scholarly journals Focus Group Discussions E-Learning based on Prior Knowledge and Problems in the Covid-19 Pandemic Period

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 119-132
Author(s):  
Yunia Mulyani Azis ◽  
Nurul Fatimah

The Covid-19 pandemic forced many campuses around the world to close. In Indonesia, the closure of the campus began in mid-March 2020. The closure of the campus for a long time will harm students. To prevent this, the Indonesian government encourages campuses to hold online lectures or E-Learning. One of the campuses implementing E-Learning is STIE Ekuitas Bandung. The change from traditional lectures to E-Learning is not as easy as the theory. There are technological limitations, especially connections that cause students to have problems when forced to attend college in the form of video streaming. Besides, the economic recession caused by the pandemic is also another obstacle. On the other hand, most lecturers do not know how to give lectures effectively via the web, because they cannot get feedback from students. One solution we propose in this paper is to revive group discussions on school E-Learning sites. Using the student's Prior knowledge about E-Learning as a parameter, we conclude that the learning design provided in e-learning has to be slower compared to face-to-face learning with the aim that respondents have time to read, understand and finally understand with their efforts.

2012 ◽  
pp. 22-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Abramovitz ◽  
M. Berezina ◽  
A. Berman ◽  
L. Shvartsman

In this chapter we present our work aimed at interweaving e-learning and face-to-face learning in Calculus courses for undergraduate engineering students. This type of blended learning (BL) contains the best properties of e-learning and face-to-face learning and helps overcome many obstacles in traditional teaching. We use our approach in order to improve students’ conceptual understanding of theorems. We describe online assignments specifically designed to help students better understand the meaning of a theorem. These assignments are given to students in addition to traditional lectures and tutorials with the objective that they can learn to learn on their own. Students “discover” the theorem and study it independently, by using a “bank” of examples and a lot of theoretical exercises we supply. The assignments are built in such a way that students receive feedback and instructions in response to their Web-based activity.


2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rahma Nur Praptiwi ◽  
Maria Nino Istia ◽  
Kristin Lukitaningrum

The existence of individuals with developmental and sensory disabilities (DIII MP-WNBK students) at the Jakarta State Polytechnic is a concern, especially when it is observed how they interact, the way they receive and attend lectures in class. So the situation that is completely online like this, becomes a challenge for them. The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of distance education for MP-WNBK DIII students, and to explain efforts to improve their skills in accessing online lectures through the elearning.pnj.ac.id platform. This study uses an intervention method with a quantitative approach. The design of this research is a cross sectional study. The sample in this study was PS DIII MP-WNBK PNJ students. The number of samples taken as many as 76 students from a population of 92 students. The results of this study conclude that both lecturers and students enjoy using e-learning as a learning medium during distance learning. Learning with a high level of interaction is fun for both lecturers and students because it approaches face-to-face learning. Almost all students are able to use e-learning. E-learning is quite effective for distance learning.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 159-178
Author(s):  
Cedric B. Mpungose

The majority of universities in South Africa offer face-to-face lectures, resulting in the neglect of online lectures, although learning management systems (LMS) have been adopted and are capable of supporting onlinelearning (e-learning). The coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) forced universities to move fully online and to adopt Video Conferencing Technologies (VCT) to supplement LMS for e-learning. However, most students confront challenges related to a digital divide, raising the question of whether universities are able to address these effectively. This study explored students’ reflections on the use of the Zoom VCT for e-learning at a SouthAfrican university. An interpretive qualitative case study was conducted, with data generated using emailed reflective activities and Zoom focus group discussions with 26 students in a curriculum studies programme.The framework of connectivism was employed and the data were thematically analysed. The study found that Internet access was a major challenge. While most students enjoyed synchronous Zoom discussions, they wereunable to use other Zoom functions for effective engagement. It is thus recommended that the university should develop an e-learning policy and provide the necessary resources and training to students in order to ensure fitness for purpose. Key words: students’ reflections, Zoom VCT, e-learning, face-to-face, curriculum, university


Author(s):  
Maximilian Riedel ◽  
Gabriel Eisenkolb ◽  
Niklas Amann ◽  
Anne Karge ◽  
Bastian Meyer ◽  
...  

Abstract Purpose The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic posed an eminent challenge for medical teachers worldwide. Face-to-face lectures and seminars were no longer possible, and alternatives had to be found. E-learning concepts quickly emerged as the only practicable solutions and also offered the opportunity to evaluate whether traditional face-to-face lectures could be translated into an online format, independent of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods We offered an e-learning program consisting of lecture notes, screencasts with audio narration, and online webinars that covered topics normally taught in traditional lectures and seminars. To evaluate the learning behavior and quality of our e-learning program, we drafted a questionnaire that students completed at the end of the 2020 summer semester that had been designed to enable a comparative analysis of the different e-learning modules. Results Voluntary participation in the online courses was high. Survey analysis revealed high satisfaction with and a distinctive preference for the format, even under regular, COVID-19-independent conditions. In general, a positive appraisal of e-learning—especially as a substitute for regular lectures—was found. Students also reported higher studying efficiency. Exam results were equal to those of previous semesters. Conclusion Both acceptance of and satisfaction with our e-learning modules were high, and students displayed increased demand for this kind of e-learning format. We, therefore, conclude that e-learning offerings could serve as reasonable, efficient, student-orientated substitutes for certain medical courses, especially lectures. These curricular adaptations would correlate with the high digitalization seen in students’ everyday lives. This correlation may also hold true independent of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.


Author(s):  
R J Singh

This article reports on the use of blended learning in higher education. Blended learning has become popular in higher education in recent years. It is a move beyond traditional lecturing to incorporate face-to-face learning with e-learning, thereby creating a blend of learning experiences. The problem is that learning in higher education is complex and learning situations differ across contexts. Whilst there is face-to-face contact at some institutions, others offer distance learning or correspondence learning. In each context, the mode of learning may differ. The challenge is to cater for various learning opportunities through a series of learning interactions and to incorporate a blended approach. The aim of this study was to examine various ways of defining blended learning in different contexts. This was done through an examination of experiences of the use of blended learning in different higher education contexts. The study presents a case of blended learning in a postgraduate course. The experiences from all these cases are summarised and conclusions and recommendations are made in the context of blended learning in higher education in South Africa.


Author(s):  
Brahim Faqihi ◽  
Najima Daoudi ◽  
Rachida Ajhoun

In the field of learning, we are witnessing more and more the introduction of new environments in order to better meet the specific needs of the main actors of the process. The shift from face-to-face learning to distance learning or e-learning has overcome some of the challenges of availability, location, prerequisites, but has been rapidly impacted by the development of mobile technology. As a result, m-learning appeared and quickly evolved into p-learning. The arrival of the "Open Software" concept has given birth to several "open-something" initiatives, among which are the Open Educational Resource (OER) and the Massive Online Open Course (MOOC). These learning resources have also made progress, although they are fairly recent. Admittedly, this diversity of environments offers a wealth and a multitude of pedagogical resources. However, the question of the capitalization of contents, knowledge and know-how of each of these environments is necessary. How can the exchange and reuse of pedagogical resources be guaranteed between these different learning environ-ments? otherwise-said how to guarantee the interoperability of these resources? In order to contribute to the creation of an pedagogical heritage, we propose to design a case-based system allowing the author, when creating a course in a particular context and environment, to exploit the resources that are already available. The goal is to put in place an intelligent production system based on case-based reasoning. It is based on four phases ranging from indexing to reuse, through the similarity measurement and the evaluation. In the first part, we will detail the evolution of learning environments. In the second part, we will review the existing course production platforms, their prin-ciples and their challenges. In the third part, we will present case-based reasoning systems, and then we will introduce our target system.


Author(s):  
Brenda Anak Lukas ◽  
Melor Md Yunus

Education sector in Malaysia had put emphasis on the use of online learning or e-learning with technology and devices as a mediator of communication to replace face-to-face learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Subsequently, with the improvement of learning technologies, English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers faced various challenges in language teaching. In this regard, this study aimed to investigate the challenges ESL teachers faced in implementing e-learning during COVID-19. Using a qualitative approach, this research was a case study which involved 20 primary ESL teachers. Data collection was done through an in-depth interview to explore teachers’ e-learning experiences and challenges in teaching the English language. Based on the findings, the majority of teachers expressed that the use of e-learning was effective with various limitations such as teachers’ readiness to adopt e-learning, accessibility to mobile phones and Internet connectivity, classroom management in term of low students’ participation and assessment. Thus, the researcher recommended more studies to highlight teachers’ insight regarding the significance of e-learning. ESL teachers, stakeholders, policy makers, and institutions can benefit from the results of the study and come out with practical strategies to utilize online sources for education in the pandemic situation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. p69
Author(s):  
Apostolou George ◽  
Papatsimpas Achilleas ◽  
Gounas Athanasios ◽  
Gkouna Ourania

The purpose of this study is to investigate the reaction of Greeks to this new educational reality due to the Covid-19 outbreak. Since the first restrictive measures were implemented in March 2020in Greece, distance learning has become a dynamic part of people’s daily lives with the prospect of remain in gas such in the future. A total of N=170 students, parents, teachers, civil servants, private sector employees who were involved in the distance learning process either as instructors or as students in the period of Covid-19 pandemic in Greece, were selected with the use of snowball sampling. A questionnaire using demographic and satisfaction related variables was completed by the respondents, namely citizens across Greece, based on a Likert scale questionnaire which is a useful and multidimensional instrument, to assess satisfaction within the time frame from July 7, 2020 to October 20, 2020; the period when there occurred a loosening in the restrictive measures between the two lockdowns in Greece. It was investigated how the demographic factors, specifically gender, age, occupation, and place of residence, influence the attitude of the respondents towards synchronous and asynchronous distance learning as well as their intention to continue using online education services in the future after the lifting of the restrictive measures. Additionally, the customers’ preferences concerning the most enjoyable distance learning experience were examined, so that they will be available to the distance learning program designers. Descriptive statistical analysis and non-parametric statistical hypothesis tests were conducted in SPSS and R. Most of the respondents had not participated in online courses before the Covid-19 outbreak, 46 % did participate in e-learning courses before the Covid-19 lockdown while 54 % did not and 34.1% respondents prefer face-to-face learning, while 15.9% prefer e-learning. Also, 50% respondents prefer a combination of face-to-face learning and e-learning. Hypothesis tests showed that there are statistically significant differences between users’ preferences as well as regarding their demographic characteristics. Undergraduate and postgraduate university students continue to participate in online learning courses and are willing to invest financial resources and time in this new educational process (?2(4)=10.440, p=0.034), unlike high school students who prefer face-to-face learning (p=0.042). The present study will lead to practical implications, such as the formation of e-learning programs which aim for the best user experience and the best learning outcomes. Also, private educational organizations can include the results in the key elements to implementing a strategic marketing mix.


Author(s):  
Aissetou Drame Yaye

The University Abdou Moumouni (UAM) of Niamey in Niger mainly focused on traditional face to face learning, and even the existence of the African Virtual University since the years 1999 did not change the situation. It is only after the official opening at the University of the Francophone Digital Campus in December 2003 that lecturers and students started overseeing and taking advantages of all the benefits of e-Learning and distance learning. The present paper builds on the author’s personal initiatory experience in e-Learning to highlight some specific challenges that traditional universities such as the UAM face in their efforts to introduce e-Learning and distance learning as a new mode of course delivery. The study shows that even though challenges are big, political and institutional support can freshen the perspectives and change opportunities into realities.


2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiam Chooi Chea ◽  
Lim Tick Meng ◽  
Phang Siew Nooi

With the advancements in communications technology brought about by the advent of the Internet and World Wide Web, attention has been drawn to Open and Distance Learning (ODL) as a mode for teaching and learning. In Malaysia, the establishment of ODL universities such as Open University Malaysia (OUM) has expanded the role of ICT in learning and knowledge generation. By leveraging on Internet technology, ODL universities are able to transmit education across the country and even globally. ODL sets about making quality e-learning and e-content more accessible to both facilitators and learners. Utilising this method, new opportunities are continuously created to make higher education more accessible to those who seek to improve and upgrade themselves. This paper examines OUM's practice of using the innovative technology of online learning and teaching to make higher education easily accessible to those that seek it. With greater advancements in technology, the future of higher education may lie more with ODL than with traditional face-to-face learning.


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