Microblogging in higher education: a comparative study

Microblogging has become an increasingly popular phenomenon in educational context. There is currently little research regarding the educational advantages of microblogging dedicated to teaching and learning. Although educational microblogging provides great learning applications that can support formal learning environment, the advantages of these websites are oftentimes ignored. In order to investigate the largely unexplored benefits of educational microblogging, this research offers an opportunity to investigate the effect of microblogging using Community of Inquiry (CoI) model in a blended learning. The researchers used pre-questionnaire and post-questionnaire for evaluating the level of students' teaching, social and cognitive presence before and after using microblogging based on the CoI model. The questionnaires were distributed in two classes of 107 students in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. Through statistical analysis by using t-test analysis, the usage of microblogging is proven to enhance students' cognitive, social and teaching presence. The results of this research offer an insight to the positive impact of the use of microblogging in higher education and its outcomes would open the door to new ways of learning and the nature of cooperative culture and new application tools

Using the HOT-fit model to predict the determinants of E-learning readiness in higher education: a developing Country’s perspective

E-learning readiness has been initiated in higher education institutions (HEI) as an attempt to improve institutions’ service delivery. Meeting and managing the expectations of students using e-learning systems to facilitate teaching and learning activities is a prominent way to make HEI competitive. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of human, organizational, and technological factors on students’ e-learning readiness. This study was conducted by using a survey method in a private university in the north region of Iran with a total number of 153 respondents. Survey data were analyzed using the partial least squares (PLS) method while Smart PLS was used to test the hypotheses and to validate the proposed model. The results indicated that computer self-efficacy, management support, relative advantage, compatibility, and complexity are significant factors that influence students’ e-learning readiness. The findings provide a basis for assessing the determinants of e-learning readiness in developing countries

MICROBLOGGING IN HIGHER EDUCATION: A COMPARATIVE STUDY

Microblogging has become an increasingly popular phenomenon in educational context. There is currently little research regarding the educational advantages of microblogging dedicated to teaching and learning. Although educational microblogging provides great learning applications that can support formal learning environment, the advantages of these websites are oftentimes ignored. In order to investigate the largely unexplored benefits of educational microblogging, this research offers an opportunity to investigate the effect of microblogging using Community of Inquiry (CoI) model in a blended learning. The researchers used pre-questionnaire and post-questionnaire for evaluating the level of students' teaching, social and cognitive presence before and after using microblogging based on the CoI model. The questionnaires were distributed in two classes of 107 students in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. Through statistical analysis by using t-test analysis, the usage of microblogging is proven to enhance students' cognitive, social and teaching presence. Through this study, a basis for assessing the effects of microblogging in higher education is successfully established