Barriers against and opportunities for distant higher education in the coronavirus COVID-19 situation

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 2-14
Author(s):  
Dorota Siemieniecka
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Social Networking ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Technical Problems ◽  
Quantitative And Qualitative Research ◽  
Academic Teachers ◽  
Mode A

The aim of the conducted quantitative and qualitative research was to determine the barriers that students encounter when participating in classes taught distantly. The pilot study covered 50 NCU students in Toruń and was carried out in March and April 2020 at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the classes were completely transferred to the distant mode. A questionnaire consisting of 26 open and closed questions was the tool used in the research. The research focused on identifying the barriers faced by students during classes. The students described their needs in relation to the use of communicators and social networking sites by academic teachers, they were asked to describe how they imagined an ideal online lesson. The students drew attention to technical problems, disruption, and problems with access to the Internet. They find it difficult to use many tools (enabling synchronous classes). The research has shown that academic teachers do not have the necessary methodological competence to carry out the didactic process in distant forms. The students stress the existence of difficulties in contacting the teachers; they are often left without explanations or comments with the teaching materials uploaded on the platform.

scholarly journals The Influence of Social Networking on Lifestyle: A Higher Education Perspective

2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 94-100
Author(s):  
D Veerasamy
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Social Networking ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
University Of Technology ◽  
The World

Social networks have become a way of life for many people who use them to connect and communicate with the world at large. Social media is defined as any tool or service that uses the Internet to facilitate conversations. Facebook is one of the most popular social networking sites (SNSs) and has a total of 55 million active users worldwide with an average of 250000 new registrations per day. After Yahoo, MySpace and Google, Facebook is also the fourth most popular SNS in South Africa. The purpose of the paper was to determine whether social networks have an influence on higher education students’ lifestyles and behaviour. This research was descriptive and quantitative in nature. The sample comprised 386 students studying at the Durban University of Technology (DUT). The results indicated that the majority of the respondents preferred Facebook as their social network of choice. More than half of the respondents indicated that they access their preferred social network five times or more per day. The majority of the respondents agreed that social networks allow for global interaction and that maintaining relationships has become easier with social networking,

scholarly journals Development of a Measure: Reasons of Social Networking Sites Use

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 141
Author(s):  
Samira Ranaiey ◽  
Mohammad Reza Taghavi ◽  
Mohammad Ali Goodarzi
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Social Networking ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Total Variance ◽  
Problematic Internet Use ◽  
The Internet

<p class="zhengwen">Because of increased attention to PIU (Problematic Internet Use), some measure had been made, but they seem to be</p><p class="zhengwen">Inadequate, due to new issue of the internet interactions. Therefore the necessity and importance of</p><p class="zhengwen">Standard, valid and reliable tools to assess PIU and the related behaviors are clear.</p>This paper presents results of a study that develops a measure of Reasons of Using Social Networking Sites (S.N.S). The reasons were based on an article by Morahan – Martin and Schumacher. The reasons were arranged as a questionnaire. This questionnaire was completed by 156 volunteer students of Shiraz University. The results indicated that Reasons of S.N.S Use Scale is both reliable and valid. The result of factor analysis showed that two dimensions (Positive and Negative reasons of S.N.S use) explains total variance acceptably.

Older and Younger Job Seekers' Impression Management on LinkedIn

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 61-74
Author(s):  
Franciska Krings ◽  
Irina Gioaba ◽  
Michèle Kaufmann ◽  
Sabine Sczesny ◽  
Leslie Zebrowitz
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Social Networking ◽  
Impression Management ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Job Seekers ◽  
Self Presentation ◽  
Job Offers ◽  
Research Show

Abstract. The use of social networking sites such as LinkedIn in recruitment is ubiquitous. This practice may hold risks for older job seekers. Not having grown up using the internet and having learned how to use social media only in middle adulthood may render them less versed in online self-presentation than younger job seekers. Results of this research show some differences and many similarities between younger and older job seekers' impression management on their LinkedIn profiles. Nevertheless, independent of their impression management efforts, older job seekers received fewer job offers than younger job seekers. Only using a profile photo with a younger appearance reduced this bias. Implications for the role of job seeker age in online impression management and recruitment are discussed.

scholarly journals Prevalence and Nature of Internet Use among Adolescents in Vadodara (Gujarat)

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Janki Jhala ◽  
Renu Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Social Networking ◽  
Survey Research ◽  
Internet Addiction ◽  
Social Communication ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
Peer Group ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Test Results

Internet has been a very facilitating medium and making lives easier for many of us. Internet is increasingly becoming a channel through which people, and especially adolescents, socialize and be in constant contact with their family, relatives and friends. More than a medium of acquiring knowledge, for adolescents, it has become a medium of expression of their implicit feelings and to know what is happening in their peer group. The current research aims to study the prevalence and nature of Internet use among adolescents. Population for the research included adolescents of Vadodara District in Gujarat. A total of 1657 adolescents were taken as the sample for the study. A survey research was conducted on 1657 adolescents using a self developed questionnaire along with Young’s Internet Addiction test. Results indicate that 44.8% of the participants are Average Users of the Internet, while 14.6% of the participants belong to the category of above average users of the Internet. The present study also shows that participants use the Internet mainly for social communication and social networking sites are the most commonly used sites on the Internet.

scholarly journals Leveraging Social Networking Sites for an Autoimmune Hepatitis Genetic Repository: Pilot Study to Evaluate Feasibility (Preprint)

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan Comerford ◽  
Rachel Fogel ◽  
James Robert Bailey ◽  
Prianka Chilukuri ◽  
Naga Chalasani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Liver Biopsy ◽  
Social Networking ◽  
Autoimmune Hepatitis ◽  
Rare Disease ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Participant Recruitment ◽  
Study Materials ◽  
Immunosuppressant Medications ◽  
Oriented Research

BACKGROUND Conventional approaches to participant recruitment are often inadequate in rare disease investigation. Social networking sites such as Facebook may provide a vehicle to circumvent common research limitations and pitfalls. We report our preliminary experience with Facebook-based methodology for participant recruitment and participation into an ongoing study of autoimmune hepatitis (AIH). OBJECTIVE The goal of our research was to conduct a pilot study to assess whether a Facebook-based methodology is capable of recruiting geographically widespread participants into AIH patient-oriented research and obtaining quality phenotypic data. METHODS We established a Facebook community, the Autoimmune Hepatitis Research Network (AHRN), in 2014 to provide a secure and reputable distillation of current literature and AIH research opportunities. Quarterly advertisements for our ongoing observational AIH study were posted on the AHRN over 2 years. Interested and self-reported AIH participants were subsequently enrolled after review of study materials and completion of an informed consent by our study coordinator. Participants returned completed study materials, including epidemiologic questionnaires and genetic material, to our facility via mail. Outside medical records were obtained and reviewed by a study physician. RESULTS We successfully obtained all study materials from 29 participants with self-reported AIH within 2 years from 20 different states. Liver biopsy results were available for 90% (26/29) of participants, of which 81% (21/29) had findings consistent with AIH, 15% (4/29) were suggestive of AIH with features of primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), and 4% (1/29) had PBC alone. A total of 83% (24/29) had at least 2 of 3 proposed criteria: positive autoimmune markers, consistent histologic findings of AIH on liver biopsy, and reported treatment with immunosuppressant medications. Self-reported and physician records were discrepant for immunosuppressant medications or for AIH/PBC diagnoses in 4 patients. CONCLUSIONS Facebook can be an effective ancillary tool for facilitating patient-oriented research in rare diseases. A social media-based approach transcends established limitations in rare disease research and can further develop research communities.

scholarly journals An Empirical Study of the Relationship Between Social Networking Sites and Students’ Engagement in Higher Education

2018 ◽  
Vol 57 (5) ◽  
pp. 1131-1159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felix N. Koranteng ◽  
Isaac Wiafe ◽  
Eric Kuada
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Networking ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Social Capital Theory ◽  
Social Networking Site ◽  
Partial Least Square ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Equation Modeling

This article investigates how students’ online social networking relationships affect knowledge sharing and how the intensity of knowledge sharing enhances students’ engagement. It adopts the social capital theory as the basis for investigation, and the partial least square structural equation modeling was used to examine the hypothesized model. Responses from 586 students in higher education were analyzed. The findings provided empirical evidence which contradicts the argument that students perceive social networking sites as an effective tool for learning. Also, contrary to previous studies which posit that knowledge sharing impacts engagement, it was observed that there is no relationship between the two. However, as social networking sites differ in terms of member behavior norms, it is envisaged that if a similar study is conducted and limited to a specific academically inclined social networking site such as Academia.edu, ResearchGate, Mendeley, and so on, different findings may be observed.

Online Election Campaigning

2014 ◽  
pp. 287-304 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darren G. Lilleker ◽  
Karolina Koc-Michalska
Keyword(s):  
Social Networking ◽  
Presidential Election ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Supply Side ◽  
Election Campaigns ◽  
Personal Lives ◽  
Seeking Help ◽  
Online Experience ◽  
Online Campaigning

Studies of online campaigning tend to focus on the supply side: the way political parties communicate and campaign using the Internet. This chapter explores the online presences of the main candidates and their parties who stood in the 2012 French presidential election. The research focuses not only on the supply side but also explores demand, utilising data from the Mediapolis survey to ascertain what citizens search for online and in particular what citizens seeking help with their voter decisions seek online. The data shows that citizens are provided with a rich online experience during election campaigns. Information is presented in engaging ways and candidates attempt to mobilise their supporters and offer various opportunities to interact with the campaign and other Website visitors. Interaction is augmented in particular by the use of social networking sites. Citizens, however, appear to mostly go online to find detailed information on the policies and programmes of the candidates. There appears little call for engaging communication, interactive opportunities, or details on the personal lives or personalities of the candidates. The data may, therefore, suggest that information may need to be packaged for accessibility and presented in a way that allows voters to make up their own minds, rather than following the norms of corporate sales campaign Websites.

Online Election Campaigning

2015 ◽  
pp. 1368-1385
Author(s):  
Darren G. Lilleker ◽  
Karolina Koc-Michalska
Keyword(s):  
Social Networking ◽  
Presidential Election ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Supply Side ◽  
Election Campaigns ◽  
Personal Lives ◽  
Seeking Help ◽  
Online Experience ◽  
Online Campaigning

Studies of online campaigning tend to focus on the supply side: the way political parties communicate and campaign using the Internet. This chapter explores the online presences of the main candidates and their parties who stood in the 2012 French presidential election. The research focuses not only on the supply side but also explores demand, utilising data from the Mediapolis survey to ascertain what citizens search for online and in particular what citizens seeking help with their voter decisions seek online. The data shows that citizens are provided with a rich online experience during election campaigns. Information is presented in engaging ways and candidates attempt to mobilise their supporters and offer various opportunities to interact with the campaign and other Website visitors. Interaction is augmented in particular by the use of social networking sites. Citizens, however, appear to mostly go online to find detailed information on the policies and programmes of the candidates. There appears little call for engaging communication, interactive opportunities, or details on the personal lives or personalities of the candidates. The data may, therefore, suggest that information may need to be packaged for accessibility and presented in a way that allows voters to make up their own minds, rather than following the norms of corporate sales campaign Websites.

The Role of Social Networking Sites for Language Learning in UK Higher Education

2014 ◽  
pp. 1745-1764
Author(s):  
Billy Brick
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Networking ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Peer Review ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Text Chat ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Uk Higher Education

This paper seeks to assess the potential for Social Networking Sites (SNSs) to play a role in language learning in the UK Higher Education (HE) sector. These sites are characterised by certain features including learning materials, synchronous and asynchronous video and text chat facilities, a peer review feature, and some sites also incorporate an award system, in the form of points (http://www.livemocha.com) or ‘berries' (http://www.busuu.com). This serves to motivate participants by rewarding them for their progress and for their peer review activities. In order to consider if, or how, to integrate SNSs into the UK HE curriculum it is important to consider the views of practitioners and learners towards such sites and whether they consider them to have a potential role in HE language education. The paper will report on the outcomes of two small research projects which have sought to establish the view of both practitioners and students towards SNSs in the HE context. When considered overall the practitioners were more positive about the site than the learners.

Online Abuse

2012 ◽  
pp. 911-917 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam M. Bossler ◽  
Thomas J. Holt
Keyword(s):  
Social Networking ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Text Messaging ◽  
Cell Phones ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Online Harassment ◽  
Online Abuse ◽  
Beneficial Impact

The development of computers, cell phones, and the Internet allows individuals to connect with one another with ease in a variety of ways in near real time. The beneficial impact of these resources, however, has been adulterated by some to engage in abusive communications while online. Specifically, individuals now use email, text messaging, and social networking sites to spread hurtful or malicious information about others. This entry summarizes the problem of online abuse via cyberbullying, online harassment, and stalking by discussing the prevalence of these phenomena as well as the prospective predictors of victimization.

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