Students' perceptions of instructors' roles in blended and online learning environments: A comparative study

This study develops an instrument—the Online Instructor Role and Behavior Scale (OIRBS)—and uses it to examine students' perceptions of instructors' roles in blended and online learning environments. A total sample of 750 university students participated in this study. Through a confirmatory factor analysis, the OIRBS was validated in five constructs: course designer and organizer (CDO), discussion facilitator (DF), social supporter (SS), technology facilitator (TF), and assessment designer (AD). The results show that the five factor structures remained invariant across the blended learning and online learning. Both students in blended learning environments and students in online learning environments exhibited the greatest weight in the CDO dimension, followed by the TF and DF dimensions. In addition, students in the online learning environments scored higher in the DF dimension than did those in the blended learning environments.     

Research in online learning environments: Priorities and methodologies

Due to increasing demand for education and training in the information age, online learning and teaching is becoming a necessity in our future. However, lack of research goals to understand impact of online learning environments on students is a problem in research on online learning environments. We identified four main research goals to pursue in online learning environments based on their impact on learner achievement, engagement, and retention (opposite of attrition). Those goals are (a) enhancing learner engagement & collaboration, (b) promoting effective facilitation, (c) developing assessment techniques, and (d) designing faculty development programs. Current promising work in those areas is presented. Four methods that are common in the instructional technology literature are recommended to pursue those goals. Formative research and developmental research are relevant for all four. Although appropriate for any of the goals, experimental research is a better fit for goals b and c, and activity theory is useful for goals a and b.     

Effects of high level prompts and peer assessment on online learners’ reflection levels

Reflection plays a very important role in learning processes and is very helpful for promoting learning performance. Many higher education institutions today are actively promoting learners’ reflection ability in order to help them cope with the fast changing world they will be entering when they graduate. Online learning provides potential for applying new teaching and learning strategies. However, it has not yet been systematically studied how to concretely apply reflection strategies in an online learning environment. The aim of this study is to explore how high level prompts and peer assessment can affect a learner’s reflection levels in an online learning context. The participants were 157 university students and each individual was randomly assigned to one of the fourteen learning conditions. We found that the main factor affecting reflection levels is high level prompts followed by high quality observation that has a moderating effect on learners’ reflection levels. However, peer feedback has no significant influence on reflection levels.     

Exploring students’ learning experience in an international online research seminar in the Synchronous Cyber Classroom

The development of computer-mediated communication enables teaching and learning to take place across geographical boundaries. An online synchronous learning environment with cyber face-to-face features affords students the sense of learning together online. This study reports a novel design of organizing a 16-week seminar for doctoral students across Canada, Italy, New Zealand, and Taiwan in the Synchronous Cyber Classroom, an online synchronous learning environment. Students’ learning experiences were explored from the perspective of students’ interactions with students, instructors, and the content, based on which the perception of being in a learning community was formed. This article reports how this international online research seminar was organized, how students’ learning experience was analyzed, and what we learned about students’ learning in this international online research seminar.     

A reactive blended learning proposal for an introductory control engineering course

As it happens in other fields of engineering, blended learning is widely used to teach process control topics. In this paper, the inclusion of a reactive element – a Fuzzy Logic based controller – is proposed for a blended learning approach in an introductory control engineering course. This controller has been designed in order to regulate the workload for each student, according to his activity and performance. The proposed course is based on a web tool called ControlWeb, which includes a complete vision of control topics and is used intensively along the course. The results of the evaluation of the methodology attest its efficiency in terms of learning degree and performance of the students.     

Technology tools to support learning design: Implications derived from an investigation of university teachers' design practices

The need to improve the quality of higher education has fostered an interest in technology tools to support effective design for teaching and learning. Over the past decade this interest has led to the development of tools to support the creation of online learning experiences, specifications to underpin design systems, and repositories to share examples. Despite this significant activity, there remain unanswered questions about what shapes university teachers' design decisions and how tools can best support their design processes. This paper presents findings from a study of university teachers' design practices that identified teachers' perceptions of student characteristics, their own beliefs and experiences, and contextual factors as key influences on design decisions. The findings extend our understanding of activities fundamental to higher education teaching and inform thinking about design support tools.     

A hybrid approach to develop an analytical model for enhancing the service quality of e-learning

The digital content industry is flourishing as a result of the rapid development of technology and the widespread use of computer networks. As has been reported, the market size of the global e-learning (i.e., distance education and telelearning) will reach USD 49.6 billion in 2014. However, to retain and/or increase the market share associated with e-learning, it is important to maintain or increase service quality in this sector. This research was intended to develop an analytical model for enhancing the service quality of e-learning using a hybrid approach from the perspective of customers. The evaluation methodology integrates the three methods: rough set theory (RST), quality function deployment (QFD), and grey relational analysis (GRA). First, important criteria affecting service quality (referred to as customer requirements (CRs)) and relevant technical information (referred to as technical requirements (TRs)) for e-learning are compiled from an extensive literature review. Using the data regarding customer satisfaction collected from a questionnaire survey, RST is then used to reduce the number of attributes considered and to determine the CRs. Furthermore, in consultation with domain experts, QFD is used together with GRA to analyze the interrelationships between CRs (which represent the voice of customer (VOC)) and TRs (which represent the voice of the engineer (VOE)) and to create an order of priority for the TRs given the CRs based on objective weighting using the entropy value. An illustrative example is provided—an empirical analysis of the students who participated in the e-learning program at a particular university. The results reveal that of the fourteen TRs, “Curriculum development” has the greatest effect on e-learning service quality, followed by “Evaluation”, “Guidance and tracing”, “Instructional design”, and “Teaching materials”. Both the CRs and the TRs may vary depending on the individual organization. Nevertheless, the proposed model can be a useful point of reference for e-learning service providers, helping them to identify the TRs that they can use to enhance service quality and to target vital CRs.     

Learner readiness for online learning: Scale development and student perceptions

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a multidimensional instrument for college students’ readiness for online learning. Through a confirmatory factor analysis, the Online Learning Readiness Scale (OLRS) was validated in five dimensions: self-directed learning, motivation for learning, computer/Internet self-efficacy, learner control, and online communication self-efficacy. Research data gathered from 1051 college students in five online courses in Taiwan revealed that students’ levels of readiness were high in computer/Internet self-efficacy, motivation for learning, and online communication self-efficacy and were low in learner control and self-directed learning. This study found that gender made no statistical differences in the five OLRS dimensions, but that higher grade (junior and senior) students exhibited significantly greater readiness in the dimensions of self-directed learning, online communication self-efficacy, motivation for learning, and learner control than did lower grade (freshman and sophomore) students.     

Interpersonal exchanges in discussion forums: A study of learning communities in distance learning settings

Cooperative relationships are the foundation of a model of online learning based on communities. The development of a community depends on the interaction between community members. This study is based on the belief that the dynamics of exchange of thought, from a Piagetian perspective, are one possibility for understanding the process of interaction within a virtual community. The study therefore investigates the dynamics of conversations in discussion forums in order to lead to an understanding of the processes involved in the formation of virtual learning communities. The research path involved content analysis of messages, interaction mapping and an analysis of the relationship between them. The results indicate that there is a relationship between the texts of discussion forum messages and continuation of interpersonal exchanges.     

Video-sharing educational tool applied to the teaching in renewable energy subjects

The impact and evaluation of an educational tool “Renewable Energy Video sharing”, based on videocast techniques is presented in this paper. This tool arose from a learning innovation project developed in the Electronics and Automation Engineering Department at the University of Jaén. This experience consists of the elaboration of multimedia materials showing different ways of obtaining thermal energy and electricity from renewable resources as well as the equipment and the technology implicated in these process. Thus a video channel, implemented in YouTube™ platform, and an online space were implemented where these multimedia materials can be found and played, bringing technological reality closer to the final user – to the students in this specific case – in an easy, interactive and free way from any device with an internet connection. This learning tool was applied and used as a support in two ambits, face-to-face and non face-to-face education, in two different educational levels: Undergraduate and Postgraduate Education. Three subjects in the field of photovoltaic solar energy experienced the e-learning tool, obtaining a high degree of general satisfaction among students. After analyzing the impact of the implemented tool through personal final questionnaires among students, an improvement of the understanding of the theoretic concepts previously studied as well as the facility of access to the contents being the most appreciated benefits.     

Quality enhancement for e-learning courses: The role of student feedback

The collection of student feedback is seen as a central strategy to monitor the quality and standards of teaching and learning in higher education institutions. The increasing use of technology to support face-to-face, blended and distance courses has led managers as well as practitioners to become increasingly concerned to identify appropriate ways of assuring the quality of this e-learning provision. This paper presents a study of the collection of student feedback in higher education e-learning courses and the use of this feedback for quality assurance and enhancement. We carried out a series of case studies of the procedures in place in four e-learning courses, and in each case study we collected the quality assurance documentation and interviewed stakeholders (administrators, educational technologists, tutors and students). The comparative examination of these two sets of data showed that the main strategies for collecting student feedback – module evaluations and student representation – were both strongly affected by the distinctive features of the mode of delivery in e-learning courses, and as a consequence they were not able to adequately support quality enhancement. The remote location of the students impacted on both student representation and on the response rates for module evaluations. The enhancement function of the module evaluations were adversely affected by lack of appropriate course management arising from the disaggregation of course processes and the resulting ambiguity in the allocation of responsibilities.     

Assistance and possibilities: Analysis of learning-related factors affecting the online learning satisfaction of underprivileged students

Online learning is used for different purposes such as the actualization of equal opportunity in education or excellence in education. In Korea, nationwide online learning has been launched since 2005 to boost the self-directed learning capabilities and academic achievement of underprivileged students. The purpose of this study was to examine factors affecting the online learning satisfaction of underprivileged students. The subjects in this study were 1043 students and 915 underprivileged students. The underprivileged students were found to be more satisfied with online learning than the students, and the students who were under the guidance of their online homeroom teachers (hereinafter called the students of class type) expressed better satisfaction than the others who studied on their own (hereinafter called the students of self-study type). And the learning support function (F3) was identified as the variable that exerted the largest influence on the satisfaction level of the underprivileged students. This study was significant in that it attempted to suggest what kind of assistance should be provided to raise the online learning satisfaction of underprivileged students and to set up learning assistance models geared toward underprivileged students by covering diverse relevant elements without leaning toward any particular one.     

Effects of different video lecture types on sustained attention,emotion, cognitive load,and learning performance

Although online courseware often includes multimedia materials, exactly how different video lecture types impact student performance has seldom been studied. Therefore, this study explores how three commonly used video lectures styles affect the sustained attention, emotion, cognitive load, and learning performance of verbalizers and visualizers in an autonomous online learning scenario by using a two-factor experimental design, brainwave detection, emotion-sensing equipment, cognitive load scale, and learning performance test sheet. Analysis results indicate that, while the three video lecture types enhance learning performance, learning performance with lecture capture and picture-in-picture types is superior to that associated with the voice-over type. Verbalizers and visualizers achieve the same learning performance with the three video types. Additionally, sustained attention induced by the voice-over type is markedly higher than that with the picture-in-picture type. Sustained attention of verbalizers is also significantly higher than that of visualizers when learning with the three video lectures. Moreover, the positive and negative emotions induced by the three video lectures do not appear to significantly differ from each other. Also, cognitive load related to the voice-over type is significantly higher than that with by the lecture capture and picture-in-picture types. Furthermore, the cognitive load for visualizers markedly exceeds that of verbalizers who are presented with the voice-over type. Results of this study significantly contribute to efforts to design of video lectures and also provide a valuable reference when selecting video lecture types for online learning.     

e-Learning continuance intention: Moderating effects of user e-learning experience

This study explores the determinants of the e-learning continuance intention of users with different levels of e-learning experience and examines the moderating effects of e-learning experience on the relationships among the determinants. The research hypotheses are empirically validated using the responses received from a survey of 256 users. The results reveal that negative critical incidents and attitude are the main determinants of the users’ intention to continue using the e-learning, irrespective of their level of e-learning experience. In addition, the findings show that the user’s experience of the e-learning service plays a moderating role. The impact of negative critical incidents on perceived ease of use is greater for less experienced users. By contrast, the impact of negative critical incidents on perceived usefulness is greater for more experienced users. Perceived ease of use has a more critical effect on the attitude and continuance intention of less experienced users, whereas perceived usefulness is found to be a stronger determinant of the attitude and behavioral intention of more experienced users. Moreover, the relationship between satisfaction and continuance intention is stronger for less experienced users than for more experienced users. The implications of the present findings for research and managerial practice are analyzed and discussed.     

Fuzzy cognitive map modelling educational software adoption

Educational software adoption across UK secondary schools is seen as unsatisfactory. Based on stakeholders’ perceptions, this paper uses fuzzy cognitive maps (FCMs) to model this adoption context. It discusses the development of the FCM model, using a mixed-methods approach and drawing on participants from three UK secondary schools. The study presents three phases involved in the development of the model, where individual FCMs were developed in phase one and then the individual FCMs were aggregated in phase two. In phase three, further interrelationships identified from the empirical data were assigned weightings and added, resulting in the final FCM model. Following a static analysis of the model, the resulting FCM offers a visual medium of factors key to the adoption of educational software as perceived by relevant stakeholders. As a holistic model it provides insight into the context of educational software adoption in schools, which can be used to guide both educational decision-makers in where to focus their efforts and software developers in terms of more focused and appropriate software development efforts.     

Blended learning in higher education: Students’ perceptions and their relation to outcomes

New information and communication technologies (ICTs) provide educators and learners with an innovative learning environment to stimulate and enhance the teaching and learning process. In this context, novel educational concepts such as blended learning are being developed. In the present paper, we present the results obtained from a blended learning experience carried out at the University of Granada. A total of 17 groups took part, with 1431 students registered for the 2009–2010 academic year. In this study, we use objective outcomes and the students’ perceptions regarding the blended learning activities performed. The study shows that the use of blended learning has a positive effect in reducing dropout rates and in improving exam marks. Moreover, the students’ perceptions on blended learning are interrelated, with their final marks depending on the blended learning activities, and on the students’ age, background and class attendance rate.     

Investigating the relationships among instructional strategies and learning styles in online environments

This exploratory study tests the assertion that instructional strategies that match field-dependence status of students are most effective. The study conducted with 12 graduate students registered in a graduate level online course. An online version of the Psychological Differentiation Inventory was used to measure the field-dependence status of students. Students’ perceived learning outcomes, their effort and involvement, and level of interaction that they perceived in online course module were measured through an online questionnaire. Results suggested that matches between students’ learning styles and instructional strategies did not affect learner perception of their own learning outcomes, level of effort and involvement, and level of interactions in the course. Data also indicated that no single instructional strategy, among three instructional strategies tested, emerged as superior for high and low field-dependent online students.