45 research outputs found
Assessment of online interaction pattern using the Q-4R framework
Online learning has merged into mainstream education as it allows learners to work at their
own pace, get personalized attention and interact in a structured manner. The role of
interaction is crucial in this process andvarious methods have been proposed in literature
(Marcelo and Perera, 2007) to analyze its role in online learning. The purpose of this paper
is to present findings on analysis of the linkages between interaction patterns, task given and
facilitation methods in an online learning environmentA model of interaction patterns called
Q-4R framework is proposed and, the experiences of 16students of the Master of
Instructional Design & Technology programme at the Open University Malaysia
werestudied. The flow of interactions in two comparable courses was explored for a period of
two months each and evaluated. The study has thrown significant conclusions that can help
us further understand the progression in interaction patterns over a period of time
inadvertently aiding lifelong learning. (Abstract by authors
E-learning challenges as perceived by communities of practice: Open University Malaysia's experiences
E-learning has become ingrained in conversations that border around learning,
however, how much and how effectively e-learning is practiced and understood is an
issue that needs further investigation. This paper will first provide an overview of e-
learning practices in Malaysia followed by detailed findings of e-learning practices at
Open University Malaysia. Findings of a survey done on 26 Malaysian organizations
show that only 4% truly practice some form of e-learning. Nevertheless most
participants in the survey noted that e-learning will be the preferred choice in time to
come. The survey also shows that most organizations are still very comfortable with a
blended style of learning or training. Findings of a research conducted at Open
University Malaysia (OUM) shows that as a new player in e-learning initiatives, the
OUM has achieved much especially in ensuring that its over 30,000 students are
practicing some form of e-learning. At OUM, although self-managed and face-to-face
learning are the preferred choices, much effort and resources are pumped into e-
learning in ensuring that OUM has the right mix for its blended mode. The paper will
present a report on findings of e-learning and explicate issues within to determine
how e-learning efforts can be further refined to support the overall blended pedagogy
practiced at OUM. (Auhors' abstract
Sustaining Instructional Design Strategies to Enhance e-Learning Among Learners
The OU Malaysia views the use of advance technologies, especially e-learning as important as the University espouses a life-long learning culture with the intention to produce knowledge workers. This paper will showcase how the implementation of e-learning efforts in OU Malaysia through three methodologies: providing basic information, providing multimedia content and conducting online interactions. These efforts are in use to cater the different needs and expectations of the learners. This paper also explores on the various attributes in WebCT that are exploited to create a culture of e-learning. The e-learning design process, the adoption of the constructivist and objectivist approaches and the attributes of motivation are further described in this paper to sustain the instructional design strategies to enhance e-learning among learners at OU Malaysia. (Authors' abstract
Preparing tutors for online collaborative learning at the Open University Malaysia
To be more effective, open and distance learning programmes should
incorporate collaborative learning environments with the purpose of engaging learners in
the learning process. This will eventually develop into a learning community that would
help, among others, to reduce the feeling of loneliness and isolation commonly felt
among distance learners. A study to determine the perceptions of tutors on online
collaborative learning, particularly in how tutors viewed online collaborative learning at
the Open University Malaysia (OUM) was conducted. Their online pattern of
collaboration was also determined. The paper highlights the research and its findings and
provides suggestions on future training of the tutors to help ensure the success of online
collaborative learning at the university. The findings will be useful to those who are
designing tutor training programmes for online collaborative learning
Does Mobile Learning Foster Self-Directed Learning?
With the ever-evolving educational technology trends, distance learning is
now able to provide tremendous opportunities of learning that were barely possible
before. Despite that, distance education institutions are still continuing the battle with
one of their most challenging issue, which is high learner dropout. There is a notion
that learners will be more successful and less prone to dropout when their learning is
self-directed (Uba, 1997). Recently, research showed that mobile learning encouraged
learners to be self-directed and there was a substantial decline in dropouts (Attewell,
Savill-Smith, Douch, 2009). This paper is a further effort to investigate the potential of
mobile learning to support self-directed learning and aims to highlight the effect of
mobile learning using short messaging services (SMS) on learners’ self-direction for
learning. In the study, SMS text messages were sent to mobile phones of science
teachers who were undertaking the Bachelor of Teaching Program at Open University
Malaysia. Data was collected using survey questionnaire as well as interview method
whereby 35 participants responded to the questionnaire and two were interviewed. The
assessment of self-directed learning was based on the theories of self-directed learning
suggested by Brockett and Hiemstra (1991) and Candy (1991). The findings show how
learners exhibited ownership of learning due to mobile learning through their goals and
plans for learning, strategies and processes of learning and self-evaluation of their
learning. The study also discusses issues that these teachers faced when using mobile
technologies for self-directed learning. (Abstract by authors
A Quality Framework for OER
Quality in teaching and learning has always
attracted the attention of policy makers, educators, parents
and students. It is the bedrock of a quality output-the
student and it marks the effectiveness and efficiency of the
provider. The quality of teaching and learning is constantly
questioned due to many reasons, some of which could be
skills and knowledge of the teaching and learning process,
the competency of the educator in the content knowledge,
the passion and attitude of the educator vis-à-vis the
expectations of students. This phenomenon has become
more urgent as the availability of free electronic learning
resources is equated to higher quality. As a teacher and
also an e-learning educator, i find the sharing of open
educational resources or OERs freely ( as per CC License)
a right move towards increasing the quality of learning and
hence democratization of education. However there seems
to be some concerns as per the quality of the OERs. After
all the whole idea of the OERs apart from “sharing
resources freely and making an institutional mark” is also
to ensure we overcome the constantly nudging issue of
ineffective learning. Now that OERs have been created, it
is important to evaluate the effectiveness of these OERs.
This paper will first look at some crucial definitions,
followed by a review of available efforts on quality of
OERs and end with some case studies and suggestions. (Abstract by authors
Impact of Discussion Forums on the Final Scores of Post Graduate Students at Open University Malaysia
At Open University Malaysia (OUM), online discussions serve as a bridge
between the face-to-face and virtual lessons. However, for the Master of
Instructional Design and Technology (MIDT), the online discussions are
the lifeline of students and facilitators as the discussion forum is a place
where high level asynchronous communications are triggered. As such it is
important to identify such interactions and determine if there is a significant
impact on the final grade achieved by students. In this study, an attempt
was made to analyse the discussion forum using the Ning social
networking site (http://hmid6303.ning.com). A total of 14 students enrolled
for the fully online MIDT course offered by OUM. The findings from
normality test results (Shapiro-Wilk) indicate that the forum scores were
normally distributed (significance value >0.05) and final score shows some
deviation from normality (significance value <0.05). (Abstract by authors
Teacher Survival in a Web-based Constructivist Learning Environment: A Malaysian Experience
Educators are well aware of teacher support as a form of scaffold that helps learners
reach their “zone of proximal development” (Vygotsky, 1978). An online case study conducted
over 4 weeks in an elementary school in Malaysia showed that teacher support came in six multiple
forms. However, the nature of an online constructivist learning environment presents a difficult
task for the lone teacher in supporting all students reach their desired learning level. This paper will
discuss the need for intelligent agent technology to support the teacher reach his/her ‘zone of
proximal support’