questions gathering qualitative data. Participants of the research were registered to different e-learning programs at Ankara University Distance Education Center, Turkey, during the 2013-2014 academic year. Analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data revealed facts about online learners, which should prove useful to both e-instructors and e-program administrators.

Learning and Satisfaction in Online Communities of Inquiry

2011 ◽  
pp. 23-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zehra Akyol ◽  
D. Randy Garrison
Keyword(s):  
Student Learning ◽  
Community Of Inquiry ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Higher Learning ◽  
Teaching Presence ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Actual Learning ◽  
Study Student

The purpose of this chapter is to explain the capability of the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework as a research model to study student learning and satisfaction. The framework identifies three elements (social, cognitive, and teaching presence) that contribute directly to the success of an e-learning experience through the development of an effective CoI. It is argued that a CoI leads to higher learning and increased satisfaction. The chapter presents findings from two online courses designed using the CoI approach. Overall, the students in these courses had high levels of perceived learning and satisfaction, as well as actual learning outcomes.

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