Usability evaluation of an online certificate program

In this study, the usability of an online Information Technologies Certificate Program (ITCP) which was based on synchronous and asynchronous communication methods over the Internet offered by cooperation of Computer Engineering Department and Continuing Education Center in Middle East Technical University were evaluated. Online questionnaire and semi-structure interview were used to collect relevant data. The results are generally positive about usability of an online certificate program. At the end, some suggestions were stated to improve the usability of an online certificate program according to the findings of the study

A-three year analysis of online information technologies certificate program

This study examines the participants' perceptions of, learner support, computer mediated communication and preferences about online Information Technologies Certificate Programs (ITCP) offered at Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey. The study included the 3(rd), 4(th) and 5(th) programs' participants who attended the certificate programs in successive years. The data were collected through an online survey at the end of each semester of the programs, and analyzed by descriptive statistics and qualitative methods. The results showed that participants' perceptions and aims of Information Technologies Certificate Program were parallel to each other, and the participants were satisfied with the support and computer mediated communication (CMC) provided in the programs. Although the participants were satisfied with CMC, they did not find the chat sessions beneficial enough, and made important recommendation to improve the program

Delving into alumni perceptions about the impact and effectiveness of two certificate programs: Meeting their mission?

The purpose of the study was to analyze two certificate programs in regard to the impacts on alumni professional career and strengths and weaknesses of certificate programs in the views of their alumni. The sample consisted of 58 participants who completed one of the certificate programs. The results showed that alumni rated self-improvement as the biggest benefit, career advancement benefit as average, and career change benefit as low from the certificate programs. Also, alumni thought that all program components were of strong quality, but the majority of alumni still wanted to see an increased emphasis on teaching, interaction with other students, support, and assessment feedback focus of the program. © 2013 Taylor & Francis.Türkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Araştirma KurumuThe authors would like to acknowledge the fellowship provided to the second author by The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) and the third author by Turkish Higher Education Council (YOK)

The impact of self-regulation strategies on student success and satisfaction in an online course

The purpose of this study was to examine whether students’ self-regulation skills impact their success and satisfaction in an online learning environment. Data was collected from one hundred and fifty-five students taking an online introductory programming course offered as a part of certification curriculum in a public university in Turkey. The Online Self-regulation and Learning Questionnaire was used to gather learners’ skills in four main sub-components of self-regulation namely planning, help seeking, time management, and self-evaluation. The results indicated that self-regulation, specifically planning, as an important factor for explaining student success and satisfaction in an online course. © 2017, Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education. All rights reserved

The impact of self-regulation strategies on student success and satisfaction in an online course

The purpose of this study was to examine whether students’ self-regulation skills impact their success and satisfaction in an online learning environment. Data was collected from one hundred and fifty-five students taking an online introductory programming course offered as a part of certification curriculum in a public university in Turkey. The Online Self-regulation and Learning Questionnaire was used to gather learners’ skills in four main sub-components of self-regulation namely planning, help seeking, time management, and self-evaluation. The results indicated that self-regulation, specifically planning, as an important factor for explaining student success and satisfaction in an online course. © 2017, Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education. All rights reserved

Timed Online Tests: Do Students Perform Better With More Time?

This article focuses on timed tests and specifically on whether increased time enhances test performance. Three courses during the Winter 2015 term (quizzes n = 573) and three courses over the Spring 2015 term (quizzes n = 600) comprised this sample. Students were given the same tests, but the experimental group (Spring 2015) was given 50% more time than the control group. The results indicate that more time on tests did not enhance student performance in terms of higher scores. Much attention has been given to student assessment of learning in the online classroom. One such method of measurement is online tests, quizzes, and exams. The focus of this research is to determine whether test scores would improve if students were allowed more time on tests

Predicting student drop-out rates using data mining techniques: A case study

The prevention of students dropping out is considered very important in many educational institutions. In this paper we describe the results of an educational data analytics case study focused on detection of dropout of Systems Engineering (SE) undergraduate students after 6 years of enrollment in a Colombian university. Original data is extended and enriched using a feature engineering process. Our experimental results showed that simple algorithms achieve reliable levels of accuracy to identify predictors of dropout. Decision Trees, Logistic Regression, Naive Bayes and Random Forest results were compared in order to propose the best option. Also, Watson Analytics is evaluated to establish the usability of the service for a non expert user. Main results are presented in order to decrease the dropout rate by identifying potential causes. In addition, we present some findings related to data quality to improve the students data collection process