Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) implementation strategy: An analysis of practicality for google classroom implementation in Malaysian schools

The existing VLE literature has been widespread with considerable debate on the antecedent factors that influence its continuous usage.However, past researchers have not transacted this issue in much detail. What is not yet clear is neither the solution nor strategy to promote VLE sustainable usage. This indicates imbalance attention given to the problem and its treatment. Therefore, this article proposes a VLE implementation strategy as a guideline to implement Google Classroom in Malaysian schools. The implementation strategy was develop based on VLE Success Model and has been endorsed by an expert in educational policy and planning. To validate its practicality, this guideline was reviewed by 14 field experts. The descriptive (quantitative) and content (qualitative) analyses have confirmed the suitability of the VLE implementation strategy to be applied for Google Classroom. However, since it only proposed some of the most important elements to be included in the VLE strategic plan, its applicability in Malaysian schools is subject to their requirements, available resources and other unique characteristics

The Acceptance of Learning Management Systems by Higher Education Faculty in an Educational Landscape Influenced by a Global Pandemic

This quantitative study investigated the perceptions of higher education faculty with respect to their behavioral intentions to use learning management systems and the perceived effect of COVID-19 on those intentions. An online survey was administered through private Facebook groups to faculty in higher education and listservs focused on technology in higher education. The sample size initially included 137 participants but participants were reduced to 121 due to incomplete responses on some surveys or not meeting the selection criteria for the research. The theoretical framework for this research was the intersection of the technology acceptance model and digital transformations. The data were analyzed using SPSS AMOS software to develop a structural equation model based on the technology acceptance model with the additional construct of the perceived effect of COVID-19 protocols. The results confirmed that the hypothesized model was a good fit and that COVID-19 had an effect on faculty members’ perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and attitude toward use of learning management systems. The results also confirmed high behavioral intentions to use learning management systems in the future. Key findings of this research included a shift in the technology acceptance model’s mediating variable that impacted the focus of professional development programs and the potential acceptance of learning management systems by higher education faculty in the foreseeable future

The Use of Mobile Phones in Classrooms: A Systematic Review

The inclusion and use of mobile phones in education is subject to two opposing arguments, one which defends and the other which opposes their use. This work has undertaken a systematic revision of scientific production to guide researchers in their enquiries into this subject. To achieve this, a total of 60 articles indexed to the Journal Citation Reports database between the years 2011 and 2020 have been analysed. These have been categorised in six specific areas: attitude and relationship with the mobile phone, communication, educational applications and classroom interventions, tension between agents, relationship between use and performance and problems deriving from their use. The conclusions of the analysis made show that, in general, scientific production would seem to back the introduction of mobile phones in classrooms as beneficial for educational purposes provided that certain preliminary work is carried out and a certain development is achieved of the digital and media skills of both students and teaching staff

Developing Educators for The Digital Age: A Framework for Capturing Knowledge in Action

Evaluating skills and knowledge capture lies at the cutting edge of contemporary higher education where there is a drive towards increasing evaluation of classroom performance and use of digital technologies in pedagogy. Developing Educators for the Digital Age is a book that provides a narrative account of teacher development geared towards the further usage of technologies (including iPads, MOOCs and whiteboards) in the classroom presented via the histories and observation of a diverse group of teachers engaged in the multiple dimensions of their profession. Drawing on the insights of a variety of educational theories and approaches (including TPACK) it presents a practical framework for capturing knowledge in action of these English language teachers – in their own voices – indicating how such methods, processes and experiences shed light more widely on related contexts within HE and may be transferable to other situations. This book will be of interest to the growing body of scholars interested in TPACK theory, or communities of practice theory and more widely anyone concerned with how new pedagogical skills and knowledge with technology may be incorporated in better practice and concrete instances of teaching

Developing sustainable business models for institutions’ provision of open educational resources: Learning from OpenLearn users’ motivations and experiences

Universities across the globe have, for some time, been exploring the possibilities for achieving public benefit and generating business and visibility through releasing and sharing open educational resources (OER). Many have written about the need to develop sustainable and profitable business models around the production and release of OER. Downes (2006), for example, has questioned the financial sustainability of OER production at scale. Many of the proposed business models focus on OER’s value in generating revenue and detractors of OER have questioned whether they are in competition with formal education. This paper reports on a study intended to broaden the conversation about OER business models to consider the motivations and experiences of OER users as the basis for making a better informed decision about whether OER and formal learning are competitive or complementary with each other. The study focused on OpenLearn - the Open University’s (OU) web-based platform for OER, which hosts hundreds of online courses and videos and is accessed by over 3,000,000 users a year. A large scale survey and follow-up interviews with OpenLearn users worldwide revealed that university provided OER can offer learners a bridge to formal education, allowing them to try out a subject before registering on a formal course and to build confidence in their abilities as learners. In addition, it was found that using OER during formal paid-for study can improve learners’ performance and self-reliance, leading to increased retention and satisfaction with the learning experience

Open educational resources for all? Comparing user motivations and characteristics across The Open University’s iTunes U channel and OpenLearn platform.

With the rise in access to mobile multimedia devices, educational institutions have exploited the iTunes U platform as an additional channel to provide free educational resources with the aim of profile-raising and breaking down barriers to education. For those prepared to invest in content preparation, it is possible to produce interactive, portable material that can be made available globally. Commentators have questioned both the financial implications for platform-specific content production, and the availability of devices for learners to access it (Osborne, 2012). The Open University (OU) makes its free educational resources available on iTunes U and via its web-based open educational resources (OER) platform, OpenLearn. The OU’s OER on iTunes U reached the 60 million download mark in 2013; its OpenLearn platform boasts 27 million unique visitors since 2006. This paper reports the results of a large-scale study of users of the OU’s iTunes U channel and OpenLearn platform. A survey of several thousand users revealed key differences in demographics between those accessing OER via the web and via iTunes U. In addition, the data allowed comparison between three groups: formal learners, informal learners and educators. The study raises questions about whether university-provided OER meet the needs of users and makes recommendations for how content can be modified to suit their needs. As the publishing of OER becomes core to business, we reflect on reasons why understanding users’ motivations and demographics is vital, allowing for needs-led resource provision and content that is adapted to best achieve learner satisfaction, and to deliver institutions’ social mission

A Correlative Study of K-12 Teacher Technology Acceptance in a Post COVID-19 World: Determinants of Behavioral Intention

The shift to emergency remote teaching due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020 forced educators across the globe to heavily rely on technology for the continuity of teaching and learning. As educators return to face-to-face instruction with increased access and expectations to implement technology in their classrooms, it is important to evaluate factors that impact teachers’ acceptance of technology. The Unified Theory of Technology Acceptance (UTAUT) provides an instrument that can be utilized to measure factors that may determine teacher behavioral intention to integrate technology into their classrooms. In this quantitative survey research, K-12 teachers from a north-central Texas school district participated in the survey, and the results for correlational relationships were analyzed at the elementary, junior high and high school level. The data analysis showing behavioral intent to implement technology had positive correlations with performance expectancy, effort expectancy and attitude. The data also supported a positive correlation between frequency of technology professional development and behavioral intent to implement technology. The findings indicate that administrator facilitating technology integration along with effective frequent professional development both facilitate the integration of technology into the classroom by teachers

Teacher competence development – a European perspective

This chapter provides an European perspectives on teacher competence development