Evaluative Analysis On Mooc With Lms Based To Improve English Teachers’ Teaching Competences

In the 5th Industrial Revolution era, English teaching method blended with technology and information-based skills will be more noteworthy to improve English teachers’ teaching aptitudes. Here, the role of Non-Formal Training Institute (LKP) with its new teaching framework is very crucial to increase English teachers’ teaching competences in this industrial revolution era, improve their students’ attainment and advance their professional knowledge. To optimize this role, this research was conducted using Kirkpatrick's 4-level evaluation model, to assess the implementation of Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) with Learning Management System (LMS) based in non-formal educational context for many English teachers in Indonesia. This study aimed to determine the benefits and constraints of implementing this online course using evaluative techniques with quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. Data collection techniques were interviews, document observation and questionnaires. The results showed that at the reaction level, the research participants gave a positive response to the online course, the participants also succeeded in increasing their teaching knowledge (learning level), changing behavior in teaching English (behavior level), and improving their students’ achievement (level result). The greatest benefits felt by participants included beneficial topics, video materials, and video conferencing frames which had a direct impact on their teaching knowledge and skills development. The obstacles faced by the participants were problems with internet access, video conference access, and assignments

Internet Plus strategy as a factor of development of economic education in the People's Republic of China

Розвиток Інтернету значною мірою впливає на трансформацію та модернізацію галузей та підприємств Китайської Народної Республіки. Як результат, уряд Китаю розробив спеціальну стратегію Інтернет Плюс для трансформації, модернізації та оснащення традиційних галузей, щоб приєднати їх до сучасної економіки. Ця стратегія реалізується шляхом розробки мобільних пристроїв, хмарних сервісів та додатків нового покоління, що підключають людей до соціальних мереж, аналітики та великих даних. Такий розвиток подій буде залучати іноземні компанії, які планують вплинути на бурхливу китайську Інтернет-економіку, із зростаючою потребою в досвідчених економістах, що зможуть посприяти їх зусиллям. В статті підсумовано та охарактеризовано конкретні характеристики та сфери застосування Інтернет Плюс у різних галузях промисловості. Обґрунтовано шляхи застосування Інтернет Плюс в економічній освіті Китайської Народної Республіки. Висвітлено та проаналізовано ефективні мобільні додатки, що використовуються в навчальних цілях для навчання економістів у закладах вищої освіти Китайської Народної Республіки. Сформульовано рекомендації, які застосовуватимуться у зовнішньоекономічній освіті з використанням переваг стратегії Інтернет Плюс. Розуміння та застосування стратегії Інтернет Плюс є найважливішою складовою для економістів Китайської Народної Республіки та за кордоном для досягнення успіху в кар’єрі, а також відкриття майбутнього бізнесу для виходу на китайський та світовий ринки.The development of the Internet greatly influences the transformation and modernization of the industries and businesses in the People’s Republic of China. As a result, the Chinese government has developed a special Internet Plus strategy to transform, modernize and equip conventional industries for joining the modern economy. This strategy is being implemented through the development of mobile devices, cloud services and new generation applications connecting people to social media, analytics and big data. Such development is going to attract foreign businesses planning to make an impact on the booming Chinese Internet economy, with the growing need for the experienced economists to assist their efforts. The specific characteristics and the areas of application of Internet Plus in different industries have been summed up and characterized. The ways of application of Internet Plus in economic education of the People’s Republic of China were substantiated. The effective mobile applications used for educational purposes with the economists in the higher educational institutions of the People’s Republic of China were highlighted and analyzed. The recommendations to be applied in foreign economic education using the benefits of Internet Plus strategy were formulated. Understanding and application of the Internet Plus strategy is a critical component for the economists in People’s Republic of China and abroad to achieve career success and open future businesses to enter the Chinese and world market

Innovating Language Education: An NMC Horizon Project Strategic Brief

The NMC is a leading educational technology organization. A main outcome of the collaboration between the Language Flagship Technology Innovation Center and the NMC was this publication, which highlights recommendations that emerged from discussions of major trends, challenges, and technology developments by experts and practitioners in language technologies in higher education. Innovating Language Education identifies main trends and areas of interest and constitutes a rich resource that includes key definitions and proofs of concept

Training, Education and Research in COVID-19 Times: Innovative Methodological Approaches, Best Practices, and Case Studies

The global COVID-19 pandemic has posed a major challenge in all aspects of life, including how graduate training of healthcare practitioners is conducted. In Saudi Arabia, there were over 14,000 graduate health professional trainees in different stages of their training in various specialties distributed in many healthcare facilities across the country. The vast geographical distribution and diversity of health specialties training programs and activities have remarkably magnified the challenge posed by the pandemic. However, recently, the SCFHS implemented a health training governance reform that granted more autonomy to accredited training facilities in supervising training activities according to preset policies. This autonomy was crucial for mitigating various risks imposed by the pandemic, especially during the extended periods of strict lockdown. The ultimate mandate is a knowledge management primer. We need to once again focus on the basics of human creativity and knowledge creation: Create the content/knowledge; Utilize knowledge; Document knowledge; Communicate knowledge; Enable an integrated training, education, and research ecosystem; Utilize the integrated platform. Our volume is a contribution to the scientific debate for the added value of COVID-19 to our training, education, and research capabilities. We continue this debate with a new Special Issue in the Sustainability journal. We look forward to your contributions to this discussion

Health Information Dissemination During Pandemics and Epidemics : Key requirements for online learning platforms and materials

Tämä väitös tutki terveystiedon levittämistä asynkronisena verkko-oppimistarjontana terveyskriiseissä erityisesti terveysalan ammattilaisille, ja samalla kenelle tahansa avoimista verkko-oppimisaineistoista kiinnostuneelle. Tutkimus sisältää aineistoja epidemia- ja pandemia-aiheisista ja -aikaisista laajamittaisesta oppimisvasteesta ja se sijoittuu informaatiotutkimuksen, terveysviestinnän ja oppimisteknologioiden aloille. Tutkimuksessa tarkasteltiin edellytyksiä maailmanlaajuiselle oppimismateriaalin levittämiselle, niin aineiston kuin verkko-oppimisympäristön näkökulmasta. Väitös pohjautuu neljään vertaisarvioituun tutkimusartikkeliin, joista kolme käsittelee COVID-19 -pandemian aikaista terveystiedon levittämistä ja käyttöä ja yksi artikkeli Ebolaa. Tilastotieteellisiin havaintoihin perustuvat datan meta-analyysit pohjautuvat Maailman Terveysjärjestön (WHO) avoimeen verkko-oppimisympäristöön, OpenWHO.org, ja sisältävät koko oppimisympäristön kattavaa suurta dataa ja kyselypohjaisia analyyseja. Julkaisujen aineistot käsiteltiin temaattisen analyysin keinoin ja niistä nousevat teemat koottiin verkko-oppimisympäristöjä ja -aineistoja koskeviksi suosituksiksi. Tutkimus pyrki hahmottamaan ja toiminnallistamaan keskeisiä elementtejä ja huomioitavia näkökulmia terveysinformaation välittämisestä omatahtisena verkko-oppimisena. Tutkimuksessa esitetään kahta eri viitekehystä reaaliaikaisen, verkko-oppimisen kautta tehtävän terveystiedon levittämisen tueksi: oppimisympäristöjen kapasiteettiin liittyviä ja verkkojen kautta jaeltavien aineistojen muotoihin liittyen. Väitöskirjatutkimuksen tulokset voivat hyödyttää tiedontuottajia, jotka tarjoavat verkko-oppimisympäristöjä, tavoitteenaan saavuttaa laaja määrä oppijoita helposti skaalautuvilla keinoilla erityisesti yhtäkkisissä ja nopeasti etenevissä kriisitilanteissa, joissa ensisijainen tarkoitus on pelastaa ihmishenkiä.The thesis examined dissemination of public health information through asynchronous online learning provision. The context is public health emergencies, and the study includes evidence from epidemic and pandemic learning responses through online dissemination targeted to health professionals and open to any interested audiences. The research is placed at the crossroads of information dissemination, health communication and learning technologies. The research investigated key considerations for platform requirements to mount a learning response with a global reach; and core requirements for the learning material packaging to suit massive audiences. The thesis consists of four publications of which three provide evidence on COVID-19 online learning material, and one provide evidence from other infectious disease online courses on Ebola. Statisticsdriven findings were made based on meta-data analysis of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) open-source learning platform, OpenWHO.org, and included platform-wide big data metrics and several survey analyses. All data and evidence outputs were analysed utilising the thematic analysis approach and were coded into emerging themes of importance that shed light on the utility of the information dissemination. The study sought to operationalise key considerations relating to health information dissemination as an asynchronous online learning delivery and recommends two frameworks; one for considerations relating to platform capabilities and the other for aspects relating to the packaging of online learning material. The findings of this thesis can inform any learning provider who operates through online learning means with an aim to reach unlimited mass audiences in an easily scalable way, with particular emphasis on adjustments required for sudden onset events and emergencies where the aim is to save lives through online learning and information dissemination

Have disruptive innovations arrived at the gates of academia?

Disruptive technologies in education and particularly Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) continue to be one of the polarising and most controvertible topics in postsecondary education, as they have yet to deliver on their promises. Existing academic literature on MOOCs, the main example of disruptive technology of this thesis, is primarily concerned with student participation, persistence, completion rates and learning in MOOC platforms. There seems however to be very limited scholarly research in the UK investigating the democratising effects and impact of disruptive technologies in Higher Education, particularly the extent to which MOOCs might unlock the gates to accessibility and their impact on universities, teaching and academics, through the lens of critical theory. It is however crucial to evaluate their impact (s) to inform policy decision-making on technology enhanced-learning implementation at tertiary institutions and design of curricula. The Main Research Question (MRQ) and sub-question designed for this study were addressed by conducting eighteen semi-structured interviews (Skype and face-to-face) with participants (academic and senior administrators) from nine countries and nine institutions. The research methods used were primarily qualitative. This thesis contributes to the field of technology-enhanced learning by addressing the current pedagogical limitations of the MOOC format which seem to be the critical impediments that prevent MOOCs, as they are currently designed, from genuinely democratising Higher Education to those who most need it in developed and developing countries. My main original contribution to knowledge is an integrated and adaptive model with critical success factors that would influence the MOOC model’s effectiveness, which, to the best of the author’s knowledge, is unique in the published literature. The findings of this study indicate that MOOCs have democratised access to Higher Education to a certain degree but they are not considered comparable to an on-campus experience and not suitable, in their current form and design, to the needs of the underrepresented in higher education, in developed and developing countries. The findings also indicate that MOOCs are challenging the current economic, business and pedagogical models and delivery mechanisms of traditional Higher Education and these might have an important effect on the academic role and identity. Furthermore, this investigation finds that MOOCs have aroused institutions and academics’ interest in and exploration of technology-enhanced learning, particularly blended learning approaches. Finally, the findings of this study indicate that MOOCs have impelled institutions and academics to rethink the design of more engaging courses and programmes and refocus on student learning to improve online and face-to-face teaching and this added pressure might have created a schism between the educational conservatives and the advocates of reform

Planning with self‑organised initiatives

Over the last half century, the Global South has faced a strong rise in the rate of urbanisation. Although this process differs from region to region, rapid urbanisation has created many challenges for countries in the Global South. Brazil is no different. The largest country in South America has jumped from an urban population of 44.67% in 1960 to 84.36% in 2010, according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE, 2018). While urban growth is relatively stable in Brazil today, the challenges that came with the rapid increase will be felt for many years to come. One of the main challenges was created due to this urban growth not being organised. The main growth in the cities was due to an opportunity-led development, which produced an extremely unequal urban fabric with spatial discontinuities and left-over spaces. Planning institutions have attempted to overcome this spatial fragmentation problem, but have faced many difficulties. This thesis demonstrates that spatial fragmentation in Brazilian metropolises is not only related to spatial discontinuities, but also to socioeconomic inequalities. This means that the physical connection between disconnected spaces does not necessarily create social connections between segregated groups. Walls in Brazil are not only physical but also social. This thesis investigates self-organised initiatives as possible entities to dismantle these invisible walls. Such initiatives help to create social connections between highly diverse groups in the public spaces of cities which have a high level of socioeconomic inequality. The cases of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Brasília reveal a growth in the integration level from functional to symbolic, and even to community level in areas where these self-organised initiatives have been active. This increase in social connection between highly diverse groups has a positive impact on the resilience capacity of the urban system, improving the capacity for closer cooperation in the face of unexpected change. The thesis begins by analysing the spatial fragmentation of Brazilian metropolises and how this relates to resilience. Chapter 2 develops the concept of ‘porosity’ as a metaphor for these spatial discontinuities in the Brazilian metropolitan context. Data from IBGE was used to create a porosity index and generate a comparative perspective on all of the Brazilian metropolises. The index reveals that cities have very different factors composing their porosity, which in turn create different threats and opportunities regarding the resilience capacity of each city. Certainly, it is important to recognise the particularities of each context, and in this way the porosity index provides a starting point for understanding the spatial fragmentation occurring within Brazilian metropolises. Chapter 3 focuses on the two metropolises with the highest porosity index, Belém and Manaus, to examine how urban policies may affect their spatial fragmentation. The thesis uses the federal government’s Minha Casa, Minha Vida (MCMV) social housing programme to investigate the relationship between such programmes and spatial fragmentation. Using GIS-generated maps, it was possible to visualise the pattern of each case of fragmentation and overlap these with the location of the developments in the MCMV programme. The chapter reveals that despite reducing the housing deficit for the low-income segment, the MCMV programme is having a strong negative impact by raising the level of spatial fragmentation already present in both metropolises. In Chapters 4 and 5, the relationship between spatial fragmentation and self-organised initiatives is analysed. Using cases from São Paulo, Chapter 4 investigates how spatial fragmentation is influencing the work of such self-organised initiatives. It shows that the spatial fragmentation of São Paulo has a strong polarised structure, with the city centre as the main pole. Fragmentation in São Paulo is based on a dichotomy between centre and periphery that also influences where self-organised initiatives operate. Nevertheless, as Chapter 5 demonstrates, the initiatives studied are able to integrate people from extremely diverse socioeconomic contexts, even when being limited by spatial fragmentation. This social disconnection in contexts of inequality is one of the underlying forces driving spatial fragmentation in Brazil. In this sense, this integration capacity of self-organised initiatives is an important resource to tackle fragmentation in Brazilian metropolises and has been attracting the interest of urban planners. While there is a lot of potential for self-organised initiatives to be integrated into planning strategies in Brazilian metropolises, this is still not being explored by public authorities in the cities studied. The interaction between self-organised initiatives and public institutions is generally problematic and conflictual, despite the participation of some public servants in these initiatives. Much can be done to improve the relationship between self-organised initiatives and public authorities, and this conclusion led to the key recommendations of this investigation. The thesis also points to the active participation of urban planners in these initiatives, with even those who perform technical functions in public institutions becoming active. The results of Chapter 5 show that planners demonstrate a strong belief in the work of self-organised initiatives and their positive impact. Their engagement calls for further examination of the role of planners in such initiatives and their impact in other areas beyond spatial fragmentation. Despite being scientifically well grounded and having societal relevance, doctoral theses are frequently forgotten in the repositories of universities. With this in mind, this thesis aimed to not only be scientifically sound but to also have a strong societal impact. In addition to publishing articles as part of the thesis, I also explored other methods to improve its societal impact, making the research available on two open online platforms: the Global Urban Lab and the Rethink the City MOOC. The former aims to synthesise the findings and discussions of research in a manner accessible to the general public, while the latter aims to apply the research in planning education. Education can be an efficient tool to generate societal impact based on doctoral research, especially if connected to a massive educational tool such as a MOOC. The Rethink the City MOOC is presented here as a case study on how to generate societal impact by combining doctoral research and online education. The challenges and process of developing the Rethink the City MOOC are discussed in Chapter 6, which also presents some of the satisfactory results from the course, with 17,278 participants registering for the first two editions. This experience demonstrates how much impact doctoral research can have when aligned with online education

Influence of employer support for professional development on MOOCs enrolment and completion: Results from a cross-course survey

Although the potential of open education and MOOCs for professional development is usually recognized, it has not yet been explored extensively. How far employers support non-formal learning is still an open question. This paper presents the findings of a survey-based study which focuses on the influence of employer support for (general) professional development on employees’ use of MOOCs. Findings show that employers are usually unaware that their employees are participating in MOOCs. In addition, employer support for general professional development is positively associated with employees completing MOOCs and obtaining certificates for them. However, the relationship between employer support and MOOC enrollment is less clear: workers who have more support from their employers tend to enroll in either a low or a high number of MOOCs. Finally, the promotion of a minimum of ICT skills by employers is shown to be an effective way of encouraging employee participation in the open education ecosystem.JRC.J.3-Information Societ

Planning with self‑organised initiatives: from fragmentation to resilience

Over the last half century, the Global South has faced a strong rise in the rate of urbanisation. Although this process differs from region to region, rapid urbanisation has created many challenges for countries in the Global South. Brazil is no different. The largest country in South America has jumped from an urban population of 44.67% in 1960 to 84.36% in 2010, according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE, 2018). While urban growth is relatively stable in Brazil today, the challenges that came with the rapid increase will be felt for many years to come. One of the main challenges was created due to this urban growth not being organised. The main growth in the cities was due to an opportunity-led development, which produced an extremely unequal urban fabric with spatial discontinuities and left-over spaces. Planning institutions have attempted to overcome this spatial fragmentation problem, but have faced many difficulties. This thesis demonstrates that spatial fragmentation in Brazilian metropolises is not only related to spatial discontinuities, but also to socioeconomic inequalities. This means that the physical connection between disconnected spaces does not necessarily create social connections between segregated groups. Walls in Brazil are not only physical but also social. This thesis investigates self-organised initiatives as possible entities to dismantle these invisible walls. Such initiatives help to create social connections between highly diverse groups in the public spaces of cities which have a high level of socioeconomic inequality. The cases of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Brasília reveal a growth in the integration level from functional to symbolic, and even to community level in areas where these self-organised initiatives have been active. This increase in social connection between highly diverse groups has a positive impact on the resilience capacity of the urban system, improving the capacity for closer cooperation in the face of unexpected change. The thesis begins by analysing the spatial fragmentation of Brazilian metropolises and how this relates to resilience. Chapter 2 develops the concept of ‘porosity’ as a metaphor for these spatial discontinuities in the Brazilian metropolitan context. Data from IBGE was used to create a porosity index and generate a comparative perspective on all of the Brazilian metropolises. The index reveals that cities have very different factors composing their porosity, which in turn create different threats and opportunities regarding the resilience capacity of each city. Certainly, it is important to recognise the particularities of each context, and in this way the porosity index provides a starting point for understanding the spatial fragmentation occurring within Brazilian metropolises. Chapter 3 focuses on the two metropolises with the highest porosity index, Belém and Manaus, to examine how urban policies may affect their spatial fragmentation. The thesis uses the federal government’s Minha Casa, Minha Vida (MCMV) social housing programme to investigate the relationship between such programmes and spatial fragmentation. Using GIS-generated maps, it was possible to visualise the pattern of each case of fragmentation and overlap these with the location of the developments in the MCMV programme. The chapter reveals that despite reducing the housing deficit for the low-income segment, the MCMV programme is having a strong negative impact by raising the level of spatial fragmentation already present in both metropolises. In Chapters 4 and 5, the relationship between spatial fragmentation and self-organised initiatives is analysed. Using cases from São Paulo, Chapter 4 investigates how spatial fragmentation is influencing the work of such self-organised initiatives. It shows that the spatial fragmentation of São Paulo has a strong polarised structure, with the city centre as the main pole. Fragmentation in São Paulo is based on a dichotomy between centre and periphery that also influences where self-organised initiatives operate. Nevertheless, as Chapter 5 demonstrates, the initiatives studied are able to integrate people from extremely diverse socioeconomic contexts, even when being limited by spatial fragmentation. This social disconnection in contexts of inequality is one of the underlying forces driving spatial fragmentation in Brazil. In this sense, this integration capacity of self-organised initiatives is an important resource to tackle fragmentation in Brazilian metropolises and has been attracting the interest of urban planners. While there is a lot of potential for self-organised initiatives to be integrated into planning strategies in Brazilian metropolises, this is still not being explored by public authorities in the cities studied. The interaction between self-organised initiatives and public institutions is generally problematic and conflictual, despite the participation of some public servants in these initiatives. Much can be done to improve the relationship between self-organised initiatives and public authorities, and this conclusion led to the key recommendations of this investigation. The thesis also points to the active participation of urban planners in these initiatives, with even those who perform technical functions in public institutions becoming active. The results of Chapter 5 show that planners demonstrate a strong belief in the work of self-organised initiatives and their positive impact. Their engagement calls for further examination of the role of planners in such initiatives and their impact in other areas beyond spatial fragmentation. Despite being scientifically well grounded and having societal relevance, doctoral theses are frequently forgotten in the repositories of universities. With this in mind, this thesis aimed to not only be scientifically sound but to also have a strong societal impact. In addition to publishing articles as part of the thesis, I also explored other methods to improve its societal impact, making the research available on two open online platforms: the Global Urban Lab and the Rethink the City MOOC. The former aims to synthesise the findings and discussions of research in a manner accessible to the general public, while the latter aims to apply the research in planning education. Education can be an efficient tool to generate societal impact based on doctoral research, especially if connected to a massive educational tool such as a MOOC. The Rethink the City MOOC is presented here as a case study on how to generate societal impact by combining doctoral research and online education. The challenges and process of developing the Rethink the City MOOC are discussed in Chapter 6, which also presents some of the satisfactory results from the course, with 17,278 participants registering for the first two editions. This experience demonstrates how much impact doctoral research can have when aligned with online education