Learning design approaches for personalised and non-personalised e-learling systems

Recognizing the powerful role that technology plays in the lives of people, researchers are increasingly focusing on the most effective uses of technology to support learning and teaching. Technology enhanced learning (TEL) has the potential to support and transform students’ learning and allows them to choose when, where and how to learn. This paper describes two different approaches for the design of personalised and non-personalised online learning environments, which have been developed to investigate whether personalised e-learning is more efficient than non-personalised e-learning, and discuss some of the student’s experiences and assessment test results based on experiments conducted so far

Sustavan pregled mrežnih okruženja učenja u nastavi Matematike na sekundarnoj razini obrazovanja: stavovi, postignuća, izazovi i moguća rješenja

Web-based learning environments (WBLE) are widely adopted in the context of higher education. Comparatively, little is known about how they are used in high school mathematics curricula. Therefore, this systematic review investigates how WBLEs are applied in high school education and which outcomes this instructional approach has resulted in up to now. 14 related journal publications on high school WBLE are identified and analysed in terms of their WBLE activities, student achievement, attitude, and challenges encountered. The findings suggest that several activities are used in WBLE. WBLE application in high school mathematics education produced a neutral or positive effect on student achievement when compared to traditional classroom-based learning. Students’ attitudes toward WBLE approach are varied. WBLE implementation challenges are classified as student-associated, faculty-associated, and operational. We proposed seven possible solutions to address these challenges based on previous studies. Also, recommendations for future research are discussedMrežna okruženja za učenje (WBLE) široko su prihvaćena u kontekstu visokoga obrazovanja. S druge strane, malo se zna o tome kako se ona koriste u programima matematike u višim razredima osnovnih te u srednjim školama. Stoga se u ovome sustavnom pregledu istražuje kako se WBLE primjenjuje na sekundarnoj razini obrazovanja i koji su dosdašnji rezultati primjene ovog nastavnoga pristupa. Odabrano je 14 relevantnih časopisa o WBLE-u na sekundarnoj razini obrazovanja te analizirano u smislu njihovih WBLE aktivnosti, postignuća učenika, stavova i izazova s kojima se susreću. Rezultati pokazuju da se u WBLE-u koristi nekoliko aktivnosti. Primjena WBLE-a u matematičkom obrazovanju na srednjoškolskoj razini proizvela je neutralan ili pozitivan učinak na učenička postignuća u usporedbi s tradicionalnim učenjem u učionici. Stavovi učenika o WBLE pristupu su različiti. Izazovi primjene WBLE-a javljaju se na razini učenika, nastavnika i organizacije. Na temelju prethodnih studija predložili smo sedam mogućih rješenja kao odgovor na njih. Također, u raspravi dajemo preporuke za buduća istraživanj

Istraživanje o interaktivnosti studenata u učionici i interaktivnosti studenata u sustavu za upravljanje učenjem s ciljem poboljšanja ishoda učenja

This study developed a conceptual framework on interactivity in the classroom, interactivity within Learning Management System (LMS), student engagement and satisfaction as four key underlying factors that will enhance learning outcomes. Furthermore, the study investigates interactivity in the classroom and within LMS with respect to student engagement, student satisfaction and its impact on educational learning outcome. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Based on the survey data from 178 respondents, SEM was employed to assess the model. We also experimentally assessed the relationship between the variables of the model by employing SEM method. However, the findings indicate that high interactivity in the classroom has a positive influence on student engagement and student satisfaction towards improving student learning outcomes. Also, the study shed more light on the moderate level of interactivity within the LMS by the student and pointed out which areas should be improved. The result further indicates the importance of interactivity in the educational environment and points to the need for more interactivity in the learning space of educational institutions.U ovom istraživanju izrađen je konceptualni okvir o interaktivnosti studenata u učionici, interaktivnosti studenata u sustavu za upravljanje učenjem, sudjelovanju studenata u nastavi i njihovu zadovoljstvu nastavom. To su bila četiri ključna čimbenika koja vode boljim ishodima učenja. Nadalje, istraživanjem se ispitala i interaktivnost u učionici i interaktivnost u sustavu za upravljanje učenjem s obzirom na sudjelovanje studenata u nastavi, njihovo zadovoljstvo nastavom i utjecaju koji sve navedeno ima na obrazovne ishode. Podaci su prikupljeni s pomoću strukturiranog upitnika i utemeljeni na obradi podataka dobivenih od 178 ispitanika. Za procjenu modela primijenjena je SEM metoda. Također smo eksperimentalno procijenili i vezu među varijablama unutar modela s pomoću SEM metode. Međutim, rezultati pokazuju da velika količina interaktivnosti u učionici ima pozitivan utjecaj na sudjelovanje studenata u nastavi i na njihovo zadovoljstvo, a da to sve vodi boljim ishodima učenja. Istraživanje je također razjasnilo i umjerenu interaktivnost među studentima u sustavu za upravljanje učenjem te istaknulo područja koja je potrebno doraditi. Taj rezultat pokazuje i važnost interaktivnosti u obrazovnom okruženju i ističe potrebu za većim stupnjem interaktivnosti u okruženju za učenje u obrazovnim institucijama

Impact of metacognitive awareness on learning in technology enhanced learning environments

With the advent of internet technologies and the closer integration of mobile and ubiquitous devices, learning and teaching has changed the way we view the learning process. Indisputably, there are many ways of using technology to support students’ learning which enables them to manage the pace, time and place of their learning. Technology enhanced learning (TEL) can place students at the centre of the learning process, but this means that students need to take more responsibility for their learning. The literature refers to this as self-directed and self-regulated learning (Liu, Gomez, Khan and Yen, 2007; Nicol, 2006). Students can take more control over their learning and develop leadership of their own ‘learning curve’. Self-directed learning includes management of the learning materials, monitoring learning progress and regulating cognitive learning styles. However, this requires students to develop metacognitive strategies so they can identify their own learning styles in the appropriate formal and informal learning situations. This paper aims to investigate the impact of students’ metacognitive awareness on their learning outcomes within technology enhanced learning environments and concludes that the design of a TEL environment and the development of students’ metacognitive skills have a direct bearing on learning performance

Design, development and evaluation of technology enhanced learning environments: learning styles as an evaluation tool for metacognitive skills

Recognising the powerful role that technology plays in the lives of people, researchers are increasingly focusing on the most effective uses of technology to support learning and teaching. Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) has the potential to support and transform student learning and provides the flexibility of when, where and how to learn. At the same time, it promises to be an effective educational method (Wei and Yan 2009). One of the hottest topics in this field is adaptive learning (Mylonas, Tzouveli and Kollias 2004). Today, with the ability of advanced technologies to capture, store and use student data, it is possible to deliver adaptive learning based on student preferences. TEL can also put students at the centre of the learning process, which allows them to take more responsibility for their own learning. However, this requires students to be metacognitive so they can manage and monitor their learning progress. This thesis investigates the impact of student metacognitive skills on their learning outcomes in terms of recalling and retaining information within a formally designed and TEL environment. The learning outcomes of students who study a subject consistent with their learning styles and another group of students who study the same subject in contrast to their learning styles are then compared to determine which group performs better. Based on this approach, a TEL environment is designed for undergraduate students to use for the purpose of collecting the required experimental data. The results of this study suggest that effective use of metacognitive skills by students has a direct bearing on their learning performance and ability to recall information. The outcomes reveal that successful students use effective metacognitive skills to complete their studies and achieve their learning goals in a TEL environment. Therefore, it clear that metacognition can play a critical role in successful learning, and, furthermore, this approach can assist educationalists in understanding the importance of metacognition in learning and in considering how technology can be used to better to allow students to apply metacognitive skills. The designed TEL environment for this study can be utilised as a precursor to implement TEL environments that can be adapted to individual learning styles, and to support the development of metacognitive skills

Blended learning motivation model for instructors in higher education institutions

Abstract Currently, blended learning (BL) is trending among higher education institutions (HEIs) around the globe. Despite its popularity, no model exists that describes the motivation that affects instructors’ opinions and beliefs regarding online learning. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to identify the factors responsible for motivating instructors at HEIs to integrate the BL approach into their courses. Two categories of motivational factors, namely, extrinsic and intrinsic, have been identified in the BL literature. These factors have been used to design a motivation model based on the cause-effect relationship between them. Survey data were collected from 362 HEI instructors in Turkey and North Cyprus for analysis using a structural equation modelling method. The results indicated that both extrinsic and intrinsic motivational factors have a significant impact on the instructors’ motivation to apply the BL approach. However, the extrinsic factor, i.e., “academic workload”, did not influence the instructors’ motivation. In general, the findings confirmed that, the consideration of both extrinsic and intrinsic factors for motivating the application of blended learning has a 79% impact on the adoption of BL. The findings of this study provide practical solutions for educational managers, curriculum designers and faculty members towards creating a cohesive BL environment in HEIs

Taking business intelligence to business education curriculum: graduate students’ concerns

Business intelligence systems are widely employed in industries. However, students concerns about Business Intelligence course are largely missed in the business education curriculum. To take a proper decision on Business intelligence integration in business education, it is important to understand students’ concerns. This study employed a survey questionnaire to investigate 142 graduate students concerns about integrating business intelligence into business education curriculum. The survey questionnaire was adopted from previous studies to measure students’ concerns on a Business Intelligence job opportunity, interest and relevance in the Business intelligence education. The survey items have a reliability scales of Cronbach’s alpha (α) = 0.818, factor loading > 0.5, and Average Variance Extracted (AVE) ≥ 0.5, and Composite Reliability (CR) ≥ 0.6. Descriptive statistics and Independent sample t-test and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) test were performed on the survey data. Students revealed that Business intelligence knowledge is relevant (mean = 4.29, SD = 0.710), has several job opportunities (mean = 4.16, SD = 0.675), and should be integrated into business education curriculum (mean = 3.95.08, SD = 0.79). In addition, there was no statistically significant difference (t (140) = –0.027, p > 0.05) between the concerns of students with Business Intelligence lecture experience and those without. Further, perceived importance and job opportunity significantly, F = 24.601 and p = .000(< .05) relates to the Business intelligence integration in Business Education. The findings draw implications for university management and business institutions in updating curriculum so as to equip business students with the essential Business Intelligence knowledge and skills for the betterment of the business organizations

Investigation on student modeling in adaptive e-learning systems

Adaptive e-learning systems hold promise for the future development as innovative technologies continuously appear in the field. Along with the facilities that they provide, they have led to enhanced education. Students can receive customized learning with improved alternatives for learning anytime and anywhere. This field has a direct relation with the emergence of new technologies, advances in learning, machine learning and artificial intelligence therefore the future of this field is wide open (Shute, 2007). This paper aims to investigate developed and emerging technologies for student modeling in personalized e-learning systems and discusses a proposed style that is being developed to address issues in the field of adaptive e-learning. Various techniques have been generated for collecting data about students’ characteristics and integrated into e-learning systems

Research and design challenges for developing personalised eLearning systems

While E-learning technologies are continuously developing, there are number of emerging issues and challenges that have significant impact on e-learning research and design. These include educational, technological, sociological, and psychological viewpoints. The extant literature points out that a large number of existing E-learning systems have problems with offering reusable, personalized and learner-centric content. While developers are placing emphasis on the technology aspects of e-learning, critical conceptual and pedagogical issues are often ignored. This paper will reports on our research in design and development of personalised e-learning systems and some of the challenges and issues faced

Sustainable Adoption of E-Learning from the TAM Perspective

This study investigates the imperative to adopt e-learning and how it influences educational process sustainability. For developing countries, adopting e-learning has always been a challenge because of the lack of mechanisms due to the resistance of teachers and students, low level of information and communication technology (ICT) literacy, and lack of ICT infrastructure. A quantitative research methodology was used by applying a hypothesized extended model of the technology acceptance model (TAM) for the adoption of e-learning. The factors were investigated by analyzing the intentions of 367 students and teachers. Data were collected through an online questionnaire. This study aims to identify the factors that influence students’ and teachers’ attitudes toward the adoption of sustainable e-learning and illustrate the moderating role of the mentality acceptance factor in the relationship between system trust and interaction, on the one hand, and PU and PEOU on the other. Findings of the study indicated that all TAM constructs significantly impact the BI of e-learning use. Additionally, the results showed that mentality acceptance substantially moderates the relationship between system trust and interaction, on the one hand, and PU and PEOU on the other. These findings suggest that educational institutions should focus on factors influencing teachers’ and students’ attitudes toward adopting and using e-learning services. Lack of internet connection, ICT skills, and technology capabilities are the main issues, and the main TAM constructs of all factors