ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Who Am I and What Keeps Me Going? Profiling the Distance Learning Student in Higher Education
Author: Baxter, Jacqueline
Date: 2012-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Higher Education,School Holding Power,Open Universities,Distance Education,Qualitative Research,Institutional Research,Student Motivation,Resilience (Psychology),Academic Persistence,Expectation,Self Concept,Academic Support Services,Electronic Learning,Online Courses,Web Based Instruction,College Students,College Instruction,Educational Environment,Case Studies,Interviews

Student retention and progression has exercised the HE sector for some time now, and there has been much research into the reasons why students drop out of Higher Education courses. (Allen, 2006; Buglear, 2009;). More recently the Higher Education Academy Grants Programme Briefing (HEFCE, 2010), outlined a number of areas that emergent project data revealed as being important to both the retention and progression of students, including areas outlined by a number of researchers as being essential to student success: expectations, support, feedback and involvement. But there has been less research, particularly within the distance learning sector, into factors that encourage students to stay (O'Brien, 2002). This small scale qualitative project using qualitative research methods and based in the Open University UK, builds upon an intensive institutional research project analyzing what type of interventions make a positive difference to student progression and success. The research revealed insights into factors linked to the expectations, identities and support of students which proved influential in terms of their resilience and motivation to remain on course. (Contains 1 figure and 2 footnotes.)
Organizational Factors' Effects on the Success of E-Learning Systems and Organizational Benefits: An Empirical Study in Taiwan
Author: Liu, Ying Chieh
Date: 2012-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Electronic Learning,Information Systems,Information Security,Questionnaires,Organizational Development,Workplace Learning,Corporations,Organizational Culture,Administrative Policy,Systems Approach,Educational Development,Educational Technology,Program Effectiveness,Organizational Theories,Educational Environment,Organizational Climate,Least Squares Statistics

E-learning development for enterprises is still in its infancy in that scholars are still working on identifying the critical success factors for e-learning in organizational contexts. This study presents a framework considering how organizational factors affect the quality and service of e-learning systems and how these factors influence organizational benefits in the view of IS success model and resource-based theory. A questionnaire survey of 120 Taiwanese companies was performed to validate the framework. The results show that top management support, information security policy, and institutional policy are positively related to system quality, while top management support, organizational learning culture, and institutional policy are positively related to system service. Additionally, system service is significantly related to organizational benefits. Our model provides two novel aspects of e-learning study. Firstly, we extend IS success model by incorporating four organizational factors as antecedences influencing system quality and system service. Secondly, the model is framed and examined on an organizational level, which provides a top-down view for managers when designing and implementing e-learning systems in the organizational context. (Contains 3 tables and 2 figures.)
Exploring Learner to Content Interaction as a Success Factor in Online Courses
Author: Zimmerman, Tekeisha Denise
Date: 2012-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Grades (Scholastic),Interaction,Internet,Online Courses,Video Technology,Course Content,Distance Education,Outcomes of Education,Visual Aids,Computer Software,Teaching Methods,Success,Academic Achievement,Educational Technology,Higher Education

Interaction plays a critical role in the learning process. For online course participants, interaction with the course content (learner-content interaction) is especially important because it can contribute to successful learning outcomes and course completion. This study aims to examine the relationship between learner-content interaction and course grade to determine if this interaction type is a contributing success factor. Data related to student interaction with course content, including time spent reviewing online course materials, such as module PowerPoint presentations and course videos and time spent completing weekly quizzes, were collected for students in three sections of an online course (N = 139). The data were then correlated against grades achieved in the course to determine if there was any relationship. Findings indicate statistically significant relationships between the amount of time the learner spent with the content and weekly quiz grades (r = 0.-72). The study concludes that learners who spent more time interacting with course content achieve higher grades than those who spent less time with the content. (Contains 4 tables.)
Assumptions and Challenges of Open Scholarship
Author: Veletsianos, George
Date: 2012-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Access to Education,Educational Technology,Scholarship,Information Technology,Outcomes of Education,Social Networks,Internet,Resource Units,Computer Uses in Education,Shared Resources and Services,Multimedia Materials,Technology Uses in Education,Technological Advancement,Online Courses,Large Group Instruction,Class Size

Researchers, educators, policymakers, and other education stakeholders hope and anticipate that openness and open scholarship will generate positive outcomes for education and scholarship. Given the emerging nature of open practices, educators and scholars are finding themselves in a position in which they can shape and/or be shaped by openness. The intention of this paper is (a) to identify the assumptions of the open scholarship movement and (b) to highlight challenges associated with the movement's aspirations of broadening access to education and knowledge. Through a critique of technology use in education, an understanding of educational technology narratives and their unfulfilled potential, and an appreciation of the negotiated implementation of technology use, we hope that this paper helps spark a conversation for a more critical, equitable, and effective future for education and open scholarship. (Contains 1 table.)
Beyond the Net Generation Debate: A Comparison of Digital Learners in Face-to-Face and Virtual Universities
Author: Gros, Begona
Date: 2012-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Student Attitudes,Teaching Methods,Virtual Universities,Computer Use,Teaching Models,Information Technology,Educational Technology,Generational Differences,Comparative Analysis,Higher Education,Computer Uses in Education,Technology Uses in Education,Electronic Learning,Virtual Classrooms,Distance Education,Internet

In the last decade, an important debate about the characteristics of today's students has arisen due to their intensive experience as users of ICT. The main belief is that frequent use of technologies in everyday life implies competent users able to transfer their digital skills to learning activities. However, empirical studies developed in different countries reveal similar results suggesting that the "digital native" label does not provide evidence of a better use of technology to support learning. The debate has to beyond and focus on the implications of being a learner in a digitalised world. This research is based on the hypothesis that the use of technology to support learning is not related to the fact of belonging or not to the net generation, is mainly influenced by the teaching model. The study compares the behaviour and preferences towards ICT use in two groups of university students: face-to-face students and online students. A questionnaire was applied to a sample of university students from five universities with different characteristics (one of them offers online education and four offer face-to-face with LMS teaching-support). Findings suggest although access to and use of ICT is widespread, the influence of teaching methodology is very decisive. For academic purposes, students seem to respond to the requirements of their courses, programmes and universities. There is a clear relationship between the students' perception of usefulness regarding certain ICT resources and the teachers' suggested uses of technologies. The most highly rated technologies correspond with those proposed by teachers. The study shows how the educational model (face-to-face or online) has a stronger influence on the students' perception of usefulness regarding ICT support for learning than the fact of being a digital native. (Contains 4 tables, 10 charts, and 1 footnote.)
Mobile Microblogging: Using Twitter and Mobile Devices in an Online Course to Promote Learning in Authentic Contexts
Author: Hsu, Yu-Chang
Date: 2012-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Student Attitudes,Instructional Design,Online Courses,Handheld Devices,Computer Mediated Communication,Social Networks,Electronic Publishing,Web Sites,Telecommunications,Graduate Study,Graduate Students,Computer Software,Electronic Learning,Web 2.0 Technologies,Socialization,Educational Technology

This research applied a mixed-method design to explore how best to promote learning in authentic contexts in an online graduate course in instructional message design. The students used Twitter apps on their mobile devices to collect, share, and comment on authentic design examples found in their daily lives. The data sources included tweets (i.e., postings on Twitter), students' perceptions about mobile microblogging activities, and self-reported Twitter usage. Based on the tweet analysis, we found that the students appropriately applied the design principles and design terms in their critique of design examples. While the students were mainly engaged in assignment-relevant activities, they spontaneously generated social tweets as they related peers' authentic design examples to their own life experiences. Overall, they had positive perceptions toward the mobile microblogging activities. The students also indicated that the design examples shared by peers through mobile microblogging inspired their own message design work. We synthesized instructional design suggestions and challenges for educators interested in incorporating mobile microblogging in their instructional settings. (Contains 1 table and 2 figures.)
Sense of Community in Graduate Online Education: Contribution of Learner to Learner Interaction
Author: Shackelford, Jo L.
Date: 2012-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Interaction,Distance Education,Online Courses,Constructivism (Learning),Graduate Study,Higher Education,Electronic Learning,Technology Uses in Education,Educational Technology

Distance learning technologies offer a multitude of ways to build interaction into online courses to support learning. Based on social constructivism theory, this study explored which types of interaction are most predictive of students' sense of community in online graduate courses at a regional comprehensive university. Surveys were used to measure sense of community and the frequency and importance of nine learner-learner interactions. Interactions that were most predictive of sense of community were introductions, collaborative group projects, sharing personal experiences, entire class discussions, and exchanging resources. The interaction that offered the highest payoff to instructors was exchanging resources. The article discusses implications for online course design. (Contains 3 tables and 1 figure.)
Student Access to and Skills in Using Technology in an Open and Distance Learning Context
Author: Liebenberg, Hanlie
Date: 2012-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Higher Education,Access to Computers,Access to Information,Foreign Countries,Distance Education,Technology Uses in Education,Information Technology,Educational Technology,Internet

Amidst the different challenges facing higher education, and particularly distance education (DE) and open distance learning (ODL), access to information and communication technology (ICT) and students' abilities to use ICTs are highly contested issues in the South African higher education landscape. While there are various opinions about the scope and definition of the digital divide, increasing empirical evidence questions the uncritical use of the notion of the digital divide in South African and international higher education discourses. In the context of the University of South Africa (Unisa) as a mega ODL institution, students' access to technology and their functional competence are some of the critical issues to consider as Unisa prepares our graduates for an increasingly digital and networked world. This paper discusses a descriptive study that investigated students' access to technology and their capabilities in using technology, within the broader discourse of the &quot;digital divide.&quot; Results support literature that challenges a simplistic understanding of the notion of the &quot;digital divide&quot; and reveal that the nature of access is varied. (Contains 7 figures.)
Emotional Presence, Learning, and the Online Learning Environment
Author: Cleveland-Innes, Martha
Date: 2012-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Educational Environment,Emotional Response,Electronic Learning,Online Courses,Educational Technology,Distance Education,Higher Education,Psychological Patterns,Graduate Students,Graduate Study,Factor Analysis,Information Technology

In spite of evidence that more and more students are engaging in online learning experiences, details about the transition for teachers and students to a new learning environment are still unconfirmed. While new technologies are often expected to make work easier, they also involve the development of new competencies. This change may, in itself, elicit an emotional response, and, more importantly, emotion may impact the experience of online learning. Knowledge about the impact of emotion on learning broadly is available, but not about emotion and online learning. This study presents evidence of emotions present in online environments, and empirical data which suggests emotional presence may exist as a fundamental element in an online community of inquiry. (Contains 2 tables and 1 footnote.)
A Needs Assessment of ODL Educators to Determine Their Effective Use of Open Educational Resources
Author: Okonkwo, Charity Akuadi
Date: 2012-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Educational Environment,Teaching Methods,Needs Assessment,Foreign Countries,Distance Education,Educational Resources,Information Technology,Educational Technology,Resource Units,Computer Uses in Education,Shared Resources and Services,Questionnaires,Professional Development,Teachers,Instructional Materials,Access to Education

Nigeria has joined the global race of teaching and learning in a changing educational environment by adopting open and distance learning (ODL). Although it is a global trend, ODL poses some challenges at local levels, one of which is the untimely production of teaching materials currently affecting instructional delivery in Nigeria. The modern approach to ameliorating this challenge is the deployment of open educational resources (OER), and this practice is enabled by information and communication technology (ICT). Hence, today's educators need OER tools and ICT skills to address the changing nature of education. This paper assessed the needs, readiness, and willingness of ODL professionals from two dual-mode universities in Nigeria to deploy OER in teaching and learning. Data were collected using structured questionnaire items. The major findings of the study's survey indicated that educators have not really embedded OER in teaching and learning, but they are very eager to be trained in the rudiments of OER and wish to employ them thereafter. The results indicate there is an urgent need for professional development to include training in the rudiments of OER for educators. (Contains 5 tables.)
Leadership, Personal Transformation, and Management
Author: Workman, Tim
Date: 2012-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Leadership,Administration,Educational Innovation,Leaders,Distance Education,Transformational Leadership

Definitions of leadership abound! For the purposes of this discussion, the authors use Secretan's (2004) work which provides a perspective on how leadership should impact on other people, and identifies the need to inspire, not simply motivate. The more one examines modern ideas about "leadership," the more it seems that most are simply techniques to support good person management, in essence, simply lessons on how to be a good leader from an organizational or hierarchical perspective. The authors submit that "true" leadership is best defined in the outcomes that are achieved rather than the inputs applied, which in turn leads to a singular critical learning: Leadership without personal transformation is simply different forms of management. This article is a comparison and contrasting of different aspects of both leadership and management and an exploration of what this new perspective means to leaders in education innovation.
Protecting Students' Intellectual Property in the Web Plagiarism Detection Process
Author: Butakov, Sergey
Date: 2012-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Copyrights,Distance Education,Internet,Plagiarism,Integrated Learning Systems,Higher Education,Comparative Analysis,Intellectual Property,Search Engines,Experiments

Learning management systems (LMS) play a central role in communications in online and distance education. In the digital era, with all the information now accessible at students' fingertips, plagiarism detection services (PDS) have become a must-have part of LMS. Such integration provides a seamless experience for users, allowing PDS to check submitted digital artifacts without any noticeable effort by either professor or student. In most such systems, to compare a submitted work with possible sources on the Internet, the university transfers the student's submission to a third-party service. Such an approach is often criticized by students, who regard this process as a violation of copyright law. To address this issue, this paper outlines an improved approach for PDS development that should allow universities to avoid such criticism. The major proposed alteration of the mainstream architecture is to move document preprocessing and search result clarification from the third-party system back to the university system. The proposed architecture changes would allow schools to submit only limited information to the third party and avoid criticism about intellectual property violation. (Contains 4 tables and 4 figures.)
A Rapid Auto-Indexing Technology for Designing Readable E-Learning Content
Author: Yu, Pao-Ta
Date: 2012-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Information Retrieval,Tests,Teaching Methods,Electronic Learning,Online Courses,Research Design,Video Technology,Indexing,Integrated Learning Systems,Formative Evaluation,User Satisfaction (Information),Mastery Learning,Learning Processes,Foreign Countries,Visual Aids,Computer Software,Asynchronous Communication

A rapid scene indexing method is proposed to improve retrieval performance for students accessing instructional videos. This indexing method is applied to anchor suitable indices to the instructional video so that students can obtain several small lesson units to gain learning mastery. The method also regulates online course progress. These anchored points not only provide students with fast access to specific material but also can link to certain quizzes or problems to show the interactive e-learning content that course developers deposited in the learning management system, which enhances the learning process. This allows students to click on the anchored point to repeat their lesson, or work through the quizzes or problems until they reach formative assessment. Hence, their learning can be guided by the formative assessment results. In order to quickly find the scene to index, some specific description of it was needed. Actually, most of the instructional videos were recorded by teachers and were part of their PowerPoint presentations. Based on the features of the PowerPoint slides in the instructional videos, such as the title or page number, the specified scene can be found. Since we used specific scene descriptions, it was easy to employ the rapid scene detection method using an image filter and Sobel mask. Finally, we applied an experimental design to check the precision of the scene detection and evaluate user satisfaction. The results showed that rapid scene indexing can definitely assist learners in their online learning; that is, it gives them better learning mastery and provides regulation for the online learning environment. (Contains 2 tables and 11 figures.)
An E-Book Hub Service Based on a Cloud Platform
Author: Cheng, Jinn-Shing
Date: 2012-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Computers,Educational Technology,Electronic Learning,Publishing Industry,Handheld Devices,Usability,Internet,Information Technology,Books,Electronic Publishing,Computer Software,Users (Information),Information Management,Delivery Systems,Information Storage

Due to the constant performance upgrades and regular price reductions of mobile devices in recent years, users are able to take advantage of the various devices to obtain digital content regardless of the limitations of time and place. The increasing use of e-books has stimulated new e-learning approaches. This research project developed an e-book hub service on a cloud computing platform in order to overcome the limitations of computing capability and storage capacity that are inherent in many mobile devices. The e-book hub service also allows users to automatically adjust the rendering of multimedia pages at different resolutions on terminal units such as smartphones, tablets, PCs, and so forth. We implemented an e-book hub service on OpenStack, which is a free and open-source cloud computing platform supported by multiple large firms. The OpenStack platform provides a large-scale distributed computing environment that allows users to build their own cloud systems in a public, private, or hybrid environment. Our e-book hub system offers content providers an easy-to-use cloud computing service with unlimited storage capacity, fluent playback, high usability and scalability, and high security characteristics to produce, convert, and manage their e-books. The integration of information and communication technologies has led the traditional publishing industry to new horizons with abundant digital content publications. Results from this study may help content providers create a new service model with increased profitability and enable mobile device users to easily get digital content, thereby achieving the goal of e-learning. (Contains 2 tables and 16 figures.)