Albanian Universities and e - Learning

Purpose: This paper studies organisational and personal factors affecting the behaviour of academic staff in Saudi universities. It seeks to investigate the beliefs of academic staff regarding the use of ICT and other factors to enhance the productivity of their scientific research. Also, this study aims to improve the sustainability of publication in Saudi universities. ICT includes using the library system for accessing research repository databases such as Science Direct, Web of Science, Scopus, etc. and other factors. The authors also developed the Importance Performance Map Analysis (IPMA) for these factors in order to provide guidelines for Saudi universities to build university systems to manage and measure the research productivity of academic staff. In summary, this research identifies factors critical to enhancing research productivity in Saudi universities. This will help to improve the sustainability of publication in Saudi universities. By enhancing the sustainability of publication, the reputation of Saudi universities will be improved and the reputation of academic staff in Saudi universities. As well the sustainability of publication will assist the promote of Saudi academic staff. Approach: This paper analysed 200 papers related to the enhancement of research productivity from various research databases such as Science Direct, IEEE and Scopus. We included the usage of ICT in research analysis, university policy, university research funding and the number of publications published by academic staff. The authors used different databases and systematic literature reviews (SLR) to find the most important factors which could improve research productivity in universities. An online questionnaire answered by 375 academic staff from four developing Saudi universities that are Taif University, Taibah University, Jeddah University, Hail University—was used to determine the relationship between information technology factors and research performance together with other factors such as university policy, international collaboration, research funding and job satisfaction. In this study, we used SmartPLS v3 to analyse the results from the questionnaires. Findings: The results show that personal factors such as personal use of ICT and organisational factors such as job satisfaction, university policy, IT funding, international collaboration and the level of ICT use in the university have positive effects on scientific research productivity among academic staff at Saudi universities. Those results are based on the beliefs of academic staff regarding the use of information technology for research purposes and other factors. This paper finds that university policy recorded an importance of 0.523, job satisfaction was 0.224, international collaboration was 0.103, personal use of ICT was 0.102, the level of using ICT in the university was 0.074 and the importance of ICT funding was –0.156. Also, the results from SmartPLS show that university policy has a 0.215 effect size on research performance, job satisfaction has a 0.045 effect size on research performance, international collaboration has a 0.009 effect size on research performance, personal use of ICT has a 0.011 effect size on research performance, a university’s use of ICT has a 0.006 effect size on research performance and ICT funding has a 0.014 effect size on the research performance of academic staff in Saudi universities. These results will help to improve the sustainability of publication in Saudi universities in order to enhance the universities’ rankings and the reputation of academic staff. Sustainability is a target for any organization, both for profit-making entities or non-profit organizations such as universities. This means that Saudi universities should enhance the sustainability of their publication. In order to achieves the goals of higher education institutions. Originality: No study has investigated the factors affecting the performance of academic staff in Arab countries, especially in Saudi universities. Therefore, the originality of this study resides in being the first study to investigate the impact of researchers’ attitudes to enhancing the research productivity performance of researchers in Saudi universities. Also, it is one of the few studies which discusses sustainability in Saudi universities.

This study investigated the teachers’ adherence to the use of ICT for classroom instruction and its impact on the students’ learning. One hundred twenty-five (125) student teachers from the College of Education accomplished the questionnaires. Student teachers were found to have strong adherence to the use of ICT in teaching. This analysis elucidated teacher educators’ access to ICT, their intensity of use, their training skills, and their confidence in using ICT. Pedagogical practices included the use of web-enhanced learning activities and a combination of Web 2.0 tools in teaching. Exploratory multiple regression analysis addressed the importance of these different factors at the level of the educator in the use of ICT in teaching practice. Results showed students’ academic performance generally improved with increased teachers’ training skills. The intensive use of ICT as a tool in teaching had posed a significant impact on the students’ learning. It was therefore recommended for teacher educators to sustain the use of ICT as an effective strategy and continue to access the skills-based approach in the integration of ICT in education. Keywords - Academic Performance, ICT, Web 2.0 tools, Web- Enhanced Learning Activities, Pre-service Teachers, Pedagogical Practices

This article provides an international comparative overview of institutional strategies, collaboration patterns and governmental policies related to the use of ICT in higher education. It has been produced as part of an international comparative study on the use of ICT in higher education. A study commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and published as: “The Use of Information and Communication Technology in Higher Education: An International Orientation on Trends and Issues”, B. Collis and M. van der Wende (Eds). University of Twente, CHEPS, 1999. It covers the following range of countries: Belgium, Finland, the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States of America. Additionally some main initiatives at the European level have been taken into account. On the basis of this international comparison, the following main conclusions were drawn. Due in part to the fact that in many cases institutional strategies for ICT are still lacking, interesting experimentation does not generally lead to successful dissemination and adoption on a wider scale. In many cases, the push for a substantial use of ICT in distance learning programs has come from new educati onal markets, life-long learning and international education in particular. The response of higher education to these markets is leading in many countries to a convergence of distance and traditional (on-campus) education. Inter-institutional and inter-sectoral collaboration between universities and companies are characteristics of many successful ICT initiatives, although they do not generally continue into sustainable implementation in the individual institutions. Governments facilitate the use of ICT through the establishment of infrastructure, networks and inter-institutional and public–private partnerships, and try to create the right regulatory environment. Further deregulation will enable institutions to respond to new market demands and will inspire the necessary organizational change in higher education institutions.

Modern-day teaching entails the development of 21st-century skills, which include information and digital literacy, as well as technological skills. All educators face the challenge of keeping abreast of the ever-changing information communication technology and integrating available ICT facilities and tools in teaching. This study was conducted to find the correlation between the teachers’ preparedness, perception, and types of ICT facilities and tools used for instruction and the school’s licensure passing rate. Descriptive, quantitative, and correlational research designs were adopted with the modified questionnaire of Davis et al. (1989) on teachers’ preparedness and perceptions in using ICT, the Technology Acceptance Model Questionnaire (TAMQ) as the main instrument in gathering the needed data. The reliability coefficient of the instrument was established using Cronbach Alpha and yielded indices of 0.84 and 0.99. The questionnaire was administered through Google Form to the 50 teachers in the College of Education at the University of Morong and Antipolo Campus. The study found that female-dominated teachers in the College of Education in the URS are in their early adulthood stage and have been using ICT in teaching for a decade. Most of the teachers have attended one ICT training per year, and teachers are prepared for the use of ICT. An association exists between the teachers’ assessment of available ICT facilities and tools and their perception of the use of ICT. The URS performed well in the Licensure Examination for Teachers. Other findings showed that the younger the teachers, the better their perception of the use of ICT; the younger the teachers, the higher their performance in Licensure Examination for Teachers. It can also be concluded that the more prepared the teachers are, the better their school’s performance in Licensure Examination for Teachers. Likewise, the more prepared the teachers are, the better their perception of the use of ICT in teaching and vice versa. It can also be concluded that the better the teachers’ perception of the use of ICT, the higher the performance in the Licensure Examination for Teachers. The perception of the use of ICT and the performance in the LET is differentiated by age. With this, teachers and administrators must continually support the ICT professional development to keep abreast with the current updates in technology. Preparedness, availability, and perception of the use of ICT must be considered in the school’s overall plan, which eventually translates to better school performance.

This study investigates teachers’ attitudes to and beliefs about using ICT in education and proposes a model of how different variables are related to teachers’ use of ICT in classrooms. The model suggests that positive attitudes related specifically to ICT as a useful tool for teaching and learning and a strong sense of self-efficacy in using computers in education seem to influence the use of ICT the most. It is also suggested that positive attitudes to ICT generally do not seem to contribute very much to teachers’ use of ICT in classrooms. This is a surprising finding. The distinction between the importance of specific and general attitudes to ICT use and the emphasis on self-efficacy contributes to contemporary research. Self-efficacy and attitudes are suggested to be mutually related to ICT use.

Digital libraries have become a significant part of the digital learning age. Their important role is more and more changing the life of the library's half to the revolution and development of society and also the nation at giant. A digital library that deals with information in those areas unit born-digital yet as those who are digitized from their analog type. Digital libraries are a unit boon to any or all tutorial and analysis organizations. With the rising utilization of ICT, web innovation, and distributed computing in the schooling area, the understudies esteem all the more profoundly open and distribute their work on the web and recover information online Digital libraries region unit the preeminent muddled assortment of information frameworks that help advanced record conservation, circulated course, hypertext, sifting, data recovery and specific dispersal of information. This paper means to discuss the administrations and ramifications of computerized libraries in advanced times. Digital libraries are boon to all academic and research organizations. With the increasing use of ICT, web technology, and cloud computing in the education sector, the scholars prefer to access and publish their work online and retrieve information online. Digital libraries are boon to all academic and research organizations. With the increasing use of ICT, web technology, and cloud computing in the education sector, the scholars prefer to access and publish their work online and retrieve information online. Digital libraries are boon to all academic and research organizations. With the increasing use of ICT, web technology, and cloud computing in the education sector, the scholars prefer to access and publish their work online and retrieve information online. Digital libraries are boon to all academic and research organizations. With the increasing use of ICT, web technology, and cloud computing in the education sector, the scholars prefer to access and publish their work online and retrieve information online.

There has been rapid development in the technology sector all over the world; however, this has not influenced the use of ICT in teaching and learning in developing countries. This study was carried out to examine teachers' capacity to use ICT tools, what kind of ICT tools they use and the use of ICT tools in teaching and learning in TVET teacher training institutions in Uganda. The study employed both qualitative and quantitative methods to collect data from respondents. The study used Krejcie & Morgan table to select respondents for the study. The study employed a questionnaire to collect data from respondents. Data analysis was done using statistical package for the social sciences. The results of the study indicate that 63% of the teachers had the capacity to use ICT tools in teaching and learning. The study found out that teachers who had basic skills in ICT use were 53%, intermediate skills in ICT use 38% and advanced skills in ICT use were 9%. Teachers were using desktop computers, laptop computers and internet in teaching and learning. However, the results also indicate that they were no electronic learning infrastructure in the institution (0%). Therefore, this implies that teachers were prepared to use ICT tools in teaching and learning during training and after training. Generally, the study results indicate that the majority of the teachers were using ICT tools in teaching and learning (88%). However, 12% of the teachers were not using ICT tools in teaching and learning. Therefore, there is need for the institution to establish the causes and develop ICT policy to guide teachers and learners.

This study is about the utilization of ICT in classroom learning to develop teacher’s professional competence. Nowadays, COVID-19 pandemic has already spread around the world. It brings bad impacts on many sectors, especially the education sector. Based on the issue, this study aims to investigate teacher’s familiarity with the use of ICT, to find out teachers’ professional competence in utilizing ICT in classroom learning, and to obtain supporting and inhibiting factors of teachers’ professional competence in utilizing ICT. A qualitative approach was used as a method of this study. Data collection was conducted by distributing questionnaires, carrying out structured interviews, and documentation addressed to ten respondents consisting of English teachers from three schools in Wonosobo, Central Java, Indonesia. This study reveals that ten teachers were familiar with using ICT in classroom learning. They claimed that the use of ICT can help their works in the teaching and learning process. Second, the teacher’s professional competence can improve ICT utilization in teaching and learning classrooms. The use of ICT also can improve teachers’ professional competence because ICT usage is easier and more effective to deliver materials. Third, some supporting factors of the use of ICT were found in this study. They were making teaching and learning process easier, increasing students’ motivation, and improving teachers’ professional competence. The use of ICT also could make teachers easily take part in this digital era.

The advancement of technology has revolutionised the education sector; the effective integration of ICT in the education sector is vital for improving the teaching quality and enhancing the learning skills of students. The use of ICT resources is considered just as important in the education sector within Saudi Arabia, and all educational institutions are investing heavily in developing sound ICT resources. However, effective integration of ICT has been a significant challenge for most educational institutions. Therefore, the purpose of this dissertation is to evaluate the challenges facing effective integration of ICT in secondary schools in Saudi Arabia. To explore these challenges, this dissertation uses a qualitative case study analysis among four secondary schools in Saudi Arabia; in the study, sixteen interviews, comprising of twelve teachers and four headmasters, were conducted to obtain their perspectives about the challenges that impinge the effective integration of ICT in secondary schools. The results of this study show that both teachers and headmasters consider the role of ICT as vital in improving the quality of teaching, learning and the overall performance of schools; however, there are various barriers that can hinder the effective integration of ICT. These challenges include a lack of resources, including the limited number of ICT teachers in schools, lack of required number of computers in computer classes, slow Internet speeds, change-resistant approaches of teachers toward the use of ICT, lack of training, the stringent ICT policy formulated by the Ministry of Education and tight monitoring and control of ICT processes by the Ministry of Education. By addressing these challenges, schools can integrate ICT effectively in their educational curriculum and save both the financial and human resources that are vital for the effective and long-term integration of ICT in schools and in developing a culture of learning and teaching in schools to build educational excellence.

The last ten years or more have been a period of intense change, both on a structural and general level. We live in a time of confusion, common to moments in time where there is a historical transition between different types of society. This situation has led to a substantial change in the professional needs, competencies and skills required by individuals in order to progress in the Net society. It is imperative for individuals to re-examine their professional development and the acquisition of new knowledge via processes which are different from those we have been familiar with up to now. This is especially important for teachers' professional development. Faced with this situation, training is seen as the `best way' to guarantee the development of highly productive work environments. The updating of traditional training models is a topic currently undergoing much debate. In the current ever-changing context based on the use of ICTs, the importance of integrating elements of formal, informal and non-formal education is crucial. Another key aspect of the updating of professional training and development is personalization: adapting policies to the specific needs of each individual, according to their style of learning. In this context, it is clear that the use of ICT in education extends the potential learning space for professional development and updating of skills, thereby generating life-long, life-wide, and life-deep learning opportunities. These concepts imply that potential learning spaces are neither developed in a linear fashion nor linked to a specific geographical setting. Each teacher is therefore presented with a wider and more varied range of possibilities from which to create a complex structure of interlinked relations and components which form his own learning ecology: his personal strategy for professional development and relations. The concept of ecology moves beyond Communities of Practice, Personal Learning Environments or Learning Communities and further even than social networks, given that these only exist as selected components of each individual's learning ecology. What is still unanswered is: can learning ecologies really improve those formal systems of life-long learning which have been in use up to now? Is the concept of learning ecologies a valid way to explain and increase levels of personalisation in life-long learning, particularly in teachers' professional development? How can each individual use his/her own learning ecology in order to improve his/her professional activity? Which success factors or strategies need to be identified? What role does ICT play in the setting up of these ecologies? The aim of the research we are going to present is to analyze and understand the ways in which learning ecologies contribute to the professional development of school teachers throughout their lives. In this paper we present the design to conduct this investigation, the mixed methodology we are using and the preliminary results we are getting.

This study actually investigated the role of ICT as a tool for effective teaching and learning of Mathematics in Secondary Schools. The purpose of this study was to explore students and mathematics teachers’ trainees’ use of ICT in the teaching and learning of mathematics. The study adopted survey research design and was conducted in Kafur Local Government Area of Katsina State. The target population was the entire students and mathematics teachers in Kafur Local Government. Five out of ten secondary schools in the area of study were randomly selected as a sample. The instrument used was questionnaires for both teachers and students. Simple percentage and chi-square were used to analyze the data. Among the findings are the use of ICT by students improved their performance, problem-solving skill and mathematics achievements. Some recommendations were equally made among which are; adequate and qualitative ITC materials and computer laboratories should be made available in all secondary schools.

Freedom from Choice

A good teacher must develop a wide range of basic professional skills, such as designing learning activities; learning process management and monitoring; assessment for learning activities; ICT integration and use in education; knowledge of students' characteristics and learning styles, counseling and personalized teaching; classroom management; institutional development and school-community partnerships. ICT integration and use in education is a professional skill required in several areas of the teaching process: designing and implementing learning situations, assessing student learning, research, communication, etc. The use of ICT in educational activities stems from the early stages of ICT and Internet development. Processing information using computers was initially related to research and only later to the educational process. In recent years, ICT have become a key element that upholds a modern educational approach in an advanced society, whether it is classical education (which requires attending classes) or whether it is distance learning (both within the institutional educational system and the alternative systems of continuing professional development). Students attending the Academy of Economic Studies can opt for pedagogical and methodological training by enrolling in courses at the Department for Teacher Training in order to prepare for a teaching career. By attending this psycho-pedagogical module the students gain the professional knowledge and skills required for a teaching profession. In this paper the authors aim to address the topic of ICT in economic education from the perspective of collaborative learning and to present a study on ICT use by Economics students preparing for a teaching career in terms of ICT integration into the design and implementation of educational activities in teachers' daily practice. The study is based on a survey questionnaire addressed to third-year bachelor's students and second-year master's students who, in addition to specialized training, have opted for pedagogical training courses. Data collection, processing and analysis enables the authors (a) to determine the extent to which the respondents use ICT in the design and implementation of educational activities and their view on the significance of information technology as a tool for learning (b) to make a series of recommendations aimed at developing ICT skills in Economics students that are also training for a teaching career.

The impact of the use of ICTs in the university context has been investigated for decades, as they are not only tools in themselves, but also generate a new social space and, therefore, a new educational space known among others as virtual education or online learning (OL). Precisely, OL has been presented as an alternative in the historical context originated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has created an unexpected situation for social structures and their educational institutions. The main goals of the study was to know about the students' perceptions of the educational use of ICTs and educational technologies in times of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some specific objectives of the research were (i) to identify the disposition of the students towards the use of ICTs, (ii) to characterize the Interaction with others through the use of ICTs, and to (iii) identify the interaction of the students with LMS and ICTs. An in-depth theoretical review allowed the authors of this paper to construct an instrument to measure students' perceptions about the use of ICTs and educational technologies in times of the COVID-19 pandemic. This research was financially supported by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) as part of the project “Praxispartnerschaften zwischen Hochschulen und Unternehmen in Deutschland und in Entwicklungsländern ab 2017” (Project Nr. 57334905).

The study examined the information and communication technologies adoption among academic staff of agriculture in tertiary institutions in Katsina State, Nigeria. The population of the study consisting of 122 academic staff teaching Agriculture in tertiary institutions in Katsina State and entire population was used for the study. Data were collected using structured questionnaire and analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The result reveals that 37.2% of the respondents were within age bracket of 41-50 years with a mean of 51 years. Majority (94.2%) of the lecturers were married and 44.5% of respondents had 1-5 in their household with a mean of 8 persons. More than half (53.2%) of respondents had a Bachelor Degree. The result further revealed that 43.4% of the lecturers had a teaching experience of 16-20 years with a mean of 15 years and 21.3% are assistant lecturers. The results further revealed that, GSM had high adoption level in the study with a mean of = 3.00, search engines = 2.94, E-mail = 2.84, computer = 2.91 and printer = 2.65. The regression analysis result reveals that age of the lecturers and teaching experience were positive and significant (P≤0.01), Household size and educational level were also positive and significant (P≤0.05). The major constraints that hinder adoption of ICTs in the study area were computer Illiteracy = 3.75, unstable power supply = 3.76, poor economic conditions of the academic staff = 3.56, changes in Government policies = 3.66, limited technical support from institution = 3.54, Internet and electronic insecurity = 3.64. The study concluded that, socio-economic characteristics of academic staff play a significant role on the adoption of ICT facilities for lecturing, research and records management in Tertiary Institutions in Katsina State. It is recommended that, there should be a policy of continuous training of academic staff on the use of modern ICTs for improved job performance and delivery, relevant government agencies should make effort at ensuring steady power supply to increase the effective use of ICT facilities by the academic staff in the study area.