This paper presents a fully online course model for teaching speaking and listening skills for students learning Arabic as a foreign language at the International Peace College South Africa on the NEO learning management platform. It also investigates the students' attitudes towards the course. The course was developed by the researcher during the first semester of 2020. This period coincided with South Africa’s first wave of COVID-19, and the country’s first strict lockdown. The syllabus consists of three components: listening, speaking and conversational Arabic. It includes various technology-enhanced activities and resources which were developed by using LMS features, Web 2.0 tools, and e-learning specifications such as Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) and Shareable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM). The integration of technology in the course is based on an approach that combines Bloom's taxonomy and Technology Integration Matrix (TIM). Apart from the description of the course, this study used a thirty-item questionnaire to investigate the attitudes of thirty-one learners who participated in the course. They answered questions about the course’s resources, activities as well as its impact on their language skills. Results from the questionnaire revealed that the respondents' attitudes towards the online course were positive and statistically significant at p < .05. The design and the approach adopted in this study can apply to any context of language teaching. It provides a myriad of technology-enhanced activities that can be effectively used to teach listening and speaking skills virtually. Foreign language teachers can adopt this approach in its entirety, or with idiosyncratic modifications to design their language courses, irrespective of the virtual learning ecology (VLE) they use.
{"title":"Designing an Arabic Speaking and Listening Skills E- Course: Resources, Activities and Students' Perceptions","authors":"T. Mohammed","doi":"10.34190/ejel.20.1.2177","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.34190/ejel.20.1.2177","url":null,"abstract":"This paper presents a fully online course model for teaching speaking and listening skills for students learning Arabic as a foreign language at the International Peace College South Africa on the NEO learning management platform. It also investigates the students' attitudes towards the course. The course was developed by the researcher during the first semester of 2020. This period coincided with South Africa’s first wave of COVID-19, and the country’s first strict lockdown. The syllabus consists of three components: listening, speaking and conversational Arabic. It includes various technology-enhanced activities and resources which were developed by using LMS features, Web 2.0 tools, and e-learning specifications such as Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) and Shareable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM). The integration of technology in the course is based on an approach that combines Bloom's taxonomy and Technology Integration Matrix (TIM). Apart from the description of the course, this study used a thirty-item questionnaire to investigate the attitudes of thirty-one learners who participated in the course. They answered questions about the course’s resources, activities as well as its impact on their language skills. Results from the questionnaire revealed that the respondents' attitudes towards the online course were positive and statistically significant at p < .05. The design and the approach adopted in this study can apply to any context of language teaching. It provides a myriad of technology-enhanced activities that can be effectively used to teach listening and speaking skills virtually. Foreign language teachers can adopt this approach in its entirety, or with idiosyncratic modifications to design their language courses, irrespective of the virtual learning ecology (VLE) they use.","PeriodicalId":46105,"journal":{"name":"Electronic Journal of e-Learning","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2022-01-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44888793","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}
The study discusses the online teaching and learning of Arabic in order to evaluate students’ difficulties and the way in which to approach this language in an interactive way, overcoming the barriers of computer screens. Nevertheless, e-learning is the future of education and it is crucial to offer a quality education, implementing emotional learning consciousness within the academic community. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted practically every country in the world. It created an extremely difficult global situation, and humanity found itself faced with an emergency state of working online and swiftly adapting its routine to a new reality. This was certainly the case in Spain when, in mid-March 2020, students were forced to study from home and teachers to teach at a distance. COVID-19 - and its related restrictions arrived suddenly, and there was little to no time to acclimatise to the new way of studying. The objective of this study is to analyse the difficulties faced by students of Arabic as a foreign language, and to offer some recommendations to improve online teaching, applying the communicative framework, combined with the importance of introducing the psychology theories and emotional education which is key to obtaining positive results. First, the topic is introduced, then the way to teach and learn the Arabic language online is discussed. Afterwards, the methodology is defined, highlighting the relation between emotional education and the Communicative Approach. A hypothetical-deductive method is applied to this analysis. A questionnaire is responded to by students of the Arabic language in Spanish universities in order to get an insight into their difficulties when learning online. A qualitative study is carried out in order to analyse the problems faced by the students and offer some possible recommendations to improve the quality teaching of Arabic as a foreign language, based on the perceptions of the students, taking into account the social context experienced during the 2020-2021 academic year.
{"title":"Education and COVID-19: Learning Arabic Language and Perspectives","authors":"Nassima Kerras, Moulay Lahssan Baya Essayahi","doi":"10.34190/ejel.20.1.1976","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.34190/ejel.20.1.1976","url":null,"abstract":"The study discusses the online teaching and learning of Arabic in order to evaluate students’ difficulties and the way in which to approach this language in an interactive way, overcoming the barriers of computer screens. Nevertheless, e-learning is the future of education and it is crucial to offer a quality education, implementing emotional learning consciousness within the academic community. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted practically every country in the world. It created an extremely difficult global situation, and humanity found itself faced with an emergency state of working online and swiftly adapting its routine to a new reality. This was certainly the case in Spain when, in mid-March 2020, students were forced to study from home and teachers to teach at a distance. COVID-19 - and its related restrictions arrived suddenly, and there was little to no time to acclimatise to the new way of studying. The objective of this study is to analyse the difficulties faced by students of Arabic as a foreign language, and to offer some recommendations to improve online teaching, applying the communicative framework, combined with the importance of introducing the psychology theories and emotional education which is key to obtaining positive results. First, the topic is introduced, then the way to teach and learn the Arabic language online is discussed. Afterwards, the methodology is defined, highlighting the relation between emotional education and the Communicative Approach. A hypothetical-deductive method is applied to this analysis. A questionnaire is responded to by students of the Arabic language in Spanish universities in order to get an insight into their difficulties when learning online. A qualitative study is carried out in order to analyse the problems faced by the students and offer some possible recommendations to improve the quality teaching of Arabic as a foreign language, based on the perceptions of the students, taking into account the social context experienced during the 2020-2021 academic year. ","PeriodicalId":46105,"journal":{"name":"Electronic Journal of e-Learning","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2022-01-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41451988","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}
Abstract: The Covid-19 pandemic has radically changed and disrupted education; colleges and universities have closed their campuses, and many have shifted to online courses. In the pre-pandemic era, online classes were associated with several benefits and challenges, and the pandemic might have brought additional benefits and obstacles. This research examined students’ perceptions of online classes during the pandemic. The study looked at four aspects: perceived benefits of online classes; perceived challenges; beliefs and an overall evaluation; and potential improvements. An online questionnaire was administrated to some first- and second-year undergraduate students at a College in China. It combined a set of 23 closed-ended and open-ended questions and 342 valid and complete responses were collected. Perceived benefits included creating a digital learning community, improving students’ digital learning skills, and staying connected during tough times. Challenges comprised adaptability issues due to the sudden shift to online classes, time-management issues, being distracted by social media plus technological obstacles. Regarding beliefs, students believed that a blended model that combines both classroom and online modes is necessary for the post-pandemic era. To enhance the sustainability of online classes in the post-pandemic era, a set of improvements are explored and suggested.
{"title":"The Shift to Online Classes during the Covid-19 pandemic: Benefits, Challenges, and Required Improvements from the Students’ Perspective","authors":"Dan Li","doi":"10.34190/ejel.20.1.2106","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.34190/ejel.20.1.2106","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract: The Covid-19 pandemic has radically changed and disrupted education; colleges and universities have closed their campuses, and many have shifted to online courses. In the pre-pandemic era, online classes were associated with several benefits and challenges, and the pandemic might have brought additional benefits and obstacles. This research examined students’ perceptions of online classes during the pandemic. The study looked at four aspects: perceived benefits of online classes; perceived challenges; beliefs and an overall evaluation; and potential improvements. An online questionnaire was administrated to some first- and second-year undergraduate students at a College in China. It combined a set of 23 closed-ended and open-ended questions and 342 valid and complete responses were collected. Perceived benefits included creating a digital learning community, improving students’ digital learning skills, and staying connected during tough times. Challenges comprised adaptability issues due to the sudden shift to online classes, time-management issues, being distracted by social media plus technological obstacles. Regarding beliefs, students believed that a blended model that combines both classroom and online modes is necessary for the post-pandemic era. To enhance the sustainability of online classes in the post-pandemic era, a set of improvements are explored and suggested.","PeriodicalId":46105,"journal":{"name":"Electronic Journal of e-Learning","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2022-01-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44632295","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}
L. Alexa, S. Avasilcai, M. Pîslaru, A. Bujor, E. Avram, L. Lucescu
The Covid-19 pandemic is the most disturbing event in the lifetime of most of our planet’s citizens. The lockdown measures directly impacted many areas of our lives, including the educational sector, because locking down countries meant implicitly locking down the educational system. Moreover, what was first considered a temporary solution for an extraordinary situation began to look more and more like a medium to long-term general rule. Nevertheless, the questions are: are we all ready to move the entire educational process online and fully understand the challenges and implications for all stakeholders involved? This two-part research aims to provide some answers to these questions by identifying and analyzing the perceptions of Romanian engineering students enrolled at “Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University of Iasi (TUIASI) regarding the changes registered in the past year once the emergency e-learning situation started. The first part of the research was conducted between April and May 2020 through an online survey among 134 engineering students. It aimed at identifying the students’ perception of the online learning systems provided by their university, considering the significant speed with which changes were imposed. In addition, this research phase focused on students’ access to resources and knowledge to use and integrate online learning into their study routine. The second part of the research was carried out after almost a year of e-learning between March and April 2021 and consisted of six online focus groups with 36 students and aimed at identifying the main advantages and challenges students experience throughout the online educational process. The research revealed that although students are digital natives, they still have difficulties harnessing e-learning’s advantages and integrating them into their study routine. Another significant aspect refers to the changing role of the professor perceived not only as an instructor but as a mentor during a time of crisis. The study results can offer higher education institutions insight and valuable information that can be used in designing and implementing online and hybrid activities and classes that better fit the students’ needs and expectations in terms of e-learning.
{"title":"Exploring Romanian Engineering Students’ Perceptions of Covid-19 Emergency e-Learning Situation. A Mixed-Method Case Study","authors":"L. Alexa, S. Avasilcai, M. Pîslaru, A. Bujor, E. Avram, L. Lucescu","doi":"10.34190/ejel.20.1.2190","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.34190/ejel.20.1.2190","url":null,"abstract":"The Covid-19 pandemic is the most disturbing event in the lifetime of most of our planet’s citizens. The lockdown measures directly impacted many areas of our lives, including the educational sector, because locking down countries meant implicitly locking down the educational system. Moreover, what was first considered a temporary solution for an extraordinary situation began to look more and more like a medium to long-term general rule. Nevertheless, the questions are: are we all ready to move the entire educational process online and fully understand the challenges and implications for all stakeholders involved? This two-part research aims to provide some answers to these questions by identifying and analyzing the perceptions of Romanian engineering students enrolled at “Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University of Iasi (TUIASI) regarding the changes registered in the past year once the emergency e-learning situation started. The first part of the research was conducted between April and May 2020 through an online survey among 134 engineering students. It aimed at identifying the students’ perception of the online learning systems provided by their university, considering the significant speed with which changes were imposed. In addition, this research phase focused on students’ access to resources and knowledge to use and integrate online learning into their study routine. The second part of the research was carried out after almost a year of e-learning between March and April 2021 and consisted of six online focus groups with 36 students and aimed at identifying the main advantages and challenges students experience throughout the online educational process. The research revealed that although students are digital natives, they still have difficulties harnessing e-learning’s advantages and integrating them into their study routine. Another significant aspect refers to the changing role of the professor perceived not only as an instructor but as a mentor during a time of crisis. The study results can offer higher education institutions insight and valuable information that can be used in designing and implementing online and hybrid activities and classes that better fit the students’ needs and expectations in terms of e-learning.","PeriodicalId":46105,"journal":{"name":"Electronic Journal of e-Learning","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2022-01-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47896997","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}
A surge of literature documenting myriad challenges being faced online during the COVID pandemic strongly suggests that e-learning scholarship has fallen short of conveying an understanding of how to build highly effective e-learning spaces. Recent stories from practitioners abound with reports of absenteeism, cameras and microphones turned off, inaction in forums and a general reticence on the part of learners to engage online. Where have we missed the mark in our efforts to have contemporary e-learning theory affect online practice? Scholarship is indicating that the root of the disconnect often lies in the conventional instructional designs being used in these spaces and the teaching, learning and assessment practices they support. In response to such issues, we conducted a qualitative action research initiative to apply an instructional design (ID) model, based on contemporary learning theories and goals, in a teacher education program in Chile. The study took place in 2020 over 2 academic semesters. In this study, we focussed on the impact of these changes on a small group of first-year Pre-service Teachers (PSTs, n=17), experiencing online learning for the first time. Pre and post interviews, an open-ended questionnaire, field notes from self-assessment portfolios and observations of the digital environment were used to collect data. We also draw on two other data sources in the same context: 1) an earlier report of this initiative that focussed on the Teacher Educators (TEs) in the same program (n=4), and 2) survey data collected in a preparatory stage of the action research on the experiences of the greater university student body (n=1,054). Evidence revealed that initially learners’ epistemological views were heavily influenced by the teacher-centric and content-driven pedagogies of earlier schooling. Yet, results also showed that the contemporary learning design framework had positive implications for many students’ social, cognitive, and metacognitive competencies. Clear signs of more active investment in social interactive learning online on the part of the PSTs and of flexible, self-directed behaviours were evidenced. The results of this study provide an empirically based practical solution for connecting current learning theory to practice in online contexts, solutions that could endure even once the challenges of the pandemic crisis are behind us.
{"title":"Finally in the spotlight: How contemporary learning theory is saving education online during COVID","authors":"Paula Charbonneau-Gowdy","doi":"10.34190/ejel.19.6.2199","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.34190/ejel.19.6.2199","url":null,"abstract":"A surge of literature documenting myriad challenges being faced online during the COVID pandemic strongly suggests that e-learning scholarship has fallen short of conveying an understanding of how to build highly effective e-learning spaces. Recent stories from practitioners abound with reports of absenteeism, cameras and microphones turned off, inaction in forums and a general reticence on the part of learners to engage online. Where have we missed the mark in our efforts to have contemporary e-learning theory affect online practice? Scholarship is indicating that the root of the disconnect often lies in the conventional instructional designs being used in these spaces and the teaching, learning and assessment practices they support. In response to such issues, we conducted a qualitative action research initiative to apply an instructional design (ID) model, based on contemporary learning theories and goals, in a teacher education program in Chile. The study took place in 2020 over 2 academic semesters. In this study, we focussed on the impact of these changes on a small group of first-year Pre-service Teachers (PSTs, n=17), experiencing online learning for the first time. Pre and post interviews, an open-ended questionnaire, field notes from self-assessment portfolios and observations of the digital environment were used to collect data. We also draw on two other data sources in the same context: 1) an earlier report of this initiative that focussed on the Teacher Educators (TEs) in the same program (n=4), and 2) survey data collected in a preparatory stage of the action research on the experiences of the greater university student body (n=1,054). Evidence revealed that initially learners’ epistemological views were heavily influenced by the teacher-centric and content-driven pedagogies of earlier schooling. Yet, results also showed that the contemporary learning design framework had positive implications for many students’ social, cognitive, and metacognitive competencies. Clear signs of more active investment in social interactive learning online on the part of the PSTs and of flexible, self-directed behaviours were evidenced. The results of this study provide an empirically based practical solution for connecting current learning theory to practice in online contexts, solutions that could endure even once the challenges of the pandemic crisis are behind us.","PeriodicalId":46105,"journal":{"name":"Electronic Journal of e-Learning","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2021-12-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45475065","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}
The integration of technology within higher education, specifically teacher education, has become vital in preparing pre-service teacher for the 21st-century classroom. Literature shows that the integration of technology allows students to engage deeply with content and promote authentic learning. Over two years, pre-service teachers who enrolled for a language education module at a university in South Africa were tasked with designing their own websites using Google Sites – an online, free, collaborative, web-based application that forms part of Google’s G Suite. As part of the website design assignment, they had to include a blog, informative text and a YouTube video explaining a language-teaching-related topic. The study was conducted from an interpretivist paradigm and an embedded mixed-methods research design. The technological pedagogical content knowledge model served as the theoretical framework. Data collected from 214 pre-service teachers revealed that the use of website design pedagogy promoted the integration of different types of knowledge domains, authentic learning and proximal development. The pre-service teachers furthermore reported that the use of website design pedagogy better prepared them for the 21st-century classroom. Challenges that the students experienced included inadequate access to the internet and problems with recording and uploading videos. This study advocates for authentic learning and scaffolding and therefore recommends that higher education institutions integrate technology holistically by adhering to the principles of the technological pedagogical content knowledge model.
{"title":"Technology Integration in Higher Education: The use of Website Design Pedagogy to Promote Quality Teaching and Learning","authors":"Joyce West, Makwalete Malatji","doi":"10.34190/ejel.19.6.2557","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.34190/ejel.19.6.2557","url":null,"abstract":"The integration of technology within higher education, specifically teacher education, has become vital in preparing pre-service teacher for the 21st-century classroom. Literature shows that the integration of technology allows students to engage deeply with content and promote authentic learning. Over two years, pre-service teachers who enrolled for a language education module at a university in South Africa were tasked with designing their own websites using Google Sites – an online, free, collaborative, web-based application that forms part of Google’s G Suite. As part of the website design assignment, they had to include a blog, informative text and a YouTube video explaining a language-teaching-related topic. The study was conducted from an interpretivist paradigm and an embedded mixed-methods research design. The technological pedagogical content knowledge model served as the theoretical framework. Data collected from 214 pre-service teachers revealed that the use of website design pedagogy promoted the integration of different types of knowledge domains, authentic learning and proximal development. The pre-service teachers furthermore reported that the use of website design pedagogy better prepared them for the 21st-century classroom. Challenges that the students experienced included inadequate access to the internet and problems with recording and uploading videos. This study advocates for authentic learning and scaffolding and therefore recommends that higher education institutions integrate technology holistically by adhering to the principles of the technological pedagogical content knowledge model.","PeriodicalId":46105,"journal":{"name":"Electronic Journal of e-Learning","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2021-12-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43311797","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}
Cooperative learning is a learning approach where students are placed into groups to work towards a common goal. Prominent learning theories state that students learn best when they construct their own knowledge in an active learning environment where they can socially interact and collaborate to reach a desired outcome. Cooperative learning provides such a learning environment and has the benefit of creating an active learning community where students can develop transferable skills. Online learning has grown steadily over the past few years, but even more so during the COVID-19 pandemic where tertiary institutions’ only option was to continue with their academic programmes remotely through online learning platforms. With online learning becoming a prominent feature, calls are made to educators to examine teamwork and cooperation and how this can be facilitated in an online setting. In the online learning environment it is important to promote collaborative engagement to counteract feelings of isolation and encourage deep learning to occur. In the second accounting module of a fully online degree, students are exposed to a case study, with a group assignment as well as an individual assignment component. The aim of this study is to determine whether group work can be effective by comparing group marks to individual marks. The study further elicits the perceptions of the online students to determine their views regarding group work, the process that they followed to collaborate, as well as their perceptions regarding skills developed using the case study approach. A mixed-methods approach was followed, using the group and individual marks and combining those with the survey analysis and qualitative data analysis from a questionnaire. It was found that the average mark for the group assignment is higher than for the individual assignment and that the individual assignment shows a greater spread of marks. For male students who prefer to work within a group, their group mark is higher than their individual mark, showing that they did receive the benefit from working within a group. Students agreed that group work is a valuable skill that will be needed in their future careers and that the group work enabled them to learn from their group members. Working in a group requires a lot of time and effort, but students will elicit the strategies required to gain the necessary knowledge and solve the problem posed to them. Students mentioned several other skills that they perceived were developed through their exposure to the group work; skills such as communicating well, listening with intent, negotiating a point of view, researching alternatives and solving a problem were all enhanced through their participation in their groups. The results suggest that group work can be effectively achieved and managed in an online setting, albeit with special care around the logistical and technological challenges that can be experienced. Cooperative learning in the fo
{"title":"The Effectiveness of Cooperative Learning in an Online Learning Environment Through a Comparison of Group and Individual Marks","authors":"M. Malan","doi":"10.34190/ejel.19.6.2238","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.34190/ejel.19.6.2238","url":null,"abstract":"Cooperative learning is a learning approach where students are placed into groups to work towards a common goal. Prominent learning theories state that students learn best when they construct their own knowledge in an active learning environment where they can socially interact and collaborate to reach a desired outcome. Cooperative learning provides such a learning environment and has the benefit of creating an active learning community where students can develop transferable skills. Online learning has grown steadily over the past few years, but even more so during the COVID-19 pandemic where tertiary institutions’ only option was to continue with their academic programmes remotely through online learning platforms. With online learning becoming a prominent feature, calls are made to educators to examine teamwork and cooperation and how this can be facilitated in an online setting. In the online learning environment it is important to promote collaborative engagement to counteract feelings of isolation and encourage deep learning to occur. In the second accounting module of a fully online degree, students are exposed to a case study, with a group assignment as well as an individual assignment component. The aim of this study is to determine whether group work can be effective by comparing group marks to individual marks. The study further elicits the perceptions of the online students to determine their views regarding group work, the process that they followed to collaborate, as well as their perceptions regarding skills developed using the case study approach. A mixed-methods approach was followed, using the group and individual marks and combining those with the survey analysis and qualitative data analysis from a questionnaire. It was found that the average mark for the group assignment is higher than for the individual assignment and that the individual assignment shows a greater spread of marks. For male students who prefer to work within a group, their group mark is higher than their individual mark, showing that they did receive the benefit from working within a group. Students agreed that group work is a valuable skill that will be needed in their future careers and that the group work enabled them to learn from their group members. Working in a group requires a lot of time and effort, but students will elicit the strategies required to gain the necessary knowledge and solve the problem posed to them. Students mentioned several other skills that they perceived were developed through their exposure to the group work; skills such as communicating well, listening with intent, negotiating a point of view, researching alternatives and solving a problem were all enhanced through their participation in their groups. The results suggest that group work can be effectively achieved and managed in an online setting, albeit with special care around the logistical and technological challenges that can be experienced. Cooperative learning in the fo","PeriodicalId":46105,"journal":{"name":"Electronic Journal of e-Learning","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2021-12-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48717208","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}
Although serious games are generally praised by scholars for their potential to enhance teaching and e-learning practices, more empirical evidence is needed to support these accolades. Existing research in this area tends to show that gamified teaching experiences do contribute to significant effects to improve student cognitive, motivational, and behavioural learning outcomes, but these effects are usually small. In addition, less research examines how different types of mediated learning tools compare to one another in influencing student outcomes associated with learning and motivation. As such, a question can be asked in this area: how do video games compare to other types of mediated tools, such as videos or texts, in influencing student emotion outcomes? This study used an experimental design (N = 153) to examine the influence of different types of mass media modalities (text, video, and video game) on college students’ emotions in a mediated learning context. Research examining the impact of video games on instruction has begun to grow, but few studies appropriately acknowledge the nuanced differences between media tools in comparison to one another. Using a media-attributes approach as a lens, this study first compared these mediated tools along the attributional dimensions of textuality, channel, interactivity, and control. This study next tested the impact of each media type on thirteen emotion outcomes. Results showed that six emotion outcomes did not indicate differences between groups (fear, guilt, sadness, shyness, serenity, and general negative emotions). However, six of the tested emotion outcomes did indicate differences between groups with students experiencing higher levels of emotional arousal in both the text and video game conditions (in comparison to the video condition) for the emotions of joviality, self-assurance, attentiveness, surprise, hostility, and general positive emotions. Lastly, students also felt less fatigue in the video game condition. Overall, implications for e-learning suggest that when a message’s content is held constant, both video games and texts may be better in inducing emotional intensity and reducing fatigue than videos alone, which could enhance motivation to learn when teaching is mediated by technology.
{"title":"Student Emotion in Mediated Learning: Comparing a Text, Video, and Video Game","authors":"A. Adams, W. Toh","doi":"10.34190/ejel.19.6.2546","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.34190/ejel.19.6.2546","url":null,"abstract":"Although serious games are generally praised by scholars for their potential to enhance teaching and e-learning practices, more empirical evidence is needed to support these accolades. Existing research in this area tends to show that gamified teaching experiences do contribute to significant effects to improve student cognitive, motivational, and behavioural learning outcomes, but these effects are usually small. In addition, less research examines how different types of mediated learning tools compare to one another in influencing student outcomes associated with learning and motivation. As such, a question can be asked in this area: how do video games compare to other types of mediated tools, such as videos or texts, in influencing student emotion outcomes? This study used an experimental design (N = 153) to examine the influence of different types of mass media modalities (text, video, and video game) on college students’ emotions in a mediated learning context. Research examining the impact of video games on instruction has begun to grow, but few studies appropriately acknowledge the nuanced differences between media tools in comparison to one another. Using a media-attributes approach as a lens, this study first compared these mediated tools along the attributional dimensions of textuality, channel, interactivity, and control. This study next tested the impact of each media type on thirteen emotion outcomes. Results showed that six emotion outcomes did not indicate differences between groups (fear, guilt, sadness, shyness, serenity, and general negative emotions). However, six of the tested emotion outcomes did indicate differences between groups with students experiencing higher levels of emotional arousal in both the text and video game conditions (in comparison to the video condition) for the emotions of joviality, self-assurance, attentiveness, surprise, hostility, and general positive emotions. Lastly, students also felt less fatigue in the video game condition. Overall, implications for e-learning suggest that when a message’s content is held constant, both video games and texts may be better in inducing emotional intensity and reducing fatigue than videos alone, which could enhance motivation to learn when teaching is mediated by technology. ","PeriodicalId":46105,"journal":{"name":"Electronic Journal of e-Learning","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2021-12-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41980689","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}
The research is devoted to the study of the forced and accelerated transition of education to an online environment on the example of learning a foreign language. Despite a large number of studies on e-learning, this study is one of the newest investigating recent education transformation trends. The ultimate goal of this paper was to study changes in students’ assessments of the e-learning process, participation in online-based education, and academic success during the transition to virtual training. The study involved 600 students from 5 private specialized educational institutions located in Moscow (Russian Federation) who were forced to switch to e-learning during the lockdown. The examination was conducted by means of a survey assessing the usefulness, comfort, and acceptability of e-learning in three isolated questions formulated by the authors and measured on a five-point Likert scale. The comparison of its outcomes with the results of objective knowledge tests at the beginning and at the end of the three-month e-learning period revealed the following outcomes. First of all, a decrease in the assessment of the acceptability of continuing e-learning for both genders was noted. According to female respondents, the assessment of the comfort of e-learning decreased significantly (from 3.70 to 3.14 points). In the meantime, the usefulness score dropped notably for both male and female research participants (from 4.10 to 2.98 and from 3.80 to 2.26, respectively). Similar changes were found in four age categories ranging from 20 to 42 years old. Thus, the participants over 30 demonstrated lower final scores. Academic success also decreased in the group of men compared to the group of women. The findings of this study can be practically applied for the further transformation of educational programs and additional preparation of educators with the aim of facilitating learning transition to an online mode. Future research on the topic can be conducted in other regions of the world to obtain more comparative data and investigate different learners’ perceptions.
{"title":"Learning Foreign Languages in a Digital Environment: Learners’ Perception of the Sudden Transition to e-Learning During COVID-19 Lockdown","authors":"M. Ibrahim, N. Spitsyna, Anastasia Isaeva","doi":"10.34190/ejel.19.6.2172","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.34190/ejel.19.6.2172","url":null,"abstract":"The research is devoted to the study of the forced and accelerated transition of education to an online environment on the example of learning a foreign language. Despite a large number of studies on e-learning, this study is one of the newest investigating recent education transformation trends. The ultimate goal of this paper was to study changes in students’ assessments of the e-learning process, participation in online-based education, and academic success during the transition to virtual training. The study involved 600 students from 5 private specialized educational institutions located in Moscow (Russian Federation) who were forced to switch to e-learning during the lockdown. The examination was conducted by means of a survey assessing the usefulness, comfort, and acceptability of e-learning in three isolated questions formulated by the authors and measured on a five-point Likert scale. The comparison of its outcomes with the results of objective knowledge tests at the beginning and at the end of the three-month e-learning period revealed the following outcomes. First of all, a decrease in the assessment of the acceptability of continuing e-learning for both genders was noted. According to female respondents, the assessment of the comfort of e-learning decreased significantly (from 3.70 to 3.14 points). In the meantime, the usefulness score dropped notably for both male and female research participants (from 4.10 to 2.98 and from 3.80 to 2.26, respectively). Similar changes were found in four age categories ranging from 20 to 42 years old. Thus, the participants over 30 demonstrated lower final scores. Academic success also decreased in the group of men compared to the group of women. The findings of this study can be practically applied for the further transformation of educational programs and additional preparation of educators with the aim of facilitating learning transition to an online mode. Future research on the topic can be conducted in other regions of the world to obtain more comparative data and investigate different learners’ perceptions.","PeriodicalId":46105,"journal":{"name":"Electronic Journal of e-Learning","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2021-11-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45016528","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}
Olav Dæhli, B. Kristoffersen, Per Lauvås jr, T. Sandnes
Data modeling is an essential part of IT studies. Learning how to design and structure a database is important when storing data in a relational database and is common practice in the IT industry. Most students need much practice and tutoring to master the skill of data modeling and database design. When a student is in a learning process, feedback is important. As class sizes grow and teaching is no longer campus based only, providing feedback to each individual student may be difficult. Our study proposes a tool to use when introducing database modeling to students. We have developed a web-based tool named LearnER to teach basic data modeling skills, in a collaborative project between the University of South-Eastern Norway (USN) and Kristiania University College (KUC). The tool has been used in six different courses over a period of four academic years. In LearnER, the student solves modeling assignments with different levels of difficulty. When they are done, or they need help, they receive automated feedback including visual cues. To increase the motivation for solving many assignments, LearnER also includes gamifying elements. Each assignment has a maximum score. When students ask for help, points are deducted from the score. When students manage to solve many assignments with little help, they may end up at a leaderboard. This paper tries to summarize how the students use and experience LearnER. We look to see if the students find the exercises interesting, useful and of reasonable difficulty. Further, we investigate if the automated feedback is valuable, and if the gamifying elements contribute to their learning. As we have made additions and refinements to LearnER over several years, we also compare student responses on surveys and interviews during these years. In addition, we analyze usage data extracted from the application to learn more about student activity. The results are promising. We find that student activity increases in newer versions of LearnER. Most students report that the received feedback helps them to correct mistakes when solving modeling assignments. The gamifying elements are also well received. Based on LearnER usage data, we find and describe typical errors the students do and what types of assignments they prefer to solve.
{"title":"Exploring Feedback and Gamification in a Data Modeling Learning Tool","authors":"Olav Dæhli, B. Kristoffersen, Per Lauvås jr, T. Sandnes","doi":"10.34190/ejel.19.6.2501","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.34190/ejel.19.6.2501","url":null,"abstract":"Data modeling is an essential part of IT studies. Learning how to design and structure a database is important when storing data in a relational database and is common practice in the IT industry. Most students need much practice and tutoring to master the skill of data modeling and database design. When a student is in a learning process, feedback is important. As class sizes grow and teaching is no longer campus based only, providing feedback to each individual student may be difficult. Our study proposes a tool to use when introducing database modeling to students. We have developed a web-based tool named LearnER to teach basic data modeling skills, in a collaborative project between the University of South-Eastern Norway (USN) and Kristiania University College (KUC). The tool has been used in six different courses over a period of four academic years. In LearnER, the student solves modeling assignments with different levels of difficulty. When they are done, or they need help, they receive automated feedback including visual cues. To increase the motivation for solving many assignments, LearnER also includes gamifying elements. Each assignment has a maximum score. When students ask for help, points are deducted from the score. When students manage to solve many assignments with little help, they may end up at a leaderboard. This paper tries to summarize how the students use and experience LearnER. We look to see if the students find the exercises interesting, useful and of reasonable difficulty. Further, we investigate if the automated feedback is valuable, and if the gamifying elements contribute to their learning. As we have made additions and refinements to LearnER over several years, we also compare student responses on surveys and interviews during these years. In addition, we analyze usage data extracted from the application to learn more about student activity. The results are promising. We find that student activity increases in newer versions of LearnER. Most students report that the received feedback helps them to correct mistakes when solving modeling assignments. The gamifying elements are also well received. Based on LearnER usage data, we find and describe typical errors the students do and what types of assignments they prefer to solve.","PeriodicalId":46105,"journal":{"name":"Electronic Journal of e-Learning","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2021-11-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43966141","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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