This study aims to understand factors that affect the behavioural intention of manufacturing engineers in Malaysia to use e-learning in the workplace. Two hundred usable online questionnaires were collected from respondents who were engineers in Malaysian manufacturing companies. The data were analyzed using SPSS and Smart PLS version 3.2.6. Results supported all direct relationships except for the influence of prior experience in perceived ease of use. Interestingly, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use fully mediated between computer self-efficacy and behavioural intention to adopt. The study provides theoretical implication to the technology acceptance model by confirming the mediating role of perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness in the context of a manufacturing setting in an emerging market. In practical terms, the study provides insights to guide organizations in designing e-learning systems that are well-received by employees at the workplace.

Education dashboards are a means to present various stakeholders with information about learners, most commonly regarding the learners’ activity in online learning environments. Typically, an education dashboard for teachers will include some type of visual aids that encourage teachers to reflect upon learner behavior patterns and to act in accordance to it. In practice, this tool can assist teachers to make data-driven decisions, thus supporting their professional growth, however, so far, the use of education dashboards by teachers has been greatly understudied. In this research we report on two studies related to the associations between the use of education dashboards by elementary school teachers and the teachers’ professional growth. We used the framework defined by the International Society for Technology in Education’s (ISTE) Standards for Educators. In the first study, we took a quantitative approach (N=52 teachers), using an online self-report questionnaire, and found that the use of dashboards is positively associated with professional growth in the dimensions of facilitator, analyst, designer, and citizen. In the second study, we took a qualitative approach (N=9 teachers), using semi-structured interviews, to shed light on the mechanisms through which teachers benefit from the use of education dashboards.

As the adoption of open educational resources (OER) continues to increase, instructors have started using these resources for more than simply delivering content. Open pedagogy is a term used to describe a range of instructional practices that often incorporate OER into the learning process. This study examined student perceptions of two approaches to open pedagogy—student creation of multiple-choice questions and student creation of the syllabus and corresponding course assignments. The sample included responses from 84 students at two colleges in the United States. Results showed that students who created the syllabus and assignments had a more positive experience and were more likely to enroll in a future course that implements this strategy. Those in the multiple-choice course felt that the approach was less conducive to learning than traditional learning activities. The significant differences in student feedback on two different approaches, both of which could be termed open pedagogy, indicate that more research is needed to examine the efficacy of the wide variety of approaches to open pedagogy. Moreover, the perceived efficacy of one instantiation of open pedagogy does not equal the effectiveness of open pedagogy, broadly defined.

As instructors are forced to move their courses online, they are confronted by a sense of isolation and distance from their learners. Research has shown that feelings of loneliness are mitigated when presence is created in the online environment. An interpretive phenomenological analysis was conducted at a public university in the United States to answer the question: What are the determinants of presence for instructors in online teaching? Twenty-five online instructors from various disciplines, with diverse levels of experience teaching online, were recruited for the study. Interviews, analysis of course syllabi, and observations of course sites revealed five determinants of presence for online instructors: content, format, strategies, technology, and students. The crucial factor in deciding an instructor’s experience of presence was the degree of agency instructors had over these determinants. This paper introduces the Zones of Agency for Online Instructors model and describes how the model can be used to enhance instructors’ experiences of presence.

COVID 19 has had a wide impact on education internationally and specifically in Canada, with nearly all institutions now transitioning to online education, with many learning for the first time about Open Educational Resources (OER). Understanding what is happening with OER in the different regions of our country is one step in creating awareness and […]

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The purpose of this study was to examine factors influencing online learning given its rapid growth combined with the necessity to reduce attrition in online classes by providing quality instruction. This study was contextualized using the three elements of the community of inquiry (CoI) framework. We surveyed 93 students currently registered in online classes about […]

The post Online Learning: Practices, Perceptions, and Technology first appeared on Distance-Educator.com.

K-12 Online Program Evaluation, Quality, and Policy Evaluation and approval of K-12 online and blended programs and courses vary widely by state, but there are five common areas: level of evaluation, approval requirements, geographic reach, delivery model, and evaluation and approval procedures. Educational stakeholders were largely in agreement that there should be clear expectations of […]

The post Download Report first appeared on Distance-Educator.com.

Dr. Saba: You have had a long and stellar career in our field. What attracted you to instructional system design and technology Dr. Moldenda: In a nutshell: applied philosophy. My undergraduate study was in Radio & Television, but I really had little interest in commercial mass media. I jumped at the chance to go to […]

The post Exclusive Interview with Dr. Michael H. Molenda, Associate Professor Emeritus, Indiana University first appeared on Distance-Educator.com.