Staff and student perceptions of an online learning environment : difference and development

Academic staff play a fundamental role in the use of online learning by students. Yet, compared to studies reporting student perspectives on online learning, studies investigating the perspectives of academic staff are much more limited. Perhaps the least common investigations are those that compare the perceptions of academic staff and students using the same online learning environment (OLE). Much research indicates, at least initially, academic staff most value OLE systems as a mechanism for efficient delivery of learning materials to students. Following the mainstreaming of an OLE at Deakin University in 2004, the data from a large, repeated, representative and quantitative survey were analysed to investigate comparative staff and student evaluations of an OLE, and to explore the evidence for development in the use of an OLE by academic staff. Generally, students were found to give higher importance and satisfaction ratings to elements of the OLE than staff. Students were also more likely than staff to agree that the OLE enhanced their learning. A comparison of the mean ratings recorded for staff in 2004 and 2005 showed that both importance and satisfaction ratings of elements of the OLE were almost universally higher after a year of use of the OLE.<br /

Online Lecturing: Suitable for all Courses?

Universities worldwide are rapidly embracing online technologies to make their courses more convenient for today’s tech savvy students. Consequently, academics are suddenly met with increased workload and the need to learn new technologies. Thus, to ensure the success and continual use of this new technology, it is important to gauge academics’ acceptance of online lecturing. However, the suitability of online lecturing may not be suitable for all courses. Building on Davis’s (1989) TAM model and Daft and Lengel’s (1986) media richness theory, this study provides empirical evidence for the effects of perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and perceived media richness on the academics’ choice to adopt online video lecturing in differing courses

A Typology and Hierarchical Framework of Technology Use in Digital Natives’ Learning

The technological capability of digital natives is thought to have considerable implications on the way they communicate, socialize, think and learn. Some researchers have even suggested that fundamental changes to the educational system are required to cater for the needs of this new cohort of learner, although such claims have little empirical support. In this study, we adopt a structural approach to the investigation of the digital natives’ motivations for using technologies in learning. Based on in-depth interviews with 16 digital natives, a cluster analysis was used to segment respondents into two distinct groups: independent learners and traditional learners. Interpretive Structural Modelling (ISM) was used to develop a hierarchical structural model of technology use motivations for each group. The results show that these two groups are driven to achieve the same learning goals by different paths. Implications are drawn for both educators and managers from both research and practical perspectives

40P. Online Lecturing: Students’ want it, but what about the lecturers?

Universities around the world have been readily embracing online technologies to make their courses more convenient for today’s tech savvy gen Y students. However, such a change is often at the expense of the teaching staff as they are suddenly met with increased workload and the need to learn new technologies. Although student acceptance is often looked at, lecturers’ acceptance is often ignored. It is important to gauge lecturers’ acceptance of these online lecturing technologies as such technologies would be rendered useless if lecturers are not willing to accept and use them in their course. Hence, this study aims to examine the often ignored view from the lecturers’ perspective by looking at the factors surrounding lecturer’s acceptance of online media for lecturing purposes. Building on Davis’s (1989) TAM model, Daft and Lengel’s (1986) media richness theory and educational literature, this study will provide empirical evidence for the effects of perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, subjective norms, self efficacy, organisational support, lecturing styles and workload on the lecturers’ choice to adopt usage of online video media. This paper reports the results of pilot study

Faculty Beliefs in Early Childhood Teacher Preparation

Title from PDF of title page, viewed on September 4, 2015Dissertation advisor: Bonita ButnerVitaIncludes bibliographic references (pages 117-148)Thesis (Ph.D.)--School of Education. University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2015Teacher preparation programs in the United States face increasing pressure to restore America as the preeminent leader in a knowledge-based global economy by graduating a highly skilled workforce. A growing national focus on the importance of early childhood education as a key factor for improving student performance is drawing attention to preparation programs for teachers of young children. College administrators of these programs are challenged by wide variability in program type and the degrees offered, characteristics of the institutional setting, and limited institutional resources. Furthermore, there is a lack of clarity about what bounds early care and education and differing opinions about best practices. Standards, regulations, and teacher certification criteria in early childhood education are varied and dynamic across states. Little is known about the effectiveness of early childhood teacher preparation. This dissertation research examined differences in faculty beliefs compared across factors including types of higher education organizations—as defined by Birnbaum’s (1988) model of administrative practice, the Carnegie classification of colleges and universities, and whether their early childhood programs lead to teacher certification. A national survey of 151 early childhood teacher educators, from 125 colleges and universities, in 35 states was conducted to assess beliefs about developmentally appropriate practice (DAP)—the industry standard and a key distinguishing feature of high-quality early education. The Teacher Beliefs Scale (Charlesworth et al., 1990, 1993) was selected to assess the degree to which teacher beliefs align with appropriate practices. This study revealed that faculty beliefs were predicted by organizational types of colleges and universities (collegial, bureaucratic, political, anarchical, and cybernetic) related to their governance structure and organizational coupling relationships. Findings suggested that faculty teaching in institutions, which they perceived to be of the anarchical type, were more likely to have DAP beliefs. Also, significant differences in faculty beliefs were found between two-year colleges and four-year institutions. Assuming that faculty beliefs are reflected in the curriculum and pedagogy in teacher preparation, evidence about differences across program type and classification will be useful for college and university administrators, public policy makers, and professionals serving the early childhood system.Introduction -- Literature review -- Research methods -- Results -- Conclusions and recommendations -- Appendix A. SSIRB notice of exempt determination -- Appendix B. Revised recruitment invitation letter

Student Perceptions of Biology Teachers\u27 Interpersonal Teaching Behaviors and Student Achievement

Inadequate student-teacher interactions in undergraduate courses have been linked to poor student performance. Researchers have noted that students\u27 perceptions of student-teacher relationships may be an important factor related to student performance. The administration of a Mid-Atlantic community college prioritized increasing undergraduate biology student performance. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship between students\u27 biology achievement and their perceptions of interpersonal teaching behaviors and student-teacher interactions in introductory biology courses. Leary\u27s theory on interpersonal communication and the systems communication theory of Watzlawick, Beavin, and Jackson served as the theoretical foundation. The Wubbel\u27s Likert-scale questionnaire on student-teacher interactions was administered to 318 undergraduate biology students. Non-parametric Spearman\u27s rank correlations revealed a significant direct correlation between students\u27 grades and their perceptions of teachers\u27 interpersonal teaching behaviors. The relationship between student achievement and students\u27 perceptions of student-teacher interactions prompted the recommendation for additional study on the importance of student-teacher interactions in undergraduate programs. A recommendation for local practice included faculty development on strategies for improving student-teacher interactions. The study\u27s implications for positive social change include increased understanding for administrators and instructors on the importance of teacher-student interactions at the community college level

A comparative research on affective education in Taiwan and China: case study in primary schools

The aim of this study was to investigate the nature and development of affective education in the Chinese context, the way it is translated into primary education, and how it is perceived by teachers and pupils in Taiwan and China. In this study, the term 'affective education' refers to all the planned or hidden curriculum provided to enhance pupil's affective development, based on which the empirical research was conducted focusing on teachers and pupils in year 5 and 6 in twelve primary schools in Taiwan and China (six in each country). The study comprised five stages. First, some psychological theories of affect were reviewed in an attempt to explore what the definition and the scope of affective development is, its implications for education, and some models of the place of affect in it; some Chinese literature was reviewed in terms of different approaches to affective education found in a Chinese context. This was followed by the examination of how 'affect is perceived in Confucianism, a key philosophical influence on the culture, and its impact on affective education in Chinese context. After that, the evolution and practice of moral education in both countries which was influenced by Confucian culture was considered, as well as school guidance systems which were introduced from the US, as these were seen to be the most obvious early manifestations of affective education in these two countries. It was then followed by the detailed introduction of the recent ongoing reforms in both countries, as they represent the latest evolution of affective education and the context in which this study is conducted. Finally, the current picture -of how affective education is delivered and perceived in twelve primary schools in both countries was investigated, and the data generated by this investigation was analysed. The main finding was that the significance of affective education is widely recognised by teachers and pupils and a variety of initiatives is conducted to deliver affective education in primary schools in both countries, additionally several difficulties that teachers encountered to deliver affective education were identified. Also great similarities of the current situations of how affective education is perceived and delivered in both countries. Given that only twelve schools were involved in this study, more research is needed to validate and extend the present findings, and to explore the topics that was not possible included in this study

Proceedings of 2012 Annual Meeting of the Academy of International Business-US North East Chapter: Business Without Borders

Proceedings of the 2012 Academy of International Business-US North East Chapter Fairfield, Connecticut, October 11-13, 2012. Business Without Borders. Host, John F. Welch College of Business, Sacred Heart University. Editor, Jang\u27an Tang. AIB-NE 2012 Conference Co-Chairs, Khawaja Mamun, Ph.D. and Jang\u27an Tang

Four Passages to Information Use Related Phenomena in Bachelor Theses at the Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences

Peer reviewe

Socialization and the Construction of a Professional Identity among Public Relations Students in the United Arab Emirates

In the United Arab Emirates, economic and cultural forces are affecting the development of public relations. A high imbalance of expatriates to locals (Emiratis) in the population has left the field of public relations lacking in local representation. Without adequate representation across the major sectors of the society, Emirati can lose influence and control over their own homeland where they are a significant minority. A contributing factor to success in any field is the development of professional socialization and construction of a professional identity in the post-secondary environment. This is an exploratory study examining Emirati public relations students and their professional development. It is a qualitative study of semi-structured interviews of 10 Emirati public relations students, utilizing a grounded theory approach. Findings reveal that Emirati public relations students are developing in their professional identities at institutional and relational levels, but there is more that can be done by the students, themselves, to support the construction of their professional identities in their post-secondary environment. This would likely increase their chances for career placement and success in the area of public relations, and further greater representation of locals in the society.Library OA Fun