A learning management system adoption framework for higher education: the case of Iraq

This study focuses on the implementation of Learning Management System (LMS) in the higher education sector in Iraq. Its aim is to develop a policy adoption framework for LMS implementation by scientifically investigating LMS adoption using a model that combines the principles of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Technology-Organisation-Environment (TOE) framework. The research methodology comprises of seven stages that adopts the interpretive paradigm and a mixed-methods research design. A case study design is used to investigate LMS integration in the University of Al-Qadisiyah. A TAM-TOE questionnaire is developed for the academic staff of the University of Al-Qadisiyah, in which the perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use of LMS are analysed in the case organisation. The technological, organisational, and environmental aspects of LMS implementation are also examined. The survey received valid responses from 283 academic staff. In-depth semi-structured interviews of 8 academics, administrative staff and IT personnel contributed to the qualitative data. The survey respondents are selected using stratified sampling whilst purposive sampling is used to select the interview participants. The questionnaire data was analysed using correlation analysis, whilst thematic analysis is used for the interview data. The study identifies the barriers to LMS implementation as: Lack of or limited teachers’ training, lack of commitment to constructivist pedagogy, lack of experience to use the new technology, lack of technical support, and lack of appropriate educational software. These results feed into the policy framework design. The contribution to research knowledge includes the creation of a new adoption model derived from TAM and TOE to examine the LMS implementation barriers in a war recovering economy like Iraq. This approach the integration of academic users’ acceptance with macro-level factors like government support. The results lease to the development of the LMS policy framework to guide policy makers to prioritise their limited LMS investments. The novelty of the work is the bringing together the considerations of the individual users and the socio-economic context

A model of user acceptance of learning management systems : a study within tertiary institutions in New Zealand : a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Information Systems at Massey University, New Zealand

Digital technologies are revolutionizing the practices of teaching and learning at colleges and universities all around the world. With the emergence of internet and web technologies, tertiary institutions are increasingly exploring the potential use of e-learning technologies to cater for the ever growing demands of flexible teaching needs in distance education. The teaching institutions are making significant efforts in e-learning development and investing significantly in associated information technology infrastructure with the expectation of high return on their investment. However, in spite of this effort and investment the teachers and faculty do not always use the technology as expected and more often e-learning systems continue to be underutilised. This research investigates the factors that influence or inhibit the adoption of e-learning systems in the universities, institutes of technology and polytechnics in New Zealand. A cross section of teaching staff from different tertiary institutions was surveyed to ascertain their views on adopting learning management systems (LMS) in their teaching process. The survey questionnaire is based on factors that are being advocated by well known practitioners and academics, which were identified through a literature review. The study reveals three key groups of factors: individual, system and organisational, affecting the adoption of e-learning systems in the tertiary institutions. The report introduces a theoretical framework for user acceptance of e-learning systems and presents a detailed analysis for factors relating to: (a) individual characteristics (b) individual perceptions (c) LMS system characteristics (d) external system characteristics (e) organisational support and (f) organisational characteristics. The results show that whilst individual factors have significant contribution to the LMS adoption, the system and organisational factors are most crucial for user acceptance in e-learning systems. The users ranked that release time for staff, the ease of use of LMS, perceived usefulness of LMS, training and support to develop online content and the reliability of information and communication technology infrastructure are the five most essential factors for staff uptake in e-learning systems

A case study for measuring informal learning in PLEs

The technological support for learning and teaching processes is constantly changing. Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) applied to education, cause changes that affect the way in which people learn. This application introduces new software systems and solutions to carry out teaching and learning activities. Connected to ICT application, the emergence of Web 2.0 and its use in learning contexts enables an online implementation of the student-centred learning paradigm. In addition, 2.0 trends provide “new” ways to exchange, making easier for informal learning to become patent. Given this context, open and user-centered learning environments are needed to integrate such kinds of tools and trends and are commonly described as Personal Learning Environments. Such environments coexist with the institutional learning management systems and they should interact and exchange information between them. This interaction would allow the assessment of what happens in the personal environment from the institutional side. This article describes a solution to make the interoperability possible between these systems. It is based on a set of interoperability scenarios and some components and communication channels. In order to test the solution it is implemented as a proof of concept and the scenarios are validated through several pilot experiences. In this article one of such scenarios and its evaluation experiment is described to conclude that functionalities from the institutional environments and the personal ones can be combined and it is possible to assess what happens in the activities based on them.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

FORGE: An eLearning Framework for Remote Laboratory Experimentation on FIRE Testbed Infrastructure

The Forging Online Education through FIRE (FORGE) initiative provides educators and learners in higher education with access to world-class FIRE testbed infrastructure. FORGE supports experimentally driven research in an eLearning environment by complementing traditional classroom and online courses with interactive remote laboratory experiments. The project has achieved its objectives by defining and implementing a framework called FORGEBox. This framework offers the methodology, environment, tools and resources to support the creation of HTML-based online educational material capable accessing virtualized and physical FIRE testbed infrastruc- ture easily. FORGEBox also captures valuable quantitative and qualitative learning analytic information using questionnaires and Learning Analytics that can help optimise and support student learning. To date, FORGE has produced courses covering a wide range of networking and communication domains. These are freely available from FORGEBox.eu and have resulted in over 24,000 experiments undertaken by more than 1,800 students across 10 countries worldwide. This work has shown that the use of remote high- performance testbed facilities for hands-on remote experimentation can have a valuable impact on the learning experience for both educators and learners. Additionally, certain challenges in developing FIRE-based courseware have been identified, which has led to a set of recommendations in order to support the use of FIRE facilities for teaching and learning purposes

A generic framework for the development of standardised learning objects within the discipline of construction management

E-learning has occurred in the academic world in different forms since the early 1990s. Its use varies from interactive multimedia tools and simulation environments to static resources within learning management systems. E-learning tools and environments are no longer criticised for their lack of use in higher education in general and within the construction domain in particular. The main criticism, however, is that of reinventing the wheel in order to create new learning environments that cater for different educational needs. Therefore, sharing educational content has become the focus of current research, taking e-learning into a whole new era of developments. This era is enabled by the emergence of new technologies (online and wireless) and the development of educational standards, such as SCORM (Sharable Content Object Reference Model) and LOM (Learning Object Metadata) for example. Accordingly, the broad definition of the construction domain and the interlocking nature of subjects taught within this domain, makes the concept of sharing content most appealing. This paper proposes a framework developed to describe the various steps required in order to enable the application of e-learning metadata standards and ontology for sharable learning objects to serve the construction discipline. The paper further describes the application of the proposed framework to a case study for developing an online environment for learning objects that are standardised, sharable, transparent and that cater for the needs of learners, educators and curricula developers in Construction Management. Based on the framework, a learning objects repository is developed incorporating educational and web standards. The repository manages objects as well as metadata using ontology and offers a set of services such as storing, retrieving and searching of learning objects using Semantic Web technologies. Thus, it increases the reusability, sharability and interoperability of learning objects

Virtual pedagogical model: development scenarios

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Digital communities: context for leading learning into the future?

In 2011, a robust, on-campus, three-element Community of Practice model consisting of growing community, sharing of practice and building domain knowledge was piloted in a digital learning environment. An interim evaluation of the pilot study revealed that the three-element framework, when used in a digital environment, required a fourth element. This element, which appears to happen incidentally in the face-to-face context, is that of reflecting, reporting and revising. This paper outlines the extension of the pilot study to the national tertiary education context in order to explore the implications for the design, leadership roles, and selection of appropriate technologies to support and sustain digital communities using the four-element model

Rekindling Embers of the Past with Technologies of Today: Increasing LMS Adoption at an Ontario Secondary School

The motivation behind this organization improvement plan is to reap the benefits of online learning, enhance teaching and learning, and consequentially increase student achievement. This organizational improvement plan addresses a problem of practice in an Indigenous ministry inspected secondary school in Central, Canada. Indigenous people are achieving fewer and lower levels of educational attainment compared to non-Indigenious counterparts and Indigenious students in the community this OIP is situated are likewise at-risk of widening this gap (Statistics Canada, 2011; Deloitte, 2018). To narrow this gap, this school is centered on using technology to pay tribute to the past. Online learning offers organizations a variety of teaching and learning benefits. In pursuit of enhanced outcomes, more and more K-12 organizations are attempting to adopt a Learning Management System; however, instead of experiencing the promised potential of online learning, organizations are receiving frustrations and lackluster results. The leadership approach selected to drive forward change in this endeavour is the adaptive leadership approach complimented with characteristics of situational leadership. The change path model is selected as the framework for leading the process of organizational change. Additionally, the plan, do, study, act model serves as the model for change. Collectively the change path model in tandem with the plan, do, study, act model and former leadership approaches all work together to implement, evaluate, and communicate the change

Academic professional development for effective e-learning: a possible framework for Brazil

Distance education at a tertiary level in Brazil represents a very new educational approach compared with countries such as Australia and the United Kingdom. However, higher educational institutions in these and other countries share similar concerns surrounding this issue. One concern relates to preparing academics for delivery of quality online education. This paper will explore a PhD investigation concerning academic professional development for online learning in Brazil, as well as discuss the current available literature regarding this topic