Effectiveness of Technology in an English Grammar and Punctuation Course

As enrollment in online courses continues to climb, technology also continues to advance to provide students with course designs that promote optimal learning environments. New communication tools continually evolve that help improve learning outcomes in online course designs. The lack of physical class meetings in online classes necessitates a comprehensive focus on course design to optimize learning, including a focus on communication and collaboration opportunities. Much of the available current research regarding the outcomes of increased online learning investigates the effectiveness of this learning format primarily in the fields of healthcare, foreign language, and the study of English grammar as a second language. Although an abundance of literature exists analyzing online learning and online language learning, research focusing on students learning English grammar and punctuation in technical programs via online class formats was lacking. A quantitative research method utilizing descriptive statistics, specifically a correlation design, was used for addressing the research questions. A quantitative method was used because the phenomenon of interest could be analyzed objectively. Quantitative analyses utilized the collected numerical data to help explain the relationship between the course design that students chose and their abilities to comprehend and apply English grammar and punctuation based on the technology provided in the course design. In addition, data collected and analyzed using quantitative methods allowed the results to be generalized to a larger population, thus benefitting other educators who teach English grammar and punctuation in online formats. The statistical tests generated to answer the research questions were successful in providing useful information concerning the effectiveness of the technology used in the course design that was implemented in both class formats. The course design focused on 16 essential elements of communication and was found to be more effective in traditional face-to-face formats of the class. Effectiveness was measured by students’ abilities to write grammatically correct paragraphs and by final earned course grades. Traditional students were more likely to learn and effectively apply the 16 essential elements of communication to written paragraphs. Online students appeared to learn the 16 essential elements but had difficulty applying the elements to written communication

Pre-COVID-19 student perceptions on blended learning and flipped classroom in accountancy: a case study from two emerging UK HEIs

Purpose This study aims to explore the perceptions of accountancy students on the use of technology, blended learning and flipped classroom in two emerging UK higher education institutions (HEIs). Design/methodology/approach The primary data for the study were collected using a questionnaire survey and descriptively analysed. Findings The findings revealed that there is some use of technology in terms of the Blackboard and PowerPoint presentations but blogs and wikis have very limited use. An aspect that does not seem to be integrated fully yet is the use of blended technology and a flipped classroom. Practical implications The study findings offer a picture of how technology, blended learning and the flipped classroom technique were utilised with accountancy students prior to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This information is valuable for accounting educators and by extension to other aspects of business studies disciplines in providing a comparison between the pre-COVID-19 scenario and the current one and thus enabling an evaluation of advancement in the application of these teaching strategies as a result of the pressure imposed by social distancing. Such intelligence will facilitate the identification of areas where enhancing learning outcomes has been possible and point to opportunities for improved student experience. Originality/value Where COVID-19 brought about significant structural change in teaching and learning in the HE environment, this study represents a pre-COVID-19 consideration of student perceptions on blended learning and flipped classroom. This study thus has the potential to anchor future relevant studies that consider the post-COVID-19 environment

Learning to Teach Online: An Investigation of the Impacts of Faculty Development Training on Teaching Effectiveness and Attitudes toward Online Instruction

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between one approach to training for online faculty and the ways in which the program influenced the participants’ teaching effectiveness and attitudes toward online instruction. Two research questions guided this study: (1) how did participating in an intensive course redesign intervention influence instructors’ teaching effectiveness in the online environment? and (2) how did participating in the training influence instructors’ beliefs or attitudes about online teaching? The theoretical framework guiding this study was the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) model, developed by Mishra and Koehler (2005). Using a concurrent, mixed-methods design, this study used five data sources: (1) participants’ application narratives, (2) post-training program evaluation data; (3) instructors’ pre and post-training course syllabi, (4) pre and posttraining student evaluations of teaching scores, and (5) a post-training follow-up online survey. Findings to the first research question revealed that instructors demonstrated (a) statistically significant change in the incorporation of elements into the redesign of their syllabi, and (b) improvements in their teaching abilities as self-reported in the follow-up survey. However, there were no significant changes in their student evaluations of teaching pre-and post. Overall, then, instructors demonstrated modest improvements to their overall teaching effectiveness. Findings to the second research question revealed that, prior to training, instructors were highly optimistic about their course redesign plans and the skills and knowledge they would develop. After delivering their redesigned course online, participants were less optimistic and satisfied with their training experience than they had been immediately following it, and multiple instructors cited a need for additional or continued training and support

Systematic review of learning generic skills in higher education : enhancing and impeding factors

The research field on generic skills in higher education has expanded rapidly. In addition, the importance of generic skills has been highlighted both in educational policy discourses and in practice of higher education. The present study reviews theoretical, methodological, and empirical viewpoints on learning generic skills and synthesizes the empirical evidence about the factors that enhance and impede student learning of generic skills. Altogether 116 articles were included in the analysis. The systematic analysis revealed remarkable variation in concepts, research methods, and operationalization of generic skills. These findings suggest that research in this field is still incoherent. According to the results, contextual factors that enhance or impede higher education students' learning of generic skills were investigated more often than individual factors. Furthermore, the articles included in this review emphasized learning of work-oriented professional skills over higher-order thinking skills. To ensure the development of research on generic skills, it is important to focus on more coherent theorization and operationalization of the various generic skills. More longitudinal studies with methods that genuinely capture actual skills and their development are also needed to advance the field. The results can be used for future discussions on theorization, empirical research, and practical development of student learning of generic skills.Peer reviewe