Pub Date : 2023-10-17DOI: 10.1108/aaouj-02-2023-0026
Shabir Ahmed Wani, Ali Asgar, Manjulika Srivastava
Purpose This paper presents the features and relevance of open distance learning in the context of the socio-economic conditions of people living in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) in India. Although the primary purpose of the present study was to ascertain the effectiveness of the learner support services (LSSs) and different facilities offered by the open distance learning (ODL) institutions in that specific region. On the basis of these findings, few suggestions are made for the improvement in the support services, in order to make the ODL system more responsive to the area-specific needs of the learners, especially those residing in inaccessible areas such as J&K. Design/methodology/approach A survey-based descriptive methodology was applied to conduct this study. The data extracted from primary and secondary sources were analysed to reach certain conclusions. In total, 1,200 distance learners constituted the sample of the research. A semi-structured questionnaire was designed and distributed amongst learners and academics in the region to obtain their feedback and opinion on different aspects of support services and facilities offered to ODL learners. Findings Results of the study revealed that overall, the LSSs were satisfactory on different parameters, although they slightly varied from institution to institution. However, there was still scope for improvement in certain areas, where institutions further need to make serious efforts to address the identified gaps for improving the LSS and make teaching-learning more learner-centric in view of their specific requirements and local circumstances of J&K. Research limitations/implications The present study focusses on presenting an overview of the only major components of LSS offered by ODL institutions and covers six distance education institutions (DEIs) located in different geographical locations within the limited jurisdiction of J&K. There is still scope to make focused (institution-wise) studies in a more specific situation and context to ascertain the problems in a more realistic way. Practical implications Although the study has been conducted in a specific territory of J&K, the findings reported in the paper may be equally useful for the other ODL institutions with similar characteristics or located in similar geographical locations, as support services are essential common components of institutions offering distance education programmes or courses. Originality/value The study is original research work conducted in the specific context of J&K, and its findings are based on the primary and secondary data collected from learners and other stakeholders of the selected ODL institutions. This work may be significant for the DEIs of J&K to get familiar with the essential components of LSS and develop a mechanism to further improve the academic and administrative support services for distance learners.
{"title":"Learner support services at distance higher education institutions in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir","authors":"Shabir Ahmed Wani, Ali Asgar, Manjulika Srivastava","doi":"10.1108/aaouj-02-2023-0026","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/aaouj-02-2023-0026","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose This paper presents the features and relevance of open distance learning in the context of the socio-economic conditions of people living in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) in India. Although the primary purpose of the present study was to ascertain the effectiveness of the learner support services (LSSs) and different facilities offered by the open distance learning (ODL) institutions in that specific region. On the basis of these findings, few suggestions are made for the improvement in the support services, in order to make the ODL system more responsive to the area-specific needs of the learners, especially those residing in inaccessible areas such as J&K. Design/methodology/approach A survey-based descriptive methodology was applied to conduct this study. The data extracted from primary and secondary sources were analysed to reach certain conclusions. In total, 1,200 distance learners constituted the sample of the research. A semi-structured questionnaire was designed and distributed amongst learners and academics in the region to obtain their feedback and opinion on different aspects of support services and facilities offered to ODL learners. Findings Results of the study revealed that overall, the LSSs were satisfactory on different parameters, although they slightly varied from institution to institution. However, there was still scope for improvement in certain areas, where institutions further need to make serious efforts to address the identified gaps for improving the LSS and make teaching-learning more learner-centric in view of their specific requirements and local circumstances of J&K. Research limitations/implications The present study focusses on presenting an overview of the only major components of LSS offered by ODL institutions and covers six distance education institutions (DEIs) located in different geographical locations within the limited jurisdiction of J&K. There is still scope to make focused (institution-wise) studies in a more specific situation and context to ascertain the problems in a more realistic way. Practical implications Although the study has been conducted in a specific territory of J&K, the findings reported in the paper may be equally useful for the other ODL institutions with similar characteristics or located in similar geographical locations, as support services are essential common components of institutions offering distance education programmes or courses. Originality/value The study is original research work conducted in the specific context of J&K, and its findings are based on the primary and secondary data collected from learners and other stakeholders of the selected ODL institutions. This work may be significant for the DEIs of J&K to get familiar with the essential components of LSS and develop a mechanism to further improve the academic and administrative support services for distance learners.","PeriodicalId":32802,"journal":{"name":"AAOU Journal","volume":"18 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135944647","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-10-13DOI: 10.1108/aaouj-04-2023-0051
Selena Killick
Purpose The Open University (OU) in the UK has been providing distance learning since 1969. The purpose of this case study is to outline the impact that The OU Library in the UK has had on student learning outcomes by embedding academic literature and digital and information literacy (DIL) skills materials in the curriculum. Design/methodology/approach The case study presents an overview of the university context, including how the curriculum is developed. It discusses the role of the library in this process, outlining how librarians work with academic staff to embed skills and literature in the curriculum. Unique in-house technical solutions are presented to aid future approaches to providing distance library services. Findings The impact of the library on university education is discussed. Findings from qualitative research are presented, outlining the value the university places on the role of the library as an educational partner. Quantitative research studies are also presented, outlining the positive relationships between library content access and training attendance with student success. Practical implications As universities are considering their distance-learning offerings post-COVID-19, it is hoped that this case study will help both library and university administrators examine the role of their libraries in this strategy. Originality/value A case study on the approach The OU Library takes to support education in its broadest sense has not been published before.
{"title":"The library's influence and impact on learning: a case study from The Open University (UK)","authors":"Selena Killick","doi":"10.1108/aaouj-04-2023-0051","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/aaouj-04-2023-0051","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose The Open University (OU) in the UK has been providing distance learning since 1969. The purpose of this case study is to outline the impact that The OU Library in the UK has had on student learning outcomes by embedding academic literature and digital and information literacy (DIL) skills materials in the curriculum. Design/methodology/approach The case study presents an overview of the university context, including how the curriculum is developed. It discusses the role of the library in this process, outlining how librarians work with academic staff to embed skills and literature in the curriculum. Unique in-house technical solutions are presented to aid future approaches to providing distance library services. Findings The impact of the library on university education is discussed. Findings from qualitative research are presented, outlining the value the university places on the role of the library as an educational partner. Quantitative research studies are also presented, outlining the positive relationships between library content access and training attendance with student success. Practical implications As universities are considering their distance-learning offerings post-COVID-19, it is hoped that this case study will help both library and university administrators examine the role of their libraries in this strategy. Originality/value A case study on the approach The OU Library takes to support education in its broadest sense has not been published before.","PeriodicalId":32802,"journal":{"name":"AAOU Journal","volume":"136 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135804776","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Purpose The authors constructed an automatic essay scoring (AES) model in a discussion forum where the result was compared with scores given by human evaluators. This research proposes essay scoring, which is conducted through two parameters, semantic and keyword similarities, using a SentenceTransformers pre-trained model that can construct the highest vector embedding. Combining these models is used to optimize the model with increasing accuracy. Design/methodology/approach The development of the model in the study is divided into seven stages: (1) data collection, (2) pre-processing data, (3) selected pre-trained SentenceTransformers model, (4) semantic similarity (sentence pair), (5) keyword similarity, (6) calculate final score and (7) evaluating model. Findings The multilingual paraphrase-multilingual-MiniLM-L12-v2 and distilbert-base-multilingual-cased-v1 models got the highest scores from comparisons of 11 pre-trained multilingual models of SentenceTransformers with Indonesian data (Dhini and Girsang, 2023). Both multilingual models were adopted in this study. A combination of two parameters is obtained by comparing the response of the keyword extraction responses with the rubric keywords. Based on the experimental results, proposing a combination can increase the evaluation results by 0.2. Originality/value This study uses discussion forum data from the general biology course in online learning at the open university for the 2020.2 and 2021.2 semesters. Forum discussion ratings are still manual. In this survey, the authors created a model that automatically calculates the value of discussion forums, which are essays based on the lecturer's answers moreover rubrics.
{"title":"Automatic essay scoring for discussion forum in online learning based on semantic and keyword similarities","authors":"Bachriah Fatwa Dhini, Abba Suganda Girsang, Unggul Utan Sufandi, Heny Kurniawati","doi":"10.1108/aaouj-02-2023-0027","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/aaouj-02-2023-0027","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose The authors constructed an automatic essay scoring (AES) model in a discussion forum where the result was compared with scores given by human evaluators. This research proposes essay scoring, which is conducted through two parameters, semantic and keyword similarities, using a SentenceTransformers pre-trained model that can construct the highest vector embedding. Combining these models is used to optimize the model with increasing accuracy. Design/methodology/approach The development of the model in the study is divided into seven stages: (1) data collection, (2) pre-processing data, (3) selected pre-trained SentenceTransformers model, (4) semantic similarity (sentence pair), (5) keyword similarity, (6) calculate final score and (7) evaluating model. Findings The multilingual paraphrase-multilingual-MiniLM-L12-v2 and distilbert-base-multilingual-cased-v1 models got the highest scores from comparisons of 11 pre-trained multilingual models of SentenceTransformers with Indonesian data (Dhini and Girsang, 2023). Both multilingual models were adopted in this study. A combination of two parameters is obtained by comparing the response of the keyword extraction responses with the rubric keywords. Based on the experimental results, proposing a combination can increase the evaluation results by 0.2. Originality/value This study uses discussion forum data from the general biology course in online learning at the open university for the 2020.2 and 2021.2 semesters. Forum discussion ratings are still manual. In this survey, the authors created a model that automatically calculates the value of discussion forums, which are essays based on the lecturer's answers moreover rubrics.","PeriodicalId":32802,"journal":{"name":"AAOU Journal","volume":"13 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136059222","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-10-02DOI: 10.1108/aaouj-11-2022-0163
Razia Fakir Mohammad, Mahwish Kamran
Purpose This research aims to understand how satisfied students were with their online learning experience and how actively engaged they were in their studies. Design/methodology/approach To study the breadth and depth of students' experiences and fully address the research aims, the researchers utilized a mixed method. Through a survey questionnaire with both closed-ended and open-ended questions, student responses were gathered. On a five-point Likert scale, the closed-ended questions were co-constructed. The research participants included students attending Pakistan's private university in Karachi. Participants from all programs were the authors' focus (i.e. undergraduate and graduate). A total of 552 students completed the survey questionnaire. Findings The study reveals students' level of satisfaction with their online encounters. Contextual restrictions, such as power outages, bad internet, a lack of a private place and administrative problems, make it difficult to access and connect during learning sessions. Additionally, the student's perception of online learning as being more secure and safe in terms of their physical safety was an intriguing finding. They also see the integration of online and in-person learning as advantageous because it might reduce travel expenses and time while also giving them access to independent study resources. Given its many benefits, this research supports the use of online learning in higher education. Online education promotes a healthy mix of teacher- and student-centered instruction. Research limitations/implications Moreover, the findings indicate that effective non-verbal communication occurs when students interact with a teacher and colleague face-to-face. In a face-to-face teaching situation, good body language may inspire, engage and motivate students. Better learning outcomes result from being able to interpret people's body language, whether it be eye contact or posture, and alter the topic and approach. Keeping in view the recent nature of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, no research has been carried out on this topic to date or on such a wide-scale transition to online learning, specifically in the context of higher education in Pakistan (Dincer, 2018). This research is unique in its kind as it focuses on the impact of online learning on the affective domain as well. Practical implications Given the contextual concerns, teachers must find alternative educational insights that will enable students to reduce listening demands, improve self-learning and promote engagement. Social implications Therefore, in the authors' context, it is a unique finding that students felt socially isolated. While numerous studies have examined anxiety, still there is still a dearth of literature regarding stress factors (Dincer, 2018). The current study provided substantial information on the impact of online learning on students' stress levels, and the consequence is that they were strained out becau
{"title":"Examining the efficacy of online learning in nurturing students' learning: an analysis of students' experiences","authors":"Razia Fakir Mohammad, Mahwish Kamran","doi":"10.1108/aaouj-11-2022-0163","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/aaouj-11-2022-0163","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose This research aims to understand how satisfied students were with their online learning experience and how actively engaged they were in their studies. Design/methodology/approach To study the breadth and depth of students' experiences and fully address the research aims, the researchers utilized a mixed method. Through a survey questionnaire with both closed-ended and open-ended questions, student responses were gathered. On a five-point Likert scale, the closed-ended questions were co-constructed. The research participants included students attending Pakistan's private university in Karachi. Participants from all programs were the authors' focus (i.e. undergraduate and graduate). A total of 552 students completed the survey questionnaire. Findings The study reveals students' level of satisfaction with their online encounters. Contextual restrictions, such as power outages, bad internet, a lack of a private place and administrative problems, make it difficult to access and connect during learning sessions. Additionally, the student's perception of online learning as being more secure and safe in terms of their physical safety was an intriguing finding. They also see the integration of online and in-person learning as advantageous because it might reduce travel expenses and time while also giving them access to independent study resources. Given its many benefits, this research supports the use of online learning in higher education. Online education promotes a healthy mix of teacher- and student-centered instruction. Research limitations/implications Moreover, the findings indicate that effective non-verbal communication occurs when students interact with a teacher and colleague face-to-face. In a face-to-face teaching situation, good body language may inspire, engage and motivate students. Better learning outcomes result from being able to interpret people's body language, whether it be eye contact or posture, and alter the topic and approach. Keeping in view the recent nature of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, no research has been carried out on this topic to date or on such a wide-scale transition to online learning, specifically in the context of higher education in Pakistan (Dincer, 2018). This research is unique in its kind as it focuses on the impact of online learning on the affective domain as well. Practical implications Given the contextual concerns, teachers must find alternative educational insights that will enable students to reduce listening demands, improve self-learning and promote engagement. Social implications Therefore, in the authors' context, it is a unique finding that students felt socially isolated. While numerous studies have examined anxiety, still there is still a dearth of literature regarding stress factors (Dincer, 2018). The current study provided substantial information on the impact of online learning on students' stress levels, and the consequence is that they were strained out becau","PeriodicalId":32802,"journal":{"name":"AAOU Journal","volume":"114 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135790588","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-09-29DOI: 10.1108/aaouj-01-2023-0001
Antara Mahanta Barua, Sruti Sruba Bharali
Purpose The purpose of the case study is to investigate the perception of computer science learners at Krishna Kanta Handiqui State Open University (KKHSOU) regarding the use of gamification and to identify the challenges in implementing gamified teaching-learning processes in open and distance learning (ODL) institutions. Design/methodology/approach The case study was carried out by observing the views of the learners on the use of gamification in distance learning and studying the participation level of computer science learners before and after the gamification environment was added to a specific topic through the learning management system (LMS). The pre-game and post-game effects on learners' participation against various factors using t -tests were also investigated in this study. Findings The study reveals that gamification had a positive and highly significant influence on the learners' participation and engagement in the e-content provided via the LMS. The post-gamification mean score (5.62) was higher than the pre-gamification mean score (2.36), and the overall paired t -test (5.301) value was significant at the 1% level of significance. Some of the challenges faced during the study were communication with the learner, lack of technical skills of the learner, duration of study, etc. Originality/value This study will help in understanding the perception and effect of gamification on computer science learners in ODL mode in India. The study succeeded in demonstrating that the use of gamified elements results in increased learner participation.
本案例研究的目的是调查Krishna Kanta Handiqui州立开放大学(kkhsu)计算机科学学习者对游戏化使用的看法，并确定在开放和远程学习(ODL)机构中实施游戏化教学过程的挑战。案例研究通过观察学习者对在远程学习中使用游戏化的看法，研究通过学习管理系统(LMS)将游戏化环境添加到特定主题之前和之后计算机科学学习者的参与水平来进行。本研究亦采用t检验探讨游戏前及游戏后对不同因素对学习者参与的影响。研究发现，游戏化对学习者对LMS提供的电子内容的参与和投入产生了积极而显著的影响。游戏化后的平均得分(5.62)高于游戏化前的平均得分(2.36)，配对t检验的总体值(5.301)在1%的显著水平上具有显著性。在学习过程中面临的一些挑战是与学习者的沟通，学习者缺乏技术技能，学习时间等。原创性/价值本研究将有助于理解游戏化对印度ODL模式计算机科学学习者的感知和影响。该研究成功地证明了游戏化元素的使用提高了学习者的参与度。
{"title":"Gamification and its challenges in e-learning: a case study of computer science learners in KKHSOU","authors":"Antara Mahanta Barua, Sruti Sruba Bharali","doi":"10.1108/aaouj-01-2023-0001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/aaouj-01-2023-0001","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose The purpose of the case study is to investigate the perception of computer science learners at Krishna Kanta Handiqui State Open University (KKHSOU) regarding the use of gamification and to identify the challenges in implementing gamified teaching-learning processes in open and distance learning (ODL) institutions. Design/methodology/approach The case study was carried out by observing the views of the learners on the use of gamification in distance learning and studying the participation level of computer science learners before and after the gamification environment was added to a specific topic through the learning management system (LMS). The pre-game and post-game effects on learners' participation against various factors using t -tests were also investigated in this study. Findings The study reveals that gamification had a positive and highly significant influence on the learners' participation and engagement in the e-content provided via the LMS. The post-gamification mean score (5.62) was higher than the pre-gamification mean score (2.36), and the overall paired t -test (5.301) value was significant at the 1% level of significance. Some of the challenges faced during the study were communication with the learner, lack of technical skills of the learner, duration of study, etc. Originality/value This study will help in understanding the perception and effect of gamification on computer science learners in ODL mode in India. The study succeeded in demonstrating that the use of gamified elements results in increased learner participation.","PeriodicalId":32802,"journal":{"name":"AAOU Journal","volume":"4 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135132971","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-09-22DOI: 10.1108/aaouj-11-2022-0166
David C.L. Lim, Olaf Zawacki-Richter, Insung Jung
Purpose This paper engages Olaf Zawacki-Richter and Insung Jung in a frank and penetrating conversation that seeks to ground, frame, and problematise research in the field conceptualised as “open, distance and digital education” (ODDE). Taking as starting point the recent publication of the landmark Handbook of Open, Distance, and Digital Education (2022), it segues into a broad critique of the shortcomings of ODDE research, the importance of knowledge production on the meso- and macro-levels, the autonomy of ODDE as a field coming into its own, the place of postfoundationalism in ODDE discourse, and related topics that are pivotal in ODDE today. Design/methodology/approach The semi-structured interview was employed as the primary qualitative research method. Findings The research imperative of the relatively young but complex field of ODDE today is not the incessant reiteration of the same but rather a strategic reorientation that, first, circumvents the well-documented yet too-often-overlooked shortcomings of ODDE research and, second, promotes transboundary collaborations with the potential for system-wide impact. Originality/value This novel interview-based critique of ODDE research demonstrates that extending the scholarly discourse beyond the conventional report format is a productive method for enriching conversations on ODDE and vitalising the field itself.
{"title":"Grounding, framing, and problematising research in online, distance and digital education (ODDE)","authors":"David C.L. Lim, Olaf Zawacki-Richter, Insung Jung","doi":"10.1108/aaouj-11-2022-0166","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/aaouj-11-2022-0166","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose This paper engages Olaf Zawacki-Richter and Insung Jung in a frank and penetrating conversation that seeks to ground, frame, and problematise research in the field conceptualised as “open, distance and digital education” (ODDE). Taking as starting point the recent publication of the landmark Handbook of Open, Distance, and Digital Education (2022), it segues into a broad critique of the shortcomings of ODDE research, the importance of knowledge production on the meso- and macro-levels, the autonomy of ODDE as a field coming into its own, the place of postfoundationalism in ODDE discourse, and related topics that are pivotal in ODDE today. Design/methodology/approach The semi-structured interview was employed as the primary qualitative research method. Findings The research imperative of the relatively young but complex field of ODDE today is not the incessant reiteration of the same but rather a strategic reorientation that, first, circumvents the well-documented yet too-often-overlooked shortcomings of ODDE research and, second, promotes transboundary collaborations with the potential for system-wide impact. Originality/value This novel interview-based critique of ODDE research demonstrates that extending the scholarly discourse beyond the conventional report format is a productive method for enriching conversations on ODDE and vitalising the field itself.","PeriodicalId":32802,"journal":{"name":"AAOU Journal","volume":"61 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136011664","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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