ANALYSIS OF STUDENTS’ ATTITUDE ON THE USE OF CD BASED INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS IN TEACHING AND LEARNING PROCESSES: A CASE OF THE OPEN UNIVERSITY OF TANZANIA

Compact Disc (CDs) based instructional materials in Open and Distance Learning (ODL) institutions deemed to be useful mode of delivery as it is essential in addressing the gaps between knowledge and technology. Like other ODL institutions globally, the Open University of Tanzania (OUT) adopted the use of the named instructional technology for its students. However, little is known about students’ attitudes on the use of CD based instructional materials in the teaching and learning at OUT. This paper set out to explore students’ attitude on the use of CD based instructional materials in the course of teaching and learning at OUT. The study was conducted in three regional centers of Tanga, Kilimanjaro and Morogoro and was guided by Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) developed by Davis in 1989. Survey design with quantitative method was used to collect and analyze data. Data collected through questionnaires was analyzed with the use of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The study findings revealed that majority of students (68%) had positive attitude towards the use of CD based instructional materials in the course of teaching and learning due to the perceived usefulness of this mode of delivery. However, few students  (32%)  had negative attitude toward the use of CD based instructional materials because of the  different emerged challenges involving lack of access to computers, skills of interacting with electronic devices such as computers as well as electricity connectivity and reliability. The study concludes that OUT should utilize the use of both hardcopy and soft copy materials (CDs) to carter for learners preferred mode of delivery. Nevertheless, learners need to be encouraged to use CD based instructional materials so as to copy with the rapid changes in Information and Communication Technology.  Article visualizations

Effective self-regulatory processes in higher education: research findings and future directions. A systematic review

Although self-regulated learning (SRL) is assumed to benefit learning outcomes, gaps in the literature make it difficult to describe what constitutes effective SRL in higher education. That is, SRL that relates positively to learning outcomes. In accordance, at present it is unclear how to train effective SRL in higher education. The current systematic review breaks down SRL into self-regulatory processes (SRPs) and reviews the evidence for teaching adolescents effective SRPs. Of the wide variety of SRPs which are known in the field, the following were investigated in the studies: metacognitive strategies, motivation, self-efficacy, handling task difficulty and demands, and resource management. The studies included (k = 10; N = 906) generally affirmed that all SRL interventions that were investigated related positively to SRPs. These SRPs also related positively to learning outcomes. Research is needed to advance the field's understanding of how adolescents develop the wide array of effective SRPs

Contribuciones de tecnología educativa digital en la educación de habilidades de enfermería : revisión integradora

Objetivo: Analisar as contribuições da utilização de tecnologias educacionais digitais no ensino de habilidades de enfermagem. Método: Revisão integrativa da literatura, com busca em cinco bases de dados no período de 2006 a 2015 com combinações dos descritores “educação em enfermagem”, “instrução por computador”, “tecnologia educacional” ou respectivos termos em inglês. Resultados: Amostra de 30 artigos agrupados nas categorias temáticas “tecnologia na simulação com manequins”, “estímulo à aprendizagem” e “ensino de habilidades de enfermagem”. Identificou-se diferentes formatos de tecnologias educacionais digitais utilizadas no ensino de habilidades de Enfermagem, como vídeos, ambientes virtuais, aplicativos, hipertexto, jogos e simuladores com realidade virtual. Conclusões: Esses materiais digitais colaboraram na aquisição de referencial teórico que subsidiam as práticas, dinamizam o ensino e possibilitam a utilização de métodos ativos de aprendizagem, rompendo com o ensino tradicional de demonstrar e repetir procedimentos.Objective: To analyze the contributions of digital educational technologies used in teaching nursing skills. Method: Integrative literature review, search in five databases, from 2006 to 2015 combining the descriptors ‘education, nursing’, ‘educational technology’, ‘computer-assisted instruction’ or related terms in English. Results: Sample of 30 articles grouped in the thematic categories ‘technology in the simulation with manikin’, ‘incentive to learning’ and ‘teaching of nursing skills’. It was identified different formats of digital educational technologies used in teaching Nursing skills such as videos, learning management system, applications, hypertext, games, virtual reality simulators. Conclusions: These digital materials collaborated in the acquisition of theoretical references that subsidize the practices, enhancing the teaching and enable the use of active learning methods, breaking with the traditional teaching of demonstrating and repeating procedures.Objetivo: Analizar las aportaciones de la utilización de tecnología educativa digital utilizadas en la enseñanza de habilidades de enfermería. Método: Revisión integradora con la búsqueda bibliográfica en cinco bases de datos desde 2006 hasta 2015 con combinaciones de descriptores ‘educación en enfermería’, ‘instrucción por computadora’, ‘tecnología educacional’ o respectivos términos en inglés. Resultados: Muestra de 30 artículos agrupados en categorías temáticas ‘tecnología en maniquíes de simulación’, ‘estimulando el aprendizaje’ y ‘enseñanza de habilidades de enfermería’. Se identificaron diferentes formas de tecnologías educativas utilizadas en la enseñanza de habilidades de enfermería, tales como videos, entornos virtuales, aplicaciones de hipertexto, juegos, simuladores de realidad virtual. Conclusiones: Estos materiales digitales ayudan en la adquisición de marco teórico que apoyan las prácticas, optimizan la enseñanza y permiten el uso de métodos de aprendizaje activo, rompiendo con la enseñanza tradicional para demostrar y repetir los procedimientos

Evaluation of Students’ Feedbacks on Web-Based Distance Education in the COVID-19 Process

Amaç: Bu araştırma, COVID-19 pandemisi sürecinde eğitimlerine uzaktan devam eden öğrencilerin acil yapılandırılmış web tabanlı eğitim hakkındaki geri bildirimlerinin değerlendirilmesi amacıyla yapıldı. Yöntem: Çalışmamıza 2019-2020 bahar döneminde pandemi nedeniyle lisans/lisansüstü eğitimine web tabanlı olarak uzaktan devam eden ve internet ortamından gönderilen ankete erişim sağlayan toplam 652 üniversite öğrencisi dâhil edildi. Genel sosyo-demografik özellikler, medya araçlarını kullanım bilgileri, web tabanlı eğitimin bilgi düzeyine etkisi ve uzaktan eğitime ilişkin geribildirimleri yapılandırılmış bir anket ile değerlendirildi. Web tabanlı eğitimin, öğrencilerin teorik bilgi düzeylerine, genel kültür düzeylerine ve mesleki uygulama becerilerine katkısını değerlendirmek amacıyla 0 ile 10 arasında puanlanan Sayısal Oranlama Skalası kullanıldı. Bulgular: Öğrencilerin yaş ortalaması 21.07±2.37 yıl olup, %79.1’i kadındı. Öğrencilerin bilgi almak amacıyla en çok kullandığı medya aracının Twitter (%39.9) olduğu saptandı. Pandemi sürecinde öğrencilerin sosyal medya ve televizyon başında geçirdikleri sürelerin yaklaşık iki kat arttığı bulundu (p<.001). Web tabanlı uzaktan eğitimin teorik bilgi düzeyine katkısı 10 üzerinden 4.07±2.42, genel kültüre katkısı 3.46±2.38, mesleki uygulama becerilerine katkısı 2.48±1.98 olarak belirlendi. Öğrencilerin %84.4’ü web tabanlı uzaktan eğitimin yüz yüze eğitim kadar etkili olmadığını, %45.7’si bunun yüzyüze eğitime alternatif olduğunu belirtti. Öğrenciler öğretim elemanlarıyla rahatça iletişim kuramadıklarını (%49.9), web tabanlı eğitimin kendi hızlarında öğrenmelerine olanak sağladığını (%60.7), ancak öğrenilenin çabuk unutulduğunu (%74.6) ve eğitimler sırasında teknik sorunlar yaşadığını (%53.9) bildirdi. Sonuç: Pandemi sürecinde, yüz yüze eğitime ara verilmesi nedeniyle yüz yüze eğitime alternatif bir çözüm olarak kullanılan ve acil olarak yapılandırılan web tabanlı uzaktan eğitimin öğrencilerin geribildirimlerine göre avantaj ve dezavantajlarının değerlendirilmesi, sürecin yansımalarını görme ve bu tip eğitimlerin uygun yapılandırılması için önemli olabilir. Objective: This research was conducted to assess the feedback of students who continue their education during the COVID-19 pandemic period, which was structured as emergency webbased education. Material and Methods: In our study, a total of 652 university students attending undergraduate/postgraduate education remotely on a web-basis due to the pandemic in the spring semester of 2019-2020 and accessing the questionnaire sent online were included. The general socio-demographic characteristics, information on the use of media, the effect of webbased education on the level of knowledge, and distance education feedback were evaluated with a structured questionnaire. The Numeric Rating Scale, scored between 0 and 10, was used to evaluate the contribution of web-based education to students’ theoretical knowledge levels, general culture levels, and professional practice skills. Findings: The average age of students was 21.07 ± 2.37 years, and 79.1% were female. It was determined that the media most used by students for information was Twitter (39.9%). It was found that the time spent by the students on social media and television during the pandemic period increased approximately twice (p<.001). The contribution of web-based distance education to the theoretical knowledge level was determined as 4.07±2.42, the contribution to general culture was 3.46 ± 2.38, and the contribution to professional practice skills was 2.48±1.98 out of 10. 84.4% of students stated that web-based distance education is not as effective as face-to-face education, 45.7% stated that this is an alternative. The students reported that they could not communicate comfortably with the instructors (49.9%), that web-based education allowed them to learn at their own pace (60.7%), but what was learned was quickly forgotten (74.6%), and that they experienced technical problems during the trainings (53.9%). Conclusion: In the pandemic period, assessment of the advantages and disadvantages of emergency structured web-based distance education, which is used as an alternative solution to face-to-face education due to the interruption of face-to-face education, can be important for seeing the reflections of the period and proper configuration of such trainings

Offline eLearning for undergraduates in health professions: A systematic review of the impact on knowledge, skills, attitudes and satisfaction

Background: The world is short of 7.2 million health–care workers and this figure is growing. The shortage of teachers is even greater, which limits traditional education modes. eLearning may help overcome this training need. Offline eLearning is useful in remote and resource–limited settings with poor internet access. To inform investments in offline eLearning, we need to establish its effectiveness in terms of gaining knowledge and skills, students’ satisfaction and attitudes towards eLearning. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of offline eLearning for students enrolled in undergraduate, health–related university degrees. We included randomised controlled trials that compared offline eLearning to traditional learning or an alternative eLearning method. We searched the major bibliographic databases in August 2013 to identify articles that focused primarily on students’ knowledge, skills, satisfaction and attitudes toward eLearning, and health economic information and adverse effects as secondary outcomes. We also searched reference lists of relevant studies. Two reviewers independently extracted data from the included studies. We synthesized the findings using a thematic summary approach. Findings: Forty–nine studies, including 4955 students enrolled in undergraduate medical, dentistry, nursing, psychology, or physical therapy studies, met the inclusion criteria. Eleven of the 33 studies testing knowledge gains found significantly higher gains in the eLearning intervention groups compared to traditional learning, whereas 21 did not detect significant differences or found mixed results. One study did not test for differences. Eight studies detected significantly higher skill gains in the eLearning intervention groups, whilst the other 5 testing skill gains did not detect differences between groups. No study found offline eLearning as inferior. Generally no differences in attitudes or preference of eLearning over traditional learning were observed. No clear trends were found in the comparison of different modes of eLearning. Most of the studies were small and subject to several biases. Conclusions: Our results suggest that offline eLearning is equivalent and possibly superior to traditional learning regarding knowledge, skills, attitudes and satisfaction. Although a robust conclusion cannot be drawn due to variable quality of the evidence, these results justify further investment into offline eLearning to address the global health care workforce shortage

Math Anxiety and Financial Literacy among Latino Secondary Students in the United States

The Latino K-12 student population in the United States continues to increase. Estimates are that by 2025, one in every three students in the country will be of Hispanic/Latino origin. The challenges to the educational system from such growth are unprecedented. At no other time in U.S. history has there been such an increase in student population from a specific cultural group. This dissertation was composed of two arms, each of which examined an area of Latino students’ academic development critical to post high school success. The data for the dissertation was drawn from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) database. Arm A was a cross-sectional study exploring math anxiety. The U.S. sample included 6,111 students, 15 years of age. The specific research questions were: (a) What is the level of math anxiety in Latino youth?; (b) What is the level of math anxiety associated with different levels of math proficiency in Latino youth?; (c) When looking at Latino youth, does the level of math anxiety differ between boys and girls?; and (d) Among the (non-Latino) youth of the United States, does the level of math anxiety differ by race/ethnicity?. Results indicated that Latino youth reported a mean math anxiety level similar to the overall American average. The results also demonstrated that students in the lowest two math-proficiency levels did not differ from each other in terms of math anxiety, nor did the students in the two highest proficiency levels. Another finding was that as the proficiency levels increased, the level of math anxiety decreased. Third, female Latino youth reported higher math anxiety than their male counter parts. Finally, race/ethnicity did not differentiate levels of math anxiety. Arm B was a cross-sectional study exploring financial literacy. In the United States, 5,712 students participated in the PISA 2015 assessment; of these, 1,486 participated in the financial literacy section of the test. The research questions were the same as Arm A, except financial literacy and not math anxiety was the focus. Analysis yielded the following results. First, the level of financial literacy in Latino youth indicated that financial literacy score is normally distributed among the sample. Second, the level of financial literacy by math proficiency level in Latino youth demonstrated that students’ math proficiency levels are associated with their financial proficiency level, and as math proficiency level increases, so does financial literacy levels. In addition, it was determined that students’ math proficiency levels are associated with their financial literacy and that as math proficiency levels increase, so does the financial literacy levels. Third, there was a difference between female and male Latino youth in financial literacy. Finally, in determining if the level of financial literacy differed by race/ethnicity, the results suggested that race/ethnicity may partly explain variability in financial literacy. Hispanic students scored significantly higher than African American and lower than White, Asian and multicultural students. The above-mentioned findings have implications for school counselors and for educators since their interactions with students tend to significantly influence students’ career planning decisions and high school course enrollment. Furthermore, counselors also guide students through the process of financial aid and through the process of managing their finances after they graduate from high school. Understanding and supporting the needs and characteristics of Latino students are the keys for their academic and career success

A quasi-experimental study measuring the effect of dimensional analysis on undergraduate nurses' level of self-efficacy in medication calculations

The instructional approach of dimensional analysis has been identified as an effective method for promoting conceptual understanding and decreasing calculation errors of nursing students. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of dimensional analysis in enhancing the mathematics self-efficacy levels of undergraduate nursing students. Using a quasi-experimental design, the Nursing Students Self-Efficacy for Mathematics tool was administered to 147 second-year nursing students enrolled in two different nursing programs in Alberta. One program used dimensional analysis, while the other program used the formula method to teach mathematical calculations. The findings demonstrate no difference in self-efficacy levels between the group being taught dimensional analysis and the group that was taught an alternative method. However, increased age, male gender, and higher grades received in high school mathematics contributed significantly to increased levels of self-efficacy. A discussion of the implications and recommendations for future research and nursing education conclude the thesis