Health Profession Student’s Readiness Towards Online Learning as a Component of Blended Learning

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to identify the entry-level health profession students’ perception and readiness to adopt online learning as a component of blended learning (BL). Methods: A cross sectional survey using a structured questionnaire was administered using Google forms. Entry level Health professionals’ education (HPE) graduate students of a higher education institute in India completed the survey (N= 628). The questionnaire was developed from the literature and content validated by experts. Ethics clearance was obtained from the Institutional ethics committee. Results: Out of 628 responses, 603 fully completed questionnaires were included for analysis. Of the participants, 98 % owned a smartphone, whereas 67% possessed either a laptop or a stationary computer. 60 % of the respondents reported at least one hour of internet access per day for learning purposes. Most of the participants were comfortable in accessing online learning materials and interacting with peers. The majority of the participants (77.4%) were willing to spend 10 to 20 hours per week on online learning. Conclusion: Entry Level HPE graduate students were ready to adopt online learning as a component of BL. Providing necessary infrastructure and creating online learning materials needs to be considered

ROLE OF PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES AND SYSTEM CHARACTERISTICS IN PREDICTING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ONLINE LEARNING- AN INDIAN PERSPECTIVE

Online learning has become a trend in education over the years with the emergence of Web 2.0 and the advancement in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). As the organisational spending has risen for providing better learning and training, the expectations for outcomes also have increased. Learning effectiveness can be thought of as one of the parameters to assess the success of online learning. A survey was conducted with 377 higher education students from India who have already taken an online learning course. The study used Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to understand the impact of personal factors (internet self-efficacy), system characteristics (information quality, system quality, service quality), and engagement (behavioural, emotional, cognitive engagement) on learning effectiveness in online learning through an integration of Social Cognitive Theory (SCT), and DeLone and McLean’s IS success model. The result shows that internet self-efficacy has a positive impact on all types of engagement whereas, system and service quality have a positive impact on emotional and cognitive engagement, and information quality has an impact on only behavioural engagement. Furthermore, all types of engagement have a positive impact on perceived learning effectiveness. Theoretical contributions and practical implications are discussed

AKSEPTANSI TEKNOLOGI INFORMASI KOMUNIKASI: PENDEKATAN SOCIAL COGNITIVE THEORY

Social Cognitive Theory banyak dikenal sebagai teori pembelajaran, teori sikap dan perilaku. Artikel merupakan essay tentang social cognitive theory yang digunakan untuk mengamati perilaku penggunaan (akseptansi) TIK oleh pengguna (user). Beberapa penelitian melakukan pendekatan triadic reciprocal, ada yang menggunakan pendekatan skema akseptansi TIK. Makalah ini mengidentifikasikan bagaimana pendekatan Social Cognitive Theory digunakan untuk menjelaskan hubungan perilaku, sikap, motivasi dan lingkungan dalam pengambilan keputusan penggunaan TIK. Hasil indentifikasi menunjukkan bahwa terdapat dua faktor utama yang berperan dalam memahami hubungan pengaruh tersebut, yaitu self efficacy dan outcome expectation. Pemahaman kedua faktor utama tersebut perlu dibarengi dengan pemahaman perilaku TIK yang diadop. Kata kunci : social cognitive theory, akseptansi, triadic, efficacy,TI

Developing Self-Regulated Learning Behaviors in Online Learning Environments - A Conceptual Framework for Inclusion

This paper outlines the conceptual framework of an inclusion initiative for programs serving secondary students from economically challenged communities. It proposes the use of distance learning technologies to afford these students access to learning resources, experiences, and environments in STEM. This paper addresses concerns with a complex duality of environmental factors: the environments in which these students are reared and currently reside; and the alteration to the environments in which they “traditionally” learning. It outlines a process where components participating in the online learning experiences contribute to the development of the motivational and learning strategies to overcome environmental conditions and achieve academic excellence

Learner Agency, Motive, and Self-Regulated Learning in an Online ESL Writing Class

Online learning has become a viable popular alternative to traditionalESL writing classes over the past decade. However, the effectivenessand validity of online ESL learning remains controversial.Furthermore, most researchers have used surveys to assess studentperceptions of online learning. This study presents a case study of twoparticipants in an online ESL writing course at a university in theNortheastern United States. Using activity theory as a framework, Iexplore what makes a successful learner in an online environment andhow learner agency, motive, and self-regulation impact studentperformance and academic achievement in the online learning context.Data from different sources were collected to provide a triangulatedanalysis. Results suggest that learners who employ good self-regulationstrategies and are motivated to learn and adapt tend to benefit morefrom the online learning experience, while students who do not employsuch strategies and are motivated solely to fulfill a degree requirementare more likely to be frustrated. The results also reveal that thephysical distance created by technology could be a challenge for thosewho do not seek assistance from instructors or peers. In other words,learners need guidance and support on how to be self-motivated andself-directed in the online environment. I also discuss how to effectivelydesign and deliver an online ESL course

Improving Self-Efficacy in Problem Solving: Learning from Errors and Feedback

This study examined the social cognitive theoretical prediction that self-efficacy is enhanced by feedback that fosters problem solving skills. The anxiety addressed in this study was similar to low efficacy perceptions in solving statistics problems for adults whose background is far removed from the field of statistics. The study employed an experimental process to compare the changes in efficacy, problem solving, anxiety, and satisfaction scores for 138 students in two groups of feedback and no feedback. The sample represented 23 majors in a regional public university in the South. Students in the feedback group showed a statistically significant gain in their problem scores over the no feedback group; however, the mean efficacy scores were lower for both groups after the problem solving experiment. Both groups showed similar averages with respect to anxiety and satisfaction scores in regard to problem solving. The incongruence in problem scores with efficacy and anxiety scores was attributed to students' over rating of their abilities prior to actually performing the tasks. The process of calibration was identified as an explanation for the statistically significant correlation between problem solving scores and post - efficacy scores for the feedback group. The qualitative analysis of the contents of the feedback that students provided for each question indicated that those who provided more thoughtful self-explanations, and elaborated on the rationale for their choices showed higher gains in problem scores from pre- to posttest over those who gave fewer comments or did not elaborate on their responses. The number of statistics and mathematics courses taken previously correlated significantly with students' gain in problem scores. The findings in this study support the social cognitive theoretical prediction that feedback can impact self-efficacy positively when students are provided with real time evaluation and assessment indicators. Therefore, this study needs to be implemented with similar problems over a longer period of time for students to learn how to monitor their works and peers' work and how to integrate peers' comments in deriving the solutions and receive timely feedback from the teacher on their progress

The Role of Different Types of Feedback in the Reciprocal Interaction of Teaching Performance and Self-efficacy Belief

The purpose of this study was to explore the role of feedback based on self-efficacy belief sources in the reciprocal interaction of teaching performance and self-efficacy beliefs. A single case study design was employed to address and began to bridge the gap in our understanding of the relationship between feedback, self-efficacy belief and teaching performance. The data for this study were collected in the form of semi-structured interviews from 6 volunteer 5th-grade chemistry student teachers. The data were analyzed based on an inductive analytical approach. The results indicated that different types of feedback based on self-efficacy belief sources directly affected the student teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs and teaching performance. It may be concluded that different types of feedback provided key paths for student teachers to better understand their own developing teaching performance and that of other teachers

Scholarly publication key performance indicator diagnostic model using viable system and social cognitive theory

Scholarly Publications (SP) are almost certainly the most significant resources by which researchers at universities are appraised. It is part of the requirements for obtaining a Research University (RU) status. In the aspiration of these, to strategically improve and maintain their status, a series of performance measurement interventions were initiated, such as the use of Key Performance Indicators (KPI) delivery. The aim of this study is to propose a diagnostic model for SP productivity involving various stakeholders in monitoring a complex KPI delivery ecosystem for Malaysian university. This study employs Viable System Model (VSM) and Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) factors to develop a research model based on a comprehensive literature review. Following an interpretive paradigm this research applies qualitative method triangulated with quantitative method. VSM was applied as a diagnostic tool to diagnose process of KPI delivery for monitoring four recursion levels involving Deputy Vice Chancellor of Research and Innovation (DVCRI), Research Alliances (RAs), Research Groups (RGs) and lastly the academic staffs of the chosen institution which is, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM). Three strategies which are strategic, tactical and operational in achieving the SP KPI to maintain RU status for the institution were recommended to assist all pertinent stakeholders in monitoring the KPI delivery. Besides, to complement the results, a survey was designed and the data from the institutional repository involving UTM faculty members were analyzed to investigate the SCT factors involving human factor which is lacking in VSM tool. The findings show that the most influential factors for the SP of UTM are age, gender, experience, rank, teaching load, collaboration, funding, resource, discipline and skill. The model was evaluated for the SP KPI monitoring process, which further can be used by public and private universities to improve the performance of their institution's publication

The Relationship Between Formative Assessment and Student Engagement at Walters State Community College.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether there was a relationship between formative assessment and student engagement at Walters State Community College. Additionally, a secondary purpose examined differences in the in the dimensions of student engagement dimensions (skills engagement, emotional engagement, participation or interaction, performance) based on gender, school classification (freshman, sophomore), and age. Two hundred thirty-nine Walters State Community College students taught with face-to-face pedagogy comprised the population for the study. The survey instruments included a 15-item formative assessment survey selected from the Walters State Community College Student Opinion of Teaching and Course (WSCCSOTC) and the Student Course Engagement Questionnaire (SCEQ) developed by Handelsman, Briggs, Sullivan, and Towler (2005) to ascertain measures of student course engagement. The primary finding of the study was that formative assessment had a positive relationship on student engagement at Walters State Community College. The study also offered some evidence that certain teaching strategies proposed in the literature could contribute to formative assessment and increase student engagement. In the context of student engagement dimensions, there were significant differences between female study skills engagement and male performance engagements results. The results for freshman and sophomore students on the student engagement dimensions yielded no significant difference. Interestingly, 24 year old students consistently had higher or equally as high scores on all of the student engagement dimensions

Distance Learning and the Non-Native English Speaker: A Correlational Study

In higher education, there is an increasing trend of Non-native English speakers (NNESs) enrolling in courses. In addition to an increase in NNESs in higher education, online learning also continues to rise every year. While there has been research investigating NNESs in traditional higher education courses, an opportunity remains to discover how NNESs perform in online courses. The purpose of this study was to explore the correlation between non-native English speakers’ (NNESs) responses on the Distance Education Learning Environments Survey (DELES) and final course grades in an online research course. The participants for this study were undergraduate NNESs enrolled in an online research course during the summer and fall of 2017. Data was compiled from the pre- and post-DELES responses and final grades for NNESs. The researcher compared NNESs’ responses from the DELES pre-survey to final course grades to determine if there was a positive correlation. Likewise, the researcher compared NNESs’ responses from the DELES post-survey to final course grades to explore if a positive correlation existed. To analyze the data, a Pearson Product Moment correlation coefficient was used to determine the relationship between NNESs’ responses on the DELES pre-survey and final course grades as well as the DELES post-survey responses and the final course grades. The analysis showed no correlation between the DELES pre-survey and post-survey with final course grades in an online research course. Lastly, the researcher addressed the implications of the results, limitations of the research, and made recommendations for future research