Student Engagement in Online Language Learning: A Study at Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia

Online learning is essential to the learning process in this pandemic era. It is heavily included into the educational process for Malaysian pupils. Studying the effects of this online education, particularly at the postsecondary level, is equally fascinating. The implementation of online learning has been successful due to a select few elements. The perception of the pupils and their involvement in the learning process are among the variables. 233 undergraduate students from various academic levels participated in this study. The respondents were given a set of questions in order to gather information about their opinions and level of interest in learning English through online courses. Results indicated that they had a highly favourable opinion of English online classes and that they were very involved in them. Implementing the online courses presented some difficulties, including gaps in the technology, a lack of documentation, and the teaching methodology. In order to guarantee the optimum outcome and satisfaction with the learning process, blended learning is advised. Keywords: online learning, engagement, perceptio

E-learning uptake among academicians and students in Tanzanian universities

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the extent of current e-learning uptake in Tanzanian universities. The quantitative approach involving survey design was adopted in the collection of data. Data were collected through a questionnaire survey of 400 respondents, with a rate of return 85.5%. The average reliability of variables 0.949 was determined using Cronbach's Alpha. Fuzzy Logic model and t-test were adopted for data analysis. The findings revealed that the average extent of current e-learning uptake among students and academicians were less than half of threshold amounting to 50% (i.e. level of awareness was 16%, availability was 20.6%, accessibility was 17%, attitude was 15% as variables used). There was no statistically significant difference in e-learning uptake among students and academicians as the value of p > 0.05. The findings of this study established a base ground and guidelines to inform the e-learning stakeholders and policymakers to find and establish suitable policy as well as mechanism to adopt and encourage sustainable use of e-learning systems for life-long teaching and learning. The originality of this study is based on the addition of new variables and methodologies employed as empirical evidence based on the extent of e-learning uptake in Tanzanian universities.               Keyword:  ICTs, e-learning uptake, fuzzy logic model, students, academician

Don’t Throw Out Paper And Pens Yet: On The Reading Habits Of Students

This paper focuses on students’ reading habits — whether traditional reading habits (print books) or modern reading habits (using a computer screen). We review the changes in students’ reading habits over time, as part of other global changes, and explore whether corresponding digital pedagogies have evolved to address these changes. We examine generation Y students’ motivations and study habits, a generation that shows indications of changes in its academic values and priorities, and cracks in its research skills for a global world. We focus on a case study of the reading habits of students in one academic institution and discuss the implications of the findings for academic teaching and the academia’s traditional role of training researchers.

Teaching and learning in virtual worlds: is it worth the effort?

Educators have been quick to spot the enormous potential afforded by virtual worlds for situated and authentic learning, practising tasks with potentially serious consequences in the real world and for bringing geographically dispersed faculty and students together in the same space (Gee, 2007; Johnson and Levine, 2008). Though this potential has largely been realised, it generally isn’t without cost in terms of lack of institutional buy-in, steep learning curves for all participants, and lack of a sound theoretical framework to support learning activities (Campbell, 2009; Cheal, 2007; Kluge & Riley, 2008). This symposium will explore the affordances and issues associated with teaching and learning in virtual worlds, all the time considering the question: is it worth the effort

Transforming pre-service teacher curriculum: observation through a TPACK lens

This paper will discuss an international online collaborative learning experience through the lens of the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework. The teacher knowledge required to effectively provide transformative learning experiences for 21st century learners in a digital world is complex, situated and changing. The discussion looks beyond the opportunity for knowledge development of content, pedagogy and technology as components of TPACK towards the interaction between those three components. Implications for practice are also discussed. In today’s technology infused classrooms it is within the realms of teacher educators, practising teaching and pre-service teachers explore and address effective practices using technology to enhance learning

Culture-centred integration of ICT in Southeast Asia secondary schools

V. Sithira studied cultural integration with educational tools for Southeast Asian secondary schools. She found that culture-based learning has more to do with the design of ICT. She investigated the cultural presence in Southeast Asia and proposed new cultural activity metaphors and cultural theme metaphors in ICT to improve learning experience. She proposed new Cultural Motivational Elements of ICT guidelines for ICT developers that can significantly improve education with technology in Southeast Asia

6th International Conference on Libraries (ICOL) 2017 “Towards Lean Libraries”

The International Conference on Libraries (ICOL2017) held in Penang, Malaysia on 2-3 August 2017, was the sixth international ICOL conference, a once-every-two-years opportunity that provides platform for participants and presenters to access the best information, discover new ideas and network with people in the profession. More than 20 abstracts submitted by interested authors, however, after being reviewed, only 18 papers have been accepted. Two accepted papers were withdrawn by their authors by the time of publishing. There were two speakers sponsored by the vendors who gave inputs on topics relevant to the conference but not included in this proceeding. A total of 14 full papers are included in this publication which covers the section of Managing Libraries; Creativity and Innovation; Right Tool at the Right Time and Improve while Reduce

Socially-Motivated Discussion Forum Models for Learning Management Systems

This paper seeks to contribute to the field of learning management system (LMS) development in tertiary education institutions, in particular, to advance the adoption of LMSes by exploring the incorporation of appropriate socially-motivated discussion forums. This study uses a Web-based application, which implements four different discussion forum models for learning management systems (LMSes), in order to test usability and student preferences. Two non-social discussion forums and two social discussion forums were compared, to determine their appropriateness in terms of attributes or features and general functionality for LMSes. The design processes led to the creation of a Web-based application called 4DFs that includes implementations of all discussion forum models. Two of these models are non-social discussion forums: the chat room unstructured model and the traditional general threaded discussion. The other two types are social discussion forums, where users can choose who they converse with: the Twitter-style short comment feed and the Facebook-style hybrid post and reply. A controlled experiment was conducted with 31 students from the institution. The study found that students preferred that the learning forum includes certain characteristics - they prioritised ease of use, low complexity, less interaction and a user-friendly interface over their familiarity with the forum. For learning, there is a need to use the features for a specific purpose so users do not necessarily want non-essential features like emojis; instead they want systems that help them to learn efficiently

Student participation and grade performance in an undergraduate online learning environment

2012 Fall.Includes bibliographical references.This study explored learning and teaching of online classes. Examining the relationship between undergraduate students' participation and their final grades in five selected courses in an online learning environment and exploring differences between the demographics characteristics of age, race, and gender to students' participation (total number of messages posted and total access) and grade performance were the important focus of the study. The population of this study was undergraduate students enrolled at Colorado State University-Global Campus (CSU-GC) in the years 2010 and 2011. Specifically, it was determined that the appropriate population for this study included all undergraduate students enrolled in one or more of the five core courses. This study took a quantitative, non-experimental approach to the collection and analysis of data. The study employed an associational research design (association questions) and between-groups or within subjects design (difference questions). Statistical analyses used were Spearman Rho correlation, Kruskal-Wallis tests and Mann-Whitney Utests. Students who posted more messages on the discussion forums tended to have higher course grades, rs(1,027) = .32, p = .001; there was a positive correlation between the variables, with a medium or typical effect size or correlation. The more a student accessed the discussion board over the eight weeks of the course the higher the final grade, rs (1,027) = .35, p = .001; thus r = .35 and the effect size was medium or typical. Age was positively correlated with total number of messages posted, rs(1,011) = .27, p = .001 and total access rs (1,011) = .27, p = .001; these are small effect sizes. The positive correlation between age and grade was rs (1,011) = .15, p = .001; this is a small effect size. As students' ages increased, they had a correlation with earning higher grades compared to younger students. Older students more frequently posted comments on discussion boards. There were no significant differences among the three race groups, White, Black or African American, and Asian on total number of messages posted, X2 (2, 842) = 2.09, p = .351; on total access, X2 (2, 842) = 1.57, p = .455; and on grade performance, X2 (2, 842) = 3.50, p = .174. There was a significant difference in the mean ranks of males (437.84) and females (505.85) on total number of messages posted, U = 95,552, p = .001, r = .12, a small effect size. Also, the 496 female students had a little higher mean ranks (493.37) than the 450 males (451.59) on Total Access, U = 101,742.5, p = .019, r = -.076, with a very small or smaller than typical effect size. There were no statistically differences in mean of males (485.37) and females (462.73) with respect to final grades, U = 106,257, p = .180, r = .044. Significant differences were found among the five core courses on total number of messages posted, X2 (2, 1029) = 96.76, p = .001; and on total access, X2 (2, 1029) = 104.23, p = .001. Yet, there was no significant difference between the five core courses on grade performance, X2 (2, 1029) = 4.05, p = .399. This study would benefit online institutions, online/distance instructors, decision makers at all levels of higher education, and online students. The implications for practices, barriers to e-learning, on-going support by government, limitations of the study, and recommendations for research were discussed

Exploring key antecedents through a technology acceptance perspective

The main aim of this Ph.D. thesis in Management is to provide better understanding of the role of Information Systems (ISs) in the decision-making process and successful performance of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), exploring the antecedents of technology acceptance. To achieve the objectives defined, four articles were elaborated: a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) and three articles of an empirical nature. Therefore, the first article aimed to identify, explore and systematize the main topics regarding the role of web portals as tools to support information management in HEIs. Based on 126 articles published up to 5 November 2016 on the Web of Science and SCOPUS databases, four major topics were identified, namely, the software used in web portals, internal and external benefits of using web portals, technology acceptance and information storage and management. The main contribution of this research lies in identifying the main topics and trends in scientific production for each topic identified, and in identifying gaps and future lines of research in this field of study. The second article aimed to study the influence of web portals in supporting HEI management and performance, considering personality traits, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, through an empirical study. To achieve the aim proposed, Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used together with a structured questionnaire administered to teaching and non-teaching staff in Portuguese HEIs. The results obtained, through 338 valid responses, indicate a positive influence of personality traits on the use of web portals and that their use also has a positive influence on HEIs’ performance. The third chapter sought to identify the factors influencing the use of e-learning platforms in the Portuguese academic context through an empirical study. A structured questionnaire was used to collect information. Based on 631 valid responses, SEM was applied, leading to the conclusion that, in accordance with Innovation Diffusion Theory (IDT), the characteristics of e-learning platforms and Personal Innovativeness in Information Technology (PIIT) have a positive influence on the use of this tool. The fourth and final article aimed to identify and explain the factors of successful operation, implementation and use of e-libraries in the academic context of Portuguese higher education. To achieve this goal, a qualitative approach was adopted, through a case study of the e-library at the University of Beira Interior (UBI). Primary data were obtained from interviews with staff of the library, computer services and administration of this teaching institution holding leadership positions and directly involved in the implementation, maintenance or use of the e-library. The empirical evidence highlights the importance of minimizing costs, particularly by forming cooperation protocols, the use of open-source software and training of UBI library staff. Acceptance and use of the e-library depends on the platform’s characteristics, the ease of access to information, actions to publicise and make the whole academic community aware of the e-library and its functions, and implementation of appealing, intuitive User Interfaces (UIs). In addition, the training of students and library staff was revealed as a relevant factor for acceptance of this tool. For the future, the creation of a functional search aggregator is suggested, to allow a simultaneous search in all the databases and creating the least noise possible. This function could be implemented based on multi-disciplinary teams with skills acquired through specific training. This study was based on Resource-Based View (RBV) and Social Learning Theory (SLT). In this thesis, considering the four studies developed, it was possible to support the influence of IS acceptance on HEIs’ performance and determine the role of ISs in supporting these institutions’ management, in the Portuguese academic context. This research also presents contributions to theory and implications for practice, as well as future lines of study on the topic.O principal objetivo desta tese de doutoramento em Gestão consistiu em proporcionar uma melhor compreensão acerca do papel dos Sistemas de Informação (SIs) no processo de tomada de decisão e no sucesso da performance das Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), explorando os antecedentes da aceitação das tecnologias. Para conseguir alcançar os propósitos definidos, foram elaborados quatro artigos: uma Systematic Literature Review (SLR) e três artigos de natureza empírica. Neste sentido, o primeiro artigo teve por objetivo a identificação, exploração e sistematização dos principais temas sobre o papel dos portais web como ferramentas para apoiar a gestão da informação nas HEI. Tendo por base 126 artigos publicados até ao dia 5 de novembro de 2016, nas bases de dados Web of Science e SCOPUS foi possível identificar quatro grandes temáticas, nomeadamente, software utilizado em Portais Web, benefícios internos e externos da utilização de Portais Web, aceitação das tecnologias e o armazenamento e gestão da informação. O principal contributo desta investigação prende-se com a identificação das principais temáticas e tendências da produção científica em cada temática identificada, bem como, a identificação de lacunas e futuras linhas de investigação dentro deste campo de investigação. O segundo artigo teve por objetivo estudar a influência dos portais web no apoio à gestão e no desempenho das HEIs, tendo em consideração os traços de personalidade, a perceção acerca da utilidade e da facilidade de utilização, através de um estudo empírico. Para conseguir alcançar o objetivo proposto, recorreu-se ao Strucutral Equation Modeling (SEM) e a um questionário estruturado, dirigido a pessoal docente e não docente de HEIs portuguesas. Os resultados obtidos, através de 338 respostas válidas, indicam que existe uma influência positiva entre os traços de personalidade e a utilização dos portais web e que a sua utilização também influencia positivamente o desempenho das HEIs. No terceiro artigo procurou-se identificar os fatores que influenciam a utilização de plataformas de e-learning no contexto académico português, através de um estudo empírico. Recorreu-se a um questionário estruturado como objeto de recolha de informação. Tendo por base 631 respostas válidas, aplicou-se o SEM e podemos concluir que, em concordância com a Teoria da Difusão da inovação (TDI), as caraterísticas das plataformas de e-learning e o Personal Innovativeness in Information Technology (PIIT) influenciam de forma positiva a utilização desta ferramenta. O quarto e último artigo teve por objetivo a identificação e explicação de fatores para o bom funcionamento, implementação e utilização de e-librarys no contexto académico do ensino superior português. Para alcançar o objetivo proposto adotou-se uma abordagem qualitativa, através de um estudo de caso da e-library da Universidade da Beira Interior (UBI). Os dados primários obtiveram-se com recurso a entrevistas ao Staff da Biblioteca, dos Serviços de informática e da Administração desta instituição de ensino, com posições de chefia e envolvidos de forma direta na implementação, manutenção ou utilização da e-library. As evidências empíricas ressaltam a importância para a minimização de custos, nomeadamente, a celebração de protocolos de cooperação, a utilização de software open source e a formação do staff da biblioteca da UBI. A aceitação e utilização da e-library, depende das caraterísticas da plataforma, da facilidade do acesso à informação, de ações de divulgação que deem a conhecer a toda a academia a e-library e as suas funcionalidades e da implementação de User Interfaces (UIs) apelativas e intuitivas. Adicionalmente, a formação de alunos e do staff da biblioteca revelou ser um fator relevante para a aceitação desta ferramenta. De futuro sugere-se a criação de um agregador de pesquisa funcional, que pesquise em simultâneo em todas as bases de dados e crie o menor ruido possível. Esta funcionalidade será possível ser implementada com base em equipas multidisciplinares com as skills adquiridas através de formação especifica. Este estudo teve por base a Resource-Based View (RBV) e a Social Learning Theory (SLT). Neste trabalho de tese, tendo em consideração os quatro estudos desenvolvidos, foi possível sustentar a influência da aceitação de SIs no desempenho das HEIs e averiguar o papel dos SIs no apoio dado à gestão destas instituições, no contexto académico português. Esta investigação apresenta também contributos para a teoria e implicações para a prática, bem como, futuras linhas de investigação acerca da temática em estudo