Constructing a teaching capability maturity model for content and language integrated learning teachers in Taiwan

The national policy of bilingual education will inevitably entail a demand for content and language integrated learning (CLIL) teachers. Consequently, feasible and sustainable CLIL teacher education in Taiwan will be required. This study explored a teaching capability maturity model for CLIL teachers based on the level of maturity of teachers’ teaching capabilities. The modified Delphi method and fuzzy analytic hierarchy process were used. Purposive sampling was employed to recruit 33 interdisciplinary professional CLIL teachers. The three most important levels in the model were the basic course management, advanced course management and implementation, and initial levels. Implications of the results are discussed and suggestions for CLIL teacher education are proposed, such as emphasising the development of course management capabilities and providing teachers with practical experience in teaching content subjects.

A Dashboard-based System to Manage and Monitor the Progression of Undergraduate IT Degree Final Year Projects

Having a system to process and store information securely is crucial for an e-learning environment in a higher learning institute. Data recorded manually is deemed unsuitable as it may lead to mishandling of documents, poor record of documents movements, and even missing documents. A final year project (FYP) subject for a particular university’s course would need a specific management system to alleviate the work processes of supervision and monitor student progress. This system would reduce cost, paperwork, staffing and even simplify the workflow process. Therefore, introducing a student dashboard-based system for the FYP course is proposed in this study. This paper presents a smart system utilizing data analytics and a dashboard that enables the students to self-monitor, track progress and manage important information related to their FYP. The system development followed stepwise Rapid Application Development (RAD) methodology in developing the system. The developed system has been designed, developed, and tested by university students taking FYP courses. A Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was adopted in the testing phase to examine the system acceptance and user behavior intention in using the proposed system. The results showed a significant effect on a positive implementation in the faculty’s course management and monitoring the student’s FYP progress. For the dashboard-based system to reach its full potential, it is highly recommended to implement the system in its course management fully.

Undergraduate Nursing Students Endorse Education Standards in Blended e-Learning Theory Teaching during COVID-19 Pandemic

Aim: The aim of this study was to survey student learning perspectives as measured by ‘student satisfaction’ following the rapid introduction of remote blended e-learning into the existing undergraduate nursing curriculum at Umm Al-Qura University, Saudi Arabia. Background: National legislation resulting from the spread of Covid-19 required all theoretical and practical nurse training to move immediately to online provision using an unfamiliar e-learning environment and associated tools. Objective: The objective of this study was to use a validated satisfaction questionnaire developed elsewhere, but within a similar educational context involving both theoretical and practical components, for the purpose of checking that educational objectives were being satisfactorily achieved across five relevant domains of educational enquiry, and to use survey findings to improve the online delivery of the nursing program in future academic years. Methods: A validated 35 item questionnaire was circulated online to all male and female nursing students in their 2nd, 3rd and 4th years of study. The questionnaire content was subdivided into the five domains of ‘Interaction’, ‘Instruction’, ‘Instructor’, ‘Course Management’ and ‘Technology’. Descriptive and comparative statistics were used to compare levels of satisfaction between genders and among undergraduate years of study, and against findings from undergraduate information technology undergraduates. Results: 199 female and 84 male students completed the questionnaire (response rate 59.2%). Mean satisfaction scores for male and female nursing undergraduates were significantly greater than 3 (neutral score) in all domains of enquiry, indicating good satisfaction with blended e-learning (p<0.001). However, multivariate regressions of domain satisfaction scores taking gender and year of study as explanatory variables had poor resolving power. Domain scores were also significantly greater than those of a comparator study in three of the five domains (p<0.030) and similar in the domains of course management (p=0.717) and technology (p=0.677). Levels of satisfaction in males and females were similar in 80% of the survey questions, but in females, satisfaction was significantly lower in some questions concerning technology (p<0.003), willingness to interrupt the instructor (p=0.021), comparison of blended learning and face-to-face teaching (p=0.002) and timely feedback on tests and assignments (p=0.031). Fourth-year students showed the highest levels of satisfaction across all five domains. Conclusion: Undergraduate nursing students reported above-average satisfaction levels across all five domains of education provision. Despite an unfamiliar blended e-learning curriculum environment, they demonstrated compatible technological skills, satisfactory interaction with teachers and other students and engagement in the learning process. A number of recommendations identified in the literature as underlying a successful program of blended e-learning are recorded for the benefit of readers.

Design and Research of Virtual Reality Course Management System Based on Artificial Intelligence

Today, artificial intelligence and virtual reality are rapidly developing as a new technology, and major universities and training institutions have opened relevant courses one after another. However, the traditional course management system cannot meet the needs of virtual reality technology. Therefore, the virtual reality course management system based on artificial intelligence has become an important technological breakthrough to solve this problem. The purpose of this article is to study the design of a virtual reality course management system based on artificial intelligence. This article first, on the basis of fully understanding the core concepts of virtual reality, transforms the curriculum management needs into actual functions for design, and designs the three key functional modules of the design and research of the virtual reality curriculum management system based on artificial intelligence in detail. At the same time, the software architecture and database of the system are rationally designed, the system is designed and explained, and the key points in the main functional modules are explained in more detail. Finally, combined with the artificially designed virtual reality curriculum management system based on artificial intelligence, the application technology, education application and application experience analysis are carried out through questionnaire survey. The results of the questionnaire show that 47% of students are “very willing” to join the immersive virtual reality classroom teaching, and 40% of students choose “more willing”, indicating that students are more willing to accept the management system model.

The Evaluation of an Online English Course for Tourism Workers in Ninh Binh from Learners’ Perspective

his article presents the results of a study designed to measure the evaluation of learners on an online English course. A survey questionnaire was distributed to 20-course attendees, who are tourism workers in Ninh Binh province. The results of the survey reveal learners’ positive attitudes towards (1) the course content, (2) the course approach, (3) the course materials, (4) the course management, and (5) the perceived course outcomes. Besides, semi-structured interviews were carried out to pinpoint the difficulties learners encountered throughout the course. Based on the preliminary analyses of this questionnaire form, suggestions for a more efficient application of this online course are proposed.

Research on the Implementation of E-learning Tools by Bulgarian and Foreign Universities

Over the past two years, the pandemic caused by the COVID-19 virus has put to the test all spheres of life not only in Bulgaria but also worldwide. It can be claimed that the educational sector has acted adequately and has been able to deal with the challenge. The article presents research on the implementation of various e-learning tools by Bulgarian and foreign universities. The research was conducted at the beginning of the pandemic caused by COVID-19 by surveying students and lecturers. It turns out that despite the plethora of e-learning tools, at many universities, even in technologically advanced countries such as China, in most cases, education is delivered through distance learning and course management systems, for instance Moodle. The research objective is to ascertain the degree of implementation of various e-learning tools at Bulgarian and foreign universities. The research subject is the degree of implementation of e-learning tools, whereas the research object is students and lecturers from Bulgarian and foreign universities. The hypothesis, which is proven, is that the implementation of diverse e-learning tools is insufficient, despite the fact that their importance is acknowledged at all levels of learning and teaching.