Preparation for E-Learning

2003 ◽  
pp. 140-155
Author(s):  
Andrew Stein

University students require considerable computer literacy to enter and then succeed at their studies. Many courses, whether technology focused or not, are using advanced Web technology to deliver digital content via e-learning. This chapter explores the changing nature of information and communication technology (ICT) literacy of university students and explores whether gender and age factors affect student’s ICT literacy and Web usage. The primary focus of this chapter is to ascertain if transition or freshman students are prepared for the e-learning regimes they will encounter in higher education. Main findings show that there is a significant difference in how females and males use the Web and first-year (transition) students come to university with advanced ICT and Web literacy.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Mikołajczyk

Purpose This paper aims to explore the direction and extent of changes in the approach of organisations to employee development that have occurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach This research is of a qualitative nature. The thematic exploration uses the analysis of findings from 19 in-depth interviews with experienced HR managers and is preceded by desk research. Findings The findings advance our understanding of how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected developmental processes in organisations. The results indicate, apart from the change in the form and methodology of employee trainings due to the pandemic, that employees also desire new subjects to aid their development. One also noticed decreased employee engagement and increased fatigue with the use of multiple, online development initiatives. Practical implications For learning and development (L&D) practitioners, there are implications in relation to tailoring developmental offerings to fit the needs of employees to help them to progress more in the course of their work. In this new reality, an agile approach to employee development can work much better. The activities of the L&D departments should also take into greater account the changing and unpredictable reality as well as the evolving nature of information and communication technologies (ICT). The COVID-19 pandemic may contribute to the analysis and modernisation of existing offerings for development in organisations and foster a culture of lifelong learning. Originality/value This research makes an important contribution to the literature by examining the impact of situational context on modifications in development activities undertaken in organisations. The results indicate the need to change the existing role of L&D teams in organisations, taking into account the maximum use of e-learning potential, while understanding its limitations. It can be assumed that while the pandemic develops, designing hybrid learning will become even more important and L&D professionals will focus on combining the flexibility of self-training and available online resources with highly engaging real-world experiences.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rajabalee Yousra Banoor ◽  
Santally Mohammad Issack

Abstract There has been much debate on the issue of whether online learning was better than traditional education and vice-versa over the past decade. Over time, the concept of blended learning became quite the norm, especially within traditional universities who could no longer turn a blind eye to the educational revolution brought about by information and communication technologies. While the pace of technology integration in universities generally varies in pace, the world has recently experienced a massive uptake, albeit in an unplanned and mostly disorganized manner, of e-learning technologies due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Researchers have emphasized on the quality of online courses from a perspective of learner achievement in terms of student satisfaction, engagement and performances. In this paper, we analyze student feedback and report the findings of a study of the relationships between student satisfaction and their engagement in an online course with their overall performances. The module was offered online to 844 university students in the first year across different disciplines, namely Engineering, Science, Humanities, Management and Agriculture. It was assessed mainly through continuous assessments and was designed using a learning-by-doing pedagogical approach. The focus was on the acquisition of new skills and competencies, and their application in authentic mini-projects throughout the module. Student feedback was coded and analyzed both from a quantitative and qualitative perspective. The association between satisfaction and engagement was significant and positively correlated. On the other hand, there was a weak but positive and significant correlation between satisfaction or engagement with their overall performances. We further observed that students were generally very satisfied with the learning design philosophy, irrespective of their performance levels. Students, however, reported issues related to lack of tutor support and experiencing technical difficulties across groups. The findings raise important implications for institutional e-learning policy making. The factors that are important relate to the object of such policies, learning design models, personalized support, distributed virtual learning through synchronous interaction, and learning analytics.


2012 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine S. Fichten ◽  
Jennison V. Asuncion ◽  
Joan Wolforth ◽  
Maria Barile ◽  
Jillian Budd ◽  
...  

Purpose: To explore variables related to how well the information and communication technologies (ICTs) related needs of students with different disabilities are being met on campus at institutions of higher education, at home and in e-learning contexts. We also explore the disciplines and programmes pursued by students with different disabilities and the specialised ICTs they use. Method: A total of 1,354 Canadian university and junior/community college students with various disabilities completed the POSITIVES Scale. Results: Post-secondary students often have several disabilities which may affect how easily they can use ICTs. Students’ disabilities also influence the specialised ICTs they use and how well their ICT-related needs are being met. While the findings indicate that, overall, students’ ICT-related needs are generally well met, the results also show that these are better met on campus than at home, and at colleges than at universities. This is not related to institution size or to students’ disciplines. Conclusions: Our results show more favourable than unfavourable findings. Nevertheless, there are concerns around the availability of computers with adaptive software/hardware in specialised laboratories as well as with institutional ICT loan programmes; funding for ICTs for personal use; training, both on and off campus; and technical support off campus.Keywords: college university students; disabilities; POSITIVES Scale; ICT needs; e-learning(Published: 19 December 2012)Citation: Research in Learning Technology 2012, 20: 18646 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/rlt.v20i0.18646


2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 14-27
Author(s):  
Vincentas Lamanauskas ◽  
Violeta Šlekienė ◽  
Loreta Ragulienė

Using of ICT in the process of University studies is becoming very meaningful. On the one hand, the newest ICT are changing rapidly, on the other hand, we cannot deny that using them is inevitable. In the latter years, students better prepared in ICT field fill Lithuanian uni-versities. However, such assertion is conditional. After graduating from comprehensive schools, students have quite good skills in ICT field. However, the ability of using computers or other computer equipment, devices and instruments is not the same as directly applying them for learning or study needs. University studies differ, in fact, from education process in comprehensive school. Student must constantly work with different information, be able to find it, analyse and so on. Moreover, all this requires self- independence. Quite often students encounter with serious information management difficulties: are not able to find necessary information, cannot use scientific information data basis, search systems and so on. There-fore, fixation of a current state, analysing in different sections and ways, is inevitably very important. It is necessary to constantly watch, research student and teachers’ demands in ICT appliance field. Thus, the object of our research is the ability of the first and fourth-year undergradu-ates to use information and communication technologies. The aim of research is to gain in-formation concerning the first and fourth-year students’ opinion on the application of ICT in the process of studies. The research A Student and Information and Communication Technol-ogies was conducted in January – March, 2010. Research sample consisted of 663 respond-ents who were 1st year university students and of 322 respondents who were 4th year univer-sity students. In total – 985 respondents. To collect the required data, an anonymous questionnaire including four main blocks was prepared. Questionnaire arranged by Australian researchers was used as a research in-strument (Kennedy, Judd, Churchward, Gray, Kerri-Lee Krause, 2008). Questionnaire com-prises four main blocks: demographic information (5 items), access to hardware and the In-ternet (13 items), use of abilities and skills with technology based tools (Computer: 11 items; Web: 18 items; Mobile phones: 8 items) and preferences for the use of technology based tools in University studies (19 items). Mentioned instrument was partially modified taking into ac-count the study specifics of Lithuanian universities. To analyze research data, the measures of descriptive statistics (absolute and relative frequencies, popularity/usefulness/necessity indexes) have been applied. Generalizing the research Student and information communication technologies re-sults, we can claim, that: • Respondents have practically unlimited possibilities for using mobile phone, com-puter, internet and USB memory stick. • Relatively new and rather expensive digital technologies, such as iPod touch, e-library, palm computer, GPS navigator and other are still slightly used. • Computer has become the means of everyday necessity. It is intensively used both for studies and for leisure. Boys use more complex computer functions than girls do. • Respondents usually use the internet for communication, information search and for e-mail services. Boys use the internet more variously than girls. • Computer technology usage possibility analysis in the aspect of courses showed that statistically significant difference having existed between first year students, who have graduated from city and region schools, disappeared in the fourth course. • The fourth year students comparing to the first year students are becoming more conscious and are using computer more for learning purposes, however, using computer for leisure (playing games, watching films, listening to music on the inter-net) is more characteristic to the first year students. Key words: ICT, study process, analysis of experience, science education.


2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 1182-1194
Author(s):  
Btissam GUENNOUN ◽  
Nadia Benjelloun

Within the framework of a research aiming to evaluate the impact of the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in higher teaching of physics, we carried out a study with 122 students enrolled in first year of the science spinneret of the physical matter (SMP) at the University Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah, Faculty of Sciences Dhar El Mahraz – fez. This study aims in particular to identify the perceptions which these students have after learning the course of electricity integrating the ICT.The results of our investigation also show that the use of these tools in this course has provided an easy and convenient access to its scientific content and improved the learning of 48.4% of the questioned students, in addition it allowed 52.5% of the surveyed students to actively participate and to ask more questions during the course. The results of our study have also shown that the teaching of the course of electricity within the university should be accompanied by a handout and based on more developed and detailed demonstrations in the board and a judicious use of the presentations integrating filmed experiments.


2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nguyen The Dung ◽  
Diani Fatmawati

Blended learning (B-learning), a combination of face-to-face teaching and E-learning-supported-teaching in an online course, and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools have been studied in recent years. In addition, the use of this teaching model is effective in teaching and learning conditions in which some certain subjects are appropriate for the specific teaching context. As it has been a matter of concern of the universities in Vietnam today, deep studies related to this topic is crucial to be conducted. In this article, the process of developing online courses and organizing teaching for the General Informatics subject for first-year students at the Hue University of Education with B-learning teaching model will be presented. The combination of 60% face-to-face and 40% online learning.


2021 ◽  
Vol X (1) ◽  
pp. 71-82
Author(s):  
Qiao-Yu Cai ◽  

The rise of information and communication technologies has increased people’s access to educational resources and stormed the process of E-learners in the past decades. Recently, the COVID-19 pandemic forced more people to stay at home to do things via online. Of course, education is no exception. While numerous distance Chinese learning tools or websites are booming, not all these tools or websites are suitable because of E-learners’ variations in Chinese language proficiency, computer literacy, or the complexity of the tools. Hence, being able to choose effective Chinese E-learning tools for Chinese learners is crucial for Teachers of Chinese to Speakers for Other Languages (TCSOL) as it affects not only learners’motivation and overall success as well as teachers’ teaching pedagogy and performance. The present study analyzed a series of user-friendly, freeWeb2.0 digital toolsfor distance Chinese learners to study along with a textbook, Practical Audio-Visual Chinese 2, designed and carried out experimental teaching courses for Japanese participants with elementary Chinese proficiency. Lastly, it concluded with ST2D implications for TCSOL based the feedback from users.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document