Improving Biology Students Understanding of Basic Biological Concepts through Diagnostic Testing and Early Tutorial Support for Quality Education; Experience from Dire Dawa University

Ethiopia has given great emphasis to education access; but its quality has been claimed to be poor. Regardless of supports and efforts by universities, most newly joining students have limitations of prior concept, English language and studying skills. This study was conducted to identify gaps and improve biology students’ understanding of basic biological concepts through diagnostic testing and early tutorial support. An action-based study was done on first year biology students using diagnostic test followed by early tutorial support before starting normal classes. About 176 (80.733%) of registered students took the pretest. Two sets of one hundred multiple choice questions were prepared for pre and post test from high school biology textbooks on key basic biological concepts and accepted by exam approval committee for its completeness and appropriateness. Pre-test was followed by interactive tutorials for16 hours for whom scored below 50%. Both results were quantified by pre/post gains and calculated as gain-index (Gain-Index= (%Post-test-%Pre-test)/(100-%Pre-test)) to estimate the sought change. About 45% male and 97.91% female students who took the pre-test failed to score above 50%. After tutorial support, 90.77% of students improved their previous score (95.74% out of females and 77.78% out of males). Average gain index of average pre-test (33.41%) and post-test (58.79%) was 0.3812 indicating improvement. It helps them revise basic biological principles. Diagnostic testing and early tutorial support could improve students’ poor knowledge and concept on basic biological topics before students start the course they register. The female students’ result was lower in pre-test; but highly improved after tutorial support compared to males for unknown reasons. This approach would be advisable to implement in all colleges and universities. Further related applied studies should be done to increase educational quality early in their admission and test whether it works for English skill improvements. Keywords: Action Research, Competency, Ethiopia,  Gain Index,  Higher Educatio

Learning ecologies in online students with disabilities

E-Learning environments are enhancing both their functionalities and the quality of the resources provided, thus simplifying the creation of learning ecologies adapted for students with disabilities. The number of students with disabilities enrolled in online courses is so small, and their impairments are so specific that it becomes difficult to quantify and identify which specific actions should be taken to support them. This work contributes to scientific literature with two key aspects: 1) It identifies which barriers these students encounter, and which tools they use to create learning ecologies adapted to their impairments; 2) It also presents the results from a case study in which 161 students with recognised disabilities evaluate the efficiency and ease of use of an online learning environment in higher education studies. The work presented in this paper highlights the need to provide multimedia elements with subtitles, text transcriptions, and the option to be downloadable and editable so that the student can adapt them to their needs and learning style

Mobile application user behavior in the developing countries : a survey in Iran

Mobile applications are increasingly presented by service providers to fulfill the users’ tendency for mobility and access to services from anywhere and anytime; thereby, service platforms and a long range of tasks from banking to gaming are enabled by this technology. Although different companies offer a growing number of mobile services for potential users, only a few of them become popular and are perceived to be useful from the users’ viewpoint. The purpose of this research is to investigate the factors, which directly or indirectly influence mobile applications’ adoption by users. In other words, this study investigates the decision making process of users considering different factors such as subjective norms, attitude, perception and quality. Employing analytical approach in the literature review led to the development of a comprehensive model covering influential factors from different theories such as TPB and TAM as well as system quality, information and service quality approach. Incidentally, 39 hypotheses were developed and classified into nine different groups based on the originated theories. The model and hypotheses were tested by a sample of 1348 potential mobile application users in Iran and the data were analyzed through structural equation modeling techniques. Different internal and external variables were investigated, among which the effect of satisfaction on intention to recommend, the trace of trust on subjective norms and the influence of perceived ease of use on perceived behavioral control were more potent. In addition to offering a few suggestions for mobile application providers and marketers, this research proposes an integrated model of influential variables from different perspectives for scholars

Developing an integrated model for mobile learning usability evaluation : case of eBooks

Thesis (Master’s in Information Technology) -- Central University of Technology, Free State, 2018Mobile computing, as prognosticated in the ubiquitous computing vision, is increasingly becoming a predominant aspect of contemporary computing in organisations and society. The penetration of mobile phones in sub-Sahara Africa has occurred with amazing rapidity: for many young people, they now represent a very significant element of their daily lives. Africa has a booming global cell phone penetration, at 67.5%, the fastest growing mobile market in the world. Adoption of these emerging technologies for socio-economic development may contribute to the betterment of people’s lives. Mobile learning has the potential to transform higher education through the adoption of mobile devices which support ubiquitous learning. The purpose of this current study is to develop an Integrated Framework Model (IFM) for mobile learning usability (MLU) evaluation of e-books through the integration of the Technology Acceptance Model and Task Technology Fit theory. The Technology Acceptance Model is widely used in studies relating to technology acceptance. The Task-Technology Fit theory has been used in Information Systems together with usability as a measure of performance. Two additional constructs, namely, Social Influence and Perceived Enjoyment were adopted from the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology model and from Motivational Models. Integrating the Technology Acceptance Model and Task-Technology Fit theory provides a model that includes the individual characteristics (Technology Acceptance Model) and the technology and task characteristics (Task Technology Fit). A quantitative research design was primarily employed. A pilot study was administered as a guide for the main study questionnaire. The questionnaire was based on the constructs in the IFM. The pilot study consisted of participants registered for a module, called Computer Security, at the Central University of Technology. The main study participants were students registered for Oracle and CCNA short courses. The results of the study reveal that individual characteristics, task characteristics and technology characteristics positively influence the usability of e-books in higher education. Usability positively influences adoption, which in turn influences performance among students in higher education

Challenges to Teacher Evaluation at Saudi Universities and Suggestions for Solutions: A Perspective of English Language Teachers

This thesis explores EFL teachers’ views concerning teacher evaluation practices and policies at five public universities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The research is informed by the interpretive paradigm due to its exploratory nature. With relativism as the ontological stance and constructionism as the epistemological stance, a mixed method sequential design was utilized to collect the required data. Quantitative and qualitative approaches were applied consecutively with more emphasis on the qualitative phase. The study utilised an online questionnaire in the quantitative stage in addition to one-to-one semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions in the qualitative stage. The numbers of participants were 249 for the questionnaire, 21 for the one-to-one interviews and 9 for the focus group discussions. Descriptive statistics were conducted for quantitative strands, and thematic analysis for the qualitative data. Both types of data were analysed with the help of SPSS and NVivo, respectively. The analysis of both sets of data culminated in the emergence of three main themes, 10 categories, and 33 subcategories. The three emergent themes are the importance of EFL teacher evaluation, challenges to EFL teacher evaluation, and suggested solutions for better teacher evaluation. Following the abundance of ideas grounded in the data, a suggested participatory teacher evaluation model informed by EFL teachers’ voice is proposed. Based on the findings which provided evidence of challenges facing the current teacher evaluation in the Saudi higher education context, this study concludes by presenting recommendations for policymakers, administrators and teachers. For instance, a comprehensive framework needs to be developed for the professional development of teacher evaluators including initial training and continuous training programmes. Also, the management of higher education institutions needs to add a formative lens to the scheme of teacher evaluation at their workplace to help EFL teachers develop their instructional practice. Finally, suggestions for further research are also mentioned towards the end of the study