Blended and online learning skills are rapidly becoming essential for effective teaching and learning in universities and colleges. Covering theory where useful but maintaining an emphasis on practice, this book provides teachers and lecturers with an accessible introduction to e-learning.Beginning by exploring the meaning of 'e-learning', it supports tutors in identifying how they plan to use technology to support courses that blend online and face-to-face interactions. Illustrated by a range of case of studies, the book covers: designing quality, appropriate effective and online learning efficient and sustainable e-learning activity providing appropriate feedback to learnersdevising student activities and sourcing learning resources managing online and offline interactionsPacked with practical advice and ideas, this book provides the core skills and knowledge that teachers in HE and FE need when starting out and further developing their teaching course design for blended and online learning.

Preparing for Blended e-Learning

The purpose of this study was to investigate how to facilitate learners' engagement and persistence in massive open online courses (MOOCs). Specifically, this study used structural equation modeling to examine the structural relationships among academic self-efficacy, teaching presence, perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use, learning engagement, and learning persistence in MOOCs. For the data analysis, we selected as the research subjects 306 learners who were taking MOOCs in South Korea. The results indicated that academic self-efficacy, teaching presence, and perceived usefulness had significant direct effects on learning engagement. Furthermore, teaching presence and perceived ease of use had direct effects on learning persistence. Finally, learning engagement had indirect effects on the relationships between academic self-efficacy, teaching presence, perceived usefulness, and learning persistence. These findings suggest implications for designing and developing effective instructional and learning strategies in MOOCs in terms of learners’ perceptions of themselves, instructors, and learning support systems.

Learning Engagement and Persistence in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCS)

High-tech companies encounter intense competition in today's global economy. With rapid changes in working environments, high-tech employees must learn quickly and effectively to solve difficult problems and increase their productivity. Many large high-tech companies have recently implemented electronic learning e-learning for employee training. However, e-learning systems are expensive and often underutilised. Therefore, understanding the factors associated with acceptance to e-learning are of priority concern. By integrating locus of control, computer self-efficacy and technology acceptance model TAM into one model, this study examines the feasibility of the extended TAM to explain employee acceptance of e-learning systems. Data were collected from 223 employees at five high-tech companies located in the Hsinchu Science Park, Taiwan. Analytical results indicate that locus of control had significant direct effects on perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. Computer self-efficacy had significant direct effects on perceived ease of use and behavioural intention to use. Overall, analytical results provide strong support for using the extended TAM to explain user acceptance of e-learning systems. The research and practical implications of findings are discussed.

https://ir.nctu.edu.tw:443/bitstream/11536/23609/1/000330021400005.pdf

Effects of individuals' locus of control and computer self-efficacy on their e-learning acceptance in high-tech companies

Although the role of motivation has been emphasised in knowledge-sharing literature, traditional motivation theories, such as self-determination theory SDT, have not been actively used as a research framework in knowledge-sharing research. The purposes of this study are twofold. The first objective is to propose a model, based on SDT, to test the effect of the three basic psychological needs – perceived competence, perceived autonomy and perceived relatedness – on knowledge-sharing behaviours in virtual communities. The second objective is to explore the effects of familiarity and anonymity on the basic psychological needs to better understand individuals’ knowledge-sharing behaviours in virtual communities. The results show that perceived competence and perceived relatedness influence knowledge-sharing behaviours in virtual communities; however, perceived autonomy does not influence knowledge-sharing behaviours; familiarity influences positively perceived competence and perceived relatedness, and anonymity influences negatively perceived autonomy and perceived relatedness.

Knowledge-sharing in virtual communities: familiarity, anonymity and self-determination theory

In this paper, we seek to identify factors that might increase the likelihood of adoption and continued use of cyber-infrastructure by scientists. To do so, we review the main research on Information and Communications Technology (ICT) adoption and use by addressing research problems, theories and models used, findings, and limitations. We focus particularly on the individual user perspective. We categorize previous studies into two groups: Adoption research and post-adoption (continued use) research. In addition, we review studies specifically regarding cyber-infrastructure adoption and use by scientists and other special user groups. We identify the limitations of previous theories, models and research findings appearing in the literature related to our current interest in scientists' adoption and continued use of cyber-infrastructure. We synthesize the previous theories and models used for ICT adoption and use, and then we develop a theoretical framework for studying scientists' adoption and use of cyber-infrastructure. We also proposed a research design based on the research model developed. Implications for researchers and practitioners are provided.

/pdf/technology-adoption-and-use-theory-review-for-studying-1fb3hcz1ve.pdf

Technology Adoption and Use Theory Review for Studying Scientists' Continued Use of Cyber-infrastructure

A Learning Management System (LMS) can be a singularly critical platform to report on students’ learning progress and to monitor students’ learning engagement. At the only defence university in Malaysia, the National Defence University of Malaysia (NDUM) adopts the LMS as a supplementary learning and teaching tool. Nonetheless, the aspiration of Malaysia to ensure that higher learning institutions actively participate in the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) has further emphasised the need for the NDUM to provide an effective LMS to the students. This paper aims at examining the perceptions of students at the Defence University on the use of the LMS. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) is used as the basis for generating hypotheses and conceptual framework for the paper. Five classes of students were involved in the data collection resulting in 100 returned questionnaires. Preliminary findings highlight students’ positive attitudes towards the use of the LMS; however, there are technical issues that must be addressed to ensure that the LMS can function effectively.

/pdf/perceived-usefulness-and-ease-of-use-of-the-learning-4t66qs6a0p.pdf

Perceived Usefulness and Ease of Use of the Learning Management System as a Learning Tool.

/pdf/understanding-e-learning-24g6ignusw.pdf

Understanding e-Learning

The Military Academy of Malaysia (MAM) is a special academy where students or SISKA (undergraduate cadets) receive academic and military training simultaneously. On the basis of the students’ academic achievement each semester, it is high time for the management at MAM to consider some learning solutions to help SISKA. One of the possibilities is the implementation of e-learning – the concept whereby the educational process is brought anywhere that the students choose to be. However, before MAM can proceed with the adoption of e-learning, several aspects must be considered carefully. This conceptual paper attempts firstly to identify the need for e-learning at MAM and secondly to identify the pedagogical issues of e-learning in military settings. The method used in the paper is textual analysis. Major findings show that, as a military academy, MAM must inevitably face some pedagogical issues. These issues must be addressed, should e-learning be adopted, so that not only SISKA but also the academy ...

A Step Towards e-Learning: Some Pedagogical Issues

Understanding Military Pedagogy

Twitter is one of the free microbloggings available today. Created in 2006, Twitter has about 500 million registered users worldwide. Many scholars have been debating over the use of Twitter in teaching and learning. This brief research paper aims to look at Twitter as a source for revision for a course offered at the Defence University in Kuala Lumpur. The assumption is that the students are able to score a higher grade when Twitter is used as a revision tool. 32 students participated in this study and tweets were used to support students during their revision period before the second test and the final examination. Data were analysed based on the results of Test 1 (without Twitter as a revision tool) and Test 2, where comparisons were made to see whether there is a change in the students’ results. Further, the tweets sent to/shared with students and the retweets shared by students were also examined. A survey was also conducted to explore the respondents’ thoughts on using Twitter as a revision tool. Preliminary findings suggest that the students had greatly benefitted when Twitter is used as a revision tool. This is because the results of Test 2 show that all students had an increase in the test result. The results of the survey also indicate that students were positive about using Twitter as a revision tool. Although it cannot be conclusively determined whether Twitter was the only factor that contributed to the increase of students’ results in Test 2, this paper will highlight how Twitter can be used as an effective revision tool.

/pdf/revision-through-twitter-do-tweets-affect-students-57vjcoyj4y.pdf

Jowati Juhary

Papers

Perceived Usefulness and Ease of Use of the Learning Management System as a Learning Tool.

Understanding e-Learning

A Step Towards e-Learning: Some Pedagogical Issues

Understanding Military Pedagogy

Revision Through Twitter: Do Tweets Affect Students’ Performance?