Online module login data as a proxy measure of student engagement: the case of myUnisa, MoyaMA, Flipgrid, and Gephi at an ODeL institution in South Africa

Abstract The current study employed online module login data harvested from three tools, myUnisa, MoyaMA and Flipgrid to determine how such data served as a proxy measure of student engagement. The first tool is a legacy learning management system (LMS) utilised for online learning at the University of South Africa (UNISA), while the other two tools are a mobile messaging application and an educational video discussion platform, respectively. In this regard, the study set out to investigate the manner in which module login data of undergraduate students (n = 3475 & n = 2954) and a cohort of Mathew Goniwe students (n = 27) enrolled for a second-level module, ENG2601, as extracted from myUnisa, MoyaMA, and Flipgrid served as a proxy measure of student engagement. Collectively, these students were registered for this second-level module at UNISA at the time the study was conducted. The online login data comprised myUnisa module login file access frequencies. In addition, the online login data consisted of the frequencies of instant messages (IMs) posted on MoyaMA by both the facilitator and Mathew Goniwe students, and video clips posted on and video clip view frequencies captured by Flipgrid in respect of the afore-cited module. One finding of this study is that student engagement as measured by login file access frequencies was disproportionally skewed toward one module file relative to other module files. The other finding of this study is that the overall module file access metrics of the Mathew Goniwe group were disproportionally concentrated in a sub-cohort of highly active users (HAU)

English studies: Decolonisation, deparochialising knowledge and the null curriculum

This paper reports on a desktop review study of undergraduate and postgraduate English studies (both English literature and English language) module offerings (n = 48) of 24 English departments at 17 South African higher education institutions (HEIs) conducted in 2017. The review focused on the presence and purpose of the term, decolonisation, in these module offerings. Framed within deparochialism and a null curriculum, and employing purposeful sampling and explicit inclusion criteria common in systematic reviews and meta-analyses, the study has the following findings: (a) decolonisation has a presence in only three undergraduate module offerings and it is mentioned in only one honours module offering among the 48 module offerings reviewed. (b) All four modules are English literature modules; (c) decolonisation is a module thematic or topical component and is used for critical analytical purposes in the identified modules in varying degrees. (d) In the three undergraduate modules, decolonisation is restricted to African literature or Africa writings and (e) in the postgraduate module, decolonisation is offered as one of the four optional stand-alone modules. Finally, the paper argues for a decolonisation that deparochialises the disciplines of English studies

Digital marginalization, data marginalization, and algorithmic exclusions: a critical southern decolonial approach to datafication, algorithms, and digital citizenship from the Souths

This paper explores digital marginalization, data marginalization, and algorithmic exclusions in the Souths. To this effect, it argues that underrepresented users and communities continue to be marginalized and excluded by digital technologies, by big data, and by algorithms employed by organizations, corporations, institutions, and governments in various data jurisdictions. Situating data colonialism within the Souths, the paper contends that data ableism, data disablism, and data colonialism are at play when data collected, collated, captured, configured, and processed from underrepresented users and communities is utilized by mega entities for their own multiple purposes. It also maintains that data coloniality, as opposed to data colonialism, is impervious to legal and legislative interventions within data jurisdictions. Additionally, it discusses digital citizenship (DC) and its related emerging regimes. Moreover, the paper argues that digital exclusion transcends the simplistic haves versus the have nots dualism as it manifests itself in multiple layers and in multiple dimensions. Furthermore, it characterizes how algorithmic exclusions tend to perpetuate historical human biases despite the pervasive view that algorithms are autonomous, neutral, rational, objective, fair, unbiased, and non-human. Finally, the paper advances a critical southern decolonial (CSD) approach to datafication, algorithms, and digital citizenship by means of which data coloniality, algorithmic coloniality, and the coloniality embodied in DC have to be critiqued, challenged, and dismantled

Gender, Identity, and Language Use in Web Discussion Forum and Mobile Phone Txt Messages

This study explored and compared both online and txt (text) messaging gender and identity construction and language use among adult males and females. The online gender and identity construction and language use concerned adult males and females who participated in a web discussion forum (WDF) while the txt messaging gender and identity construction and language use related to adult male and female users of mobile technologies from South Africa. The specific WDF serving as a focal point for the study was http://groups.yahoo.com/groups/becomingwebhead, whereas the specific mobile technologies on which the study focused were mobile phones (MPs). Online and MP txt messaging gender and identity construction and language use were examined in terms of the disclosure of personal information, sexual identity, emotive features and semantic themes (Huffaker and Calvert 2005). Some of the findings of this study are as follows: both females and males investigated here tended to construct their identities both similarly and differently depending on the form of technology they employed; in both the WDF and MP messages, more females tended to employ emoticons than did males and the same was true of the emotive traits related to expressive language; the two genders engaged in intimate topics in varying degrees; and both genders seemed to employ passive and cooperative language (and accommodating language to some degree) very nearly similarly

Leveraging Student Engagement through MS Teams at an Open and Distance E-learning Institution

The current paper reports on a study that was conducted at the University of South Africa (UNISA) in 2021. The study involved three cohorts of undergraduate students (n = 20, n = 12 and n = 18), where each cohort participated in one of the virtual sessions offered on MS Teams as part of their modules’ virtual classes. Employing a case study research design, the study used the interactions students had on MS Teams through messages in each session to determine how such messages served as indicators of student engagement. Four student engagement dimensions, namely emotional, behavioral, cognitive and academic engagement, were the focus of this study. Two of the findings of this study are: (a) only few students dominated the messages posted during the three live virtual sessions; and (b) cognitive and emotional engagement dimensions were the two predominant dimensions of student engagement. The paper ends with the implications and recommendations

Inequalities in the Utilization of Maternal Health Services by Key Indicators in Ethiopia

Introduction: Inequalities in health are a major challenge for health policy, because most of them can be considered unfair or unreasonable. The aim of this study was to examine inequality in maternal health service indicators based on selected inequalities dimension. Methods: The Demographic and Health Survey datasets of Ethiopia (2000, 2005 and 2011) were used. Five maternal health service indicators such as four or more antenatal care visits from a skilled professional, at least one antenatal care visit, delivery assistance from a skilled birth attendant, modern contraceptive use by married women and demand family planning satisfied were included in the study. Each of these maternal health services were stratified by economic, education and place of residence. We calculated the ratio and concentration index inequality measure using World Health Organization health equity assessment toolkit (HEAT) software version 1.0.Results: Improvement in maternal health service utilization observed across each survey year by economic, education and place of residence but utilization was uneven. The maternal health services utilization are concentrated in advantage groups (richest quintile, urban and educated secondary & above).  The least equality related to economics, educational levels and residence is observed in the utilization of skilled birth attendants and four or more antenatal care visits. Conclusion: Maternal health services use inequality related to economic, education and residence are observed in all indicators and the utilization are concentrated in advantaged groups. Health inequality related to maternal health service use in terms of wealth quintiles, educational levels and residence need due emphasis to narrow the gap between advantaged and disadvantaged population distribution. Keywords: Maternal; Health Service; Inequality; Ethiopi

Sequential convergence with exceptional sets

The classical definition of convergence of a sequence {s„} of real numbers may be extended by permitting the defining inequality to fail on an infinite, but relatively small,exceptional set of integers n. In this thesis the cases of exceptional sets of linear density zero and logarithmic density zero are considered. Basic properties of classical convergence are shown to hold for these cases, an example is constructed to show that a set of logarithmic density zero need not have linear density zero, and for each case a Tauberian condition sufficient to deduce classical convergence is provided

Effects of Teacher and Peer Mediation on Students’ Self-Efficacy Belief About Their Extensive Reading Practice: In Case of Asossa Preparatory School

This study investigated the EFL students’ self-efficacy belief about extensive reading through mediated teaching reading mode. The study employed a quasi-experimental design. Two intact grade 11 classes were purposively selected and randomly assigned into experimental (N=30) and control (N=30) group. Five capable peers were selected from the experimental group along with their EFL teacher to serve as mediators while this was not done in the control group. Pre-intervention questionnaire and pre-test were administered to both groups to see if they had the same self-efficacy belief about extensive reading and the ability in reading. The groups were also given a post-intervention questionnaire and post reading test to determine the extent students become positive self-efficacious and their reading skill was improved. SPSS 20 was used to analyze the collected data. From independent sample test, pre-intervention questionnaire and pre-test results indicated that both group students held similar perceived self-efficacy belief about extensive reading and had similar ability in reading skills. Whereas the paired sample t-test proved that there was a significant mean score difference within the experimental group students, but there was no within the control group. The study concluded that the intervention positively changed the students’ self-efficacy belief about extensive and improved their reading skill. It was recommended that EFL teacher need to play effective role in mediating students to raise their self-efficacy belief through extensive reading. Similarly, using more capable peers was an important measure in supporting peer learners. Keywords: extensive reading, self-efficacy belief, mediation DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/10-19-03 Publication date:October 31st 2020