Developing and Validating an Instrument to Assess the E-learning Environment at a Public Higher Education Institution in Malaysia

As Knowledge, Communication and Technology (KCT) plays crucial role in the restructuring of the educational system in this new millennium, e-Learning is seen as an effective means to stimulate this process, especially on the teaching and learning aspect. The introduction of e-Learning has become an important factor in reshaping the educational environment, particularly in the Higher Education System (De Boer et al, 2002). In order for e-learning systems to take advantage of these technologies so as to be successful, effective and of a quality comparable with the well received traditional learning systems, the e-learning systems must be designed and constructed with care, using a thoroughly scrutinized approach which embraces well-designed procedures and techniques (Colette, 2001).This paper describes the development and validation of the instrument to assess the e-learning environment at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). The blueprint of the e-Learning project was thoroughly studied to ensure that the instrument is comprehensive in assessing the e-learning environment. This is complemented with a series of focus group interviews with students. The instrument was answered by a total of 226 randomly selected students from USM. Factor analysis, both exploratory and confirmatory, was performed on the data and the result indicate that in assessing the E-Learning environment there are six distinct factors: technology, course content, teaching and learning material, teaching and learning environment, learning strategies, and support. The psychometric properties of the instruments are as follows; GFI=0.88, AGF=0.87, RMSEA = 0.061, NFI = 0.88, CFI=0.89, PNFI = 0.77, and PGFI =0.84. (Authors' abstract

ICT in Student-Supervisor Communication: A Case Study at a Public Institution of Higher Learning in Malaysia

This study examined the use of ICT among postgraduate students and supervisors at University of Science Malaysia, Penang with special focus on student-supervisor communication. It employed a cross sectional survey design utilising an online questionnaire as data collection instrument. Students' and supervisors' competence in using the common MS Office programs, data analysis packages, and communication tools were gauged. Apart from that, their perceptions on the usefulness of ICT in student-supervisor communication were measured according to the following aspects: improves communication; strengthen student-supervisor relationship; add value to face to face interaction; and optimize student learning. A total of 81 students and 70 supervisors participated in this study. The results show that both students and supervisors were either intermediate or advance users as far as the basic Microsoft Office programs are concerned but not many of them have good knowledge on other programs such as data analysis packages. As for the open source applications, significantly higher percentage of supervisors (76%) use Moodle compared to students (42%), however the percentage of student users were significantly higher for Wiki, Facebook, Blog, and Friendster. All supervisors and students surveyed used email as the major communication tool, while considerable percentage of supervisors (64.3%) and students (79%) used SMS. On the perception towards the usefulness of ICT, the supervisors' ratings range from 4.32 to 5.44 on a scale of 1 to 7. The highest rating was for all "ICT improves communication" while the lowest was "ICT add value to face-to-face interaction". Female supervisors have a more favorable perception compared to male on all the four aspects assessed (p < 0.05). Supervisors with less then 10 years in USM gave significantly higher rating on the following aspects: "ICT improves communication" and "ICT optimizes students' learning", whilst students' ratings range from 4.84 (ICT add value to face to face interaction) to 5.55 (ICT improves communication). Students' demography did not have any bearing on their ratings. The t-test analysis indicated that supervisors' and students' ratings on the usefulness of ICT significantly differed only for "ICT strengthen student-supervisor relationship" aspect (p = 0.021); students' rating was higher than the supervisors

The Use of a Flipped Classroom to Enhance Engagement and Promote Active Learning

This study was based on Reeve’s (2013) four-aspect conceptualization regarding student engagement to promote active learning using a flipped classroom. The flipped classroom is defined as using technology to provide lectures outside of the classroom, while assignments with concepts are provided inside the classroom through learning activities (Clark, 2013). Behavioral engagement is defined as teachers’ direction of students toward activities that require them to apply initiative (Fredricks, Blumenfeld, &amp; Paris, 2004). Emotional engagement is promoted by intentionally selecting materials that stimulate students’ interaction with and feedback to the material (Taylor &amp; Statler, 2013). Cognitive engagement is defined as the teacher’s skill in questioning and the students’ elaboration of an idea as an answer (Smart &amp; Marshall, 2012). Agentic engagement is student self-learning, with a contribution from the lecturer to provide instructional support (Reeve &amp; Tseng, 2011). A descriptive quantitative methodology was used in which 24 undergraduate TESOL students took the course QMT 212 Instructional Design.  More information can be found in the full paper

Student Centered Learning At USM: What Lecturer And Students Think Of This New Approach?

Student-centered learning (SCL) is currently attracting a great deal of research attention internationally, driven by the growing concerns of educators of ideal teaching and learning methods. This study aims at investigating the lecturers and students’ view of practicing SCL in the teaching process. Data was gathered through survey from 58 lecturers and 128 students of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). Results shows that lecturer and student perception about lecturer role were the highest mean ( = 4.05; 3.81) by doing their part effectively, used all SCL teaching methods such as lecture, lecture discussion, cooperative learning and others, except for on-line discussion. The student is more motivated and responsible in their learning, as peer learning and peer teaching are part of the teaching practice at USM. Student involvement in curriculum content, teaching method, evaluation method and able to give feedback on the quality of the education process had create a positive learning environment with access to facilities, interaction in the class without any problem to cover the content syllabus by having SCL guideline. Assessments given are based on the ability of the student that had led students to play their role in SCL effectively. However, the lecturers had not enough experience in implementing the SCL and need more training or workshop in SCL. These results have important implications for successful practicing of SCL in Malaysian universities, particularly USM for greater understanding on what we want student to learn and what they actually learn. The details of these implications are elaborated in this paper. Keywords: student-centered learning, lecturer and student view, Universiti Sains Malaysi

An Analysis of Using Online Video Lecture on Learning Outcome: The Mediating Role of Student Interaction and Student Engagement

The Malaysia Education Blueprint 2015-2025 (Higher Education) was published recently. One of shift is globalised online learning. Therefore, Polytechnics had taken the first step in the use of e-learning system by using flipped classroom method. The purpose of this study is to analyse the effects of using online video lecture on student interaction, student engagement and learning outcome in flipped classroom environment. This study has been conducted on 32 semester one Polytechnic Tuanku Sultanah Bahiyah students. A questionnaire was distributed and analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The findings shows that the learning outcome dimension has a practical value of R2 = 0.813. Thus, research model proven that using online video lecturer significantly predicted learning outcome. The findings also indicate that student interaction and student engagement not mediated the relationship between online video lecture and learning outcome. Practically, the findings of this study revealed the importance of developing interactive online video lecture and active learning activities in enhance student interaction and student engagement

The opportunities and difficulties for M-learning to enhancing students learning results

Under the social change that rely on technologies that create new Difficulties and challenges for universities, this paper considers the possibility of mobile learning and a subset of e-learning to influence a quantum leap in higher education, Environments universities face accelerated growth in demand for higher education, a significant reduction in government supporting and funding for education, Change in the awareness and understand of the type of knowledge, global competitiveness, changing student demographics and outlooks. At the same time unbinding mobile phones is connect a lots numbers of powerful learners to communications networks.by a review of some literature pilot on the current situation of m-learning that explores alternatives to help universities carry out its core functions of storage, processing and Launcher knowledge that can be applied to real life matters, through the study of the weakness and strengths of increased connectivity to networks of mobile communications to support Structural, self-guided interactive educational quality for learners toward using mobile devices increasingly.This article as well discusses if mobile learning can be alignment between technology development with the changing expectations of students and the implications of a variety in teaching and institutional strategies. Moreover Technologies, Consisting of mobile computing, handheld, and mobile phones, wireless and laptop, PDAs

FLIPPED: A Case Study in Fundamental of Accounting in Malaysian Polytechnic

The new pedagogical flipped classroom was designed, developed and implemented using Flexible environments, Learning culture, Intentional content, Professional educators, Progressive activities, Engaging experiences, and Diversified platforms, also known as the FLIPPED model. The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of student interaction and engagement in a flipped classroom on student’s achievement, knowledge, skill and attitude (KSAs) towards the subject, and course satisfaction. This study used mixed method design; a 5 likert scale questionnaire with open ended questions had been distributed, and a pre-test and post-test design was carried out. The results were analysed using paired sample t-test and linear regression analysis. The findings of the study indicated no significant difference between the effect of student interaction and engagement on student satisfaction and KSAs except for student achievement. However, students had positive comments on the implementation, instruction and interaction outside the classroom. This study concludes that flipped classroom design and development could be implemented with improvements

Implications for ID practice of Instructional Designers' Cultural Identities

Are there social and political purposes for design that are culturally based? A growing body of research is concerned with the design of culturally-appropriate learning resources and environments, but the emphasis of this panel is on the instructional designer as the agent of the design. Colloquially put, if we design for ourselves, we should understand the sociocultural influences on us and how they inform our practices. We should also develop respect for, and learn from, how various global cultures address similar design problems differently. This panel includes instructional design scholars and practitioners from a range of geopolitical regions, who will share culturally-based narratives and metaphors of ID, and invite participants to do the same. (Authors' abstract

Implementing a virtual 3d campus of USM using second life: case for CCIL based distance learning package.

The recent years have witnessed incredible technological developments. Educationalists have started to digest the revolution and radically rethinking the centuries old model of teaching and learning. Web 2.0 educational based methods is one of the novel areas of pedagogical research. The 3D virtual worlds represents one of the latest and highest potential Web 2.0 tools, in particular in the context of distance learning. The author envisage that the majority of learning activities will take place in distance within 1-2 decades. Baru-baru ini telah memperlihatkan perkembangan teknologi yang terkini. Pendidik telah mula mencernakan revolusi dan memikirkan secara radikal model lama pengajaran dan pembelajaran. Web 2.0 merupakan salah satu daripada kaedah yang dikatakan novel dalam penyelidikan pedagogi. Dunia maya 3D mewakili satu daripada alatan Web 2.0 yang terkini dan tertinggi khususnya dalam konteks pembelajaran jarak jauh.Pengarang berpendapat majoriti daripada aktiviti pembelajaran jarak jauh akan mengambil tempat dalam masa 1-2 dekad yang terdekat. Model universiti semasa muka-ke-muka akan diganti dengan e dan m- pembelajaran dalam abad terdekat