Malaysian private university students’ perception of online discussion forums: A qualitative enquiry

The continuous advancement in technology has transformed physical learning platforms into digital spaces in higher education. In Malaysia, instructors and students are gradually adopting the e-learning or blended-learning approach by using online discussion forums (e.g. BlackBoard) or social networking sites (e.g. Facebook groups) to engage students’ participation in courses and encourage self-directed learning. This study presents a qualitative view of students’ perception of engaging in online discussion forums in a synchronous learning environment, and their views on the positive and negative aspects of using online discussion forums for learning. Results indicate that students perceive autonomy and sense of belongingness in the online community as main factors that influence their voluntary and active participation in the online discussion forums. Technical challenges remain as a key factor in determining students’ interests to utilize online discussion forums for learning. While future research is needed to assess the sentiments of Malaysian students in online learning, this study was intended to provide Malaysian instructors and higher education institutions a preview on the sentiments of students towards online learning to better improve the aspects of technical, pedagogical methods and policies for online learning as the nation moves towards Education 4.0

The adoption of Facebook mobile application for managing learning

Mobile technologies such as mobile device applications play a significant role within formal education and the use of social networking site such as Facebook through mobile devices has influence students’ management of learning in higher education. Researchers have identified a range of uses of Facebook mobile application in higher education. Despite the increasing use of Facebook mobile application by students and lecturers in higher education for educational purposes, very little empirical studies that concern the adoption of Facebook mobile application by university students in managing learning in the Malaysian higher education context. In this paper, we describe the likelihood of adoption of Facebook mobile application for managing learning by students of a private university in Malaysia, as well as how the perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and motivations of usage affect the behavioural intention of the students in adopting Facebook mobile application for managing learning. Through an online questionnaire survey, data were analysed using descriptive statistics, correlations and regressions. Results from the survey questionnaires (N=101) indicated a significant positive association between motivations of usage towards adoption of Facebook mobile application for managing learning as well as between perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness towards students’ adoption of Facebook mobile application for managing learning. In conclusion, students’ perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, education purposes, information-seeking motive and interactivity were significant predictors of behavioural intention in adopting Facebook mobile application for managing learning

Mobile messenger application: Sharing, rating and engagement in global social commerce

This paper explores the relationship between rating, sharing and engagement within the freely available Mobile Messaging Application (MMA) through understanding their features and compatibility. We argued that MMA has the potential to substitute online marketing communication in the near future and the use of closed group chatting, sharing of information, and mobile-commerce in marketing communication has increased. Therefore, reviews on the current MMA, their abilities, compatibilities, functions and features with the marketing communication functions and features were analyzed. In particular, this study focuses on the implementation of MMA in future marketing communication and the engagement of users in sharing information, commenting on products and rating (sharing opinion) on products and services

Facebook in Higher Education: Exploring the educational use of Facebook by undergraduate students

The learning environments in higher education are moving towards the integration of information and communication technology (ICT) such as Web 2.0 and social media. Recent years have witnessed an increased interest of using social media in higher education and this has created a growing phenomenon for the educational use of social networking sites such as Facebook, to create, engage, and share existing or newly produced information among the students. The prevalence of social media in higher education has attracted the attention of researchers who have sought to understand the use of social media for learning and educational. Besides, many higher education institutions have begun to incorporate variety of digital technologies for teaching and learning, while educators are finding themselves expected to catch up with the world of social media applications and social media users. The educators are seeking the potential of social networking sites for engaging the students in their studies as well as to make the classes more interactive, and to achieve student learning outcomes. With this in mind, this paper presents a qualitative analysis of the Facebook closed group activities of undergraduate students in a Malaysian private university. The analysis of data will -related use of Facebook closed group and issues relating to student use of Facebook for educational purposes due to its increasing prevalence in the everyday lives of students. Finally, this paper will provides useful insights for academics interested in using social networking sites for teaching and learning and for researchers interested in pursuing social media in higher education research

Students’ perspective on public relations curriculum and their preparedness for the industry

Public relations scholars and practitioners have raised a concern on the gap between students’ acquired knowledge and skills in the classroom learning and meeting the expectation from employers. There is a call for public relations educators to better prepare students before they enter the industry. The themes of public relations education, public relations curriculum and practices are the conceptual understandings of this paper in gauging the perception of undergraduate students on public relations curriculum and their preparedness for the industry. A qualitative interview was conducted with seven student participants. Public relations students of both public and private universities in Malaysia perceived the knowledge and skills acquired in the classroom learning were mainly theoretical with a mix of practical skills. Most students claimed that they were not prepared to enter the industry even though they have positive feedback on their lecturers’ pedagogy. Although students of this study are satisfied and have a positive perspective of the public relations curriculum in Malaysia higher education institutions, they suggest students acquire external knowledge outside the classroom by attending personal development courses and having good mindsets in preparing the students for the industry. This paper brings implications for public relations education and course development as well as for professionals in the public relations industry to consider working effectively with educators in identifying the knowledge and skills important for the future of public relations practice

Educational use of Facebook by undergraduate students in Malaysia higher education: A case study of a private university

The learning environments in higher education are moving towards the integration of information and communication technology (ICT) such as social media. Recent years have witnessed an increased interest of using social media in higher education and this has created a growing phenomenon for the educational use of social networking sites such as Facebook, to create, engage, and share information among the students. This paper presents a qualitative analysis of the Facebook closed group activities of undergraduate students in a Malaysian private university. The analysis of data shows four main themes of students' education related use of Facebook closed group and issues relating to students’ use of Facebook for educational purposes due to its increasing prevalence in the everyday lives of students. This paper concludes with two main findings of the realities of students' Facebook closed group activity and the role of Facebook in students' experience in higher education

The influence of national cultural attributes on locally produced designs: Case study of Malaysian design

This paper examines the influence of national cultural attributes on locally produced designs (i.e. comics, animation, commercial advertisements, printed materials and graphics). Drawing from the inconsistent results of past literature on influences of national cultural attributes on design; it is considered an under-researched area of the important role of cultural values on designs, specifically in the Malaysia context, in which cultural differences among different ethnic groups exist. Because of the paucity of research in this area, this study adopted a quantitative research approach with results derived from the content-analysis of 18 Malaysian designs using a visual preference survey by six experts from the design industry in Malaysia. This study incorporates two stages of sample screenings of a visual preference survey with brief interviews; results show that Malaysian designs need to adhere strictly to requirements and specifications set by the Malaysian authorities; incorporation of Islamic values and code of conduct to reflect the racial harmony and national ideology; and some unique characteristics of the respective ethnic groups in Malaysia were not upheld, thus, they gradually disappeared and/or were blended in the designs. The results and discussion from this study extend the literature on Malaysian design and provide practical implications on how local design industries could produce designs which abide by the boundaries of a Malaysian pluralistic society

Students’ adoption of Facebook in higher education: a gender-based comparison

This paper aims to examine the gender differences of undergraduate students’ educational use of Facebook.The objectives of the study include identifying male and female students’ Facebook usage and assessing their perception on the usefulness and ease of use of Facebook in higher education.Using a quantitative research method, results reveal that male students have a higher frequency of Facebook visit (93.9%).Male students are more competent (48.5%) and more satisfied (42.2%) in using Facebook in comparison to female students.Although there were marginal differences between males’ and females’ perception for both usefulness and ease of use of Facebook (with mean differences ranging from 0.01 to 0.33); the differences in their overall perception on the usefulness and ease of use of Facebook were not significant (p<.05).In conclusion, male students had a higher overall score on the perceived usefulness of Facebook in higher education, while female students had a higher overall score on the perceived ease of use of Facebook