Research Inclination Among OUM Academics : Research Needs Assessment Study

Among objectives of the research are to study OUM academics’ needs in conducting research and to determine differences in research inclination among the 3 Academic Cluster

LEARNING OUTCOMES IN ONLINE AND DISTANCE LEARNING: A STUDY OF LEARNERS’ EXPERIENCE

ODL institutions have often been seen as possessing an innovative and technology-driven delivery approach in teaching and learning practices. The key is in the online delivery of instruction for working learners. Online delivery would require e-tutoring and the use of learning materials to faciltate instruction across diverse groups of learners in a ubiquitous learning environment. This study focuses on Open University Malaysia’s approach in leveraging online learning for its stakeholders via its academic programmes. This study attempts to ascertain factors which affect the learning outcomes in ODL. The study was conducted via web survey on 397 learners enrolled at Open University Malaysia from 2012 to 2015. The sample consisted of learners aged between 18 to 64 years. The measurement of learning outcomes was determined via a 5-point Likert rating scale questionnaire. In addition, open-ended responses were also elicited to confirm quantitative findings. Three key constructs emerged from factor analysis, i.e. i. teaching and materials, ii. e-tutoring, and iii. learning experiences. These 3 factors were then confirmed using Structural Equation Modeling techniques to determine model fit derived from exploratory factor analysis. The results show a good fit of the hypothesised model with the structure of the data. As ODL institutions enrol learners from various demographic groups, this study attempted to look into whether demographic differences such as gender, age categories, experience in online learning, learners’ CGPA results and time spent on online learning had a significant bearing on learning outcomes. The findings show that female learners perceived teaching and materials, e-tutoring and learning experiences better than male learners but these differences are statistically not significant. From the perspectives of age groups, the study found that age maturity results in slight differences in teaching and outcomes, i.e. the older the learners the more positive the outcomes. However, across the different age groups, no statistical differences exist (p > .05). This study also found no significant differences (p > .05) in the perception of outcomes between learners who had previous experience in online learning compared to those who had not. Based on the learners’ CGPA scores, this study shows a general tendency for learners who score high in CGPA to also perceive positively in the 3 constructs, viz. teaching and materials, e-tutoring and learning experiences. However, no significant differences (p > ,05) existed across the different CGPA groups. An interesting finding of this study is that the time learners spent in logging-in to the online sessions - this had a significant effect on the outcomes (p < .05). The study concluded that the more time expended in logging-in online, the better would be the outcomes on teaching and use of the materials, e-tutoring and learning experiences. Based on the empirical evidence of the study, this paper puts forth a proposition that ODL is an effective delivery system for working learners - leading to good learning outcomes. ODL can guide learners towards the acquisition of desired knowledge and skills needed to excel in academic pursuits among working learners. Key Words: learning outcomes, online and distance learning, programme evaluation (Abstract by author

Cybersafety in education for the 21st century: A comparative study of Malaysia and Thailand

Education for the 21st Century must recognise cybersafety issues faced by students in schools. Cybersecurity threats are everywhere and students must be able to cope with an environment where cyber threats and risks persist. What are these threats and risks and how do students in Malaysia and Thailand handle them? This paper attempts to compare and contrast cybersafety issues among school students in Malaysia and Thailand. The sample for this survey comprised 1,896 students from Malaysia and 1,336 students from Thailand. The quantitative research approach was used to explore and confirm relationship among variables. Four important factors influencing cybersafety among students in Malaysia comprise i. availability of help through significant others, parents and teachers (including counsellors), ii. accessing negative sites, iii. tendency to hide things from parents, and iv. feeling of discomfort when surfing negative sites. On the other hand, factors in Thailand include: i. ready availability of help if bullied or proper avenues are available, ii. victim of cyberbullying, iii. experiences of cyberbullying, and iv. experiences with accessing negative websites. The findings showed high construct reliability and high construct validity which was confirmed through Structural Equation Modeling. The study showed that Malaysia and Thailand’s cybersafety issues differed significantly (p < .05) in 6 constructs, i.e. i. existence of problematic situations or negative experiences, ii. peer pressure, iii. parent-children gap, iv. sexting, v. cyber-bullying, and vi. dealing with negative experience or mediation strategies. The study recommended the following: i. parents in both Malaysia and Thailand should play a pivotal role in their children’s well-being in cybersafety issues, ii. Malaysia and Thailand should develop local-based strategies to suit local contexts in cybersafety issues, and iii. overcoming new cyber risks in Malaysia and Thailand should follow best practices in other countries which have successfully overcome them. (Abstract by authors

Fostering thinking skills supported by e-portals with case examples of blended mode Problem-Based Learning (PBL) participated by secondary school learners

The integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in science learning has been identified as an important component in the transformation process of many educational systems to impart the technology skills that is an essential 21st century skills to serve the new learning paradigm among the Net Generation students. In the advent of digital era, World Wide Web has spawned a wealth of new network-based applications with an overarching vision that supports specific blended mode learning programmes incorporating interactive e-platforms and m-learning. Student-centred learning opportunities were widened with more interactive activities that could engage their interest for science learning in the ever expanding knowledge-based societies. This article analyses the roles of e-portals incorporating Open Educational Resources (OERs) that foster thinking skills of learners through ‘Problem-based Learning’ (PBL) programmes. Cases are extracted from a bigger scale of longitudinal study that examined students’ participation in the blended mode PBL anchored on social constructivist and socio-cultural framework. Blended learning activities were implemented leveraging on the effective use of OER to enhance learners’ investigative skills with transformation of values-based classroom practices beyond formal teaching. PBL scenario (six contextual problems) adapted from secondary science entitled ‘Water and Solution’ was presented to project teams from two case study schools. Problem case 4 using ‘within-case dynamic matrix’ was further reported with exemplars elaborated. Students were administered with ‘Fluid Intelligence Test’(FIT) encompassing evaluation of creative, critical/logical thinking and reasoning skills prior to PBL through scaffolded instruction (SI)(PBL-SI) with evaluation guided by POSITIVE rubric (accessible at http://forum.sp3aceman.net). Four aspects of POSITIVE rubric guide, ‘Skills’ enhancement (scientific/ICT), ‘Information’, ‘Training/transfer of Higher Order Thinking’ (HOT) and ‘Evaluation/exchange/enrichment/exposure’ are illustrated with evidence of students’ enhanced HOT. Innovative learning designs and on-line assessment with evidences of exemplary students’ creative potentials involved in investigation using OER were identified which include interviews findings from two students who created web-portals using OER effectively. ‘More/moderately successful students’ were involved actively in mini science fair, congress/competitions and e-forum (http://forum.maays.net). Other pedagogical issues concerning of the importance of PBL and blended learning that promote thinking skills in line with research evidence as reported in TIMSS and PISA studies are also deliberated

Research Capacity Among OUM’s Academics: Qualitative Perspectives

Objectives of study: 1. To study OUM academics’ needs in conducting research 2. To determine differences in research inclination among the 3 Academic Clusters 3. To ascertain factors which influence research inclination among OUM academics 4. To suggest way forward for improving OUM’s research capacity among academic

Learning Outcomes in Distance Learning: A Study of Learners’ Experience

Online and distance learning (ODL) institutions have often been seen as possessing an innovative and technology-driven delivery approach in teaching and learning practices—the key to which lies in the online delivery of instruction for working learners. Online delivery requires e-tutoring and the use of teaching and learning materials to facilitate instruction across diverse groups of learners in a ubiquitous learning environment. This chapter focuses on Open University Malaysia’s (OUM) approach in leveraging online learning for its stakeholders. This study attempts to confirm the factors which affect the learning outcomes in ODL and was conducted via a web survey of 397 learners enrolled at OUM. Three key constructs emerged from factor analysis, viz. (i) teaching and learning materials; (ii) e-learning; and (iii) learning experiences. As ODL institutions enrol learners from various demographic groups, this study attempted to examine whether learners’ demographic differences, such as gender, age, experience in online learning, study results, and the time spent on online learning, had a significant bearing on learning outcomes. An interesting finding was that the time learners spent in logging-in to online sessions had a significant effect on the learning outcomes. Based on the empirical evidence in the study, this chapter concludes that ODL can guide working learners towards the acquisition of the desired knowledge and skills needed to excel in academic pursuits. (Abstract by authors